One massive lore reveal was casually dropped on all the Genshin Impact players! The official Genshin Impact Twitter account published a cryptic message alongside an image of the shadowy figure that generated thousands of theories among the community.
The official Genshin Impact Twitter account posted just a short, cryptic message that reads “Ruler of Time” Istaroth. “I had to find some way to pass the time, did I not?” Genshin lore theorists immediately took off at full gale. The replies were clogged with a mixture of excitement, shock, and confusion at the rarely calm nature of Genshin lore.
Much of the reactions came from players noting just how much Istaroth looked like Paimon, with one user asking, “Is that Paimon’s sister?” while another jokingly remarked, “Her outfit and all screams Paimon what is happening.” There are definitely some parallels—similar color palette, similar celestial vibe. Whether this will end up as a coincidence or dig deeper into lore remains to be seen.
Well, then there is the Venti one. Fastly, some of those players declared Istaroth shared the same voice actor in Japanese with the Anemo Archon, sparking wild speculation on whether Venti was truly in disguise as Istaroth. “THIS BREAKS THE THEORY THAT VENTI IS ISTAROTH,” a user shouted into the void, while another just confidently proclaimed, “Venti = Istaroth.” From there, the debate was never-ending, which instead led to typical Genshin madness.
Some even doubted the brass to launch such a major lore reveal out of nowhere. “Just casually dropping a lore nuke is crazy work,” the player laughed while another cried, “WHAT IN THE LORE BOMB JUST HAPPENED!?” Honestly, same. Genshin Impact has a habit of sneaking in major story beats when players least expect it, and this was no exception.
Whatever theories might want to say about it, one thing is for sure: Istaroth is another glaring addition to the huge course of ancient lore for the game. As “The Ruler of Time,” her presence in the history and far future of Teyvat could be very big. Some players are now connecting her with the Unknown God from the opening cutscene, whereas others are of the view that maybe she had a hand in Celestia losing its footing.
Then, there are all the memes. One said this felt like going to bed only for Genshin to hit them with a bombshell: “Me about to go to Bed: Zzzz. Genshin: drops lore.” Another one predicted the reaction from lore YouTubers: “@MurderofBirds_ is gonna faint.” Right on!
While this reveal had perfect timing, it certainly comes at a time when players are deep in the latest requirements and events. Either laying groundwork for an actual questline or just teasing something bigger for the players down the road, one thing is sure: Genshin Impact is very good at baiting its players.
What will be next? More theories and debates—perhaps one of those cryptic Hoyoverse tweets in a few days. For now, every frame of the Istaroth reveal is being dissected, trying to figure out what all of this is supposed to mean, because if there is one thing the Genshin fandom is known for, it is entirely overanalyzing everything.
And honestly? We never would have it any other way.
