Starting Genshin Impact can feel like stepping into a big open kitchen when you’re starving. Too many options. Not enough direction. However, this FAQ helps you cut through the noise with short answers and solid steps. All the stuff that helps you progress today.

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We cover starter characters that punch above their weight, daily resin routines that don’t waste time, when to raise world level, and how to spend Stardust and Starglitter without regret.

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Who are the best characters for beginners to invest in?

The free starter characters can carry you a long way. The Traveler (your main character) is solid and versatile – definitely level them. Kaeya (Cryo) is an excellent free DPS or sub-DPS with good damage and easy ascension mats. Xiangling (Pyro) is fantastic and you get her free from Spiral Abyss early floors – she’s worth building for her strong Pyro damage. Noelle (Geo) is given in the beginner banner; she can shield and heal which is great utility early on. Amber and Lisa are a bit weaker, but Amber’s ranged Pyro is useful for puzzles and Lisa can serve as an Electro trigger for reactions. 

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Among 4★ you might pull, Bennett (if you get him) is one of the best supports in the game – he provides healing and a huge attack boost, so max him eventually. Xingqiu is another top-tier 4★ (Hydro sub-DPS) that’s worth leveling for almost any team. But don’t worry if you don’t get them immediately. Focus on who you have: a team like Traveler, Kaeya, Xiangling, Barbara will comfortably take you through early game. As you get more characters, slot them in if they complement your team (for example, if you pull Razor, you might use him as main DPS and make Kaeya a support). Ultimately, “best” character is one you like and have resources to build – but those mentioned above are broadly very newbie-friendly and high value.

I’m AR25 and my characters are only level 40 – should I level them more or ascend World Level?

Ideally, ascend and level your main team before raising your World Level. At AR25 you’ll have a quest to go to World Level 2 (which makes enemies tougher but gives better rewards). Make sure your primary characters are ascended to their next phase and around level 40-50 before doing that ascension quest. If you ascend world too early while under-leveled, you’ll find enemies become spongy and hit hard. The game does allow you one manual World Level decrease if needed (via the World Level button at the Adventurer’s Guild, after WL5), but at WL2 that’s not available yet. 

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So the rule of thumb: Only increase World Level when you feel your team can comfortably handle current world enemies. If hilichurls are already taking a while to kill at WL1, don’t rush to WL2. Do some farming first – get better weapons, artifacts, levels. There’s no harm in delaying world ascension a bit until you’re confident. Remember, higher world gives more rewards, yes, but if it takes you twice as long to kill things it can be counterproductive. Level up, then level up the world.

How should a new player use Resin daily? I don’t want to waste it.

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In the early days (AR1-20), you might not even use all your resin, and that’s okay (story and exploration give plenty of resources). Once you start needing ascension mats, a good daily resin routine could be: use 40 resin on 1-2 boss fights for ascension or talent materials you currently need, use another 20-40 on domains if it’s the correct day for something (like talent books or weapon mats you need), and maybe spend leftover on a ley line (if low on Mora or EXP). Adjust based on needs: if you’re flush with Mora but need EXP books to ascend someone, run blue ley lines. 

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If your characters are capped at 40 and you need to ascend them, use resin on the required bosses that day. Essentially, convert resin into whatever progress item your team currently bottlenecks on (be it character ascension, talent books, weapon mats, or Mora). Don’t let resin sit at 160 cap for too long – log in at least once or twice a day to burn it down. But also, don’t feel forced to refresh resin with primos unless you’re in a hurry; the free 160/day is usually enough to keep steady progress. And as mentioned, hold onto Fragile Resin until later – you don’t need to pop those early on.

I have a 5★ character/weapon – should I change my leveling plan?

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Congrats! 5★ characters often become great carries or supports, so you can absolutely pivot to include them. For example, if you pulled Diluc (5★ Pyro), he can be your main DPS – focus your resources on leveling him up, as he’ll outperform many 4★ DPS when built. If you got Qiqi (5★ healer), she can replace Barbara as your healer with strong healing power (you then might not need to invest as much in other healers). The main thing is 5★s require more resources to level (especially talent materials from weekly bosses at higher levels), but early on you treat them like any main character: ascend and level them as far as you can, give them a good weapon and artifacts. 

