Mondstadt ,
Switzerland, is believed to be one of the inspirations for Mondstadt. Mondstadt is the first region players encounter after starting
Genshin Impact. It is based on
German cultural designs. Its element is wind (Anemo), and has freedom as its ideal. The southernmost region, Dragonspine, is known for its extreme cold temperatures. Players exposed to its Sheer Cold effect for a long enough time will continually lose health if they do not find heat sources. In a behind-the-scenes video, the production team revealed that Dragonspine was inspired by the
Matterhorn in the
Alps. He suggested that Mondstadt's cathedral was modeled after
Regensburg Cathedral in
Germany. Liyue features diverse terrain, with sandstone formations being a prominent feature, symbolizing the Geo Archon's leadership. The area includes shallow beaches, plains crisscrossed by rivers, towering mountains, and stone forests. Plants in the mid-altitude areas are dominated by
poplar trees, with locust and
pine trees at higher altitudes, while
bamboo,
plum, and
ginkgo trees grow in the plains and riverbanks. Animals include
cranes and
lizards that inhabit the cliffs. Players enter Liyue from Mondstadt through a stone gate designed based on karst arches based on
those in southwest China, After passing through, they arrive at the
alluvial river of Bishui Plain, known as Dihua Marsh, modeled after the
landscape of Guilin and
Yangshuo, characterized by continuous stone peaks, dense water networks, and floating vibrant flowers. The iconic building, Wangshu Inn, is inspired by the Lingnan Diaojiaolou architecture, with its temperament resembling the inn in the movie
Dragon Inn. The northern Qingce Village showcases a tranquil village with numerous terraces and is inspired by the
Longji Mountain and Rice Terraces. inspired by the iconic
calc-sinter terraces of Huanglong Nature Reserve in
Sichuan. The
Huanglong Scenic Area is the only well-preserved plateau wetland in
mainland China, and the production team believed that Huanglong possessed a sense of "dreaminess" and "mystery" beyond reality. Therefore, they chose Huanglong as a reference for Liyue's "ecosystem". The water in Luhua Pool uses a different material from other water surfaces in the game, giving it attractive colors under various lighting conditions. Additionally, setting high points around Luhua Pool is aimed at allowing players to "more easily experience its perfect side." Zhuhua Pool, located next to Mt. Tianheng, is inspired by the famous
Tianmen Mountain in
Zhangjiajie National Forest Park. Mt. Tianheng features an area known as Jueyun Karst, shrouded in clouds and mist year-round, with plank roads and
suspension bridges between the peaks. This place is the retreat of the immortals who guard Liyue.
Zhangjiajie was chosen as the model because its fantastical landscape seems "a bit out of this world." In the game, Jueyun Karst is the retreat of Liyue's immortals, and Zhangjiajie's towering mountains and misty atmosphere fit this setting perfectly in the developers' opinion. Additionally, the
sandstone peak forest of Zhangjiajie aligns with Liyue's theme of the Geo element. Another new area, "Chenyu Vale", was released with the 4.4 version update on January 31, 2024. It is located in the northwest region bordering
Fontaine. The area "Qiaoying Village" is known for producing
tea, and its architectural design takes inspiration in the
Huizhou architecture in
Huangshan,
Anhui Province.
Polygon cited reviews stating that Liyue's design is completely different from Mondstadt, featuring more unique architecture, better background music, and more tightly integrated lore and stories. While blending
East Asian cultural elements, it retains gameplay, expressiveness, and aesthetics suitable for players worldwide.
Kotaku editor Sisi Jiang felt that Liyue is an idealized portrayal of Chinese social relationships, where merchants and customers show care for each other through mutual benefit, and money can build interdependent relationships, unlike the current society where shopping habits are often disconnected from community. Liyue serves as a type of "destination image" and inspires the appreciation of Chinese culture, encouraging travel from international players.
