frozen-water-sans-water-is-unfreezable-unmeltable-etc

KQM | Genshin Impact

43 messages

TiBotSat, August 20, 2022 at 04:02 PM

@aeveanleeow - As an author, it is your responsibility to complete the ticket

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Write-up Format

Theory/Finding/Bug: Title of your submission

Evidence: Explanations with calculations and/or YouTube/Imgur proofs

Significance: Conclusion

effab1eSat, August 20, 2022 at 04:04 PM

first

aeveanleeowSat, August 20, 2022 at 04:05 PM

mfw the 2fa popup is back

thought i tested everything but actually i didnt confirm if its just unfreezable

or if frozen water just isnt water / no hydro or w/e

TiBotSat, August 20, 2022 at 04:52 PM

This ticket has been renamed to frozen water is not water, cryo, or hydro by @aeveanleeow

This ticket has been renamed to frozen water sans water is unfreezable, unmeltable, etc by @aeveanleeow

effab1eSat, August 20, 2022 at 06:27 PM

why does this get more doom as i check on it

aeveanleeowSat, August 20, 2022 at 06:54 PM

well its like

i had to rename cuz

first time i found it it isnt just unfreezable, its unmeltable, no sc or absorption, etc

second rename was cuz the first rename was not accurate

the cryo in frozen water can be reacted with (sc)

only if theres water

frozen water on its own without water is inert

Finding:

Frozen water can be isolated from regular water by changing the water level or position after freezing the water. The patch of ice will be stationary, and you may stand on it or place constructs on it, just like the regular behaviour. It will also expire at the expected time for regular frozen water. This is similar behaviour to electrocharged patches of water, which will also remain in place regardless of the water movement, and will behave as expected.

This ticket uses an area in Mona's GAA quest domain. Do note that the water level does continuously change between the 3 possible ending states, so you can freeze or electrocharge water inbetween the "3 levels," but for ease of TC most of the tests were done at the top or middle level.

Note that there are visual bugs where the part of or the entire ice graphic may disappear prematurely. It is unknown whether this is because of the graphics settings I used, the mechanics of the water level changer, or an issue with frozen water without regular water. This is entirely visual and the invisible ice functions the exact same.

However, frozen water is inert and will not be effected by elemental applications or abilities. This is in contrast to regular frozen water, which has numerous interactions with elemental applications.

Pyro: will not melt the ice
Cryo: will not extend the duration of freeze
Electro: will not produce a superconduct effect
Anemo: no swirl, but regular frozen water with water will not swirl either
Absorption: cannot absorb cryo
Geo: no crystallize, but regular frozen water with water will not crystallize either
Hydro: will not extend the duration of freeze. No effect on regular frozen water with water either, this is just to prove that there is no interaction with a hypothetical cryo aura on the frozen water.

One theory I had was that the water itself holds the cryo aura, rather than the physical manifestation of the frozen water. However, an elemental application to the corresponding displaced water does not behave as if there is any cryo aura (no SC on Electro application), which does not support this conclusion.

Evidence:

Stationary: just look at any of the other ones omegalul
Construct: https://youtu.be/k2eo5DgXnr8
Standing, partial disappearance of ice bug: https://youtu.be/nDjXIv46zDQ
EC stationary: https://youtu.be/IfzAvWJpFbs
Continuous water movement: https://youtu.be/JsZWpBxT5Y0
Pyro: https://youtu.be/FF-lQZuWvng
Cryo: https://youtu.be/q6l4NDl0DVM
Electro: https://youtu.be/vGuxTO9YSC0
Anemo, absorption: https://youtu.be/EQ-G_Nhn4qs
Geo: https://youtu.be/RGfLqrgqjTc
Hydro, complete disappearance of ice bug: https://youtu.be/XrNW8m0eRuU
No superconduct on corresponding displaced water: https://youtu.be/Xma4ohW6Zks

Significance:

Bravo, MiYoHo. On the surface, this seems to be a relatively innocuous mechanic that has little impact on gameplay or balance. However, this is actually a brilliant mechanic that increases game depth and the skill ceiling of Genshin Impact. Consider some alternate methods to implement the frozen water mechanic:

One option is to make things "logical," for frozen water to simply disappear when the water level moves, or to move with the water itself. There is nothing inherently bad about this approach, but it has little effect on gameplay, and the game will have less depth as a result. Allowing Cryo units to obtain the high ground, unlike other elements, increases the variety and diversity in Genshin Impact. Consider the alternative. If every element had the same capabilities, then the game would be much less interesting. Thus, the "logical" approach is undesirable.

Another option is for frozen water to behave the same as frozen water with regular water. However, this is undeniably the worst option, and would make Cryo units unbelievably overpowered. By freezing water first, and then lowering the water level next, one could indefinitely hold the high ground advantage with enough Cryo application from any unit.

It is true that there is counterplay to this, but the counterplay is not enough. For instance, Pyro characters could try to melt the ice from underneath their enemy, if they have a ranged attack with a sufficiently large area of effect. However, the limited counterplay in this form would be incredibly restrictive towards players wishing to use elements that cannot handle these Cryo unit meta abusers.

Therefore, making it so that frozen water is inert to all interactions is simply the most ideal approach. It retains the strategic depth that the high ground provides for Cryo units. However, since the frozen water cannot be frozen, this high ground advantage cannot be indefinitely held. And since it does not interact with any other elements, players will not have to be restricted to any particular element or type of unit to play against this particular interaction.

In conclusion, this mechanic is yet another masterpiece of game balance centered around the core mechanic of Genshin Impact, the high ground. It is safe to say that MiYoHo have some of the greatest developers of all time. One maybe could have argued that the success of the Frostbearing Tree, and how its highest of grounds may be achieved with nothing but your bare hands, was a one off fluke. A one hit wonder of game balance. But this mechanic proves otherwise, and I cannot wait to see how the high ground mechanic is used in Sumeru.