Genshin Impact Best Fan Theories

Something that I love and find intriguing in almost every community/ fandom would be their ability to create more lore or come up with conspiracy theories based on the current information/ the lack thereof. The Genshin Impact community is no stranger to this phenomenon as they come up with a convincing lineup of theories and an entirely different lineup of theories that are just out of pocket. However, overall, we have a few front-runners that deserve praise, not only for the fact-finding to back up the theory but the dedication and commitment that goes into proving some of these theories.

As a massive conspiracy theory nerd, I do appreciate the theories that are backed up by the lore, as well as the prospective theories that may open up a new world within this game that we all know and love. In my opinion, there are so many possibilities when it comes to theory-crafting in Teyvat, mainly because the game itself provides us with potential theories in a very straightforward way.

This is why, in this compilation of Genshin Impact best fan theories, we will look at the most game-changing (literally), prominent, and evidence-backed theories that will leave most players scratching their heads.

*The following theories will be ranked based on how interesting/ lore relevant they are and will scale from 15 to 1, with theory no. 15 being the least likely/ believable, and theory no. 1 is most likely/ believable*

Top Fifteen Genshin Impact Fan Theories

15. A Slime-y Theory

This theory involves a familiar mob in Genshin Impact and the Archons or the respective elements. To understand the theory, players should know that each Large Slime has a different feature aside from the element change, and as a result, each Large Slime is unique.

These features were linked to the current playable Archons, and either the Elemental Skill, Elemental Burst, personality, or a story aspect was in sync with the feature of the Large Slime from the respective element.

1. Anemo Large Slime – creates an upward wind current when killed; Venti’s Elemental Skill also creates an upward current
2. Geo Large Slime – creates a strong Geo shield; Zhongli’s Elemental skill also creates a strong Geo shield
3. Electro Large Slime – there are two different Large Electro Slimes, Large Electro Slime, and Mutant Electro Slime; Raiden Shogun had a twin sister as well, and the twins ruled together, with one acting as the “Sword” and the other acting as the “Ruler” in a similar way to how each Hokage in Naruto had a Shadow Hokage
4. Dendro Large Slime – the Large Dendro Slime remains hidden underground, and when confronted, it summons smaller Dendro slimes; this is similar to how Nahida was hidden away and required help from her friends to set her free (this part makes sense to me, but it also feels a little far fetched)

So far, the link can be seen, but we can only confirm this once the other Archons are released.

• Believability score – 2/10
• Source – Reddit/ Hoyolab fan pages

14. The Time Loop Theory

This theory is a little wild, but it does have some truth to it when looked upon a little further. As we all know, Faruzan disappeared and reappeared 100 years later, but she did not age, and neither did she feel the time pass by. This confirms the existence of spaces that exist outside the laws of time in Teyvat or, more eerily, areas of time dilation exists in random places, meaning that any and everyone can be trapped for an unknown period of time. The theory itself is not about this phenomenon but rather about whether or not the Traveler could be stuck in a similar time-based mechanic.

The theory states that the Traveler has traveled through Teyvat many times before, and bits and pieces of evidence can be seen in certain dialogue options or even specific character stories. This loop will restart once the Traveler reaches their final destination, and then they will be sent back to square one in Mondstadt. If so, the current journey that we are all experiencing will be the last one, and it will end because the correct/ final decision will be made at the end of the journey.

• Believability score – 2/10
• Source – Reddit

13. Celestia Will be the Downfall of Humanity!

As Genshin Impact lore has shown us, Celestia has had its part in the destruction of certain nations/ civilizations, and as a result, certain people in Teyvat are conflicted about where they stand when siding with Celestia. In reality, there are only two options;

1. Stay quiet, keep your head down, and work with Celestia out of fear
2. Rebel against Celestia and risk having everything you love destroyed

Of all the Archons in Genshin Impact, only one is trying to launch a rebellion against Celestia, this will finally show us how Celestia deals with instances such as this, but in the fray, we may lose many beloved characters. Unfortunately, this could be exactly what happened with Khaenri’ah, and if so, then it is only a matter of time before every nation is attacked for crossing a line or acting out of order.

