Hellur fellow travelers! Genshin Impact has launched yet another set of chibi emojis on HoYoLAB, and the community is, oh, going nuts. You may completely understand why the reactions themselves are setting a mood. Paimon’s Paintings Set 44 has just been released, featuring all those cute expressions the players can finally put to use and engage their fellow players with in conversation. Now with Genshin, all cuteness aside, updates follow with views, theories, debates, and utter chaos.
So, what’s all the fuss about these new emojis? Well, the company, whatever it’s calling itself this week-mihoyo, or better yet HoYoverse-has released a set of wonderfully cute chibi-style emojis for characters such as Columbina, Sandrone, and Lauma. Paimon, the (in)famous favorite emergency food for all of us, seems to be the artist behind these-and that is somehow perfectly fitting. The official tweet states that they hope players enjoy them and that more are coming soon. But, of course, the Genshin fandom never once just says “oh cool” and moves on with something else. Nope. They go DEEP.
Upon seeing these, players immediately realized that Columbina and Sandrone were present in this set. If you know anything about Genshin lore, then you know that those two are Fatui Harbingers. And that’s really huge! For years, the fans have been speculating if or when these two will be playable, and suddenly, with the introduction of impartial new emojis, speculation has become a muddy mess. One user, @FireflyErba2299, says it straight, “Columbina playable confirmed ↑” which, like… mood. But also, calm down, it’s just an emoji, right? …Right?
Then there’s @0rd0vicius drawing our attention: “Sandrone emoji this early? Hmm…wonder what this implies.” Yeah, wonder indeed. The Genshin fans basically act like detectives when they see clues in everything. It wouldn’t be a surprise if it really does mean something towards future updates. Remember that time when there were stickers added for characters just before they were released? Yep, exactly like that.
However, farther down the pipeline, we have more problems. Some players are actually complaining about the new emoji system. @ethancaptor said “bringback the old emojis system this nee sucks,” and oof, harsh. And @NewAngelGENESIS suggested that they should stop releasing emojis in sets and just make them character-specific files. Honestly, that’s not a bad idea? Like, why do we have to download a whole set when we just want one character’s emoji? Come on, HoYoverse, get with the program.
And then, of course, there’s the usual chaos in the reply sections. People spamming invitation codes (seriously, stop), and there are also shout-outs (almost desperate ones) to how much they adore certain characters. @kuniii_k went fully upper-case with “COLUMBINA EMOTEEEEEE YIPPEEEEEE,” which is basically how all of us feel when we see something we like. In contrast, @typhatail had a rather disturbing reaction: “if y’all kill Columbina after this I’ll be wishing the worst upon every single employee you have and their entire bloodline.” Yikes. Maybe go outside for some fresh air, mate.
On a more positive note, some players are really digging the cuteness. @beidousalcor shared an image of Lauma protecting her people with the caption “Aww Lauma protecting her people 🥰,” which is honestly wholesome. @JhumKaLogic also chimed in with two pretty funny takes: one is perfect for when slimes interrupt commissions, and another for hyping up a team after Spiral Abyss. Relatable content, honestly.
Wait, though, what are these emojis for exactly? @sukaikitsuneNr1 asked, “Where do I find these in the game?” which is indeed a pertinent question. They are apparently up on HoYoLAB, which is the community site/app for Genshin Impact. So you have to go there to download and use them. Coulda been in the game, but whatsoneguygot.com says, “meh.” Thanks to @Genshin__Update, we got a shout-out for being actual help with those links.
There’s also some random discussoin about weapons, practically @Itto91366 reacts with “I swear on skibidi if she’s another motherfukin polearm…” which is, lol, the polearm overload in Genshin is real. And @WathashyS has requests for Dottore emojis, because of course, someone would. The demands never end.
Still, all things considered, this emoji drop is probably what HoYoverse intended to do in the first place-exciting tons of arguments and hype. While some will complain, the majority love the new expressions that feature characters that aren’t even playable yet. Smart to keep the community engaged in between updates. Coupled with Paimon’s promise of more cute emojis in the future, the chaos will continue.
So, Genshin players, if you haven’t checked these out yet, maybe you want to head over to HoYoLAB and grab them. Whether to express your love for Columbina or just for complaints about slime interruptions, these are a fun part of the whole Genshin world. Just don’t get too serious about it, or you might end up cursing someone’s lineage over a mere pixel art. On second thought, what was I saying? Oh, right. Emojis. Cute. Fun. Get them.