Inazuma Inazuma is the third nation to be released in the game. It is based on Japan's
Edo period and the culture of the era, drawing from traditional Japanese cultural elements like
shoguns,
samurai and
ninjas. Inazuma's element is Electro and is ruled over by the
Raiden Shogun. Its central ideal is "eternity". It is located in the southeastern region of the map and consists of six islands. The local environment is deeply influenced by Electro. The southern part of Narukami Island (the biggest and most populous island, to the east) houses the nation's capital, Inazuma City, while the island's northern mountaintops hold the Grand Narukami Shrine. Within the shrine stands the Sacred Sakura tree, a symbol of the Raiden Shogun's protection over Inazuma. Its roots spread throughout the land, and all Thunder Sakura trees across the region are considered its offshoots. In addition, the castle structure of some buildings shares similarities with the design of
tenshu. Concepts used in Inazuma can also be found in similar prototypes in real-life Japanese history; examples of this include the Sakoku Decree and the Kanjou Commission, both of which were derived from
Japanese isolationism. Some story backgrounds also refer to
bake-danuki and other forms of
yokai. The lead scene artist shared during the preview livestream that Inazuma's rocky terrain was modeled after the stratified layers of
Byōbugaura, with alternating horizontal stripes and interlaced lines to express the influence of the thunder element on the terrain of Inazuma. To the west, Yashiori Island is a heavily battle-scarred island which now contains the remnants of Inazuma's largest smelting facility and which suffers from frequent thunderstorms and torrential rainfall. To the west of Yashiori Island is Watatsumi Island, which features a design reminiscent of the
Dragon Palace, a structure from Japanese folklore, purportedly located in the
Ryukyu Islands. It is one of the key sites in the game's Inazuma story arc, as it is where the main resistance against the Raiden Shogun is based. The southernmost island is Tsurumi Island, which is the southernmost region in all of Teyvat. It is perpetually shrouded in thick fog. The design of the subterranean region of Enkanomiya was inspired by
Ancient Greece. During the preview livestream, level designers Xuezige and Yiyi shared that the core theme of Enkanomiya's design is to provoke a sense of "solitary exploration". The development team aimed to evoke player emotions through strong spatial contrasts in this area, while the art design sought to convey a sense of mystery and "the desolation of ancient ruins." Enkanomiya also introduced a new mechanic called the "Day-Night Cycle" which significantly affects its gameplay and quest design. This feature allows players to switch between day and night within Enkanomiya, altering the environment and enabling puzzle-solving depending on the time. Outlets such as
Kotaku and
3DM all noted that Inazuma's design shows improvement compared to Mondstadt and Liyue. There had been prior controversy over the game's alleged imitation of
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild; miHoYo used Inazuma to alleviate these fears and to reassure players of the game's originality. Inazuma received praise for the use of Japanese aethetics and elements:
Kotaku editor Sisi Jiang mentioned that it received some support from Japan's
soft power.
