Genshin Impact: A Comprehensive How-To Guide on Using Elemental Sight on PC

elemental Sight is a fundamental exploration mechanic in Genshin Impact, allowing players to perceive the hidden elemental attributes of their surroundings. This ability is crucial for various in-game activities, from tracking down quest objectives and hidden treasures to understanding enemy weaknesses and solving environmental puzzles. While the core function remains consistent across platforms, the specific input methods for activating Elemental Sight on PC can vary slightly depending on your setup and preferences. This guide provides a detailed, step-by-step walkthrough on how to effectively utilize Elemental Sight on your PC, ensuring you don’t miss any of the subtle clues Teyvat has to offer.

Understanding Elemental Sight

Elemental Sight, at its core, is a visual enhancement that reveals the presence of elemental energies in the game world. When activated, the environment takes on a muted, grayish hue, while elemental trails, interactable objects, and enemies with elemental affiliations glow with distinct colors. This allows players to:

• Track Elemental Trails: Essential for quests that involve following specific paths or locating hidden items.
• Identify Interactable Objects: Chests, mechanisms, and certain quest-related items will glow, making them easier to spot, even in challenging lighting conditions.
• Recognize Enemy Elements: Understanding an enemy’s elemental type is key to exploiting their weaknesses and forming effective combat strategies.
• Solve Puzzles: Many puzzles in genshin Impact require the use of Elemental Sight to reveal hidden clues or activate mechanisms.
• Locate Seelie: Elemental Sight can help guide Seelie to their respective gardens.

Lore-wise, Elemental Sight is typically associated with individuals who possess a Vision, a magical gemstone granted to those with great ambitions. However, the Traveler, the game’s protagonist, can use this ability even without a Vision, highlighting their unique connection to the elements of Teyvat.

How to Activate Elemental Sight on PC

There are two primary methods for activating Elemental Sight on a PC, catering to different playstyles and hardware configurations:

Method 1: Using the Middle Mouse Button

This is the most direct and commonly used method for PC players who utilize a mouse.

1. Launch Genshin impact: Ensure the game is running.
2. Press and Hold the Middle Mouse Button: Locate the scroll wheel on your mouse. Press and hold it down.
3. Observe the Effect: You will hear a distinct sound, and the game’s visuals will shift, indicating that Elemental Sight is active. Your character and the surrounding environment will appear in grayscale, with elemental auras highlighted in color.

Note: While Elemental Sight is active, moving your character will cause it to deactivate after approximately 3 seconds. However, you can maintain the sight indefinitely while standing still.

Method 2: Using the Alt Key and Mouse Cursor

This method is particularly useful for players who may not have a functional middle mouse button or prefer an alternative input.

1. Launch Genshin Impact: Ensure the game is running.
2. Press and Hold the Left Alt Key: Locate the ‘Alt’ key on the left side of your keyboard and press and hold it.
3. Wait for the Cursor to Appear: After a few seconds, your mouse cursor will become visible on the screen.
4. Click the Elemental Sight Icon: With the cursor visible, move it to the top-left corner of the screen, adjacent to the mini-map. You will see a small icon resembling an eye. Click on this icon.
5. Observe the Effect: Elemental Sight will activate, visually altering the game world as described previously.

This method also has a limited duration when moving, similar to the middle mouse button activation.

Customization and Keybindings

It’s important to note that, as of current game versions, the primary keybindings for Elemental Sight on PC (middle mouse button and the Alt-key method) are not directly customizable through the in-game settings. However, players who experience issues with their middle mouse button can explore remapping options through their mouse’s software or third-party macro programs if they wish to assign the function to a different key.

Duration and Cooldown of Elemental Sight

Elemental Sight has a limited duration, especially when your character is in motion.

• While Moving: Elemental Sight typically lasts for about 3 seconds when your character is moving.
• While Stationary: You can maintain Elemental Sight indefinitely as long as your character remains still.

There isn’t a traditional “cooldown” period in the sense of a timed ability recharge. Instead, the duration is tied to your character’s movement. Reactivating Elemental Sight is as simple as repeating the activation method once the previous instance has ended or been interrupted.

Visual Cues and What to Look For

Once Elemental Sight is active, pay close attention to the visual cues it provides:

• Gray Highlights: Objects that can be interacted with, such as chests, teleporters, and certain quest items, will be highlighted in gray.
• Colored Trails: Elemental trails left by enemies or used in quests will appear as colored lines, indicating the type of element associated with them.
• Enemy Auras: Enemies will often glow with an aura corresponding to their elemental type (e.g., red for Pyro, blue for Hydro, yellow for Electro). This is invaluable for planning combat.
• Orange Highlights: Destructible or mineable objects, like ore veins and certain environmental hazards, may appear orange.

Practical Applications and Advanced Tips

Elemental Sight is more than just a visual tool; it’s integral to efficient gameplay:

• Quest Navigation: Many quests, especially those involving tracking or finding specific items, rely heavily on following elemental trails revealed by Elemental Sight.
• Exploration and Chest Hunting: Elemental Sight can reveal hidden chests or interactable objects that might otherwise be missed, especially in dense environments or at night.
• Combat Strategy: Identifying enemy elemental types allows you to switch characters and utilize elemental reactions for maximum damage output. For example, using Hydro attacks on a Pyro-infused enemy will trigger the Vaporize reaction, dealing significant damage.
• Weekly Bounties: When hunting for specific enemies in weekly bounties, Elemental Sight can help pinpoint their location by revealing their elemental trails.
• Seelie Guidance: Elemental Sight can assist in guiding Seelie to their designated gardens by highlighting their paths.

Advanced Tip: While Elemental Sight is active, you can still move the camera and zoom in and out. This allows for a more thorough examination of your surroundings. However, performing actions like attacking, talking to NPCs, or opening the Paimon menu will immediately deactivate Elemental Sight.

Lore and Significance of Elemental Sight

In the world of Teyvat, the ability to perceive elemental energies is often linked to having a Vision, a gift from the gods that grants elemental control. The Traveler, however, is an anomaly, possessing the ability to wield multiple elements without a Vision, and consequently, can also master Elemental Sight. This unique capability underscores the Traveler’s extraordinary nature and their pivotal role in unraveling the mysteries of Teyvat.

While the game mechanics are straightforward, the lore provides a deeper context for why certain characters, like Amber, Lisa, Rosaria, and Yanfei, are also capable of using Elemental Sight, suggesting a connection to their innate sensitivity or perhaps their Visions.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Players may occasionally encounter issues with activating Elemental Sight:

• Non-Responsive Middle Mouse Button: If your mouse’s middle button is faulty or not registering clicks, use the Alt-key method or explore remapping options via mouse software.
• Accidental Deactivation: Be mindful that moving, attacking, or interacting with menus will end Elemental Sight. Practice quick re-activation if needed during prolonged exploration.
• Keybinding Limitations: As mentioned, direct remapping of the default PC controls for Elemental Sight is not supported in-game, which can be a point of frustration for some players.

By understanding these methods and applications, PC players can fully leverage Elemental Sight to enhance their exploration, combat, and puzzle-solving experiences in the vast and intricate world of Genshin Impact.

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