Genshin Impact: Complete Guide

A practical guide to Genshin Impact in Version 7.1: how progression and Resin work, elemental reactions and team building, artifacts, the gacha, endgame modes, what is new in Snezhnaya, and how to spend as a free-to-play player.

Researched September 2026 — current as of Version 7.1 "A Rekviem for the Underworld" (released September 23, 2026; Phase 1 banners run to October 13). Live games change; check the linked sources if something differs.

Quick Start

• Follow the Archon Quests first. They unlock regions, teleporters, co-op, daily Commissions and big Primogem payouts. The 7.1 Archon Quest alone grants 620 Primogems and gates the 6th-anniversary free 5-star.
• Spend Original Resin every day. It caps out, and capped Resin is wasted progression. Early on, put it into character EXP/Mora Ley Lines and talent books; later, artifacts.
• Build a small core, not a big roster. One well-built team of four beats eight half-built characters. Level weapons and talents on the characters you actually use.
• Do daily Commissions (plus claim the reward from Katheryne/Adventurers' Guild). They are the most reliable daily Primogem and AR EXP source.
• Level Adventure Rank carefully. Higher World Level means better drops but harder enemies. Do not rush ascension quests if your team cannot keep up.
• Understand pity before pulling. Character banner hard pity is 90 wishes, and losing a 50/50 guarantees the featured character next time.
• Use Stygian Onslaught, Spiral Abyss and Imaginarium Theater as your recurring Primogem sources once your account can handle them.
• Claim the anniversary rewards in 7.1 — a free selectable event-exclusive 5-star (after the new Archon Quest), a standard 5-star, 1,600 Primogems and 10 Intertwined Fates were announced.
• Explore for chests, Oculi and Statues of the Seven. Oculi raise stamina and unlock Reputation rewards; this is where a lot of early Primogems come from.

What Is Current (Version 7.1)

Item | Details

Version | 7.1 "A Rekviem for the Underworld," live since September 23, 2026

Region | Snezhnaya (added in 7.0 on August 12, 2026)

Phase 1 banners (Sep 23 to Oct 13) | Vesna (5-star Anemo Sword) and Vodyanitsa (5-star Hydro Catalyst)

Phase 1 4-star rate-ups | Faruzan, Chongyun, Diona

Phase 1 weapon banner 5-stars | Beyond the Chrysalis, Hymn of the Maelstrom

Phase 2 banners (Oct 13 to Nov 3) | Reruns of Skirk and Escoffier

Story | Archon Quest continues the Snezhnaya arc: the Tsaritsa, Ronova (the Ruler of Death) and Rhinedottir (the Ruler of Life)

New weekly boss | Ronova, available after the story

Events | Moonchase Festival returns to Liyue (three minigames, free new 4-star sword), a Snezhnaya snowball event, a Natlan tournament prediction event, Miliastra Wonderland autumn refresh

The new characters

• Vesna — 5-star Anemo Sword, the first dedicated Stellar-Swirl hypercarry. Her Skill enters an "Armed for Action" state that builds Sword Essence, spent on escalating Windborne Sword attacks; her Burst summons Spirit Blades for frontloaded AoE Anemo damage. Out of combat, holding Sprint or Jump enters a flying "Coursing" state (like Wanderer). Core team per Game8: Vesna + Odette + Cryo Traveler + Faruzan (C6) or Vodyanitsa.
• Vodyanitsa — 5-star Hydro Catalyst support: HP-scaling healing and Cryo/Hydro RES shred from her Skill; team ATK buffs come mainly from her signature weapon and constellations. Build HP. Holding her Skill out of combat turns her into a Water Imp that can swim across water briefly.

Snezhnaya (7.0+) Primer

Snezhnaya is the seventh nation: a frozen land linked by a rail network, with the capital Snezhnograd and the Fatui headquarters. Things that are new or different:

• Cold. A low-temperature mechanic similar to Dragonspine drains your party in exposed zones. Stay near heat sources and plan routes.
• Eye of Graeae. Gadget that helps you resist the cold, stores Kresnik Energy and lets you harvest Prime Ice to build contraptions (launching platforms, grappling points, heat sources and more).
• Shooter sections. Third-person shooting sequences in corrupted areas, using customizable elemental firearms.
• Rail travel. Trains connect stations; the train itself acts as a mobile hub with an armory and crafting bench.
• Stellar-Swirl. With a "Stellar Glimmer" character in the party (Odette, Cryo Traveler, Vesna, and some older units via a Radiance passive), Cryo Swirls become Stellar-Swirls that create an expanding Stellar Vortex which explodes for Cryo damage.

The region is story-gated: follow the Chapter VII Archon Quests to open the full map instead of wandering into areas you cannot survive yet.

