Visions are jeweled amulets which allow their users to directly channel the power of one of the seven Elements. They are bestowed by Celestia and the Seven Archons to allogenes, people of Teyvat with particularly powerful desires[1] who have the potential to ascend to Celestia and become gods themselves.[2][Note 1]
Allogenes who accomplish their goals will cause the gods to receive an "abundant" gift.[3] On the other hand, evidence suggests that a person deprived of their Vision also loses that ambition, which may cause them to undergo a massive change in personality.[4]
In the upper left corner of the character menu is an icon that represents a playable character's Vision or equivalent, with their element denoted by the gem and their in-game nation denoted by the decorative design around the gem. This icon is present even for the characters that do not use Visions and characters with non-standard Vision designs.
The giving and receiving of Visions was established as part of a "new order" over the world, alongside the rise of The Seven. This new order was created to suppress the world's original order in place of the Heavenly Principles's absolute authority, which it could no longer maintain after being gravely injured during the "great war of vengeance."[3] It and another unidentified entity created the seven Gnoses out of the remains of the Third Descender,[5] then instigated the Archon War.[Note 2] Once The Seven were established, they were given the stolen portions of elemental Authorities, which the Heavenly Principles took from the Seven Sovereigns when it first descended on Teyvat.[6] The Seven were also given the duty of giving a Vision — a fragment of their power — as a "gift" to anyone whose powerful desire or ambition "stepped into the threshold of the sacred."[3]
Vision-bearers' destinies are mapped by their constellations,[7] and the stars which form these constellations are called Stella Fortuna. In abnormal circumstances, a person's constellation can affect the world thousands of years after their death.[8] There are suggestions that these so-called "destinies" may be intentionally designed: the gods supposedly gain something when Vision-bearers successfully fulfill their goals,[3] while statements by certain Fatui Harbingers claim that "the skies of Teyvat are fake"[9] and that "the stars are a lie."[10] Similarly, the Narzissenkreuz Ordo believed that obtaining a Vision is to "sell oneself to the 'fate' of this world — to Heimarmene."[11][Note 3]
Uses[]
While a Vision allows its user to harness its respective element, it does not grant instant mastery over elemental energy,[12] and using elemental energy takes practice.[13] As a result, there is a great variety in the ways people express their elemental powers, as well as a wide gulf in combat ability. For example, Shenhe combines her Cryo Vision, training in the adeptus arts, and innate destructive power to freeze an entire tsunami,[14] but Yaoyao, another adeptus disciple, has only been shown to channel her Dendro powers through the external device Yuegui.
Vision-bearers can channel elemental energy through otherwise mundane objects, like Charlotte does with Monsieur Verite, a custom-made Kamera gifted by her father.[15] When Fischl obtained her Vision, she subconsciously manifested Oz,[16] whose appearance is based on a character in her favorite novel series, Flowers for Princess Fischl.[17]
In cutscenes and other official media, characters have demonstrated more uses for their Visions than gameplay allows. Ningguang can teleport and summon the Guizhong Ballistae replicas built into the Jade Chamber using Geo energy,[18] and Mona can teleport herself and those she touches using her Hydro Vision.[19] When Tartaglia uses his Hydro Vision during Enter the Golden House Phase 1, he has several abilities not utilized by his playable version, such as generating a Hydro Shield and summoning a massive Hydro whale. In the manga, Jean and Amber simultaneously infuse Jean's sword with Anemo and Pyro while defeating the Ruin Hunter-ified Krupp, Kaeya creates ice barriers, and Amber summons a Pyro shield to protect herself and Collei from Barnabas.
Those with Visions have some level of elemental sensitivity and Elemental Sight, although some characters are more sensitive to the elements than others.[20][21] Visions themselves can also resonate with other sources of elemental energy, which causes them to glow.[22][23] In the manga, Jean's Vision suddenly begins reacting with something, causing dandelion seeds to emerge from her Vision,[24] but this phenomenon is never acknowledged again.
