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Genshin Impact: First look at Dendro, the new element coming with Sumeru

Yan Ku
·Contributor
Updated ·5-min read

The final piece of the puzzle in Genshin Impact’s element system is finally starting to be revealed!

In a video teaser released by developer HoYoverse on Saturday (9 July), players were given a glimpse into how they developed Genshin Impact's mysterious seventh element: Dendro.

Dendro has always been shrouded in mystery, being the only element that still hasn’t been released in the two years that the game has been up and running.

But after that cheeky Sumeru teaser at the end of the version 2.8 preview livestream, excitement in the Genshin Impact community has never been higher, and we’ve been (impatiently) waiting for more crumbs on Dendro and its home region of Sumeru.

In the teaser, the developers shared more on the mechanics of the element Dendro, and how they conceptualized its reactions and synergies with the game's other elements.

We also got a quick look at some of the enemies we can expect to face in Sumeru, such as the region's own bandit-like mobs (akin to the Treasure Hoarders), floating, slime-like mushroom creatures, and the Electro Regisvine world boss.

Designed with the intention to be more systematic, Dendro has unique interactions with each element that are inspired from the real world.

As the Combat Designer Aquaria states in the video, the team "hoped to design a system with a higher degree of synergy", aiming for "one that was more interconnected and easier to understand".

Aquaria further expanded on the core philosophies behind Dendro's design, which are “catalysis, wisdom, and life".

Genshin Impact's mysterious seventh element, Dendro, will take center stage in the game's fourth region, Sumeru. The introduction of Dendro will bring with it new elemental reactions, including Bloom and Catalyze.(Screenshot courtesy of HoYoverse)
Genshin Impact's mysterious seventh element, Dendro, will take center stage in the game's fourth region, Sumeru. The introduction of Dendro will bring with it new elemental reactions, including Bloom and Catalyze.(Screenshot courtesy of HoYoverse)

These three aspects are integral to how the element works with regards to its reactions, Sumeru's level design, and environmental mechanics that have a very strong connection to each other.

As such, new Dendro reactions and other Sumeru-specific gameplay will be added to the game once version 3.0 drops.

Here’s what was revealed so far:

Bloom

This elemental reaction, according to Aquaria, was inspired by the real-life phenomenon of flowers blooming.

Synergising the recovery aspect of Hydro (i.e healing), and the Catalysis (i.e the rate at which a reaction is influenced by a substance) aspect of Dendro, we can surmise that this reaction will allow us to grow a catalyst for further elemental reactions.

In the video we can see a seed-like object grow after a Hydro attack reacts with a Dendro slime.

Catalyze

A completely original effect, Catalyze synergizes the energy aspect of Electro and the wisdom aspect of Dendro. According to the developers, this reaction also has a deep connection to the local history of Sumeru.

Not much is revealed about the mechanics of Catalyze in the teaser video, though it seems to increase elemental damage in some way.

Keen-eyed players would have also noticed that Bloom and Catalyze can further interact with other elements for even more reactions.

For example, applying Pyro to a Bloom reaction will create an explosion while applying Electro to Bloom creates a projectile that homes in on nearby enemies.

Area-specific gameplay

Dendro enemies and mechanisms will enter different states when certain elements are applied to them. In the teaser, an Electro attack from Lisa causes the Dendro monster to glow bright with energy while a Pyro attack from Yanfei causes the creature to wither and look burnt. (Screenshots courtesy of HoYoverse)
Dendro enemies and mechanisms will enter different states when certain elements are applied to them. In the teaser, an Electro attack from Lisa causes the Dendro monster to glow bright with energy while a Pyro attack from Yanfei causes the creature to wither and look burnt. (Screenshots courtesy of HoYoverse)

Utilising the core aspect of Dendro as a reactive element, Sumeru’s map is proliferated with area-specific gameplay based on the three core reactions of the said element. Burning, Bloom, and Catalyze.

Some targets that have Dendro characteristics react differently when hit with attacks from Hydro, Electro, or Pyro.

Using a different element can give you different states of the target, which can then be utilised for certain functions.

In the teaser, you can see a big mushroom being hit by an Electro attack and then used as a sort of trampoline.

From that, we're guessing that environmental objects can react with the elements to help greatly with exploration.

This kind of reactive gameplay is also integrated into the ecology of monsters that can be found in Sumeru.

Depending on which area you are in and which element is used, monsters will react differently, switching between different states that can get you rare special materials and drops.

While HoYoverse had plenty to show in the Dendro teaser, there's still much about the new element that hasn't been officially revealed yet.

We’re going to have to wait until version 3.0 arrives (or HoYoverse to release another teaser) before we can know everything about Dendro and its reactions.

Dendro is just one of the many additions coming to Genshin Impact version 3.0. The new element will also be released alongside a new region, Sumeru, where new landscapes, characters, perils, and adventures await the Traveler.

Genshin Impact is currently in version 2.7, which will run until 12 July.

The upcoming version 2.8 will then be released on 13 July. Should version 2.8 have the same 40-day duration as all other versions, then Genshin Impact version 3.0 should come out on 22 August.

Yan Ku is a full-time dog parent, part-time (gacha) gamer, and part-time writer.

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