Genshin Impact 7.1: Swords and Secrets and Upstream Variations Day 1 Walkthrough
Clear the first day of Vesna's and Vodyanitsa's World Quests before each one locks behind a 13-hour timer.
Clear the first day of Vesna’s and Vodyanitsa’s World Quests before each one locks behind a 13-hour timer.
by AllThingsHow Staff
Two Snezhnaya World Quests open alongside Version 7.1, and both are paced across several real-time days rather than a single sitting. “Swords and Secrets” follows the Druzhna Commander Vesna as she hunts an escaped sword spirit, while “Upstream Variations” sends the Traveler backstage to meet the Water Imp soprano Vodyanitsa. The first day of each quest is short, and each ends on a fixed countdown before the next chapter appears.
Quick answer: Finish Vesna’s sword-spirit hunt at Fellfrost Peak and Vodyanitsa’s theater meeting at The Korolevskiy Theater. Both quests then display a 13-hour countdown to their next chapter.
Unlock requirements for both World Quests
Both quests are permanently available after the 7.1 update, so there is no event deadline on the chains themselves. They do carry different unlock gates, and each is accepted automatically once you meet them.
Quest
Adventure Rank
Prerequisite
Swords and Secrets
18+
Chapter VII: Act III “White Night, Like a Dream Upon Waking”
Upstream Variations
18+
Chapter VII: Act II “Wraith’s Nocturne” and Lv. 2 at “Meeting Point: Tidesong Cavern”
You can start Swords and Secrets right after Act III without finishing Act IV, so it runs in the background while you continue the main story.
Open the “Swords and Secrets” event menu and select “Go to Quest.” Teleport to the Druzhna garrison (Druzhna HQ) in Snezhnaya and speak with Vesna outside the building. She performs a set of dramatic hand seals before admitting the whole incantation is only for show.
Accept the quest item, Vesna’s “Divine Sense Compass.” Its description notes that, despite the name, its inner workings have nothing to do with actual Divine Sense; it is simply a treasure compass she modified to track escaped sword spirits.
Open the compass from your inventory or the event menu and press “Sense Sword Spirit.” This marks the spirit’s roaming zone at Fellfrost Peak on the map.
Teleport to the Fellfrost Peak waypoint and switch to the trial character Vesna. Use her special Elemental Skill to launch the flying green “Sword of Divine Sense,” then follow the blade across the snowy ledges. Re-cast the skill whenever the tutorial prompts you until the trail leads to a ruined stone pavilion.
At the pavilion, the sword spirit called the “Master of Potions” floats above an alchemy cauldron while boasting about its immortal elixir. Paimon notes that a sword has no mouth with which to drink the mixture, draining the spirit’s will to fight. Vesna and the Traveler taste the brew, bringing Day 1 to a close.
Open the “Upstream Variations” event page and choose “Check the notebook.” Reviewing Chapter II in Vodyanitsa’s Special Notebook sets the objective to visit The Korolevskiy Theater as promised.
Follow the corridor decorated with flower baskets until you reach Vodyanitsa. She explains that her old friend Lishnaya handed a front-row VIP ticket to a rich merchant in hopes of advancing socially, then presents a flashback in which she sings to an empty auditorium filled with social climbers instead of sincere listeners.
Take part in Vodyanitsa’s visualization drill; she briefly breaks character with a jump scare, then laughs it away. Next, she invites the Traveler and Paimon to eat at Podvorye Restaurant using her tab and arranges a later meeting at Sadov-Arbat. After they depart, she remains to hear the songs of the dead Water Imps, ending Day 1.
How to confirm Day 1 is finished
Each quest signals the end of its first day with an on-screen timer. Swords and Secrets shows “Next quest unlocks in 13h,” and Upstream Variations shows “Next chapter unlocks in 13h.” When that countdown appears, there is nothing further to do that day, and no dialogue option or Resin spend shortens it. Return once the timer expires to continue.
The full Swords and Secrets chain is spread across seven calendar days, so plan to check in daily if you want the final rewards sooner rather than later.
Swords and Secrets quest rewards
Completing the Swords and Secrets chain pays out the following, alongside two cosmetic-style unlocks. The Druzhna Special Dispatch Order makes a Sword Spirit accompany Vesna during flight, and Construct Appearance: Flutterwing adds a new look for the Prime Ice Construct system. Neither is a banner reward, so the quest stays worthwhile even if you already own Vesna.
Reward
Amount
Primogems
20
Druzhna Special Dispatch Order
1
Mora
30,000
Hero’s Wit
3
Mystic Enhancement Ore
6
Construct Appearance: Flutterwing
1
Because the seven-day pacing gates the final unlocks, starting both quests early is the fastest route to Flutterwing and Vesna’s flight companion without leaving anything to chance later.
