Genshin Impact Version 5.0 Review – Natlan, the Nation Of War

As someone who’s been an active player since release, it’s been a delight to witness how Genshin Impact has grown over the years. It’s incredible how HoYoverse has managed to consistently deliver content of this quality and scale, all for a free-to-play game.

This latest Version 5.0 patch, titled “Flowers Resplendent on the Sun-Scorched Sojourn” introduces the nation of Pyro, Natlan. While it has been mentioned for years now, very little has been revealed about Natlan’s lore and culture. Thankfully, now have the chance to explore Natlan for ourselves! Time to go over Version 5.0 and explore Natlan’s story, exploration, and gameplay!

Previously, on Genshin Impact…

The story picks up from the Traveler and Paimon’s departure from Fontaine and continues their journey across Teyvat. This time in Version 5.0, their journey leads them to Natlan, the sixth of Teyvat’s nations to be released in Genshin Impact.

Aside from being the home of the Pyro Archon, Natlan is also known as the Nation of War. We eventually learn how apt this title is, as Natlan has been locked in a seemingly unending war with the Abyss for centuries, which is possibly the longest ongoing conflict found out of all of the nations.

New Mechanic: Nightsoul

Version 5.0 also introduces three new playable Natlan characters; Kachina, Mualani, and Kinich. While they have amazing designs and personalities, each character also has something unique to bring to the table in terms of exploration.

The Nightsoul’s Blessing and Nightsoul Burst are also new mechanics that are unique to all of the characters. Nightsoul’s Blessing will enhance a character’s combat capabilities and mobility whenever they use their Elemental Skill.

Nightsoul Burst on the other hand, is triggered when the player deals elemental damage while having a Natlan character in their party. Natlan characters also usually have additional effects or damage boosts in their kits tied to triggering Nightsoul Burst.

So far, we have Mualani’s Sharky Surfboard for aquatic travel and Kachina’s Turbo Twirly for scaling the sides of mountains, and Kinich will have threads that allow him to quickly traverse. Future Natlan characters will no doubt have more in store in terms of exploration gameplay with their Nightsoul’s Blessings.

Natlan’s Story in Genshin Impact

Version 5.0’s Archon Quest centers around the Pilgrimage of the Return of the Sacred Flame, the Night Warden Wars, and those that participate in it. To keep things brief, the Pilgrimage is a tournament wherein Natlan’s strongest warriors duke it out and fight for the top five spots. Some of those participating in the Pilgrimage also possess an Ancient Name, a “title” of sorts that is passed down through various generations in Natlan.

The five warriors that come out victorious in the Pilgrimage gain the honor of participating in the Night Warden Wars, which is where Natlan fights against the forces of the Abyss. Despite this being an extremely dangerous undertaking, the people of Natlan see this as an incredible honor. It also helps that the Pyro Archon has some extra assurance put in place for those brave enough to take on the Abyss.

Should any of the five warriors fall during the Night Warden Wars, they can still be resurrected with the Rite of Resurrection so long as the rest of their team clutch victory in the war. However, should the entire group lose, then not only do they all die, but their Ancient Names disappear with them as well.

Circling back to the Traveler’s journey, the first character in Natlan that we meet is the young and meek Kachina. She hails from the Children of Echoes, one of the six tribes that inhabit Natlan. Despite her young age, Kachina already possesses the Ancient Name “Uthabiti” which means “Resilience”. Her Ancient Name clearly reflects in her character as she still has her sights in winning the Pilgrimage even after multiple of her previous attempts have lead to failure.

Along the way, we meet more of Natlan’s colorful cast of characters such as Mualani and Kinich. The first act of the Natlan Archon Quest mainly centers on Kachina’s struggle and subsequent victory in the Pilgrimage.

Due to heavily centering on Kachina, the first act felt somewhat like we were on her Character Quest rather than an Archon Quest. However, it all works out as the heartfelt story between Kachina and her companions, combined with the thrilling action scenes during the Pilgrimage, ultimately makes for an amazing experience.

The second act shows the severity of the Abyss corruption and reveals how dire Natlan’s situation truly is. There are many interesting twists and great action sequences in this part of the story such as the epic fight between Mavuika and Capitano and the combined efforts of the cast to rescue Kachina from the Night Kingdom.

Of course, as the first acts of Natlan’s story arc, they leave players with A LOT of questions on their minds. What are the Fatui’s goals in Natlan? What is Mavuika’s plans against the Abyss? What will be the Traveler’s role in all of this? All of these are questions I’m excitedly looking forward to being addressed in future versions.

There is also an enormous amount of world-building put into Natlan that greatly enhances some parts of the main story. There is so much lore to be found in documents, side quests, and item descriptions that it blows your mind when you find pieces of the lore that explain each other.

