Genshin Impact’s Fatui Harbingers and their lore, explained

The Genshin effect Hoyoverse developer has released a preview version gave fans a look at one of the game’s worst groups of villains: Fatui Harbingers. Supervillains get hotter and hotter, and the teaser showcases a real party of new characters for fans to obsess over. The months leading up to the game’s Sumeru 3.0 update were packed with leak after leakand this reveal comes as a welcome surprise for fans – finally putting the faces of some of the game’s most notorious characters.

So far in The Genshin effect we only met three Harbingers: Signora, Scaramouche and Childe. There are 11 characters in total, meaning Hoyoverse has revealed eight new characters in just a few minutes. While it seems like a lot to drop at once, the game has been slowly building up to their reveal through its lore. Here’s everything we know so far about Fatui Harbingers to help you refresh these characters as we kick off update 3.0.

[Ed note: The article contains spoilers for events that take place in the Inazuma archon quest line. You might not want to read if you’re not up to date on the story through the game’s 2.7 update.]

What’s happening in the trailer?

The the trailer seems to be happening at some point after the events of the current main quest. At this point, Traveler ventured into the Abyss after helping to resolve internal conflicts in the Inazuma region, and the Sakoku Decree was lifted. We know this because the trailer depicts the Harbingers gathering to mourn the loss of their teammate, Signora. A powerful warrior, Signora was defeated in battle by the Traveler and later killed by the leader of Inazuma, Raiden Shogun. Traveler and the Shogun previously discovered a plot by Fatui to turn the Shogun against her own people.

Image: Hoyoverse

The trailer introduces pieces of each character, with some bickering between the group, as tensions run high following Signora’s death. However, their leader, Pierro, interjected, “Let all worthy sacrifices be etched in ice, and together with this nation endure forever. In the name of the Queen, Tsaritsa, we will take power from the gods. “

What is Fatui?

In the game’s world, Fatui is a delegation of diplomats from the land north of Snezhnaya, ruled by the ice-elemental Cryo archon, Tsaritsa. (The land appears to be inspired by Russia, but we don’t know the details as it’s not part of the game yet.) Fatui represents Tsaritsa’s interests abroad, and while the organization is being held by the government. known as a diplomatic mission, it often sabotages the internal operations of other countries.

At this point, Fatui is aiming for some dark goal regarding the use of the powers of the gods. So far, Fatui Harbingers has acquired (or stolen) Gnosis, a special item made by an elemental god reserved for the archons Anemo, Geo, and Electro (archons are elemental gods). In addition, Fatui caused turmoil in various regions. For example, they exacerbated the conflict in Inazuma by providing misinformation to its leader. General Fatui Agents also frequently appear in the game as enemies that you can fight.

Who are Fatui Harbingers?

The Fatui Harbingers were a high-ranking council of 11 warriors who worked their way to higher levels of leadership under the tsar. They are known for harnessing their elemental powers through an object called a Delusion, an artificially manufactured means of harnessing elemental powers. (In the world of Teyvat, the gods often bestow elemental powers on players in the form of talismans called Visions, but Harbingers artificially created these powers through dubious methods.) In previous boss battles for Harbingers such as Childe or Signora, players can see them wield extraordinary powers and transform into monstrous new forms of their own.

Image: Hoyoverse

We heard about some Harbingers during our adventures in Teyvat through stories and quests. Fans have also pointed out that their names correspond to characters and archetypes from an early Italian theater form called “commedia dell’arte,” Hints at each person’s role as the rest of the game’s story plays out. In addition, the playable character Childe serves as our main connection to the Harbingers, as he has played a large role in several major quests.

Here’s what we know about each of them:

• Childe (Tartaglia): The best known of the Harbingers, Childe is the youngest member. We first meet him in Liyue and discover he is behind a plan to awaken a sea monster that threatens the safety of Liyue Port. Despite everything that happens, he is friends with both Geo Archon and Traveler and cares deeply about his family.
• Pierro (Joker): Pierro is the first Harbinger and the leader of the group. In the trailer, he sits at the head of the table. He is a mysterious character and the one who stops the other members’ arguments.
• Scaramouche (Ball Breaker): Scaramouche doesn’t appear in the recent trailer, but he did meet the Traveler during the Electro Archon quest. During the events of the game, Yae Miko trades him the Gnosis of the Electro archon in exchange for the Traveler’s life. He is also rumored to be a playable character.
• Signora (Rosalyne-Kruzchka Lohefalter): A particularly ambitious member, Signora died during the political collapse of Inazuma. She is responsible for collecting Gnosis from Anemo and Geo Archon.
• Arlecchino (The Knave): In the teaser, Arlecchino is most saddened by Signora’s death and calls some of them “heartless business people”. She is an orphan but little is known about her.
• Pulcinella (Rooster): In the teaser, we see a small and long-nosed character named Pulcinella announcing the gathering for the funeral. We don’t know much about him, but he seems to maintain a good relationship with Childe and take care of Childe’s family while he works abroad.
• Pantalone (Regrator): In his comments, Childe describes Pantalone as a man of “grand plans fueled by raw ambition”. He also appears to manage Fatui’s finances.
• Il Dottore (Doctor): Dottore falls into the “mad scientist” archetype. He appears in the manga, and from there we learn that he performed terrifying experiments on unsuspecting citizens in Mondstadt. He is also described as interested in studying the Ruin Guards that dot the landscape of Teyvat.
• Capitano: While all Harbingers are strong, Childe recognizes Capitano’s prowess on the battlefield and desires to prove her worth to him.
• Sandrone (Marionette): We don’t know much about her, but she seems to be a puppeteer.
• Columbina (Damselette): We see Damselette placed on Signora’s grave in the teaser. Again we don’t know much, but Childe seems wary of her powers.

If you just want to look at the designs, here are pictures of all the reveals with their stills labeled:

Why are people so excited?

So far, the Fatui Harbingers are an ominous and relatively unknown group in the world of games. They played a huge role but mostly worked from the shadows.

This teaser trailer, which seemed to appear out of nowhere, showed them all at once. It was a huge reveal with a lot of new characters and this is a community known for hyping up most new releases of a single character. Everyone is made art fans and memes regarding notifications. (Oh, and a lot Fatui Harbingers are very hotso that doesn’t hurt either.)