Kaeya is a familiar face in-game, as he is one of the few characters every player can recruit for free. Unsurprisingly, that means that Kaeya is at the weaker end of the games’ spectrum of heroes, much like the Knights of Favonius’ Outrider, Amber. Players looking to build the most powerful Kaeya they can will likely want to snag artifacts from the Blizzard Strayer or Noblesse Oblige sets, and kit him out with a sword that will synergize with his energy recharge ascension stat. Ultimately, though, mechanics are a secondary consideration to most of Kaeya’s fans. The character’s greatest strengths are his striking design, effortlessly cool personality, and intriguing backstory.
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The Roguish Knight
Kaeya is often referred to as the right hand man of the Knights of Favonius’ acting Grandmaster, Jean Gunnhildr. His roguish attire is considered eccentric, even by Genshin Impact’s bombastic anime standards. Even though he is near the top of the Knights’ chain of command, Kaeya has a laidback, perennially irreverent attitude and possesses something of a sadistic streak. Kaeya will routinely tell outright lies to manipulate, threaten, or simply screw around with people—whether they are friends, foes, or something in between.
When it comes to methodologies, Kaeya seems to prefer gleeful scheming over straightforward plots, and feels that everything is fine as long as it all shakes out as intended. To provide one example, in his “Secret Pirate Treasure” story quest, Kaeya dupes Genshin Impact’s Traveler into catching a ring of Treasure Hoarders by baiting Paimon with rumors of a powerful sword.
Mysterious Origins
Eagle-eyed travelers may have noticed that Kaeya has a diamond-shaped pupil, which is a trait that only one other Genshin Impact character can lay claim to—so far, anyway. That character is none other than “the man of mysterious origins,” Dainsleif. This isn’t a coincidental detail, either. Mihoyo has revealed that before he was a citizen of Mondstadt, Kaeya hailed from the hitherto unrevealed nation of Khaenri’ah. This strange underground realm is referenced in weapon descriptions and in-game books throughout Teyvat, though interestingly, Khaenri’ah is not part of Teyvat itself, and is not subject to the rule of The Seven.
Kaeya’s arrival in Mondstadt was actually meant to fulfill an ancient plot to start war with Mondstadt. As a child, Kaeya was abandoned at the Dawn Winery, with the intention of him infiltrating its proprietors: the Ragnvindr family. And the plan half-worked. Kaeya was indeed adopted into the Ragnvindr family, setting the stage for most acrimonious rivalry in Mondstadt.
Raised as Brothers; Born to Fight
Kaeya was taken in by Crepus, the biological father of Mondstadt’s very own Batman, Diluc Ragnvindr. Unfortunately, Crepus died four years prior to the events of the game in an ill-fated attempt to protect his sons from a monster known as Ursa the Drake. Diluc, who had been a rising star in the Knights of Favonius, alongside his adopted brother, Kaeya, was ordered to cover up the incident. Disgusted at their collective weakness, he quit their ranks and has scorned him ever since.
It also seems that he used his authority as the new head of the Ragnvindr family to expel Kaeya as well. The two have maintained a heated rivalry ever since, though Kaeya seems content to tease and toy with his short-tempered adoptive brother. Despite his initial mission to start a war, Crepus’ loving upbringing engendered a deep love of Mondstadt and its people in Kaeya. But the cool-as-ice knight is still torn between his fated duty to Khaenri’ah and his affection for the land that raised him. It is possible, likely even, that Kaeya now supports Mondstadt entirely in earnest. But given his affinity for lying, scheming, and general trickery, it is also conceivable that he is running the world’s longest con.
Genshin Impact is available now for mobile devices, PC, and PlayStation 4, with PS5 and Switch versions in development.
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