TL;DR
- Four Shades serve as Heavenly Principles’ direct envoys, surpassing Archon authority
- Ronova established Natlan’s foundation and cursed Khaenri’ah with immortality
- Istaroth manipulates time and history, protecting Teyvat’s cultural development
- Naberius merged with Rhinedottir, creating artificial life that challenged divine order
- Each Shade governs fundamental aspects of reality with future story significance
Genshin Impact’s cosmic structure operates through a meticulously organized power hierarchy where the Archons represent merely the visible tier of governance. The true sovereign authority belongs to the Heavenly Principles, divine entities who descended upon Teyvat and overthrew the seven original sovereigns. Following their victory, these supreme beings delegated their authority by dispatching four powerful ‘Shades’ to administer the world according to their divine mandate.
These Four Shades function as celestial viceroys, each commanding dominion over essential aspects of existence. Their power levels significantly exceed those of the seven Archons, positioning them as the ultimate arbiters of Teyvat’s fundamental operations. Each Shade oversees a distinct cosmic domain, ensuring the world functions according to the Heavenly Principles’ grand design.
The recent Teyvat storyline revelation in ‘The God’s Limits’ interlude teaser has finally unveiled the identities of these enigmatic figures. All four entities play pivotal roles in Genshin Impact’s overarching narrative, with their influence expected to expand dramatically throughout the forthcoming 6.0 and 7.0 version narrative arcs. This comprehensive guide examines their individual domains, historical interventions, and projected future significance.

Ronova’s initial narrative presence emerged during the Natlan Archon questline, where she functioned as the primordial architect of that nation’s foundational laws. She provided divine assistance to Yohualtecuhtin, sovereign of the Night Kingdom, during its establishment phase, embedding her authority into the region’s very constitution.
Through the Divine Throne’s conduit, Mavuika harnessed Ronova’s death-aligned energies to combat the Abyssal corruption threatening Natlan. More significantly, Ronova enacted the Curse of Immortality upon all Khaenri’ah natives, transforming them into eternal beings incapable of natural death. This divine punishment forms the emotional cornerstone of the Abyss Order’s profound resentment toward celestial authority.
The immortality curse represents an insurmountable obstacle for the Traveler’s sibling attempting to restore Khaenri’ah. Until this metaphysical shackle is broken, any attempt at national restoration remains fundamentally impossible. Narrative foreshadowing strongly suggests an impending confrontation between Ronova’s death dominion and the Abyss Order’s rebellion.
Strategic Insight: Players should monitor Ronova’s narrative development closely, as her death-related abilities may introduce new gameplay mechanics involving resurrection prevention or life-force manipulation systems.
As the temporal dimension’s supreme authority, Istaroth commands the worship and devotion of Enkanomiya’s inhabitants. Her most critical historical intervention occurred during the Cataclysm, where she strategically redirected the Traveler’s sibling’s attention away from Khaenri’ah at the conflict’s climax, potentially altering the event’s entire outcome.
Istaroth possesses the unique capacity to grant ‘History’ as a tangible concept, suggesting her direct involvement in shaping Teyvat’s rich cultural tapestry and historical continuity. Her portrayal in ‘The God’s Limits’ teaser presents a deity seemingly afflicted by perpetual ennui and capriciousness, though this may constitute an elaborate facade.
Her apparently disinterested demeanor could represent an intentional misdirection tactic, concealing meticulously calculated interventions throughout Teyvat’s development. This strategic ambiguity allows her to operate without drawing excessive scrutiny to her timeline manipulation activities.
Common Misconception: Many players underestimate Istaroth’s significance, but her time manipulation abilities likely influence numerous historical events players have already witnessed.

Naberius governs the domain of life itself, and her current existence involves a mysterious symbiotic merger with ‘Gold’ Rhinedottir following the Cataclysmic events. Rhinedottir, counted among Khaenri’ah’s Five Sinners, bears responsibility for triggering the apocalyptic disaster five centuries past.
In defiance of the Heavenly Principles’ natural order, Rhinedottir pioneered artificial life creation, producing beings like Durin and Albedo that eventually unleashed chaos across Teyvat. At an unspecified point following these events, Naberius consumed Rhinedottir’s essence, resulting in their current shared corporeal existence.
This unprecedented fusion between a divine Shade and a mortal sinner creates fascinating narrative possibilities regarding conflicting loyalties and combined capabilities. Their merged consciousness may represent one of Teyvat’s most powerful and unpredictable entities.
Advanced Analysis: The Naberius-Rhinedottir amalgamation suggests future gameplay could introduce bio-alchemical mechanics or life-form customization systems.

Asmoday commands authority over spatial dimensions and realm boundaries within Teyvat’s cosmology. While less detailed in current narrative revelations, her domain fundamentally concerns the physical structure of reality and dimensional interfaces.
Her responsibilities likely include maintaining separation between elemental realms, overseeing teleportation mechanics, and regulating spatial anomalies. This position makes her crucial to understanding Teyvat’s geographical mysteries and potential world-expansion mechanics.
Future story developments will likely explore Asmoday’s role in celestial navigation, inter-realm travel, and possibly the establishment of pocket dimensions or alternate reality spaces.
Practical Tip: When exploring new regions, consider how Asmoday’s spatial authority might influence environmental design and traversal mechanics.

The Four Shades collectively represent the next narrative tier beyond the Archon quests, with their interconnected domains forming Teyvat’s operational foundation. Understanding their relationships and individual authorities provides crucial insight into future storyline directions and potential world mechanics.
Action Checklist
- Review Natlan Archon quests to identify Ronova’s foundational influences
- Study Enkanomiya lore for Istaroth’s historical interventions
- Analyze Rhinedottir’s creations (Durin, Albedo) to understand Naberius merger implications
- Monitor version 6.0 teasers for Shades’ expanded roles
No reproduction without permission:Tsp Game Club » All Four Shades in Genshin Impact Revealed Unveiling Genshin Impact's Four Shades: Divine Rulers Beyond the Archons
