HoYoverse has released a new story teaser for Genshin Impact, and this one centers on the Tsaritsa. "The Bestowed Love" went up recently. Its description tells of a god who gave all the love it could to ease the sorrows of mortal life, until someone asked where love comes from and what gives rise to suffering. Check out the official post down below:
What Happens In "The Bestowed Love"
The teaser is told in illustrated stills, and it opens in a hospital ward where patients lie in rows of beds. Snow begins to fall, and the sick start to recover, with lines such as "I'm healed... Is it because of the snow?", "Yay, Dad's all better!" and "I can go home... Finally..." The people of Snezhnaya then gather in the city around a giant ice star, asking "Did the Tsaritsa cure us?" before thanking her with "Thank You, Your Majesty!"
The tone shifts in the second half. Out in the snowy wilderness, a hilichurl speaks in its own language with the words "Valo... Mimi zoi...", and a pale hand reaches toward it. The Tsaritsa's voice answers: "I'm sorry. Love cannot cure you of this curse." The teaser ends on her final line, "Rest in peace, my child," before a burst of ice and the Genshin Impact logo. The full teaser is here:
The English version credits Lara Korba as the voice of Anastasya Feodorovna Snezhnaya. Chinese, Japanese and Korean voice-over versions were released at the same time.
Who Is Anastasya?
HoYoverse revealed Anastasya on November 6 under the title "Frostcrown Revival," naming her the Tsaritsa of All Snezhnaya. She is a Cryo character, and her constellation is Autocratrix Anastasis. Her official lore describes her as a spirit born of frost who once served Monomakh at the court of the Pale Star, and who was later resurrected by the Heavenly Principles.
The Tsaritsa is the Cryo Archon who rules Snezhnaya and commands the Fatui and its Harbingers, and she has been part of Genshin Impact's story since the game launched in 2020. In the new teaser, her people credit her with curing their illness, while she tells the cursed hilichurl that her love cannot cure its curse. HoYoverse has not yet announced when Anastasya will be playable.
Part Of A Series Of Archon Teasers
"The Bestowed Love" is the third Archon-focused video from HoYoverse this week. "Stone and Contracts" showed Zhongli, the former Geo Archon, as covered in Genshin Impact's "Stone And Contracts" Cutscene Shows Zhongli Clearing The Nail Of Retribution's First Mark. "Thunder and Eternity" followed the next night with the Raiden Shogun, the Electro Archon of Inazuma, drawing Musou Isshin and delivering her answer of "Eternity" to the Heavenly Principles.
Both of those videos tie into the Trials of Usurpation in the current Archon Quest, which center on the Nails of Retribution that Celestia cast down onto Teyvat and a set of 6 trials tied to the nations. Liyue's trial, built around contracts, was the first to succeed. HoYoverse's post for "The Bestowed Love" does not say whether it is connected to the trials or where it fits in the story.
Version 7.2 Is Live Now
The teaser arrives during Version 7.2, "Hour of Ruin," which launched on November 4. The update sent representatives of the 7 nations to Snezhnaya and added the new areas Novokitezhgrad and Wingspan Peak, the Starsealed Edict, and new playable characters Mitya and Valeriy, with Furina also returning on a banner. Mitya's trailer is covered in Genshin Impact Drops The Mitya Character Trailer Ahead Of Version 7.2 Release.
After seeing the Tsaritsa tell a cursed hilichurl that love cannot cure it, what do you think "The Bestowed Love" says about her role in Snezhnaya's story?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.