If there’s one thing about Genshin Impact that needs to change, it would be its gacha rates and rather expensive in-game currency and shop items. Despite the “90 pity”, 50/50 mechanic, and 5-star 0.6% pull rate, people continue to buy Genesis Crystals (in-game premium currency for the shop). They do so to purchase primogems to obtain fates to pull for weapons or characters or acquire that beautiful Keqing skin that can make anyone swoon.

With this in mind, I am guilty of purchasing a tiny amount of Genesis Crystals, and I’m a consistent subscriber of the Welkin Moon and Gnostic Hymn Battle Pass. In a nutshell, the Welkin Moon provides 300 Genesis Crystals + 90 primogems/day, while the battle pass hands out added rewards like Intertwined Fates and loads of in-game items. I am not a “whale” by any means, but I admit that the game is a relatively expensive obsession.

So, regardless if you’re someone who is looking to cough up cash for Raiden Shogun or a first-time Genshin Impact player, spending loads of money on the game can either be a hit or miss. Let’s take a more profound and personal look:

So, is the premium experience worth it so far?

Yes, without a doubt. Subscribing to both the battle pass and Welkin Moon won’t guarantee that you’ll receive every five-star character and weapon, but it dramatically enhances the overall experience. How? Well, grinding in Genshin Impact is considerably more difficult than in any other game. After all, you need to obtain character ascension, level up materials, weapon enhancement items, and artifacts SEPARATELY. It also doesn’t help that it costs a truckload of mora (in-game currency), and you only have limited tries due to the resin mechanic, which is akin to stamina in games that limit playtime.

The Welkin Moon enables you to stockpile primogems, especially if there’s an upcoming character you’re planning to pull. Meanwhile, the battle pass makes things easier, considering that it gives you vast dumps of items that shortens grinding times. In turn, this makes building characters a lot less tedious, giving you extra resins to spend on artifacts.

Full-fledged whales are either rich or crazy

I think I’m not a whale, considering that I haven’t spent an enormous amount of money purchasing Genesis Crystals so I can pull in more characters. However, I can’t deny I’ve been tempted to pay $30, which is equal to 20 pulls. The most I spent was $15 for ten pulls (counting the first-time bonus). Some players go as far as spending $100 for 6480 crystals (40.5 pulls, 81 if you count the x2 first-time bonus), which is insane. After all, you can almost buy two full games at the same price.

Whaling is crazy, and people who engage in this can either afford it or are crazy. After all, they’re not spending cash to obtain a character. Instead, they’re doing so FOR A CHANCE to get one which isn’t precisely an intelligent purchasing decision.

50/50 and pulling for the characters you want or need

In a nutshell, 50/50 refers to the mechanic wherein you have a one in two chance of obtaining the character on the featured banner when you manage to get a five-star pull. If you fail to obtain them, the next five-star pull you’ll receive will surely be the featured character. With this considered, it just doesn’t make sense to buy Genesis Crystals if you’re at 50/50. To be safe, only buy if you’re at 100% and if your pity counter is up.

Moreover, it’s also important to take your team composition into the fray. For example, if you already have two pyro DPS characters, don’t pull for more. Case in point: I already had Diluc and Klee, yet I pulled for Hu Tao because she was so cute. I ended up benching her simply because I couldn’t build her right, and Klee is more than enough.

The thing is, you don’t need to spend anything to enjoy Teyvat

Do I regret spending cash on Genshin Impact? Definitely not, since the battle pass and Welkin subscriptions have both been worth it. However, the same can’t be said about the likely thousands of people who bought loads of crystals only to have lost 50/50 or haven’t received a five-star at all.

The thing is, you don’t need to spend to enjoy what Genshin Impact has to offer. Sure, the Welkin Moon and battle pass helped make the grind less tedious, but, unlike most freemium games, they feel like options instead of priorities. It’s also worth noting that the game consistently holds numerous events every update, which yield countless rewards, primogems, mora, and ascension materials included.

Finally, it’s also a single-player game with optional co-op elements. There’s no PvP or any sort of competitive element unless you’re the type who likes to show off their character builds. Sure, it may take some time to make a character reach its full potential if you’re F2P, but you don’t need to make a purchase to get it done.