Hey there, fellow Traveler! If you’re like me, you’ve probably spent more nights than you’d care to admit chasing Elemental Oculi across Teyvat, only to realize your Exploration Progress is stuck at 97% because of one stubborn chest hiding behind a cliff. Welcome to the club. In 2026, the world of Genshin Impact has grown even more sprawling, but the core thrill of exploration remains the same: every waypoint, shrine, and floating Mora box is a tiny victory. The 5.1 update was a landmark moment because it attached serious Primogem bonuses to Exploration Progress milestones—300 Primogems at 40%, 60%, and 80% in the newest regions, plus another 100 Primogems for finishing the associated main world quest. That changed everything. Exploration stopped being a casual stroll and became a strategic gold rush. Even now, with newer patches and regions layered on top, the fundamentals haven’t changed. Let me walk you through how I approach this without losing my mind.

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What Counts Toward Exploration Progress in Genshin Impact?

Exploration Progress is a mosaic made of tiny, stubborn tiles—each chest, waypoint, and shrine is a piece you place by hand, and the picture only becomes clear when you stop ignoring the corners. Here’s what actually moves the needle:

Activity Why it pushes your percentage
Collect Elemental Oculi These rare items are scattered across every region and often require puzzle-solving or climbing.
Unlock Teleport Waypoints Fast-travel points are essential for efficient exploration and count toward your total.
Statues of the Seven Interacting with these statues reveals map areas and contributes to progress.
Open Chests Common, Exquisite, Precious, and Luxurious chests all add up—especially the ones behind puzzles.
Unlock Shrines Every shrine you unlock gives a percentage bump and often hides extra chests nearby.
Investigate Mora Boxes These floating boxes in water are easy to miss but still count.

To make this less painful, use regional Treasure Compasses and Elemental Resonance Stones. A Treasure Compass is like a bloodhound that only speaks in beeps—it won’t fetch the chest for you, but it will point you toward the scent. Elemental Resonance Stones do the same for Oculi, which is a lifesaver when you’re missing just two in a massive region.

How to Check Your Exploration Progress

Monitoring your progress is key, because you can’t strategize what you can’t see. Here’s the quick version:

  1. Open your world map.

  2. Look at the bottom right corner of the screen. Your current area’s Exploration Progress appears there.

  3. To see an entire region’s overall progress, zoom out until the region names become visible. The percentage will be displayed below each region name.

That little number is your compass. When it stalls, you know you’re missing something—usually a hidden chest, an unvisited shrine, or a quest-locked area.

Tips for Boosting Exploration Progress

Once you’ve unlocked most teleport waypoints and collected the obvious Elemental Oculi, focus on chests. They are everywhere, but not all are created equal:

  • Open-world chests: Look for chests in accessible locations, but don’t ignore cliffs, rooftops, and underwater spots.

  • Challenge-based chests: Some require defeating enemies or completing environmental puzzles. These often hide Precious or Luxurious rewards.

  • World quest series: Tasks like Tracer No Tracing and Seeker No Finding often lead to hidden areas packed with treasures, including chests that yield Primogems.

  • Shrines: Unlocking every shrine contributes a percentage and usually contains additional chests.

  • Mora boxes: These floating boxes in water are tiny but count. Grab them while swimming.

Chasing Elemental Oculi without a Resonance Stone is like trying to find a specific raindrop in a hurricane. With the right tool, it becomes more like a metal detector on a beach where every beep is a tiny victory. And unlocking a Statue of the Seven is like pinning a butterfly to a map—suddenly the whole region stops fluttering away from you and becomes something you can actually navigate.

The 2026 Explorer’s Mindset

In 2026, the game has more regions, more chests, and more distractions than ever. That’s why I lean on the HoYoLab Interactive Map. It shows exact locations for chests, Oculi, and other points of interest, and the community notes often explain how to reach hidden treasures that would otherwise make you question your sanity. Use it as a planning tool, not a crutch—then go enjoy the scenery.

Remember, improving Exploration Progress is more than a Primogem grind. It’s an adventure through Mondstadt’s breezy hills, Natlan’s volcanic wilds, and every mysterious corner in between. Equip your compasses, mark your map, and embrace the chaos. The rewards are generous, but the journey itself is the real treasure. Now go find that last chest—I believe in you. 🌍✨