If you’ve ever tried to search for firmware to install on your Samsung Galaxy smartphone or tablet, it can be pretty annoying. While companies like Google, OnePlus, and Xiaomi provide download links on their websites, Samsung has yet to offer an official firmware download portal. That’s one of the reasons why there are so many third-party Samsung firmware download sites. These sites scrape Samsung’s FUS (Firmware Update Server) for the latest firmware releases and categorize them by model number, carrier/region, and OS version. However, many of these services use a “freemium” model which throttles the download speed for the base tier. For higher bandwidth or more advanced functions, you’ll have to pay to get access.
Fortunately, there is no shortage of community-developed tools to directly download a new software update for a compatible Galaxy device. We’ve talked about two such tools — SamFirm and Frija — many times in the past. Samloader is another open-source, cross-platform alternative. While I personally think that downloading Samsung firmware using one of these utilities is simple enough, some may still find them inadequate to meet their needs. If you do, then here are a few more solutions that make it even easier to grab official Samsung firmware packages for your device.
1. SamFirm_Reborn
Created by XDA Recognized Developer Ivan_Meler, SamFirm_Reborn is a reincarnation of the original SamFirm tool. The developer decompiled the legacy application and patched the codebase to make it compatible with Samsung’s server-side changes. SamFirm_Reborn is open source and it does offer a handy command-line interface besides the familiar GUI.
SamFirm-continued started its journey as yet another open-source fork of the legacy SamFirm, but the maintainer abandoned the project a few months ago. Later on, XDA Member Tungtata picked up the baton and created SamFwTool. One of the highlights of SamFwTool is the auto-detection feature. Just connect your phone in MTP mode and press “Auto detect” to identify your device model and region code.
The whole Samsung firmware downloading saga is now on a different level, as XDA Recognized Developer jesec has presented SamFirm.js, a streaming downloader, decryptor, and extractor coded in JavaScript. With SamFirm.js as the backend, you should be able to construct a web app to fetch stock Samsung firmware packages. The project is a collaboration between developers jesec and LuK1337.
In case you’re looking for a web API variant of the Samloader project, you should try out SamFetch. XDA Member YusufCihan reimplemented the functions from Samloader’s code as web routes in order to expose a simplified REST API to download Samsung firmware.
If your old phone still works, then why should you upgrade? That’s the question a lot of people ask themselves every month. Sometimes, you’ll be forced to upgrade when your carrier makes changes to their network, but if you have an older phone that can still make calls, texts, and use mobile data, then you can keep using it for as long as the hardware lasts. The biggest problem with using outdated hardware is getting up-to-date software to make your apps keep working and keep your device safe from security exploits. Fortunately, if you still use the OnePlus One, the Google Nexus 5, or the Sony Xperia SP, T, TX, or V, you can upgrade your software to the latest Android 11 release, albeit unofficially, thanks to custom Android 11 ROMs on our forums.
Each of these phones was released when Android was still in its 4.X release stage. The OnePlus One and Google Nexus 5 were released at around the same time, both with Android 4.4 KitKat on board. OnePlus and Google both offered upgrades to Android 5.0 Lollipop and Android 6.0 Marshmallow, but no further OS updates were offered. The Sony Xperia SP, T, TX, and V were all released around 8 years ago and stopped receiving updates after their respective Android 4.3 Jelly Bean updates. These devices are ancient and definitely don’t have the hardware to run Android 11 very well, but that doesn’t mean developers are ready to give up on them. Despite the many hacks needed to port the latest Android release, developers have managed to port Android 11 to each of these devices.
These Android 11 ROMs are clearly not for the faint of heart as they are still being beta tested by their developers. The build for the OnePlus One, for example, originally had an issue with the lockscreen PIN, while the builds for the Google Nexus 5, Sony Xperia SP, and Sony Xperia T/TX/V have SELinux set to permissive, which is a no-no when it comes to security. Furthermore, vendor support for these devices ended years ago, so there’s no telling what chipset-related bugs and security exploits are still exploitable on these devices. Still, flashing one of these Android 11 ROMs will get you the latest OS release with all the security patches to the Android framework that have accumulated over the last few years, give you access to new security and privacy features to protect your data from malicious apps, and of course, let you enjoy many of the latest Android OS features.
If you’re interested in any of these Android 11 ROMs, you can download them from their respective forum threads linked below. If you have another device and are interested in seeing if there’s an Android 11 ROM available for it, then check out our article that lists all the Android 11 ROMs we’ve spotted on our forums.
If you thought smart glasses were no longer relevant, think again. Lenovo has introduced the ThinkReality A3 smart glasses at CES 2021. Similar to the ThinkReality A6 that Lenovo showcased in 2019, these new augmented reality glasses are going to focus on delivering ‘new-age digital solutions for enterprises’. Compared to the previous version, the new ThinkReality A3 definitely looks more compact and lightweight.
