Genshin Impact’s Fatui Harbingers and their lore, explained

Genshin Impact Developer Hoyoverse released a teaser trailer that gave fans a glimpse of one of the game’s most insidious villain groups: the Fatui Harbingers. The super villains are as bad as they are hot, and the teaser introduced a veritable feast of new characters for fans to obsess over. The months leading up to the game’s Sumeru 3.0 update were packed with leak after leak, and this reveal came as a welcome surprise to fans – after all, it put a face to some of the game’s most notorious characters.

So far in Genshin Impact We only met three Harbingers: Signora, Scaramouche and Childe. There are 11 in total, meaning Hoyoverse revealed eight new characters in a matter of minutes. While it might seem like a lot to drop at once, the game has steadily evolved to reveal it through its lore. Here’s everything we know so far about the Fatui Harbingers so you can brush up on these characters as we dive into the 3.0 update.

[Ed note: The article contains spoilers for events that take place in the Inazuma archon quest line. You might not want to read if you’re not up to date on the story through the game’s 2.7 update.]

What happens in the trailer?

The trailer appears to take place sometime after the events of the current main quest. At this point, the Traveler has ventured into the Abyss after helping resolve the internal conflict in the Inazuma region and the Sakoku Decree has been overturned. We know this because the trailer shows the Harbingers gathering to mourn the loss of their comrade Signora. A powerful fighter, Signora was defeated in battle by the Traveler and then killed by the Inazuma’s leader, the Raiden Shogun. The Traveler and the Shogun had previously uncovered a Fatui conspiracy that turned the Shogun against their own people.

Image: Hooverse

The trailer features bits and pieces of each character, with some squabbles between the group as tensions run high following Signora’s death. However, their leader Pierro interjects: “Let every worthy sacrifice be carved in ice and endure with this nation forever. In the name of Her Majesty the Tsarina, we will usurp the authority of the gods.”

What is the Fatui?

In the game’s world, the Fatui are a delegation of diplomats from the northern country of Snezhnaya, ruled by the Ice Elemental Cryo-Archon Tsaritsa. (The country appears to be inspired by Russia, but we don’t know the details as it’s not part of the game yet.) The Fatui represents the Tsarina’s interests abroad, and while the organization is officially known as the Diplomatic Delegation, it undermines it often the internal workings of other nations.

At this point, the Fatui are working toward some sort of dark goal involving harnessing the power of the gods. So far, the Fatui Harbingers have acquired (or stolen) the Gnosis, a special item held exclusively by an elemental god for the Archons Anemo, Geo, and Electro (Archons are elemental gods). In addition, the Fatui have caused unrest in various regions. For example, they exacerbated a conflict in Inazuma by giving false information to its leader. Generic Fatui agents also appear frequently in the game as enemies for you to fight.

Who are the Fatui Heralds?

The Fatui Harbingers are a high council of 11 fighters who rose to higher levels of leadership under the Tsarina. They are known to harness their elemental powers through an object called the Delusion, an artificially created means of harnessing elemental powers. (In the world of Teyvat, the gods usually bestow players with elemental powers in the form of talismans called visions, but the Harbingers artificially generated these powers through dubious methods.) In previous boss fights for Harbingers such as Childe or Signora, players can see they possess them extraordinary power and transform into monstrous new forms of themselves.

Image: Hooverse

We heard about some of the Harbingers through stories and quests during our adventures in Teyvat. Fans have also pointed out that their names correspond to characters and archetypes from a form of early Italian theater called “commedia dell’arte,” hinting at the role each will play as the rest of the story unfolds. Additionally, the playable character Childe serves as our primary connection to the Harbingers, having played a large role in certain mainline quests.

Here’s what we know about each of them:

• Childe (Tartaglia): The best known of the Harbingers, Childe is the youngest member. We first meet him in Liyue and find out that he is behind a plan to awaken a sea monster that threatens the safety of Liyue Port. Despite what happens, he is friends with both the Geo-Archon and the Traveler and cares deeply about his family.
• Pierro (The Fool): Pierro was the first Harbinger and is the leader of the group. In the caravan he sits at the head of the table. He is a mysterious figure and the one who ends the quarrels of the other members.
• Scaramouche (balladeer): Scaramouche doesn’t appear in the current trailer, but he did meet the Traveler in the Electro Archon quest. In the game’s events, Yae Miko trades him the Electro Archon’s Gnosis in exchange for the Traveler’s life. He is also rumored to be a playable character.
• Signora (Rosalyne-Kruzchka Tanner): Signora, a particularly ambitious member, dies in the events of the political strife in Inazuma. She was responsible for collecting the Gnosis of Anemo and Geo Archon.
• Arlecchino (The Knave): In the teaser, Arlecchino seems most upset about Signora’s death, calling some of them “heartless businessmen.” She is an orphan but little is known about her.
• Pulcinella (rooster): In the teaser we see a short and long-nosed character named Pulcinella announcing the gathering for the funeral. We don’t know much about him but he seems to have a good relationship with Childe and takes care of Childe’s family while he works abroad.
• Pantalone (Regrator): In his remarks, Childe describes Pantalone as a man of “grand schemes fueled by raw ambition”. He also appears to be managing finances for the Fatui.
• Il Dottore (The Doctor): Dottore falls into the “mad scientist” archetype. He appears in the manga, and that’s how we know he performed unsavory experiments on unsuspecting citizens of Mondstadt. He has also been described as having an interest in researching the Ruins Wardens that dot Teyvat’s landscape.
• Captain: While all Heralds are powerful, Childe notices Capitano’s skills on the battlefield and strives to prove his worth to him.
• Sandrone (puppet): We don’t know much about her, but she seems to be a puppeteer.
• Columbine (Virgin): In the teaser we see Damselette lying on Signora’s grave. Again, we don’t know much about this, but Childe seems to fear her power.

If you just want to check out the designs, here’s a picture of all the reveals with the stills labeled:

Why is everyone so excited?

Until now, the Fatui Harbingers have been an ominous and fairly unknown group in the gaming world. They’ve played a big part, but mostly worked in the shadows.

This teaser trailer, which seemed to come out of nowhere, showed them all at once. It’s a huge reveal with lots of new characters, and this is a community known for cheering almost every new release of a single character. people are are already making fan art and memes in connection with the announcement. (Oh, and many the Fatui Harbingers are hotso it doesn’t hurt.)