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The launch of Genshin Impact patch 3.0 (Sumeru) introduced players to Dendro for the first time. The new element added a large variety of playable teams with its powerful reactions. But the game’s newest region Fontaine is symbolized by Hydro, an element that has been around since the launch of the game so players were not expecting anything new in terms of combat.
But it looks like Hoyoverse has surprised the playerbase with the introduction of Ousia and Pneuma, an affinity-based system that adds depth to the game’s combat. It can be a little difficult to understand how the new Ousia and Pneuma affinities work in Genshin Impact so we simplified it for you.
How Ousia and Pneuma works in Genshin Impact
Here’s what you need to know about the Ousia and Pneuma mechanics in Genshin Impact.
Ousia and Pneuma are two polar opposite forms of energy that exist in the nation of Fontaine. It looks like all Fontaine characters will be assigned one of the two affinities with Lyney, Lynette, Freminet and even the Hydro Traveler getting access to affinities.
Characters with Ousia affinities deal more damage to enemies with Pneuma affinities, and vice versa.
Ousia and Pneuma can also be used to solve puzzles.
In the overworld, Ousia and Pneuma nodes can be found and they buff enemies with the corresponding affinity.
These nodes can be negated by using the opposing Ousia or Pneuma element.
A player with a character that has the Ousia affinity can use their Elemental Skill to deal increased damage to an enemy with Pneuma affinity and it works the other way around as well. Depending on how common Ousia and Pneuma enemies are, you might want to have at least one character from each affinity in your party.
Many players have strong opinions about the introduction of the new mechanics. While the two new affinities do add some depth to combat, they also pose teambuilding restrictions especially if you are forced to use them for overworld exploration, overworld enemies or the Spiral Abyss.
