Genshin Impact | 5.2 Special Program

[Moonface]

Yeah, although it went to Shira's email so she'll have to PM you the code. 

Also I'm sure you already noticed it yourself but I saw that this game is the first to be visibly impacted by the voice actor strikes: https://www.ign.com/articles/genshin-imp...ing-strike

[Mr EliteL]

Ah, Shira has it OK I can wait for it.

Yeah that does suck, AI really shouldn't be used to take over jobs. I can only understand it if a voice is so iconic and the VA has passed away and their voice is really really needed but nah it's so much better to get a new voice like Tekken 8 has done with Heihachi, and also to keep VAs in a job.
I do sometimes use English voice over at times on my main (sometimes switch it over) and when I play on my phone, on my laptops I use JP or CN. So I'll likely just switch over for the time being anyway.

[Mr EliteL]

5.2 Special Program

Redemption Codes:

1. 6ALMWAVKLK35
2. 7TLMXSD243JR
3. JS45ETDJLKMD



What's New:

• Chasca (5* Anemo Bow user)
  
• Ororon (4* Electro Bow user)
  
• Astral Vulture's Crimson Plumage (5* Bow)
  
• 4* Weapons: Flower-Wreathed Feathers (Bow), Waveriding Whirl (Catalyst), Event-Only: Calamity of Eshu (Sword)
  
• Archon Quest Chapter V: Interlude: All Fire Fuel the Flame
  
• New areas: Flower-Feather Clan tribe, Masters of the Night-Wind tribe & Ochkanatlan (dangerous restricted Abyssal area)
  
• New Saurians: Qucusaurs - Flying/Gliding ability, Itkomisaur - Jump, move speed & object creation abilities
  
• New Boss: Tenebrous Papilla (can transform into world bosses)
  
• TCG Cards: Rosaria, Sigewinne, Golden Wolflord
  
• Genshin Impact will now be available to play on Xbox Series X|S
  

Version Specifics: 

• Banner 1st Half: Chasca & Lyney rerun + Ororon among 4*
  
• Banner 2nd Half: Zhongli & Neuvilette reruns
  
• Events: Iktomi Spiritseeking Souls - story event with multiple minigames (earn Calamity of Eshu and Refinements among other rewards during this event)
  
• Adventurer's Trials Metamorphosis - complete challenges with specific trial characters
  
• Exercise Surging Storm - Use monsters to battle against another team of monsters
  
• Claw Convoy - Find animals using their point of view
  
• TCG Event: Automatic Artistry (reward-less)
  
• Ley Line Overflow - Earn double rewards from Blossoms of Wealth or Revelation (up to 3 times a day in the week duration)
  

System Updates: 

• Imaginarium Theatre: Option to continue Acts instead of forcibly returning to the lobby in-between acts, Supporting Character Record to view usage from friends, plus a menu with recommended character roles according to the upcoming acts you're about to perform to aid in your character selection decisions
  
• Option to sort artifacts from recent to oldest or not
  
• Lock Assistance to set up plans to lock Artifacts according to preferred settings, batch lock-Artifacts, plus a shortcut to Lock Assistance in Artifact Domain Challenge and Artifact acquisition screens
  
• Star/Favourite button to be added below lock icon for Artifacts to better organise and find them quicker
  
• Animations for forging, cooking, crafting and building furniture will be shortened
  
• Seed Dispensary will now hold up to 40 max seeds from the previous 20 max
  
• Purchase Wood in Realm Depot for Realm Currency
  
• Cooldown for Boon of the Elder Tree will be reduced to 5 seconds
  
• Treasure Compass will be able to locate other treasures such as Seelies and Time Trial Challenges
  
• Quick Swap feature for Treasure Compasses and Oculus Resonance Stones by the region you're in
  

---

Didn't realise there was going to be a third new area opening up, knew that there was going to be two new tribe locations though. Mysterious area looks to be interesting, though my only Natlan characters are Kachina for all three and I have Mualani and Xilonen on my EU F2P but none elsewhere. I at the present moment doubt I'll be pulling for Chasca and Ororon, I was previously interested in Ororon but that dwindled even less when it rumoured then revealed to be a 4*. Well 4* is good so I can get him whenever instead of waiting for a specific 5* banner anyway but he's still a whatever character at the moment for me. Skipping Chasca only because of low Primogems and lack of real need for her. Though at the same time somehow I feel as though I will get her on one of my accounts anyway, I'll see.

