Prime Ice Construct is the building system that defines exploration in Snezhnaya, added with Genshin Impact 7.0. It lets you place cubes, ziplines, launch pads, and other devices out of Prime Ice, and it also lets you tear certain things apart to open hidden routes and chests. The whole system runs through a gadget called the Eye of Graeae.
Quick answer: Equip the Eye of Graeae, then press the exploration interaction button to open the Prime Ice Construct interface. You can only build or dismantle while you hold both Prime Ice and Eye of Graeae energy, and the feature only functions inside Snezhnaya.
What you need before you can build
The moment you enter Snezhnaya, you receive the Eye of Graeae. This goggles-shaped gadget is your second exploration companion in the region, and it is the key that unlocks the Prime Ice Construct feature. Without it equipped, you cannot build anything.
Two resources power the system. You spend Prime Ice as the physical material, and you draw on Eye of Graeae energy, the main energy source of Snezhnaya. Both have to be in your inventory for a construct to appear. Miss either one and the build option stays locked.
Eye of Graeae energy has a second job. The freezing cold of Snezhnaya slowly drains it, and the bar sits above your character’s health. If that bar empties, your character starts taking heavy tick damage. Refill it by walking up to Mini Kresnik Torches or by breaking Kresnik Kristall Ores.
How to open the construct interface
When you select a construct, a details panel shows the required materials and asks you to confirm the build. The same interface handles dismantling, which is how you clear obstacles, reveal secret passages, and reach chests or materials sealed behind ice or structures.
All 9 Prime Ice Construct types
There are nine primary construct types. Some quests hand you extra, temporary constructs that only exist for that mission, but these nine are the ones you keep and use across the region.
| Construct | Function |
|---|---|
| Cube | The most basic build. Acts as an obstruction or a foothold, and many puzzles rely on it to hold doors open or block something. |
| Basic Heat Source | A heat source that melts certain ice, often exposing hidden treasure or a secret passage. |
| Link Mechanism | A zipline you set up yourself to cross gaps, subject to a build limit. |
| Grappling Gun | Pulls open latches, or pulls and anchors a platform. |
| Launching Platform | Throws you into the air to gain height cheaply. |
| Storage Device | Holds materials or items from your inventory. |
| Ambient Bollard | Grants area buffs such as elemental energy regeneration and stamina regeneration. |
| Sign: Icon | Places an icon sign on the ground. |
| Sign: Text | Places a text message on the ground. |
Limits that stop a build from working
Prime Ice is not an unlimited resource. Each construct type has a cap on how many you can place at once, so you cannot chain dozens of Link Mechanisms together to build one giant farming route. Plan around the limit rather than expecting to spam any single device.
If the build option will not confirm, check the two obvious causes. Either you are out of Prime Ice or Eye of Graeae energy, or you have already reached the placement cap for that construct type. Both leave the option greyed out.
The system is also tied to the region. Prime Ice Construct only works inside Snezhnaya, and it shuts off the moment you leave the Cryo region. A build placed in Snezhnaya is not something you carry with you into the rest of Teyvat.
Beyond building, the Eye of Graeae carries the region’s other traversal tools. It lets you summon and drive your personal train between stations for fast travel, and it unlocks the third-person shooter sections that appear in specific parts of the game. Keep it equipped and its energy topped up, and both the constructs and those systems stay available throughout Snezhnaya.
