Utilizing a diverse cast of characters and an elemental combat system, Genshin Impact players are now exploring an esports scene for the online RPG.
While developer HoYoverse has yet to introduce a PvP arena, players are battling one another through the Spiral Abyss, the highest tier of domains.
Here’s what you need to know about Genshin Impact esports, including its drafting system, gameplay, and its rules.
How does Genshin Impact esports work?
Genshin Impact esports uses an elaborate pick-ban drafting system similar to MOBAs like League of Legends and Dota 2.
YouTuber TenTen has been documenting the competitive scene in the Chinese region, which showcases one of the first uses of PvP drafting in Genshin Impact.
The drafting system in Genshin Impact esports
A competitive match of Genshin Impact consists of two opposing teams — Aether and Lumine.
Since the Spiral Abyss has party-swapping phases, each team comprises two players operating one party each for the first two chambers. A third player then takes over as the sole representative for the third chamber.
The first draft
At the start of the first draft, both teams alternate banning characters — a total of two per team — in the first phase, then take turns choosing their first four characters.
Once the first quartet is chosen, players will use their last ban in the second phase. The draft finishes once both teams have chosen their final four characters.
Since the Spiral Abyss occasionally coincides with the releases of characters, the teams must play the version’s feature character. In the tournament shown, both teams are fielding Yae Miko, the feature character of V2.5.
Team members can shuffle all eight chosen characters between the two parties before entering the Spiral Abyss.
The redraft
Once the first two chambers of the 12th floor are cleared, the match enters a redraft with two additional bans from each team, which makes 10 as the total number of banned characters.
This time around, players cannot reuse characters they chose in the first draft for the first redraft phase, which significantly decreases their unit pool to lesser-known 5-stars and 4-stars. All characters except for those banned are available in the second redraft phase.
In contrast to the match’s initial tag-team setup, a third player from the team handles the redraft and gameplay of the third chamber.
| GENSHIN IMPACT ESPORTS | DRAFTING SYSTEM |
| First draft rundown | Two team members draft and operate parties in the Spiral Abyss for the first two chambers. |
| First ban phase | Team Lumine bans one character Team Aether bans one character Team Lumine bans one character Team Aether bans one character |
| First draft phase | Team Lumine picks one character Team Aether picks two characters Team Lumine picks two characters Team Aether picks two characters Team Lumine picks one character |
| Second ban phase | Team Lumine bans one character Team Aether bans one character |
| Second draft phase | Team Aether picks one character Team Lumine picks two characters Team Aether picks two characters Team Lumine picks two characters Team Aether picks one character |
| Redraft rundown | Parties are reset. The third member must draft unused characters for the first redraft phase. They will also play solo for the final chamber. |
| Third ban phase | Team Lumine bans one character Team Aether bans one character |
| First redraft phase | Team Lumine picks one character Team Aether picks two characters Team Lumine picks two characters Team Aether picks two characters Team Lumine picks one character |
| Fourth ban phase | Team Lumine bans one character Team Aether bans one character |
| Second redraft phase | Team Aether picks one character Team Lumine picks two characters Team Aether picks two characters Team Lumine picks two characters Team Aether picks one character |
Gameplay and how to win in Genshin Impact esports
Similar to speedrunning, the main objective of Genshin Impact esports players is to clear out the chambers of Sprial Abyss’ 12th floor as fast as they can.
Since the Spiral Abyss already uses a timed system, scorekeepers track the clearing times in seconds. They then convert them to scores. Once all three chambers have been completed, the team with the lowest total score wins.
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The rules of Genshin Impact esports
With Genshin being a gacha game at its core, the game’s competitive community has been establishing various rules to limit the strength of overpowered characters and weapons.
Aside from stopping the average whaler from dominating every match with a C6 Diluc, these rules provide a more balanced and accessible experience for free-to-play players.
Although there’s no limit to how many 5-stars you can use, one rule states that a party can only field a 5-star character if they have two or fewer constellations.
In terms of weapons, a party can only carry one 5-star weapon with a refinement 2 limit. As of now, there are no rules for 4-star weapons.
Artifacts are a complex factor for the esports scene because of their randomized stats. Having no real way to control bonus stats, TenTen mentioned that a common rule implemented involves limiting one party to eight level 20 artifacts.
There are some occasions where the limit can be shared between the two fielded parties. With a total of 16 maxed-out artifacts, it’s possible to allocate them all to one party for a strong start or finish.
While these player-led competitions are still working out the nitty-gritty details of fair play, they are a massive step forward for the PvP scene in the Genshin community.
If you’d like to see how Genshin Impact esports works, you can check out TenTen’s most recent video on the GNCS Yae Miko Championship:
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