Vision holders are also capable of breathing underwater in the waters of Fontaine.[25][26]
In-game, a character's combat abilities are based on their Talents, and are additionally affected by their weapon type, ascension phase, and Constellation level. All playable characters have 2–4 active abilities which utilize elemental energy; all damage-dealing Elemental Skills and Elemental Bursts deal elemental damage, and some characters have the ability to take on the form of their element while they sprint (such as Mona and Ayaka). Bow users' fully charged Aimed Shots and all Catalyst users' Normal Attacks are infused with their element. Some attacks that normally deal Physical DMG can deal elemental damage instead if an Elemental Infusion or conversion occurs.
In certain quests, Visions serve as visual indicators to determine the player's proximity to a source of elemental energy. The closer the active character is to the target, the quicker their Vision will flash with the color of the item it is resonating with (blue for meteorite shards, yellow for Starsplinter Iron).[22][23] Furthermore, this effect only occurs with genuine Visions; characters without Visions (such as the Traveler and the Raiden Shogun) have no visual indicator, while Venti and Zhongli's fake Visions have no reaction.
Noelle's Vision giving off a Geo symbol-shaped glow.
Visions are also related to the following special gameplay effects, with equivalent effects (or lack thereof) for character models without Visions noted in sub-bullets:
When switching to a character with 100% Energy, their Vision will briefly give off an elemental symbol-shaped glow, and a specific sound effect corresponding to the character's element will play.
Element symbols glow over the Traveler's chest plate, the leaf in Nahida's hair, and over the phoenix's eye on Diluc's chest when wearing the Red Dead of Night outfit.
While a character's Elemental Burst is ready, the gem's color also pulses. Some characters, such as Diluc, Jean, Keqing, Alhaitham, and Dori, also have additional gems or ornaments on their person that seem ordinary, but also pulse with the respective color when their Elemental Bursts are ready. These gems usually, but do not always, match the color of the character's element.
Traveler's chest plate, Raiden Shogun's items with the Electro mitsudomoe, and various parts of Nahida's outfit will pulse.
Neuvillette and Diluc in his Red Dead of Night outfit have no areas with pulsing colors.
When a character receives Energy, their Visions will light up. Elemental particles and orbs fly directly into the Vision, or whichever object gives off the elemental symbol.[which of the three Electro symbol items for Raiden?]
In Neuvillette's case, elemental particles and orbs fly to the center of his model.
Characters who have an Arkhe alignment will have a Pneuma- or Ousia-colored glow on their Vision or equivalent, such as the Traveler's chest plate, when the corresponding attack's cooldown is finished. In Neuvillette's case, the gem on his collar glows.
Some characters momentarily go invisible as part of their attacks, such as Keqing, Lisa, Hu Tao, and Rosaria. These may be abilities that use their Visions, as these characters visually disappear and reappear with a flash of their element.
Visions in Teyvat[]
Distributing Visions[]
Visions are given as a form of acknowledgement by Celestia,[27] but contrary to popular Teyvat belief, the Archons do not have direct control over the distribution of Visions. Giving away a shard of their Authority is part of their duty, and they do not know who receives the Vision or what the person's desire is.[3]
Visions are obtained from whomever holds the elemental Authority, and this person does not need to be one of The Seven. After the current Hydro Sovereign, Neuvillette, regains his full Hydro Authority, he willingly sets aside a portion of his power for humans to claim.[3] Meanwhile, no new Electro Visions appeared for a year before the Traveler ventures to Inazuma, beginning with the enactment of the Vision Hunt Decree, ostensibly due to the Electro Archon's will.[21] However, the current Electro Archon, Ei, had already sequestered herself away in the Plane of Euthymia for approximately 400 years by that point,[Note 4] and Ei herself is surprised to learn of this phenomenon from the Traveler.[28]
Obtaining Visions[]
Visions have been received in many different situations, ranging from near-death experiences and fights for survival[29] to a person's otherwise mundane day.[30] There is no known surefire way to receive a Vision or to reawaken a Masterless Vision; experience has shown that a desire to survive a close brush with death is not enough to grant a Vision on its own.[31][32]
When a person becomes worthy of a Vision, they either receive a new Vision or reactivate a nearby Masterless Vision. The appearance of a new Vision generally falls into one of the following situations (characters not found in any of the following lists do not have enough information to categorize them):
Directly before or on a conscious recipient:
During a moment of crisis and/or violent conflict[Note 5]
During a moment of resolution or revelation[Note 6]
Non-human beings such as Xiao, Yae Miko, Kirara, Xianyun, and Sigewinne can receive Visions, although the narrative questions whether their Visions are the same as humans'.[27] According to Xiao's Developer Insight, and later reiterated in Xianyun's Vision Story, adepti can manipulate the elements without an external Vision, but Xiao and Xianyun wear Visions to "comply with the expected norm."[33] Artificial humans and puppets like Albedo and the Wanderer are also capable of receiving Visions.
