Each year since Genshin Impact first launched on Sept. 28, 2020, miHoYo has delivered an annual update that is much more massive than the regular updates the game frequently sees. These landmark updates bring a ton of new content for Travelers to explore and although Version 4.0 is still a few months away, many leaks highlighting what it will include have already surfaced.
The Version 4.0 update will bring an entirely new region to Teyvat as it expands to include the Hydro region of Fontaine. Fontaine will bring a continuation to the main storyline, many new characters for players to recruit, vast uncharted areas to explore, and much more, so players have a lot of exciting additions to look forward to.
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Players still have to wait for the second half of Version 3.7 to play out and then for the entirety of Version 3.8 to occur before Version 4.0 becomes playable. But this is just a few months left of waiting before Teyvat will receive a huge expansion, so Travelers can begin learning about all the Version 4.0 update that has been leaked to include while they wait for its release.
All Fontaine Genshin leaks
Since Version 4.0 is at least a couple of months away, players will want to remember that all leaks pertaining to the Hydro region of Fontaine are still under development and extremely subject to change. The Genshin leak community is highly accurate, and if they do end up being incorrect, it is simply because miHoYo chose to change something from what was originally planned.
Here are all of the leaks for the Version 4.0 update, which will be updated as more information becomes available.
Genshin 4.0 Fontaine characters
Many characters are expected to arrive after Version 4.0 launches, ranging from the Hydro Archon herself to the leader of Mondstadt’s Knights of Favonius Wriothesley. But many of the highly anticipated characters aren’t expected to debut until a few Versions into the Fontaine update.
Currently, the new Fontaine characters expected to appear in either the first or second half of the Version 4.0 update are:
- A new five-star Pyro or Cryo male character
- A new four-star Pyro or Cryo male character
- A new Anemo female character
Based on what we know about Fontaine, two of the first characters debuting with the Hydro region could be Lyney and Lynette. Current leaks believe that Lyney is a five-star Pyro Bow character and Lynette is suspected to be a four-star Anemo Sword unit.
These two characters would check off two of the suspected new recruits arriving in the 4.0 update. If both Lyney and Lynette do debut during Version 4.0, then the last recruit, based on current leaks, would be a four-star male Pyro or Cryo unit.
It’s currently unknown who this character might be, but old leaks say that Neuvillette was a four-star unit which means it could be him. Most reliable leakers now think he is a five-star, though, and that he wields the Hydro element, so perhaps it is another character instead, and Neuvillette won’t arrive until later on.
It’s also possible that the banner leak is somewhat wrong, and it’s actually a four-star female arriving in 4.0 instead of a male which could be the Cryo character Charlotte. Her imminent arrival would make a lot of sense since she is fully completed, and players met her during the “Duel! The Summoners’ Summit!” Genius Invokation TCG event that ran in the first half of Version 3.7.
There are already many leaks for Charlotte which usually only happens when a character is close to becoming playable. Based on my experience with Genshin, I think it’s highly likely that she will be one of the recruits debuting in Version 4.0 since she is already completed. Still, Travelers will have to wait until the banners are officially unveiled to know for sure.
Another brand-new five-star unit may also debut in 4.0 since only two banner reruns have been uncovered for the update so far. As more concrete information on the Fontaine characters arriving in 4.0 becomes available, it will be updated here.
Genshin 4.0 banners
Outside of new characters who are expected to debut in the Version 4.0 update, two potential reruns have also been uncovered by the community. These reruns are for two Hydro characters which would make sense if miHoYo wants to place all the focus on the Hydro element for the new region.
Two possible banner reruns occurring in the first Fontaine update are:
- The five-star Hydro Bow character Yelan
- The five-star Hydro Bow character Tartaglia (Childe)
Based on how Genshin’s banner schedule usually looks, Travelers can either expect to see one other previously released five-star force receive a rerun or for a second new Fontaine five-star character to debut.
Genshin 4.0 map expansion
The vast world of Teyvat will receive yet another massive map expansion when Version 4.0 launches. If you were around when past regions like Sumeru or Inazuma launched, then you have a solid idea of how big the Fontaine map expansion will be.
Fontaine is currently believed to lie to the north of Varanara and the south of Mondstadt. Since it is tied to the Hydro element, it’s likely that parts of this region could be underwater too.
Genshin 4.0 gameplay mechanics
Since Fontaine is based on Hydro, which is water, much of the region is expected to be submerged beneath the water. Players can currently only swim on the surface, but the Version 4.0 update might add a new mechanic that lets players swim underwater.
In the special program livestream for the Version 3.7 update, miHoYo shared a very small teaser for Fontaine that highlighted the Traveler swimming underwater. This seems to confirm that it will indeed become a playable feature sometime after the update launches.
There’s no official information on how this system might work, but based on the gameplay mechanics that are already present in Genshin, I believe it might be similar to the blazing hot and sheer cold systems or be tied to a gadget that allows players to breathe underwater indefinitely. If players have to manage it like they do the hot and cold temperatures, traversing underwater will be a tough task while if it is a gadget, it will likely be much easier.
Genshin 4.0 artifacts
No artifacts have been uncovered for the Version 4.0 update so far, but artifacts consistently arrive with map expansions since they appear in new Domains. Because of this, Version 4.0 is highly likely to have new artifacts for players to collect.
If new Domains don’t arrive in Version 4.0, then Travelers will likely see them be added in Fontaine map expansions afterward. As more information about Fontaine artifacts becomes available, it will be added here.
Genshin 4.0 events
Since the 4.0 update is mostly focused on introducing an entirely new region to Teyvat and continuing the main storyline, no events have been uncovered so far. Genshin usually has at least one event running at all times, though, so a few may surface as the update draws closer.
Genshin 4.0 weapons
If Lyney does release in the Version 4.0 update as is expected, he will debut alongside his featured weapon, which will be available for players to pull for on the “Epitome Invocation” special weapon banner. The design of this weapon hasn’t been leaked so far, but its statistics have.
Depending on whether another new five-star surfaces or another rerun occurs, the other banner weapon in Version 4.0 will either be another new signature weapon or a rerun of a previously released character’s signature weapon.
Genshin Impact Version 4.0 live stream date
MiHoYo has a fairly strict and reliable update schedule that has only ever gone off course once in the two and a half years that have passed since it launched. Because of this, players can predict when the upcoming updates and live streams will occur and are almost always right or off by about a day, depending on time zones.
If everything stays on track, then the special program for the Version 4.0 update should air on Aug. 4. This live stream will unveil everything the update will include, so players who want to know exactly what to expect should watch out for when it airs.
Genshin Impact Version 4.0 release date
As long as the live stream airs as expected and no delays occur, players will be able to set off to the Hydro region of Fontaine when Version 4.0 launches on Aug. 16.
We gathered this information by playing Genshin Impact Version 3.7 “Duel! The Summoners’ Summit!” on PC.