According to the lore, Celestia itself only has a handful of selected individuals that “ascended” to Godhood, which leaves the question of who already resided in Celestia before the humans/ gods ascended. In my opinion, I have a weird feeling about Celestia potentially making an example out of Snezhnaya and destroying it the same way they destroyed Khaenri’ah.

• Believability score – 3/10
• Source – Reddit/ Hoyolab fan pages

12. The Chess Board Theory: A Lost Element Will Return?

This theory revolves around the number of elements in Genshin Impact and added suspicions following the release of the TCG mini-game. Aside from the current elements, many members of the Genshin Impact community have started to notice signs pointing toward a missing eighth element. In the opening scene, we see that the Traveler has not taken on any colors indicating an element resonated with.

However, a white aura can still be seen in place of where the usual elemental colors would go. Additionally, amongst the TCG elemental dice lies the Omni dice; this dice is compatible with every other element and often acts in place of a missing elemental dice required to carry out an action.

Another factor that players have noticed is the shape of each gnosis, and these shapes are similar to pieces on a chess board, but there are only seven elements. When looking at the Genshin Impact loading screen, players can see the order in which the elements are arranged; so if each gnosis is placed along each respective chess piece, a pattern can be seen.

1. First Rook (A1) – ?
2. First Knight (B1) – Pyro
3. First Bishop (C1) – Hydro
4. Queen (D1) – Anemo
5. King (E1) – Electro
6. Second Bishop (F1) – Dendro
7. Second Knight (G1) – Cryo
8. Second Rook (H1) – Geo

That does not add up, does it? A chess board has eight pieces, so why have seven elements only? Where will the final piece go? This is where the theory explains that the eighth and final piece would be similar to/ is the Omni element and that this will give the Traveler the ability to use all of the elements simultaneously.

• Believability score – 4/10
• Source – Reddit/ Hoyolab fan pages

11. Kaeya, the Spy? Kaeya, the Double Agent? Kaeya, the Saviour?

As we all know, Kaeya is not from Mondstadt originally: instead, he came from Khaenri’ah. As to why he was sent to Mondstadt initially, we do not know, and aside from being a “spy,” there is very little to go on about Kaeya. However, many fans speculate on why Kaeya was sent to Mondstadt as a little boy and not someone a little more ruthless or stronger since Khaenri’ah had an entire army of soldiers willing to die for their nation.

This means that Kaeya must be someone of significance to the ruling body/ hierarchy of Khaenri’ah, and therefore, his survival is essential; therefore, he was sent to Mondstadt, the nation of Freedom. We do not know if Kaeya had actually sent any data regarding Mondstadt back to Khaenri’ah or if he has done anything to sabotage Mondstadt.

But, judging from what we have seen so far in the game, Kaeya seems to be working tirelessly to meet the demands of his role as the Cavalry Captian of the Knights of Favonius.

However, this can be a long con, and Kaeya just might return to Khaenri’ah one day with enough knowledge to carry out his actual mission, the revival of Khaenri’ah. As of the current version of Genshin Impact, we have no reason to point fingers or doubt Kaeya… yet.

Hopefully, he will remain loyal to Mondstadt, but maybe he is simply a character more complicated than we initially thought, struggling internally to decide which path he should embark on; one would hope that he selects the right path.

• Believability score – 4/10
• Source – Reddit

10. The fall of our Alchemist…

Another one of Mondstadt’s finest falls under the microscope, and this time, it is non-other than Albedo, the Captain of the Knights of Favonius Investigation team, and their Chief Alchemist as well. The reason why Albedo is heavily linked to destroying Mondstadt was that he stated, “If one day, I lose control… destroy Mondstadt… destroy everything. Can I rely on you to stop me?.”

This line is quite sad, especially when taking into consideration the way Albedo sees things and only considers himself to be a successful experiment, tasked with the mission to uncover the truth behind Teyvat by his creator, Rhinedottir.