Lenovo says that these smart glasses fit like ‘sunglasses’ but can also be toughened using the enhanced industrial frame options for safer and more durable use. The ThinkReality A3 is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon XR1 Platform and features stereoscopic 1080p displays allowing users to see up to 5 virtual displays. There is an 8MP RGB camera that provides 1080p video for remote expert use cases and the dual fish-eye cameras provide room-scale tracking. The smart glasses can tether to a PC or select Motorola smartphones via a USB-C cable depending on the use case.
“The A3 is a next-generation augmented reality solution – light, powerful and versatile. The smart glasses are part of a comprehensive integrated digital solution from Lenovo that includes the advanced AR device, ThinkReality software, and Motorola mobile phones. Whether working in virtual spaces or supporting remote assistance, the ThinkReality A3 enhances workers’ abilities to do more wherever they are,” said Jon Pershke, Lenovo Vice President of Strategy and Emerging Business, Intelligent Device Group.
The company will be offering the ThinkReality A3 in a standard PC Edition for virtual monitors where it can be connected to a laptop or a mobile workstation to enable users to position multiple, large virtual monitors in their field of view. The glasses also support Windows software tools and applications. With these glasses, Lenovo is looking to expand the value of PCs, creating more productivity, privacy, and immersive experiences for industries like finance, architecture, and engineering, as well as for any remote and mobile worker where space and privacy are limited.
Lenovo has also announced an Industrial Edition of the ThinkReality A3 made for enhanced decision making in complex environments. One can tether this version to select Motorola smartphones for hands-free, AR-supported tasks in complex work environments. For instance, it can be used in scenarios ranging from factory floors and laboratories to busy retail and hospitality spaces. Supported by the ThinkReality software platform, commercial customers will be able to build, deploy, and manage mixed reality applications and content on a global scale, with global support. Lenovo will also be offering certified turnkey applications on the ThinkReality platform that powers remote assistance, guided workflows, and 3D visualization.
Pricing and Availability
The Lenovo ThinkReality A3 smart glasses will be available in select markets worldwide starting mid-2021. Keep in mind that these smart glasses are meant for enterprise customers, and not retail users.
We often find ourselves at forks between convenience and privacy. Many times, large internet companies usurp users’ choices and force them into sharing their personal data so they can continue using a free service. More often than not, we witness this when an app or service is so engrossingly popular that it almost overshadows any other competitor. Such is what turned out to be the case with WhatsApp, the world’s largest messaging app. WhatsApp will be enforcing a new privacy policy starting early February 2021 for users outside of EU, and this policy allows parent company Facebook to read data such as your mobile number, IP address, and other identifiers to be able to — yes, you guessed it right — serve you more personalized ads. Does that bother you or will you continue to use WhatsApp normally?
The updated WhatsApp Privacy Policy claims these changes will improve how businesses interact with individuals and help the company improve its services. Overall, these changes shall also allow Facebook to use data on how you interact with WhatsApp Business accounts and suggest a variety of other relevant businesses (through targetted advertising) on other Facebook-owned platforms such as the Facebook app, Instagram, and Facebook Messenger. It should also allow you to interlink different Facebook services across different apps — for example, WhatsApp Pay on Instagram. All of these changes are in the pursuit to enable an interconnected Facebook ecosystem.
Most importantly, users cannot back out of this data sharing exercise — unless they live in the EU-governed regions and are protected by GDPR, and the only way out for everyone else is to stop using the app altogether. Given the massive stretch of WhatsApp’s userbase, the second option is almost impossible to execute. Even if you do plan to stop using WhatsApp, how do you convince your friends and kin to stop using the app, especially those who are not very familiar with fast-evolving technologies? Or even convince them why data privacy matters to you and should matter to them as well?
Although there have been rumors about ads within WhatsApp and a paid version of the app to skip those ads, the new privacy policy steers clear of this — for now. The company apparently has no intention to sell banner ads until further notification. But even despite criticism from users as well as the wrath of policy regulators, Facebook is brazen about sharing user data instead of being apologetic and leaves users with a do-or-die conundrum.
What do you feel about this change? If you disapprove, will you jump the gun and delete WhatsApp? Tell us in the comments below!
The world of Nintendo Switch accessories is ever-growing and can sometimes be overwhelming! From the practically necessary microSD cards to the variety of Switch controllers, there are all sorts of things you’ll want to make your gaming experience the best. What you probably didn’t think about grabbing, though, was a headset for the console! We have five Nintendo Switch headsets for you to choose from below, so pick one up and complete your Switch accessory collection!
Best Nintendo Switch Headset Overall: JLab Audio Play Gaming Wireless Headset
Unlike most gaming consoles, you’ll be playing your Switch in a lot of different situations. You maybe be playing on the big screen in docked mode, or on the couch, or even out and about in handheld mode. The best Nintendo Switch Headset isn’t necessarily the one with the best look, or the one that offers the very best in mic sensitivity — it’s going to be the most versatile headset. The Nintendo Switch is a versatile console, and unless you want to buy a bunch of headsets, then you want one that works in every scenario… and that headset is the JLab Audio Play Gaming Headset.