The Traveler's Vision story claims they cannot receive one since they are an outsider to Teyvat, but Yae speculates they simply have not had a strong enough desire to receive one, telling them that their "ambition should be something that transcends the world below and the starry sky above. Something that shines in unison with fate itself."[34]
Visions are received at various ages. Most humans receive their Visions between childhood and early adulthood, as children hope for Visions once they "grow up"[35] and adults may eventually conclude that they will never receive a Vision.[36][37] The few confirmed ages that have been given support the idea that those who obtain Visions typically get them young:
Kaveh, who had been a graduate of the Sumeru Akademiya for some number of years when he received his Vision, acquired it after raising funds to build the second version of The Palace of Alcazarzaray.[32] Given that Kaveh is implied to currently be in his late twenties, he likely received his Vision in his mid-twenties, depending on how long it took for the Palace of Alcazarzaray to go through its initial planning stages and be built to 70% completion the first time.
Ganyu, a half-adeptus, received her Vision after the Archon War ended 2,000 years ago.[42] While her exact age is unknown, she was acquainted with Guizhong,[43] who died during the destruction of Guili Plains 3,700 years ago.[43][Note 12]
There are no known cases of people with more than one Vision permanently active. Kaedehara Kazuha once temporarily reactivated a Masterless Vision and used it alongside his own Vision, when he resonated with his late friend's ambition to deflect the Musou no Hitotachi,[44] but this situation is extremely rare and, to most people's knowledge, considered to be impossible.[45]
Wearing Visions[]
Most known Vision users, aside from some NPCs and Diluc in his Red Dead of Night outfit,[46] openly wear their Visions. Most Visions are hung on the waist or back, but some are attached to a personal belonging rather than an article of clothing. Several characters also had their Visions directly appear on their clothing when they first received it.
Visions do not have to be openly worn to channel their power, as Diluc uses his Pyro Vision in present-day while wearing Red Dead of Night.[47] However, there seems to be some point after which a person can no longer connect to their Vision; to prevent his Vision from going out-of-control again, Tartaglia leaves his Vision to the Traveler,[48] and the item description for Childe's Vision says it "has lost its glow now that its owner has left it behind." This dulled appearance was also earlier seen with Visions taken from their owners and installed in the Statue of the Omnipresent God during Inazuma's Vision Hunt Decree.
Oddly, during the Archon QuestA Flower Blooms in a Prison in Chapter II: Act I - The Immovable God and the Eternal Euthymia, the story goes out of its way several times to highlight that Yoimiya is openly wearing her real Vision in the midst of the Vision Hunt Decree, and that she is at risk of having it taken away should it be discovered. Given that the quest was written almost a full year before Red Dead of Night was released, it may be that the development team had not yet decided whether Visions could be used without being openly worn.
Losing Visions[]
Based on Keqing's extensive research, Visions cannot be destroyed.[49] However, they can still be separated from their owners either willingly or by force. A person separated from their Vision may quite literally lose the ambition or goal that previously drove them, and in some cases, even lose critical memories; on the other hand, some people who have lost their Visions displayed no negative consequences.
Tejima, Kurosawa Kyounosuke, and Domon all suffered from losing their Visions to the Vision Hunt Decree, but Tejima and Kurosawa Kyounosuke lost certain memories that defined their actions in the past,[50][51] while Domon instead hallucinated the people he defeated until he spoke with Anzai, his former fellow disciple.[4]Iwakura Mitsunari's decision to surrender his Vision to the Shogun may be the reason why he forgot the secret blade technique he once inherited as Master of the Iwakura Art.[52][Note 13]
On the other hand, neither Arataki Itto nor Kuki Shinobu seemed to be affected much by the loss of their Visions. Itto, despite losing his Vision to Kujou Sara after a duel, remains as rowdy and lively as before, while Shinobu willingly gave hers up and did not see its loss as anything particularly concerning.[53] Additionally, many people who lost their Visions to the Vision Hunt Decree did not grow depressed and instead joined the Watatsumi Army to fight back.[44][54]
Meanwhile, Nobumori, who surrendered his Vision to Kamisato Ayato for personal reasons, enjoys life without his Vision and says that the "obsessions [he] had before all disappeared."[55] Similarly, Jiangxue, who already exacted the justice he sought, says that he is now "free of desire."[56][Note 14]
Those who regain a lost Vision also regain their previous ambitions or drive in general,[57] although more muted than before in some cases. Tejima regains his memories of the girl he was waiting for[58] and Kurosawa Kyounosuke regains his memories of his father's teachings and says he feels the "embers of [his] past wishes start to burn again,"[59] while Domon feels that he has changed too much since losing his Vision to fulfill his dream, and leaves his former ambition to his disciples.[60] People who have surrendered their Visions, even permanently, appear to still possess some level of elemental sensitivity.[61]
Diluc's aspirations, which "burned bright" in his Vision, were "extinguished" after Crepus' death four years ago. He left Mondstadt and his Vision behind to investigate his father's death,[62] instead using the Delusion that had killed Crepus[63] to no apparent ill effect. He began using his Vision again after he returned to Mondstadt a few years later, his ambition restored.[62]
Visions separated from their owners have a duller appearance, but will retain their elemental powers and innate connections to their owners. When Vision-deprived members of the Watatsumi Army charged at the Raiden Shogun, their Visions in the Statue of the Omnipresent God lit up in response to their resolve,[64] while the Traveler has dreams depicting Tartaglia's situation while in possession of Childe's Vision.[65]
Masterless Visions[]
An unresonated Masterless Vision from Inazuma. Such Visions lack any elemental status and are unable to give specific elemental talents.
After allogenes die, their Visions deactivate, losing their color and becoming an empty husk without a trace of elemental power.[66][67] Such Visions are known as Masterless Visions and have a low probability of resonating with another person.
Based on Kazuha's temporary reawakening of his late friend's Vision, a Masterless Vision is reawakened when a person's desire is the same as the original owner's, and will take on the same element as before. After Kazuha blocked the Raiden Shogun's Musou no Hitotachi, his friend's Vision returned to its deactivated state.[44] He is currently the first and only character to have had two active Visions at any given moment, and this unheard-of phenomenon led some witnesses to assume he was using a Delusion.[45]
Due to the rarity and special properties of Visions, Masterless Visions are seen as a commodity. Ningguang believed there was a potential market in selling Masterless Visions to the wealthy who hoped to reawaken one, while Kazuha futilely attempted to see whether his friend's Vision could be reawakened during the Crux Clash.[31]
Characters who have reawakened a Masterless Vision include:
"Counterfeit Visions" and other similar terms can refer to two different things:
Items that look exactly like genuine Visions but cannot be used to wield the elements.[54] These have been used by Vision bearers to deceive enforcers of the Vision Hunt Decree, and by Venti and Zhongli to disguise their ability to wield elemental powers without a Vision.
Additionally, Venti has given his fake Vision the ability to transform into the "Der Frühling" lyre,[69] which is the only case of a fake Vision having additional utility other than deception.
During the play "The Little Oceanid", a prop Vision was supposed to be lowered onto the stage for the character Clio. However, when Furina replaced the actress who was supposed to play Clio due to health issues, before Paimon could lower the prop, a genuine Hydro Vision appeared before Furina.[70]
Delusions, devices developed and propagated by the Fatui which allow wielders to manipulate the elements without, or in addition to, a Vision.[63] Most mass-produced Delusions are designed to resemble Visions, which the Fatui used to their advantage to convince members of the Watatsumi Resistance to use them.[71]
As seen in the second phase of Enter the Golden House, Tartaglia's Delusion can apparently "take over" his Vision orb when its powers are unleashed, replacing his Hydro Vision's color and symbol with the Electro element and a Fatui symbol. However, his Delusion is not tied to his Vision otherwise, and he uses it normally even after he gave his Vision to the Traveler.[72]
Visions come with a decorative casing, which depends on the nation the person was in when they received it.[73] Visions can be customized with accessories, but whether the original casing can be modified is unknown. The only character with clearly nonstandard casing is Kaeya, whose Vision casing has two wings on each side at the bottom instead of the standard three on other Mondstadt cases. Though, when wearing Sailwind Shadow, his Vision appears as a standard Mondstadt Vision.
Visions from the same region all share the same basic shape. As such, the main difference in appearance between Visions other than the elemental color and surrounding decorative design are usually personal touches added by the owner. For example, Venti has fluffy balls and feathers on strings hanging from his Vision, and he also has a large decorative wing affixed directly to the Vision gem on the left side of the Vision when facing the front of it.
Visions appear to vary in size; for example, Ganyu's Cryo Vision and Diluc's Pyro Vision appear very small, while Yanfei's Pyro Vision, Jean's Anemo Vision, and Kaeya's Cryo Vision are much larger. Oddly, Barbara's and Lisa's Visions differ in size while wearing their outfits Summertime Sparkle and A Sobriquet Under Shade compared to their default outfits, and Xiao's Vision is significantly larger in his portrait art than in his Wish art and on his in-game model. Wriothesley's Vision is said to have shrunk in size between the time he acquired it and the time he finally took it out to wear it,[74][Note 15] but as this is the only mention of a Vision's size in-universe and given the inconsistencies between Vision appearances for the same character in present day, no conclusions can currently be drawn about Vision sizes.
The Traveler, the Archons, and Neuvillette do not use Visions to resonate with an element, although they have visual indicators that glow in a similar manner as Visions. The star-shaped accents on the Traveler's clothing change to reflect their currently resonated element, while Venti and Zhongli wear fake Visions which behave like other characters' Visions in most gameplay. The Raiden Shogun wears three items bearing the Electro symbol on her clothing (one tied to her obi, one embedded on the pauldron on her left shoulder, and one affixed to a fan on her back), which glow faintly when her Elemental Burst is available. The leaf in Nahida's hair also has a similar effect.
The typical Mondstadt Vision is orb-shaped, inlaid in a thin border adorned by a pair of tri-feathered wings, with a diamond-shaped tail on the bottom and five spikes at the top. On its back there may or may not be three wing-like decorations along the bottom on one side.
Nonstandard Vision designs
Kaeya's Vision has two feathers on each wing instead of the usual three.
Kaeya's Vision in his Sailwind Shadow outfit has the usual three feathers on each wing.
Venti's "Vision" is an ordinary glass orb he uses to help hide his identity.[2][69] It does not glow when in proximity to Starsplinter Iron.
Lisa's Vision is slightly oval-shaped and elongated instead of the usual orb-shaped.
The typical Liyue Vision is square-shaped rotated at a 45-degree angle, inlaid in a thin border, and its corners have arrow accents on the front and smaller squares on the back. The border itself is in another square-shaped border with its corners cut, offset by 45 degrees.
