Genshin Impact is known for teasing its characters long before they become playable. Most of the time, they’re introduced as NPCs that have some sort of role in the main storyline. In other cases, however, HoYoverse leaves small hints about them scattered across the game world. Kaveh was one example of this; before he made his first appearance as an NPC, there were messages to and by him in different areas of Sumeru.
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Kaveh as Revealed by Genshin Impact’s Message Boards
When the Sumeru region was first released in Genshin Impact, the area was filled with places to explore and items to interact with. However, message boards were likely among the last of players’ priorities (barring lore enthusiasts). It turns out that these unassuming boards held interesting information about different characters. Some mentioned the Lord Jackal, Cyno, and one even named the Yae Publishing House from Inazuma. Finally, three different message boards allude to Kaveh and his antics.
The first message board can be found in Port Ormos, across the bridge from the teleport waypoint. One passage involves an argument between two parties. It begins with a troubled craftsman musing about how their skills are no longer needed since the Akasha network can easily teach people how to build and maintain merchant ships. The craftsman then notes that “the Scribe” – Genshin Impact’s Alhaitham – told them to seek work elsewhere, but they lack the funds for the journey.
Another person then chimes in – Kaveh – saying that he knows someone in need of craftsmen and that they should ignore the Scribe. Alhaitham replies, telling Kaveh not to meddle in “meaningless things.” He goes on to say that some people are bound to fail, while others will succeed; that’s how the world works. Kaveh vehemently denies this, rejecting Alhaitham’s belief in the survival of the fittest and clinging, instead, to ideas of “mutual assistance, fairness, and righteous anger.” The exchange ends with Alhaitham questioning the state of Kaveh’s budget.
It seems Kaveh is the more empathetic of the two, which isn’t surprising since Kaveh and Alhaitham are polar opposite Genshin Impact characters. This is even more apparent in the second message board, found by the Puspa Cafe in Sumeru City. Here, Kaveh and Alhaitham argue yet again, this time about the value of art. While Kaveh believes in appreciating art for art’s sake, Alhaitham views it as nothing more than a commodity, and when it no longer brings material value, it becomes meaningless. A frustrated Kaveh retorts, “And that is exactly why I’ve always despised materialists like you.” The exchange then ends with Dori paying for Kaveh’s tab.
What’s interesting here is that both men’s words seem to contradict their actions. Even though Alhaitham is the first to spout assertions about the survival of the fittest, he himself welcomed a bankrupt Kaveh to his home, asking for seemingly nothing in return. In contrast, while Kaveh clearly has the more prominent moral compass, he can’t seem to get away from trouble, as shown in the last message board in Genshin Impact.
The last passage can be found on the Mahamata Bulletin Board in Sumeru City. It’s the shortest exchange of the three, and it involves Alhaitham and the tavern owner. Alhaitham inquires about the crates of wine he had ordered only to find out that Kaveh took them all. So, while Kaveh is quick to lend a hand to those in need, he seems to have no problem biting the hand that feeds. The two truly have an amusingly dysfunctional dynamic – one that will likely feature in Genshin Impact’s next updates.
Genshin Impact is available now for Mobile, PC, PS4, and PS5. A Switch version is in development.
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