What We Know About Each Of The 7 Archons

Genshin Impact is well known for its deep and complex world. Teyvat has been riddled with the intrigue of its elemental history, its seven nations, and impactful historical events like the Archon War. However, the core to all of these is the creators of the nations themselves, all of the Seven Archons that rule over the continent.

Yet, many Genshin Impact players aren’t aware of the web of lore surrounding these great beings of the world. Each is a god, representing their own ideal and people. From the shocking shores of Inazuma to the stony gateways of Liyue, many facts fall through the surface for fans of miHoYo’s flagship franchise.

Updated on November 1, 2024, by Aditi Jeyanathan: The Seven Archons of Genshin Impact are the current rulers of Teyvat after the Archon War ascended them to the throne. They may be the Gods that bestow civilians with visions, but there’s more to them than meets the eyes. The game has introduced six out of the seven nations, yet still not much is known about each one lore wise. As players await the coming of the final chapter, all we can do is gather what information we do have and make an assumption on the Archon’s role in the plot and how they will help the Traveler in their journey.

7 Venti

The Free-Spirited Anemo Archon

• Ars Goetia Name: Barbatos
• Nation: Mondstadt
• Element: Anemo
• Ideal: Freedom

Venti was the first Archon introduced to players of Genshin Impact and has grown to be one of the most important in the game. As one of two original Archons, Venti is over 2600 years old and the most carefree out of all of them. However, with his cheery outward personality, comes a lonely soul who still cannot break free from the loss of his Bard friend during the reign of Decabarian. It was also after this incident that Venti became the Anemo Archon of Mondstadt.

Venti was initially just a single strand of the Thousand Winds, and Istaroth, who was the God of Time, was once recognized as the Thousand Winds. This can tell one how powerful Venti may be, because despite his meek appearance, there was once a time when he ruled the City of Freedom as Barbatos and had the ability to level mountains, subjugate the Four Winds, and warm freezing tundras. He’s an Archon that adores his people and although he chooses to stay hidden under an alias, he will always come to their rescue when they need it.

6 Zhongli

The Oldest And Wisest Geo Archon

• Ars Goetia Name: Morax
• Nation: Liyue
• Element: Geo
• Ideals: Contracts

Zhongli or Rex Lapis, is one of the oldest of two original Archons and is currently disguised as Wangsheng Funeral Parlour’s Consultant. This makes him the most important Archon in the game, as he has lived for around 6000 years and thus knows everything that has happened in Teyvat’s history. Unfortunately, he’s quite mum on Teyvat’s history and chooses to look the other way when the topic of Celestia is brought up. Despite this, he’s contributed a lot to the world of Teyvat and Liyue in terms of his intellect and combat prowess.

He was responsible for creating Mora, the currency of Teyvat, and he soon became a major influence on economic growth for other nations as well. Additionally, it can be argued that he’s one of the most powerful, since he can not only call down a meteorite but also shift the earth beneath him. This was confirmed when he mentioned how he created Guyun Stone Forest with his spears. Zhongli is quite a multi-faceted character, because, like other Archons, he’s not exactly human either. He’s an adeptus that takes on the form of a dragon, but it has yet to be specified how powerful he is in his true form.

Zhongli is the only Archon out of the Seven that seems to have signed a contract with the Tsaritsa, which is why he gave up his Gnosis willingly and stepped down from his position as the Divine Ruler of Liyue. Despite his silent agreement with the Tsaritsa’s plan against Celestia, Zhongli is well known for his brutality and ruthlessness during the Archon War. It is here that he met the Yakshas and requested their assistance in cleansing the land, even though he knew it was a suicide mission due to all the accumulated karmic debt.

5 Raiden Shogun

The Electro Archon That Chases After Eternity

• Ars Goetia Name: Beelzebul
• Nation: Inazuma
• Element: Electro
• Ideals: Eternity

The Raiden Shogun, also known as Ei, wasn’t as welcoming when Genshin Impact players finally reached Inazuma. She rules her nation with a heavy hand and once forbade them from holding Visions due to her ideals. Her strength and rage spans over 500 years after she lost her twin sister, Makoto (Baal), in the Cataclysm. This was also the only reason Ei rose to power as the new Electro Archon and not as one of the original Seven. However, after the end of the Inazuma chapter, players will see how much she loves her people, and it was her drive to preserve their beauty that led her to forcefully advocate for Eternity- a place where everything is kept the same, no matter what.

The Electro Archon is composed of two beings in one body: Ei, the current Archon, and the Shogun, a puppet created by Ei to act as a ruler in her stead. These two beings are completely different in personality, as the Shogun is more ruthless, whilst Ei is shown to be more emotive. Since Ei cares about nothing but Eternity, the Shogun rules Inazuma while she meditates in the Plane of Euthymia. She does however, occasionally make an appearance, since she’s quite sociable in nature and enjoys hearing about modern customs in other nations.

4 Nahida

The Enchanting Dendro Archon

• Ars Goetia Name: Buer
• Nation: Sumeru
• Element: Dendro
• Ideals: Knowledge

Once trapped in the Sanctuary of Surasthana by the Sages of Sumeru, Nahida, or Lesser Lord Kusanali is the youngest of all the Archons. After she was saved and Iriminsul was cleansed, she returned to her duties as the Archon, slowly trying to learn her purpose. In fact, before Lesser Lord Kusanali came into being, Sumeru was ruled by Greater Lord Rukkhadevata. Rukkhadevata was the one who created Sumeru’s rainforests and established the Akasha system after clearing any forbidden knowledge.

Since Nahida is only 500 years old, she values growth and learning above all else. As the God of Wisdom, she takes her position seriously and has showcased it through her ability to strategically devise plans in the blink of an eye. As Nahida is young and not yet accomplished much for Sumeru in comparison to Rukkhadevata, there is not much information on her. Unfortunately, Nahida has no memory of her predecessor, since the latter requested to wipe her memory from Irminsul so that Sumeru can move on.

