HoYoverse has pulled back the curtain on Nod-Krai, the next major subregion in Genshin Impact that sits on the fringes of Snezhnaya, revealing lore-rich details and the first in-game appearance of Mondstadt’s stalwart Grand Master Varka. During the “Let’s Start with Nod-Krai” livestream on April 30, developers laid out a year-long narrative arc set to bridge loose threads before players journey to the Cryo nation proper.
Travellers venturing into Nod-Krai will encounter Varka leading an expedition to investigate strange disturbances. Although players have heard his voice in the 5.6 trailer, this update marks his debut on the battlefield, where he offers a familiar anchor amid a region teeming with mystery. Varka’s arrival also hints at deeper ties between Mondstadt and Snezhnaya, suggesting hidden alliances stretching across Teyvat.
Beyond Varka’s reassuring presence, Nod-Krai teems with five main factions, each vying for power under the glow of its three moons. The Fatui Harbingers are already in the region, their agents intent on “stealing the power of the moon” for unknown ends. Opposing them are the Frostmoon Scions, druid-inspired devotees of the Moon Goddess who wield moonlit magic to guard sacred groves. HoYoverse designers revealed that the Scions draw on Celtic mythology, their forests alive with bioluminescent flora and arcane runes.
Merchants and spies intersect in Nasha Town, home to the Voynich Guild, a powerful trading consortium that brokers rare artifacts and maintains secret ties to the shadowed Curatorium of Secrets. Meanwhile, Nod-Krai’s untamed wilds are plagued by the Wild Hunt—a coalition of Abyssal fiends whose onslaughts threaten settlement walls. To counter this menace, the Lightkeepers have formed, an order dedicated to purging Abyssal corruption through combat and sacred rites.
HoYoverse emphasized that Nod-Krai’s design departs from past regions. Rather than centering on a nation’s political structure, the creative team focused on the interplay of these factions, crafting an autonomous territory where every path uncovers hidden allegiances, civilians with moon-touched powers, and evidence of an ancient lunar catastrophe tied to Khaenri’ah. As one developer put it, if Teyvat’s story is a vast tapestry, Nod-Krai is the loom that weaves together scattered threads.
In terms of timing, Nod-Krai’s saga begins with Version 6.0, expected in early September, and spans multiple patch cycles until Version 7.0, offering both rich world quests and character storylines. Players can look forward to themed events—such as moonlight festivals and Harbinger incursions—plus limited redemption codes dropped during livestreams to collect free Primogems.
With its debut of Varka and the introduction of five dynamic factions, Nod-Krai promises to deepen Genshin Impact’s political intrigue and expand its magical mythos. As the Grand Master stands ready to guide you through moonlit forests and icy ruins, Travellers will soon discover that even centuries-old alliances can shift under a new moon.
