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Genshin Impact fans have to decipher the meaning behind many of the game’s items and effects due to item descriptions getting more convoluted. This has been an issue with every new update to the game, with effects with seemingly similar effects having different names due to “lore reasons”. The community has always been vocal about the issue, and the topic crops up fairly often. So let us explore the topic and see if there is a better solution.
Are Genshin Impact item descriptions and effects needlessly confusing?
The topic is nothing new to long-time Genshin Impact fans. With the latest 4.0 update and the region of Fontaine opening up, players will have access to new items. And with that comes the age-old question – why are effects more complicated and hard to read? This was a question posed by Redditor GreenCr0w’s thread.
The thread wasn’t just empty words either. Taking the example of The First Great Magic bow, they were able to clarify and shorten the effect description with just a quick edit. The main takeaway is that the “lore-friendly” names of effects and stacks simply don’t add anything to the weapon’s effect. With some simple editing and rearrangement, the weapon’s description is clear and more precise.
As every Genshin Impact player knows, this bow is hardly the only or most egregious example. The tradition of naming every single thing has become a meme in the community, as HammeredWharf puts it “No, people regularly make fun of Hoyo’s compulsion to name every little thing. I guess they do it for lore, but it makes reading some kits way more annoying than it should be.”
The result is that every description looks overtly cluttered, which heightens the barrier of entry for many players. Moreover, it can make some fans care less about what each item does when they have to spend time to decipher if it’s an upgrade or not.
Is localization the culprit?
Don’t get us wrong here – having everything explained about an effect is a good thing in games. Many players want to know the nitty-gritty of everything they pick up. However, there’s an argument to be made for better clarity and clearer formatting that MiHoYo could learn from.
There’s possibly some amount of “lost in translation” at play here as well. Several Chinese players report that their native version of the same items is far better defined. Localization is never easy, and with so many effects in play, Genshin Impact has to navigate a way to please both Eastern and Western audiences.
What is your takeaway? Do you enjoy reading item effects in Genshin Impact or find them too much to bother? Also, check out our latest build guide for Anemo 4-star character Lynette.