Starting out in Genshin Impact is indeed a lot. There are so many characters to ascend, weapons to upgrade, talents to level, and a half-dozen currencies and resources to juggle. It’s easy to make mistakes early on that can slow your progress or waste precious materials. But don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! This guide will help new players in South Africa (and everywhere) navigate the progression systems in Genshin Impact and manage your resources efficiently. 

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From choosing who to level up first, to where to spend your resin and Primogems, we’ll share tips and community-driven advice so you can avoid common pitfalls and build a strong foundation for your journey in Teyvat.

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Early Game Levelling: What to Focus On First

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In Genshin, there are two parallel progression tracks: your Adventure Rank (account level) and your Character Levels. Understanding how these work together is key to prioritizing your efforts:

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Adventure Rank vs Character Level (Understanding Progression)

Adventure Rank (AR) is increased by gaining Adventure EXP from virtually all activities – story quests, world exploration, opening chests, daily commissions, etc. Think of AR as the gatekeeper for game content; higher AR unlocks features (co-op at AR16, weekly bosses at AR20, new story chapters at AR/rank milestones, etc.). Meanwhile, Character Level is individual to each character and maxes at 90 (with ascensions needed at 20/40/50/etc). In the early game, your goal should be pushing Adventure Rank first and foremost, because raising AR unlocks the game’s potential (daily quests, new regions, better loot tiers). 

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Fortunately, doing the things that raise AR will also naturally level your characters. Focus on AR by completing Archon Quests, exploring, and doing the Adventurer’s Handbook tasks. A new player typically hits AR20 within a couple of weeks without grinding too hard. Each time your AR increases, make sure to claim rewards at the Adventurers’ Guild – you get free goodies that help your characters (including free wishes at certain ranks!). Character levels matter for combat, but a level 40 character with AR30 will fare better than a level 40 character at AR15 who hasn’t unlocked world features. So, if you’re wondering “should I grind my characters or my AR?” – lean toward AR progression through quests and exploration. The characters will follow.

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Prioritizing Main Story and Unlocks

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The main story (Archon Quests) is your best friend early on. It not only gives significant AR EXP and primogems, but also unlocks key gameplay aspects (for example, completing the Mondstadt Archon quest unlocks the Spiral Abyss lobby and more world quests; completing Liyue’s chapter unlocks weekly bosses). Many overwhelmed beginners delay story, thinking they should “train” first – but really, plowing through story quests up to your AR limit is efficient. If you hit a point where the next Archon quest is locked behind a certain AR, then do side content (world quests, domains, etc.) to bridge the gap. Don’t ignore Daily Commissions once you unlock them at AR12: those 4 little quests each day are a quick source of AR EXP and primos. 

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Essentially, in the early game, structure your play session like: do daily commissions (after AR12), then tackle a story quest or two, spend some Resin on necessary materials, and explore a new area for chests and puzzles. This balanced approach naturally levels your account and characters together. The early game also throws a lot of free characters and wishes at you – use those to your advantage (more on characters in a bit). One more unlock to prioritize: Statues of the Seven in each region and teleport waypoints. Rushing to activate those makes traveling and future farming way easier. Exploration XP from chests and statues also contributes to AR. So, a good rule: each time you enter a new region, activate the statue and a handful of waypoints, which often will level your Adventure Rank and give your party permanent stamina boosts when you offer Anemoculus/Geoculus.

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Building Your Core Team (Who to Level and Why)

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A common early question is “Which characters should I focus on leveling first?” The game gives you a starter team: The Traveler (your main character), Amber, Kaeya, Lisa, and soon after, Noelle (from the beginner's wish) and possibly Barbara (often given in events or at AR20). There is plenty to work with. Pick one character as your main DPS (damage dealer) – typically, this could be the Traveler (Anemo) or Kaeya, since Amber and Lisa have more niche roles. Many players find Kaeya to be a strong early carry due to his fast Cryo attacks and easy ascension materials in Monstadt. The Traveler is also a solid choice since they’re versatile and cost no resin to ascend (their materials are collected from exploring). Noelle is more of a hybrid tank/healer; you can level her a bit if you need survivability. Barbara, if obtained, is a dedicated healer – a moderately useful investment. The key is don’t try to max everyone at once. Early resources (XP books and Mora) are limited, so you’ll get the most bang by pushing one or two characters to level 20, ascend them, then to 40, etc., rather than everyone lingering at lvl 15. 

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A good approach: take your main DPS to the highest level cap you can for your AR, also keep one support leveled enough to not die (maybe ~5-10 levels behind your main), and the rest can sit at lower levels until you need them. For instance, you might have Traveler at 40, Kaeya at 40, Amber at 20, Lisa at 20 in the first week or two. That’s sufficient to clear story content. Why only a couple? Because leveling costs increase exponentially and you’ll run out of Hero’s Wit EXP books if you spread them thin. It’s better to have one powerhouse than four mediocre characters when facing tough fights. As you get more characters from wishes, evaluate if they fit your team better and maybe swap them in and start investing in them (but again, try to keep the total count of “projects” small – maybe 2-3 characters you’re actively leveling). The rest can be utility level (e.g., level 20 Amber can still shoot puzzles and trigger fire switches; she doesn’t need to be 60 for that). In summary, pick a core team of 4 (with at least one main DPS, one healer/shielder, and two others for elemental reactions/support) and funnel your resources into them, rather than leveling every character you have. This targeted approach will make progression smoother.