Core Systems

Resin and daily routine

Activity | Original Resin

Ley Line Outflow (EXP books or Mora) | 20

Domains (talent, weapon, artifact) | 20

Normal world bosses | 40

Weekly bosses | 30 for the first three per week, then 60

Resin regenerates one point every 8 minutes and caps at 200, so log in at least once a day. Condensed Resin lets you claim double rewards in one run; Fragile Resin refills 60 and is best saved for events or emergencies. Transient Resin (60, from the Realm Depot weekly) expires 7 days after purchase, so use it that week. Daily loop: spend Resin, do four Commissions, claim the Commission bonus, check the Realm Currency and any event dailies.

Characters, weapons and talents

• Ascension needs boss drops, local specialties and common enemy drops. Check requirements before you hit a level cap so you are not stuck.
• Talents (Normal Attack, Skill, Burst) use talent books from domains that rotate by day of the week; Sunday has all of them.
• Weapons matter more than most new players think. A leveled 4-star weapon that fits the character usually beats a mismatched 5-star.
• Constellations come from duplicate copies. C0 is fine for almost every character; for 4-stars, specific constellations (e.g. C6 on many supports) are big upgrades.

Artifacts

Artifacts are the long-term grind: a 5-piece set of Flower (flat HP), Plume (flat ATK), Sands, Goblet and Circlet.

Slot | Common main stats

Sands | ATK%, Energy Recharge, Elemental Mastery, HP%/DEF% for scalers

Goblet | Elemental DMG Bonus for damage dealers, or HP%/EM for supports

Circlet | CRIT Rate or CRIT DMG for damage, Healing Bonus for healers

• Rule of thumb for damage dealers: CRIT Rate to CRIT DMG ratio near 1:2, then enough Energy Recharge to have your Burst up every rotation.
• Start farming artifacts seriously around World Level 6+, when 5-star drops are common.
• Use the Artifact Strongbox (Mystic Offering) and Artifact Transmuter to target sets and main stats with fodder you do not need.

Elements and reactions

Reaction | Elements | Why it matters

Vaporize | Hydro + Pyro | Big multiplier on the trigger hit

Melt | Pyro + Cryo | Big multiplier on the trigger hit

Freeze | Hydro + Cryo | Crowd control, enables Shatter

Swirl | Anemo + Pyro/Hydro/Electro/Cryo | Spreads elements, resistance shred with Viridescent Venerer

Stellar-Swirl (7.0+) | Anemo + Cryo with a Stellar Glimmer character in the party | New Snezhnaya reaction; exploding Cryo vortexes

Bloom / Hyperbloom / Burgeon | Dendro + Hydro (+ Electro/Pyro) | Reaction damage that scales on EM

Aggravate / Spread | Electro/Dendro on Quicken | Boosts hit damage

Electro-Charged, Overloaded, Superconduct | Electro combos | Utility, chip damage, Physical RES shred

Nod-Krai (the 6.x region) added the Lunar reactions and Moonsign system, so check each new character's kit for which reaction family it supports.

Team building

Every team wants roughly:

• One main DPS (on field most of the time),
• One or two sub-DPS or enablers (off-field elemental application),
• One support (healer/shielder or buffer).

Reliable free or common picks: Bennett (healing plus ATK buff), Xingqiu and Xiangling (off-field Hydro/Pyro), Kazuha or Sucrose (Swirl and resistance shred), Fischl (off-field Electro), Zhongli or Layla (shields). Faruzan, Chongyun and Diona are on the current 4-star rate-up and fit Anemo/Cryo teams like Vesna's.

Wishes (Gacha) Explained

Banner | Hard pity | 50/50 | Notes

Character Event Wish | 90 | Yes; lose it and the next 5-star is guaranteed featured | Capturing Radiance can make you win a 50/50 you would otherwise lose

Weapon Event Wish | 80 | 75/25 split with two featured weapons | Use Epitomized Path to chart the weapon you want

Standard Wish | 90 | No | Only spend Acquaint Fates here

Chronicled Wish | Varies | Chart a specific item | Appears some versions only

• 160 Primogems = 1 Intertwined Fate or Acquaint Fate.
• Pity carries over between character banners of the same type and version phases.
• Soft pity makes 5-stars much more likely in the 70s range, so plan budgets around about 75-90 wishes per 5-star.
• Starglitter from duplicates buys Fates and 4-stars in Paimon's Bargains each month.

