Speculative post 5.3 map of Teyvat
I am back with another maps prediction for the future of Teyvat, 18 months after my last prediction at the beginning of Fontaine. (https://www.reddit.com/r/Genshin\_Lore/comments/163qecb/speculative\_post40\_map\_of\_teyvat/?utm\_source=share&utm\_medium=web3x&utm\_name=web3xcss&utm\_term=1&utm\_content=share\_button)
Since then, with the release of Fontaine's regions and most of Natlan, we are left with only Snezhnaya, Nod-Krai, the Collective of Plenty, and a handful of long-awaited smaller region expansions across the map, for the overworld of Teyvat.
Without further ado, here is my updated map of future Teyvat regions:
So let's go through a few of these.
Who knows when:
Dornman Port - A location that is often theorized to be right around the corner, perhaps as hopium over the sorry state of the dwarf nation of Mondstadt. Mondstadt is by far the smallest region, especially when you exclude Stormterror's Lair or Dragonspine. You would be left with this small y-shaped band that is put to shame by the depth and verticality of regions like Natlan, Inazuma or Fontaine. Where those 3 nations have extensive cave networks, underwater areas, floating islands and layered mountains to compensate for their small footprint, Mondstadt has none of the above. This is natural for the first region of Teyvat, but given the special place it holds for many, it is among the most popular for an expansion.
Blackcliff Forge - A minor area to the south of Liyue Harbour which HoYoVerse could easily get away with forgetting. That being said, Liyue has a special place for the devs as the Chinese region, and so it is highly likely they will come back to it for a future Lantern Rite or other expansion highlighting chinese culture.
RIP Coastline - Many have wished that we receive a complete southern coastline of Teyvat, given that the areas we currently have access to are so close to the sea. Alas, I do not see this happening.
Probably this version (5.X):
Collective of Plenty/Great Volcano of Tollan - Certain to be the next area we visit. This is likely to release in 5.5 as the conclusion to the little one story, in addition to Mavuika's second story quest, where a certain someone(Columbina) may try to take a certain something(Pyro Gnosis) from our biker lass, precipitating our second weekly boss of the region.(Harbinger boss OST yay)
Mare Jivari - This one has seen little official confirmation, but seems like an obvious fit for the hole between the Children of Echoes and Ochkanatlan. It has been a long teased region, being one of the first areas of Natlan we hear about. As a major battleground for the Cataclysm, this could be a great teaser for the upcoming Khaenri'ah expansion(don't freak out, but that's next year)
Nod-Krai - A semi-autonomous region linked to Snezhnaya, but not governed by the Fatui, this region has been heavily teased by HYV as our gateway to Snezhnaya. Dottore seemingly has strong links to this area, and we may also see further information about the mysterious Project Stuzha. Within Nod-Krai is Nasha Town, which is likely a port city. My bets are that this will release in 5.7, and feature Skirk as one of the characters recently teased. There is discussion of an ancient power being present here, which is likely some form of Abyssal power similar to the Quantum element from Honkai.
Mont Esus - Likely going to be a minor Fontaine expansion to connect Fontaine to Nod-Krai. Unfortunately I think it may be a repeat of Bayda harbour, as much as I'd love to see further substantial Fontaine content.
The Future of Teyvat (Snezhnaya and beyond):
Genshin Impact will likely have 3 climaxes that build off eachother.
The first is the climax of the 7 Archon-led regions of Teyvat in Snezhnaya with a confrontation with Pierro, the Tsaritsa and the Fatui. It's likely that some parts of the fatui will continue to play a role beyond Snezhnaya, but for my money their central plan will be carried out in their region's patches. Some speculation has suggested that Snezhnaya may be split into 2 game versions, but I doubt that at this stage. It's almost certain that it will be a vast region, but it is likely much of this will act similar to the Sumeru desert crossed with Dragonspine. I could see mounted gameplay being the major draw of Snezhnaya given the Saurian gameplay and traversal-creep we have seen in Natlan. With faster and more consistent traversal, points of interest can cover a much wider area without it being problematic as a player. One of the reasons I can't see HYV not releasing the bulk of Snezhnaya in 6.0 is the archon schedule. I highly doubt they would go an entire year without releasing an Archon, as this is a major source of revenue. What I can see happening is that secondary regions of Snezhnaya will continue to be released after 6.0 alongside Khaenri'ah and Celestia content. This would be similar to the release of the Chasm and Chenyu Value in other nation's versions.
The second is the climax of the Khaenri'ah storyline, likely involving the sinners, dainsleif, abyss order and any other survivors of the cataclysm. Khaenri'ah is at the heart of most of Genshin's mysteries, and so solving it will likely point a clear path to the very top.
The third is the endgame with Celestia and the Dragons. It's likely that Dainsleif and the Abyss Sibling at the very least will continue to play a major role here, although I can't imagine this story playing out like the regions so far, unless Celestia is a major place with its own people. (which seems unlikely)