If Genshin Impact players would like to know, Rukkhadevata was once a co-ruler of the Great Red Desert alongwith with King Deshret and Nabu Malikata. After a falling out in difference of wisdom, she headed west and created the rainforest, also building Sumeru City atop of the Divine Tree. Rukkhadevata was essentially the Avatar of Irminsul and once the Cataclysm began, she was never sent to the battlefield and only tasked with protecting Irminsul, since the forbidden knowledge that Khaenri’ah dabbled in invited Abyssal power with it. However, the forbidden knowledge grew too great and corrupted Irminsul, which is why she had no choice but to sacrifice herself and create her descendant from the ‘purest branch of Irminsul’- A.K.A. Nahida.

3 Furina

The Actress Who Played The Perfect Hydro Archon

• Ars Goetia Name: Focalors (TBC)
• Nation: Fontaine
• Element: Hydro
• Ideals: Justice

Fontaine’s chapter was filled with much lore regarding the original Hydro Archon, Egeria, and Fontaine’s chilling prophecy. According to an Oceanid legend, after the Hydro Dragon Sovereign was removed from its position as the ‘Heart of the Primordial Sea’, Celestia supposedly created Egeria as the Primordial Sea’s new heart. It is from her tears that the Oceanids were allegedly created. After some time, the Oceanids too desired to live on land, and so Egeria humbly succeeded in their request by taking water from the Primordial Sea and injecting it into them.

This allowed the Oceanids to take on humanoid figures. Unfortunately, Celestia deemed this a sin and the prophecy that Fontaine’s waters would rise, washing away everything and only leaving the Archon in place, began. Egeria was also sealed during this time, only coming to power after Remuria fell, its civilisation becoming what players now see as present-day Fontaine. While Egeria outwardly did not go against Celestia, she was still a Goddess that loved her people. So, before her death during the Cataclysm, she assigned Focalors (one of her Oceanid followers), to be the next Hydro Archon who would devise a plan to fool the Heavenly Principles. Her body actually becomes the Amrita Pool that Genshin Impact players will find in Tunigi Hollow.

Upon Focalors succession to the throne, she split her divinity from her humanity, with Focalors becoming the divine counterpart and Furina becoming the human. She has been the only Archon to successfully deceive Celestia through her plan of handing over full elemental authority back to the current Hydro Dragon Sovereign, Neuvillette. This was only possible by allowing the Oratrice to judge her for the original sin and have it execute her using the Indementium she accumulated after 500 years in hiding. It not only gave Neuvillette his full dragonhood and full control over the Primordial Sea, but also destroyed the Divine Hydro Throne, resulting in only six remaining Archons.

2 Mavuika

The War Goddess Of A Pyro Archon

• Ars Goetia Name: Haborym
• Nation: Natlan
• Element: Pyro
• Ideals: War

Natlan’s Pyro Archon, Mavuika, is completely different from her peers in that she is the fourth Pyro Archon to rule over Natlan. Natlan’s Pyro Archons are not Gods, but mortals who have received divinity through the Pilgrimage. Before her, the first Pyro Archon, Xbalanque, was the first mortal to ascend to Archonhood after he defeated the supposed Pyro Dragon Sovereign, Xiuhcoatl. He established the systems that Natlanese use today and the Ode to Resurrection. After him came Cochanina, and then Murata.

As of right now, not much is known about Mavuika and her reign as the Pyro Archon, since it seems she sacrificed herself 500 years ago by placing her soul into the Sacred Flame, in hopes of being reborn during a time that the nation can successfully fend off the Abyss. She was an active combatant during the Cataclysm and after her resurrection 500 years later, she gathered all the Ancient Warriors from each tribe to help her defeat the Abyss.

The war did not come without any losses, but she did gain a helping hand from Capitano, who revealed himself to be a survivor of the Khaenri’ah massacre. Mavuika is also currently the only Archon to physically ‘punch’ a hole through the fake sky of Tevyat and reveal the hidden secrets of the broken moons that Celestia has been hiding all this time. She has been shown to disapprove of Celestia’s actions actively and will do whatever it takes to help the Traveler, whilst also protecting her people from any more destruction.

1 Tsaritsa

The Gentle Weeping Soul Of The Cryo Archon

• Ars Goetia Name: TBD
• Nation: Snezhnaya
• Element: Cryo
• Ideals: TBC

The nation of Snezhnaya is just as cold as its Archon, but few may truly understand her lonely cries for help. According to Tartaglia of Genshin Impact, the Tsaritsa is actually a gentle soul who longs for peace and harmony, but due to the circumstances surrounding her, she had to harden herself for protection. She is the only Archon who has been outwardly advocating for a revolution against Celestia and she plans to do this by collecting all the other Archons’ Gnoses.

She’s a ruthless leader that uses the Fatui to terrorize other nations and spread her influence wherever she can. It has been presumed that this all began after the Cataclysm 500 years ago and Tsaritsa lost something dear to her. She is also not one of the original Seven and came to power right before the Cataclysm began. Unfortunately, it has been said that the Tsaritsa is a god with no love left for her people, and her followers are only beside her because they believe in the rebellion against the Heavenly Principles.

Her followers, of course, consist of the Fatui Harbingers who have been given full independence by her to act out as they please. She only requests that some of their actions also aid in her rebellion against Celestia. This was seen when Capitano helped Natlan survive the Abyss out of his own personal favor and did not take Mavuika’s Gnosis. All players know is that each Gnosis was created from the ashes of the Third Descender and that is currently the only link we have in finding out why the Tsaritsa is collecting them.