Nonstandard Vision designs
Xiao and Xianyun's Visions may not be typical Visions, as both of them are adepti and wear a Vision specifically because they take on a human form.[75]
Xingqiu's and Yaoyao's Vision on their character models have the back side facing outward instead of inward. Xingqiu's card art is depicted with the front side of his Vision facing outward, as expected of a Liyue Vision in general.
Zhongli's "Vision" is likely not a real Vision, for reasons similar to Venti. It also does not glow when in proximity to Starsplinter Iron.
The typical Inazuma Vision is orb-shaped, inlaid in a thin border surrounded by a full-circle stylized bow with a stylized knot at the bottom and three solid circles along the top half of the circle, with the middle circle being the biggest of the three.
The design seems to be inspired by the real-life Japanese thunder deity Raijin. The three solid circles spanning the top semicircle may symbolize the Taiko thunder drum scaffold surrounding Raijin, and the bow may be derived from the Celestial Cloth around his shoulders.
The typical Sumeru Vision is orb-shaped, inlaid in a teardrop- or leaf-shaped border pointed at the top. At the bottom, the border has two points at the side pointing upwards and three points in the middle pointing downwards.
Nonstandard Vision designs
Rana's Vision on her character model has the back side facing outward instead of inward. This is also reflected in her Genius Invokation TCGSupport Card.
Fontaine[]
Fontaine's basic Pneuma aligned Vision shape. Note: Uses Charlotte's Vision, adapted to Hydro for demonstration purposes
The typical Fontaine Vision is orb-shaped, inlaid in a thin border shaped like two ribbons with ornamental clamshell designs on the sides.
Arkhe alignment is a trait unique to Fontainians and is reflected in their Vision designs. There are two standard designs, one for each alignment:
Pneuma-aligned characters possess Visions whose border extends into two criss-crossing ribbons around a spike on top and bottom, with its clamshell ornaments pointing upwards on the left and downwards on the right.
Ousia-aligned characters possess Visions whose border extends into a spiral on top and bottom, with its clamshell ornaments pointing downwards on the left and upwards on the right.
Furina's Vision, befitting her ability to switch Arkhe alignments, borrows elements from both Pneuma- and Ousia-aligned Visions. It is set in a frame that has clamshell ornaments pointing downwards on the left and upwards on the right (representing Ousia) and an elongated spike on the bottom (representing Pneuma), with four prongs holding the gem in place.
The typical Natlan Vision is orb-shaped, inlaid in a thin border shaped as a saltire with insignia resembling spiral greca patterns[76] common in Mesoamerican culture, such as in xicalcoliuhqui motifs. A spike adorns the in-between of the saltire points, resembling a primogem star.
This overall shape resembles the Ōlīn motif depicted in Aztec art, such as the Aztec calendar stone.
Nonstandard Vision designs
Ororon's silver Vision
Ororon's Vision has a silver decorative design, similar to a Snezhnayan Vision, in contrast to the golden or polished bronze color found on all known Visions from Natlan.
Snezhnaya[]
Snezhnaya's Vision shape (with Fatui insignia). Note: Uses Tartaglia's Vision but adapted to Cryo for demonstration purposes.
Snezhnaya's Vision shape (without Fatui insignia). Note: Uses Tartaglia's Vision but adapted to Cryo for demonstration purposes.
The typical Snezhnaya Vision is orb-shaped, surrounded by angled protrusions jutting out the top, bottom, left, and right sides, roughly reminiscent of a military badge. Delusions found in-game look the same as Snezhnayan Visions, with the exception of the elemental symbol on the orb being replaced by the Fatui emblem.
So far, for unknown reasons, all Visions and Delusions from Snezhnaya have a gray decorative design (possibly aluminum or iron), in contrast to the golden or polished bronze color found on all known Visions from the other nations.
Nonstandard Vision designs
Tartaglia's Vision on his character model has the Hydro symbol rotated 90 degrees counterclockwise from its initial position so that it is displayed upright, due to wearing his Vision sideways.
Other Vision Designs[]
Aloy's Vision.
