Genshin Impact Nations Guide - Genshin Chronicle

An Overview of Teyvat

As we venture into the World of Teyvat, we come across diverse wildlife, landscapes, and people. Much like our own world, Teyvat also has different nations, cultural diversity, regional cuisine, and differently dressed Non-playable characters. These differences are manifestations of real-life inspirations from different countries.

As we explore and learn more about each nation from the perspective of the Traveler, we can see subtle hints of quest names, NPC and character names, cuisine, and clothing, making references to different cultures and real-world historical lore.

As of version 2.7, we only have three playable nations (Mondstadt, Liyue, and Inazuma), with a fourth (Sumeru) lurking around the corner. The remaining nations will be released after Sumeru; this gives players time to complete the quests and exploration percentages of the already released nations.

However, this also means that players might have to wait a few years to obtain the complete map of the continent of Teyvat. Welcome to a Genshin Impact nations guide.

Nations

Below we can see the nations that have been released and the upcoming nations that we can expect to see within the next few years. Under each nation, there will be a small description along with a few key points.

Mondstadt

Mondstadt is a nation with an archon with a hands-off approach to ruling; in fact, Barbatos does not rule over Mondstadt. Instead, he handed over Mondstadt to its citizens after freeing them from the Tyrannical rule of Decarabian, the God of Storms. Currently, the Knights of Favonius watch over Mondstadt and maintain peace and order.

They work tirelessly to keep Mondstadt safe by going on patrols and by being the first line of defense if faced with danger.

Along with the Knights of Favonius, Barbatos also established the Four Winds to protect Mondstadt. However, of the Four Winds, only three remain since Dvalin withdrew his position as one of the Four Winds.

Barbatos is one of the Seven; he holds a position of immense respect; however, since he does not exert control over Mondstadt, he is the weakest Archon.

This was evident when Signora took him down with relative ease before stealing his gnosis. Mondstadt is based off of Germany, as can be seen by numerous Mondstaders speaking German at points, as well as Mondstadt itself loosely translating to “Moon City”.

Archon: Barbatos (Venti)
The ideal of the Archon: Freedom
Element: Anemo
Factions: Knights of Favonius

Liyue

Liyue is a nation with a very well-respected and admired archon, Rex Lapis. Morax (as Rex Lapis was formerly known) helped shape the Liyue that we know and love today through countless battles and all sorts of struggles against other Gods and monsters.

Along the way, he lost many people close to him, such as Guizhong, Bosacius, Indarius, Bonanus, Menogias, Pervases, Marchosias, and a significant amount of Milileth soldiers.

These sacrifices helped Liyue obtain independence and helped the citizens move and establish Liyue Harbor. Liyue Harbor is regarded as the economic hub of Teyvat, primarily because Liyue is the minting place for Mora.

Commercial trade and other transactions are carried out in the harbor area, where travelers, merchants, and journalists from other nations come together to learn and understand the vibrant culture available in Liyue.

Zhongli relinquished his duties as the Archon and handed his control over Liyue to the Liyue Qixing. The Adepti were asked to watch over Liyue but to not interfere in matters regarding Liyue unless it is catastrophic and would guarantee the end of Liyue.

In exchange for this, Zhongli would live with the citizens of Liyue and lead an everyday life. Amongst the people of Liyue, they hold a tremendous amount of respect for Zhongli and his deep knowledge of the affairs, history, and lore behind Liyue. Liyue is likely designed after China.

Archon: Morax, Rex Lapis (Zhongli)
The ideal of the Archon: Contracts
Element: Geo
Factions: Milileth, Liyue Qixing, Adepti

Inazuma

Inazuma is a nation that is a collection of islands with a wide variety of different transport methods such as Waveriders, Phase Gates, and Thunder Spheres.

The citizens of Inazuma were torn into different sides of a common problem during the enforcement of the Sakoku Decree and the Vision Hunt Decree, accompanied by the Storm Barrier put in place by the Shogun to prevent citizens from Inazuma and citizens from other nations from entering or leaving Inazuma. Inazuma is based upon Japan.

