What can you do as a free member?

Member benefits illustration

Create your free account today and unlock all our premium features and tools to enhance your gaming experience.

Member benefits illustration

Create your free account today and save articles to your watchlist and get notified when they're updated with new information.

Member benefits illustration

Create your free account today and save your favorite games for quick access later, synced across all your devices.

Member benefits illustration

By creating a Game8 account and logging in, you'll receive instant notifications when someone replies to your posts.

Comment rating feature illustration

By creating a Game8 account and logging in, you can make use of convenient features in the comments section, such as rating and sorting comments.

Premium archive feature illustration

By creating a Game8 account and logging in, you can access Premium articles that are exclusively available to members.

Site Interface

Guest
Free Member
Article Watchlist
Game Bookmarks
Cross-device Sync
Light/Dark Theme Toggle
User Profiles
Direct Feedback
Comment Rating

Game Tools

Guest
Free Member
Interactive Map Access
Interactive Map Pins
Interactive Map Comments
Interactive Map Pins Cross-Device
Check List
Event Choice Checker
Deck Builder Cross-Device
Message Board Notification
Message Board Cross-Device
Build Planner
Stat Calculator
Diagnostic Tool
Weapon/Armor Wishlist

Want more information?Learn more

Genshin Impact

Who and What are the Descenders?

Add to Watchlist

Genshin Impact Version 3.2 The Descenders

The Descenders in Genshin Impact are entities whose origins and existence do not originally belong to Teyvat. The first named and known to be the fourth Descender, is the Traveler. See who the Descenders are and everything we know about them in this guide!

What are the Descenders?

Not Originally From Teyvat

Genshin Impact Version 3.2 The Descenders - Not Originally from Teyvat
From Traveler and Nahida's exchange during the Archon Quest Chapter 3: Act 5, Akasha Pulses, the Kalpa Flame Rises, "Descenders" is the term coined by the Fatui Harbingers to classify beings who are not from Teyvat originally.

Nahida explicitly mentioned that the Traveler is the "Fourth Descender", implying that there are Descenders who came before and highly plausible that there are others who came after him.

Also, the "First Descender" is hypothesized by Nahida to be the Heavenly Principles.

Sustainer of Heavenly Principles

Genshin Impact Version 3.2 The Descenders - Sustainer of the Heavenly Principles
The very first encounter of the traveler Twins with the Sustainer of the Heavenly Principles was back when they got stopped by an Unknown God to go to the next world.

Whether or not the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles and the Heavenly Principles that Nahida referred to as the first Descender, are the same, it can be assumed that both are highly connected.

It can also be noted that Heavenly Principles are divine principles that are absolutely upheld, so much so, that even the Archon themselves acknowledge their authority.

Gnoses Represent the Heavenly Principles' Authority

Genshin Impact Version 3.2 The Descenders - Gnoses Represent the Heavenly Principles
Gnoses physically look like chest pieces bearing the insignia of the corresponding Element their Archon is affiliated to, and from what we can gather, they represent the power of the Heavenly Principles.

The God of Wisdom, Buer mentioned this during her negotiation with The Doctor regarding the Gnoses. And while Nahida did mention that it's just a bluff, it's implied later on that the Gnoses being the Heavenly Principles' symbol of power still holds true.

It can be concurred then, that the Archons are aspects of the Heavenly Principles' power over mankind, which places Archons in an inferior position compared to them, in terms of power.

This is probably also the reason why the previous Archons—Venti, Zhongli, and Raiden Shogun—failed to provide significant information to the Traveler about the whereabouts of their twin, because they never had it in the first place.

Nahida was just in an advantageous position, given that she's directly connected to the Irminsul Tree, and thus has access to information that are usually barred from the outside.

Gnoses are Remains of a Descender

Genshin - Gnoses serve as remains of a Descender

Every Gnoses has a remains of a Descender. In the Masquerade of the Guilty Archon Quest, Skirk mentioned to Neuvilette that the Hydro Gnosis has the remains of the Third Descender.

The Third Descender is currently unknown and only Skirk's master, Surtalogi, knows of their identity.

The Traveler's Twin Is Not A Descender

Genshin Impact Version 3.2 The Descenders - The Traveler
Among the many information that Nahida has successfully gathered, the Traveler being a Descender and their twin being an original Teyvat resident seems to be the most bewildering.

According to Lesser Lord Kusanali, the Traveler's twin has remaining records in the Irminsul Tree—the reservoir of all the memories of Teyvat.

This shouldn't be initially the case, but Nahida arrived at this conclusion nonetheless. In addition, the Aranara has mentioned someone called the "Golden Nara", whose exact identity is still unknown, but bits and bobs of evidences point to them being the twin, and thus cannot say otherwise.

At this point, it's all but a speculation why the Traveler and their Abyss Twin is a Descender and not, respectively, but from the way Nahida and her Aranara children framed it, it's implied that the Irminsul Tree "remembers" them the same way the Aranara does.

Who are the Descenders?

Confirmed Descenders

The Heavenly Principles

Genshin Impact Version 3.2 The Descenders - Confirmed Descender - The Heavenly Principles
Albeit just a hypothesis, Nahida refers to the Heavenly Principles as the first "First Descender".

