The luscious fourth region of Teyvat to release into Genshin Impact is Sumeru. Filled with deserts and jungles, this is the home of the Dendro element, and a wild new story.
Originally introduced way back in the Teyvat Chapter Storyline Preview, Sumeru is the land of wisdom and the home of the Akademiya. The region is filled with fauna, flora, and famous scholars. The new region was a huge addition to the map, story, and game's structure, and of course: it's cast.
In preparation for the next Version 3 updates, we recommend checking out our pages for the new characters: Tighnari, Dori, and Collei. We also have a roundup of what else to expect in Version 3.0, and an up-to-date banner schedule. Oh, and here's some promo codes for free Primogems, too.
Sumeru map and location
Sumeru is located behind the Chasm and Liyue, with a jungle area followed by a sprawling desert.
The forest landscape is filled with big, rolling hills; a little different to the mountains of Liyue. There are jungle and rainforest areas, and a huge desert to traverse. We first head to the Avidya Forest, where rangers Tighnari and Collei work.
All over the map, there are mushroom and Eremite enemies, fruiting trees and plants to harvest, and many caves to discover.
The majority of Sumeru is uninhabited wilderness. The main, populated area is Sumeru City, featuring merchants and the Adventurer's Guild, and some shopping areas. There's also Port Ormos, where different merchants and amenities appear.
Sumeru is renowned for the Sumeru Akedemiya - Teyvat's leading institute of education, where any scholars worth their salt study. Lisa, of Mondstadt, studied here too.
The area has very big Middle-East and South Asian influences, and is likely named after both Mount Meru (a 5-peaked mountain appearing in Buddhist and Hindu lore), and Sumer: the earliest known civilisation.
Collectables and materials in Sumeru
As with the previous regions, there's a whole new catalogue of collectables and forageable items in Sumeru.
The new fruits we can find are the Harra Fruit and the Zaytun Peach, which can be eaten. There are a ton of local speciality items needed to ascend the Sumeru characters, such as Rukkshava Mushrooms, Niloptila Lotus, and Padisarah flowers.
There's also a new oculus: the Dendroculus. Rumour has it there are 270 of these to collect, so we better keep our eyes peeled!
Sumeru story chapters
As for what story and chapters we can expect, we know that the third Archon Quest chapter is coming, and it is called 'Truth Amongst the Pages of Purana'. Puranas likely pertains to a form of Indian literature that focuses on legends and lore. It is also a Hindi word that means 'old', adding to the ancient feel of the Sumeru region. We don't know much about the actual story yet, though.
There will of course be Story Quests (and subsequent Hangouts) for the new characters. First up will be Tighnari's Story Quest, 'Vulpes Zerda Chapter Act I', releasing in Version 3.0 as he heads up a banner.
Rumour has it that there will be two Archon Quests in the Version 3 updates, though this too is unconfirmed.
Who is the Sumeru Archon?
We've been given a proper look at the Dendro Archon, the God of Wisdom: Lesser Lord Kusanali. That's her title, and her real name is Nahida. This follows the other three Archons and their duo names; Venti is Barbatos, Zhongli is Morax, and Ei is the Raiden Shogun. Nahida will be a Dendro Vision user, but hasn't been given a release date yet.
She took the title of Archon 500 years ago during the Cataclysm, when the previous Archon fell. She was born after this happened, however, which allowed others to try and take over. There are some rumours about what this could mean, but for now, we need to wait for the real story.
For anyone that has completed the Summertime Odyssey events, you might have realised that the voice coming from the Dodoco communication device was in fact Nahida!
Sumeru Characters
Something we do know for sure is a lot of the characters coming to the game throughout the Version 3 updates.
Hoyoverse, in its last few trailers and on the official Genshin Impact Twitter, has now confirmed the existence of six previously leaked characters. They are:
- Nilou - A dancer from Sumeru that is seen as a rebel for not following the academic path. She releases as a 5-Star soon.
- Nahida - The Dendro Archon, known as Lesser Lord Kusanali, appears as a small child similar to Klee.
- Tighnari - Sumeru's first 5-Star, he uses a Dendro Vision and a bow. He is an Amurta Researcher and Ranger of the Avidya Forest.
- Alhaitham - Part of the Haravatat in the Akedimiya, he is regarded as a genius.
- Dehya - A member of the Desertfolk, and an Eremite mercenary. She is a claymore Pyro user.
- Cyno - First seen in the Teyvat Storyline Preview, we've finally seen him again, and his Electro Vision and Polearm weapon. He is available now.
- Collei - Second Dendro bow wielder is Collei, a trainee ranger that has previously appeared in the manga. She is available in the Spiral Abyss.
- Dori - An Electro, 4-Star character with a genie counterpart, releasing with boosted rates in 3.0's second half banners.
We've also already seen some Sumeru NPCs, for instance, Soraya at Wangshu Inn, merchant Vahid that is stuck in Ritou, and Anisa on Watatsumi Island.
Sumerian Enemies
The Sumeru region is vast, and dangerous, and is filled with new foes. There's a new roaming gang like the Treasure Hoarders called the Eremites: they're a group of unruly mercenaries that work with no one else. They will pose a threat to the Traveler as they continue their adventures.
A possible Dendro Hypostasis arena has been found by some leakers, and it stands to reason that it will exist given we have most other elements already. In the first Sumeru teaser video, we see the Traveler facing down an Electro Regisvine - this is just one new boss in the area, another being the Jadeplume Terrorshroom, that drops gems for Dendro characters.
There are tons of new Dendro mushroom enemies. Some float, some sprout from the ground, and some resemble Whopperflowers. They appear in all corners of Sumeru, so keep your wits about you.
Rishboland Tigers roam the jungle, and will pounce at you if you get too close - while in the desert, there's scorpions at every turn, and fearsome birds that attack from the air.