WhileGenshin Impactis primarily known for its fantasy-like world, colorful cast of characters, and signaturenerve-wracking gacha system, there is still a ton of rich lore behind what lies on the surface. In the search for the Traveler’s lost sibling, there are many obstacles that stand in the way; so it’s natural that there are some lower points in the game’s overall story where things aren’t all sunshine and Cecilias.
Despite its incredibly bright and colorful palette,Genshin Impactstill has its darker moments just like any other adventure RPG out there. Here are some of the darkest,most disturbing moments throughoutGenshin Impact’s storyso far.
Disclaimer: Major story spoilers!
7Rex Lapis' Public “Death”
The day Liyue was finally open for players to explore, many were excited and expecting a warm welcome. However, they got something much less wholesome. The Traveler happens to arrive in Liyue duringthe famous Rite of Descension, where Rex Lapis (a.k.a Morax), the Geo Archon himself descends into Liyue to grace the citizens with his presence and offers them economic guidance to lead them to prosperity.
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However, things don’t go as planned, and instead of descending gracefully from the heavens, Rex Lapis fell from the sky and violently crashed to the ground in front of all the citizens of Liyue. Coming to a new area and having the (supposed) death be the first thing to witness and then consequently being pinned as the number one murder suspect is definitely not the welcome wagon most players were expecting!
6Venti Loses His Gnosis
The moment right before the first run-in with Fatui Harbinger Signora was a fun little break from the stressful battle for the safety of Mondstadt. However, the moment the Traveler stepped out of the cathedral to greet the Harbinger was one of themost shocking momentsof the entireGenshin Impacthistory.
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This event happened rather early intoGenshin’s story and at this point, the concept of the gnosis and the archons weren’t fully explored. Many players were so shocked after this encounter with Signora that they had assumed they had just witnessed the death of Ameno archon, Venti, right before their eyes!
Although Venti was safe in the end, and it was only his gnosis that Signora was after, it was still a terrifying event that shook many players (especially Venti fans) to their core.
5The Death Of Kazuha’s Friend
A vision without a user is a very rare thing and soon enoughafter getting to know Kazuha, the player then finds out about the tragic past that lies behind the mysterious vision. The masterless vision once belonged to Kazuha’s old friend, who does not have an official name (but has been named “Tomo” by many fans as a shortened form of “tomodachi” which means “friend” in Japanese), who had been slain by the Raiden Shogun herself as a punishment for losing a duel against Kojou Sara before the throne in Inazuma.
A ton of awful and disturbing things happened to Inazuma during the tyranny of the Raiden Shogun and the Vision Hunt Decree, but the news of Kazuha’s dear friend dying at the hands of the leader of the very nation the Traveler plans to visit next truly delivers a gut-wrenching feeling.
4Everyday Commissions
Completing everyday commissions is something that almost every player takes for granted. It is a quick and simple task to check off a list in order to get some quick mora or primos, but from thehilichurl population’s perspective, it’s terrifying mass murder.
While some hilichurls around Teyvat are in fact dangerous and stationed close enough to townsfolk to cause trouble, many of the camps that the Traveler clears out for commissions are far away from other towns and completely harmless. Like it or not, at the end of the day, the player is essentially committing mass murder on tons of innocent hilichurls and adorable slimes. Something to think about the next time players violently break up a hilichurl dance party.
3Signora’s Death
After a duel before the Thone in Inazuma, Signora was subsequently executed by the Raiden Shogun. This was one of the few instances showing the actual death of a major/minor character. In many ways, this cutscene is the mirror of Venti’s run-in with Signora back in Mondstadt.
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When players saw Signora attack Venti, many assumed he had died on the spot. Luckily, Venti made it out of the predicament just fine. So when it came to Signora, fans had assumed that perhaps she would be let off because of her high ranking. However, to everyone’s surprise (or perhaps not), theRaiden Shogun was not mercifulin the slightest.
This was an especially sad moment for all those Signora fans that had expected her to eventually be released as a playable character. It seems as if her banner isn’t coming out any time soon.
2Childe Slowly Killing Himself
HarbingerChilde’s blind loyaltytoward the Fatui and The Tsaritsa (the Cryo Archon and also the ruler of Snezhnaya) is already disturbing enough, but the fact he’s perfectly willing to risk the lives of both others (including innocents) and himself really makes him a tragic character.
Childe has explained before that every time he uses his Foul Legacy, it drains his body, essentially killing him slowly in the process. After unleashing Foul Legacy, Childe can wield both the power of his Hydro Vision and his Electro Delusion at the same time. Delusions are already dangerously taxing on the body (R.I.P, Teppei), so to think of how many years Childe is willingly taking off his overall lifespan is incredibly unnerving.
1The Universal Slaughter Of Timmie’s Birds
Almost everyGenshinplayer out there knows how difficult life as a wandering Traveler can be, and sometimes, turning to food is the best way to gain a few extra health points. Hunting in the Teyvat can be tiresome and unfortunately for poor Timmie, his beloved pet birds make for the easiest targets for most players.
On the surface, it’s afunny meme shared around theGenshin Impactcommunity, but in reality, it’s terribly disturbing that the community as a whole not only accepted that killing this poor boy’s beloved birds is a viable source of food but also made a huge joke about it.
Hopefully one day, poor Timmie will finally live with his pet birds in peace.
Genshin Impactwas released on June 16, 2025, and is available on PC, PS4, Nintendo Switch, PS5, Android, and iOS.
