Back in 2021, when Liyue’s music still slapped harder than a Zhongli meteor, miHoYo threw us into a spooky domain with Xinyan and Childe called Labyrinth Warriors. Now, in 2026, with Genshin’s map stretching into Snezhnaya and characters that can literally freeze time, I still see folks asking about this event in my co-op lobbies. So, as a veteran who’s been through the cursed fields more times than I care to admit, let me break down what made this event tick—and how you can crush it if it ever returns (or just for the nostalgia). 😉

First, a little blast from the past. Labyrinth Warriors dropped in Version 2.2 and ran through November 8, 2021. The whole thing was locked behind clearing the Inazuma Archon Story Quest, and then you had to chat up Katheryne in Inazuma City to kick off a quest called “A Tricky Situation.” What followed was a parade of cutscenes with Xinyan, her rock-and-roll spirit, and a strangely supportive Tartaglia. The event itself? A dungeon crawl where you couldn’t use food to heal. Yeah, you heard that right—no NRE menus, no sweet madames. Just raw skill, lucky charms, and a lot of praying to the RNG gods.

How not to die immediately

You started each run by picking four characters and three Shikifuda. The domain consisted of rooms with traps, mobs, and these shiny little Investigate spots that mostly gave you radishes. Occasionally, though, you’d snag packs of Damaged Replica—currency used to buy permanent upgrades from the Charm Magic menu. More on that in a sec.

Shikifuda were like emergency buttons. You could bring up to three into a run, each usable three times, and the game would generously pause when you opened the menu mid-fight. My advice back then was “pick what fits your team,” and honestly, that still holds in 2026. Got a squishy hypercarry? Grab a healing or shield Shikifuda. Running a freeze comp? Take the one that boosts elemental damage. I always ended up hoarding them like potions in an RPG, so don’t be me—use them.

For Trial 1, “The Ominous Demesne,” the enemy lineup was mostly light mobs plus the new-at-the-time Rifthounds, topped off with Ruin Graders as final bosses. No Fatui elemental shields to worry about, which meant you could go wild with any element. I vividly remember breezing through it with Venti, whose E skill let me hover over Cursed Fields like a smug bard.

The real MVP: Golden Charms

Charms were the rogue-lite sauce that made each run unique. You’d pick them as you moved from room to room, and they gave stacking buffs that lasted the entire run. The golden ones were insane—think 30% Physical DMG bonus or a massive crit rate spike. Prioritize them like your life depended on it, because it kinda did.

My strategy was to build a shield-heavy team with Zhongli (OP then, OP now) and grab every defensive golden Charm I could find. Barbara would tag along for emergency heals in the designated recovery rooms. If I had a C6 Noelle back then, I’d probably have made a different choice—but hey, hindsight is 20/20.

The permanent upgrades you absolutely want

Between runs, you could spend Damaged Replica and other currencies in the Charm Magic menu to buy upgrades that lasted the entire event. The no-brainer pick was reducing Cursed Fields per trial. Cursed Fields were these glowing zones that debuffed your active character and prevented healing until you hit the next floor. Having fewer of them was a godsend.

Other useful purchases included extra Shikifuda uses and starting Charms. I grabbed the Cursed Field reduction first, then funneled everything into Shikifuda capacity. Because let’s face it—more panic buttons = less panic.

Looting and Xinyan’s free copy

While navigating the dusty corridors, I made it a habit to Investigate everything. Most of the time I got vegetables (my character’s backpack probably smelled like a farmer’s market), but every pack of Damaged Replica counted. Keep your eyes peeled—those crates and boxes hide more than just cabbages.

And what about the rockstar herself? Xinyan became available for free later in the event through the “Path of the Taishou” subquest. So if you were itching to add her to your roster without spending Primogems, you just had to be patient. By 2026 standards, she’s still a niche but extremely fun 4-star to build—especially with all the new Pyro supports that have dropped since Fontaine.

Final thoughts from a 2026 perspective

Looking back, Labyrinth Warriors was a beautiful experiment that blended Genshin’s combat with dungeon-crawler elements. We’ve had more refined events since then—like the spiral-abyss-esque challenges in Fontaine and what they’re cooking in Snezhnaya—but the charm (pun intended) of those early events still hits different. If you ever dig into old version archives or replay the event in a private server, take Venti, Zhongli, and a dream. And for the love of Barbatos, grab those golden Charms.

That’s all for now, Traveler. May your Cursed Fields be few and your Damage Replicas plentiful. 🍃