Sumeru Sumeru is the fourth region to be released in the game. It is based on
ancient India,
ancient Egypt and
ancient Persia. Its cultural designs are inspired by
Egyptian and
Persian mythologies, as well as
Indian epic poetry. Its music features
Middle Eastern and
South Asian instruments. The region's unique stage design, new gameplay, and storyline have garnered considerable attention and critical analysis. Sumeru's ideal is wisdom, and its element is plant life (Dendro). Some consider Sumeru to be miHoYo's best-designed location to date, and its gameplay and exploration mechanics have also received positive reviews. Sumeru is located in the central and western parts of the continent of Teyvat and is known as the "Nation of Wisdom". The nation is the largest nation in Teyvat by land area and it consists of two main regions: the rainforest on the east and desert on the west. The capital, Sumeru City, is built atop a giant tree in the rainforest, while its largest port is Port Ormos. At the junction between the desert and the rainforest, there is a sandstorm barrier whose purpose is to stop the rainforest from
desertification. The desert lies to the west of the rainforest, with the Mausoleum of King Deshret (an ancient god) at its center, along with numerous ruins from several hundred years before the game's events. The largest desert settlement is Aaru Village, which also serves as a place of exile for the scholars of the Akademiya. With few exceptions, only children can see them, and their power comes from their memories and dreams. They live in a place called Vanarana, with their own culture and history in the game. Sumeru received positive reactions from critics about its world design; Austin Wood of GamesRadar+ said that Sumeru by itself can compare with most open-world games on the market. Sisi Jiang of Kotaku said that miHoYo had broken away from the shadow of other games such as
Breath of the Wild through Sumeru. Some commentators have also pointed out the design highlights of Sumeru's rainforest and desert areas, comparing them to the
Egyptian pyramids as well as Middle Eastern folk music. Some media outlets criticized Sumeru's character designs for
cultural appropriation. Rui Zhong wrote in
Polygon that Sumeru exposed HoYoverse's overreliance on
stereotypes and rigid replication of real-world history, noting that unlike Liyue (where developers shared cultural research during character development) Sumeru characters received no such treatment. He also criticized issues of
colorism, revealing outfits for female characters, and pointed out that Nahida's design did not reflect the Middle Eastern and South Asian cultures that inspired Sumeru. The overall design of the underwater environment is bright and transparent, and the team filled it with abundant content to prevent players from experiencing
thalassophobia during exploration. In Fontaine, characters do not have an "oxygen gauge" restricting underwater movement, as it is said in the game's lore that anyone who can control the elements is automatically able to breathe underwater without issue. Fontaine also has a unique natural landscape, including plants such as
umbrella pines,
cedar trees and
sunflowers as well as various species known in-game as "xenochromatic creatures". Fontaine was generally praised for its environmental and cultural design.
Dengeki Online Ruku Kobato commented that Fontaine's underwater scenery was very beautiful, while
Mobile Game Matters reviewer Willow praised the underwater areas for giving players the feeling of an "underwater
amusement park". Willow also noted that the region's diverse terrain and vegetation alleviated "visual fatigue". The underwater exploration experience was also rated positively by critics such as
Polygon Ana Diaz. Willow observed that the underwater combat system was different from the one used on land, and said it "ensured diversity" in terms of gameplay. Each Saurian type had unique terrain traversal mechanics, and players have the ability to temporarily possess their bodies to use those abilities. Exploration in Natlan emphasized vertical movement more compared to other regions, in part due to this. In addition, Nightsoul's Blessing, a new combat system tied to Natlan characters and the Traveler, provided buffs that either increased characters' combat power or enhanced their mobility during exploration. Natlan's reception was generally mixed, although the innovations in gameplay were praised. Similar to what was seen in
Sumeru, the reception of Natlan characters' appearances ingame was subject to controversy. Players and voice actors pointed out the lack of diversity, specifically in terms of their skin color. Stephanie Liu compared this to
what was seen in Sumeru, describing the fan reception in retrospect as giving HoYoverse the
benefit of the doubt. She argued that while some characters might reflect certain stereotypes of real-world cultures, the overall depictions of regions such as Sumeru and Natlan are not presented in the game as exotic. She also says that while HoYoverse does clear research for its worldbuilding and characters, this does not extend to skin tone diversity. It is expected to be released in 2026, after the release of Nod-Krai. Nod-Krai's natural scenery is inspired by the Baltic Sea area; however, its cultural aspects are entirely fictional and not based on real-life elements. Nod-Krai's maps are divided into two types of areas: natural areas have a forestlike feel to them, while urban settlements have a
dieselpunk feel. These different factions, says the editorial team at
Game Grape, give rise to new characters with different visual styles.
Game Grape compared the look of Aino (a pink-haired
loli design) compared to that of the priestess Lauma (who is inspired by classic Western fantasy character designs such as
elves and
druids). == Other regions ==