Genshin Impact: How to unlock new playable characters in 2022

Genshin Impact has a memorable cast full of colorful characters, often leading Travelers to wonder how they can get more of them to join them. Experienced players should know all the methods, but beginners need to learn them too.

Aside from Aloy, every other character is currently obtainable in Genshin Impact, although there are different ways to get them:

Event Wishes
Events (for 4-star characters)
Starglitter Exchange
Prologue (one copy of Amber, Kaeya, and Lisa)

This beginner's guide will cover all of these methods and what new players should know regarding how they can obtain new characters in the game.

How to unlock new playable characters in Genshin Impact (2022)

One roll on an Event Wish costs 160 Primogems (Image via miHoYo)

Spending Primogems, Intertwined Fates, and Acquaint Fates on Event Wishes are by far and away the most common ways to get new characters in Genshin Impact. It's the only way to get the most 5-star characters. The following 5-star characters are always available on character banners:

All other obtainable 5-star characters will only be available on banners that feature them. For example, Genshin Impact 2.6's first phase features an Ayato banner and a Venti rerun. If the player wants Ayato, they must try to summon him on his banner (not Venti's rerun).

Note: It costs 160 Primogems per summon, or an Intertwined Fate or Acquaint Fate. Intertwined Fates are used in specific character banners, while Acquaint Fates are used in the generic Wanderlust Invocation and Beginners' Wish.

A good infographic for visualizing the Pity System in Genshin Impact (Image via Genshin-Wishes.com)

New players should know that this game features a Pity System. There are two types of Pity to consider:

Soft Pity: An increased chance to pull a 5-star character.
Hard Pity: A guaranteed chance to pull a 5-star character.

If a player has done 73 pulls without a 5-star character, their 74th to 89th summon will have an increased chance of getting a 5-star character. That's Soft Pity, and the likelihood increases every time a player doesn't pull a 5-star character. It will cap off at 100% on the 90th pull without a 5-star character, known as Hard Pity.

Check out the complete list of Genshin Impact Characters , here.

New players should know that featured 4-star characters are substantially more likely to be summoned than non-featured ones.

Events

Each Version Update features a new major event where Travelers can get one 4-star character for free. Usually, there will only be one specific character that a player can get if they fulfill all of the requirements (which vary from event to event).

Check out the latest Genshin Leaks , here

However, there have been a few events where Travelers had several options to choose from, although those aren't common.

Starglitter Exchange

Starglitter Exchange can be found under Shop -> Paimon's Bargains -> Starglitter Exchange. It will feature a plethora of items costing Masterless Starglitter, which can be obtained when players get 4-star and 5-star characters and weapons.

It costs 34 Masterless Starglitter to get a single 4-star character from the Starglitter Exchange. Keep in mind that there will only be two characters per month and that they rotate out at the beginning of every month.

The details on Genshin Impact Codes are available here.