Genshin Impact 7.0: Snezhnaya and the Stellar Era

1. Version status and how to read this page

Genshin Impact 7.0 launched on August 12, 2026, which means most of its content is no longer a leak — it is confirmed by the live client and official patch notes. Where a claim below came from the pre-launch beta and matched the shipped game, it is tagged Confirmed. Where a detail appeared only in early beta builds or in launch-week coverage that has not been cross-checked against patch notes, it is tagged Leaked/expected so you know how firm the ground is. The version ran two 21-day phases, Phase 1 from August 12 to September 1 and Phase 2 from September 1 to September 22, 2026.

2. The new region: Snezhnaya

Snezhnaya is the seventh and final nation on the Teyvat map, the seat of the Fatui, and the destination the Archon Quest has pointed at since Chapter I. Confirmed. The explorable zone launched under the banner name "The Godforsaken Frostlands," a harsh ice-locked expanse centered on the capital Snezhnograd, with crowded streets, open icefields, and secluded villages watched over by Jack Frost-type enemies. Pre-launch datamines described the map as unusually large, larger than many players expected, and noted that Snezhnaya connects to Nod-Krai through a narrow land passage. Confirmed for the core layout; the exact size claim is Leaked/expected from beta maps.

Traversal and the rail network

The region is stitched together by a rail network, and getting around depends on a new gadget, the Eye of Graeae. Confirmed. The gadget wards off the cold, summons trains, and builds structures called Prime Ice Constructs. Launch coverage also described a dedicated third-person shooter mode unlocked by the same gadget, with three firearms that each carry their own elemental interactions and weapon attachments. That combat mode is a bigger change than it sounds for a game built on four-character swapping, but treat the shooter specifics as Leaked/expected until you have tested them in the live client, because launch-week write-ups disagreed on scope.

3. New characters

Two new units arrived in 7.0, and one returning Harbinger headlined Phase 1. All identity details below are Confirmed from the shipped banners and trailers; kit numbers are summarized from official kit reveals, not beta tuning.

Odette — five-star Cryo Sword

Odette is the Prima Ballerina of the Korolevskiy Troupe, a member of the Fatui, and a student of La Signora. She carries a Stellar Linchpin, which lets her kit trigger the new Stellar Glimmer reactions. Her leaked beta role framed her as a Cryo enabler who converts Superconduct and Cryo Swirl into their Stellar versions and raises Stellar Glimmer damage for the whole party. She headlined Phase 1 alongside the Arlecchino rerun. Veteran planning has centered on whether she pairs best with Freeze or Cryo-mono teams, since the Stellar system is built with exactly these characters in mind. Confirmed as the debut; exact scaling is Leaked/expected from pre-launch kits.

Alyosha — four-star Electro Polearm, free

Alyosha is a hunter who fights beside his dog Tugarin and is obtainable for free by advancing the new Archon Quest. Confirmed. He is a four-star Electro polearm support, which makes him one of the rare story-gated free units worth building. Picking him up costs zero Primogems, and the flagship event handed out a free Diona on top of that, so 7.0 was unusually generous to free-to-play accounts.

Banner shape

Phase 1 paired Odette (debut) with Arlecchino (Pyro polearm rerun). Confirmed. Phase 2 brought Flins and Ineffa as featured banners. Confirmed. The free Diona came from the "Great Expeditionist Challenge" flagship event rather than the story. See the Banners & Events page for the shipped rates and dates.

4. Stellar reactions and the Cryo Traveler

The headline system change is the Stellar layer. Resonating with Snezhnaya's Statues of the Seven gives the Traveler Cryo, a new outfit ("Hunt in the Snow"), and a new weapon, the Exiphanes Blade (spelled Exaiphanes in some launch copy). Confirmed. The new reaction family, Stellar Glimmer, includes Stellar Swirl (Anemo plus Cryo), which summons a Stellar Vortex that strengthens with repeated activations, and Stellar-Conduct, a Cryo-based combination. Several older characters — Sandrone, Mizuki, Qiqi, and Diona — received new references to Stellar-Swirl in their kits, which suggests the reaction is meant to matter beyond the new region. Confirmed for the reaction's existence; the exact damage formula is Leaked/expected from beta skill text.

Why it matters for team-building

Before 7.0, Anemo and Cryo had no signature reaction of their own beyond Swirl. Stellar Swirl gives Anemo carries a real reason to build around Cryo partners, and the Stellar Linchpin units (Odette, and later Vesna in 7.1) are the ones who set the reactions off. If you are building around this system, read the character database for who carries a Linchpin and who only benefits from the reaction.

5. New weapons and artifact sets

Version 7.0 added the Exiphanes Blade as a story-gated five-star sword for the Traveler — the first proper signature weapon for the protagonist after years of requests. Confirmed. Two new artifact sets arrived built around the Stellar mechanics. The Stellar-Conduct Support Set gives 18 percent ATK on two pieces, and its four-piece effect raises Stellar-Conduct and Stellar-Swirl damage for nearby teammates after triggering either reaction. The Stellar-Swirl DPS Set also gives 18 percent ATK on two pieces, then 16 percent CRIT Rate and a 40 percent Stellar-Swirl Damage Bonus on four pieces after activating the reaction. Confirmed set bonuses from patch notes; exact internal coefficients are Leaked/expected.

Battle Pass series

A new Battle Pass weapon series, tied to a "Swift Trail" mechanic, shipped with 7.0. The sword scales ATK from distance traveled after an Elemental Skill; the polearm restores Energy to nearby allies in Cryo and Hydro teams; the catalyst grants ATK and Elemental Mastery after a Skill and extends the buff with Charged Attacks; the claymore cycles offensive buffs and locks one in after triggering the new reactions; the bow rewards same-region teams with ATK and Elemental Mastery. Leaked/expected — these descriptions come from a single beta-leak round and were not all re-verified against the live Battle Pass at review time.

6. Events and quality-of-life

The flagship event, "Great Expeditionist Challenge," ran through September and rewarded a free Diona. Other Phase 1 and Phase 2 events included "Mutual Aid in Bloom: Into the Frostlands," "Trial of the Bastion," and "Overflowing Abundance." Stygian Onslaught and Imaginarium Theater kept their regular rotations. Confirmed from the event schedule. On the QoL side, the map pin limit rose to 350, the Adventurer's Handbook was improved, and a new "Shadow Realm" mode was reported as a 7.0 addition. The pin limit and Handbook changes are Confirmed; "Shadow Realm" is Leaked/expected from launch coverage that was not cross-checked.

How the 7.0 leaks held up

The pre-launch beta leaks for 7.0 were unusually accurate. The region name, the two new characters, the Cryo Traveler, the Exiphanes Blade, and both artifact sets all shipped as datamined. The soft spots were scope claims — map size, the shooter mode, and "Shadow Realm" — where early write-ups ran ahead of what the live client confirmed. That is the normal pattern: identity leaks land, flavor leaks drift. Cross-checked on 2026-09-05; leaks are subject to change before official release.