Genshin Impact Free Characters: How to Unlock Free Characters

Genshin Impact has continued to expand with a lot of new content ever since its release. This has included regions, mechanics, and of course plenty of new characters. At the time of this writing, there are 61 playable characters and that number will increase once Version 3.4 goes live. Although they’re all available at one point or another through the various gacha Wishes system, a handful of Genshin Impact characters can be obtained for free by completing Archon Quests or through optional dungeons. This guide will be going over how to unlock them and what makes them different among the growing roster.

Traveler

This one should go without saying as they’re the first character you’ll obtain, but it’s certainly worth mentioning. The main protagonist for the many story and quest lines is the Traveler, one of two twin sibling Sword users who you’ll choose between to begin your adventure.

Keeping them in your party isn’t necessary and many players swap them out if they find a character they enjoy playing more. A good reason to keep them is their exclusive ability to change between (at the moment) four elements to match specific regions, allowing for more variation in play style. Additionally, the first element they’ll resonate with is the wind-based Anemo, making the Traveler the current only free character to use it.

Amber – Genshin Impact Free Characters

The initial quests during the Prologue’s first Act are essentially tutorials and they go by quickly. It won’t take very long before you come across Amber, the next free character. She’ll join the party after a short cutscene and dialogue exchange.

She may not be the only free Pyro character and she’s no longer the only free Bow weapon user either, but she’s still a great benefit to any team and will help a ton with any Pyro-related puzzles.

Kaeya

It only takes a handful of short quests and more specifically the completion of one named “Knights of Favonius” before a new trio of quests will open up. Each one takes you to a domain (which are basically dungeons) that is based around helping a particular character, who’ll join you in a trial run of sorts. Completing the “Crash Course” quest will permanently reward you with Kaeya.

He’s a Sword weapon user like the Traveler, although that doesn’t mean he’ll play the same. His status as the sole free Cryo character is what can make him a bit more desirable to some players, whether it’s for team building or completing puzzles.

Genshin Impact Free Characters: Lisa

The same procedure is used in making Lisa available. Her quest is called “Sparks Amongst the Pages” and sees her join you as a trial character as you make your way through the domain. Completing the quest will unlock her permanently.

Lisa stands out as the first free Catalyst weapon and Electro element user, as well as one of two characters to have that distinct mix in the entire roster. It will also take quite a bit of progress before the Traveler can align with the Electro element, meaning she’ll remain an exceptional choice.

Noelle

Remember that “Knights of Favonius” quest I mentioned? It also has a hand when it comes to the next character. Completing that quest and reaching Adventure Rank 5 are the requirements for unlocking the option to pull for Wishes. One to especially look out for is meant for new players and is called “Beginner’s Wish.” 10-wish sets come at a 20% discount and the first 10-wish pull is guaranteed to have the Geo character Noelle.

Similar to Lisa, Noelle would be the only free user of her element if the Traveler couldn’t also align with it. That being said, Noelle still has a distinct playstyle as the only free Claymore weapon user and all the makings for a great support/defensive role in a party.

Barbara (Genshin Impact Free Characters)

Unlocking the remaining characters won’t be as fast as the previous ones. To obtain the Hydro character Barbara, you’ll need to complete the climactic Prologue Act III quest “A Long Shot” and have reached an Adventure Rank of 18.

Barbara is a highlight among the free characters due to being a healing powerhouse and the sole Hydro element user. You’ll be sure to set off many elemental reactions while using her since she uses a Catalyst weapon as well.

Xiangling

These last two characters can be unlocked by clearing certain floors in the Spiral Abyss domain. Unlocking the option to even take on this challenging domain requires an Adventure Rank of 20, so these should be the final free characters you acquire. First up is the Pyro character Xiangling, who is unlocked after clearing Floor 3, Chamber 3 in the Spiral Abyss.

It’s important to note that Xiangling is widely considered to be the best free character by far and one of the strongest characters in general thanks to her tendency to output an incredible amount of damage. Being the only free Polearm weapon user is just the cherry on top.

Free Genshin Impact Characters: Collei

One of the most recently added characters is Collei in Version 3.0 along with the Sumeru region. A limited-time event called Graven Innocence allowed players to take on a special quest to unlock her. While she can’t be unlocked through that method anymore, she has since been added as a reward for clearing Floor 4, Chamber 3 in the Spiral Abyss.

This is another case where her element doesn’t feel quite as special since the Traveler can also use it. Since she was one of the first playable characters to be introduced with the Dendro element and there is still only a handful of others though, she feels plenty unique and serves as a great introduction to setting off Dendro elemental reactions from afar with her bow.

Limited-time Event Free Genshin Characters

As mentioned with Collei, another way to unlock some characters is through special events. These have all been fleeting in nature, but have ranged from offering a single character as a reward or giving players the choice between one of many such as with the annual Lantern Rite event.

Version 3.4 will see the return of the latter with Fortuitous Invitation taking place during The Exquisite Night Chimes flagship event. Whether you want a specific character (including a brand-new one with Yaoyao) or a duplicate to raise their constellation levels, players will have a set amount of time to recruit one of the following: