Genshin Impact's Version 7.0 has taken players into Snezhnaya, the frozen northern nation ruled by the Cryo Archon Tsaritsa, in the biggest map opening HoYoverse has shipped since the Nod-Krai era. The update went live on August 12 and runs through September 22, and as of early September it has moved into its second banner phase — which means the launch rush is over and the version's back half is now the main event.
For anyone who has followed the story since Mondstadt, this is the region the entire Fatui arc has been building toward. It arrives with a new zone, a fresh Archon Quest chapter, and a reworked set of elemental interactions HoYoverse is calling Stellar Reactions.
What's live right now in 7.0
Version 7.0 launched with the 5-star Odette and the 4-star Alyosha headlining the Snezhnaya cast, alongside a full slate of regional content. Odette is a Cryo sword user — a Fatui agent once under the late La Signora — built around the new Stellar reactions, while Alyosha is an Electro polearm healer and buffer. Phase 1 paired Odette's debut with an Arlecchino rerun through September 1. That window has now closed.
Phase 2 — the current banners — swaps in reruns of Flins and Ineffa, running from September 1 to September 22. It's a rerun-heavy stretch, so players who skipped those characters the first time around, or want extra constellations, have until the version ends to pull.
Here's the short version of what shipped:
- Snezhnaya opens as a new explorable region with its own Archon Quest chapter
- Odette (5-star Cryo sword) and Alyosha (4-star Electro polearm) join the roster
- Stellar reactions (the "Stellar Glimmer" system: Stellar-Conduct and Stellar-Swirl), a new layer of elemental interactions tied to the region
- Phase 1: Odette + Arlecchino rerun (ended Sept 1)
- Phase 2: Flins + Ineffa reruns (live now through Sept 22)
One thing 7.0 does not include, despite the setting: the Tsaritsa herself. The Cryo Archon is confirmed playable, but current leaks place her release later in the 7.x cycle, after the Archon Quest reaches its climax. Snezhnaya is her home turf — she just isn't pullable in the version that opens it.
Why the timing matters
Opening an Archon's home nation without releasing that Archon is a deliberate pacing move, and it's one HoYoverse has used before. The region opens, the story sets its stakes, and the marquee character lands a version or two later once the narrative has earned the payoff. For players, that means 7.0 is about exploration and the new cast, not a single must-pull banner — and the rerun-focused Phase 2 reinforces that.
It also means the smart play for anyone saving Primogems is to read this as a setup version. The bigger Snezhnaya banners are still ahead.
Vesna and Vodyanitsa are already on deck
HoYoverse hasn't waited to tease what's next. Version 7.1 is confirmed for September 23, and the publisher has already run drip marketing for two new characters: Vesna and Vodyanitsa, the latter revealed on August 18 as a Hydro character billed as the Prima Soprano of the Korolevskiy Troupe.
Banner phasing isn't official yet — that gets locked in at the 7.1 livestream, expected in mid-September. Until then, treat Vodyanitsa's exact slot as a window inside 7.1 rather than a fixed date.
The takeaway
Version 7.0 is the front door to Snezhnaya, not the whole house. If you're a story player, the Archon Quest is the reason to log in now. If you're a roster builder, Phase 2's Flins and Ineffa reruns are your window before September 22. And if you're hoarding for the Tsaritsa, keep hoarding — this was always going to be a slow burn. We'll cover the 7.1 livestream once HoYoverse locks in the banner order.
