Gunfire in the Silent Lands Walkthrough (Genshin Impact 7.0)

Gunfire in the Silent Lands is the second part of the Everwinter Without Mercy Archon questline in Snezhnaya, and it drops one of the biggest surprises Genshin Impact has ever thrown at you. Partway through, the game switches to a third-person shooter mode inside a place called the Shadow Realm, where your normal elemental abilities stop working and you fight with a special firearm instead. The whole run takes roughly 35 to 75 minutes depending on how much dialogue you read.

Quick answer: Reach Sretomorozsk, help Alyosha gather evidence, board the train at Sretomorozsk Station, and drive it with the Eye of Graeae. When the train falls into the Shadow Realm, grab the firearm from the Eye of Graeae, cross the floating carriages using Freeze Marks and Prime Ice ziplines, remove the grapple, then beat the Chaotic Landcruiser and reach the core to escape.

How to start Gunfire in the Silent Lands

The quest unlocks automatically once you finish Into the Wind, Into the Frigid North, the first part of the Everwinter Without Mercy questline. After the train crash-lands off the tracks, the opening stretch is all exploration and story before the shooter section begins.

Board the train and drop into the Shadow Realm

At the station, use the Eye of Graeae to summon the train, then pick a destination. Snezhnograd is the only option available for now, but it doesn’t matter which one you choose. The train enters the Shadow Realm regardless, so you’ll end up there either way.

A cutscene triggers as the carriages shatter and float in a purple void. Alyosha warns the party they’re in danger and need an escape route. For this first stretch your elements are gone, so defeat the twisted shadow enemies with basic sword attacks while Alyosha sneaks around. Cross to the next train car to reach the Eye of Graeae and regain control.

When you reach the Eye of Graeae, it grants the Traveler a special outfit and firearm and walks you through the third-person shooter mode. You’ll pick a control preset and unlock the “For We Are Bound For the Sacred Light Spear” achievement in the process.

TPS mode rules and firearm basics

Once you’re holding the firearm, the game plays very differently. You can’t swap characters or arrange a team, and your movement is limited. You can still jump, but you can’t climb. In exchange you get cover and slide mechanics that you’ll use constantly.

• Sprint to move faster and slide to fit through tight gaps.
• Shoot explosive barrels to clear wooden barricades and other obstacles.
• Take cover behind crates against enemies who are shooting back.
• Use the Weapon Skill (the Simulated Elemental Skill) for a powerful shot against grouped Fatui.
• Ammo is limited, so aim carefully and pick up ammo boxes as you pass them.

The firearm has two modes. The default is an assault rifle for regular fights, and later you pick up a grenade launcher that fires Frag Crystals for heavier damage.

Cross the floating carriages with Freeze Marks and ziplines

Traversal is the backbone of this section. The carriages hang in the void, so you’ll grapple and ride between them using Prime Ice Constructs.

How to remove the grapple

This is the puzzle that stops most players. After a zipline landing, the Traveler is stuck on a carriage and the Grappling Gun is locked onto a fixed grapple. You have to detach that grapple so the Grappling Gun reaches for a new anchor and drags the group forward.

Once it’s gone, the Grappling Gun looks for a new anchor. It grabs an adjacent carriage first, but that grapple snaps almost immediately, which throws the whole group toward the destination. Wait for the platform to reach the next car. If you board another zipline afterward, you can drop off it by holding the jump button.

Note: You can’t use the Manage Prime Ice Construct feature here. Inside the Shadow Realm your position doesn’t register on the map, so only the Remove option is available.

Frag Crystals and the grenade launcher

Past the grapple puzzle, you’ll trade fire with Fatui riding a parallel train and pick up Electro Frag Crystals, which act as grenade launcher ammo. At the end of that carriage you find the grenade launcher blueprint, and the Eye of Graeae explains how the heavier weapon clears enemies with explosive blasts. You’ll also grab loot like the Balsag’s Sunwheel blueprint along the way.

How to beat the Chaotic Landcruiser

The Chaotic Landcruiser is the automaton blocking the exit at the end of the train. Beating it is a two-part combo that leans on an Overload reaction.

Escape the Shadow Realm and quest rewards

With the path clear, reach the Shadow Realm Core. Alyosha jumps through it and the party returns to Snezhnaya, which completes the quest. You’ll know it worked when the Snezhnaya Adventure Journal unlocks and the quest closes out back in the real world.

From here the Everwinter Without Mercy story continues into Great Deeds on the Tundra, but the hard part is behind you. Once you’re comfortable with cover, sliding, and swapping between the rifle and grenade launcher, the Shadow Realm run is far less intimidating than it first looks.