Genshin Impact Archon Quest Chapter VII explained: AR 18 requirement, no Welkin Moon needed, and exactly what Act I and Act II unlock in Snezhnaya.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5351,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[255],"tags":[],"blog_tag":[],"class_list":["post-5328","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-genshin-impact"],"acf":{"redactor":[{"acf_fc_layout":"text","text":"
Genshin Impact’s Archon Quest Chapter VII, the Snezhnaya arc, now has four acts: Act I “Everwinter Without Mercy” and Act II “Wraith’s Nocturne” from Version 7.0, and Act III “White Night, Like a Dream Upon Waking” and Act IV “A Rekviem for the Underworld” from Version 7.1. It unlocks at Adventure Rank 18 with the right Prologue quest done, and it does not require you to have finished the previous chapter, “Song of the Welkin Moon”: the teleport waypoint into Snezhnaya opens on its own. This breaks down what unlocks each act and what each one opens up, quest by quest.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"text","text":"
TL;DR<\/p>\n
Chapter VII is the Archon Quest arc set in Snezhnaya, and it ships in two acts with Version 7.0: Act I, “Everwinter Without Mercy,” and Act II, “Wraith’s Nocturne.” Both became permanently available after the Version update, with Travelers needing to meet the unlock criteria to access said Archon Quests. The gate on Act I is Adventure Rank 18 plus a finished Prologue: Act III, “Song of the Dragon and Freedom” \u2014 that’s it. There’s no requirement to have finished “Song of the Welkin Moon,” the chapter before this one — HoYoverse says so outright.<\/p>\n
The part that trips people up is entry. You do not need to have played through every prior Archon Quest chapter first. Once the two conditions above are met, exploring the Snezhnaya region will automatically accept the Archon Quest Chapter VII: Act I “Everwinter Without Mercy” \u2014 the game hands you the quest and the waypoint without a manual pickup step. HoYoverse’s official update details simply confirm that the teleport waypoint and Act I work even for Travelers who have not completed preceding Archon Quests such as “Song of the Welkin Moon: Act X.”<\/p>\n
Tip<\/p>\n
If you’re jumping straight to Snezhnaya from a fresh Adventure Rank push, you can skip the entire prior Archon Quest backlog as long as AR 18 and Prologue Act III are done. The “Welkin Moon required” idea floating around is not in the actual unlock criteria.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"title","heading":"What Act I Unlocks: The Three Key Quests","tag":"h2"},{"acf_fc_layout":"text","text":"
Act I isn’t one long cutscene \u2014 it’s structured so that specific internal quests act as keys to specific pieces of the region. Progressing “Gunfire in the Silent Lands” in the Archon Quest Chapter VII: Act I “Everwinter Without Mercy” is what opens Huntsman’s Cabin, and the same quest is the trigger for new World Quests, which require you to progress through Archon Quest Chapter VII: Act I and complete “Gunfire in the Silent Lands” to unlock. A separate internal quest, “Silence Alone is Disfavored” in Archon Quest Chapter VII: Act I, is the Unlock Criteria for Tidesong Cavern and The Korolevskiy Theater. The third, “Great Deeds on the Tundra,” is what flips on Snezhnaya’s Daily Commissions and hands out the region’s new sword, the Exaiphanes Blade, obtained by progressing through “Great Deeds on the Tundra” in Archon Quest Chapter VII: Act I.<\/p>\n
Practically, that means you can’t rush straight to the daily grind loop \u2014 you have to walk through “Great Deeds on the Tundra” first before Snezhnaya’s Commissions even show up on your board. If you’re planning your first session in the region, the Snezhnaya what to do first guide<\/a> covers the order these three quests tend to come up in.<\/p>\n Not everything in Act I is tied to a named quest checkpoint. A couple of systems roll out gradually across the act instead of unlocking from one specific mission. The third-person shooter combat mode is the clearest example \u2014 it becomes available as you progress through Archon Quest Chapter VII: Act I “Everwinter Without Mercy” rather than flipping on at a single cutscene. The Eye of Graeae system, which several early-Snezhnaya guides treat as the region’s core traversal and puzzle tool, follows the same “as you progress” pattern rather than a single quest gate. If you want the play-by-play on what that system actually does once it’s live, that’s covered separately in the site’s Eye of Graeae breakdown linked above.<\/p>\n This is worth<\/a> flagging because it means two players at the exact same story beat can have slightly different access if one is rushing dialogue and the other is exploring between story triggers \u2014 the shooter mode and Eye of Graeae aren’t locked to a checkpoint you can point to on a quest tracker.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"title","heading":"Act II: Wraith's Nocturne and What It Gates","tag":"h2"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":5350,"caption":"Illustration: A place built for return, not a single visit","alt":"A circular snow clearing ringed with frost stones and a glowing orb at its center under a starry violet sky."