Companionship EXP in Genshin Impact is another feature that many players are interested in. It means building Friendship with any of the current playable characters and thus, unlocking more details about them. The max level is 10, and it can take a long while to get there unless someone deliberately farms Companionship EXP. Raising Friendship Level is another way for players to enjoy and appreciate each individual character. There are also a few rewards that someone can gain through raising Friendship Level.
There are many easy ways to gain Companionship EXP, and all characters require the same amount. Daily commissions are the easiest way to gain Companionship EXP. Each commission gives up to 60 EXP, depending on AR and which type of commission. Some of the easiest daily commissions in Genshin Impact reward just as much as the more complex ones. Turning in the commissions for bonus rewards can award up to another massive 100 EXP. Anything requiring Resin also awards up to 20 EXP. This means completing domains, challenging ley lines, and defeating bosses. Serenitea Pot also provides Companionship EXP for how long the character resides in it.
Companionship EXP gained through uses of Resin also grants double the amount during co-op play. That means a character can gain up to 80 EXP when the player uses a Condensed Resin after successfully finishing the domain. Weekly bosses can provide up to 140 EXP during co-op. Additionally, during single-player, removing or adding a character into the party does not diminish or increase the amount of Companionship EXP gained. Every character in the party will gain the amount shown.
Current Rewards Are Not As Meaningful As Genshin Impact Characters
As mentioned earlier, maxing out Friendship Level can be a long process, even with some of the best ways to increase Genshin Impact's friendship level. The current rewards include having a character-exclusive name card, unlocking character stories and voice lines in the character profile page, and unlocking more poses during the camera function. When a character reaches Friendship Level 10, it also progresses the "Hitherto Unknown" achievement. These rewards are pretty nice, but there could be even more.
Additional voice lines triggered during Elemental Skill or Elemental Burst usage could be added as higher Friendship Level is reached. These characters are accompanying the Traveler on their journey, so it makes perfect sense for them to express their fondness when they're joining the party or using their skills. An example would be Qiqi's voice line for her last Ascension phase. Qiqi, one of the best Genshin Impact Cryo characters, requests "Can you make me a promise? From now on, please, let me protect you. Do you accept? Yes or No?" Another example is when Keqing wonders whether the Traveler will still be by her side. These voice lines are lovely, and it would be nice to have these as another friendship feature.
Genshin Impact characters in the Serenitea Pot have more dialogue options the higher their friendship level. Reaching friendship level 7 also unlocks the final dialogue option. Many of these dialogue options have the character asking the protagonist out on a date or include some harmless flirting. It's all very cute. However, besides the biggest Genshin Impact Serenitea Pot issue, a major lacking feature is that the characters are just stationary. Genshin Impact should take the character friendship levels further and have the characters interact with all the different objects in there. Cooking, watering the plants, or dusting off furniture would all add to their personalities and individualities.
There was a brief Genshin Impact observation that max friendship 5-star characters had a bit of an extra detail in their burst animations. This idea was quickly disputed, but it does seem like a nice feature. Two examples were Diluc briefly smiling and Klee having an extra shine in her animation. Perhaps all the rest of the 5-star characters could have some pizzazz in their burst animations as well. 4-star characters can also have some new details in their Elemental Bursts.
Max Friendship Celebrates Each Genshin Impact Character As Individuals
Perhaps the rate for utility passive bonuses can increase for the max friendship characters. Some of the best Genshin Impact character utility passives involve triggering bonuses with a certain percentage. That percentage could be increased. Even a 5% or 10% increase could mean a lot for the player. It also coincides with the traveler earning their trust they're able to work harder to show their friendship. Additionally, when a character cooks their specialty, players have a small percentage of obtaining said dish. This cooking percentage could also go up as well.
When Genshin Impact is not paused but the player is inactive for about 30 seconds, characters perform their idle motions or speak their idle lines. These details are great and add a lot to their personality. When friendship level goes up, more motions and speech should be available. In the voiceover page, most voice lines can only be heard through selecting them. The characters talk more about themselves or greet the traveler good morning and good night. Different weather conditions in Genshin Impact trigger their respective voice line, but the time of day could also be a trigger for their greeting.
Many Genshin Impact characters need new skins, including a fully customizable Traveler. All characters should have their own exclusive skin that can be unlocked by max Friendship Level. This could incentivize players to pull for more characters because they can enjoy the character's aesthetic. A simple color scheme change or even a different hairstyle could be enough. The pride in getting the desired character and maxing out their friendship level could really show.
There are nearly 50 playable characters in the Genshin Impact roster, including Kamisato Ayato arriving in Genshin Impact 2.6. Most casual or free-to-play players do not have access to all the characters. This means that each character should come with a whole lot more to them in order to make each of them special. Their combat is one thing, but what makes them special and stand out should be celebrated more. That's why having more Friendship Level rewards can be an important means of characterization.