Now that you’ve got a direction for early leveling, let’s delve deeper into how to build those characters effectively.

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Character Building 101 for New Players

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Character building in Genshin has multiple facets: leveling, ascending, talents, weapons, artifacts, and constellations. Early on, you won't need to min-max, but there are definitely smart ways to allocate your effort:

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Choosing a Main DPS (Carry)

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Your main DPS is the character who stays on the field the most and deals the majority of your damage. For beginners without 5★ characters, good main DPS options include: the Traveler (especially once you can switch to Geo or later Electro/Dendro elements), Kaeya (cryo sword user with good damage and easy-to-upgrade skills), Lisa (if built right, her electro can hit hard in early game, though she’s squishy), and any 4★ you pull like Xiangling (pyro polearm, free from Spiral Abyss Floor 3 completion), or Razor (electro claymore, great physical DPS) if you get him. The game actually gives you Xiangling for free relatively early if you can clear Abyss 3-3, and she’s a fantastic DPS or sub-DPS, so many new players invest in her.

Whichever character you pick, plan to ascend them at AR15 (world level 1) and AR25 (world level 2) as soon as materials allow, to keep raising their level cap. Ascension materials for Mondstadt and Liyue characters are accessible early (bosses like Anemo Hypostasis, Electro Hypostasis, Oceanid, etc., drop the elemental gems; local specialties are found in the world). 

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If your main carry is Traveler, their Anemo ascension mats are literally on the ground (Hurricane Seeds from Anemo Hypostasis and Windwheel Asters around Mondstadt). I recommend Traveler or Xiangling as solid early carries for F2P players. Noelle can also work as a carry if you enjoy a tanky, slower playstyle (she deals damage and heals simultaneously when her shield and burst are up, but her damage is lower until later constellations). Put most of your resources into your main DPS’s attack stat – that means leveling their character, ascending them for higher base attack, leveling their main weapon as much as feasible (we'll cover weapons soon), and enhancing talents that boost their damage (usually the Normal Attack talent first for an auto-attacker, or Elemental Skill/Burst if those do most damage). Early game, talents are locked until ascension, so you might not worry about them until AR30+. 

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But do note: once you ascend a character to Phase 2 (level 40+), you can level their talents a bit – prioritize the one they use to deal damage. For example, leveling Kaeya’s Normal Attack talent will improve his basic combo damage, whereas leveling Lisa’s Burst talent will improve her ultimate’s DoT.

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Supporting Characters and Team Synergy Basics

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Apart from your main DPS, you’ll have support characters. These could be healers, shielders, or sub-DPS who swap in to use an elemental skill/burst then swap out. As a beginner, common support roles are: healer (Barbara or Noelle can fill this; Barbara is a pure healer but can make your team wet, Noelle heals while shielded when her shield is up and scales on Defense), elemental support (characters that apply an element for reactions – e.g., Lisa for Electro, Amber for Pyro application from range), or shielder (Noelle or later characters like Xinyan or Diona if you get them). The key to team synergy is elemental reactions. Early in the game, a simple and effective combo is using Cryo + Electro for Superconduct (if you have physical damage dealers), or Pyro + Electro for Overload blasts, or Pyro + Hydro for Vaporize. For instance, Kaeya (Cryo) and Lisa (Electro) together can Superconduct which reduces enemy physical resistance – great if your Kaeya or other melee is doing physical attacks. Amber (Pyro) plus Kaeya (Cryo) can Melt (which boosts damage of the reaction-triggering hit significantly). It might sound complex, but you don’t need to master it immediately; just try to include 2-3 different elements in your team so you can experiment with reactions. 

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Tip: Having at least one Pyro character and one Cryo character is very useful in early game – they help you break shields (e.g., Cryo slimes hate Pyro, etc.) and solve puzzles. If you lack a dedicated healer early, remember you get free heal at Statues of the Seven and can cook food for healing. 

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So you can get by with no healer if you play carefully and heal between fights, but I personally recommend leveling Barbara to 20 (easy with the free Barbara at AR18 or so events) or using Noelle’s shield for safety. As you roll new characters from gacha, slot them in and see how they improve your team. Many 4★ supports are excellent: e.g., Xingqiu (Hydro swordsman, amazing burst that applies Hydro for reactions), Xiangling (even as support using Gouba and burst for Pyro), Fischl (summons Oz for constant Electro). If you get any of those, definitely consider leveling them and pairing with your main DPS for strong combos. Team synergy tip: If you use elemental combos often, consider leveling the Elemental Skill and Burst talents of your support characters, as those strengthen the aura/reaction application. For example, leveling Xiangling’s burst (Pyronado) means more damage for every rotation around and stronger application of Pyro, which enables bigger Vaporize hits for a Hydro DPS, etc.

