Genshin Impact released its fourth major open-world region last week, and there have been significant additions to how open world travel works in Sumeru. After combing the new region for dozens of hours, I’ve come up with an essential, actionable list to make sure that you’re making the most out of your adventures in Sumeru.
Enter Sumeru through the small opening in Cinnabar Cliff
Genshin never actually tells you how to enter its newest region, which was blocked off until the most recent update. Don’t do what I did. I tried to enter Sumeru by scaling the massive cliffs, and I ended up pretty far from the first main quest marker. Instead, teleport to the western-most point at Cinnabar Cliff. The small cavern opening will take you directly to where you need to be.
Use the four-leaf sigil as frequently as you can
While you’re traveling in Sumeru, you might have noticed some twinkling lights labeled with a vine icon. By facing these sigils and pressing T (or the smallest button if you’re on mobile), you can instantly fly to that location. These aren’t just useful for saving some walking distance, they can also place you right above Hilichurls who are shooting at you from high towers, or they can take you to places that are otherwise impossible to climb.
You can also spawn some secret four-leaf sigils by casting Dendro powers on one of these flowers with the protruding stamens:
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Climb near the yellow flowers
If you have to climb upwards, keep an eye out for small yellow flowers on some cliff faces. They regenerate your stamina if you touch them, so you don’t have to rummage through your bag for some food in the middle of your ascent. This means that you can freely use the jump key to climb faster, rather than slowly rationing your stamina for the last push upwards. The flowers are also useful for figuring out which cliffs should be climbed, which is usually a little tricky in open world games that let you scale anything.
Shock green mushrooms to jump higher
There are green mushroom pads found all over that can increase your jumping distance. But wait, there’s more! If you attack the mushroom with an Electro element attack, then the mushroom will allow you to jump an even higher distance. Most mushrooms don’t need to be charged. But if you need to jump a significantly high distance, then try electrocuting the mushroom first. The mushrooms also deflate if you set them on fire. If that happens, you can use Dendro attacks to restore them to their original state.
Synchronize your main character with Dendro and actually use them
Yes, yes I know. No true gacha player ever uses the main character. But Dendro Traveler is legitimately good. Their Elemental Burst attack does AoE damage over a fairly lengthy amount of time, and their Elemental Skill has a very short cooldown. Invest in at least a few talent levels. I guarantee that you won’t regret it, especially if you’re not planning to roll for Tighnari.
Grab Collei as soon as possible
There’s going to be a lot of Dendro-based puzzles in Sumeru, so you need a Dendro character. Sure, you can change your main character to the Dendro element at a Statue of the Seven. But Collei’s bow just makes it so much easier to hit Dendro switches from afar. Don’t worry if you’re saving primos for the gacha—you can actually obtain Collei for free during the side quest, “The Unappreciated Carving.” You can start this quest once you arrive at Port Ormos. There’s another reason why you want to get this quest out of the way as soon as possible—it prevents you from advancing the main quest until you do.
Bring a bow user for the archery puzzles (even if you don’t have Collei)
During your travels, you might see some floating circles with the Dendro icon in the center. You’ll also see flower buds that will dispense Dendrograna when you interact with them. In order to access the treasure chest associated with these puzzles, you have to shoot these circles while your character is holding Dendrograna. You can solve these puzzles with any kind of bow user, not just Dendro characters like Tighnari or Collei.
Unseal Ruin Guards at your own peril
Ruin Guards aren’t that much more difficult to defeat than the normal ones, but you do have to take a few extra steps before you can fight them. To undo their seals, use Pyro element attacks on their binding stones. Just follow the green lines if you have a hard time seeing them.
Be careful of grayish areas with red flowers
During the main campaign, you’ll find out about a phenomenon called the Withering. As the name implies, this is when the plants start… well, withering. And the local wildlife turn extremely aggressive. You’ll accumulate decay bars (which is displayed above your health bar) as you stay in the area, so be sure to leave if you’ve been hanging around for too long. These areas also decrease your resistance to all forms of damage.
Bring a bow user to Withering zones
In order to cleanse the Withering zones, find a flower bud that produces Dendrograna and interact with it. Once you have these fluttering particles floating around your character, use a charged attack (hold normal attack) to hit the corrupted red branches. This is significantly easier if you’re doing so at range. However, the corrupted branches will also release an AoE attack at you once you’ve successfully cleansed them. So as you’re attacking, be ready to dodge immediately. Once you’ve hit all three main branches, you can interact with the main plant to destroy it.
Revisit the glowing gates after you’ve obtained the lyre
This is annoying, but you can’t actually do anything about these gates until you obtain a lyre during the Aranyaka questline. But once you do, you can play a tune at the gates to unlock a minigame where you nab all the floating green lights before the timer expires.
Spend your Dendro Sigils at the Tree of Dreams
Remember how you could redeem free gacha rolls and furniture blueprints at the Sacred Sakura tree in Inazuma? The Dream Tree is the Sumeru equivalent of that. You can only access this tree once you unlock the Vanarana realm, which is a part of the Aranyaka questline.
If something looks suspicious, then try attacking it with Dendro
There are certain collectibles or stashes of money that can only be found if you break these cubical rocks that are surrounded by tree branches. Shooting them with Dendrograna will usually do the trick. If it has a swirling pattern, then Dendro powers won’t suffice. You specifically need to shoot it with Dendrograna.
Use the floating plant creatures to reveal hidden objects
If you see a plant creature floating near some illusory torches, then use an Electro element attack on them. Doing so will solidify the torches, allowing you to light them like you would normally.
Dendro creates new special effects
When an enemy is afflicted by Dendro, using Electro on them will cause them to take more damage from Dendro and Electro attacks. When Dendro is sprayed with Hydro, it will create a seed pod. These pods (Dendro cores) will explode by themselves if there are too many on the field, or you can preemptively use them to trigger AoE damage with Pyro or Electro attacks.
Electrocute mushroom monsters to drop different types of items
Killing the mushroom creatures normally yields spores of varying rarities, while killing an Electro-afflicted mushroom will yield its nuclei. The spores are used to ascend characters. The electro-affiliated nuclei are used to refine weapons. So be sure to plan your party accordingly before you set out to hunt these fungal creatures.
Capturing Eremite forts requires multiple keys
As you venture through the desert, you’ll encounter forts occupied by Eremite mercenaries. To capture them, you need to activate a cross-shaped pillar, and then find multiple keys in the various rooms within. Be careful—as soon as you grab a key, rooms will often lock down and spawn multiple enemies. Once you have all the keys, you can shut down the cross-shaped device. This doesn’t happen immediately, though. Be sure to defend the device while it powers down, or you’ll have to start over.
There will likely be future additions as HoYoverse adds updates to its new region. But for now, these tips will ensure that you have an easier time in Sumeru.