My plans though for banners are currently:-

Main - C2 Zhongli, C1 Wriothesley, C1 Shenhe (maybe), Mavuika
F2P EU - C1 Shenhe (maybe), C? Kokomi (C3 so far though I might stop going for more cons now as primos are low, plus because I got both Xilonen and Chiori there)
F2P NA - C4-C6 Clorinde, a 5* Natlan character (primos are also low thanks to getting Yelan, Raiden, losing 50/50 on Hu Tao's banner and winning an early Staff of Homa)
Any - Citlali, Iansan

[Mr EliteL]

5.3 Special Program

Redemption Codes:

1. UAMPGJASECZH
2. LT5NH2TTXUHM
3. 4SLPH3BSFVH9



What's New

• 5-star Characters - Mavuika (5* Pyro Claymore), Citlali (5* Cryo Catalyst), Pyro Traveler
  
• 4-star Characters - Lan Yan (4* Anemo Catalyst)
  
• 5-star Weapons - A Thousand Blazing Suns (Claymore), Starcaller's Watch (Catalyst)
  
• Weekly Boss: Lord of Eroded Primal Fire (unlocked via Archon Quest or playable via Adventurer's Handbook)
  
• World Boss: Wayward Hermetic Spiritspeaker
  
• Outfits for Hu Tao & Xiangling
  
• Natlan Archon Quest Act V
  
• Mavuika Character Story Quest & Citlali Story Quest in Night Wind's Tribal Chronicles Act III
  
• Kazuha & Ganyu Envisaged Echoes
  
• TCG Update: Mualani and Clorinde cards
  

Version Specifics

• Check-In Rewards (x10 Intertwined Fates) + Mail rewards (x1600 Primogems) + Xbox-exclusive wing glider available to all players for a limited time
  
• Event Wish Banner 1st Half: Mavuika & Citlali
  
• Event Wish Banner 2nd Half: Arlecchino & Clorinde reruns + Lan Yan banner debut
  
• Chronicled Wish Liyue Edition: Shenhe, Ganyu, Xiao, Tartaglia, Baizhu, Qiqi, Keqing + their weapons, Memory of Dust, The Unforged and Summit Shaper
  
• Events: Flagship Event - Lantern Rite (story + minigames), Lantern-Lit Gathering (pick a 4-star character of your choice), attain Xiangling's skin by participating in the event
  
• Emblem of Steadfast Valor, Shuyu's Battling Beetle Battle Bowl, On The Trial of Behemoths, Repertoire of Myriad Melodies, Overflowing Abundance
  

System Updates

• Max Artifact Inventory increased to 2,100
  
• Boss respawn time reduced to 5 seconds + no need to teleport away and back
  
• Button in character menu to direct to their individual Training Guide
  

Upcoming

• Collective of Plenty Tribe
  
• 7 new characters within the next 6 month
  
• Nod-Krai a Snezhnaya area that will be vastly different to the 6 nations already visited
  
• New Gameplay Preview - only spoken but seems to be a way to create your own levels/stages to share for others to play on, coming in the future
  

---

A lot happening this patch with the new characters, Natlan and Lantern Rite. I'm very interested in Lantern Rite, slightly annoyed Clorinde's rerun is happening this soon, I wanted it to rerun in 5.4 or 5.5 so I can save up more on my NA. I'll just have to hope everything I earn is enough to get my Clorinde to C4 or C5 and if I get insane luck, C6. Got my C2 Zhongli this recent patch so I can protect players when I play Co-Op as him.

