Genshin Impact update 1.4 brings Windblume Festival on March 17th

By Luke Albigés,

Genshin Impact's next major update, version 1.4, arrives next week on March 17th, bringing with it a bunch of new content. The Windblume Festival will see special events, challenges, and mini-games brought to Monstadt for a limited time, while there will also be new story content, additional playable characters, some new gear, and a host of quality-of-life improvements.

genshin impact ps4 windblume festival update

MiHoYo's technical director Zhenzhong Yi took to the PlayStation Blog to share the news of this next chapter in the Genshin Impact saga, explaining how players will "have a very special chance to spend time hanging out with Barbara, Noelle, Bennett, and Chongyun, with the possibility of experiencing different endings and memories depending on your choices and interactions with each character."

The Windblume Festival will be open to all players of Adventure Rank 20 or higher who have completed the base story missions, and it sounds like there will be plenty to do. Three new mini-games — playable both solo and in co-op mode — promise to test your archery, gliding, and musical abilities across a selection of difficulty levels, rewarding successful participants with tickets that can be exchanged for upgrade materials or exclusive new goodies. There's also the Peculiar Wonderland for those who want something more action-packed, and this new domain will see you fight through a selection of random challenges to earn buffs which will aid you against a final boss. Winners will pick up another kind of ticket exchangeable for a different set of materials, or for the grand prize, the Windblume Ode: a new four-star bow.

While we expect to see a fresh wave of banners as part of the update, the only new character revealed so far is Rosaria, a Cryo Polearm user who Yi describes as "a sister of the Church of Favonius who players may have already encountered during their adventures with Albedo in Dragonspine." Her Elemental Skill lets her perform a piercing dash that shifts her behind her target in order to outflank enemies, while her Elemental Burst executes a massive icy cleave while summoning a frosty lance that deals continuous proximity damage to enemies.

It sounds as though there will be some neat quality-of-life changes coming with this new update, too. The Original Resin cap is getting boosted from 120 to 160, allowing you to squeeze in one or two more daily quests before needing to top it up or let it recharge, plus you'll also be able to reduce your World Level in case you want to play with friends who are below your level, or just take it easy in a version of the world where things don't hurt quite so much.

Genshin Impact's version 1.4 and the Windblume Festival arrive on March 17th as a free title update.

More Genshin Impact stories:

PlayStation 4

Written by Luke Albigés

Hey, I'm Luke! I've been playing games since way back in the 8-bit days, and have spent the last 15+ years writing and talking about them professionally for anyone and everyone who would let me. Monster Hunter fanatic, wearer of many fine hats, and always up for a raid.