Endgame and Recurring Rewards

Mode | Resets | What it rewards

Spiral Abyss | Every month on the 16th | Primogems; Floors 9-12 need two full teams

Imaginarium Theater | Every month on the 1st | Primogems; rotating allowed elements and trial characters; Easy/Normal/Hard/Visionary plus Lunar mode (10 acts plus Arcana Challenges)

Stygian Onslaught | A new cycle each version (starts about a week after the patch; next from Sep 30) | Up to 450 Primogems (150 each for difficulties 1-3); three-boss rush across six difficulties, with no-repeat-character rules from Menacing up and a 180s limit on Dire

Events | Each version | Primogems, free 4-star weapons, materials

Weekly bosses | Every Monday | Talent level-up materials (including the new Ronova)

Tip: Imaginarium Theater rewards roster width (you need many built characters across its elements), while Spiral Abyss and Stygian Onslaught reward a few strong teams.

Progression Order (New to Mid Players)

• AR 1-16: story until co-op; build Traveler, Amber/Kaeya/Lisa plus whatever 4-stars you pull.
• AR 16-30: Commissions, first domains, pick your main DPS and put all EXP into them first.
• AR 30-45: Ascension to World Level 4/5; farm talent books on your main team.
• AR 45+: artifact farming, Spiral Abyss Floor 9-12 practice, Imaginarium Theater.
• Regions: Mondstadt, Liyue, Inazuma, Sumeru, Fontaine, Natlan, Nod-Krai, Snezhnaya. The Archon Quests gate Snezhnaya content, so catch up on story before you rush there.

F2P Spending Priorities

• Welkin Moon if you spend at all — best value.
• Primogems: character banners over weapon banners. Weapons only when you want to push one specific character.
• Masterless Stardust (from 3-star pulls): the monthly Intertwined Fates first.
• Masterless Starglitter (from 4-star and 5-star pulls/duplicates): Fates first, then 4-star constellations you need.
• Genesis Crystals: do not refresh Resin with them; save for wishes.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Letting Resin cap. It is the single biggest progression leak.
• Leveling too many characters at once. Materials are finite; focus.
• Pulling on every banner. Pick characters that fill a team role or that you love; skip the rest.
• Wishing on the weapon banner without a plan. The 75/25 split and two featured weapons make it expensive.
• Artifact farming at low World Level. The 5-star drop rate is poor until later.
• Ignoring Energy Recharge. A Burst that is never ready is worthless damage.
• Skipping the 7.1 Archon Quest. It gates the anniversary 5-star selector and 620 Primogems.

Advanced Tips

• Rotations over stats. Learn each team's rotation (buffers and off-field units first, then DPS). This often adds more damage than better artifacts.
• Swirl first, then trigger. Swirling an element spreads it and applies Viridescent Venerer shred before your big hits.
• Snapshot and duration. Some summons snapshot buffs when cast; others update live. Check character pages before building buffs around them.
• Save for kit-defining 5-stars in the new region. Stellar Swirl and Lunar reactions are expanding; characters that enable a reaction family age better than generic DPS units.
• Pre-farm ascension materials (local specialties, boss drops like the new ones for Vesna) during the banner so your pull is usable the same day.
• Use the Serenitea Pot's trust rank and Parametric Transformer every week for free materials.

FAQ

Who should I pull in 7.1: Vesna or Vodyanitsa? Vesna if you want a new main DPS for Stellar-Swirl teams (she works best with Odette, who is the key Stellar Glimmer support); Vodyanitsa if you need a Hydro healer/buffer with resistance shred. If you are unsure, wait for Phase 2 (Skirk/Escoffier reruns) and compare against your roster.

What free 5-star can I get for the 6th anniversary? Finishing the new Archon Quest lets you choose one event-exclusive 5-star from a select lineup, plus one standard 5-star. Check the in-game event page for the exact choices.

How do I unlock Snezhnaya? Progress the Chapter VII Archon Quests. The region is story-gated.

When does Spiral Abyss reset? On the 16th of every month. Imaginarium Theater resets on the 1st.

Is Genshin free-to-play friendly? Yes. All story content is clearable with free and 4-star characters; gacha only speeds things up and adds variety.

Does pity carry to the next banner? Yes, within the same banner type (character to character, weapon to weapon), including your 50/50 guarantee.

Sources

• HoYoverse: Genshin Impact Version 7.1 launches September 23
• RPG Site: Genshin Impact Version 7.1 details and anniversary rewards
• Game8: Current and Next Banner Schedule
• The Click: Genshin Impact 7.1 — everything new
• Game8: Version 7.0 release date and characters
• Teyvat Vault: Snezhnaya guide
• Genshin Impact Wiki: Version 7.1
• Game8: Vesna builds and teams
• Game8: Vodyanitsa preview
• Game8: Stellar-Swirl reaction
• Game8: Stygian Onslaught
• Game8: Imaginarium Theater
• Game8: Original Resin