Stamina System Guide: How Endurance Works in Genshin Impact
The stamina system in Genshin Impact is a core mechanic that affects almost every aspect of exploration and combat. Stamina, often referred to as endurance, determines how long your character can sprint, climb, swim, glide, and perform charged attacks. Since Teyvat is designed as an open world full of vertical landscapes, cliffs, rivers, and large distances, mastering stamina management is essential for efficient exploration and survival. Understanding how stamina is consumed and how to upgrade it helps players navigate the world more easily, reach distant areas, and avoid dangerous situations such as drowning or falling from great heights.
Stamina is represented by a yellow bar that appears whenever the player performs an action that requires endurance. Sprinting consumes stamina gradually, making long-distance travel challenging without teleport points. Climbing drains stamina with every movement, and reaching the top of tall cliffs requires careful planning to avoid falling. Gliding consumes stamina slowly over time, and running out mid-air causes the character to drop. Swimming is one of the riskiest activities, since running out of stamina in water leads to instant drowning and respawning at the nearest shore. Because of these mechanics, players must constantly monitor their stamina during exploration.
One of the biggest early-game challenges is climbing. Many areas in Mondstadt and Liyue are built vertically, requiring players to learn safe climbing routes, use ledges strategically, and pause to recover stamina when possible. A small ledge or protruding rock can allow a full recovery without resetting progress, while steep cliffs with no resting points require more planning. Sprinting before jumping onto a wall gives a short boost but consumes extra stamina. Gliding can also be used to cross valleys or descend safely from high locations, providing both mobility and protection from fall damage.
In combat, stamina plays a crucial defensive role. Characters can perform a quick dash or short sprint to evade attacks. These dodges are essential in boss fights and against fast or heavy-hitting enemies. While some characters have special movement abilities or i-frames, the majority rely on stamina-based dodging. Charged attacks also consume stamina for most weapon types, especially for claymore and bow users. Managing stamina during combat ensures that players always have enough endurance to dodge an incoming hit rather than being caught vulnerable.
The most important method for increasing maximum stamina is upgrading Statues of the Seven. Throughout Teyvat, players collect Oculi—Anemoculi in Mondstadt, Geoculi in Liyue, Electroculi in Inazuma, and Dendroculi in Sumeru. Offering these items to the regional Statues increases stamina in stages, eventually allowing significantly longer sprints, climbs, and glides. Collecting Oculi is a major part of exploration, and many of them are hidden behind puzzles, special mechanisms, or vertical structures requiring careful navigation. As new regions release, additional Oculi provide higher stamina limits, making older content easier to traverse.
Food can also temporarily improve stamina management. Some dishes reduce climbing or sprinting consumption, while others restore stamina instantly or increase its regeneration rate. These items are helpful during difficult exploration sections or intense boss fights where dodging is essential. Character talents can also influence stamina usage. For example, certain characters reduce swimming or gliding consumption for the entire party, making travel more efficient. While stamina-related bonuses are not the most impactful in combat, they offer convenient improvements during extended exploration sessions.
Gliding is one of the most enjoyable movement options in Genshin Impact, and understanding how stamina affects it enhances mobility. Gliding consumes stamina gradually, but descending at a steep angle slows this consumption and allows longer distances. Updrafts, wind currents, and special environmental mechanics temporarily eliminate stamina usage, enabling players to travel across wide areas without touching the ground. Many domains and puzzles use wind mechanics to create unique exploration opportunities.
Swimming requires extra caution because running out of stamina in water is one of the few actions in the game that causes instant death. Players should avoid swimming across large lakes unless necessary, and gliding into the water from a higher point can reduce travel distance. Characters with swimming stamina reduction talents or specific food buffs make long-distance swimming safer. As regions like Sumeru and Fontaine introduced deeper bodies of water, stamina awareness became even more critical for traversing coastal terrains and underwater pathways.
Stamina also interacts with certain puzzles and world mechanics. Some challenges require sprinting between activation points before time runs out, while others involve climbing tall structures or gliding long distances. Having upgraded stamina significantly simplifies these tasks. Additionally, many hidden chests and Oculi are placed in locations where insufficient stamina forces players to find alternative routes or unlock new tools before progressing.
Overall, the stamina system is a fundamental element of gameplay in Genshin Impact. It encourages thoughtful exploration, careful planning, and mastery of movement mechanics. As players increase their stamina, the world becomes easier to navigate, opening new possibilities for exploration and creative traversal. Understanding and improving stamina not only enhances mobility but also allows players to fully enjoy the diverse landscapes and verticality of Teyvat.