[Moonface]

FTC | Genshin Impact Game Developer Will be Banned from Selling Lootboxes to Teens Under 16 without Parental Consent, Pay a $20 Million Fine to Settle FTC Charges

The maker of the video game Genshin Impact has agreed to pay $20 million and to block children under 16 from making in-game purchases without parental consent to settle Federal Trade Commission allegations the company violated a children’s privacy law and deceived children and other users about the real costs of in-game transactions and odds of obtaining rare prizes.

 . . .

The complaint alleges that Genshin Impact’s purchasing process obscures the reality that consumers commonly must spend large amounts of real money to obtain “five-star prizes,” and that some children have spent hundreds or even thousands of dollars to win them. The complaint alleges that the system is challenging and confusing, particularly for children and teens. Players must exchange real dollars for bundles of virtual currency that then have to be re-exchanged multiple times to open loot boxes, with exchange rates in unusual denominations. This complicated system, according to the complaint, misleads consumers about the amount of money that players spend on loot boxes on an ongoing basis, and the amount of money that players would likely need to spend to obtain certain prizes.

 . . . 

Under the proposed order, which must be approved by a federal judge before it can go into effect, Cognosphere Pte. Ltd and Cognosphere LLC will be required to a pay a $20 million monetary penalty and make changes to address the allegations outlined in the complaint. The companies will be:

• Prohibited from allowing children under 16 to purchase loot boxes in their video games without a parent’s affirmative express consent;
  
• Prohibited from selling loot boxes using virtual currency without providing an option for consumers to purchase them directly with real money;
  
• Prohibited from misrepresenting loot box odds, prices and features;
  
• Required to disclose loot box odds and exchange rates for multi-tiered virtual currency;
  
• Required to delete any personal information previously collected from children under 13 unless they obtain parental consent to retain such data; and
  
• Required to comply with COPPA including its notice and consent requirements.
  

---

I'm surprised it was the FTC that took issue with this before the EU did, unless the latter already did and I'm not aware of it.

[Mr EliteL]

It's deserved really, at least I think so logically speaking. I didn't care for age ratings anyway as I'm way beyond of age and can understand things better, but can't say that for younger players that aren't of consent. They'll think in their mind they NEED every character released or at least their favourites and try to make them have everything, I'd imagine if they are viewing guides on YouTube about how strong a character is with constellations, or from other players. Weapon banner was the worst offender by far so worst-case scenario would be them using a lot of parents' money or their own, wasting money. Separate menus that grant some wishes back from pulling might not be found if they're clueless about their existence. One thing I always thought should be implemented was the ability to convert Primogems back into Genesis Crystals to be able to "buy" character skins that way, so if you are able to earn Primogems from events, stories and exploration then there'd be no need to purchase the in-game currency so desperately. Or to just remove Genesis Crystals, or never have such a high price for each bundle of Genesis Crystals but it's gone way past that now.

So yes, there needs to be a block for under 16s.

[Mr EliteL]

5.4 Special Program

Redemption Codes:

1. GISpecialProgram54
2. Mizuki0212Mizuki
3. AisaBathhouse



What's New

• 5-star Character - Yumemizuki Mizuki (Anemo), she will be added to the Standard Banner in 5.5
  
• Weapons - Sunny Morning Sleep-In (5* Catalyst) Tamayuratei no Ohanashi (4* Polearm), 
  
• Mizuki Story Quest
  
• TCG Update - Gaming and new boss cards
  

Version Specifics

• Event Wish Banner 1st Half - Mizuki & Sigewinne
  
• Event Wish Banner 2nd Half - Furina & Wriothesley
  
• Events - Flagship Event: Enchanted Tales of the Mikawa Festival - earn 4* weapon Tamayuratei no Ohanashi through rewards
  
• Traveler's Tales: Anthology Chapter, Realm of Tampered Valor (combat), Invasive Fish Wrangler, Reel Ad-venture, Leyline Overflow
  

---

An early Special Program, usually not straight after the 2nd Half Banners during the current patch. A quiet update which is fine, finally Wriothesley has a rerun as I want a constellation for him. Had to skim through this stream so may not have caught everything as I'm busy today but got my codes in.

