The Traveler picks up three concrete upgrades when Genshin Impact version 7.0 opens Snezhnaya on August 12, 2026. They finally get Cryo as their seventh element, a free 5-star sword built only for them, and the ability to set off the game’s newest Stellar reaction. Everything ties back to the frozen north and the Everwinter Without Mercy story chapter.
Quick answer: Reach and interact with the Tsaritsa’s Statue of the Seven in Snezhnaya to unlock the Cryo Traveler immediately, then complete the Everwinter Without Mercy Archon Quest to receive the Exaiphanes Blade sword.
| Upgrade | What it is | How you get it |
|---|---|---|
| Cryo element | The Traveler’s seventh and final elemental power | Touch the Tsaritsa’s Statue of the Seven in Snezhnaya |
| Exaiphanes Blade | Free 5-star sword exclusive to the Traveler | Everwinter Without Mercy Archon Quest |
| Stellar Swirl | New reaction from Cryo meeting Anemo | Available once the Traveler has Cryo and a Stellar Linchpin |
How to unlock the Cryo Traveler in Snezhnaya
Cryo completes the Traveler’s element set. Unlike the Pyro power in Natlan, which was gated behind several Archon Quest chapters, the Cryo element is ready the moment you arrive in Snezhnaya. There is no long questline to grind first.
Once the resonance finishes, the Traveler swaps to a fresh Cryo kit with its own abilities and a new set of related Constellations. That change in your character screen is how you confirm the switch worked. If the Cryo option does not appear, you have not yet reached and activated the correct Statue of the Seven.
Exaiphanes Blade: The Traveler’s free 5-star sword
The Exaiphanes Blade is a 5-star sword handed out for free and locked to the Traveler. You claim it while playing through the Everwinter Without Mercy Archon Quest in Snezhnaya, so no wishes or Primogems are involved.
What sets this sword apart is its refinement method. Instead of pulling duplicate copies, you upgrade its passive through exploration. Each Statue of the Seven you unlock across Snezhnaya improves the weapon, so map completion doubles as weapon progression.
The Exaiphanes Blade carries Crit Rate as its secondary stat, which helps balance the Traveler’s build. Its passive raises ATK by 16% for 8 seconds after the equipping character hits an opponent and restores 3 Elemental Energy, and it can fire once every 5 seconds. The effect keeps working even when the Traveler is off the field.
Stellar reactions the Cryo Traveler can trigger
Adding Cryo to the Traveler plugs them into the Stellar reaction system. There are two named interactions, and both create fields that boost elemental damage for the whole party rather than only the character who set them off.
| Reaction | Elements | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Stellar-Conduct | Cryo + Electro | Introduced in an earlier update; unlocks new interactions with objects during exploration |
| Stellar Swirl | Cryo + Anemo | New in 7.0; summons a Stellar Vortex that deals Anemo and Cryo damage |
Stellar Swirl is the debut reaction for this version and needs a character with a Stellar Linchpin to cause Anemo to react with Cryo. Repeat triggers raise the Vortex’s level, which amplifies the payoff when it eventually detonates. Out in the open world, Stellar Swirl also gives you a much higher jump, while Stellar-Conduct opens up new object interactions.
Once the Cryo Traveler is unlocked, they can set off every Stellar Glimmer reaction while in a party. That makes them a flexible enabler alongside Snezhnaya’s debut units, including the 5-star Cryo sword user Odette and the free 4-star Electro polearm fighter Alyosha, both of whom lean on the same reaction system.
