HoYoVerse has very recently revealed the first introduction of the character Durin, who is a new playable character in Genshin Impact, and this has driven the players crazy. The announcement, which is designated “The Undying Fire,” gives the very first real appearance of this little dragon who wants to understand what it means to be human. Is this really true? The atmosphere is on point.
So, who is Durin? From the official tweet, we learn that he has this unending heart-thumping feeling that he is in charge of “the distant past’s hopes.” Another’s soul is called “resplendent and nascent,” which only indicates that it is illuminating and new, and a fire is burning in him that even a winter storm cannot put out. This tale is like a fresh new book being opened as the dragon embarks on the journey of discovering human traits and feelings. It is giving very strong found family clichés and I am completely in favor of it.
The reaction of the community has been… extremely intense. It appears that players have been waiting for this character since version 1.x, one user NoObi3 said, “I’ve been waiting for this character since 1.x when his counterpart was just a heart in the Dragonspine.” That is quite a commitment to wait for the pixel dragon boy for so many years.
The real drama happened in the replies when a user, vesperamyst, proposed that everyone should avoid pulling for Durin and save for other characters instead. Oh dear, that did NOT go down well. The reaction was quick and harsh. Many users retorted with “who’s we?” and “speak for yourself.” User IrohaAutumn plainly claimed “I have 640 pulls for my son” which is… wow. That’s some very careful saving. It’s like perhaps hundreds of dollars worth of primogems just lying down for this one character.
The pulling methods that players are revealing are really unbelievable. A player going by the name Vi wrote “48 pulls, 0 pity, a 50/50, and a dream” which is literally the gacha equivalent of sending good vibes and prayers. Meanwhile, others are already talking about being guaranteed and having money ready for weapons. They are extremely committed.
On top of this, user winterxbinter’s quite cryptic comment about “another dragon in human form who has had to adjust to human society” has led to very interesting lore speculation. It would be “crazy” if they met Durin in the future patches. Hmm, I wonder who that could be? Definitely not a certain hydro dragon that we all love so much. No, not even close.
However, not everybody is all in yet. User midnightsCole said that they are not buying into it because “He doesn’t have any gimmicks” which could be a justifiable storytelling aspect? Nonetheless, there are others like c_h_a_r_m_e_r who just can’t be any clearer with their message “durin is coming home 🗣🗣🗣” so there are definitely mixed feelings about the whole thing but the noise is hard to miss.
The community is a little bewildered as well. User Kleynnee vented his frustration with the English translation because “I wish my English was better because as much as I am trying to understand what it is said, I can’t and I wanna know all of his lore 😭” Honestly, that is very relatable. Genshin story can be so complicated already without adding the difficulty of translation.
What is really astonishing is the fact that even at such an early phase the players are being extremely protective of Durin. When another character called Columbina was brought up, immediately several users returned the comment with “skip Columbina for Durin and Varka I don’t care” which suggests that Durin has already gained a large part of the player base before his actual release.
The character design seems to have ticked all the right boxes as well. A number of users have started referring to Durin as “my son,” which is a very good indicator of the character’s popularity. The entire “dragon learning to be human” plot is winning over the hearts of those who enjoy character development and emotional journeys.
The hype train keeps on getting bigger and it might not be too far-fetched to say that Durin is becoming one of the most awaited Genshin Impact characters. The fantastic backstory, the involved community reaction, and the swirling discussions on the topic of pulling strategies have all contributed to a memorable character reveal event. Whether you are the type who splurges and buys everything or one who just sits back and watches, still Durin’s coming is likely to be one of the major issues in the Genshin community. The little dragon with the undying fire seems to have ignited the fire of interest in the players too, and it will be very fascinating to see players and their gaming communities react.
