The Most Important Power In Genshin Impact Explained

Summary

The divine Gnoses in Genshin Impact are powerful artifacts that make the Archons divine and were awarded after the Archon War.
The Tsaritsa is collecting the Gnoses from the other Archons by force or diplomacy.
Speculation in the community suggests that the Tsaritsa may be planning to revive the fallen Third Descender using the Gnoses.

The Gnosis is a small chess piece that represents an element, one of seven, to be in an Archon's possession. Genshin Impact has built wonderful lore and thought out every piece and tidbit of story it puts into the game. Genshin Impact's Gnoses are some of, if not the most, powerful items in all of Teyvat. They are what "makes" an Archon. These tiny artifacts were rewarded to the seven Archons after the Archon War long ago.

They are also, however, a means of control over Teyvat for Celestia. The Archons can defend their nations with these devices, use them how they feel they should, but it's implied that the rightful place for these Gnoses is in the god's chests. This was best shown with Genshin Impact's Venti, Nahida and Furina as when their Gnoses were taken or nearly taken, their chests were pierced by the offender's hands (Signora, Scaramouche, and Arlecchino.)

Genshin Impact’s Divine Gnoses

Origin of the Gnoses

It was revealed in the most recent Fontaine Archon Quest that the Gnoses are more than they seem. They're made out of Genshin Impact's Third Descender's corpse, crafted by the first two Descenders (supposedly the Primordial One and "The Second Who Came.") When Skirk said this to Neuvillette and the Traveler, the question popped up about if the Traveler had the same properties within their body. It isn't known at this time. However, the Third Descender's body was so full of the elements and able to be harnessed in the form of the Gnoses under the work of the two other descenders.

The Collected Gnoses

The chess pieces are proof of divinity. However, the Tsaritsa has a mysterious plan to collect all seven Gnoses for some unknown reason. She sends her Harbingers out across Teyvat to collect the Gnoses from the other Archons by any means necessary. Though Tsaritsa's Fatui Harbingers are an allegedly diplomatic group, not all of them have acted diplomatically. Most notably, La Signora forcibly removed the Anemo Gnosis from Venti at the start of the game. Scaramouche had also tried to forcibly take the Dendro Gnosis out of Kusanali's chest.

The Geo Gnosis was collected surprisingly peacefully from Genshin Impact's Zhongli by La Signora since he had made a contract "to end all contracts" with the Tsaritsa. He handed it over to her despite Childe trying to get it for a little while. The Electro Gnosis was passed around a few times:

First given to Scaramouche by Yae Miko in exchange for the Traveler's life
Taken by Kusanali from Scaramouche after his defeat
Given to Dottore by Kusanali in exchange for the truth about the skies

The Dendro Gnosis was also given to Dottore in the same discussion. Even the Hydro Gnosis is in Tsaritsa's clutches, given to Arlecchino as a "diplomatic gift." After all, she had been a big help in aiding those who'd been hurt by the beginnings of the Prophecy hitting Fontaine. There's only one Gnosis left unclaimed: the Pyro Gnosis. After all, the Cryo Archon would naturally still have her Cryo Gnosis.

Given that the Gnoses are part of the Third Descender corpse, some members of the community speculate the Tsaritsa may intend to revive the fallen Descender. If this is the case, one wonders why she would want to do this, especially if Nahida's gambled threat has any truth to it -- if breaking a Gnosis summons the Heavenly Principles.

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OpenCritic Reviews: Top Critic Avg: 81 /100 Critics Rec: 87%

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Released: September 28, 2020
ESRB: Teen / Alcohol Reference, Fantasy Violence, In-Game Purchases (Includes Random Items), Users Interact
Developer(s): HoYoverse (Formerly miHoYo)
Publisher(s): HoYoverse (Formerly miHoYo)
Engine: Unity
Multiplayer: Online Co-Op
Cross-Platform Play: All platforms