On 12 August the map is complete: what Snezhnaya is
Almost six years after setting off in Mondstadt, the map of Teyvat is about to be finished. HoYoverse has confirmed that Genshin Impact version 7.0 arrives on 12 August and opens Snezhnaya, the seventh and final nation: homeland of the Fatui, the Tsaritsa's country that has been pulling the story's strings since 2020 without ever letting anyone visit. 3DJuegos describes it as the beginning of the end of the main plot, and that's no exaggeration: every road in the game led here.
The setting promises plenty: a Russia-inspired nation with month-long blizzards, northern lights and a reputation as the most militarised and technologically advanced region in all of Teyvat. The Archon Quest opening the version already has a name, 'Everwinter Without Mercy', and ice as the dominant element is no coincidence in the land of the Cryo Archon. The Spanish press is already calling it the most important update in the game's history, with a graphical leap that debuts premium-grade character showcases, and the community has been counting down the days since the preview aired in June's livestream.
Odette and Aliosha: a ballerina who freezes and a free polearm
The headline debut is Odette, a five-star Cryo sword user: a ballerina who once served in the Fatui ranks under La Signora and arrives with a signature weapon, the Whitelake Frostfeather. She's joined by Aliosha, a four-star Electro polearm user, with the best possible news for anyone playing without opening their wallet: he's a gift for everyone who completes the new Archon Quest.
The gifts don't end there. As Vandal rounds up, Diona can also be obtained for free by completing the version's events — four of them, spanning train races, shooting competitions and challenges with a summer-horror flavour. And the roster of playable Fatui looks set to grow: 3DJuegos takes it as a given that Colombina and Tartaglia will become playable over the course of the Snezhnaya arc.
Trains, breakable ice and even guns
Snezhnaya isn't crossed on foot alone: the region debuts a network of trains summoned with a new tool, the Eye of the Graces, serving both as transport and as a puzzle piece. The ice refuses to stay scenery either: HoYoverse promises that in this region you'll be able to destroy, shatter and reshape the battlefield itself, with Fatui enemies fighting with military coordination and two new bosses, a chimeric winged lion and an immortal construct. The trains also star in race events within the version, so the tracks are more than set dressing.
And then there's the biggest oddity: a third-person shooter mode with three types of firearms and expandable attachments. That a game of swords, bows and elemental visions ends up handing out guns six years in says a lot about how badly HoYoverse wants 7.0 to feel like more than just another version. On paper it sounds like an experiment; in Teyvat's most militarised nation, it fits.
Guns in Teyvat. Six years of bows and visions to end up here.
Banners, platforms and three codes with an expiry date
The first banner phase pairs Odette with the return of Arlecchino, probably the best-loved face among the Fatui, and Ineffa returns in the second half. The update is free and lands simultaneously on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC, iOS and Android, with the usual four-player co-op; if shared-sofa plans are your thing, we already have a few lined up.
The big date is the 12th, but there's homework for today: as Siliconera reports, the three Primogem codes from the announcement — Everwinter, Odette0812 and OntoSnezhnaya — can only be redeemed until 3 August. It takes a minute, from the promo-code section inside the game or on HoYoverse's official site, with the account you play on. Doing it this weekend is the one part of Snezhnaya that can't wait.
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