Genshin Impact’s Yae Miko was one of the most long-awaited Inazuman characters who only made her debut in Version 2.5. Despite the excitement leading up to her release, her kit was met with lukewarm feedback from the community. In particular, her Elemental Skill, the main source of her Damage, hasn’t been well-received.
HoYoverse has closely watched player feedback on Yae Miko and rolled out adjustments in the recent Version 2.6 update. However, players aren’t happy with the new adjustments, which have turned Yae Miko into an even more unreliable unit.
The Problem With Yae Miko
Yae Miko’s Elemental Skill can summon up to three Sesshou Sakura, Electro totems that strike thunder upon nearby enemies. The main problem was that there wasn’t clarity on the skill’s enemy-targeting mechanism. Previously, they struck enemies and objects at random, sometimes choosing to strike torches instead of monsters. At C2, which requires three copies of Yae Miko in total, the totems’ attack range is increased by 60 percent.
HoYoverse’s Solution
To quell the controversy behind Yae Miko’s skill targeting mechanism, HoYoverse adjusted the targeting logic behind Yae Miko’s Elemental Skill. Rather than attacking at random, it now prioritizes the closest enemy.
Community Response
Genshin Impact players largely believe that Yae Miko’s update is a direct nerf to her kit. The targeting logic cripples the most important aspect of her gameplay, which was her large range (further amplified by the expensive C2 upgrade). With her new targeting logic, she now does zero Damage to the closest enemies if they’re holding a shield. It has also completely made her C2 range upgrade useless.
Players took to social media to express their anger at HoYoverse’s decision to implement this change. In particular, players believe that this “adjustment” is a scam, as the game developer shouldn’t change a product after it’s been sold. It’s common practice for gacha games to compensate players with a full refund in premium currency whenever such game-changing updates are made on a previously-released character, but HoYoverse didn’t roll out anything.
The Japanese community, which is typically docile even amid the worst Genshin Impact controversies, has been the angriest this time around. Japanese players have reportedly begun sending complaints to the Consumer Affairs Agency, claiming that this update is a complete scam.
HoYoverse has yet to respond to the controversy. But given the size of the backlash, which rivals that of the anger against Zhongli’s initial release, the company is expected to quell the flames with a more appropriate adjustment to Yae Miko’s kit—or they could get into legal trouble.
Check out our guide on How do the changes to Yae Miko affect her gameplay in Genshin Impact? to further understand Version 2.6’s Yae Miko.