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For 5★ weapons, if you got one (say, Skyward Blade sword), definitely use it on a suitable character (maybe give Skyward Blade to your Traveler or Bennett) and prioritize upgrading it – 5★ weapons have high base attack that significantly boosts damage. Just keep an eye on resource consumption; sometimes you might bench a 5★ until you have resources (e.g., pulling Ganyu at AR20 is great but you might lack Cryo ascension mats until you unlock the boss in Liyue). In summary, integrate your luck into your plan: a strong 5★ can become the core of your team, potentially allowing you to redistribute resources (for example, you may not need to invest in Xiangling if you have Diluc, etc.). Always consider synergy, though – sometimes a 4★ built with synergy can outperform an under-leveled 5★. But long-term, you’ll generally want to build up those golds.

Should I buy anything from the in-game shop with Masterless Stardust/Starglitter?

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Yes – the Paimon’s Bargains shop has two sections using Stardust and Starglitter. For Stardust (the common one), the best use is to buy the discounted Fates each month (5 Intertwined and 5 Acquaint). They cost 75 Stardust each, which you’ll accumulate from wishes; it’s essentially turning your Stardust into more wishes – a good deal. Don’t use Stardust on Mora or EXP – those are not efficient exchanges (you can farm those in-game easier). For Starglitter (the rarer currency from duplicate 4★/5★), the top recommendation for new players is to spend 34 to get a good 4★ character from the monthly rotation if it’s someone really valuable that you lack (like Bennett, Xingqiu, or Xiangling if you somehow missed her). Characters can greatly enrich your team. 

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The Starglitter shop also offers two 5★ weapons (Royal series) – those are usually not worth it until maybe very late if at all, since gacha or forgeable weapons can suffice. You can also spend Starglitter on more wishes (5 Starglitter for 1 Fate). Early on, it’s probably better to get a strong character over a tiny chance at another 5★ via wishes – characters are guaranteed value. So, e.g., if this month’s shop has Fischl and you need an Electro bow user, she’s a great pickup for Starglitter. But if the shop has someone you don’t care for, you could save Starglitter – it carries over with no expiration. In short: Stardust for Fates every month, Starglitter for either the monthly characters or save for future, unless you really want to convert to wishes.

What is Resin, and why is everyone so concerned about it?

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Resin is essentially the stamina system in Genshin that gates how often you can get rewards from most domains and bosses. It regenerates slowly (1 resin per 8 minutes, 180 per day if none are wasted). Players are concerned about it because it’s the main limiter on progress, especially later, when farming artifacts or ascension materials can take many runs. As a beginner, you might not feel resin crunch immediately – you’ll be busy with quests and exploration. But as you settle into routine, you’ll realize you have to choose what to spend resin on each day. Efficient resin use becomes the key to steady improvement. If you waste resin on things that don’t yield long-term benefits (like too many low-level ley lines or artifact runs too early), you might feel behind later. 

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Conversely, using it smartly accelerates your strengthening. It’s also tied to the gacha monetization (you can spend primogems to refresh resin). However, if you manage it well, you can minimize or avoid the need to refresh. So, when people talk about “resin management,” they mean spending that limited daily resource on the most needed things and timing your farming (since some drops are on certain days). In summary: resin is a precious resource – treat it like you would energy in any game. Use it thoughtfully each day, and you’ll make good progress. This guide outlines those priorities so you don’t have to fret – just have a plan, and resin becomes less of a headache and more of a routine.

Final Thoughts

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If you found this guide helpful, be sure to check our other articles in the series. Our Beginner’s Guide to Lore & Content can enrich your understanding of the story and game systems, making progression more meaningful. Also, if you’re playing on mobile, our Mobile Optimization Guide offers tips to ensure your device runs the game smoothly while you grind and farm. These guides are interlinked to provide a comprehensive roadmap for new Genshin players – exploring one will often reference useful info from another, so you won’t miss a thing.

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