The latest update for Genshin Impact, titled "Midsummer Island Adventure," introduces a new island to explore, beach-themed cosmetics, and a boat for players to control. The newest event in Version 1.6 involves steering this skiff, called the Waverider, around various enemy-controlled floating towers. Here's everything fans should know about the event.
Leaks from the Genshin Impact 1.6 beta suggested boat travel would be added into the game, and while it's not quite what fans may have expected, the Waverider is still a lot of fun. It doesn't allow for the kind of open-world seafaring exploration some fans might have hoped for, but it does offer the opportunity to explore certain seas and attempt to take down baddies like hilichurls on their floating towers. In a lot of ways, it almost feels like an early test for how open-world sea exploration could eventually work in Genshin Impact.
The Waverider mini-game in Genshin Impact 1.6 is arguably the most exciting part of the update right now. The Waverider itself comes equipped with two types of cannons for players to use. The Swiftstrike Cannon is less powerful but reloads quicker, so it's ideal for smaller towers. The Heavy Cannon is more powerful, so it's great for taking down more fortified floating towers, but it's longer cooldown time means players will need it use it strategically.
Genshin Impact: How The Waverider Works
Players also have the freedom to leave their boat, taking on hilichurls up close. Additionally, some floating towers will have a Violent Wind Barrier, which can only be taken down by using the Heavy Cannon or shooting Explosive Barrels at it. And to help with Heavy Cannon cooldowns, players can collect Pithy Pearls, which will decrease cooldowns considerably.
Whirlpools are yet another obstacle for players to avoid, since those will catch the Waverider, depleting stamina and the boat's health. Players will need to fly out of the Waverider quickly before it explodes. In a lot of ways, this latest Genshin Impact event resembles Wind Waker, the Legend of Zelda title that featured similar floating towers and seafaring mechanics. So, fans of that game should be in love with the new Waverider mini-game.
This new event in Genshin Impact 1.6 is a lot of fun, and it hopefully indicates the kind of sea exploration and boat travel that will appear in a greater capacity in the future. This is most likely a way for developer miHoYo to see what mechanics work - and which ones don't. This way, the gameplay for boat travel will be smoother once it's presumably more prominent in a future update.
Source: miHoYo