This headset is one you can use either wired or wireless. You’ll get both an AUX cable and a USB cable, so you can plug it in whether in docked or handheld mode. Also, the headset is slim and comes with a carrying case–two very important factors if you’re looking to carry the headset with you on the go. Finally, you can use the JLab Audio Play headset via Bluetooth! It does not come with a dongle, though, so you’ll need to get a special Bluetooth adapter for the Nintendo Switch.
Honestly, even with needing to buy a Switch dongle, the JLab Audio headset ticks all the right boxes for the best Nintendo Switch headset. It can be used anytime, anywhere, and has a great price to boot.
This Black and Blue headset is the perfect complement to your Switch! Use it wired or wirelessly, and take it with you on the go with the included carrying case.
Best Switch Headset for Docked Mode: Corsair Void RGB Elite Gaming Headset
If you’re using a headset when having your Switch docked, you’ll need to plug it in via USB cable. Also, presumably, if you’re using your Switch in docked mode, you’re plugged into a TV. So you’re going to want a Nintendo Switch Headset that has a long wire and is still a quality product. The best headset for the job is the Corsair Void Elite!
This headset provides 7.1 surround sound, a custom set of audio drivers, and nice, but not overly done RGB. Since it’s wired, you never need to worry about dropping your audio or voice connection either. There’s nothing worse than trying to communicate with your team in Fortnite and your Bluetooth connection having a problem! And while the USB cord is pretty long, you can always grab a USB extension cable for even more length.
Corsair always has quality headsets, and those that play their Switch at home can enjoy the Corsair Void RGB Elite. This headset offers quality sound and some nice looking lights to boot!
Best Switch Headset for Handheld Mode: PDP LVL40 Wired Stereo Gaming Headset
If you have a Nintendo Switch Lite, or simply play your Switch in handheld mode most of the time, you’ll need a headset that plugs into the Switch’s AUX port. If that’s the case, you can’t go wrong with officially licensed gear! The PDP LVL40 Gaming Headset is not created by Nintendo, but like various Nintendo accessories, the manufacturer is licensed by Nintendo to create them specifically make Nintendo Switch headsets.
The red and blue headset matches the Switch’s iconic colors, and plugs into your Aux port, so you can only use it while the Switch is in handheld mode… unless you buy a PDP Switch controller to plug it into, of course. Other than that, it comes with everything you expect with a modern headset, with the ability to mute by flipping your mic up and the volume dial on the left ear cup. It’s also a slim headset, so it’s easy to pack and take with you wherever you go!
You can never go wrong with officially licensed gear! The PDP Switch gaming headset does everything you need it for the Switch's handheld mode, and the color scheme will match your Neon Switch!
Best Nintendo Switch Bluetooth Headset: Logitech G533 Wireless Gaming Headset
The Nintendo Switch doesn’t have native Bluetooth built-in, so in order to use a wireless headset, you need one of two things — either a USB dongle that you can plug into your Switch dock or a special Bluetooth adapter you can plug into the Switch’s charging port when playing handheld. Unfortunately, most Switch headset and special Bluetooth dongle combos appear to be… pretty shoddy quality. Also, wires are generally a little easier to deal with when in handheld mode you’re probably a bit farther away from the TV. So for this section, we focused on a headset that had a USB dongle with it.
So, it turns out then that any PC headset that you plug in via USB can also be used with the Switch, so you’re not limited with choices! But for the best Nintendo Switch headset that uses Bluetooth, you need to pick up the Logitech G533 Gaming Headset. The wireless headset sports a long battery life, a great audio range, and a microphone that does a good job of catching your voice without catching all the other sounds around you. The headset is also a simple black, dodging the bright and garish colors of most gaming headsets.
All in all, it’s a solid headset, and the versatility between the PC and Switch is just an added bonus! The G533 is pretty bulky, though, so it’s not the best for on-the-go gaming.
Best Hybrid Headphone/Headset for Switch: HyperX Cloud MIX
Sometimes you don’t need all the functionalities of a headset, and just want to be able to hear the game music without any hassle. The hassle being that microphone, more or less, especially on single player titles. Those things can seriously get in the way when you’re not using them! So, why not get a headset that allows you to remove it?
So, the HyperX Cloud MIX isn’t strictly a Nintendo Switch headset — but then again, most of our picks aren’t! This headset is wired but is extremely comfortable. If you don’t mind the wire, you’re in for a treat! This headset had dual-chamber drivers to provide quality sound, and HyperX is a brand known for its quality. You can also detach the microphone, so if you simply want a pair of headphones, you just pop the mic right off! If you need it for a multiplayer game, just put the microphone right back on and you’re ready to game.
The best Nintendo Switch headset for you is honestly going to depend a lot on how you play your Switch in general. JLab’s headset is by far the most versatile in terms of how it works with the Switch itself, but other headsets will be better if you primarily only play one way. Choose the headset that’s best for you!
Genshin Impact is probably one of the best mobile games out there, and a fantastic RPG without a doubt. You don’t need to take our word for it — the game is free-to-play, and if you spend a fair few hours in it, you’ll agree that it obviously punches above its “free” price tag. If you are looking to get started, we have some great tips and tricks for Genshin Impact beginners. And after having spent hours playing the game every day since its release, we now present some tips and tricks for more advanced and experienced players, to help them prepare for the end-game. We presume that players reading this guide are free-to-play players while recognizing that being a paying player within Genshin Impact does not tilt the game in your favor that heavily.