This thought process could purely be because of what happened with Durin, another of Rhinedottir’s creations, that was used to attack Mondstadt and was ultimately slain over Dragonspine by Dvalin. As a synthetic human, Albedo might be thinking that he could be controlled and used in a similar way to Durin. Still, as a “perfect creation,” I believe that Rhinedottir will not be using Albedo against his will. However, there are all mere speculations, but if it comes down to it, will you, the Traveler, be able to take down our friend Albedo?

• Believability score – 5/10
• Source – Reddit/ Genshin Impact Fandom Lore

9. Lisa will Die? The Potential Fate of one of Tevyat’s Brightest

Lisa, as we all know, is the best graduate from the Sumeru Academia, and as a result, she might be the most intelligent person in Teyvat. With the potential that she shows, why would she settle for an ordinary librarian job with the Knights of Favonius?

She could easily take on most of the intellectual roles within the ranks of the Knights of Favonius, so either the Knights of Favonius library has incredible importance, Lisa is just genuinely lazy (a common trait amongst geniuses because they are easily bored), or she is just conserving her energy. But what could she be saving her energy for?

Many members of the Genshin Impact community have theorized that she might be cursed, suffering from a terminal illness, or that the use of her powers comes at the cost of her life force being drained. However, in one of Mona’s voice lines about each character’s constellation, she mentions that Lisa’s “becomes lazy” is more accurate than “comes to rest,” but this leaves many players uncertain of Lisa’s fate.

The driving force behind Lisa’s death theory is the fact that her constellation is an hourglass and that its significance can be interpreted in more ways than one.

1. The tamer and hopefully more accurate link; knowledge and time
2. The darker link; life and death

• Believability score – 5/10
• Source – Reddit

8. Alice; Is She Not in Teyvat?

Alice is a figure of major mystery and controversy in the world of Teyvat; she is the mother of Klee, guardian of Albedo, and the one that complied the Teyvat Travel Guide. One of her nicknames is “The Great Adventurer of the Realms,” coupled with the fact that she can materialize/ use landforms to display whatever she wants (both known times, as an interactive play area for Klee) led members of the Gensin Impact community to believe that she can travel across different realms and exact a certain degree of control over spaces.

As one of the most renowned names in Teyvat, Alice is perhaps the most significant character that we have not met or even seen yet. According to the theory, the reason why we have not seen her is that she is currently traveling between different realms and is, therefore, in a place outside Teyvat.

• Believability score – 5/10
• Source – Reddit

7. The Vision Theory

This theory revolves around the recruitment requirements of vision holders and whether or not their lifespan will be shortened. According to the Genshin Impact lore, the Archons hand-pick the vision holders, and the exact requirement is not confirmed. Still, a huge desire to change the world/ overcome a personal obstacle is a common denominator. However, a few members of the Genshin Impact community have come together to note down something interesting;

Each vision holder resonates with the same type of divine ideal that the Archon possesses; for example, All Anemo vision holders desire some form of Freedom, and Venti’s divine ideal is Freedom.

Subsequently, another theory was looped into this, and another common denominator was found, and that is youth. Except for Varka (age unknown), Xiao (Yaksha/ Adeptus), and Faruzan (held in a time pocket outside Teyvat’s natural flow of time for 100 years), we barely ever see or hear of any older vision holder.

So keeping the inheritance of a vision aside, we also do not see any elder member of the community with a vision. This could mean that the visions may eventually result in the death of the vision holder because they are exposed to more danger than the average individual or that the visions may slowly kill the vision holder, similar to a delusion.

• Believability score – 6/10
• Source – Reddit/ Hoyolab fan pages

6. The Cryo Archon is Correct

This theory is tied in with a few others, but the resounding echo is that the Cryo Archon is correct and the only Archon seeking *true* justice. The Cryo Archon is the only Archon with an unconfirmed divine ideal; however, Dainsleif claims that she is a “God with no love left,” leaving members of the Genshin Impact community to speculate that her divine ideal may have been love, at one point.

