You know that feeling. You’ve just finished a grueling domain run in Mondstadt or Fontaine, your pockets are overflowing with messy green and blue materials, and you just want to condense your resin. You sprint toward the nearest city center. You see the glowing icon. But then, right as you press the button, you accidentally talk to Timaeus. Or you trigger a cinematic for a quest you forgot you even started. The Genshin case of the crafting bench isn't just a single incident; it’s a long-standing running joke—and a genuine UI design hurdle—that has defined the player experience since version 1.0.
Honestly, it’s iconic.
What People Get Wrong About the Crafting Bench "Case"
Most new players think the frustration is just about misclicking. It’s deeper. When we talk about the "case" of these benches, we’re looking at how HoYoverse builds its open world. In the early days of Mondstadt, the crafting bench was placed exactly two inches away from Timaeus, an NPC who is very eager to talk about alchemy. For over a year, players begged for a "fix" because the interaction priority often favored the NPC over the actual utility.
It became a meme. It became a rite of passage. If you hadn't accidentally learned about Timaeus's passion for alchemy while trying to craft a Condensed Resin at 11:59 PM before the daily reset, did you even play Genshin?
Eventually, the developers actually listened. They nudged him back. They adjusted the hitboxes. But the "case" shifted. It moved to Liyue, then Inazuma, and then became a meta-commentary on how players interact with the environment. The crafting bench is the most vital piece of equipment in the game, yet it is often the most obstructed.
The Alchemical Frustration: Why Location Matters
In Liyue Harbor, the bench is tucked away. It feels cozy. But in the early patches, the NPC nearby would often wander into your "interaction zone." Then came Inazuma. The bench in Inazuma City is arguably the best-placed one in the game because it’s right next to the teleport waypoint with almost zero NPC interference.
The Sumeru and Fontaine Shift
Sumeru tried to be fancy. The bench is in the Treasure Street area, but the verticality of the city made it feel like a chore to reach compared to the flat layout of Mondstadt. By the time we reached Fontaine and later updates, the developers started realizing that players don't want "immersion" when they are crafting; they want speed.
They added the "Crafting Bench" for the Serenitea Pot. You'd think that solved the Genshin case of the crafting bench entirely, right? Wrong.
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Loading screens are the enemy. Why would I warp into my teapot, wait for the load, run to the bench, craft, and then warp back out? It’s faster to just fight Timaeus in a duel of menu-clicking. This highlights a core tension in Genshin Impact's design: the struggle between making a world feel "alive" with NPCs and making it functional for daily grinders.
The Technical Side of the Interaction Priority
Let's get nerdy for a second. The way Genshin handles "interactables" is based on a proximity hierarchy. When two objects—like an NPC and a Bench—occupy the same radial space, the game has to decide which prompt appears first. For the longest time, NPCs were hard-coded to have a higher priority.
Why?
To prevent players from missing quest triggers. Imagine if you couldn't progress the Archon Quest because a chair was in the way. But for the crafting bench, this backfired. It led to the "Timaeus Meta," where players learned the exact angle to approach the bench to ensure the "Craft" prompt appeared before the "Talk" prompt.
- Approach from the left.
- Wait for the white dot to center.
- Don't sprint-jump into the interaction.
It’s these weird, learned behaviors that make the Genshin case of the crafting bench so fascinating from a player-psychology perspective. We shouldn't have to "learn" how to use a menu, but we did.
Real Examples of the "Bench Curse"
There was a specific event early in the game's life where the crafting bench became a literal trap. Because of the way co-op mode worked, players could "troll" others by standing on the bench or placing Geo constructs (like Zhongli's pillar) directly on top of it.
You’d see a traveler desperately trying to make some talent books, only to be forced into a climbing animation or a dialogue loop. HoYoverse eventually patched the ability to place constructs too close to certain city utilities, but the legend of the "obstructed bench" lived on.
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Then there’s the "Quest Lockout." Have you ever tried to use the bench only to get the message "Cannot use this while in quest"? This usually happens because an NPC involved in a quest is standing ten feet away, and the game has "reserved" the area for a cinematic. It’s a ghost in the machine. You’re staring at the bench. It’s right there. But the game says no because a fictional character is waiting to tell you about their lost cat.
Modern Solutions and the Teapot Fix
The introduction of the "portable" style of gameplay changed things. Once the Serenitea Pot allowed for custom placement, the community created "efficiency hubs."
Players began designing their teapot entrances with the crafting bench, the forge, and the stove all within three steps of the spawn point. This was the ultimate resolution to the Genshin case of the crafting bench. It was the players saying, "Fine, if you won't move the NPCs, we'll build our own city."
But even then, the "world" benches remain the primary spot for most. There is something communal about seeing a Raiden Shogun, a Neuvillette, and a Furina all huddled around the same wooden table in Fontaine, all desperately trying to convert their garbage loot into something usable.
Why We Still Care
It’s about the friction.
Genshin is a game of loops. You login, you do dailies, you spend resin, you logout. Anything that adds three seconds to that loop—like an accidental dialogue—is amplified by the thousands of times you do it. The crafting bench is the heart of character progression. Every single upgrade passes through that menu.
When you look at the "case" objectively, it’s a masterclass in how small UI choices can define the reputation of a massive, multi-billion dollar game. Timaeus isn't just an alchemist anymore; he's a symbol of the "accidental interaction."
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Actionable Steps for the Efficient Traveler
If you’re tired of being a victim of the crafting bench curse, there are actually ways to optimize your workflow that most people ignore.
First, set your commissions to a specific region. If you hate the Mondstadt bench, move your daily life to Fontaine or Inazuma. The Inazuma bench is widely considered the "speedrunner's choice" because the distance from the waypoint is short and the NPC (Yayoi Nanatsuki) is far enough away that misclicks are rare.
Second, utilize the search and filter functions. People spend way too much time scrolling through the alchemy list. Use the "Filter by Character" or "Filter by Material" buttons to cut your interaction time in half. The less time you spend in the menu, the less likely you are to trigger a nearby world event or co-op invite that kicks you out of the screen.
Third, build your "Efficiency Square" in the Serenitea Pot. 1. Place a Teleport Waypoint.
2. Place the Alchemist's Crafting Bench immediately in front of it.
3. Place your Forge and your Stove to the left and right.
4. Never talk to Timaeus again unless you actually want to.
The Genshin case of the crafting bench taught the community to be observant. It taught us that the world isn't just a backdrop; it's a series of hitboxes and triggers. While the "war" against Timaeus has mostly been won through patches and player ingenuity, the memory of those accidental dialogues remains a core part of the game's history.
Stop sprinting blindly at the bench. Slow down for a millisecond. Let the UI catch up to your character’s position. It’ll save you more time in the long run than any "fast-talk" clicking ever will.