Continuous Sprint isn’t the fastest means of travel
One of the most easy-to-miss tip for more advanced players is the fact that a continuous Sprint isn’t exactly the fastest way to move in the game. Tapping Sprint to trigger the quick burst animation for dashing is the second-fastest, and you should prefer doing this over a press-and-hold as it not only uses less stamina overall, but also is quicker for traveling overall.
Sprint till you get the Dash animation, and then tap the button again
On some characters, you can even bunny hop! Sprint and jump, and do it in quick succession, and you’ll find yourself reaching places even quicker. You can also do it infinitely, as the stamina bar glitches out when it reaches zero but you don’t actually return back to your normal pace — so you can keep bunny hopping indefinitely (as long as you do not mind button mashing the jump button for eternity).
Bunny hopping is best executed on PC and is limited to certain characters only, but dashing can be done on mobile too across all characters.
Platform matters
Genshin Impact is available on Windows, Android, and iOS with cross-platform playability, and also on the PlayStation 4 without cross-platform saves. The game has managed to retain all of its gameplay elements across this entire suite, which is absolutely impressive, meaning that you can experience the game in a practically identical fashion irrespective of which platform you are playing the game on.
However, this isn’t completely true. While yes, the gameplay is very largely identical, gaming on a desktop with a keyboard and mouse has its own advantages. It’s easier to use Bow-based characters when you have a mouse to precision aim. On mobile devices, Bow-based characters are at a significant disability as panning around and aiming is a less than ideal experience, especially since you’d be swapping between different weapon types and constantly have to refresh your muscle memory.
On desktop, swapping between characters is significantly easier when you have a hotkey. In fact, the desktop version even has a dedicated button (Left Alt + the swap key) that you can set for swapping into a character and immediately executing their elemental burst. This makes Enablers (roles are discussed further on in this guide) easier to execute and synergize with the rest of the team.
Au contraire, farming out hordes of enemies is easier when you have the convenience of mobile with you. Gaming on a desktop means that you are quite limited when and where you can play the game. On mobile, this limitation does not exist — so if you just have a few minutes to kill while you wait in the queue at the grocery store, just pull out your phone and complete your Daily Commission Quests or farm up any materials you are missing. The leveling curve on the game is pretty steep in the latter parts of the game, so this convenience comes in handy.
Thankfully, with cross-platform saves and sync, you can enjoy a combined desktop plus mobile experience too, as long as you have powerful-enough hardware. Too bad if you are playing the game on console though.
Repeat Character pulls give you Constellations and great passives!
For the large part outside of a few pre-determined free handouts (Main Character aka “Traveller”, Amber, Kaeya, Lisa, and Xiangling), Characters have to be unlocked through the gacha system/loot box mechanics. If you draw a character, you unlock it forever — but the character still stays within the pool of possible rewards. This is because all characters can be drawn/pulled a total of seven meaningful times! The first draw unlocks the character, and every subsequent draw unlocks a Constellation that buffs the character in some way. So don’t be disheartened if you don’t get a new character with every wish and land a few repeats along the way — it’s actually for the good.
Some characters are decent right from their first pull. Some characters become viable after reaching certain Constellation levels, like Ninguang, who gets an AoE effect on her basic attack at Constellation 1.
Some characters get a big power spike on certain Constellation levels, to the point that you should absolutely look forward to those unlocks. For example, Barbara gets an auto Instant Revive plus Full Heal at Constellation 6, which is an insane kit addition to help out your Carry, possibly eliminating the need for a Sub-Carry.
It thus becomes a good idea to reassess every character once you unlock their Constellation. A character you may have written off earlier may have just become viable for you, carving out a better spot in your team than you may be rolling with. Read the descriptions and try out the buff before you make a choice.
What happens after you reach the maximum constellation for a character? The character still remains in the pool, so you can still draw them. When you do draw them then, you will get enough of the currency you just spent to make another wish and draw again.
Use Invincibility Frames (iFrames) to dodge all attacks and never take damage!
Some players may have noticed that dashing in Genshin Impact allows players to dodge some attacks. And they are right. The dashing animation activates what gamers often refer to as an iFrame (Invincibility Frame / Immunity Frame / Invulnerability Frame). Whether intentional or not, this iFrame within the dashing animation is a small window within which your character becomes entirely invincible and ignores any and all damage.
You need to activate the dash animation at just the right time before the attack hits. It’s difficult to describe, but you can practice this out with smaller enemies. The Dashing iFrame can be mastered with fair ease, and once you figure out the ideal timing for it, you can literally fight every single battle in Genshin Impact without taking a single drop of damage.
There are other iFrames present within the game too. The next most commonly activated iFrame is from Character Swapping, but the window for invincibility is very small on this. A bunch of characters, usually in the 5-star tier, also have very grand animations on their Elemental Burst and Elemental Skill, and these also contain iFrame windows. So activating an Ult might just save your character from having half its health wiped off.
