Genshin Impact is well known for its swift update schedule and charming character designs, but some decisions made by developer miHoYo may have fans scratching their heads. Although a bugged character freshly introduced in the long-awaited Inazuma region has already been fixed, Xinyan has been playable in Genshin Impact for almost a full year--and is still suffering from a shield bug.
Xinyan is a four-star Pyro Claymore character with a very distinctive theme: rock music. From her wild hair to her spiked accessories, she's shown to be a loud and unabashed girl who wants to make her mark on the world. Unfortunately for her fans, her Elemental Skill "Sweeping Fervor" and 1st Ascension Passive "The Show Goes On, Even Without an Audience..." are bugged, which may lead to some confusion and frustration.
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Redditor NuggetHighwind shared a video of Xinyan's Elemental Skill failing to give her Shield Level 3 even when it really should about 10 months ago. Much more recently, fellow Redditor TewiUsagi brought the topic back to player attention, and it appears that Xinyan players are still having trouble getting her Elemental Skill to work. Apparently, even a Xinyan with a strong build may encounter inconsistent shield buffs, and miHoYo has shown no sign that it's getting ready to fix the issue.
When Xinyan's Elemental Skill is working properly, she deals Pyro damage to surrounding opponents and forms a shield from Level 1 to Level 3, with Level 3 being the strongest. Shield Level 3 is not only visually distinct, but it also deals intermittent Pyro damage to nearby foes. The base skill should allow Xinyan to activate Shield Level 3 upon hitting three opponents and her 1st Ascension Passive should reduce the number of opponents she needs for Shield Level 3 to activate. This inconsistent shield bug isn't the first time a Genshin Impact character has glitched, but it is noticeable that miHoYo hasn't moved to fix Xinyan yet.
As of writing, fans seem to be increasingly frustrated with Xinyan's inconsistent skills. Several users have compared the situation to other Genshin Impact bugs that were fixed in much less time, such as the one that allowed Divine Priestess Sangonomiya Kokomi to walk on water indefinitely. Other users theorize that miHoYo prioritizes fixing bugs that affect new or popular characters over existing or subdued ones.
Genshin Impact is out now for Mobile, PC, PS4, and PS5.