Genshin Impact ushers in a dark new era of Teyvat with Fontaine’s first trailer

The biggest Genshin Impact update of the year is nearly here and players now have their first grand look at the Hydro region of Fontaine thanks to the Version 4.0 As Light Rain Falls Without Reason Trailer that was released today. While many of the residents of Fontaine seem to want to pretend everything is going great there, the Hydro region is putting on a grand masquerade to disguise the dark truth. That’s where the Traveler comes into play.

Genshin’s As Light Rain Falls Without Reason trailer begins with a grand look at the water-based region of Teyvat. The design of this area seems to be a combination of modern and more mechanical designs with massive water features running all throughout to represent the nation’s signature element.

But while Hydro is supposed to be something helping to keep Fontaine together, the trailer quickly takes a dark turn to unveil that it’s the very reason everything is falling apart. The voiceover for this trailer reveals water is swallowing memories and some residents of Fontaine are worried it will eventually swallow them too.

As concerning as this matter is, it seems the majority of Fontaine is choosing to ignore the disarray in favor of putting on a masquerade, which explains why miHoYo previously called Fontaine the “Masquerade of the Guilty” in their Teyvat Chapter Storyline Preview: Travail spoiler video.

Throughout the trailer, you get a good look at the beloved magician duo Lyney and Lynette plus their broody younger brother Freminet, the Hydro Archon herself Focalors or Furina, Fontaine’s Chief Justice Neuvillette, the witchy Geo character Navia, and the champion duelist Clorinde. All these new recruits will play important roles in Fontaine’s main storyline and also likely become recruitable in the future.

While seeing so many new characters featured throughout the trailer was exciting, perhaps the most shocking and intriguing moment of all was the unexpected arrival of the five-star Hydro Bow character Tartaglia. The Fatui Harbinger makes a grand entrance at the very end of the trailer and whips out his old Electro Delusion to take on his Childe form—something he hasn’t done in a very long time.

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When a character becomes playable and joins the Traveler’s party, it usually means they’re on their side for good. But Tartaglia’s unnerving transformation is a chilling reminder for players that he’s not quite as reformed as they might think. His arrival in Fontaine is sure to be tied to the overarching issues the region is facing and the main storyline, especially with the previous appearance of his fellow Harbinger Arlecchino.

Amidst all the chaos and mystery, players will also get to fully swim underwater for the first time with the release of Fontaine. But even this seems to come with more dark secrets to uncover, so the Traveler certainly has their work cut out for them when they officially arrive in the next region of Teyvat.

The Hydro region of Fontaine will officially launch on Aug. 15 or 16 depending on your timezone, so you can get to work beginning to unravel the facade this nation is attempting to put on then.