If you’ve spent any time wandering the mountain paths and harbor alleys of Liyue, you’ve probably stumbled across dozens of unnamed NPCs with small, often overlooked side stories to share. Many of these NPCs also hand out hidden rewards, from crafting materials to limited-time recipes, if you know when and where to talk to them. If you’re currently searching for where to find Yan Er in Genshin Impact, you’re likely either working through a hidden world quest, chasing a missing archive entry, or hunting for that last elusive Liyue reputation point. I’ve run into Yan Er dozens of times while grinding daily commissions and exploring hidden corners of the region, so I’ve put together all the details you need to track her down quickly, no unnecessary detours required.
Where to Find Yan Er in Genshin Impact: Exact Spawn Location
Yan Er is a non-playable Liyue NPC who only appears in one fixed location, no matter what time of day you visit or what quest you’re currently working through. You won’t find her wandering between different spots like some other Liyue NPCs, so once you know her spot, you can head straight there any time. Her spawn point is on the eastern side of Qingce Village, right next to the small bamboo grove that sits just above the village’s main rice paddies.
If you’ve already unlocked the Qingce Village waypoint, you can spawn there, turn southeast, and walk for less than 10 seconds to spot her standing next to a small wooden table. She’s usually wearing a light blue traditional Liyue dress, so she’s easy to pick out against the green bamboo and brown wooden houses around her. Note that she won’t disappear if you complete her associated quest, so you can always come back to visit her later if you need to refresh your archive entry or show her to a friend who’s also hunting for NPCs.
Quests and Activities That Require You to Find Yan Er
Most players start looking for Yan Er for one of three common reasons, and none of them are tied to limited-time event content, so you can complete these at any point during your Genshin playthrough. First, she’s a key NPC for the hidden world quest “The Tale of the Writing Brush”, which you can trigger by talking to her after you reach Adventure Rank 30. This short quest only takes 15 to 20 minutes to complete, and it rewards you with 30 Primogems, 2 Hero’s Wit, and a 3-star crafting recipe for Liyue-style incense that you can’t get anywhere else.
Second, she’s a required entry for the Liyue NPC archive, which counts towards your “Liyue Local Legend” achievement set. If you’re a completionist who’s hunting for every last achievement to unlock extra Primogems, you’ll need to talk to her at least once to add her to your archive. Third, some daily commissions will occasionally ask you to bring specific items to Yan Er, usually small crafting materials like glaze lilies or qingxin flowers. These commissions only pop up once every few weeks for most players, but it helps to already know where she is so you don’t waste time running around the village looking for her when you get the commission.
Useful Tips for Interacting With Yan Er
Once you find Yan Er, there are a few small tricks you can use to get the most out of your interaction, especially if you’re working through her associated quest. These are small details I picked up on my third time running through her quest with an alt account, and they saved me a lot of unnecessary backtracking:
- Bring at least one glaze lily with you before you talk to her for the first time. Her opening quest will ask you to grab one for her, and having it in your inventory already will let you skip the 10-minute detour to pick one from the gardens near Liyue Harbor.
- Talk to her twice in a row after you complete her quest. The first chat will give you your standard quest rewards, and the second hidden chat will hand you a free stack of 10 sweet flowers that most players miss entirely.
- Visit her during the rain if you want to unlock a unique dialogue line. She’ll comment on how the rain helps the bamboo grow faster, and you’ll get a tiny extra boost to your Liyue reputation for listening to her story.
You don’t have to follow any of these tips to finish her quest, of course, but they make the whole process a lot faster and more rewarding, especially if you’re trying to grind resources as efficiently as possible. I missed the free sweet flowers the first two times I talked to her, so I make a point to mention it to anyone who’s heading out to find her. You can also bring a hydro character with you if you want to water the small potted plant next to her table for an extra small dialogue Easter egg, though it doesn’t come with any tangible rewards.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Looking for Yan Er
Even though Yan Er’s spawn point is fixed, I’ve seen a lot of new players make the same small mistakes that waste 10 or 15 minutes of their time when they’re trying to find her. The most common mistake is looking for her in the main part of Qingce Village, near the elder’s house or the village shop. She’s far enough away from the main cluster of buildings that a lot of players run through the main village twice before they think to check the bamboo grove on the edge of town.
Another common mistake is assuming she only spawns during the day. A lot of Liyue NPCs go home and disappear after dark, but Yan Er stays in her spot next to the bamboo 24/7, so you can visit her at 2 AM in-game if that’s the only time you have to grind. The last big mistake is skipping her post-quest dialogue entirely. A lot of players claim their rewards and teleport away immediately, but they miss the hint she gives about a hidden chest under the largest bamboo tree in the grove. That chest has a 4-star artifact and 5,000 Mora inside, so it’s well worth sticking around for an extra 30 seconds to hear her tip. I only found that chest last month, even though I’ve played Genshin for two years, so it’s an easy detail to miss.
Tracking down small NPCs like Yan Er might feel like a tiny, unimportant part of playing Genshin Impact, but these small hidden interactions are part of what makes exploring Liyue feel so alive and full of surprises. Whether you’re chasing Primogems, achievements, or just trying to fill out your NPC archive, knowing where to find Yan Er in Genshin Impact will save you a lot of frustration when you eventually need to track her down. If you run into any trouble finding her on your first try, just take a slow walk around the edges of Qingce Village, and you’ll spot her next to the bamboo before you know it.