Five Years of Frustration with Genshin Impact

I have an issue with HoYoverse, and it might sound a bit silly. Yesterday, while hanging out in Discord with friends, I found myself on a bit of a rant about this subject. It’s not a pressing matter, but it’s something that annoys me enough to discuss.

This grievance pertains to the character outfits featured in their games. Many of you are probably aware that HoYo started adding character costumes to their titles some time ago. If my memory serves me right, they kicked things off with outfit updates in Genshin Impact. Some outfits are free, awarded through completing events or quests, while others can be purchased directly from the shop. It’s a clever way to make revenue, as players love customizing their characters and giving them new looks.

We’ve seen multiple new outfits for Genshin Impact characters, including one for Klee that echoes her mother’s attire. Similarly, Honkai: Star Rail has also introduced a range of outfits. For instance, March 7th even received a new look when she was training with the sword.

However, there’s one big exception—neither the main character nor the Trailblazer has received a fresh look. The core character of the story, the Traveler, is still donning their original appearance. The only notable changes occur with new abilities, which alter the glowing portions of the Traveler’s outfit. Meanwhile, the Trailblazer has merely acquired a new hat in Penacony.

If you play Zenless Zone Zero, you might have noticed that the Proxies did receive new outfits. Both Wise and Bell donned fresh looks when version 2.0 arrived. It struck me that these characters—who can take their time at the video store—now have new clothes, while the Trailblazer is still stuck in their original gear after two years of adventuring in various worlds.

Then we have the poor Traveler. They’ve spent five long years traversing Teyvat on foot, enduring countless nights outdoors. Yes, they have the teapot dimension for a cozy home, but they still spend a lot of time camping and fighting.

HoYo, it’s been five years. The Traveler deserves a new outfit! The Trailblazer deserves one too, honestly. They’re out there carrying a significant load for the universe. But the Traveler, in particular, has been waiting the longest—and they have access to fashion experts! Surely someone could have styled them with new outfits.

Interestingly, the Traveler was once offered a new outfit, but we couldn’t actually accept it. There was an option to decline it while making a comment on how special our current outfit is. I appreciate a good attachment to an outfit, but it would be nice to have the flexibility to change things up now and then. After all, outfits are something I’m more than willing to spend money on in F2P games.

Ah, well. Perhaps one day the Traveler will finally get the chance to do some laundry.