Who are the Archons in Genshin Impact?

The Seven were the victors of the Archon War which took place two thousand years prior to the main storyline. At the beginning of the game, only Barbatos and Morax remain. Let’s do a rundown on all of Seven Archons and their roles in Genshin Impact.

All Archons in Genshin Impact

Also known as The Seven, the Archons in Genshin Impact rule each region of Tevyat. Every Archon has their own Gnosis which corresponds to the element of the nation they govern. Because of this gnosis, they do not need Visions to control their element, unlike the other characters in the game. Gnosis is connected to Celestia,  from which the Archons acquire their immense power.

Every Archon roams the world in their human disguise, and a new Archon replaced those who did not survive. In fact, only Barbatos and Morax remain when the Traveler arrives in Tevyat.

Barbatos, the Anemo Archon

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The Anemo Archon and the ruler of Mondstadt, Barbatos governs the western-inspired nation of freedom. He is not fond of meddling with his people and prefers to travel, exemplifying his ideal of freedom. When the Traveler’s story begins, Barbatos assumes his mortal persona as Venti, who takes after the human form of his friend who perished in the Decarabian Rebellion. He also goes by other names like the Nameless Bard or the Tone-Deaf Bard.

Morax, the Geo Archon

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The oldest of the Seven archons, Morax’s Archon name is Rex Lapis, the God of All Contracts. He rules Liyue, a Chinese-inspired nation on the east side of Tevyat. His in-game name is Zhongli, and like Barbatos, the Geo Archon also survived the millennia after the Archon War. In the Archon Quests, you figure out that Morax hopes to retire. Morax eventually renounces his title and lives on in his human form.

Raiden Shogun, the Electro Archon

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Better known as Raiden Ei, the ruler of the Japanese-themed nation Inazuma, Raiden Shogun is one of the twin Electro Archons. She ruled the southern part of Tevyat, alone, after her twin Baal did not survive the Archon War. When she assumed the role of Archon, Raiden wasn’t able to grasp her twin’s ideal of eternity and forced the people into a state of unchanging continuity. This particular conflict shows in the Inazuma Archon Quests in Genshin Impact.

Buer, the Dendro Archon

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The Dendro Archon rules Sumeru, a nation that’s home to the famous scholars and researchers of Tevyat. The youngest of the Seven, the Lesser Lord Kusanali or Buer, was conceived after the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata took the purest branch that snapped from the Irminsul. As the Dendro Archon in Genshin Impact, Buer has little control over Sumeru, and it’s mostly due to the Sages of the Akademiya who have taken over. Nevertheless, her human form, Nahida, claims herself as worthy as the God of Wisdom and the Flower Archon in Sumeru’s Archon questline.

Focalors, the Hydro Archon

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Focalors rules Fontaine, which is a region expected to release not until 4.0, As such, there is little to be known about the Hydro Archon at the moment. Since Inazuma was released in 2.0 and Sumeru in 3.0, we suspect that Fontaine and its Archon will be uncovered by Genshin Impact 4.0 onwards.

Murata, the Pyro Archon

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Also known as the Lady of Fire, Murata presides over the nation of Natlan. Like Focalors, not much is known about the Pyro Archon. The manga hints at her ties with Vennessa, as Venti calls their tribe the “Children of Murata.”

The Tsaritsa, the Cryo Archon

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The Cryo Archon rules over Snezhnaya, a nation whose details are not yet revealed in the game. The Tsaritsa is most likely the main antagonist in Genshin Impact, but all that is clear for now is that she has the desire to take control of the Gnosis of the other Archons.

Genshin Impact – What is an Archon’s power and ability?

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Aside from their Gnosis, Archons in Genshin Impact draw power from the level of control they possess and exert over the region they rule. As an example, Barbatos is the weakest of all the Seven even as he’s the second-oldest. This is because, in his pursuit of following his ideal of freedom, he doesn’t govern over Mondstadt as much and leaves his people to their own devices. They also draw strength from the faith of their people in them, which is why Buer’s fighting skills are quite underwhelming.

Archons rule over their respective elements and use it to shape the climate and landscape of the regions they reside in. Unlike humans who rely on Visions to use the elements, the Archons are deeply rooted in their elements prior to becoming one. For example, there’s Barbatos who was a wind spirit before. Meanwhile, Morax has been historically addressed as the “God of Geo” long before he was the Geo Archon. There’s also Buer, the Dendro Archon, who was borne of a branch of Irminsul, which confirms the connection with Dendro.