Genshin Impact: Everwinter Without Mercy Walkthrough (Chapter VII Act I)

Everwinter Without Mercy is the opening Archon Quest of Genshin Impact’s Version 7.0, and it drops the Traveler and Paimon onto the frozen coast of Snezhnaya for the first time. The chapter blends survival against extreme cold with a new tool, the Eye of Graeae, that lets you build and break Prime Ice constructs to clear a path forward.

Quick answer: Cross the snowy coast, push through the blizzard until the bridge collapses, then bind to the Eye of Graeae in the ice cavern. Use Fab-Vision to demolish and build Prime Ice, melt the ice barriers with a Basic Heat Source, rescue Paimon, and finally power the defunct train to reach Sretomorozsk.

What Everwinter Without Mercy unlocks and rewards

This is Chapter VII: Act I, the quest that formally opens Snezhnaya, Teyvat’s seventh nation. It ties into the wider Chapter 7 story that continues in Act II, Wraith’s Nocturne. Finishing the full Archon Quest arc grants up to 560 Primogems, and progressing through Chapter 7 Act 1 and Act 2 also awards the Traveler’s new personal sword, the Exaiphanes Blade.

The act itself is split into segments. Completing the opening portion, “Into the Wind, Into the Frigid North,” leads directly into the next segment, “Gunfire in the Silent Lands,” which begins once you arrive in Sretomorozsk.

Surviving the cold before you get the Eye of Graeae

Snezhnaya runs on extreme cold mechanics. If you stay exposed too long, warmth drains and Paimon grows weak and dizzy. In the early part of the quest, you have no gadget yet, so you survive by moving toward shelter and by activating warming devices such as Kresnik’s Torches and, later, a portable Basic Heat Source.

Start on the snowy coast and run inland. You pass reindeer-like creatures, can collect Mint along the way, and encounter two large Polyarbears that Paimon asks you to photograph.

Continue past a ruined train carriage as the weather worsens. Paimon starts to feel the cold, so keep pushing through the heavy blizzard toward a cabin visible across a bridge.

Cross the bridge to trigger the cutscene. The bridge gives way, and the Traveler and Paimon fall into an icy cavern below.

You wake alone in the ice cave. Collect Snowball Flowers as you search for Paimon, then enter the buried train carriage and climb to the upper level. Activate Kresnik’s Torch, a civilian warming device, to hold off the cold while you explore.

Getting the Eye of Graeae and using Fab-Vision

The Eye of Graeae is a floating, blue triquetra-shaped device that introduces itself and binds to the Traveler. It is a sentient tool that unlocks Fab-Vision, the mode you use to interact with Prime Ice for the rest of the quest and across Snezhnaya’s open world.

Deeper in the cavern, approach the device to trigger the binding scene and gain the Eye of Graeae.

Follow the demolish tutorial. Enter Fab-Vision to break down existing Prime Ice obstacles, which gathers Prime Ice Units you can spend on new constructs.

Follow the build tutorial. Fabricate a Prime Ice Cube to prop open the heavy gate, then grab the Exquisite Chest behind it. You can also stack or place a Cube to reach a high ledge, which is how you pick up the Basic Heat Source blueprint.

Craft a Basic Heat Source and carry it to the solid ice blocks that seal the path. The heat melts them, opening the way forward and revealing hidden chests as you go.

Note: If the Eye of Graeae runs low on power, shatter a Kresnik Kristall, one of the large orange crystals found in Snezhnaya, to refill its energy reserves.

Prime Ice mechanics reference

Action	What it does
Enter Fab-Vision	Opens the mode used to demolish and build Prime Ice structures.
Demolish	Breaks existing Prime Ice to gather Prime Ice Resources for building.
Build Cube	Props open heavy gates and creates footholds to reach high ledges.
Build Basic Heat Source	Costs 25 Prime Ice Resources; melts solid ice barriers blocking the path.
Break Kresnik Kristall	Refills the Eye of Graeae’s energy when it warns of low power.

Reaching Paimon, meeting Pierro, and boarding the train

Melt through the remaining barriers until you find the cabin where Paimon is resting. During this scene, Pierro, known as The Jester and the Director of the Fatui, appears, speaks briefly, and leaves.

Boil water to wake Paimon, then talk through Pierro’s identity. Loot the chest outside the cabin and head to the train tracks.

Open your inventory and equip the Eye of Graeae as a gadget so you can use it on the tracks.

Use the Eye of Graeae to power up the defunct train and drive it, crashing through the ice barriers along the line until you arrive at Sretomorozsk.

How to know the quest is complete

You know the segment is done when the train reaches Sretomorozsk and the quest tracker advances to “Gunfire in the Silent Lands.” If you get stuck, the most common blocker is a sealed path that still needs a Basic Heat Source, or an Eye of Graeae that has run out of power and needs a Kresnik Kristall to recharge before you can build or demolish again.

From here, the story continues through the rest of Chapter 7, with Snezhnograd, the Fatui’s headquarters, and Act II, Wraith’s Nocturne, waiting further along the line.