Across the Wilderness is a new event first appearing in Genshin Impact’s version 3.3. It’s an activity that mixes parkour/pathfinding and collecting balloons across several environments throughout Teyvat. It’ll test your navigation skills and how well you can spot the balloons. Here’s everything you need to know about the event and how to get all the rewards.
Unlocking the Event
Travelers who have reached 20 AR and completed the Prologue, Act 3 – ‘Song of the Dragon and Freedom’ Archon Quest can participate. Go to the Adventurers’ Guild Representative Vinkel (nearby Gloria’s spot and the waypoint with the gossiping Fatui) to start. She’ll give you a Wilderness Compass gadget, which you’ll need to equip to begin the activity.
How to Start a Game
Talk to the sign (with the compass equipped) to get into the activity. The first time you try a course, the game will preview where the balloons are. Any subsequent attempts will teleport you to the starting point immediately. You don’t have to memorize this, but knowing where to go and the balloon’s locations can help immensely.
The compass can also provide help through skills. Currently, there are three available:
- Leapbless: increases a character’s jump height for a short time
- Windbless: creates a wind current at your location that disappears after a few seconds
- Treasurebless: increases the balloon search radius.
A fourth has been mentioned as ‘Scoutbless,’ which has two effects. It increases movement speed and the range of the balloon search radius. Take it with a grain of salt, as leaks are subject to change.
The device charges up passively as you go through the course. You can help it charge by collecting Blessed Energy orbs scattered around the area. It will always have two charges, no matter which one you choose. Like all gadgets, you must press the button (or combination of) to activate it and the ability.
Locations
There are five possible locations for the courses. Two are available at the time of writing: With the Winds (Mondstadt) and Tides of Jade (the Alcor). According to leaks, the others are:
- Port Ormos
- Valley of Dahri
- Aaru Village
As leaks, they are subject to change and will have to be confirmed when the following levels get released.
Rewards and Achievements
The faster you are and the more balloons you collect, the better the rewards. You only need to collect at least 25 balloons (out of 40) in 120 seconds for the Primogem rewards (80 Primos total). For all the prizes, collect 30 balloons within 120 seconds. It is also the time limit for the activity, so when it runs out, the game ends, and scores are recorded.
Genshin Impact Across the Wilderness Tips
Which Characters Are Best for Across the Wilderness?
Your choice of party composition has a significant impact on your speed. Kaedehara Kazuha is the best choice you can make. Aside from his passive ability to reduce sprinting stamina, his Elemental Skill has the verticality you need. Even better, you can use it in midair, especially if you miss a balloon while falling.
Xiao is also a possible candidate, this time for horizontal movement. You can use his skill in midair, like Kazuha’s, if you barely reach the balloon. Otherwise, you can use it to go forward faster. He also decreases stamina consumption for climbing, which you might need to do during these activities.
The Wanderer is another excellent choice, though you might have trouble if you overshoot the height. He doesn’t have a downward boost unless you cancel his E, which negates the speed and ‘jump’ boost he has. Still, his acceleration is beneficial for speeding things up.
Venti isn’t recommended, as his skill takes a while to charge, and you can’t use it in midair. In most cases, Kazuha’s E has more mobility. You can still put him in the party to reduce gliding stamina consumption, but it’s unnecessary.
As you can see, the Anemo boys have a monopoly on the recommended list. It has the bonus of Anemo resonance, which reduces overall stamina consumption and increases movement speed.
If you don’t have the above characters due to missing their banners or general unluckiness, here are some alternatives:
- Kaeya, Razor, and Heizou also decrease running stamina consumption.
- Amber and Collei have a similar ability but for gliding.
- Besides Xiao, Candace is the only alternative to reduce stamina usage when climbing.
- Beidou and Kokomi can decrease stamina consumption when swimming (but this is not necessary yet). Still, Mona’s and Ayaka’s alternate sprints are better for water traversal.
- Diona’s Elemental Skill can increase movement speed and decrease stamina consumption as long as the shield is up.
- If you can manage it, Yanfei’s scarlet seals reduce stamina consumption by 15% per seal. With three seals, that’s 45%, and at C6, that’s 60%. The only problem is that there are no enemies to target for regaining seals.
- Albedo’s elevator, Zhongli’s, and Geo Traveler’s constructs can help reach higher places.
- Yelan’s and Sayu’s E skills are excellent for horizontal traversal, and those don’t need stamina.
General Tips
Any mentioned passive abilities do not stack. That means having Kaeya and Razor in the party will not make sprinting cost 40% less stamina. However, Diona’s shield effects and Yanfei’s seals stack with each other and the passives. Also, there’s always the Anemo Resonance for movement speed and stamina efficiency.
If you have Kazuha in your party, you can skip choosing Leapbless for your compass skill. The same could go for Venti and Windbless, but the latter could be more to your preference. Treasurebless (or Scoutbless, if available) is a better choice if you have those characters.
Start planning your path when the game shows you where the balloons are. It will reduce the need to double back on balloons you missed and save time.
There’s usually one (there could be more in future locations) orange Sonar Balloon on the course. It will reveal more to collect, but only for a limited time. As much as possible, try to get them all before they disappear again. Otherwise, you’ll need to return to the orange balloon to show them for collection.
Depending on the characters you’re using, it can be easy to forget about your compass. Remember, you can use it to jump higher, create a current, or find more balloons.
Stay calm because panicking increases the time you waste. There’s usually an optimal way to gather balloons, though it could take some tries to figure out.
Whoever you use, make sure you enjoy the event! There are 420 Primogems at stake. 20 from the introductory quest and 400 from the event proper. No matter how small, each one counts for savings for the next banner (or the current one).
Have fun running Across the Wilderness!
Read up on what you need to know about Genshin Impact’s Across the Wilderness event. It can help you manage stamina and receive all the rewards from the activity. Enjoy Genshin Impact! (184 characters)