Aloy, who does not belong to any of the seven nations, has a unique Vision design. Her Vision takes the form of a primogem star with round edges inlaid in a golden circular frame. In all gameplay, Aloy's Vision behaves normally. It is unknown if this Vision design canonically exists in the world of Teyvat, or if it is for collaboration purposes only.
Dori's Vision has a purple to red keychain hanging from the bottom.
Eula's Vision has a spiked pin on the back and two sharp wings on the left side.
Faruzan's Vision is attached to the blue ribbon on the back of her skirt.
Furina's Vision is attached to the blue ribbon on her hip. Prior to receiving her Vision, a blue gemstone was attached there instead.
Gaming's Vision has a coin with red silk bundles attached to the bottom.
Ganyu's Vision has red ropes tied on the back of it. While in her Twilight Blossom outfit, her Vision is in the middle of a four-petaled flower charm.
Gorou's Vision has a tie of red ropes at the bottom of it.
Kaedehara Kazuha's Vision has a tie of red ropes and a bundle of red thread.
Kaeya's Vision in his Sailwind Shadow outfit is mounted on a star-shaped plate with two golden teardrops dangling from his Vision.
Kamisato Ayaka's Vision is attached at the back of the royal blue ribbon in her dress tied with a bright pink cloverleaf knot.
Kamisato Ayato's Vision has an upside-down fan with a bundle of thread hanging from the bottom.
Keqing's Vision has a bundle of lilac thread hanging from the bottom. While in her Opulent Splendor outfit, the lilac thread is replaced with a violet feather.
Kirara's Vision in her Phantom in Boots outfit has a flower and thread bundle hanging down, and her Vision is attached to a bow with a mask on it.
Yanfei's Vision is attached to a box of some sort.
Yaoyao's Vision is attached to the red ribbon woven on the back of her basket.
Yelan's Vision has a light blue rope hanging at the bottom.
Impressions on Visions[]
Despite presumably existing for the past 2,000 years since the Archon War ended, Visions remain an enigma to the people of Teyvat and very little headway has been made into Vision research. Allogenes are generally seen as "the chosen"[77] or otherwise having favor from the gods. Playable characters have "About the Vision" Voice-Over lines, which give their impressions about Visions; many human characters' reflect their attitudes about receiving Visions or how Visions are useful to them.
Because the actual method for Vision distribution is a closely-guarded secret, people have developed different beliefs on which Archon granted them their Visions. Some attribute their Visions to their nation's Archon even if the elements do not match,[78] others believe it was given by their element's Archon even if they are from a different nation,[79] and still others refer to their Visions as something granted by the gods or Archons in general.[80]
Because Vision-bearers are matched to constellations, they are said to each have the power of a tiny cosmos in themselves. Liyue's thaumaturges call this "The Microcosmic Orbit" or the "Microcosmos."[81] This belief may be supported by the appearance of Ningguang's constellation, Opus Aequilibrium, behind her when she invoked all her Geo power in the joint attack against Beisht.
Some of those who never receive a Vision feel that they have been ignored and unrecognized by the Archons despite their achievements, unaware that The Seven actually have no involvement in the matter. Wang questions how the Millelith of 500 years ago remained loyal to Rex Lapis when he didn't give them Visions, even in their final moments,[82] and Dr. Edith likens living without a Vision to living "like outsiders in their own world."[83]
When Electro Visions stopped appearing after the Raiden Shogun enacted the Vision Hunt Decree, scholars at Sumeru Akademiya investigated and concluded that the Archons' wills determine the distribution of new Visions.[21] Similarly, Kazuha postulates that each of the Seven Archons have their criteria for granting Visions and that the Raiden Shogun's doubts about Visions have resulted in a lack of new Electro Visions.[36] However, Ei herself is surprised to learn of this phenomenon,[28] leaving the true reason unknown.
Non-Playable Vision Users[]
Aside from a few notable exceptions, most playable and upcoming characters use Visions or are most likely using Visions. Other known characters who have, or had, Visions include:
Leonard[8] (2,000 years ago)[85] — He is not depicted with a Vision, but he had a constellation and his powerful desire to climb Pilos Peak caused the events of Unreconciled Stars.
