Genshin Impact second anniversary rewards get a resounding 'eh' from players

Genshin Impact 3.1
(Image credit: Hoyoverse)

Genshin Impact will dish out in-game bonuses for its second anniversary as part of update 3.1, and with the rewards matching last year's 20 free Wishes, players are feeling decidedly… fine. 

Update 3.1 will feature a login bonus offering 10 limited Wishes alongside 1,600 Primogems delivered through in-game mail. Fragile Resin and miscellaneous ascension materials aside, that's the bulk of the goodies, though there's also a festive party popper gadget and a new pet based on Cloud Retainer, the Adeptus crane featured in Liyue's story quests. 

Genshin Impact players have been speculating about the game's second anniversary for some time, and particularly wild theories started to fly in the past few weeks. Last year's anniversary backlash turned into a storm of review bombing that pushed Hoyoverse (then Mihoyo) to up the ante in-game, so fans were wondering how the studio would seek to avoid a similar situation this year. It seems the obvious answer was staring us in the face the whole time: Hoyoverse will just give out the same rewards again. 

As expected, not everyone is thrilled with the second anniversary rewards, but especially compared to last year, responses have been pretty tame overall. The general vibe is that most people weren't really expecting too much – despite what event mockups preaching free five-stars would have you believe – and are at least happy to be 20 Wishes closer to their next coveted five-star character. The Cloud Retainer pet is also an instant crowd favorite. 

It's worth noting that the free Wishes and materials only reflect the in-game bonuses for the anniversary, to say nothing of the other events coming in 3.1. Like last year, Hoyoverse is also planning a lavish-looking concert to commemorate the milestone, and if it's anything like last year's show, it's sure to be quite the performance. The update 3.1 reveal stream also confirmed a Genshin Impact anime in the works at Demon Slayer studio ufotable. These projects won't get you a new five-star character, of course, but they do give the game a bit more vim and vigor. 

Here are the Genshin Impact 3.1 banners that are ready to devour those bonus Primogems. 

Austin Wood

Austin freelanced for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, IGN, Sports Illustrated, and more while finishing his journalism degree, and he's been with GamesRadar+ since 2019. They've yet to realize that his position as a senior writer is just a cover up for his career-spanning Destiny column, and he's kept the ruse going with a focus on news and the occasional feature, all while playing as many roguelikes as possible.