Six years after release, Genshin Impact finally gets its seventh and final major nation: Today, HoYoverse started maintenance for Version 7.0, and starting tomorrow, you can officially explore Snezhnaya. For long-term players, this is a true milestone – hardly any other region has been teased for so long in the story.
On HoYoverse's official Genshin Impact pages, the schedule is clear: Maintenance began today, with the actual client relaunch and new content following on August 12th at 11 AM (UTC+8) for Asian servers. European and North American players will see the update roll out at corresponding times on the evening of August 11th or early August 12th.
Here's What Update 7.0, Titled “Everwinter Without Mercy,” Brings
- New Region Snezhnaya: The seventh nation, inspired by Russia and entirely characterized by the Cryo element, is now playable, with Snezhnograd serving as its capital.
- New 5-star character Odette: A Cryo swordswoman and Fatui agent, who will headline the first banner phase alongside an Arlecchino rerun.
- New 4-star character Alyosha: An Electro polearm user who fights alongside his dog Tugarin and can be unlocked for free through the new Archon Quest.
- Train-based mobile base: Snezhnaya will be explored via a rail network that serves as both a mode of transportation and a kind of rolling operations center.
- New Elemental Reaction “Stellar”: A brand-new reaction family (Stellar Swirl, Stellar-Conduct, Stellar Glimmer) expands the combat system with additional combo opportunities.
- New Third-Person Shooter Mode: An optional gameplay feature that will be utilized in Snezhnaya quests.
- Phase 2 of the version will introduce the characters Flins and Ineffa later in the patch cycle.
Why Snezhnaya is Such a Big Moment for the Community
Players who have been with Genshin Impact since its 2020 release have, until now, only known Snezhnaya from conversations, item descriptions, and appearances by the Fatui Harbingers – as a truly playable region, the nation was pure speculation all these years. This is precisely what makes Version 7.0 more than just another content update: It's the culmination of a narrative arc that HoYoverse has been building since the very first Archon Quest chapter. From our perspective, the update is therefore also worthwhile for players who have recently taken a break – anyone who wants to know how the story surrounding the Fatui, Pierro, and the Tsaritsa finally unfolds can't afford to miss this patch. At the same time, according to previous announcements, Snezhnaya is intended to be the last of the seven major nations, which many in the community interpret as a sign that the main story is approaching its grand finale.
Will you dive straight into Snezhnaya at launch? Tell us in the comments which new character you're most excited about!
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