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Genshin Impact currently has four weekly bosses. Childe, Dvalin, Andrius, and the final addition introduced in Genshin Impact version 1.5, Azhdaha. Bringing with him a handful of new materials can only be rewarded by defeating the Geo weekly boss.
Currently, Azhdaha is the only weekly boss that can manipulate five elements, except for Anemo and Dendro. His boss fight contains his Geo element plus two other elements randomly chosen between Electro, Cryo, Pyro, and Hydro. He resides under Dragon-Queller, a great tree that was used to seal Azhdaha underneath.
In a new video released on Genshin Impact's YouTube official page, developers shared a behind-the-scenes video of the making of Azhdaha.
The making of Genshin Impact Azhdaha faced several challenges
Genshin Impact posted a video that revealed how Azhdaha was made behind the scenes. In the video, the Genshin Impact developers tackle different challenges they faced to deliver a clean-finished version of Azhdaha. Those challenges were the initial design, the background, and the fight animation and mechanism.
Azhdaha’s initial design
Azhdaha's design was tough for the team. They did extensive research until they finally found a suitable creature to match the Geo dragon. The team does not want to settle for mainstream dragons, nor West or East dragons.
After some trials with crocodile, komodo, and snapping turtle, the design team finally found the creature that fits Azhdaha: Stegosaurus.
There were a lot of problems with the design, animating, and special effects. Azhdaha was described to be demanding because he required different animations for different elements. This is because Azhdaha is a mixture between Geo, dragon, nature, and four different elements.
This boss has enormous size, so making a realistic muscle movement was a huge challenge. Not only that, but the animation also needs to be optimized for different platforms while maintaining high quality.
For battle music, the team used Chinese lyrics. This further amplifies the Liyue atmosphere. The lyrics represent the hatred and grudge of Azhdaha for his concealment from the world.
Background of Azhdaha
Azhdaha is related to Morax, the Geo Archon. This is why Zhongli is involved in the story. Azhdaha's background is a mix between nature and erosion. Azhdaha was designed to be the embodiment of nature. On the contrary, humans represent the spirit of expansion and development.
This leads to the unique final script of Azhdaha: "A representation of nature that delved into human society." Azhdaha used to live among the people of Liyue. But after years of erosion, Azhdaha found himself in conflict with the people. This leads to Zhongli having to seal him alive to save the people of Liyue.
Azhdaha's story was also written to show the more mundane side of Zhongli. As the Geo Archon, the developer wants to show players that he too has some sentiments in his decision. And even as a deity, Zhongli has some issues of his own. Azhdaha is a hint of how Zhongli would be if he hadn't retired from being an Archon.
ALSO READ: How old is Zhongli in Genshin Impact?
Azhdaha's weekly boss fight
Genshin Impact developers wanted Azhdaha to have some shield mechanics since Geo is the main element of Liyue. Players have to maintain their shields during the weekly boss battle. Otherwise, they will suffer continuous damage that will eventually kill their character.
Azhdaha’s combat design doesn’t stop here. Because Geo can react with four other elements, Azhdaha was given the ability to manipulate the four elements. The developers stated that they initially wanted to create 12 different combinations during Azhdaha’s fight, but that posed a great challenge for production.
It was overly demanding in terms of color schemes, special effects, and processing power. In the end, they decided on the four current elemental combinations. Players can see the two elements (other than Geo) that Azhdaha will use on the Trounce Domain Door.
Azhdaha’s attacks can range from melee damage to ranged damage. He also has some big area damage that creates many offensive and defensive possibilities.
ALSO READ: 5 best elemental reactions in Genshin Impact
Inspiration for Azhdaha's name
Azhdaha’s name is derived from Azi Dahaka, which means "dragon" in the old Iranian language. Genshin Impact developers described Azhdaha as an "enormous terrible creature" in Iranian mythology. The name itself means “something sinister that has been hidden for a long time but will one day emerge.”
The developers chose that name to imply a great hidden danger that will one day reveal itself suddenly. Azhdaha’s name and its meanings were their initial inspiration for his entire design and story.