Getting the timing right on these iFrames will be crucial when dealing with some annoying bosses. For instance, Andrius the Dominator of Wolves is quite an annoying boss to fight if you have a melee character, as the boss frequently damages in its near vicinity. With a perfect dash every few seconds, you can really defeat this boss without needing a healer on your team or needing a ranged unit.
Understand Combat Roles: Carry, Sub-Carry/Burst, Element Enabler, and Support/Healer
Combat is one of the central progress pillars of the game, so it makes sense to get a full team completely cracked and buffed up to deliver the maximum damage for all four characters, right? Well, no, not really.
Characters within Genshin Impact are not equal in the slightest, and they were never meant to be either. Some characters are intended to be tanky and defensive, while others are more fragile but dish out more DPS (damage-per-second). Some characters have active and passive abilities that have team-healing properties more so than damaging properties, while other characters excel at frequently triggering elemental reactions. And some characters even find their place in the team simply because of the adventuring support they bring along. Then there are different elements and different weapon types, making the entire situation a surprisingly complex yet entertaining web to work through.
Building a good team requires synergy across these different roles, and an ideal team will include one each of Carry, Sub-Carry/Burst, Element Enabler, and Support/Healer. Most characters in Genshin Impact can fit across a couple of different roles with good overlap. But some characters, such as Barbara, fit in very well in one single role to the point that you’re wasting them on other roles.
Carry
A “carry” is a character that deals the most damage in your team. It’s the character with the maximum DPS output, either by way of hard-hitting normal attacks or through a combination of attacks and elemental skills and bursts. Usually, in genres like MOBA, a carry is not intended to be a tanky unit or have any sort of healing to self-sustain, but those games usually have multiple characters on the field simultaneously as is their genre. In Genshin Impact, you need to swap between characters on your own (or play Co-Op if you don’t want to), so a bit of sustained damage or tankiness is the desired quality, especially if your Healer may not be max leveled.
The team’s carry will get most of the attention in mid-game as the character will essentially “carry” your game, and we’ll expand more on this. Because of how the end-game is shaped and tied into clearing the Spiral Abyss within a limited time, the carry becomes the most important role in the team.
Sub-Carry/Burst
The next character on your team will be a sub-carry or a burst. A “sub-carry” is the next highest DPS dealer, and a secondary damage dealer option, while “burst” refers to a role that brings in very high damage output in a short period of time. Sub-Carry and Burst roles can overlap, or they can be swapped one in favor of the other, depending on how your team is composed.
The idea with this role is to swap it in when its kit (comprised of Elemental Skill and Elemental Burst) is available to use, dish out the damage, and swap it out; or use it to finish things off when your Carry has died in battle.
Element Enabler
This is a character whose purpose is to trigger its Elemental Skill and Elemental Burst that has effects on the field even if the character is switched out. This allows your Carry and Sub-Carry to make use of the effects on the field to trigger Elemental Reactions, which then further increase the total damage output of your team or help you chew through shields and other enemy buffs.
The Main Character in their Anemo avatar is serving as a filler for Enabler in my team, as I do not want two Electro users in my team (so Lisa and Fischl are out as options), and I didn’t really like Chongyun. Thankfully, Enablers do not always need to be maxed out for levels and talents (though obviously, you’d do better with those), so I am hoping to swap in a better Enabler later on.
Characters in this role are known for the team utility they present. This utility can range from cleansing status effects, healing the team, providing shields, leveraging crowd control, applying buffs, and more. This utility is really necessary for the later parts of the game, as it could be the difference between defeating a boss or losing your whole team to it.
We advise players in the mid-game to create a team that fits into these broad roles. These are general guidelines, of course, and you are free to deviate from them. But this is what will provide you with a good balance in enjoying the game and completing its grind without feeling stuck or overwhelmed at any stage. If you do not have a perfect character to fit into a role, you can improvise with a view to eventually fill in the role once you roll in some good character pulls through the gacha (loot box) mechanics, as a free-to-play player or otherwise.
Focus on your Carry first, and max it out
The leveling curve in Genshin Impact for characters gets pretty steep and grindy in the later parts of the game. This makes it difficult to have an evenly-leveled 4-character party at all times, especially when you keep an eye on your Adventure Rank and consequent World Level (which dictates how enemies scale in level to keep up with you). And because of how Genshin Impact treats combat throughout the game and how the Spiral Abyss is treated as the end-game, the Carry becomes the most important vehicle for your game progression.
With all of this said, it makes sense to focus the entirety of your resources towards maxing out your Carry at every step possible. Choose a character that does good DPS, fits the carry role, and that you enjoy playing, and absolutely crack it out all the way till your Adventure Rank allows. In my case with Adventure Rank 40, I have focused most of my resources towards Razor as my main DPS character, maxing it out and ascending it as far as feasible as soon as those levels are unlocked.
You also want to keep an eye on leveling up the Talents for the character, as that makes those attacks, skills, and bursts hit even harder. This then makes it easier to farm out to level up the rest of your team.
