Genshin Impact Luna V - Varka Sidestory. Honestly Varka was legendary!

February 25, 2026 · 5:33 PM

I just finished playing Varka's side story in Genshin Impact, and I am honestly amazed at how the developers managed to turn a character I was completely indifferent toward up until now into one of the most epic narratives the game has delivered in years.

The story centers on the expedition led by Varka to Nod-Krai, where it seems the corruption caused by the Wild Hunt has not subsided even though Rerir has been defeated. There, Varka discovers that Andrius has been corrupted by the Abyss, and his plan is to help the wolf return to the Ley Lines.

That's a big mouth you got there Andrius-kun! Don't say the line!

This was the most epic moment with Varka revealing he's been harboring the soul of Andrius within himself.

Of course, things are not that simple. One of the old knights named Roland (or rather, his spirit) is working toward a different goal, and Varka must face him during his journey to free Andrius. I refer to Varka as the protagonist because, unlike other side stories, the Traveler plays only a very small role in this narrative.

I was honestly expecting a rather uninteresting story when I heard this was a side story, and I had my two monitors ready so I could multitask while the dialogue played out. At the beginning, I was right, but once the story started picking up speed, things became so intense that I could no longer distract myself.

Varka coming back to his knights. I love how he trust them to do good even without him.

Eula and Noelle look incredibly nice in these stills. Wish we got more of them too...

The quest utilizes some of the systems introduced in Natlan, such as the "war coordination" system where you assist specific teams on a large-scale map. It does not carry the same negative consequences seen in Natlan, but it was nice to see the system reused because it felt like a great way to portray the massive scale of the battle against the Wild Hunt.

In the end, there is an escape sequence where Varka must return to the group by backtracking through the dungeon we just explored. This segment is timed, but it does not seem to make a difference if you run out of time. I failed a few times due to my poor jumping skills, and other than some red flashes on the screen, nothing really happened.

Lumine and Venti together taking the letters of the knights to Varka.

Klee, Varka will get you into detention. Be careful!

During this escape sequence, you see various members of Mondstadt appearing to support Varka in the form of powers and protection. It really showed how interconnected the family of the Knights truly is. Honestly, it made them feel like a more cohesive group than even the Natlan tribes.

Naturally, I rolled for Varka and am now ready to level him up. I tried his gameplay during the quest, and he seems extremely fun with the explosions of different elements that occur with each of his attacks. I am not sure how important his signature weapon is, but I have several other 5-star greatswords that should surely be enough.

Seriously though, they should remake Jean's 3D model. Compared to the new ones, she stand out in a bad way.

The full Mondstadt gang is there to welcome back their grand master Varka!

Judging from the information I have seen, the next patch will be dedicated to Nicole, and we are probably going to see her become playable. I am curious to learn more about her backstory since it connects directly to the disaster of Khaenri'ah. Hopefully, she will be able to provide us with more definitive information about that time period.