Stygian Onslaught is one of the new game modes introduced by Hoyoverse for Genshin Impact. Currently, Stygian Onslaught has three different bosses that require three different teams to battle. There are multiple levels of difficulty, with the three easier difficulties providing primogems upon completion. The two high-level difficulties provide a new material called Dust of Enlightenment but no primogems. Dust of Enlightenment allows players to reroll the substats of an artifact. Currently, Stygian Onslaught seems to be the only way to get Dust of Enlightenment, but this could change later.

This game mode, while being endgame content, can be extremely difficult for free-to-play players. It requires three teams, all fully built, and fully invested in. While players can reuse characters up to difficulty level Hard, both Menacing and Dire do not allow characters or their artifacts to be reused. Even for some whales, this content is difficult. In part because the bosses within require certain elemental types. As someone who has multiple teams that I’ve invested in, most of those teams don’t include elements that I’d need for one of the bosses. Or, if I do a built character for that element, I don’t have a full team for them that I’ve invested in. While I could beat the Hard challenge with no issues and plenty of time to spare, the second I tried to do Menacing, I found myself struggling to even complete one boss challenge. Even upon building up some of my neglected characters, I found the gameplay in Menacing difficult.

There are also no buffs in this new game mode. While other endgame modes like Spiral Abyss and Imaginarium Theatre have buffs that players can get, Stygian Onslaught doesn’t have any of that. Instead, the bosses levels, max hp, and defense all increase, but players don’t get any assistance in the form of buffs. There aren’t even buffs that trigger if players build a team using the elements that are recommended for that stage. That said, the levels with primogems as a prize are still possible to get without any of the buffs that players would get in Spiral Abyss or Imaginarium Theatre. Of course, this is dependent on if players have put the basic level of investment into building teams that would beat other endgame content. Then they should be able to complete the Hard difficulty. Menacing and Dire difficulties are where the lack of buffs makes it difficult for players to succeed. While there are no primogems for these levels, the Dust of Enlightenment is something that most free-to-play players could use. Already, it is a rare material to have, but even more so for players who need it. Perhaps adding the Dust of Enlightenment to Hard difficulty would make it a bit more even.

All that said, this is supposed to be endgame content. Expecting it to be easy is missing the point of Stygian Onslaught. The primogems for the easier levels are already enough, as Hoyoverse doesn’t expect players to easily complete the higher levels. My only complaint about this is the lack of accessibility for the Dust of Enlightenment. Players who can complete the Menacing and Dire difficulties don’t need or require the Dust of Enlightenment as much as other players.

What do you think? Is Stygian Onslaught too difficult? Should the rewards be different? Let us know in the comments below or join the Boss Rush Discord to further the conversation!

Featured Image Credit: Hoyoverse (via ScreenRant)

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