},{"acf_fc_layout":"text","text":" Act II, “Wraith’s Nocturne,” unlocks under the same Adventure Rank 18 floor once Act I is finished \u2014 no separate story prerequisite beyond clearing “Everwinter Without Mercy.” The system sitting behind it is Cycle Training, the region’s recurring Shadow Realm activity: progressing through Archon Quest Chapter VII: Act II “Wraith’s Nocturne” unlocks the prerequisite quest, and completing that quest is what grants access to Cycle Training. It’s a two-step gate, not a straight line \u2014 clearing Act II opens a follow-up quest, and that follow-up is the actual key. Odette, the support character introduced alongside this patch who enables Stellar-Conduct and Stellar Swirl, ties into the same combat systems Act II leans on; anyone building around her is better off checking the Odette build guide<\/a> and the Stellar Swirl reaction guide<\/a> before diving into Cycle Training’s weekly quests.<\/p>\n Once the prerequisite quest is cleared, the activity runs on a weekly cadence: new Training Quests get assigned each week, tasking you with clearing specific Shadow Realms for rewards. It’s a recurring commitment rather than a one-time unlock, so factor in a standing weekly chore once Act II is behind you rather than treating it as a checklist item you tick once.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"title","heading":"Acts III and IV (Version 7.1): What They Ask For and Give","tag":"h2"},{"acf_fc_layout":"text","text":" Version 7.1, “A Rekviem for the Underworld”, launched on 23 September 2026 and added two more acts, both permanently available after the update. Act III opens once Act II is done, and Act IV once Act III is done; both need Adventure Rank 18 or above, and both support the “Focused Experience Mode”.<\/p>\n Two World Quests came with them. “Swords and Secrets” unlocks after Act III. “Upstream Variations” needs Act II and level 2 at the “Meeting Point: Tidesong Cavern”, so you can start it before Act III. Act III also opens the new weekly “Secret Tsarist Assignments”: each week you visit the Confidential Secretary Chayka at Zapolyarny Palace, take the new assignments, and finish a set number for Furnishings and Furnishing Blueprints; Wind Gliders are promised for later versions.<\/p>\n Elsewhere in 7.1, the third-person shooter mode “Edge of Survival” gains two stages, “Fiery Feather Pursuit” and “Ice-Imprisoned Citadel”, and a new enemy, the Guardian Blade of Drifting Snow, waits in the Fellfrost Peak area. HoYoverse’s launch announcement adds that finishing the new Archon Quest grants Primogems ×620 and that Ronova, the Ruler of Death, appears as a new Weekly Boss. For the sixth anniversary, players who complete the latest Archon Quest can choose one event-exclusive 5-star character for free from a select lineup at any point during Version 7.1, and can also pick one standard 5-star, with Primogems ×1,600, Intertwined Fate ×10 and more.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"table","headers":[{"header_text":"Act"},{"header_text":"Name"},{"header_text":"Unlock"},{"header_text":"Version"}],"rows":[{"cells":[{"cell_text":"Act I"},{"cell_text":"Everwinter Without Mercy"},{"cell_text":"Adventure Rank 18 and Prologue: Act III “Song of the Dragon and Freedom”"},{"cell_text":"7.0"}]},{"cells":[{"cell_text":"Act II"},{"cell_text":"Wraith’s Nocturne"},{"cell_text":"Adventure Rank 18 and Act I"},{"cell_text":"7.0"}]},{"cells":[{"cell_text":"Act III"},{"cell_text":"White Night, Like a Dream Upon Waking"},{"cell_text":"Adventure Rank 18 and Act II"},{"cell_text":"7.1"}]},{"cells":[{"cell_text":"Act IV"},{"cell_text":"A Rekviem for the Underworld"},{"cell_text":"Adventure Rank 18 and Act III"},{"cell_text":"7.1"}]}],"size":"small"},{"acf_fc_layout":"title","heading":"What's Locked Until You Clear Chapter VII","tag":"h2"},{"acf_fc_layout":"text","text":" Our Take<\/p>\n Worth clearing early, mainly because so much else in the region is locked behind it.<\/p>\n The three-quest structure inside Act I is a smart design choice on paper \u2014 it paces out Huntsman’s Cabin, two named locations, and the daily loop instead of dumping the whole region on you at once \u2014 but it also means anyone trying to jump straight to Snezhnaya’s Daily Commissions or the new sword has to sit through the story beats first, whether they care about the plot or not. The “as you progress” unlocks for the shooter mode and Eye of Graeae are the one soft spot: without a clean checkpoint, it’s genuinely unclear at what exact point those systems flip on for a given player, and that’s not a gap Neonsect can close with a search \u2014 it’s a gap in how HoYoverse documented the patch.<\/p>\n Version 7.1 gives a reason of its own to finish early: per HoYoverse, the new Archon Quest grants Primogems ×620, and finishing the latest one lets you pick a free 5-star at any point during 7.1. That is our reading of the announcement; the selector’s exact lineup is not printed there.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"text","text":" This table separates what the studio has confirmed<\/a> from what comes out of press previews, and what is still just circulating. Every link below was fetched before publishing.<\/p>\nWhat Cycle Training Actually Asks For<\/h3>\n
\n
Sources and Confidence<\/h2>\n
\n\n