If this order was breached, you’d find yourself surrounded with insanely difficult monsters and no viable means to farm them, and perhaps even get stuck in a powerless loop that will make the game difficult to enjoy and progress through. You do want to eventually level up the rest of your team too, but the priority becomes secondary to that of your Carry.
If you max your Carry for the World Level, and need a specific Adeventure Rank level before you can Ascend your Carry again, it is also a good idea to farm everything required for the Ascension even before the Ascension becomes available. Word Level bumps makes monsters difficult, and just having everything pre-farmed for your Carry’s next power spike will make your game experience easier. So that when the Ascension becomes available, you can just breeze through to the next cap.
Level up your Talents, Weapons, and Artifacts too
The same advice from above applies to Talents, Weapons, and Artifacts too. Choose the right weapon and Artifact combination for your DPS character, and ascend, refine, and max them out as far as you can. You don’t necessarily need to have five-star weapons and artifacts before you give it a thought to level them up. Do it as you go along, to make it easier to go along further.
As for Talents, it’s easy to max all of them out in mid-game, but you have to choose your priority for late game, so choose upgrade paths that make sense to you instead of maxing all of them out at once. For characters that you use for auto-attack, it may make sense to prioritize the basic attack talent. While for characters like Enablers, you may want to focus on their Elemental Skill first, Elemental Burst later, and perhaps entirely ignore investing into their basic attack talent. The grind does get grindy later on, so pick and choose your battles.
You actually need two teams for Spiral Abyss
The Spiral Abyss is what is considered an end-game for Genshin Impact, as it currently stands. While Floors 1 – 8 pose an increasing difficulty, the later levels like Floor 9 – 12 are even more difficult. These three Floors have Divergence, which requires 2x 4-character teams to clear the different monsters, one team at a time.
You can’t repeat characters across these teams, which means both of your teams need to be maxed out for best performance in order to have a chance at clearing these Floors. This means that you do need two of each of the roles, and have both teams work in synergy within themselves.
What am I getting at with this? This means that you don’t need to hold off your investment in characters that you consider second-best while you keep trying to land a character that would be your top choice. Investing in second choices is alright, as long as you have your single Carry maxed out to help farm the rest of the team. So in my case, I do have Bennett as a second-choice for the Healer role, even though my focus is on Barbara as the primary healer. Similarly, Xiangling can swap in to become the primary DPS for the second team if and when I get better synergy options for my main team. It’s okay to invest in second choices (though this shouldn’t be your priority — just a by-product), you’ll need them later down the road anyway.
Choose the right Artifact
This is something that a lot of players figure out on their own, but it’s also worth mentioning again simply because of how important it can be. Artifacts can have different attributes, decided by chance. And you already know that there a fair few different sets of Artifacts, leading to different passive bonuses. And now you also know that teams should comprise of different characters at different roles. It becomes important in this situation that you choose the right Artifact to fit the right character in the right role.
For example, characters like Razor are intended to be DPS units focusing on physical attacks. So ideal artifacts for Razor will focus on granting him more Attack Damage as a base or as Attack Percentage or help him build up Crit Damage or Crit Rate. An Artifact that boosts defense isn’t going to be doing all that much for Razor in the intended role, but there may still be other reasons why you’d want to keep the Artifact on (such as its other attributes, its synergy with the whole Set, or just simply because it is much more leveled up and can provide better bonuses). A character like Barbara, whose healing scales off her maximum HP, needs to have Artifacts that boost her maximum health, as that in turn will affect how much and how quickly the rest of your team can heal up — an Artifact that boosts her Attack stat will be of no help in such an instance. A healer like Qiqi uses the Attack stat to scale the team healing, so now the Attack stat makes a difference.
Read the Character Description and the Talent Descriptions to see how your character is shaped up, figure out which stats you need to prioritize, and then choose the right Artifacts from the pool available to you, and then level the Artifacts up to become even better. If you do not have the right artifacts with the desired traits, improvise until you can find the right roll. In the screenshot above, the Artifact set is not the best fit for Barbara, but it works out with HP and HP Percentage within the pool of Artifacts available in my inventory.
4-piece Artifact Sets aren’t always the best passives
Most Artifact Sets offer a bonus passive effect as a 2-piece set and then another extra bonus passive effect as a 4-piece set (while some select Artifacts offer 1-piece bonus only). On the face of it, equipping all artifacts from just one single great set to let you achieve the extra bonus from the 4-piece combination might sound like a great idea. But you may not want to do that actually, as most 4-piece passives are quite underwhelming.
Instead, players in the mid-game will be better served by mixing and matching artifacts that focus on their stat of choice first and then taking up any bonuses as, well, a bonus. This lets you bulk up characters in the stat direction you want them to go, instead of heaping on useless stats just to reach the 4-piece bonus. Further on, you may want to mix and match the bonuses from 2x 2-piece sets, as a few sets like Brave Heart and Resolution of Sojourner offer good DPS stats on 2-piece, but may taper off for their 4-piece bonus. Landing artifacts with the desired stat combination is a game of sheer luck, so just know that you don’t need a god roll across a full set to achieve your goals.