Inazuma was originally under the rule of Raiden Makoto, with Raiden Ei acting as her sword. Together the twins killed all of the Gods in Inazuma during the Archon War until it was only the two of them that remained.

Raiden Ei backed away from being the Archon because she believed that Raiden Makoto was much better suited to be the visionary leader that Inazuma needed. However, during the events of the Cataclysm, Raiden Ei was left behind to defend Inazuma while Raiden Makoto rushed to Khaenri’ah by herself.

After successfully fending off the attack from the Abyss, Raiden Ei rushed to Khaenri’ah as well to support and defend Raiden Makoto. However, by the time Raiden Ei reached Khaenriah, Raiden Makoto was slain.

As Raiden Makoto was dying in Raiden Ei’s arms, Raiden Ei decided to save Raiden Makoto’s consciousness and bring it back home, to Inazuma.

After creating the puppet “The Shogun,” Raiden Ei leaves the mortal realm and enters the Plane of Euthymia in an attempt to live with the great tragedy of the losses that she faced during and after the Cataclysm.

The Shogun now operates as the ruler of Inazuma, Raiden Ei’s gnosis is with Yae Miko, and Raiden Ei meditates in the plane of Euthymia. The Fatui sought a market for their delusions, and therefore they came up with a plot to weaken Inazuma with the introduction of the Vision Hunt Decree.

However, their plans were foiled, and now Inazuma is back to normal, with characters from other nations being invited to festivals as well.

Archon: Raiden Shogun (Beezlebub, Raiden Ei)
The ideal of the Archon: Eternity
Element: Electro
Factions: Yashiro Commission, Inazuma Shogunate

Sumeru

Sumeru is a nation known for its Academy, the Sumeru Academia. This institution has existed since before the Cataclysm and has been the place of study for some notable characters such as La Signora and Lisa.

Lisa is the most talented graduate of the Sumeru Academia, and following her as a runner-up is non-other than the Dendro archon, the Lesser Lord Kusanali (God of Wisdom). The Dendro archon is also the youngest Archon since she was born after the events of the Cataclysm.

She took the vacated mantle of the Dendro archon following the death of her predecessor, the God of Woods, who was slain during the Cataclysm (alongside Raiden Makoto) when the Seven Archons retaliated against Khaenri’ah.

Sumeru is supposed to be a land of scholars and intellectuals due to the existence of the Sumeru Academia. Most scholars from Sumeru that we have come across always seem to be conducting experiments or testing items, which leads us to believe and understand that the citizens of Sumeru must have a high literacy rate.

Sumeru is also home to a group of mercenaries known to have no fear of death; this could make them a perilous enemy if they were to target someone.

Archon: Lesser Lord Kusanali
The ideal of the Archon: Wisdom
Element: Dendro
Factions: Sumeru Academia

Fontaine

Fontaine is a nation of high sophistication, technological advancement, very stylish clothing, and above all, justice. As a nation, they pride themselves in being the arts, culture, and elegance hub of Teyvat. One of the first items that players obtain is the Kamera.

The NPC Xu mentions that it was invented in Fontaine, which is a subtle nod to real-world history because Joseph Nicéphore Niépce was a French man who has been credited for the invention of the camera in 1816.

Fontaine is also home to the invention of Rock and Roll. Xinyan from Liyue can be seen performing this during certain events.

The current Hydro Archon, the God of Justice, took this title following the death of her predecessor. Before the death of the previous Hydro Archon, many Lochfolk were sent to different regions, lakes, and nations of Teyvat as spies under the guise of “connecting people through water.”

However, following the death of the Hydro Archon, once the God of Justice took the position, her ideology clashed with that of the Lochfolk, resulting in the Lochfolk exiling themselves from Fontaine and moving to various parts of Teyvat to live out their lives.

As we can see, one such Lochfolk can be seen residing in the cool and calming water body near Qingce Village in Liyue.