[Moonface]

It's deserved really, at least I think so logically speaking. I didn't care for age ratings anyway as I'm way beyond of age and can understand things better, but can't say that for younger players that aren't of consent. They'll think in their mind they NEED every character released or at least their favourites and try to make them have everything, I'd imagine if they are viewing guides on YouTube about how strong a character is with constellations, or from other players. Weapon banner was the worst offender by far so worst-case scenario would be them using a lot of parents' money or their own, wasting money. Separate menus that grant some wishes back from pulling might not be found if they're clueless about their existence. One thing I always thought should be implemented was the ability to convert Primogems back into Genesis Crystals to be able to "buy" character skins that way, so if you are able to earn Primogems from events, stories and exploration then there'd be no need to purchase the in-game currency so desperately. Or to just remove Genesis Crystals, or never have such a high price for each bundle of Genesis Crystals but it's gone way past that now.

So yes, there needs to be a block for under 16s.

I'm just curious how any game could actually check if parental consent has been given. I know that COPPA requires a signature on a form as proof of consent to it, although I don't see what Genshin has in it that justifies any players sharing personal details regardless of their age publicly, which is what COPPA restricts if you're under 13.

Even then, how do you prove the signature is real and not forged or just made up (meaning it isn't an actual signature in use)? And if the permission is only needed once the spending problems will still happen; they're just being temporarily halted until approval is received. Having a system that asks for permission every time doesn't sound feasible, at least in any way that isn't just there for show and actually tackles the problem this whole thing is supposed to be addressing.

[Mr EliteL]

5.5 Special Program

Redemption Codes

1. GI55Teteocan
2. GoGoVaresa0326
3. CoachIansan0326



What's New:

• 5-Star Character - Varesa (Electro Catalyst User)
  
• 4-Star Character - Iansan (Electro Polearm User)
  
• 5-Star Weapon - Vivid Notions (Catalyst)
  
• 2 New Artifact Sets - Long Night's Oath & Finale of the Deep Galleries
  
• New Locations - The Sacred Mountain and Sanctified Land & Collective of Plenty Tribe areas, plus upcoming character Ifa appearance
  
• New World Boss - Lava Dragon Statue
  
• New Saurian species - Tatankasaur
  
• World Quests for the new areas
  

Version Specifics:

• Phase 1 Banners: Varesa & Xianyun w/ Iansan among the 4-stars
  
• Phase 2 Banners: Venti & Xilonen
  
• Events - Flagship Event: Tournament of Glory and Bloom, invite Ororon to your roster when conditions are met
  
• Quirky Quaking Arena (Co-Op event)
  
• Unlimited Fighting Championship (combat event)
  
• Rhythm Ball Meztli (not a rhythm game, an elemental pong game similar to an event featured before)
  
• Overflowing Favor - double drops for Artifact Domain for a week
  

System Optimizations: 

• Optimizes Artifact enhancement, specifically to the Artifacts made from the Sanctifying Eiixir, the two selected substats will now have at least two guaranteed rolls when levelling the Artifact
  
• Treasure Compass Upgrade, detection improvement for more treasure locations including the new Monetoos
  
• Boss tracking guidance
  
• Mail System update
  

Events Overview in video form:

---

Iansan being a 4-star is a blessing in disguise really, because I'd rather use her for the skill run than either Varesa or the slow looking Tatankasaur. Varesa doing a Sonic run looks...not great. Kind of a filler update really, disappointing the Collective of Plenty area wasn't involved in the Archon Quest, well the volcano too as being the Nation of Pyro, a volcano was to be expected somewhere. Ah well.