\n \nClaim<\/th>\n Where it comes from<\/th>\n Status<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n \n Act I requires AR 18 and completing Prologue Act III, unlock is automatic<\/td>\n HoYoverse official Version 7.0 update details<\/a><\/td>\n Official<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Gunfire in the Silent Lands progress unlocks new World Quests in Snezhnaya<\/td>\n HoYoverse official Version 7.0 update details (mirrored quote)<\/a><\/td>\n Official<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Silence Alone is Disfavored progress unlocks Tidesong Cavern and The Korolevskiy Theater<\/td>\n HoYoverse official Version 7.0 update details (mirrored quote)<\/a><\/td>\n Official<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Cycle Training’s prerequisite quest unlocks by progressing Act II, Wraith’s Nocturne<\/td>\n HoYoverse official Version 7.0 update details (mirrored quote)<\/a><\/td>\n Official<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Chapter VII Act I and Act II are permanently available after Version 7.0<\/td>\n Genshin Impact Wiki (Fandom), citing official patch notes<\/a><\/td>\n Named only<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Version 7.1 Special Program aired September 12, 2026 at 8am ET \/ 12pm UTC; Version 7.1 launches September 23, 2026<\/td>\n HoYoverse official Version 7.1 Special Program Preview<\/a><\/td>\n Official<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Act III and Act IV names, unlock criteria (Adventure Rank 18, previous act), Focused Experience Mode, World Quests, Secret Tsarist Assignments, Edge of Survival stages, Guardian Blade of Drifting Snow<\/td>\n HoYoverse, “A Rekviem for the Underworld” Version 7.1 Update Details, 23 September 2026<\/a><\/td>\n Official<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Primogems ×620 for the new Archon Quest, Ronova as Weekly Boss, free 5-star selector during 7.1 with Primogems ×1,600 and Intertwined Fate ×10<\/td>\n HoYoverse, Version 7.1 launch announcement, 23 September 2026<\/a><\/td>\n Official<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"faq","items":[{"question":"Do I need to finish “Song of the Welkin Moon” before Chapter VII: Act I?","answer":"No. The unlock criteria are Adventure Rank 18 and a completed Prologue: Act III, \"Song of the Dragon and Freedom.\" HoYoverse states you can begin Act I even without completing preceding chapters such as “Song of the Welkin Moon: Act X.”"},{"question":"Do I have to finish every previous Archon Quest before starting Act I?","answer":"No \u2014 you can reach Snezhnaya and pick up Act I without having cleared earlier chapters like \"Song of the Welkin Moon: Act X,\" as long as the AR 18 and Prologue Act III conditions are met. Story context from that chapter helps, but nothing in the official criteria requires it."},{"question":"Which quest inside Act I unlocks Snezhnaya's Daily Commissions?","answer":"\"Great Deeds on the Tundra.\" Progressing through it is also what hands you the Exaiphanes Blade sword."},{"question":"What does Act II, \"Wraith's Nocturne,\" actually unlock?","answer":"It unlocks a prerequisite quest for Cycle Training, Snezhnaya's weekly Shadow Realm activity. You need to clear that follow-up quest as well, not just finish Act II itself, before Cycle Training opens up."},{"question":"Is there a Chapter VII Act III and Act IV?","answer":"Yes. Version 7.1, released on 23 September 2026, added Act III, “White Night, Like a Dream Upon Waking”, and Act IV, “A Rekviem for the Underworld”, both permanently available."},{"question":"What do I need to start Act III and Act IV?","answer":"Adventure Rank 18 or above. Act III also needs Act II, “Wraith’s Nocturne”, completed, and Act IV needs Act III completed."},{"question":"What do I get for finishing the new Archon Quest in 7.1?","answer":"HoYoverse says completing the new Archon Quest grants Primogems ×620, and that players who complete the latest Archon Quest can choose one event-exclusive 5-star character for free at any point during Version 7.1, plus one standard 5-star, Primogems ×1,600 and Intertwined Fate ×10."}]}],"bottom":[{"acf_fc_layout":"more_articles","heading":"","posts":[],"count":10},{"acf_fc_layout":"chat","heading":""}],"meta_description":"Genshin Archon Quest Chapter VII Acts I\u2013IV: the AR 18 unlock, act order, what each act opens in Snezhnaya and the 7.1 rewards for finishing Act IV."},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/neonsect.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5328","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/neonsect.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/neonsect.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neonsect.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neonsect.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5328"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/neonsect.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5328\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7275,"href":"https:\/\/neonsect.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5328\/revisions\/7275"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neonsect.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5351"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/neonsect.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5328"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neonsect.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5328"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neonsect.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5328"},{"taxonomy":"blog_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neonsect.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog_tag?post=5328"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}