Genshin Impact 7.0 – Everything New in Snezhnaya (Tsaritsa, Odette, Alyosha, Stellar Reactions)

Snezhnaya. We have been circling this frozen nation for the entire game, catching it in Fatui monologues and Harbinger cutscenes, and now HoYoverse is finally handing us the keys to the front door. I have been waiting for this patch the way I wait for a horror sequel I already know is going to emotionally flatten me, and Genshin Impact 7.0 delivers exactly the kind of lore payoff I was hoping for.

Below, I have gathered everything that actually matters for the 7.0 Snezhnaya update: the release date, the Tsaritsa, new characters Odette and Alyosha, the Cryo Traveler, the Stellar Glimmer reaction system, the third-person shooter mode, the banner schedule, and the launch redemption code. I have kept the confirmed details clearly separated from the rumors, because nobody enjoys finding out the "leaked" kit they built a whole team around was never real.

TLDR: Genshin Impact 7.0

• Release date: August 12, 2026 at 04:00 UTC
• New region: Snezhnaya, the Fatui homeland, opens for exploration.
• New characters: Odette (five-star Cryo sword) and Alyosha (free four-star Electro polearm).
• Cryo Traveler: the Traveler finally unlocks Cryo.
• New reaction: Stellar-Swirl joins the Stellar Glimmer system.
• New mode: a third-person shooter mode with three new firearms.
• Redemption code: Snezhnaya20260812.
• Tsaritsa: the Cryo Archon looms over the story

Everything New in Genshin Impact 7.0 - Update Notes

This is a story-first patch, and it kicks off the whole Snezhnaya arc, so expect the Fatui and the Cryo Archon to dominate everything. Here is the quick rundown of what arrives at launch:

• A new region: Snezhnaya, the icy home of the Fatui, opens up, with the city of Snezhnograd and a train network connecting its snowbound settlements.
• A new five-star: Odette, a Cryo sword user, headlines the Phase 1 banner.
• A free four-star: Alyosha, an Electro polearm hunter, is handed to you through the Archon Quest.
• Cryo Traveler: the Traveler unlocks Cryo power for the very first time.
• A new reaction: Stellar-Swirl joins the Stellar Glimmer system as the fresh Cryo-based reaction.
• A new exploration tool: the Eye of Graeae, which wards off the cold, calls trains, and builds Prime Ice Constructs for puzzles.
• A new mode: a third-person shooter mode with three new firearms and weapon attachments.
• New story: Archon Quest Chapter VII, Acts I and II, worth up to 560 Primogems.

Who Is the Tsaritsa in Genshin Impact?

The Tsaritsa, whose full name HoYoverse has confirmed as Anastasya Feodorovna Snezhnaya, is the Cryo Archon and the ruler of Snezhnaya. She is the god the Fatui answer to, and she has spent the game's larger story quietly working toward a goal that sets her against the rest of Teyvat's Archons, all while directing the Harbingers to hunt down the other Gnoses.

Her design was revealed in the "Sudden Snow" trailer, and while the community loves to call her the "Ice Queen," the 7.0 Archon Quest is less about a single grand entrance and more about the world she rules. The story digs into the tangled factions of Snezhnaya, a catastrophic blizzard, and the energy crisis gripping the nation, all of which orbit her long game. After years of build-up, her homeland is finally something we get to walk through.

Is the Tsaritsa Playable in Genshin Impact 7.0?

No, the Tsaritsa is not playable in Genshin Impact 7.0. She is not pullable on any 7.0 banner, so keep those wishes in your pocket for now.

Community trackers and dataminers tend to float Version 7.3 as the earliest realistic window for a playable Tsaritsa, but that is a leak-based estimate and nothing more. Treat any specific patch number as a rumor until HoYoverse says otherwise on an official channel.

New Characters in 7.0 Update: Odette, Alyosha, and the Cryo Traveler Form

Genshin Impact 7.0 brings in two new pullable characters, plus a long-overdue upgrade for the Traveler - the Cryo elemental form.

Odette

Odette is the headline five-star, a Cryo sword user and Fatui operative working under La Signora. Officially, she is a celebrated Snezhnayan ballerina, though all that grace hides a highly trained assassin, which is exactly the kind of duality I am here for. Her kit is built around the new reactions: she converts a team's Superconduct and Cryo Swirl into Stellar-Conduct and Stellar-Swirl while amplifying all Stellar Glimmer damage across the party. Her Elemental Skill drops a dancing double that deals continuous AoE Cryo damage and hands the whole team a Stellar Glimmer damage bonus, and her Burst piles on waves of Cryo AoE. With a thin early lineup around her, she owns the spotlight at launch, and I am only holding back the exact numbers until they settle after release.

Alyosha

Alyosha is your free four-star for the patch, and he is a lot less of a mystery than he was a few weeks ago. He is an Electro polearm user, a Snezhnayan hunter who fights alongside his canine companion Tugarin, buffing the party's Stellar-Conduct damage and healing nearby teammates. You unlock him simply by progressing through Archon Quest Chapter VII, so no Primogems required, which is always the sweetest kind of character.