If so, her rebellion against Celestia would make sense because her love would not be limited to the members of her nation, and instead, when watching Khaenri’ah crumble, her emotions and empathy may have been deeply affected.

Driven by her strong reaction to what she witnessed, she launched a rebellion against Celestia, and as a result, she established the Fatui, Fatui Harbingers, and the manufacture of delusions. One point that must be considered is the importance of the gnosis and how easily each Archon gave their gnosis away relatively easily; this leads many members of the Genshin Impact community to believe that the Archons might be secretly supportive of the Cryo Archon’s actions.

At any point during the attack on Liyue, Zhongli could have wiped out all of the Fatui operatives, but he opted to sit back and watch how the humans dealt with it, meaning that there was no real threat, at least until Tartaglia released Osial. XD

• Believability score – 6/10
• Source – Reddit/ Hoyolab fan pages

5. Is Celestia in Complete Control?

Celestia seems to be a sight for sore eyes for many, with most of the citizens in Teyvat aspiring to do well enough in life, with the prospect of ascending to Celestia as their end goal. However, according to many members of the Genshin Impact community, Celestia is the opposite, and they are viewed as an oppressive force that will not hesitate to destroy anything that goes against them.

This can be seen clearly during the events that destroyed Khaenri’ah and Sal Vindagnyr, leading many to genuinely believe that Celestia and its inhabitants might have the final boss just lying in wait for us.

Many players also liken Celestia to Quinella, “the Administrator” from Sword Art Online, meaning that their view is final and that there will be no other way; if there is a rebellion, it will be dealt with swiftly and efficiently, leaving no space for any further intrusion. Additionally, Pierro states that he wants to bring true peace to the universe, meaning that Teyvat might not be the only place affected by Celestia’s authoritative power.

• Believability score – 7/10
• Source – Reddit/ Hoyolab fan pages

4. The Harbingers and their Codenames

The Fatui Harbingers are a notoriously famous collection of individuals given “god-like” executive authority to do as they see fit by the Cryo Archon. The Fatui Harbingers and what they looked like remained a mystery until recently, when we saw all of them in a short video released by the Genshin Impact YouTube channel. We have only seen Dottore, La Signora, Scaramouche, and Tartaglia as of version 3.5; however, there are seven more on the way.

One famous theory states that each Fatui Harbinger’s codename is a giveaway of the roles that they will play in the build-up to the finale of the game and their respective constellations as well. Another theory states that each Fatui Harbinger was named after a character from the Italian theater comedy show “Commedia dell’arte,” This reflects each Fatui member’s personality, although they are not the exact same.

In my opinion, the Harbingers will provide us with the bulk of entertainment in our journey across Teyvat, and as a result, I am waiting impatiently for more of them.

• Believability score – 8/10
• Source – Reddit/ Hoyolab fan pages

3. Paimon, The Real Antagonist

This is one of the most popular theories in Genshin Impact, and it states that Paimon might be a powered-down version of the Unknown God, a spy that is working for the Unknown God, or simply the one that is responsible for all the issues faced by the Traveler. The theory dictates that Paimon may double-cross the Traveler at some point, leaving the Traveler confused about who they can trust or even what to believe.

Many players in the Genshin Impact community will be heartbroken if this twist is carried out; however, the members that already find Paimon to be annoying might be excellent judges of character.

In my opinion, because Paimon is the mascot of almost anything related to Genshin Impact, I highly doubt that she would harm the Traveler, but having the Antagonist show us the way from the start of the game would be such a good way of showing just how underwhelming the Traveler is against the Unknown God. However, if this theory is correct, then at least we have a reason to make Paimon our Emergency food.

• Believability score – 8/10
• Source – Reddit/ Hoyolab fan pages

2. The Primordial One and The Second Who Came

This theory involves two of the most prominent figures in Genshin Impact lore, The Primordial One and The Second Who Came, although very little is known about them. The theory dictates that the Primordial one may have been the creator of all things, and this includes Teyvat, the heavens (which might be a reference to something similar to Celestia or Celestia itself), and the creatures in Teyvat.

