Careful out there, Genshin Impact players – the China server is awash with reports of hackers permanently "bricking" some players' progress.
Whilst not formally acknowledged by developer miYoHo just yet, fans have taken to social media to report issues with some malicious players using third-party software to delete important items like elemental totems, which essentially prevents them from making any progress, even if they delete their install and re-download a fresh version.
Although the issue seems to be confined to Chinese Genshin Impact players for now, all players across the world are being warned not to join "any stranger's co-op room until the bug is fixed".
Take the examples in the Reddit thread below, for instance. According to one comparison, where one unaffected player can see a cannon and an electro tree, there's nothing but a large space in-game for the one who thinks they've been hacked. In another example, a geo pillar has been completely deleted from the game for one unlucky player.
PSA: There is a major bug in Genshin Impact CN server that can affect your account's exploration progress. from r/Genshin_Impact
"The new exploit has to do with deleting someone's world exploration points (so things like seele, chests, culi like hydroculus and the likes)," explains Redditor AntonioS3.
"There is supposed to be an elemental totem there in the first seconds of the video, but it's not there because the guy actually deleted it from his world. It is actually an account-wide bug and not just the client, because later in the video, he logs in with his cloud account to check, and they are still not there, meaning that his world/account has been bricked and unable to get 100%."
The Redditor finishes by warning all players - whether playing on the Chinese server or not - to avoid joining the co-op lobbies of strangers "until the bug is fixed".
Genshin Impact is one of the hottest games on the planet right now, but it's not the only Chinese game worthy of your time according to our feature, Why aren't we all playing Chinese games?
"The importance of its success as a confidence boost to Chinese devs cannot be overstated," the feature states. "And while not reaching the lofty heights of Genshin Impact, Naraka: Bladepoint and FIST: Forged In Shadow Torch have both received positive reception abroad – as can be seen in reviews from critics and Steam users alike.
"There is also a vibrant indie scene that often goes under the radar outside of China, and probably deserves more attention. So clearly, there are success stories for Chinese developers making their own games. But why do so few travel well?"
Here are 5 other great Chinese games for Genshin Impact fans.