Cryo Traveler Elemental Form

And the big one for longtime players: the Traveler finally unlocks Cryo in Snezhnaya, after seven regions of watching everyone else get the fun elements first. You pick it up by interacting with the region's Statues of the Seven, and the Cryo Traveler doubles as a handy free enabler for Stellar Glimmer teams. For context on where all these units land in the roster, see our guide to every Genshin Impact character in release order.

Genshin Impact 7.0 Banner Schedule

The 7.0 banner rotation runs across two phases. Here is how the wish schedule shakes out:

Phase	Dates	Featured banners
Phase 1	Aug 12 – Sept 1	Odette (new) and Alyosha (new) debut alongside an Arlecchino rerun
Phase 2	Sept 1 – Sept 22	Flins rerun and Ineffa rerun

Phase 1 debuts both Odette and Alyosha next to a returning Arlecchino, and Phase 2 circles back for Flins and Ineffa. If Odette is your target, the light early competition is a gift, since you can throw your Primogems at Phase 1 without agonizing over a must-have rerun you would be skipping.

What Are Stellar Reactions in Genshin Impact 7.0?

Here is the part a lot of the early write-ups keep muddling, so let me clear it up. The system's official name is Stellar Glimmer, and it is a Cryo-anchored set of reactions rather than a whole new element. Interacting with Snezhnaya's Statues of the Seven grants the Traveler Cryo power and lets you trigger every Stellar Glimmer reaction while that character is in your party. Two reactions live under the umbrella:

• Stellar-Conduct (Cryo + Electro) is the one that came first. It swaps your usual Superconduct for a Polestar Field that buffs damage and stacks up the more Cryo and Electro hits you land, and out in the open world, it unlocks new interactions with objects.
• Stellar-Swirl (Cryo + Anemo) is the genuinely new one in 7.0. Instead of a normal Swirl, it summons a Stellar Vortex that deals Anemo and Cryo damage. Repeat triggers raise the Vortex's level and amplify its eventual detonation, and in exploration it gives you a serious jump-height boost.

Odette is the character who ties both halves together, converting a team's Superconduct and Cryo Swirl into their Stellar versions. Cryo-heavy teams get the most obvious value here, but I would hold off on rebuilding your entire account around the vortex until the live numbers settle, because a good chunk of the figures floating around came from beta test servers.

The New Archon Quest in Snezhnaya

Spoiler warning: this section touches the 7.0 Archon Quest story. If you want to go in completely blind, skip down to the redemption code.

The 7.0 Archon Quest is Chapter VII, split into Act I, "Everwinter Without Mercy," and Act II, "Wraith's Nocturne." HoYoverse liked the Act I name enough to slap it on the whole version, so "Everwinter Without Mercy" is both the patch title and the first act. The story pulls the Traveler into the heart of Snezhnaya, unpacking the tensions between its factions, the catastrophic blizzard, and the energy crisis it has caused.

This is also where free four-star Alyosha joins your party, and clearing the questline within the version rewards up to 560 Primogems along with Odette's ascension materials, so there is a tangible payoff on top of the story. A Snezhnaya Adventure Journal tracks your progress and points you toward objectives and rewards. I am keeping the specific twists out of this recap so you can experience them yourself, but I will come back and expand this once more of you have played through it.

Genshin Impact 7.0 Events and Free Characters

Beyond the main story, 7.0 packs in a run of limited-time events. You can race trains across the ice, test yourself at target shooting, take on Domain challenges, and help a Jack Frost reach its destination, all for a spread of rewards. The best part for free-to-play players: clearing the event challenges gives you a chance to invite Diona to your roster for free, so that is two no-cost characters this patch if you count Alyosha.

There is also a summer-themed spooky-tale event kicking off in Miliastra Wonderland, which hands out its own rewards including a new head accessory. Not a bad haul for a patch that is already this stacked on the story side.

Should You Pull in Genshin Impact 7.0?

For most of us, 7.0 keeps the pull decision refreshingly simple. If you have been hoarding Primogems, Odette is the obvious Phase 1 target thanks to that light early lineup and no major rerun stealing her thunder. Free-to-play players should make finishing the Archon Quest a priority, both to grab Alyosha at zero cost and to bank those 560 Primogems, then chase the free Diona through the event.

On the combat side, Stellar Glimmer is worth watching but not worth an emergency account overhaul on day one. The free Cryo Traveler gives everyone a way to test the Stellar-Swirl loop without spending a wish, so Cryo carries will feel the biggest benefit. If you are already invested there, you are sitting pretty. If you are not, there is no reason to panic-pivot mid-patch before the real numbers show up.

Genshin Impact 7.0 Redemption Code

As for Genshin Impact codes, 7.0 Snezhnaya has one for now: Snezhnaya20260812. Redeem it in-game through Settings > Account > Redeem Now, or on the official HoYoLAB redemption page to claim your free launch rewards. Codes like this are always time-limited, so cash it in early in the patch before it expires on you.

If you're looking for more on Genshin Impact, check out All Genshin Impact characters, listed by order of release date, here on PGG.

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