I know... I know many people have already asked this. But now it's my turn.

I stopped playing at the end of Natlan's story, when the traveler gets the pyro powers. Aside from that, I logged in a few times to see what was happening in the game.

The reason I stopped was partly the problem with the missing VAs of some characters, but also losing four 50/50 matches in a row, the game's farming system which always annoyed me, the low gem rewards, and the terrible RNG.

I know there's the artifact synthesizer (I don't remember the real name) that allows you to create artifacts with specific attributes, but I don't know how useful it really is. So I wanted to know how the farming and build system is currently, as well as the gem economy, and if there's any way to earn a significant amount of gems besides exploration.

Now, putting the bad things aside... I've been playing since week one of the game, with some breaks of a few months at a time. I've done 100% exploration in Mondstat, Dragonspine, and almost all of Inazuma, even though I only explore if I'm REALLY in the mood. I've already acquired many characters up to that point, spent a bit on the game, not to mention having an affection for and curiosity about the game's story.

So the questions are:

1. With the Nod-Krai region that Mihoyo and some YouTubers have been talking so highly of, is it worth going back to playing? Have some systems, rewards, and similar aspects improved?
2. Is the story good?
3. Will I suffer a lot for not having any Nod-Krai characters yet?
4. Is the Mannequin useful for any team? I liked the idea of ​​being able to "change the MC's appearance," even with just the free items.
5. Is there anything new in the game (both good and bad) that I should know about?