How to Glide in Genshin Impact (2024)

Image: miHoYo via HGG / Devin Dornbrock

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Penned by Devin Dornbrock

Devin has always been a fan of good writing and compelling visuals. She learned from an early age that video games are the best and most satisfying... Read more

Reviewed by Benjamin Barr

If you’ve seen any promotional materials for Genshin Impact, you’ve probably seen that there is a lot to do. It’s a game you can easily spend hours immersed in. From intense combat to flower arranging, there is a wide variety of mechanics to get used to. Today we’re here to help you out with one of the most basic mechanics though. How to glide and fly through the skies in Genshin Impact. 

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Gliding in Genshin Impact

Before we get into how to fly, let’s talk about what it looks like in Genshin Impact. Can you even fly in Genshin Impact?! Unfortunately there is no true flight mechanic in the game. The closest you’ll really get are with specific characters abilities. For example, the Wanderer’s Elemental Skill allows him to hover for short periods of time. It produces a separate Stamina bar which quickly runs out though, so it’s not true flight.

Since there is no true flying in Genshin Impact, the next best thing is gliding. Gliding is a simple mechanic where characters will unfurl a set of wings called a glider and sail through the air. Every second spent gliding will consume 3 stamina, so it’s not something you can do forever. You’ll also gradually lose altitude as well. 

Despite its limitations though, gliding is a pretty effective way to travel within Genshin Impact. It’s much easier to teleport to waypoints at higher altitudes and then glide to your destination. Even if it’s further away, it’s way better than climbing up from the bottom of a mountain. 

How to Unlock Gliding in Genshin Impact

If you’re new to the game you may not have figured out how to use your glider yet and that’s okay! The important thing is to be patient because there are some prerequisites you’ll need to complete before you can cruise through the air with Outrider Amber. 

The first thing you’ll need to do is get your gliding license and the first glider in the game.

To receive your license and glider, all you’ll need to do is complete the City of Freedom quest. This quest is part of the Archon Quest Prologue storyline, so it should come up before too long even if you just started playing the game. 

The City of Freedom quest is essentially a tutorial on how to fly in Genshin Impact and Amber will run you through a quick lesson to help you get used to it. She will also give you your very first glider, the Wings of First Flight. 

To start using your glider, all you’ll need to do is get to a high place and press the jump button a second time while in the air. This will prompt your character to equip their glider and begin sailing through their air.

Pressing the jump button again while the glider is equipped will unequip it. Alternatively, you can make a Plunging Attack which will also unequip your glider. Note that you can redeploy the glider after putting it away. This is especially useful if you want to descend quickly.

Managing Your Gliding Stamina

For certain puzzles, events, and time trial challenges you will actually need to use a glider. That means getting good with one is a must. Without special buffs, the amount of stamina consumed, gliding speed, etc. are all standard regardless of which character is being used. 

That being said, there are certain character Talents and foods that can decrease the amount of stamina consumed while gliding. Thankfully, Amber (your very first party member) reduces the amount of stamina consumed while gliding, as long as she’s in your party.

If you’re struggling with managing your stamina with gliding, you can always focus on raising your max stamina by returning elemental oculi to their respective Statue of the Seven. Some areas will even have currents of wind that you can use your glider to soar high up. If you remain in the wind current for a bit, you’ll even start to regenerate stamina.

Additionally, players who have reached Inazuma will also be able to get the Red Feather Fan gadget to increase gliding speed by 30% for 30 seconds. Simply raise your reputation standing by taking on weekly commissions/bounties and completing quests in the region.

The Various Gliders

Now that you know how to fly in Genshin Impact and how to use your glider, you should know that there are also different types of gliders available. 

As of Version 3.4 there are 10 different obtainable gliders in the game. While each of these gliders may look different, they functionally serve the same purpose and do not provide any unique buffs. 

How to Change Gliders

While specific gliders don’t have any special bonuses, some are more aesthetically pleasing than others. One of the nice things about Genshin Impact is that you can customize which glider each of your characters use. 

By default each character will use the Wings of First Flight glider. By going into the character menu and opening up the Dressing Room tab though, players are able to pick which glider that character uses. This menu is also where you can switch between character skins if you have them.

There is one caveat to switching between gliders though. That is that the Wings of Descension glider can only be used while playing on a PlayStation 4 or PlayStation 5. 

Characters equipped with this glider will automatically switch to the Wings of First Flight glider on other platforms. They will only switch gliders if you have that character on your active team while on PC or mobile though. Inactive characters shouldn’t switch gliders.

How to Get New Gliders

While your glider’s style is a very small and mostly irrelevant part of Genshin Impact, it’s still fun to be able to change things up every now and then. Players looking to expand their glider options will be able to do so through various methods.

When you first unlock gliders, you will get a few just by playing the game. As mentioned above there is the default set Wings of First Flight but there is also the Wings of Companionship set which can be obtained through your mail. 

All players who login on a PlayStation can also automatically gain the Wings of Descension set too (though this set will only be usable on a PlayStation as mentioned above).  

Regional Gliders

Most of the other gliders can be obtained by increasing your Reputation Level in each of Teyvat’s major nations. The Wings of Azure Wind, Wings of Golden Flight, Wings of the Stormstrider, and Wings of the Forest will each be obtained by reaching certain Reputation Levels. Players can get them in Monstadt, Liyue, Inazuma, and Sumeru respectively. 

Some subregions may also include new gliders as rewards for clearing objectives. The Wings of Concealing Snow for example can be obtained by reaching Frostbearing Tree Offering Level 12 in Dragonspine. 

As more nations are added to the game, it’s safe to assume they will each have their own unique gliders added as well. (Though that is just speculation at this point). 

Event Gliders

Occasionally other gliders have popped up as part of events. The Wings of Shimmering Galaxy for instance were gifted to players as a promotion for the first Genshin Concert. The Wings of Feasting meanwhile were a special reward available largely in China. It was part of a KFC collaboration, though they were later made available globally through a Twitch event. 

Unfortunately event gliders cannot be obtained outside of the event, making them quite rare in game. 

Join the High Ground

There you have our guide on how to glide/fly in Genshin Impact. With this it should take no time at all until you’re soaring through the skies of Teyvat!

Did this help or are you still wondering about some other mechanics in the game? Let us know in the comments below! For more help, you can also read up on how to take pictures in Genshin Impact here. And don’t forget to subscribe to our weekly newsletter for more gaming content!

Until next time, ad astra abyssosque and happy gaming!