Genshin Impact Quests & Story

1. The four quest categories

Genshin Impact quests split into Archon Quests, Story Quests, World Quests, and Commissions. The game never forces you to learn the distinctions, but the categories gate different rewards and different parts of the world. Archon Quests are the main story; everything else is side content of varying weight. Treat the categories as a priority ladder rather than a flat list.

Archon Quests

Archon Quests tell the Traveler's story chapter by chapter, one chapter per nation. They are the only quests that advance the central plot, and they are locked behind Adventure Rank gates plus completion of the prior chapter. Because they introduce new regions, new mechanics, and stat boosts from the Statues of the Seven, they should almost always be your first stop in a new version or after a long break. The Mondstadt and Liyue chapters are the foundation everything else builds on.

Story Quests

Story Quests are character-focused arcs. Most five-star characters and a good number of four-stars get a personal chapter that expands their backstory and often ties into the nation they belong to. They require a Story Key, which you earn by raising Adventure Rank past 26 (one key every two ranks). Hangout Events are a separate, branching format for select characters with multiple endings and a relationship-style path map.

World Quests

World Quests are the open-world glue: NPC requests, regional chains, and long multi-step sagas that can span an entire zone. Some are trivial errands; others are essential, because they unlock teleport points, reputation systems, or entire sub-regions. Unlike Archon Quests, few of them are marked with a clear "do this now" prompt, so they are easy to miss.

Commissions

Commissions are the daily repeatable quests handed out by Katheryne at any Adventurers' Guild. Four spawn per day, plus a random "encounter" type. They pay Adventure EXP, Mora, and Companionship EXP, and completing all four grants a bonus chest. They are the steady drip of progression that keeps your account moving between story beats.

2. How to track and start quests

The quest tracking system lives in two places: the quest log (opened from the map screen) and the Adventurer's Handbook. The log shows your active quests grouped by type and lets you set a tracking marker so the objective appears as a pin on the map. The handbook is stronger for World Quests because it sorts them by nation and tells you how many remain in each region, which is the fastest way to find the ones you skipped.

Starting each type

Archon Quests begin automatically as you meet the rank requirement, then sit in the log waiting to be resumed. Story Quests are launched from the "Story" tab of a character's profile once you hold a Story Key. World Quests start by talking to NPCs, reading investigation points, or triggering environmental flags while exploring. Commissions are claimed from Katheryne and can be swapped once per day if one is annoying. If a quest will not start, check the handbook's prerequisites list before assuming it is bugged.

3. Archon Quest order by nation

The safe way to play the genshin impact archon quests in order is to follow release sequence, because later chapters assume you met the characters and factions introduced earlier. The current run is Prologue through Chapter V, with the Nod-Krai interludes extending the line. Below is the chapter list with the act structure verified against the in-game log and community wikis; each nation links to a dedicated breakdown.

Prologue — Mondstadt: The Outlander Who Caught the Wind

Three acts: Act I "The Outlander Who Caught the Wind," Act II "For a Tomorrow Without Tears," Act III "Song of the Dragon and Freedom." This is where the Traveler meets Paimon, learns to use Anemo, and faces Stormterror. Full act-by-act detail is on the Mondstadt Archon Quest page.

Chapter I — Liyue: Farewell, Archaic Lord

Acts I "Of the Land Amidst Monoliths," II "Farewell, Archaic Lord," III "A New Star Approaches," followed by the "Bough Keeper: Dainsleif" prelude and Act IV "We Will Be Reunited." The Rex Lapis funeral plot and the Osial fight anchor the chapter. See the Liyue Archon Quest page.

Chapter II — Inazuma: Omnipresence Over Mortals

A prologue "Autumn Winds, Scarlet Leaves" plus Acts I through IV, closing with "Requiem of the Echoing Depths." The Sakoku decree and the Raiden Shogun's pursuit of eternity drive the conflict. Breakdown on the Inazuma Archon Quest page.

Chapter III — Sumeru: Truth Amongst the Pages of Purana

Six acts from "Through Mists of Smoke and Forests Dark" to "Caribert," covering the Akademiya, the Dendro Archon Nahida, and the Withering. Detail on the Sumeru Archon Quest page.

Chapter IV — Fontaine: Masquerade of the Guilty

Six acts including the "Bedtime Story" epilogue, built around the Oratrice, Fontaine's drowning prophecy, and the Hydro Archon Furina. See the Fontaine Archon Quest page.

Chapter V — Natlan: Incandescent Ode of Resurrection

Six acts from "Flowers Resplendent on the Sun-Scorched Sojourn" to "A Space and Time for You," featuring the six tribes, the Pyro Archon Mavuika, and the war against the abyss. The Natlan Archon Quest page covers it.

4. World Quest tips that matter

World Quests are where players quietly soft-lock their own progression. Several long chains are prerequisites for accessing content you will want later: the Chasm, Enkanomiya, Chenyu Vale, and various reputation boards all open through World Quests rather than the map. If a region looks empty or a mechanic will not trigger, the missing step is usually a World Quest you walked past.

Don't bulk-skip them

Because World Quests feed into reputation, saurian tooth-style currencies, and regional unlocks, clearing them as you explore beats saving them for later. The handbook's per-nation counts tell you exactly what is left, so work a region to zero before moving on. Some chains also grant permanent map features like waypoints or crafting recipes, which pay off every session afterward.

5. Story Quests and Hangouts

Companion Story Quests use Story Keys and usually run 20 to 40 minutes of focused story with a boss or two at the end. They are the best source of character lore and frequently set up later Archon beats, so doing a nation's Story Quests after its Archon chapter keeps the timeline coherent. Hangout Events trade a linear story for a branch map with two to six endings per character; finishing every ending is a completionist grind but unlocks achievements and occasionally useful recipes.

When to spend Story Keys

Keys are scarce early, so spend them on characters you actually use or care about. There is no penalty for holding keys, and new Story Quests release alongside new characters, so saving a key for a unit you just pulled is reasonable. Hangouts, by contrast, are free to replay and only cost the time to reach each ending.

6. Where quests fit in progression

A clean loop is: push the current Archon chapter to stay current with the map and stat boosts, fold in Story Quests for characters you run, clear World Quests by region for unlocks and reputation, and treat Commissions as the daily floor. New players should not rush Archon Quests so fast that they out-level their team, but they also should not stall on side content and forget the main line exists. Check the character roster to see who has a Story Quest before you grind a key, and use the nation pages above whenever an act name or order slips your memory.