Genshin Impact Version 2.3's event story quest, titled Shadows Amidst Snowstorms, centers on the story of Mondstadt alchemist, Albedo. As the story progresses, several details were revealed about Albedo's backstory, including his origins and true identity. However, the conclusion of "Act III: A Secret Born from Ashes" seems to have raised questions and confusion concerning Albedo's ultimate fate in Genshin Impact.

Albedo, otherwise known as the Kreideprinz, was initially introduced in Genshin Impact Version 1.2 as the Chief alchemist and Captain of the Investigation Team of the Knights of Favonius. In Shadows Amidst Snowstorms Act I, Albedo was revealed to be a synthetic human created by a researcher in Khaenri'ah named Rhinedottir, whom he refers to as his mother and teacher. Later in his narration, Albedo reveals that Rhinedottir's masterpieces were Albedo and the venomous dragon who died in Genshin Impact Dragonspine region, Durin, connecting the two contrasting creations as brothers. Albedo's mystery did not end with the revelation of his actual identity, as a troubling encounter with an impostor of Albedo began to transpire while the Traveler and other Knights of Favonius members were in the frigid region of Dragonspine in Genshin Impact.

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At the beginning of "Act I: The Snowy Past" Genshin Impact story quest, the Traveler encountered Albedo in Mondstadt with Sucrose. The Traveler's instincts immediately sensed that Albedo was behaving suspiciously. Later on, the Traveler's speculations would come to light as Albedo confesses to the Traveler that he was not the Albedo he met in Mondstadt but rather an impostor, or the Primordial Albedo. Throughout the succeeding story quests, Albedo and his impostor would appear alternately at varying moments - but Traveler was constantly on the lookout for the impostor, analyzing his appearance and remarks. In Genshin Impact Version 2.3's "Act II: The Shadows Deepen," the Traveler and other members of Knights of Favonius would engage in combat with the imposter, who later reveals himself as a Fell flower copy of Albedo.

Genshin Impact 2.3: How Many Albedos Are Actually In The Quest

Genshin Impact Version 2.3 Albedo in Shadows Amidst Snowstorms Event

When Rhinedottir started the Primordial Human Project in which she created synthetic humans, the Primordial Albedo in Genshin Impact, known as Subject Two, was her first attempt. However, the Primordial Albedo was considered a failure and instead left inside Durin. The Primordial Albedo that appears in the quest noticeably lacks a golden diamond-shaped marking on his neck. In Genshin Impact's Shadows Amidst Snowstorms Act II, Albedo explained that the mark on his neck is proof of his imperfection as a human and a symbol indicating his artificial origins. Everything Albedo revealed about the Primordial Albedo sounds remarkably like a novel plot, so Paimon proposed creating her own story based on Albedo's narrative and previous events in the story. Albedo responded by challenging Paimon of Genshin Impact to a storytelling contest.

Albedo in Genshin Impact began to narrate his made-up story about a great alchemist who created Subject One, a synthetic human who has successfully integrated into human society, making it the proudest achievement of the alchemist. However, before Subject One came into being, the alchemist had to make multiple attempts and reject every failed experiment. Then came Subject Two, one of the alchemist's failed attempts who had been discarded but remained alive. Subject Two was devoured by a dragon that rested in a snow-covered mountain.

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Years later, Subject Two is resurrected by the dragon's power. Subject Two began stealing Subject One's notes and books. Eventually, Subject Two learned alchemy through the stolen materials, transforming himself to imitate the appearance of Subject One and forging a new entity known as Subject Three. Subject Two used Subject Three to divert Subject One's attention to carry out his plan to replace Subject One, according to Albedo in Genshin Impact. After Subject One eliminated Subject Three, he would assume that the threat had been eradicated. The next moment Subject One is alone, Subject Two would make his move to attack Subject One until he replaces him.

Albedo's made-up story sounded familiar as if he was retelling an actual occurrence that happened in Genshin Impact. Even the Traveler has suspected that what Albedo was describing may not be a completely fabricated scenario. Albedo also refers to the alchemist as a female, hinting that it may be Rhinedottir. Meanwhile, Albedo might also be speaking about himself and the Primordial Albedo when he refers to "Subjects."

What is more intriguing is that if Albedo's narrative is true, the presence of Subject Three means that three Albedos appeared throughout the story quest. Furthermore, it is unknown if the Primordial Albedo in Genshin Impact was successful in his plan to replace Albedo. After all, Albedo got rid of the mutated Fell flower and was left alone when the storytelling ended that might have given the Primordial Albedo a moment to strike back.

Genshin Impact 2.3: What Does The Ending of Act III Really Mean

Genshin Impact 2.3's "Act III: A Secret Born From Ashes" concludes the Shadows Amidst Snowstorms story quest. Despite being the final quest in the series, there is still confusion surrounding what happened to Albedo. The last scene where the Traveler and Albedo met once again in Mondstadt has worried players that Albedo may have perished. Nonetheless, it may also be that Albedo is still in Dragonspine while the Traveler met the Primordial Albedo in Mondstadt at the end of the quest. When the Traveler noticed the immediate disappearance of the diamond marking on Albedo's neck, he became wary and expressed his suspicions to Albedo by looking directly at that spot.

While it may seem that Albedo is pulling a prank, the disappearance of the mark might also be an indication that the Traveler in Genshin Impact is speaking with the Primordial Albedo. Parallel to Albedo's made-up story, the Primordial Albedo in Genshin Impact might have used the mutated Fell flower to distract the Traveler and gain information since the mutated Fell flower was caught due to the absence of the diamond marking on his neck. Presumably, Primordial Albedo picked up on the importance of the diamond marking as a means of determining who the true Albedo is. Furthermore, Albedo's suggestion of storing Paimon's Sunsettias in Dragonspine and asking the Traveler to pick them out seems to be a ploy to bait the Traveler in disposing of him. If this is the case, then Primordial Albedo might have yet to succeed with his plan.

The true Albedo's fate in Genshin Impact is unclear - he may have been attacked and killed by the Primordial Albedo after the Traveler departed from the campsite, or he may still be alive and residing in his campsite in Dragonspine. As Albedo said in his fabricated story, Subject Two would secretly replace Subject One in everyone's memory. If this is what truly happened, then the Albedo known before in Genshin Impact may have been replaced as soon after he was left alone in the campsite.

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