The 3.1 update to MiHoYo’s hit action-RPG Genshin Impact dropped on the night of Sept. 28, bringing with it new characters, new bosses, new story quests, and the game’s first-ever desert area (among two other new ones). Entitled King Deshret and the Three Magi, the update builds upon its predecessor, The Morn a Thousand Roses Brings, a major update that introduced the new Dendro element and Sumeru region to the game.

The update’s Archon quests continue the story of the Sumeru region, which leads the player-character out from the lush forests of the region’s capital city and into the barren sands of the Hypostyle Desert in order to find a cure for Elezar, a mysterious disease that affects certain individuals living in Sumeru. Along the way, the Traveler meets some of the new playable characters introduced in V3.1, such as Cyno, Nilou, and Candice, all of whom can only be obtained via gacha rolls in the game’s Wish system. For those not keen on grinding for primogems or spending real money for new characters, one of the new playable characters from the 3.0 update, Collei, is now obtainable for free upon completion of Floor 4, Chamber 3 of the Spiral Abyss.

The 3.1 update also brings with it four new special events for players to take part in. The first and foremost is Of Ballads and Brews, which brings the Traveler back to the city of Mondstat to take part in its harvest season celebration. The four-part event tasks the player with completing hunting, combat, fundraising, and scavenger-hunt challenges to earn various rewards, such as primogems, a four-star weapon called the Missive Windspear, and the materials necessary to upgrade the aforementioned spear. Players will have until Oct. 17 to reap all of the possible rewards from Of Ballads and Brews.

The other three events, Hyakunin Ikki (a returning combat event), Star-Seeker’s Soujourn (a new exploration event), and Wind-Chaser (a puzzle-solving event) are as of yet unavailable. The Hyakunin Ikki event will open on Oct. 10 and run through Oct. 24, while the remaining two events will begin at later, undisclosed dates.