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Everything We Know About Genshin Impact's 4.2 Update

Here’s a breakdown of what’s to come in the ‘Masquerade of the Guilty’ update

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Genshin Impact's reporter Charlotte snaps a picture with her camera.
Screenshot: Hoyoverse / Kotaku

The anime-inspired action-RPG Genshin Impact will get a pretty substantial update later this month that introduces two new playable characters, an expanded region to explore, and a couple of formidable bosses waiting to beat the brakes off you.

Dubbed the “Masquerade of the Guilty,” update 4.2 brings the usual assortment of new areas, bosses, and playable characters. The upcoming update will also introduce new events for you to play through and earn rewards from. Here’s everything we know about Genshin Impact’s imminent content drop.

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Genshin Impact 4.2 Release Date

Developer Hoyoverse has announced that this latest update will launch on November 8 for mobile (Android and iOS) devices, PC, and PlayStation consoles. Since HoYoverse is based in China, that means players in North America can typically access the new content slightly earlier, at around 11 p.m ET on November 7.

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Like the base game, update 4.2 features cross-progression and coop functionality, meaning you can play with your friends and pick up from where you left off on any platform since Genshin Impact is free-to-play. Nice.

Genshin Impact 4.2 New Areas

Teyvat’s newest region, the France-inspired land of Fontaine, will expand when update 4.2 launches. The watery location will now include two new eastward areas, Erinnyes Forest and Morte Region, that’ve been plagued by bacterial mats. You’ll cleanse these mats with the help of the Xenochromatic Ball Octopus, an aquatic creature that hunts by firing watery projectiles, as you continue the world quest The Narzissenkreuz Adventure in the Tower of Ipsissimus. You’ll need to defeat a couple of powerful new foes, the All-Devouring Narwhal and The Foul, in order to bring some semblance of order back to a region slowly getting flooded.

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Genshin Impact 4.2 Trailer

Version 4.2 will mark the end of the Fontaine section of Genshin’s main story quest, which first kicked off in the 4.0 expansion earlier this year. The Traveler and their companions will face their most daunting challenge yet as they fight to preserve the safety of Fontaine and its people.

Here’s a rundown of what to expect in 4.2, courtesy of HoYoverse:

“Fontaine is on the brink of destruction in the upcoming Archon Quest. The nation needs all hands on deck, even the Fatui Harbinger, Arlecchino, as the Primordial Seawater which can dissolve all Fontainians comes dangerously close to submerging the nation. The approaching waters are also awakening formidable enemies as well as fearsome monsters.”

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You can check out the latest trailer for the latest expansion below:

Genshin Impact

Genshin Impact 4.2 Banners

Two new characters will become playable with update 4.2: The Hydro Archon Furina, who joins as a five-star Hydro sword user, and reporter Charlotte, who takes the role as a four-star Cryo-catalyst camera wielder. Furina is more graceful in her combat tactics, using what appears to be an umbrella and bubbles to land strikes with elegance. Charlotte, meanwhile, combines her elemental skills to snap damaging photos while providing healing in the field.

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The first three-week banner cycle for 4.2 will start November 8, and offer players the chance to pull characters including Baizhu, Charlotte, Furina, and two other unannounced four-star characters.

Once the first three-week banner cycle wraps, the second one should get underway around November 29. That’s your chance to add the five-star Electro polearm user Cyno, the five-star Hydro sword-wielder Kamisato Ayato, and three other unnamed four-star characters to your roster.

Genshin Impact 4.2 Events

Genshin Impact update 4.2 will also include several limited-time events, likeThelxie’s Fantastic Adventures, a collect-a-thon to upgrade the clockwork penguin, and Lil’ Fungi’s Fun-Tastic Fiesta, which lets you train and command fungi to take down powerful enemies. These events can reward you with some leveling materials, EXP books, Mora, and more rewards.

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