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Weapons and Artifacts – Do’s and Don’ts Early On

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Let’s talk gear. Weapons: Early on, you’ll mostly have 3★ weapons (and a couple 4★ if you’re lucky from wishes or events). The game gives a 4★ Prototype Rancour sword for free through a quest, which is excellent for Traveler or Kaeya. Also, the Crafting system in the blacksmith lets you forge 4★ prototype weapons if you get Northlander Prototypes from bosses or shop. At the very start, don’t stress too much about having the “best” weapon; just use the highest rarity or highest base attack weapon you have for your main DPS, and enhance it. Do invest some ore and fodder weapons to level up your main weapon – getting a weapon from level 1 to, say, 40 can massively increase your damage (because base attack jumps).

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A lot of beginners hesitate to spend enhancement ore, but it’s plentiful later. Just be mindful not to waste your limited Mora enhancing too many weapons. Stick to one per active character, ideally 3★ or 4★ ones. Also note that some 3★ weapons are surprisingly good at max refinement – for example, the Debate Club (3★ claymore) is great on Noelle/Razor early on, White Tassel (3★ polearm) has Crit Rate substat useful for Xiangling’s DPS, etc. Artifacts: In the early game (AR1-20), artifacts are icing on the cake. You’ll pick up 1★ and 2★ artifacts from chests and quests. Equip your characters with those for small stat boosts (ATK%, HP%, etc.). Don’t bother heavily upgrading low-rarity artifacts – it’s a waste of artifact XP that is better used on 4★/5★ artifacts later. It’s fine to level a 3★ artifact to +4 or +8 if you feel you need a boost, but avoid pumping too many resources into them. Instead, focus on hitting set bonuses that benefit you. 

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For example, the Berserker set (increases crit rate) or Martial Artist set (boosts normal and charged attack damage) are decent for early DPS. You can get these sets from low-level domains or random drops. Equipping 4 pieces of Berserker on your main DPS could give a nice crit rate increase when HP is low (not always applicable, but the 2pc +12% crit rate is nice). But again, don’t stress; any artifact with an ATK main stat on your DPS is fine early. Do not farm artifact domains until AR45 (when 5★ artifacts drop guaranteed). Before that, the best source of artifacts is world exploration (chests give a ton of artifacts, and elite enemies drop them). Many new players waste resin farming artifacts at AR20-30 and end up with junk they outgrow quickly.


Better use of resin early is to farm ascension materials and talent books which directly empower your characters. So to summarize: use artifacts you find, maybe enhance a couple to moderate levels if needed, but save the serious artifact grind for later. Weapons, on the other hand, yield immediate benefit so level those within reason.

By following these character-building fundamentals, you’ll avoid the classic “my characters are too weak” dilemma. Remember, strength in Genshin comes from a synergy of leveled character + leveled weapon + decent artifacts + talents. Early game, focus on the first two primarily, with artifacts/talents as a secondary once available.

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Setting Yourself Up for Long-Term Success

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If you’ve made it through this guide, you’ve gained a ton of knowledge that should make your early to mid-game Genshin Impact experience much smoother and more enjoyable. By focusing on core team development, smart resource use, and avoiding newbie traps, you’re effectively future-proofing your account. Setting solid foundations now means you won’t hit a progress wall later or feel regret about squandered items.

Let’s quickly recap some key takeaways for effective progression and resource management:

• Concentrate on a few characters – build a main DPS and a supporting crew first, rather than leveling everyone. Depth over breadth in team strength.
  
  
• Spend resin wisely – prioritize character/weapon ascensions and essential farming (like Mora if broke, talent books when needed). Delay heavy artifact farming until later.
  
  
• Keep an eye on your economy – manage your Mora and EXP books carefully, claim every free reward available (events, chests, dailies, etc.), and don’t waste primos on non-essential things.
  
  
• Plan for tomorrow – pick up materials as you explore so you’re ready to ascend when the time comes. Check what your characters will need down the line (e.g., don’t vendor those Samachurl scrolls, your future Klee might need them).
  
  

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Finally, remember to enjoy the journey. Optimize, but don’t agonize. Genshin Impact is about exploring a beautiful world and meeting cool characters – efficient progression is just the means to fully experience that content. If you love a particular character who might not be “meta”, it’s okay to invest in them – just balance it out.

Good luck!

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FAQ

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Q: Who are the best characters for beginners to invest in?

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A: 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. 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. 

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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.

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

A: 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. So the rule of thumb: Only increase World Level when you feel your team can comfortably handle current world enemies. 

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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.

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

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A: In the early days (AR1-20), you might not even use all your resin and that’s okay (story and exploration give plenty 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. If your characters are capped at 40 and you need to ascend them, use resin on the required bosses that day.

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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.

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

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A: 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 letting you redistribute resources (maybe you don’t need to invest in Xiangling if you got 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.

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

A: 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.

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Q: What is Resin and why is everyone so concerned about it?

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A: 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 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. Conversely, using it smartly accelerates your strengthening. It’s also tied to the gacha monetization (you can spend primogems to refresh resin). But if you manage it well, you can minimize or avoid refreshing. 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 progress at a good pace. The guide above 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.

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