For the latest Dragonspine Zone guide, head to our version 2.3 feature.

Genshin Impact just received a new major update dubbed “Version 1.2”, complete with a new area: Dragonspine zone. Just like any other online game with F2P elements, it comes with new gameplay mechanics and a chunky new region to explore.

After you’re done collecting an extra 600 Primogems thanks to the downtime, what’s next? What should you be doing? Well, we’re here to help you out with this one handy guide on Genshin Impact’s newest region. Before that, be sure to check out our updated guides.

Genshin Impact Starter Characters + Top Characters Guide

Genshin Impact Beginner Guide

Genshin Impact Endgame Guide: What’s Next?

Let’s break the Version 1.2 update down:

Unlocking & Leveling Up The Frostbearing Tree

Just like the Statues of the Seven, you can collect special treasures called the Crimson Agate to offer to the Frostbearing Tree for a multitude of rewards. Unlike the statues, these rewards include weapon blueprints, a bottle that will keep you warm and resistant from the Dragonspine Zone’s chill effect, and a new glider skin. In other words, more useful.

Here’s what you need to do to unlock the tree.

Investigate the strange ice

To unlock the tree, you will need to finish the main quests surrounding Dragonspine. Proceed with the quest Princeps Cretaceus Chapter. You’ll eventually get to the new Dragonspine region in search of alchemist/painter/new husbando material Albedo. Just up the road from Snow Covered Path, you’ll find the first teleport waypoint. Closeby there will be an object frozen in ice.

To unlock it, you need to harness the warm fiery powers of the Scarlet Quartz. It’s one of the only ways to survive the freezing cold of Dragonspine; find a deposit in the area, break it, then claim the Scarlet Quartz to gain quartz power.

Once you gain it, you also get the ability to attack and break specific objects encased in Dragonspine ice. This is how you thaw the Frostbearing Tree.

• You will find a number of Scarlet Quartz deposits near the tree. Attack one of them, then run to the ice crystal next to the tree to deal damage to it. 
• Repeat until the ice is destroyed.

From here on, you can now acquire Crimson Agates to offer to the tree. There are hundreds of them around Dragonspine, so happy hunting! Here are the locations (via Genshin Impact Map).

Unlocking The Peak of Vindagnyr

Genshin Impact’s latest domain (where you can use your resin to farm the dungeon) is not that easy to unlock, but it’s worth it thanks to the big artifact rewards that boost Cryo damage. You need to not only travel around Dragonspine a lot, but also dispel magical wind, and climb a tall-as-heck and cold-laden mountain.

Start The “Into The Mountains” Quest

In the Adventurer’s Camp at the base of Dragonspine, you’ll find an NPC named Iris who tasks you with solving the riddle at Dragonspine’s summit. Accept the quest from her.

Find The Wind Passage

There will be a passage just beyond the Statue of the Seven (at the top of the summit) that you cannot enter because of the howling winds. You need to dispel these winds. To do that, you need to go to three locations in Dragonspine containing floating ice crystals.

Break the first ice crystal

It’s actually where the Frostbearing Tree is. We have the guide for that right above this one. Go check it out!

Break the second ice crystal

The second crystal is located at a diamond-shaped clearing in Wyrmrest Valley. You know you’re at the correct place when you see elemental pillars and a cube-shaped device all arranged in a ritualistic fashion.

You’ll need to solve a puzzle here; be sure to bring a Pyro and Cryo party member for this (via Reddit). 

• Activate the cube-shaped device. Doing so will cause the Seelie to go to each Cryo pillar in a specific order.
• Once the Seelie returns to the cube-shaped device, head to each Cryo pillar and attack it with a Cryo ability in the same order that the Seelie showed you.
• This will cause two Ruin Guards to spawn and attack. Defeating both will cause the large corpse of a Ruin Grader to activate. This is a relatively tough boss enemy that fires a powerful laser, so try to stay behind it. Once the Ruin Grader dies, the ice in the center of the arena will break, revealing a cavern below with the second floating magical crystal.
• In this cavern, you’ll find another Seelie and three Scarlet Quartz. There’s a problem, though: You need one more to break the crystal. The fourth is hidden behind a gate that’s opened by returning two Seelies to their pedestals. The first is clearly visible, but the second is found under one of the many lumps of ice in the cave. To melt it, use Pyro abilities.
• Once you open the gate, you’ll see the fourth Scarlet Quartz and two chests. Break the quartz and attack the ice wall immediately behind it to reveal a third Seelie. This one we’ll leave for now.
• The fourth Scarlet Quartz will respawn after a few seconds, but take this time to find the other three and attack the magical crystal. When the fourth respawns, use it to break the crystal and, again, interact with the sphere hidden inside.
• Now the exit is unsealed and you can leave. Return to the third Seelie you found behind the gate and follow it out of the cavern to its pedestal for some loot.

