Genshin Impact update 4.4 will expand the map between Liyue and Fontaine

Another sizeable and gorgeous area to explore

HoYoverse is cooking hard right now – Genshin Impact update 4.4, which is expected to launch in February 2024, not only brings new characters Xianyun and Gaming to the table, but contains a sizable expansion of the open-world game’s map as well. According to information that leaked from ongoing tests of the upcoming version in China, the entire area between Liyue and Fontaine will be filled with a Liyue sub-region called Chenyu Vale.

We’ve already heard about this place a bunch of times during quests and in update 4.4 it will be time to explore it. Chenyu Vale is pretty big, covering an area of roughly half the size of Liyue. It will provide a connection between the playable areas of Liyue and Fontaine, which is going to make the remaining blank space between Sumeru and Fontaine look a bit like a donut.

Liyue and Fontaine will be connected in the upcoming update / HoYoverse

In terms of visuals, it looks like we’ll be in for quite a treat. Chenyu Vale has spectacular valleys, which are filled with a gorgeous fog, high mountains and cliffs, lush and green foliage, and even a city built on top of a big waterfall. Concept art for this was actually leaked a long time ago and was falsely thought to be from a city in Fontaine. However, it looks like the concept of the waterfall city was meant for this area. From the leaked screenshots it seems like there is actually some Fontainian influence in this region of Liyue, when it comes to technology and architecture – which makes sense, since Fontaine is right on the other side of a narrow strait to the north of Chenyu Vale.

There is also a village located right by a river, which just looks absolutely stunning, and there seem to be several areas with ancient ruins and mysterious floating devices that we may even be able to activate – I’m sure there will be plenty of quests for us to complete here. One area looks a bit like the Xianzhou Luofu’s Scalegorge Waterscape area from Honkai: Star Rail.

If you thought HoYoverse would slow down for a while after finishing off Fontaine, you certainly are mistaken – Chenyu Vale might just be the most breathtaking place in the game yet. That is, of course, making people hopeful for the eventual Mondstadt expansion towards the north as well, whenever it may come.

For now, though, we’ll get to enjoy the Genshin Impact update 4.3 with its many quality-of-life improvements as well as the character banners with Navia and Chevreuse.

Genshin Impact Navia build and materials guide