Genshin Impact 7.1: Free 5-Star Picks, New Boss, and What to Do First

The 2026-09-23 update to Genshin Impact, version 7.1 “A Rekviem for the Underworld,” is handing out more than the game has in a long time. Two separate free 5-star selectors, a brand new world boss, and the return of the Moonchase Festival all land in the same patch. For anyone who plays free to play, this is the rare window where the account you have on November 3 could look meaningfully different from the one you have today.

What the Anniversary Actually Gives You

The headline here is the two selectors. One draws from the standard pool, the other is limited, and both expire on 2026-11-03. Miss that date and the pick is gone, so it is worth deciding early rather than treating it as a last-minute chore.

The limited selector includes Varesa, Clorinde, Nilou, and Yumemizuki Mizuki. On the standard side, Tartaglia, Baizhu, and Chiori are among the options. If you are missing one of these, this is a direct answer to a specific team problem. Nilou slots straight into Bloom, for example, while Clorinde gives Aggravate comps a proven driver.

How to Choose Wisely

• Pick a character you do not own if that character completes a team you actually play. A new unit changes your account more than a constellation does.
• Skip the pick entirely if you already have everyone you want. A selector you do not use costs nothing, and the deadline passes either way.
• Hold for future banners if none of the listed options interest you. Forcing a pick to avoid wasting it usually ends badly.

The New Boss Changes Your Team Building

The Guardian Blade of Drifting Snow is the new world boss, and its gimmick is worth understanding before you walk in blind. You have to break its defenses first, and only then does it enter a vulnerable state where your damage actually lands. That means teams built around slow, heavy hits will struggle. You want consistent elemental application and characters with real stagger potential to keep it locked down once the shield drops.

This is also the kind of fight where the new units shine, which is probably not a coincidence. Speaking of which.

Vodyanitsa and Vesna: The New Meta Pieces

Vodyanitsa and Vesna both arrive with the patch, and they are built to work together. Vodyanitsa performs best in Stellar Swirl and Freeze teams, with the premium version of the comp pairing her with Skirk and Vesna herself. If you are not pulling on the limited banner, the budget route runs through Cryo Traveler, Diona, and Sucrose. That is a much lower barrier to entry, and it still gets the job done for most content.

The character selectors and these two new units line up in a useful way. A new or returning player can grab a standard-pool pick to fill a support slot, then lean on Vodyanitsa as a free-ish damage core. The pieces fit together better than the patch notes suggest at first glance.

Moonchase Festival 2026 and the Livestream Codes

Moonchase is back for 2026 with the usual loop of challenges, and the reward track pays out Primogems, Mora, and event-exclusive items. The event areas only open once you complete the relevant Archon Quests, so that is the first thing to clear. It is also worth banking your Fragile Resin now, since the event domains will want it, and checking the daily reset times in your own timezone so you do not lose progress to a reset you forgot about.

Separately, the 7.1 livestream handed out redeem codes, and those expire fast. Check them the day you see them, because a code you sat on for a week is usually a code that no longer works. The anniversary selector deadline of 2026-11-03 is a hard stop, but the codes are on a much shorter clock.

Patch Checklist

• Clear the Archon Quest requirements before Moonchase opens its gates.
• Decide on both 5-star selector picks before 2026-11-03.
• Redeem livestream codes immediately rather than saving them.
• Save Fragile Resin for the event domains instead of spending it on artifacts.

The version 7.1 update is generous in a way that rewards a little planning. The selectors alone are enough to reshape a roster, and the new boss plus the festival give that roster something to do. The deadline is November 3, 2026, and the codes will not wait that long.