Say “au revoir” to Sumeru. There’s plenty we know about Fontaine from the latest updates and leaks, even if we haven’t arrived in the water-filled country. Genshin Impact is due for its 3.7 update at the end of May, so we’re not quite done with the nation of Wisdom.
However, if the current timeline plays out like the transition from Inazuma to Sumeru, Fontaine is just around the corner. The upcoming update even introduces one of the playable characters, which is another telltale sign of a regional shift.
Here’s everything we know about Fontaine and Genshin Impact 4.0.
When will Fontaine come to Genshin Impact?
Genshin Impact will expand to include Fontaine in its 4.0 update. However, the date for the Genshin Impact 4.0 update is still up in the air. Genshin Impact 3.7 is still ongoing, and it’s unclear if Genshin Impact 3.8 exists. Some leaks from a couple of weeks ago still reference 3.8 as a separate update from 4.0.
HoYoverse typically changes the frontmost number of the Genshin Impact update whenever the story moves to a new country. Last time a region was added, the game moved from version 2.8 to 3.0, skipping a ninth update. Genshin Impact 2.4 was the first update of 2022 and Genshin Impact 3.0 came out in late August.
What country is Fontaine based on?
Fontaine seems to be based on France. Its name means “fountain” in French, which fits as the home of the Hydro Archon. Also, numerous NPCs from there have French-sounding names. At this point, it’s unclear how else Fontaine mirrors France.
What is Fontaine’s role in the Genshin Impact story?
At the end of the Teyvat Chapter Storyline Act III, the Traveler decides of their own volition that Fontaine is their next destination. Nahida explains what she knows about the country at the top of her head, including that it operates on a judicial system where a “Chief Justice” judges its people. The Hydro Archon Focalors often shows up to these trials.
As per the Teyvat Chapter Storyline trailer, she lives for the courtroom:
The God of Justice lives for the spectacle of the courtroom, seeking to judge all other gods. But even she knows not to make an enemy of the divine.
Dainsleif’s narration seems to imply that, while Focalors enjoys judging “all other gods” and her own people, she doesn’t have the delusion of wanting to become an all-powerful being.
What is the environment like in Fontaine?
All we know about Fontaine’s setting commes from leaks and NPC descriptions. The latest leaks suggest that the country will have a lot of water, not unlike Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire. Some Genshin Impact channels think this could even mean underwater exploration like in Tower of Fantasy.
Fontaine is known as the nation of justice, but it’s also a hub for arts and technology. Francis, a traveling merchant, calls Fontaine a country of “true beauty and elegance.” Another NPC named Midori says that all the roads are built in mid-air and that flying wagons can take passengers from one side of town to another. There’s also apparently a “special energy system” in Fontaine that’s declining, so people are trying to find alternative resources to replace it.
Who are the Genshin Impact Fontaine characters?
Only a few playable characters from Fontaine have shown up in the Genshin Impact story. Most recently, the Genshin Impact 3.7 livestream introduced a Fontaine journalist named Charlotte. She was one of the characters from the major Fontaine leak earlier this year.
Lyney and Lynette were the first two Fontaine characters introduced in the Teyvat Chapter Storyline trailer. These two siblings are dressed in Victorian-style blouses and corsets that reflect Fontaine’s 1900’s French aesthetic. Leakers and aggregate accounts also point to Lyney as the first Fontaine 5-star.
Here’s a short list of the Fontaine characters we know about at this time:
- Focalors (Hydro Archon) – Hydro Sword
- Lyney – Pyro Bow
- Lynette
- Charlotte – Cryo Catalyst (the first!)
- Chief Justice Neuvillette
- At least 8 others without confirmed names
Who is the Hydro Archon in Genshin Impact?
Focalors, the Hydro Archon, serves as Fontaine’s ultimate judge. According to Nahida, she won’t personally preside over individual trials but still appears at almost every one because she seems to enjoy “that sort of atmosphere.” Plus, there’s the allure of the final say. If she disagrees with a verdict, she has the right to change it as the nation’s Archon.
Nahida also said that Focalors has a “very unique personality,” but her statement doesn’t make it obvious what that exactly means. It could be one obsessed with justice. Who knows?