Primordial Albedo (Geo) — Primordial Albedo is depicted with a Vision as part of his disguise, however, whether he has any actual Geo-manipulating ability is unknown.
Vennessa — While she has never been mentioned or depicted with a Vision, legends claim she ascended to Celestia and the manga depicts her ascension as part of Venti's tale. While all Vision wielders are allogenes, whether all allogenes are Vision wielders has not been addressed.
Monroe mentions a "God's Eye" in one of his voiced idle lines, which is the direct translation of the Chinese term for Visions.
A nation's Vision shape can be seen on Character Cards, as the topmost icon containing the character's element.
A "helix-shaped divine ladder" can allegedly be seen inside Visions, which are also witnessed by those who ascend to Celestia.[87] Such a phenomenon has not yet been shown in-game.
In the manga, when Collei breaks out of the shield Amber surrounded her in as proof of her resolve to protect those she cares about, the Pyro symbol in Amber's Vision is replaced by a star-shaped symbol intertwined with a triangle. The symbol returns to normal shortly afterwards.[88]
Yanfei once attempted to weigh the value of a Vision (likely her own) with her steelyard balance, an adepti treasure that can be used to "measure the value of all things," but only gives an object's value at the time that Mora itself was created. No amount of Mora she added was heavy enough to balance the scales, but it finally balanced after she placed the heavy box of handwritten legal notations from her waist on the scales in her frustration.[89][Note 16]
From Version 1.1 to 1.4, the elemental symbol on Zhongli's Vision was rotated. However, this was a mistake and was fixed in Version 1.5, dispelling the then-common theory that he had unintentionally created his fake Vision with its elemental symbol in an incorrect configuration.
Etymology[]
The Chinese term for Vision, 神之眼Shén zhī Yǎn, "Eye of God," is similar to the term for Gnosis, 神之心Shén zhī Xīn, "Heart of God." Both of them are called 魔力器官 "magical organs," which was translated as "magical foci" in English.
In Gnosticism, Allogenes is a half-human, half-divine (or demigod) figure who, in some stories, becomes fully divine.
The Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese term for allogene is 原神, which is also the game's title. It translates to "primordial god", "original god", or "proto-god".
Notes[]
↑Lost in translation is the fact that "allogenes" (Chinese: 原神Yuánshén; Japanese: 原神Genshin) is the same term as the game's title and means "Primordial God."
↑Neuvillette's Vision story states that "all fragments of the primordial were driven to devour each other" after the creation of the seven Gnoses. This aligns with Soraya's exposition in the World QuestTreasure Lost, Treasure Found that the Archon War was a "protracted war [...] between the gods, each of whom coveted a seat at one of the seven divine thrones in Celestia."
↑Heimarmene's name is derived from the Greek goddess of fate and destiny, particularly of cause and effect.
↑The description for Hakuen Michimitsu Amenoma — the Iwakura Clan's heirloom sword last owned by Iwakura Mitsunari — states that none of the Iwakura Clan heads have obtained a Vision. It is unclear whether the contradicting lore is a developer oversight or an intentional decision.
↑This justice is assumed to be the reason Jiangxue received a Vision, due to the other narratives around giving up or losing a Vision, as well as the emphasis placed on how Jiangxue is now at peace and no longer feels the need to use his Vision.
↑As Wriothesley was already a teenager when he was convicted, the perceived difference in his Vision's size is unlikely to be caused by his own growth.
↑It is not stated whether she added the box along with the Mora, or if she replaced the Mora with the box.
↑Razor's Character Story: Vision Though he had obtained a Vision, Razor was still unable to manipulate Electro energy with finesse.
↑Hangout Event, Layla, Act I - Ever Silent Stars: Further Investigation Layla: However, I didn't know how to channel the power of the elements to fight at that time, and I was super scared. *sigh* I wielded immense power, but I didn't feel any stronger than just an ordinary person.