The Traveler

Genshin Impact Version 3.2 The Descenders - Confirmed Descender - The Traveler
The Fatui has classified the Traveler as the "Fourth Descender", making them the first ranked and named official Descender.

Genshin Impact Related Guides

Genshin Impact - Characters

All Characters and Voice Actors

List of All Characters

Characters by Element
Genshin - Pyro Characters Pyro Genshin - Anemo Characters Anemo Genshin - Electro Characters Electro Genshin - Hydro Characters Hydro
Genshin - Dendro Characters Dendro Genshin - Geo CharactersGeo Genshin - Cryo CharactersCryo

All Character Builds

Playable Characters

All Playable Characters
Chasca Chasca Faruzan Faruzan Heizou Heizou Ifa Ifa
Jahoda Jahoda Jean Jean Kazuha Kazuha Lan Yan Lan Yan
Lynette Lynette Mizuki Mizuki Sayu Sayu Sucrose Sucrose
Traveler (Anemo) Traveler (Anemo) Venti Venti Wanderer Wanderer Xianyun Xianyun
Xiao Xiao Aloy Aloy Ayaka Ayaka Charlotte Charlotte
Chongyun Chongyun Citlali Citlali Diona Diona Escoffier Escoffier
Eula Eula Freminet Freminet Ganyu Ganyu Kaeya Kaeya
Layla Layla Mika Mika Qiqi Qiqi Rosaria Rosaria
Shenhe Shenhe Skirk Skirk Wriothesley Wriothesley Alhaitham Alhaitham
Baizhu Baizhu Collei Collei Emilie Emilie Kaveh Kaveh
Kinich Kinich Kirara Kirara Lauma Lauma Nahida Nahida
Nefer Nefer Tighnari Tighnari Traveler (Dendro) Traveler (Dendro) Yaoyao Yaoyao
Beidou Beidou Clorinde Clorinde Cyno Cyno Dori Dori
Fischl Fischl Flins Flins Iansan Iansan Ineffa Ineffa
Keqing Keqing Lisa Lisa Ororon Ororon Raiden Raiden
Razor Razor Sara Sara Sethos Sethos Shinobu Shinobu
Traveler (Electro) Traveler (Electro) Varesa Varesa Yae Miko Yae Miko Albedo Albedo
Chiori Chiori Gorou Gorou Itto Itto Kachina Kachina
Navia Navia Ningguang Ningguang Noelle Noelle Traveler (Geo) Traveler (Geo)
Xilonen Xilonen Yun Jin Yun Jin Zhongli Zhongli Aino Aino
Ayato Ayato Barbara Barbara Candace Candace Dahlia Dahlia
Furina Furina Kokomi Kokomi Mona Mona Mualani Mualani
Neuvillette Neuvillette Nilou Nilou Sigewinne Sigewinne Tartaglia Tartaglia
Traveler (Hydro) Traveler (Hydro) Xingqiu Xingqiu Yelan Yelan Amber Amber
Arlecchino Arlecchino Bennett Bennett Chevreuse Chevreuse Dehya Dehya
Diluc Diluc Durin Durin Gaming Gaming Hu Tao Hu Tao
Klee Klee Lyney Lyney Mavuika Mavuika Thoma Thoma
Traveler (Pyro) Traveler (Pyro) Xiangling Xiangling Xinyan Xinyan Yanfei Yanfei
Yoimiya Yoimiya

Upcoming Characters

All Upcoming Characters
Alice Alice Capitano Capitano Columbina Columbina Dainsleif Dainsleif
Dottore Dottore Illuga Illuga Linnea Linnea Nicole Nicole
Pantalone Pantalone Pierro Pierro Pulcinella Pulcinella Rerir Rerir
Sandrone Sandrone Tsaritsa Tsaritsa Varka Varka Zibai Zibai

Character Lists

Characters by Rarity
5-Star Characters 4-Star Characters
Free Characters
Characters by Weapon Used
Sword Users Claymore Users
Polearm Users Bow Users
Catalyst Users
Characters by Role
Main DPS Characters Sub DPS Characters
Support Characters Healers
Shield Characters Buff Providers
Best for Exploration Local Specialty Passives
Double Reward Passives
Characters by Gender
Male Characters Female Characters
Short Male Characters Short Female Characters
Medium Male Characters Medium Female Characters
Tall Male Characters Tall Female Characters
Characters by Height
Short Characters Medium Characters
Tall Characters
Characters by Region
Mondstadt Characters Liyue Characters
Inazuma Characters Sumeru Characters
Fontaine Characters Natlan Characters
Nod-Krai Characters

Comment

3 Anonymous Anonymous almost 2 years

”Golden Nara” is the name Aranara use to call Aether when you play as him and they calls the other blonde human (presumably Lumine) as “Nara Varuna”.

2 Anonymous Anonymous about 3 years

Inazuma was the end of the Teyvat introduction and Sumeru was the chapter that launched the real storyline. Every nation from now on will be more and more linked to the Heavenly Principles, like the Hydro Archon reluctancy of going against the Divine, the God of War that has her nation close to Sneznaya and the Tsaritsa that went from a loving person to a monster in the Cataclysm.

    All rights reserved

    Guide Index