Genshin Impact: How to Get to Snezhnaya (Version 7.0)

Snezhnaya is the seventh main nation of Teyvat and became accessible with the Version 7.0 update. You don’t need to be caught up on the whole story to walk its snowy terrain. A single Teleport Waypoint opens the door once you clear a short stretch of early quests.

Quick answer: Complete the Mondstadt Prologue up to Act 3, “Song of the Dragon and Freedom,” while at Adventure Rank 19 or higher. The “Volkodlak Tundra” Teleport Waypoint in the northern tip of Nod-Krai then unlocks automatically, and teleporting to it drops you straight into Snezhnaya.

Requirements to unlock the Volkodlak Tundra waypoint

There are two conditions, and both must be met before the waypoint appears on your map. You do not have to unlock Nod-Krai or any earlier nation first, and you do not have to follow the Archon Quest Chapter VII storyline to get there.

Requirement	Detail
Story progress	Finish the Mondstadt Prologue up to Act 3, “Song of the Dragon and Freedom”
Adventure Rank	At least Adventure Rank 19

Once both are satisfied, the “Volkodlak Tundra” Teleport Waypoint unlocks on its own. Reaching it this way skips roughly 400 hours of story progression that would otherwise stand between the Prologue and Snezhnaya.

Reach Snezhnaya with the Volkodlak Tundra Teleport Waypoint

Open your world map and pan to the northern tip of Nod-Krai. The waypoint sits northeast of Dottore’s “Special Territory Research Institute.”

Zoom in on that area if the marker is missing. These waypoint icons can render very small at low zoom, so a tighter view usually reveals it.

Select the “Volkodlak Tundra” waypoint and choose Teleport. You’ll fast-travel directly into Snezhnaya’s Cryo region.

Map view of a teleport waypoint between Nod-Krai and Snezhnaya in Genshin Impact — The Volkodlak Tundra waypoint ready to teleport into Snezhnaya. Image credit: HoYoverse.

You’ll know it worked when the loading screen resolves into Snezhnaya’s Slavic-inspired snowfields rather than Nod-Krai’s terrain. If the waypoint still isn’t visible, the requirements above haven’t been met yet, and the marker will not appear until they are.

Note: enemies in Snezhnaya can be far stronger than the ones you faced during the Prologue. If your characters are underleveled, expect early fights to be punishing until you build up your team.

Reach Snezhnaya through Nod-Krai on an existing account

If you have already explored Nod-Krai, you can also cross into Snezhnaya on foot rather than using the shortcut waypoint. Returning players who unlocked Nod-Krai can simply use the Snezhnaya waypoint once it opens, or travel there manually.

Head north from the Special Territory Research Institute in Nod-Krai toward the Snezhnaya border.

Fast-travel to the False Moon Institute Domain in Ashveil Peak, then move northwest until you cross into Snezhnaya.

Start Snezhnaya’s Archon Quest early

The same Prologue requirement also unlocks the option to quick-start Snezhnaya’s first Archon Quest. After clearing “Song of the Dragon and Freedom,” head to the Volkodlak Tundra waypoint and you’ll be able to jump straight into the opening chapter.

menu view of Snezhnaya archon quest start in Genshin Impact — The Everwinter Without Mercy entry with its “Go to Quest” prompt. Image credit: HoYoverse.

Quick-starting here does not lock you out of anything. You can still return later to play the earlier Archon Quests you skipped, so nothing is permanently missed.

That said, jumping straight in comes with a caveat. Snezhnaya is the payoff for six years of Fatui plotting across Teyvat, and going in cold means missing a great deal of context and character history that hundreds of hours of earlier story built up. In-game lore summaries can outline who the Fatui Harbingers are, but a few paragraphs won’t replace the full arc.

Once you’re through, Snezhnaya opens up as the Cryo nation ruled by the Tsaritsa, the homeland of Tartaglia and the main base of the Fatui, with its own puzzles, mechanics, and regions to work through at your own pace.