Make resource collection easier with an external map
This tip is borderline cheating, depending on how you treat external guides and helps. But Genshin Impact’s world is just way too immense, and resources are innumerable and spread out all through. It becomes very difficult to just rely on the map within the game, even if you meticulously use all 99 of the available markers. Remember, this size of the map is just with two available regions: Mondstadt and Liyue, out of a possible seven to correspond to each element, so this is just going to get that much more difficult to keep track of in the future.
Thankfully, there are external maps like MapGenie.io and GI World Map that make your grind a bit easier. These online websites serve as interactive maps that allow you to toggle through and view a certain resource and that resource only.
This comes in insanely helpful if you are missing just a few Anemoculus or Geoculus, or you need to know all the locations to quickly farm Jueyun Chilis or Philanemo Mushrooms for character ascension or know where the monster horde is to farm out Slimes and Hilichurls. To balance things out, we’d recommend using these external maps only when you are in a pinch — give yourself some time to explore and chance upon resources, as that is one of the primary allures of the game.
Advantages and Limitations of Co-Op gameplay
Genshin Impact is a game that is primarily meant to be played as a single player. The game also has a co-op mode unlocked at Adventure Rank level 16, wherein other players can join in your game, or you can join in theirs. The Co-Op Mode has its benefits, but it also has its limitations, so understand both of them.
You can have up to 4 players total in a party, and the number of characters a player can control is inversely tied to the number of players on the map. If 2 players are on the map, each can control two characters.
Unlike MMORPGs, Genshin Impact has one player clearly designated as the host. Other players join the host’s version of the world, instead of a common world. This means that your actions will influence the host world and leave your world untouched, and because of which there are only a few things you can actually do with Co-Op.
Co-Op Mode is great for defeating mobs and bosses with some more people around. This lets you trigger more elemental reactions frequently (on mobile — desktop has easier shortcuts that make elemental reactions much easier), though you lose control over when and what to trigger since players control their own characters. It’s great for blitzing through difficult dungeons at higher levels if the rest of your party is not evenly-leveled (which will be a very common situation), or if you do not have recommended elements for the dungeon (which someone else may have). You can help out with Daily Commissions, Domains/Dungeons, help out with World Bosses, and gather resources that you may have completely farmed up in your world.
When it comes to limitations, you cannot join worlds of players that have a higher world level than you do — you can only join the same or lower. This means you are unlikely to run into Legendary loot simply by piggybacking in a higher level player’s world. You can also only view and join players on your region’s server. The main campaign is also paused in Co-Op, so you can’t help out someone progress through the main storyline if they are stuck somewhere (though we’d argue that the main storyline isn’t all that difficult anyway). You also cannot collect Oculi if you join as a guest, since you are existing in a world that is not yours, to begin with. Domains are also limited through Original Resin (Genshin Impact’s version of a stamina system), so how much you can interact with Domains is limited to how much Original Resin you have left.
Pity on Banner Wishes
Banner Wishes are one of the primary ways to get access to new characters. Genshin Impact uses a gacha system for these, which means that you are only promised a chance to get a new character. It is a loot crate mechanic wherein players pull in results from a wide pool of possible results, including a lot of filler content like easier-to-find weapons and more.
The game does offer a lot of chances for free-to-play players to amass these Wishes (through direct ‘Intertwined Fate’ and ‘Acquaint Fate’ rewards, through Primogem accumulation, and through an exchange of Masterless Stardust and Masterless Starglitter). And if you are a player that doesn’t mind spending real-world cash for these Wishes, you can do that.
What ends up happening is that either way, you are going to have a lot of Wishes, and a very small chance to pull in a 5-star character or a 5-star weapon per Wish. Your odds of landing these coveted items do increase when you have a lot of Wishes, but it’s still a probability and not a guarantee that you will land these legendary level characters or weapons.
Well actually, you do get a guarantee, sort of. Genshin Impact incorporates what is informally referred to as “pity”. If your first 89 wishes do not give you a 5-star character or weapon, the game takes pity on your bad luck and guarantees you a 5-star character or weapon on the 90th wish. This 90th wish could be a new 5-star character or weapon introduced through that banner or it could be a 5-star from the pool of rewards that the banner mentions. Once you get a 5-star, this counting resets back to zero.
What if you actually are aiming to get that shiny new 5* character introduced through that banner and will not settle until you land it? Then your next 90th wish (i.e. your overall 180th wish within this example) is guaranteed to be the 5-star character introduced in the banner if you haven’t received it already. The game is pretty much taking pity on your bad luck and asking you to not waste more wishes (or real-game money, if you spent that to get wishes).
The game also handily displays your wish history, so you don’t need to keep track of it mentally all the time. If you know you are nearing your 180th wish, you can perhaps pause and use that on an upcoming character that looks more attuned to your taste. Just knowing that this mechanic exists will help you make more informed decisions.
5-star isn’t always better than 4-star
Keep in mind that Genshin Impact has superficially applied 5-star and 4-star ratings. So characters/weapons that are 5-star are not automatically great by virtue of them being a 5-star. There are great 4-star characters and weapons too, and some are arguably better than any 5-star counterpart because of their mechanics, their passives, or their synergy.
