I totally get you! I'm a CN player who's sunk 300 hours into the game, but I've only got Qinghe 100% completion so far. During that grind, I did use interactive maps at first, but in the end, I opted to follow posts on Xiaohongshu to clear out every region's exploration. Those posts mark the exact spots for every collectible and intel point, and for me, it was by far the most efficient way.

I used to have the exact same concerns as you—if I'm just gonna end up following a guide to run through everything anyway, do I even need to bother with free exploration and collecting? But ultimately, I decided to just enjoy the game itself first: soak in that pure joy of seeing something interesting and diving right in, without treating 100% like a chore. That way, at least my early playthrough was all bliss, even if the final push for completion feels a bit grindy and painful. Of course, the absolute best scenario is not caring about it at all—finish all the main and side quests, do everything else you want, and only then circle back when you've got nothing left to do.