The Second Who Came is the one that challenged The Primordial One and waged a war that ripped apart The Primordial One’s creations. At this point, the lore becomes a little unreliable due to the lack of content available, but it is claimed The Primordial One defeated The Second Who Came.

This theory also claims that this scenario could be a reference to Christianity and how God acted against Lucifer when Lucifer revealed his agenda. I do see this a little bit, especially with the “creation” aspect; however, in the case of Genshin Impact, it is stated that The Primordial One is away and will return. Could this return change the way Teyvat works? Or is all of this a part of The Primordial One’s “plans” for humanity?

This theory and the relevant lore behind it intrigues other diehard members of the community and me as well, so hopefully, this will be resolved before the game ends. In my opinion, I believe that this could be similar to how the Otsutsuki Clan works in the Naruto universe and that The Second Who Came was not actually defeated but instead sealed away in an area that exists outside the surface world of Teyvat, and this would explain why the people from Enkanomiya were banned from returning to the surface world as well.

• Believability score – 9/10
• Source – Reddit/ Hoyolab fan pages/ Genshin Impact Fandom Lore

1. The False Sky Theory

This theory is canon and one of the biggest curveballs that Genshin Impact has officially thrown at us. Aside from the Unreconciled Stars event and the Sumeru Archon quest, we have very little to go on in regard to this theory, and this makes sense because this theory seems to be one of Teyvat’s best-guarded secrets.

There are so many references to “finding the truth of this world,’ by the Traveler, Albedo, and many others, which means that there has to be something massive at the end of our journey, so large that it may convince us to side with our sibling. The theory states that Teyvat can be a number of things;

1. Teyvat is not a normal planet, and the land remains stationary with the sky spinning instead
2. Teyvat is a hollow earth planet, with a false sky projected by Celestia
3. Teyvat is an upside-down realm (Stranger Things fans will love this)
4. Teyvat is simply an experimental world, with the Primordial One controlling what happens

Two characters have confirmed this so far, Scaramouche and Dottore, both of these characters are Harbingers, and as a result, their word might be unreliable. However, Nahida took this seriously and is currently investigating the matter, which would mean that there is a certain significance behind this theory. If this theory is proven to be correct, it will drastically change the way players see the game and, as a result, make us question everything, and whether we are the true protagonist or the antagonist remains yet to be seen.

• Believability score – 9/10
• Source – Reddit/ Hoyolab fan pages/ Genshin Impact Fandom Lore

FAQ

Conclusion

From the standpoint of a fan, I am more than excited to see most of these theories come to life, even the depressing ones, because they will add more depth and a sense of seriousness to the usual light-hearted nature of Genshin Impact. As history has proven, Teyvat has an unforgiving reputation and is often merciless as well, so if the fan theories are correct, then we are in for a decent volume of emotional damage.

As the game progresses, we will see more theories come to light, existing theories that were proven false/ right, but most importantly, we will see the Genshin Impact community interacting more frequently in a quest to find the answers. As a long-term development with a story that goes beyond the scope of a few hours, the game developers have all the time in the world to help the community confirm or deny the existence of certain theories.

In my opinion, that takes the fun out of theory-crafting sometimes because it is something that is run mainly on imagination with the occasional bit of evidence here and there. However, I would not mind the pain as long as the lore deepens and makes the story richer, providing fans all over the world satisfaction and a really good experience.

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Rashen Perera

Rashen is a dedicated and passionate Genshin player turned writer who has used his love for this brilliant live service game as a means of turning his passion into a career. While not outspoken in nature, when let loose on a page, Rashen let's his work speak for itself and when it comes to the world of Genshin, there are few players out there that can offer more detailed and informative articles than him. He's poured literally thousands of hours into Genshin and explored every nook and cranny of Mondstadt, and he's more than willing to pass this knowledge on to you, our faithful readers!

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