Genshin Influence added a ton of modern content and bug fixes in its latest patch, but not all of it was well-received by fans. One particular “tweak” to a popular character’s mechanic caused so much anger that the HoYoverse team decided to revert it.
Neuvillette is considered an extremely robust figure in Genshin Influence due to its high damage and self-healing ability. It deals damage mainly through Charged Attacks, which is basically Hydro Pump, you can aim freely.
Some players took this “free aim” ability and expanded it to “aim everywhere at once”. They found that during Neuvillette’s Charged Attack they could quickly move the game camera, changing the ability from a focused Hydro Pump to a powerful Surf attack that hits all enemies around him.
Pokémon references aside, here’s a video showing what it looks like.
After a few months and one replay banner, HoYoverse nerfed Neuvillette’s spinning ability, reducing the maximum camera speed when Neuvillette uses his Charged Attack. Now, when he tries to operate the technique, Neuvillette spins slowly in place. He can no longer spray water in every direction like a broken lawn sprinkler.
But it seems like this change had a bigger impact than expected, and with the fix implemented, HoYoverse has essentially locked some players out of using their character the way they’re used to. What’s more, those who played Neuvillette as intended (with his Charged Attack as a focused beam) struggled with slower turning speed when they try to target fast-moving enemies. This is a losing game for all Neuvillette players.
Accusations of false advertising
The “spin to win” style of play gained popularity almost immediately after Neuvillette’s debut, becoming I, I within the framework Genshin Influence community. Best of all, you didn’t need any special hardware or software to play Neuvillette this way. All you had to do was rotate the camera as quickly as possible using any control scheme. Given how straightforward it was to do, most players assumed it was just a quirky but harmless way to play your character.
HoYoverse’s silence didn’t lend a hand either. Neuvillette was released in September 2023 and had a re-release banner in April 2024. Genshin Influence the team had months to announce that Neuvillette’s “spin to win” behavior was a mistake and would be fixed in a later update. However, the silence on this matter strengthened the idea his style of play was right and purposeful.
So when Neuvillette’s “bug fix” was suddenly implemented without prior notice, players were very unhappy. Some of them were specifically rooting for Neuvillette to play as a deadly spinning Beyblade. This involves months of saving up in-game currency or spending real money on Genshin Impact gacha banner. The frustration is quite understandable.
Neuvillette nerf reversal
Just a day after the “bug fix” went live, HoYoverse issued a statement apologizing for the change. Neuvillette’s turning ability will return to normal in a future update. It remains sluggish until the end of 4.8, but at least we know it will be fixed.
As for when the changes will be rolled back, there’s no telling. Things will likely return to normal with the next version update, 5.0, which will be released on August 28.
Apologems
If you don’t own a Neuvillette, you might think that none of this applies to you. Quite the opposite, All Genshin Influence players will receive 1600 Primogems as an apology whether they play Neuvillette or not. That’s a full 10-pull on every banner. That’s on top of the 100 Primogems spent when HoYoverse “put” him in first place.
Genshin Influence has apologized to Primogems (“apologems”) in the past for unintended behavior in-game. However, the enormous amount is unusual, and significantly higher than the 100 Primogems in compensation when Yae Miko’s aiming mechanics changed.
The retirement also means Neuvillette joins a tiny group of champions who have received direct buffs or nerfs since release. Zhongli received significant buffs to her kit shortly after release due to community backlash. Yae Miko’s aiming behavior was adjusted after her release, but that change was reverted shortly after.
