Guns in Genshin? 7.0 Adds a Full TPS Mode to Snezhnaya

A ballerina assassin, a hunter with a dog, and a set of firearms you can customise with weapon attachments. It sounds like the pitch for three different games, but it's actually all coming to the same one. Today's Genshin Impact Version 7.0 special program livestream, which miHoYo used to detail the long-awaited Snezhnaya region, buried what might be the update's most surprising addition between character reveals and elemental reaction breakdowns: a full third-person shooter mode.

According to the stream, arriving in Snezhnaya grants players a tool called the Eye of Graeae. One of its functions, Goggles, unlocks a TPS mode with three new firearms and various weapon attachments scattered across the region. MiHoYo described the mode as featuring "intense battles across diverse environments" that "demand tactical adaptability." I've played Genshin Impact on and off since 2020, and I did not have "gun combat" on my bingo card for this game. This isn't a turret sequence or an one-off event minigame. It's a persistent gameplay mode with loot-driven customisation, which is a wild swing for an anime gacha RPG built around elemental sword-and-sorcery combat.

The update, titled "Everwinter Without Mercy," launches August 12 and opens up Snezhnaya as Teyvat's seventh explorable nation. This is the region the entire main storyline has been building toward since launch. The Fatui, Genshin's primary antagonist faction, are headquartered here, and several of the Harbingers players have clashed with over six years finally get to be confronted on home turf.

Snezhnaya by rail

Snezhnaya itself is structured differently from previous regions. Settlements are sparse and connected by an extensive train network that players can actually ride and even call on demand using the Goggles tool. As Push Square noted, the trains move through the environment in real time while you're aboard, which must have been a serious technical challenge for a game that also runs on mobile. Train racing is even one of the limited-time events, and I can already see that becoming a community favourite.

The region's narrative centres on a catastrophic blizzard that has triggered an energy crisis across Snezhnaya. The Archon Quest digs into the political fallout, and completing it rewards up to 560 Primogems. Players who haven't finished previous story content can skip ahead to Snezhnaya's quests directly, though they'll lose a lot of context doing so.

Two new playable characters arrive with the update. Odette is a 5-star Cryo Sword user who doubles as a Fatui operative and a celebrated ballerina. Her kit revolves around converting Superconduct and Cryo Swirl reactions into the newer Stellar-Conduct and Stellar Swirl reactions, and she deploys a dance double for continuous AoE Cryo damage. Alyosha is a 4-star Electro Polearm wielder who fights alongside a canine companion named Tugarin and is available for free through the Archon Quest. Phase one banners pair Odette and Alyosha with a returning Arlecchino, while phase two brings back Flins and Ineffa.

Version 7.0 also introduces Stellar Swirl, a new elemental reaction triggered by combining Anemo and Cryo. It summons a vortex that deals both Anemo and Cryo damage, and repeated triggers raise its level before a larger detonation. In the open world, Stellar Swirl boosts jump height, which should open up new traversal options across Snezhnaya's frozen terrain. Interacting with the region's Statues of the Seven grants the Traveler Cryo powers, letting them trigger all Stellar Glimmer reactions.

On the free character front, GamesRadar reported that the 5-star Constellation selector event is expanding with nine new characters, mostly from Fontaine: Lyney, Wriothesley, Navia, Xianyun, Chiori, Sigewinne, Clorinde, Emilie, and Yumemizuki Mizuki. Players who own these characters can claim one free Constellation upgrade through the recurring daily task event. Wriothesley, recently buffed by the Stellar Conduct reaction, looks like one of the strongest picks.

Guns and gacha

I keep coming back to the TPS mode, though, because it represents something HoYoverse almost never does: a mechanical risk. Genshin's combat loop has been refined over six years of elemental reactions, team rotations, and artifact grinding. Dropping firearms into that ecosystem could feel jarring, or it could give the game a fresh dimension that keeps six-year veterans engaged. MiHoYo also confirmed the shooter mechanics will eventually be added to Miliastra Wonderland, Genshin's user-generated content hub, which suggests this isn't a throwaway experiment.

Limited-time events round out the update with target shooting challenges, Domain runs, and a summer event in Miliastra Wonderland that rewards a new head accessory. Completing the train racing event earns a free Diona.

Genshin Impact Version 7.0 launches August 12 on PS5, PC, Xbox Series X|S, and mobile. Three livestream codes are live now but expire quickly: "Everwinter" for 100 Primogems and 10 Mystic Enhancement Ore, "OntoSnezhnaya" for 100 Primogems and five Hero's Wit, and "Odette0812" for 100 Primogems and 50,000 Mora. If HoYoverse can make guns feel as natural in Genshin as elemental bursts do, this update could redefine what players expect from the game going forward.