Archon: God of Justice
The ideal of the Archon: Justice
Element: Hydro
Factions: Court of Fontaine

Natlan

Natlan is a nation famous for its natural hot springs and volcanic activity; the hot spring bathhouses in Inazuma were probably inspired by these hot springs, and with the aid of a device from Snezhnaya, Inazuma was able to replicate the hot springs.

Not much has been revealed about Natlan, aside from the information listed here.

Archon: The Lady of Fire (Murata)
The ideal of the Archon: War
Element: Pyro
Factions: Unknown (yet to be confirmed)

Snezhnaya

Snezhnaya is the most technologically advanced nation. The Tsaritsa is in charge of the Fatui; she has sent her diplomats to other nations in an attempt to cause turmoil. Further, the Tsaritsa has also put together the Fatui Harbingers, a collection of individuals that can rival the power of the Gods.

As we saw in Mondstadt, La Signora was able to easily overpower Venti and steal his gnosis. However, she was not able to defeat the Traveler, and as a result, she was executed by the Raiden Shogun.

Tartaglia is another Harbinger that we have seen in action. He is an interesting character due to his mastery over all available weapons in Teyvat, and he has also undergone the teachings of the Abyss. The Harbingers are a force to be reckoned with, and this only brings into question how strong the Tsaritsa is.

Since she exerts the most amount of control over her respective nation, the Tsaritsa could easily be the strongest Archon since Zhongli relinquished his duties.

We can see the advanced technology available amongst the ranks of the Fatui since they use weapons that are not in the usual weapon pool in Genshin Impact.

According to Tartaglia, the weather in Snezhnaya is so severe that if people stop moving, they would literally freeze to death. According to an NPC, the blizzards can last up to a month, which means that a significant improvement in technology was needed to cope with the weather.

Archon: Tsaritsa
The ideal of the Archon: Unknown (yet to be confirmed)
Element: Cryo
Factions: Fatui

Common Traits of Each Nation

Each nation that has been released so far has had significant differences in both landscape and culture. However, some in-game collectibles and items remain common.

Based on my assumptions, players can expect to see more of these collectibles and items in different variations as we make our way to the end of the game.

Each nation has its own representative element. The Traveler can resonate with the respective Statue of the Seven of the region and obtain the ability to use the respective element. We have seen this happen before, and I believe that it will be a recurring incident.


Resonating with Anemo	Upgrading the Statue of the Seven in Mondstadt

Speaking of the Statue of the Seven, players must collect Oculi in order to upgrade the Statue. Therefore we can safely assume that there will be plenty of Oculi in the upcoming nations along with plenty of rewards for upgrading the Statues.

In order to ease the process of finding Occuli, players have been offered resonance stones. These resonance stones can be used to find Oculi and each nation has its own variant of resonance stone.


Geoculus	Geo Resonance Stone

Each region has its own Shrine of Depths; the keys are scattered across the region, with some available as rewards in specific domains, as quest rewards, and the rest available as rewards for upgrading the respective Statue of the Seven.


Shrine of Depths key	Shrine of Depths

Next, we have exclusive regional sigils; these sigils can be exchanged for items or Mora in a shop which is usually found in the main city of each nation. Players can collect these sigils by opening chests.

In order to ease this process, Genshin Impact has given players an item called the treasure compass, and each nation has its own variant.


Electro Sigil	Electro Treasure Compass

Finally, we have regional weapon series; each free 4* forgeable weapon series that we have seen so far has been introduced with their respective regions. So, therefore, we can safely assume that players will receive more free 4* forgeable weapons series with the release of each new nation.

Mondstadt – Infusion series
Liyue – Prototype series
Inazuma – Amethyst series

Aside from the collectibles mentioned above and items, players can also expect an additional map area similar to Dragonspine, The Chasm, and Enkanomiya. This area comes with its own form of collectible, as we have seen in the areas released so far (Crimson Agate, Lumenspar, and Key Sigils).

These areas come with additional chests, quests, items, and of course, primogems. Since it has happened with the nations released so far, it would be safe to assume that we can expect more areas to be released as the story progresses.

