How To Explore Underwater In Genshin Impact

Fontaine requires a lot of underwater exploration. We show you how to dive in Genshin Impact, and what you'll find.

Genshin Impact is a game that is continuously growing and expanding its world. The 4.0 patch update introduced new gameplay that is unlike anything seen before. Not only do we get a new nation, but we also get to see what its waters hold.

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There are many secrets hiding below the surface in the partially sunken land of Hydro. If you dare to explore the expanses of the map while relying only on a few key abilities and no elemental energy, there is treasure to be had. A lot of it. Plus, you wouldn't want to miss out on some of the most strikingly beautiful sights the game has to offer, right? So take a deep breath (or don't, it doesn't matter) and let's dive right in.

To be able to dive you will have to interact with the Statue of the Seven in Fontaine. Any interaction with it will trigger a dialogue with Paimon where she says she feels a strange power emanating from the statue. After a couple more lines, a tutorial explaining the blessing of the Transoceanic Sourcewater will be triggered. From then on out you will be able to dive throughout the entire Fontaine region.

You don't have to resonate with Hydro to be able to dive.

The first thing to note about the blessing of the Transoceanic Sourcewater is that you cannot drown in Fontaine, even when swimming at surface level.

Your stamina bar will be replaced by an aquatic stamina bar whenever you are in the water. This bar works pretty much the exact same way that regular stamina works when sprinting.

When you run out of stamina, you will immediately stop swimming fast while the bar takes a few moments to recharge. When swimming at a normal pace, the bar simply disappears.

There are a few controls to know for diving. Keep in mind this will ultimately depend on your mapping and this is the default selection:

Action

Keyboard

Xbox/Windows Controller

PlayStation Controller

Dive

Left Ctrl

B

O

Swim Up

Spacebar

A

X

Swim Down

Left Ctrl

B

O

Transoceanic Sourcewater

Left Click

LT

L2

Xenocromatic Creature Ability

E

RT

R2

Propelling (Sprint)

Right Click

LB

L1

Transoceanic Sourcewater refers to a little orb that floats alongside characters when they dive, presumably being the representation of the blessing that keeps them from drowning.

When triggered by using the corresponding control, a whiplash-like water rope will shoot out from the orb. If used against an enemy, it causes a small amount of physical damage.

Characters with Arkhe energy alignment maintain it underwater, so their abilities can be used to disable underwater Clockwork Meks.

Using Transoceanic Sourcewater against a Xenocromatic Creature allows you to absorb their abilities for a short duration, which is usually until you leave the water or switch abilities.

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All party members will be able to use Transoceanic Sourcewater upon diving. No extra actions are needed. However, this is not the only offensive ability a character may have.

There are special creatures you will find swimming about that look different from most Fontemer Aberrants. They are blue and glow dimly with a symbol floating by them. These are known as Xenocromatic Creatures.

Each one has a special ability with a unique effect that you can temporarily adopt by deploying Transoceanic Sourcewater against them. There are three types of creatures and corresponding abilities you can obtain.

Xenocromatic creatures will not attack you on proximity or even after you attack them first. They cannot be killed, either.

Armored Crabs are small crustaceans with a sturdy shell that is both their home and their protection against predators. Though they are not particularly powerful creatures in battle, they do have pincers to counter-attack, balancing defense and offense to ensure survival.

This creature grants the ability to create shields that are able to withstand one or two attacks at a time, depending on the mobs' damage. It also allows you to attack with a small blast or deal a powerful counter-attack. It can be used in two different ways:

This ability can be used to break rocks and mine Condessence Crystals. It can also block the pressurized water from vents for a short duration.

Blubberbeasts are large and round, peaceful creatures that just lounge about. They are mostly inoffensive, though they will fight back when provoked, drumming on their bellies to generate shockwaves.

This creature grants the ability to use a sonar that can both cause damage and help you locate unseen objects that are buried beneath the sand at the bottom of the ocean floor. There are two ways to use this ability:

These slick and elegant creatures seem to glide around rather than swim. They will generally not attack without reason, but if you get too close to them, they might find you threatening and engage in combat mode.

This creature grants the ability to unleash powerful water blades that deal big amounts of damage and have quite a long attack range. It is the only ability that has two charges. There are two ways to use this ability:

These water blades are also the only ability that can cut through seagrass.

Since the abilities you can use underwater are very limited, you will need to resort to the environment to be able to restore health and energy.

You will be able to find small fish schools that glow with a faint green swirl throughout Fontaine. These are called Recovery Orbs.

Swimming right through these will make them temporarily vanish, restoring a chunk of your health, and your aquatic stamina if it's down. After a short wait, they will respawn in the same positions.

The puzzles that can be found throughout Fontaine are not very different from the puzzles you will find on land.

Most of them will be locked behind Arkhe energy mechanics. However, you will also be able to find Ousia and Pneuma blocks close to the mechanisms.

The main difference between underwater and above water puzzles is that you will have to rely on Xenochromatic Creature abilities to solve underwater puzzles very often. Some of the most common puzzle mechanics include:

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Loreana is a writer with experience in many different topics; an A student in a whole new sense of the word. Though she has now switched the undergrad and grad level academic writing for a bootleg Xbox controller to play her favorite gacha games with, she applies to gaming writing with the degree of rigor expected of a true scholar. That is NOT a Dottore reference (it is).