Genshin Impact 2023 Lantern Rite festival: Start time, requirements, and more

The vast world of Teyvat in Genshin Impact is rich with culture and festivities. One of the most popular events that demonstrate this is the Geo region Liyue’s special Lantern Rite festival which has returned for another run in the Version 3.4 update.

The Lantern Rite festival first began as a way of reminding soldiers how to get home, but then transitioned into a way of commemorating those who fell in battle after the Archon War. It has now evolved into a happy festival that brings together people from all around Teyvat.

Related: Should you pull for Alhaitham or Xiao in Genshin Impact?

While the Lantern Rite festival is a Liyue event and thus puts the spotlight on Liyue characters, the Version 3.4 installment of the event might also involve characters from other regions. The trailer for the event featured the five-star Anemo Bow character Venti from Mondstadt playing his harp in Liyue while the event was taking place which could hint at other surprise appearances.

Version 3.4 of Genshin has already officially launched, but players have a bit more waiting to do before the Lantern Rite festival will begin. Players that are hoping to prepare as much as possible for the event can do so by learning all there is to know about the 2023 installment of Liyue’s Lantern Rite festival.

Lantern Rite festival event guide in Version 3.4 of Genshin Impact

A look at what the event will entail was shared in the “Version 3.4 ‘The Exquisite Night Chimes’ Trailer’” since a lot of the update is focused around this massive event. There seems to be a focus on music for this installment of the event with what appears to be a concert taking place at the peak of the event.

When does the Lantern Rite festival begin in Genshin Impact?

The 2023 installment of Liyue’s massive festival will begin on Jan. 19. Players will then be allowed to participate in Lantern Rite until Feb. 6 when it will come to a close.

Lantern Rite requirements in Genshin Impact

To participate in this exclusive event, players must:

• Be Adventure Rank 28 or higher
• Complete the “A New Star Approaches” Archon quest

MiHoYo also strongly recommends that players complete “The Crane Returns on the Wind” Archon quest and the “Umbrabilis Orchis Chapter: Act I” quest before participating in the event. These quests being recommended means that certain characters and events may be confusing to players without first completing them.

While these two quests are strongly recommended, players who haven’t completed them can choose to move forward in Lantern Rite regardless. To do so, all players need to do is select the “Quick Start” option on the Lantern Rite event page.

Lantern Rite rewards in Genshin Impact

Players who participate in the Lantern Rite special event can obtain:

• Primogems
• A Crown of Insight
• A Serenitea Pot furnishing
• Hero’s Wit
• Prithiva Topaz Fragment
• Talent level-up materials
• Mystic Enhance­ment Ore
• Mora

How to get a free four-star character in Lantern Rite

In addition to the regular rewards, players also have the opportunity to obtain one four-star Liyue character. This will function as it has in past events and will require players to participate in all aspects of the event to then have the ability to choose which character to obtain.

Players will need to reach a specified level of “Festive Fever” before they can choose a Liyue character. The characters that players get to choose from are:

• The four-star Dendro Polearm character Yaoyao
• The four-star Hydro Sword character Xingqiu
• The four-star Cryo Claymore character Chongyun
• The four-star Electro Claymore character Beidou
• The four-star Pyro Polearm character Xiangling
• The four-star Geo Catalyst character Ningguang
• The four-star Pyro Claymore character Xinyan
• The four-star Pyro Catalyst character Yanfei
• The four-star Geo Polearm character Yun Jin

Lantern Rite gameplay in Genshin Impact

The Lantern Rite festival is divided into different sections:

• Radiant Sparks
• Paper Theater
• Vigilance at Sea
• Behind the Scenes

Each unique section comes with its own gameplay style and functions separately from the other gameplay modes of the event.

Radiant Sparks in Lantern Rite

The Radiant Sparks gameplay mode tasks players with completing unique racing challenges. These will function similarly to Time Trial challenges and will thus ask players to navigate complex obstacle courses within a set period of time.

Paper Theater in Lantern Rite

The Paper Theater mode asks players to help complete a paper play performance. Players will learn about the stories behind the play and help the creators to perform them properly.

While putting on the performances, players will have to navigate past obstacles and avoid traps. Successfully avoiding these will ensure the performance succeeds while running into them will cause the performance to fail.

Vigilance at Sea in Lantern Rite

Players will take to the ocean in the Vigilance at Sea gameplay mode. This event can be started at Beidou’s ship the Alcor and involves the Waverider.

Vigilance at Sea tasks players with completing Waverider race challenges to collect Challenge Coins. Players can complete the event alone or try out a special co-op mode.

The event has three different challenge levels, with one being randomly chosen each time that players attempt to complete a level of the event. Players must navigate carefully, collect coins, and protect the durability of the Waverider to see success.

Behind the Scenes in Lantern Rite

The final gameplay mode of the Lantern Rite festival is called Behind the Scenes. Players will be sent out into the wilderness to find and vanquish foes at specific target locations.

The goal of the Behind the Scenes event is to ensure Liyue’s safety. Liyue’s Lantern Rite festival brings many people together so ensuring that they can remain safe and enjoy the experience is a must.

Once all four gameplay modes have been completed to the certain degree that players obtain the required Festive Fever, they will then be allowed to choose a four-star Liyue character to invite. This is the big reward of the event since free characters are fairly rare in Genshin.