There are many aspects of Genshin Impact’s vast gameplay that keep players hooked and coming back for more. Perhaps one of the most complex aspects players love to analyze is the deep lore that surrounds the main character’s storyline and all of Teyvat.
Players always eagerly look toward the next Archon quest as these are the components of the main storyline that are slowly released on a version by version basis. The latest piece of this complete puzzle arrived with the Version 3.2 update of Genshin Impact when players received the final Archon quest for the Dendro region of Sumeru.
During the final scenes of the last Sumeru Archon quest, players engage in a lengthy discussion with Nahida, the Dendro Archon, and the fourth Archon overall to become playable in Genshin Impact. This conversation lead the duo to discuss the Traveler’s sibling, who they have spent the entire storyline of the game searching for, and brought forth a new term called “Descender.”
What are the Descenders in Genshin Impact?
The term “Descender” was chosen by the Fatui to describe those who hail from anywhere outside of Teyvat but have since come to reside there. Because of their unique status, Descenders seem to possess special abilities and exist beyond the rules of Teyvat.
Is the Traveler a Descender in Genshin Impact?
During the final piece of Sumeru’s last Archon quest called “Akasha Pulses, the Kalpa Flame Rises,” players have a complex conversation with Nahida in which they learn the Traveler is classified as a Descender. Specifically, Nahida tells the Traveler they are noted as the “fourth Descender.”
Is the Traveler’s sibling a Descender in Genshin Impact?
The main storyline of Genshin Impact follows players as they journey through Teyvat as the Traveler searching for their lost sibling. Whichever sibling players don’t choose to play as is missing, and while players spend some time worried that something bad happened to their sibling, they eventually learn throughout their Teyvat travels searching for them that their sibling is perfectly fine and now leads the Abyss Order with a strong vendetta against the divine.
Although players have come into contact with their lost sibling quite a few times, they have been unable to talk for more than just a few words due to numerous circumstances that continue to cut their time together short. Their sibling is also determined to accomplish the Abyss Orders’ goals and whatever else they have planned for their vendetta against the divine, but do hope to reunite with the Traveler and return home once all is said and done.
Up until now, players thought both siblings hailed from outside the world of Teyvat, since this is what the character themselves also believed. But in a shocking twist, the Dendro Archon Nahida shared that the Traveler’s sibling is not listed as a Descender and their sibling’s journey has been tracked and recorded in Irminsul, a powerful tree that collects all information and memories of Teyvat. The lost sibling actually originating from Teyvat doesn’t track with what players know and what the Traveler remembers, but more is sure to unfold explaining just how this could be possible.
Who are the other Descenders in Genshin Impact?
Currently, the only known Descender is the Traveler themselves, but Nahida also mentioned that the Fatui had taken note of a few more. Considering Nahida told players they were the “fourth Descender,” there must be at least three who came before them and likely even more who came after them.
Nahida wouldn’t tell players who she thought the other Descenders might be as she wanted to check first to be sure. However, this didn’t stop fans from speculating and there are already a number of solid theories circulating. If the Traveler is the fourth Descender, there are at least three who came before them.
During the story quest, Nahida stated she strongly believes the Heavenly Principles is the first Descender. This being is a rather complex concept as they function as both some kind of actual being and a set of principles.
The unknown god players came into contact with at the beginning of Genshin Impact when they lost their sibling is called the “Sustainer of Heavenly Principles” and is closely related to the Heavenly Principles. But they’re not believed to actually be the embodiment of the Heavenly Principles and rather thought to be a guardian or upholder of them. Outside of this, not much is clear about the Heavenly Principles thus far.
Klee’s mother Alice, whom players have heard much about but are yet to meet, could be a Descender due to the immense mystery and power that surrounds her. Alice is an individual who hasn’t aged, possesses vast knowledge and artifacts from other worlds, and is even referred to by Albedo in one instance as a “near-omnipotent sorceress.”
Alice certainly possesses enough mystery and power to be a Descender and her status as one could explain why players have yet to come into contact with her despite her heavy involvement with quests like those that took place within the Golden Apple Archipelago. The reason she left her daughter Klee with the Knights of Favonius also had something to do with Teyvat’s borders, which could thus imply that she moves around and through them because she’s a Descender who exists beyond them.
Another suspicious aspect in regards to Alice that could point to her being a Descender occurred when she was the narrator of Aloy’s “Collected Miscellany – “Aloy: Mystical Glow of Frost” video in the place of Dainsleif, the narrator of every other one with the other exception of Dori, who Alice also narrates for because she helped mentor her.
During Aloy’s video, Alice says “Maybe Aloy and I are more alike than it may seem,” which is intriguing because Aloy is from another world and Alice could thus be hinting that she is too by saying this. Alice being the one to narrate the video is also interesting; Aloy is from elsewhere, and the usual narrator Dainsleif thus does not know anything about her, but Alice who has traveled far and wide does and so she takes up the mantle as the narrator for Aloy’s video.
While players have yet to meet Alice, it’s highly likely she will appear in the storyline eventually and that players will thus learn if she is a Descender or not. She is also suspected by the Genshin leak community to eventually become a playable character, although if this is true it will likely be quite some time away.
Another potential contender to be one of the Descenders is Paimon, who all players either love or hate. She is the Traveler’s loyal companion who follows and guides them, but she is also an enigma unlike anyone or anything else in Teyvat.
Paimon is quite small, can fly, and no other individual in Teyvat looks anything like her. Her origins are entirely mysterious as she exists solely to guide the Traveler through their journey and has never shared a backstory beyond the moment that players first met her when they save her from drowning.
Paimon’s knowledge of all things pertaining to Teyvat is immense and could easily mean she’s in fact from Teyvat or that she’s a powerful being from beyond it disguising herself as an innocent guide. If Paimon were to be revealed as a Descender from another world, it would certainly be one of the most shocking but intriguing twists in Genshin thus far.
Most fans would be upset if it were true, but many are speculating that Aloy from Horizon Zero Dawn could be a Descender. Based on the definition of a Descender, this makes perfect sense as she is the only crossover character thus far and is not technically from the world of Teyvat.
Her status as a character from another world is officially confirmed during her “Collected Miscellany – “Aloy: Mystical Glow of Frost” video when Alice, the narrator, says, “though she plays so many roles in her home world, Aloy begins in Teyvat with a clean slate.”
The main problem with this possibility is Aloy is very disconnected from the main storyline and throwing her in suddenly as an official Descender would feel out of place. She also arrived after the Traveler, which would make her potentially the fifth or greater Descender even if this is true.
The nature of the Descenders and just who the other ones might be is quite unclear, but players are sure to find more answers with time. It’s likely that more information will come when the next piece of the Archon quest is released, which will be when the Hydro region of Fontaine is added and is thus likely at least a year away since Sumeru was not added too long ago.
