Sumeru vs. Liyue: Unpacking the Size of Genshin Impact’s Regions
Yes, Sumeru is indeed bigger than Liyue in Genshin Impact. Leaks and post-release exploration have confirmed that Sumeru significantly surpasses Liyue in overall explorable area, making it the largest region released in the game so far – at least until Fontaine started expanding its watery borders. But the nuances of size, including verticality and underground areas, mean the experience of exploring each region is quite different. Let’s delve into the details.
Unveiling the Scale of Sumeru and Liyue
Landmass and Exploration
The initial claims suggested that Sumeru’s total area was larger than Mondstadt and Liyue combined. While that might be a slight exaggeration, it’s undeniable that Sumeru’s sheer volume of content and explorable space eclipses Liyue. Liyue, with its vast plains, mountainous terrains, and intricate harbor city, was already considered a massive region upon Genshin Impact’s initial release. However, Sumeru introduces diverse biomes, including lush rainforests, arid deserts, and complex underground systems. This variety contributes to a greater overall feeling of scale.
Sumeru’s Biome Diversity
What truly sets Sumeru apart is its diverse ecosystem. The rainforest region alone is densely packed with puzzles, challenges, and secrets, while the sprawling desert regions offer a different kind of exploration experience, filled with ruins, quicksand perils, and hidden oases. This contrast makes Sumeru feel significantly larger and more engaging than Liyue, which, while diverse in its own right, primarily focuses on variations of mountainous and coastal landscapes.
Verticality and Underground Areas
Sumeru takes exploration to new heights (literally!) and depths. The region incorporates significantly more vertical exploration with towering trees, elevated platforms, and intricate cave systems. The desert areas especially feature extensive underground networks, adding another layer to the exploration. While Liyue has areas like The Chasm that offer underground exploration, it is not as pervasive as Sumeru’s hidden depths.
Content Density
Beyond pure landmass, Sumeru is packed with more quests, domains, and world events. The Archon Quest storyline in Sumeru is extensive, and the region’s world quests are often multi-layered and span across multiple areas. This high content density contributes to the feeling of a larger, more involved region compared to Liyue.
Comparative Analysis: Liyue’s Strengths
Despite being smaller, Liyue still holds its own and provides an exceptional Genshin Impact experience. It has several factors going for it that makes it a fan favorite.
Aesthetically Pleasing
Liyue’s inspiration is derived from Chinese culture, and it is obvious when visiting. The mountains and forests combined with its architectural design makes the region an aesthetically pleasing one.
Lore
There are many mysteries within Liyue, and the lore continues to grow as players explore the region. Characters such as Zhongli and Ganyu provide an immersive experience into the culture.
Exploration
While Sumeru has great exploration, Liyue is known to have its beautiful landscapes to explore such as the Guili Plains, Luhua Pool, and the Qingyun Peak.
The Future of Genshin Impact’s Regions
It’s important to remember that Genshin Impact is a constantly evolving game. Mondstadt, for instance, is expected to receive a northern expansion in the future, which could potentially increase its overall size and offer new exploration opportunities. Similarly, Fontaine is adding more and more territory, both above and below the water. Even with these expansions in mind, Sumeru’s initial release establishes a new benchmark for the scale and scope of Genshin Impact’s regions. The design philosophy appears to be shifting towards creating larger, more diverse, and content-rich areas, ensuring players have plenty to discover and explore. The Games Learning Society can give more insight into design philosophies behind game development. The GamesLearningSociety.org serves as a key to understanding the world of game design and development.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Is Sumeru Desert bigger than Liyue?
While the entire Sumeru region dwarfs Liyue, the Sumeru Desert, specifically, is comparable in size to Liyue. However, the combination of the desert and rainforest regions solidifies Sumeru’s dominance in overall size.
2. Which nation is Sumeru based on?
Sumeru draws inspiration from a melting pot of South Asian and Middle Eastern cultures, including influences from ancient India, Persia, Egypt, and Mesopotamia.
3. Was Sumeru disappointing to some players?
Some players found Sumeru’s initial rainforest area overwhelming due to its density and puzzle-heavy design. Others were hoping for different themes, leading to varied opinions on the region. This is a common occurrence in gaming.
4. Is Fontaine the smallest region in Genshin Impact?
Based on its initial release area, Fontaine may seem smaller than other regions. However, Fontaine is still expanding and new underwater regions and areas continue to be added with each update.
5. What comes after Liyue in the main storyline?
After the Liyue chapter, players experience two interlude chapters featuring characters like Shenhe, Yelan, and Yun Jin before venturing into Inazuma.
6. Which is the hardest region to explore in Genshin Impact?
The difficulty of exploration is subjective, but regions like Yashiori Island (Inazuma) and areas within Liyue, such as the Guyun Stone Forest, are often cited as challenging due to environmental hazards and enemy density.
7. What is the smallest nation in Genshin Impact?
According to lore, Cangco, located between Liyue and Sumeru, is considered the smallest nation in Teyvat. However, it is not an explorable region in the game.
8. How much of Sumeru is left to be released?
As updates continue, much of Sumeru has been released. HoYoverse is still continuing to release new regions as the game continues to grow and be developed.
9. Is Sumeru Indian or Arab in inspiration?
Sumeru is a blend of both Indian and Middle Eastern influences. It incorporates architectural styles, flora, fauna, and cultural elements from both regions, creating a unique and cohesive aesthetic.
10. How large will Sumeru be in its entirety?
When fully released, Sumeru is estimated to be comparable in size to all the previously explorable overworld regions combined (excluding the ocean), making it a substantial and sprawling nation.
11. Is Mona from Fontaine?
Yes, Mona Megistus is indeed from Fontaine. She is a renowned astrologer who later moved to Mondstadt.
12. Is Natlan or Fontaine the next region to be released?
Fontaine was released before Natlan. Natlan is planned to be released after Fontaine, likely in the future.
13. Is Fontaine under Celestia’s influence?
The Celestia is just above Fontaine.
14. What inspired the design of Khaenri’ah?
Khaenri’ah’s story seems inspired by the myth of Atlantis, a technologically advanced civilization that was ultimately destroyed. Its people also have Nordic or Germanic-sounding names.
15. What is Fontaine based off of?
Fontaine draws inspiration from France, particularly the Belle Époque period, evident in its architecture, fashion, and cultural elements.
In conclusion, while Liyue remains a significant and beloved region in Genshin Impact, Sumeru has definitively taken the crown as the largest region, offering players an unparalleled exploration experience with its diverse biomes, verticality, and high content density. As Genshin Impact continues to evolve, it will be interesting to see how future regions compare in scale and scope.