Primordial Albedo

"Primordial" Albedo (unofficial name) is a quest-exclusive NPC who appeared in the Version 2.3 event Shadows Amidst Snowstorms.

He is distinguishable from the real Albedo by the lack of a golden star-shaped marking on his neck. He is a previous iteration of Albedo created by Rhinedottir as a result of her Primordial Human Project.

Profile[]

Introduction[]

Master's failed specimen in the dragon's belly—
This is where the story truly begins.

—Albedo, The Shadows Deepen

Primordial Albedo was the first version of Albedo made by Rhinedottir as a product of the Primordial Human Project, but was deemed a failed experiment and was eventually swallowed by Durin. Many years after Durin's death, Primordial Albedo escaped the dragon's body, taking Dragonspine as his haunt. Seeing Albedo live among humans, Primordial Albedo grew envious that a synthetic being was able to fully enjoy the human experience and began shadowing Albedo, concocting a plan to replace him.^[4][5]

Primordial Albedo created the Fellflower variant to distract Albedo, intending to eliminate the successful experiment and take his place when the time was right. However, the Traveler's abrupt arrival to Dragonspine foiled this plan. Sometime later, the Fellflower is dispatched of and after Albedo tells the Traveler about his star-shaped birthmark, Albedo notices that he is being watched by Primordial Albedo from a cliff and goes to confront his impostor. The Traveler also suspected that something was off, but could not discern anything.^[4][5]

Several days later, Albedo explains what happened in the form of a story, referring to himself as "Subject One," Primordial Albedo as "Subject Two," Fellflower Albedo as "Subject Three," and likening the Traveler to a gardener. Albedo does not specify Primordial Albedo's fate and simply says that his plan to usurp Albedo's identity had failed.^[5]

Quests and Events[]

Events

• Shadows Amidst Snowstorms
  • Act I: The Snowy Past
  • Act II: The Shadows Deepen (cutscene)

Trivia[]

• Three major interpretations have arisen regarding Primordial Albedo's ultimate fate:
  • Primordial Albedo was slain by Albedo after Act II, and the exchange between the Traveler and Albedo about the impostor that Albedo "took out" was about Primordial Albedo, so Albedo did not correct the Traveler's assumption. Albedo's conversation at the end of Act III was both an elaborate prank and an indication to the Traveler that he is satisfied with his current life.
  • Primordial Albedo is alive and has assumed a likely-deceased Joserf's identity. Because Albedo was made aware of Joel's situation during Act I, he may have proposed an alternate solution to Primordial Albedo that would resolve their conflict, fulfill Primordial Albedo's desire to live amongst humanity, and provide Joel with a resolution to his father's disappearance. In this interpretation, Albedo's conversation at the end of Act III is an elaborate metaphor to signal the truth of the situation to the Traveler.
  • Primordial Albedo is alive and is now sharing an identity with Albedo. Those who follow this interpretation believe that the Albedo at the end of Act III has Primordial Albedo's mannerisms and focus on the Traveler's emphasis on Albedo's uncharacteristic behavior.

Gallery[]

Cameos[]

Version 2.3 "Shadows Amidst Snowstorms" Trailer - Genshin Impact

Notes[]

Change History[]

References[]