Genshin Impact 7.1 Names Six Free Limited 5-Star Choices

Genshin Impact Version 7.1 is live, and HoYoverse has filled in the most important missing details about its two free 5-star character invitations. The limited-character selection is Tartaglia, Nilou, Baizhu, Chiori, Clorinde or Varesa. To claim one, players must reach Adventure Rank 18 and complete Chapter VII, Act IV of the Archon Quest. The separate Standard 5-star invitation requires the Wish system to be unlocked instead.

These are two different rewards, not two picks from the same pool. The newly published Japanese release-day announcement says each invitation can be used once during its event. It also lists November 3 at 15:59 Japan Standard Time as the end of both offers for players following that regional notice. Since event clocks and availability can be region-specific, players elsewhere should confirm the exact deadline shown in their own game before planning a late claim.

The six limited characters and the story gate

The limited pool consists of Tartaglia, Nilou, Baizhu, Chiori, Clorinde and Varesa. This is a defined roster: the fact that HoYoverse calls it a limited 5-star invitation does not mean every limited character is eligible. Players may select one of these six, and the announcement says the selected character comes with ascension materials. It does not provide an itemized quantity for those materials in the text we checked, so players should not assume the gift fully levels or ascends the character.

The significant hurdle is story progress. The Japanese announcement requires Adventure Rank 18 and completion of Chapter VII, Act IV, the Version 7.1 Archon Quest act named “A Rekviem for the Underworld” in English. Merely logging in, reaching the rank threshold or finishing an older chapter does not satisfy that stated condition. A player who has not yet reached the relevant Snezhnaya quests should treat the invitation as a goal that needs time, rather than as an automatic anniversary login gift.

HoYoverse describes a route for eligible lower-progress players to begin the Snezhnaya story: reach Adventure Rank 18, complete the Prologue's Act III, then travel to Snezhnaya to start Chapter VII, Act I and work toward the current act. That is a path into the questline, not a waiver of the Act IV completion requirement. Players should also account for the time needed to play the intervening story. The announcement does not say that choosing a character early can reserve the reward while the quest is unfinished.

The six names give players a concrete choice to weigh against their existing roster. Someone who owns one candidate can compare the other five before committing; someone who wants a particular character can now decide whether the story progression is achievable before the event ends. Those are planning implications, not a recommendation that one choice is universally best. Teams, equipment and the characters a player already has will matter more than the label “free 5-star” alone.

The Standard invitation has a separate condition

The Standard-pool invitation is not locked behind the same Archon Quest act. HoYoverse says it is available after the Wish system has been unlocked. That makes the two benefits unequal in difficulty: a player may meet the Standard condition without yet qualifying for the limited-character selection. Each invitation is described as usable once during its own event, and the Japanese announcement also says the chosen Standard character comes with ascension materials.

The release-day notice does not enumerate every Standard 5-star option. It describes choosing one character from the Standard Wish pool, so it is safer to check the selection interface than to infer a named list from an older roster or a separate article. The condition is also more specific than the early promotional wording that suggested logging in would be enough. The current event notice identifies unlocking Wishes as the participation requirement.

There is one extra provision for newly registered players after Version 7.1 ends: the Japanese announcement says they can still choose a Standard 5-star during the Version 7.x period and directs readers to later official details. That statement concerns the Standard event, not the limited-character pool. It should not be read as extending the six-character selection beyond the deadline listed for the current limited invitation.

Deadline and what changed since the preview

Both event windows are listed as starting after the September 23 Version 7.1 update and ending November 3 at 15:59 JST in the Japanese company announcement. That closing time corresponds to 06:59 UTC on November 3. It is useful as a precise reading of this regional notice, but players should use their in-game event timers for the server they actually play on. A local calendar date alone is not an adequate substitute for the game's displayed cutoff.

Earlier Version 7.1 promotions established that there would be one Standard 5-star choice and one limited 5-star choice, but left the eligible limited roster, exact quest gate and claim windows open. This release-day notice changes that picture: six candidates are named, Chapter VII, Act IV is specified, the Standard condition is stated separately, and the offer's regional end time is provided. The 1,600 Primogems and 10 Intertwined Fates previously announced for the anniversary are other benefits; they are not extra characters and do not replace either invitation.

For anyone deciding what to do first, the practical distinction is straightforward. Check whether the Standard selection is already available in the event menu, then look at your Archon Quest progress before treating the limited pick as claimable. Do not use the Standard choice under the assumption that it consumes the limited choice; the release-day notice presents them as separate events. Confirm the on-screen character roster, material bundle and timer before making either irreversible selection.