Gameplay

I would say the main highlight of Natlan’s gameplay is the great improvement in exploration provided by the introduction of “Saurian Indwelling”. Natlan is home to a race of small elemental dragons called Saurians. Adult and young Saurians can be encountered in the wild, however, the Traveler can “indwell” within the adult Saurians and use their skills to traverse Natlan’s various environments.

As of Version 5.0, we’ve seen three species of playable Saurians: the Geo Tepetlisaurus, the Hydro Koholasaurus, and the Dendro Yumkasaurus. Each Saurian has its own skills and drawbacks. Now, remember the Nightsoul’s Blessing I mentioned previously? These Saurians are great substitutes for various puzzles around the overworld.

And each Saurian complements each other. The design of each Saurian ensures gameplay balance between the types and that there is always a Saurian that’s the perfect fit for the task that you need to do.

For example, Koholasaurus is undisputedly the best Saurian for aquatic travel, yet provides very little utility outside of it. The Tepetlisaurus can burrow underground to scale incredibly high cliffs or uncover buried treasure but has an incredibly lacking jump height and walk speed, and so on.

My personal favorite has to be the Yumkasaurus. It has the power to grapple and swing around in the air. Swinging around feels so fine-tuned and well-designed that it seems to be the most enjoyable way of going around Natlan. The main drawback of it is that the grapple has a cooldown and the Yumkasaurus’ normal walking speed is horrendously slow in comparison.

Natlan’s Sights and Sounds

HoYoverse always goes to great lengths to research and develop each nation. For Natlan specifically, they took a lot of inspiration from various South American and African cultures. The influence is very apparent in the region’s visuals, names, local fashion, and music.

There is a tremendous amount of work in making Natlan stand out from previous regions. Akin to how Fontaine’s lush hills and tall mountains, though similar, stand apart from Mondstadt’s scenery, Natlan may initially resemble Sumeru’s forests or deserts. However, further exploration will show that Natlan’s landscapes are more reminiscent of African mesas and savannahs.

In terms of music, it’s apparent how HOYOMiX has taken great care and detail in cooking up Natlan’s music as many of the tracks are absolute fire (ha, get it?). Some tracks are a mix of one-part African-inspired influence and one-part hip-hop, and it…somehow works? The tracks are such great accompaniment for going around and taking in Natlan’s sights.

I want to specifically highlight “Anthem of the Savannah” as one of the region’s best tracks. Usually hearing a battle theme over and over will result in it losing its novelty, fortunately, that hasn’t happened for this one yet. You can’t help but feel the thrill of combat with music this good.

Replayability

While the Archon Quest is the main focus of Version 5.0, there are still so many activities and side quests to experience in Natlan. Be it in the form of collectibles, additional quests, or hidden bosses.

Lost Pyroculi Collectibles

As of Version 5.0, you can gather up to 108 Pyroculi in the region and offer them to Natlan’s Statue of the Seven. This will allow players to level their Statues to Level 5, which isn’t the maximum level, but as more areas get added in future patches, we’ll be able to upgrade it further. This is pretty standard when it comes to Genshin’s expansions.

Players can also go around Natlan’s four subregions and 100% the Exploration Progress of each one. Those interested in doing so should also engage in Natlan’s Reputation system, as it is the only way of obtaining the recipe for Natlan’s Pyro Treasure Compass.

Tribal Reputation

Speaking of, Natlan is the first region to implement a different kind of Reputation system. Rather than having to level up your Reputation with Natlan as a whole, Travelers will now have to build up a reputation with each of Natlan’s six tribes.

However, as of Version 5.0, the only tribes that the player can have a reputation with are the Children of Echoes, Scions of the Canopy, and the People of the Springs, with the three others still unaccounted for.

A few World Quests can also be found in the overworld. Longer questlines, such as “In the Footsteps of the Chosen of Dragons”, can allow players to get even more acquainted with Natlan throughout the questline. Finishing these side quests will also award players some Reputation points.

Local Legends

A new region also means new Local Legends, which are super bosses found in the overworld. While they might look like regular enemies, they have immense amounts of health and are capable of knocking out your characters in three hits or less. They pose as a fun challenge for players itching for a good fight, and by also touching the Nightsoul Totems, you can also have a challenge fight with a fun gimmick.

Conclusion

Natlan opens yet another chapter in Genshin Impact’s captivating story. New regions in Teyvat always brings a large wave of hype, and I’m happy to say that Version 5.0 has lived up to all of its expectations.

Even if we’re just basing things off what we’ve seen so far, Natlan is definitely shaping up to be one of Genshin’s most amazing regions. Perhaps its only drawback is that with this, Genshin Impact now has a gargantuan story for players to enjoy as a whole, but I am truly glad with what they have going on with the region, and can’t wait for future updates.