Khaenri’ah and its Significance to the Story

Khaenri’ah is a long-lost civilization. As an underground nation, they thrived through a form of alchemy called Khemia. Khemia was used by alchemists in Khaenri’ah to create life.

More famously, Rhinedottir used Khemia to create Durin the Shadow Dragon. After the events of the Cataclysm, she created Albedo and finally perfected creating Synthetic Humans.

Not much is known about Khaenri’ah, but players can learn about this civilization through in-game story quests and other events. This nation is quite interesting due to its absence of Gods since every other nation had a God or multiple Gods.

This difference drew a significant line and separated Khaenri’ah from the other nations.

In an attempt to overthrow Celestia, Khaenri’ah launched an attack on the entire continent of Teyvat. This attack caused chaos by releasing the Abyss Order and its creatures to run rampant across Teyvat. This event is known as the Cataclysm, an infamous event that changed the landscape, future, and lives of every nation.

Celestia is not an entity that would take this disrespect, and therefore they retaliated with full force, which resulted in the destruction of Khaenri’ah and her citizens. A curse was laid upon the inhabitants of Khaenri’ah, which morphed them into the monsters that we now know as the Abyss Order.

Since the Abyss Order is one of the main Antagonist groups (led by the Travelers sibling), they hold great importance in the Genshin Impact World.

As to the exact events that led to the Cataclysm and the events following afterward, not much has been revealed. However, I believe that at the end of the game, we will receive an explanation and finally uncover the reality behind Khaeinri’ah.

FAQs

Question: What Countries are Genshin Impact Nations Based on?

Answer: Genshin Impact draws inspiration for its nations from real-world countries and cultures. This includes organizing similar festivals, NPC and playable character clothing, cuisine, and world terrain.

• Mondstadt – Germany
• Liyue – China
• Inazuma – Japan
• Sumeru – South Asia/ Egypt (the final design has not been confirmed as of version 2.7)
• Fontaine – France
• Natlan – Latin America
• Snezhnaya – Russia

We can expect to see inspiration from nations aside from the ones mentioned above, with many members of the Genshin Impact community likening Enkanomiya to the ancient Greek ruins and Dragonspine to the Swiss Mountains..

Question: Which Genshin Impact Nation is the most Technologically Advanced?

Answer: Snezhnaya. The battle for technologically advanced nations comes down to Fontaine and Snezhnaya. However, Snezhnaya takes the edge due to the vast availability of weapons, armor, and delusions that have been developed by this nation.

As we can see, the Fatui members scattered across Teyvat possess different weapons that are not used by any playable characters or NPC. They use guns, knives, a giant hammer, and boxing mechanics (although Heizou does replicate the Anemo Anemoboxer Vanguard’s attack).

Question: Which Genshin Impact Archon is Strongest? And how does it Affect the Nation?

Answer: Canonically, the strongest Archon is Zhongli; he is also the oldest Archon. However, an Archon’s strength is directly correlated to the amount of control exerted upon their respective regions.

Since Liyue is the largest region as of version 2.7, and due to his immense natural power, Zhongli was the strongest Archon. However, he relinquished his command over Liyue and handed it to the Liyue Qixing.

Therefore, the strongest Archon has to be the Tsaritsa since she exerts the next highest amount of control and authority, not to mention that she also has the best military in all of Teyvat.

With the technological advances, the amount of control that she has, and the amount of land she watches over, the Tsaritsa and her hands-on approach to being an Archon will be a force to be reckoned with.

Conclusion

As we travel across Teyvat, we are bound to run into different NPCs from different nationalities as well as different sceneries and locations.

Since Genshin Impact is famous for providing players with stellar graphics and cultural references in their own way, players can expect to witness different in-game events similar to the Lantern Rite Festival.

Players can also expect to see Genshin Impact diversify their cuisine and other culture-based things within the game. Personally, I am excited to see Fontaine and Snezhnaya; I believe that the mechanics involving the two nations would be interesting to see.