RELATED: Genshin Impact: Most Underrated Characters
At the beginning of Genshin Impact’s story, little to nothing could be said about the mysterious Traveler and their past. However, with update after update, quest after quest, players are slowly starting to uncover some of the Traveler’s curious story. Here are 8 things that some players may not already know about the (mostly silent) Traveler.
Disclaimer: There will be heavy spoilers for the main storyline!
Updated August 25th, 2021 by Christine Mendoza: miHoYo is a dedicated studio that seems determined to continue adding more and more lore to Genshin Impact; keeping gameplay fresh and the story interesting. As more elaborate main quests, exciting characters, and new nations are added to the open-world game, fans learn more about the (mostly) silent protagonists, Aether and Lumine. To keep things up to date, a few more entries have been added and others have been updated with the addition of Inazuma and all of its quests.
10 The Twins Each Have A Canon Name
At the moment, there isn’t any real explanation for why the player is able to enter a name for the Traveler; but male or female, the Traveler does indeed have a canonical name! Although all other characters do refer to the Traveler by their player-given name, later in the story, an Archon quest reveals that the male traveler is named Aether, while the female traveler is named Lumine. Often time, aside from “Traveler”, they are addressed as “Outlander,” “Honorary Knight,” or ironically “Comrade” by Fatui frienemy, Mr. Tartaglia.
It seems as if only the twins themselves are the ones that have ever referred to the other by their “true” canonical name.
9 They Technically Don’t Have A Vision
Before exploring the vast land of Inazuma, the Traveler must first meet up with Kazuha and Beidou and participate in a fighting tournament. The tournament, however, is limited to individuals without a vision, which is a gift from the gods of Teyvat. A vision grants the user a power; the ability to control a specific element.
The Traveler’s actual status is perhaps a detail that can be easily glossed over by many players (especially those guilty of skipping dialogue).
While the Traveler is able to freely manipulate the elements, they don’t actually possess a vision themselves. Once entering Beidou’s tournament, this becomes clear as she and Kazuha advise the Traveler to avoid using any elemental abilities during any battles.
This is what makes the Traveler a unique hero in Teyvat, as until their arrival, the only individuals that could use any elemental abilities were either ones that possessed visions or the gods/archons themselves.
8 They’re Actually Very Talkative
Despite everyone making jokes about how Paimon does all the talking and that the Traveler is an eerily silent protagonist, they’re actually rather chatty! Although Aether and Lumine don’t get a ton of spoken lines during dialogue with NPCs, quests, or cutscenes, they both still have a ton of characterization!
While it is a bit hidden, the twins do have voice lines under their “Profile” tab just like every other playable character in the game who can be recruited as part of the party.
RELATED: Doomguy & 9 Best Silent Protagonists In Games
It’s been a huge running joke that Genshin Impact’s protagonists don’t ever get to speak their mind, but actually, they have a whole lot to say about many things around Teyvat. Under this tab, the player is able to find playful conversations between the Traveler and Paimon about things like Liyue’s traditions to Mondstadt’s scenery.
It’s a shame so much of the Traveler’s characterization is hidden away as optional content to listen to; it seems as if the twins have a great sense of humor and even poke some fun at Anemo Archon, Venti!
7 The Male And Female Traveler Have Different Constellations
A cool detail that most players will likely miss since not many players have more than one Genshin Impact account is the small difference in the twins’ constellations. Aether and Lumine have slightly different portraits for their constellations to match their aesthetics. Although their constellations, Viator and Viatrix, have different names and portraits, the way the twins’ constellations get upgraded are the same.
Fun fact: The twins also get a new constellation when they interact with a new element and will have a different constellation when using Anemo, Geo, and (now with Inazuma released) Electro too.
6 They Are Not Featured In Any Event Banner
The Traveler is unique and differs greatly from the rest of the cast of playable characters in various ways, including their gacha availability. The Traveler actually isn’t featured in any event banner, and cannot be pulled when wishing for items or characters.
All other characters are available to be pulled in the game’s gacha system in order to recruit them for the player’s team; with the exception of Amber, Kaeya, and Lisa, who are all given for free. However, unlike Amber, Kaeya, and Lisa, the Traveler cannot be pulled again as a duplicate in order to complete their constellation.
5 Their Outfits Get Upgraded When They Change Elements
Being the only character that can shift elemental abilities, Aether and Lumine also have a fun fashionable advantage over their teammates. At the beginning of the game, Aether and Lumine’s accents on their gear are white. Once the twins are defeated by the Unknown God, their accents are then black; that is until they interact with the first Statue of Seven and borrow the power of Barbatos.
RELATED: Genshin Impact: Things You Didn’t Know About The Statues Of Seven
Once the Traveler borrows Barbatos’ power, their outfit glows a light blue and once they interact with Rex Lapis’s Statue of Seven, then their glow turns into a golden yellow. And now, with the newest addition of Inazuma, when the Traveler shifts to Electro, the trend continues and adds a flash of deep purple to their outfit.
4 Their Constellation Has A Unique Way Of Being Completed
For all other characters, in order to fill their constellation to level them up, they must be pulled as a duplicate when wishing. So it may seem a bit confusing when it comes to completing the Traveler’s constellation, seeing as the Traveler cannot be pulled in the game’s gacha system the same way the other playable characters can be.
The Traveler can find the item to level up their constellation in a few different ways. One of these items can be found in souvenir shops, meanwhile, the rest are given as adventure rank or main quest rewards. As the protagonist can change their elemental alignment, it’s only natural they have two different sets of requirements to fill their constellation; having a different item to level their Anemo constellation as opposed to the required item for their Geo constellation.
3 They Are Not From Teyvat
In an Archon quest with Dainsleif, fans were finally able to shed some light on the mysterious past of the (mostly) silent protagonist. It was apparent from the very first cutscene that the Traveler is not of the world of Teyvat and that the Unknown God they were fighting had stranded them there on their journey. However, the quest “We Will Be Reunited” revealed that the Traveler apparently has memories of the ancient nation, Khaenri’ah.
Assumed to be a nation, long gone with no real remnants, Khaenri’ah was long forgotten and so it was a surprise that the Traveler had memories of it! After a heartbreaking reunion with the Traveler’s lost sibling, it seems likely that the Traveler and their twin are, in fact, from the ancient nation. (However, when it comes to the Abyss Order, it’s never clear what the truth actually is.)
2 They Are Not A Minor Like Everyone Assumes
It’s an apparent running joke that the Traveler is a minor and in the end, always has to turn down any offers of alcoholic drinks. However, during the “We Will Be Reunited” quest, another interesting bit of the Traveler’s past is uncovered. The Traveler recalls having memories of the destruction of Khaenri’ah during a war that had happened about 500 years ago!
It appears that the mysterious Traveler is actually much like Venti and Zhongli; although donning a youthful appearance, are actually hundreds of years old!
1 They Have Different Attack Patterns
miHoYo made sure to not leave any intricate details out when designing the beloved protagonists. Aether and Lumine may be twins but that doesn’t mean they don’t have their differences. Rather than taking the lazy route and simply both variations of the protagonist the same exact animation when in combat, miHoYo took the extra step and made completely unique fighting styles for each of the twins. A subtle difference to catch is their attack speeds, as Aether moves slightly faster than his sister.
Their fighting styles seem to complement each others’ as well as contrast the other very well. Seeing as the Traveler doesn’t talk much in-game, it’s great to see that even in their combat style, players are able to see a bit of their personality come through.
NEXT: Genshin Impact: Easter Eggs And Hidden Details You May Have Missed