Break the third ice crystal

The third crystal is in Starglow Cavern. When you enter the cave, you’ll find a path that goes upward and downward. Take the downward path to the bottom of the cave. Your landmarks are a Challenge Pillar surrounded by three Seelie pedestals.

There’s a forcefield that is protecting the ice crystal. Here’s how to dispel it:

• Return the Seelies to their pedestals. The first one is found nearby in the open and can’t be missed.
• The remaining two are found behind the giant ice spikes erupting from where the magical crystal is. If you’re facing the crystal, you’ll see a path on your left that leads around back. You’ll also see a Scarlet Quartz.
• The second Seelie is found behind a breakable wall near a Ruin Guard corpse.
• Keep following that path around the back of the crystal and up a slope to find the third Seelie by some more Ruin Guard corpses. You’ll also see another Scarlet Quartz.
• Once all the Seelies are returned to their pedestals, activate the Challenge pillar. It’ll spawn several hilichurls and frost mages that you’ll have two minutes to kill. Once they’re dead, the shield surrounding the crystal will break.
• Now it’s time to find the Scarlet Quartz. The first two are out in the open in the opposite direction of the magical crystal. The other two are where you found each hidden Seelie.
• Once the crystal is broken and you’ve interacted with the orb hidden inside, the way out will be unsealed and you can leave this area.

Go Through The Wind Passage To Break More Ice Crystals

Once you are done with the three crystals, teleport to the wind passage; it’s where the sole Statue of the Seven in Dragonspine is. You can now pass through. Unfortunately, you will need to break three other ice crystals, and that requires quite a bit of mountain-climbing across the peaks of Dragonspine.

• Follow the slope that circles around the shattered pillar and you’ll find the first Scarlet Quartz next to a few floating mechanical enemies. Defeat them, then break the quartz. Use the floating bits of the pillar as a bridge to reach the lowest magical crystal and break it.
• Continue up the sloping path until you reach a broken archway with a large boss monster just beyond it. Defeat the boss and you’ll find the second Scarlet Quartz. Break it and double-back to the pillar, jump onto the floating bits to reach the second magical crystal and break it.
• Head back to where you fought the boss and you’ll find a Seelie. Follow it up some ruined towers until you reach an Anemo pillar.
• Use an Anemo ability to activate it, triggering a big gust of upward wind. Ride it up and then use the wind tunnels that appear to quickly fly across the chasm where some hilichurls are waiting next to the third Scarlet Quartz.
• Break the Scarlet Quartz and go to the edge of the chasm. Below you’ll see the third magical crystal. Either snipe it with an archer character or glide down to it and break it up close.
• Activate the sphere hidden inside to unite the last broken bits of the pillar.
• You’ll see a cutscene of the pillar melting the ice around it and floating high up into the air.
• When the cutscene ends, you’ll be back near its base where you found the first Scarlet Quartz. Go to where the pillar used to be and you’ll find a few chests and the entrance to the Peak of Vindagnyr.

Once you’ve unlocked the Peak of Vindagnyr domain, you can teleport back and forth to the area; you might as well talk to Iris to complete the quest.

Score A Free 4-Star Claymore By Unlocking All 8 Ancient Carvings

Throughout your trekking in Dragonspine, you will come across ancient carvings (see above). Finding eight of these will net you a four-star claymore called Snow-Tombed Starsilver.

Here are the locations for all eight of them (via Reddit’s TriNity696):

One of these ancient carvings (the one on the southeast above the “Skyfrost Nail” map name) is locked behind a secret door that requires three Priest boxes to unlock. Here’s a video from ON Game that will teach you how to unlock it.

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