Collected Miscellany - “Dehya: Passion of the Burning Sands” | Genshin Impact

Character frustrations turn into cynicism towards HoYoverse

More frustrated players point out that Dehya’s regular performance doesn’t measure up to older Genshin characters, leading to concerns that the developers will get “lazy” or commit “false advertising” with future character releases. “If HoYoverse can get away with releasing an unfinished character, this can happen again in the future to your favorite character!” read a popular graphic that’s currently being passed around the community. And depending on your level of investment in the meta, a fully decked out character can cost up to $5,000 real world dollars. If players purchased a $60 standalone game, then their complaints might feel overblown. But HoYoverse is ostensibly selling them a premium item, and they expect to get their currency’s worth. The company has previously fixed buggy characters such as Zhongli and Yae Miko, so their hopes weren’t unfounded.

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But Dehya’s limited-time run is over, and HoYoverse still hasn’t issued an official response about her abilities. This has shattered some fans’ faith in the company’s willingness to deliver high-quality products to its players.

“I’ll stick around for Fontaine and see what happens with other characters, but they’ve already knocked one spending player down to [free-to-play],” wrote one redditor. Another fan saw their spending habits change drastically during Dehya’s release. “It’s incredible really. I went from debating C6R5 [which costs around $5,000] or C6R1 to not spending anything on this patch and wondering if I should even buy the [battle pass],” they wrote. “The only thing Dehya could actually be a bodyguard for was my wallet, it seems.”

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Dehya attacks a Ruin Guard.
Screenshot: HoYoverse

“Got me to go from [monthly] Welkin/[battle pass] player with the annual 2x crystal bonuses buyer to a non-spender from here on out,” vowed another player whose purchases would have racked up over $500 a year. “The entire reason I was fine spending money on this game was having confidence [that the] characters I like would be fun to play. Dehya’s absolutely massacred that notion.” Some players felt that HoYoverse was a reliably consistent game designer before Dehya’s release. “I’m now 100% sure I won’t spend a cent on this game anymore since every future 5 [star character] they’re gonna tease that might push me to save primogems / spend a bit might end up being yet another Dehya,” a fan wrote on Reddit. Even a player who obtained Dehya and intended to main her announced that they didn’t intend to pay for the game in the future.

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Both high-spenders and casual players also deserve a normally-powered Dehya. HoYoverse hyped her release for weeks, and they should have put out a character who lived up to all of the marketing. Unfortunately, she turned out worse than any other character in the game.


“The sad part is, all this idiotic kit design took in tremendous effort I’m sure,” wrote one fan. “The concept is unique and out of the way. She would have been less sabotaged if they actually put minimal effort in her kit.”