There’s no reason to get disheartened if you do not have many 5-star characters. My primary team has no 5-star character or weapon, and I have reached Adventure Rank 41 just fine without spending any real-world money so far. So if you are a free-to-play player with just 4-stars, you’ll be fine, trust me.
Daily Missions are invaluable for increasing your Adventure Rank, but be careful
Adventure Rank is your overall profile level, and is the metric that decides what World Level you are playing in. World Level in turn decides the level and difficulty of monsters and loot in the open world. As one would want, once you start breezing through stages, you’d want the difficulty and the rewards to be bumped up. Adventure Rank level also places caps on the level of your Character, their Talents, and your Weapons, so you get capped at certain points until and unless you reach further Adventure Ranks.
Gaining Adventure Rank in the early parts of the game is fairly simple. But later on, the leveling curve gets steep (as is the recurring theme across Genshin Impact), and you progress slower through Adventure Ranks. Thankfully, the fastest way to gain Adventure Ranks is Daily Missions, and as their name implies, they are refreshed every day. The very large majority of daily missions are also very simple and can be completed anywhere between 30 seconds to 2 minutes each. You also get 225 Adventure Rank Experience and 10 Primogems (and other rewards) per successful completion, and another 500 AR Experience and 20 Primogems (and other rewards) if you complete all four of the Daily Missions of the day and collect your reward. These numbers may sound small, but they add up. For example, to reach Adventure Rank 40, you need 10550 AR Experience after Adeventure Rank 39, and you get a cool 1400 AR Experience from these daily missions themselves. Play for a week, and that’s 9800 AR Experience already in the bank at the minimum.
But with this being said, Adventure Rank dictates the World Level. Some World Level bump ups are locked behind an Adventure Rank Ascension quest, allowing players to delay bumping it up till the point they are confident that their Carry can deal with higher-level monsters. But some World Level bumps happen immediately (namely World Level 1, 3, and 5). So if you reach Adventure Rank 40 with an under-leveled Carry, there’s a chance that you might have a difficult time dealing with the higher leveled monsters. [If you do find yourself stuck on this, focus your entire attention on your Carry and max it out.] So keep an eye on how many Daily Missions you are completing and how effective your team performs in your present scenario. If the difficulty is high, skip over a few days worth of Daily Missions till your Carry can catch up.
Enjoy the Game
This is the most understated advice for all experienced players. It’s easy to get overwhelmed with the grinding present in the later parts of the game. Genshin Impact also scales complexity through the game wonderfully, so your experience at the start of the game may not be the same as it is towards the end. What started off as an enjoyable game may turn into what feels like a job trying to min-max your stats and navigate through different combinations of characters, team synergies, artifacts, weapons, and more.
You don’t need to min-max until the very end of the end-game. Up until that, I would strongly recommend that you focus on characters that you genuinely enjoy playing. Find what makes the game great for you, and the grind will feel less like a grind and more like a journey.
Earlier this week, the U.S. Congress officially met to count the electoral votes cast in the 2020 Presidential election. I don’t have to tell you what else happened that day, but that event has had major repercussions on how tech giants are treating certain actors on their platforms. As it so happens, the Google Play Store is one such platform, and they have just pulled the plug on hosting the Parler app.
For those unaware, Parler is a Twitter-like social media network that is popular among the right-wing in the U.S. The service bills itself on being uncensored and has attracted millions of followers as mainstream social media sites like Twitter and Facebook clamped down on users. In the wake of the January 6th riot, Parler has been scrutinized for hosting user-generated content that Google and Apple have deemed to be in violation of their respective platform’s rules. For example, Google requires that apps with user-generated content “implement robust, effective and ongoing UGC moderation”, while Apple requires that apps with user-generated content include “a mechanism to report offensive content and timely responses to concerns.”
Unless Parler introduces more stringent moderation practices, Apple has threatened to remove the app from the App Store within 24 hours, says Parler Chief Executive John Matze. Seemingly without warning, though, Google has gone ahead and removed the Parler app from the Play Store effective immediately. The app has already been delisted from the Play Store as Google cites an “ongoing and urgent public safety threat” that they say stems from Parler’s lack of “robust moderation for egregious content.”
Here’s Google’s statement in full:
“In order to protect user safety on Google Play, our longstanding policies require that apps displaying user-generated content have moderation policies and enforcement that removes egregious content like posts that incite violence. All developers agree to these terms and we have reminded Parler of this clear policy in recent months.
We’re aware of continued posting in the Parler app that seeks to incite ongoing violence in the U.S. We recognize that there can be reasonable debate about content policies and that it can be difficult for apps to immediately remove all violative content, but for us to distribute an app through Google Play, we do require that apps implement robust moderation for egregious content. In light of this ongoing and urgent public safety threat, we are suspending the app’s listings from the Play Store until it addresses these issues.” – Google spokesperson
Users can still access Parler through its website and the app can still be installed on Android by sideloading the APK, but the removal of the app from the Play Store — and soon, the Apple App Store — will significantly limit its reach.
