Genshin Impact Shadow Amidst Snowstorms event and how to build Puffy Snowmen

(Image credit: miHoYo)

The Genshin Impact Shadow Amidst Snowstorms quest is the main event in 2.3. Need to find more Puffy Snowman Components? Or are you looking for help against the giant Whopperflower boss? We’re here to guide you through every Dragonspine Special Training challenge. Time to get your hands on the new Cinnabar Spindle Sword!

The Shadow Amidst Snowstorms event starts on November 25 and ends on December 13. The Event Shop will remain open for one more week after that.

Shadow Amidst Snowstorms requirements

Great news regarding the event requirements: this time, you don’t have to unlock the Inazuma region first. However, as Shadow Amidst Snowstorms takes place in Dragonspine, you do need access to this region. Furthermore, there’s an Adventure Rank requirement of at least 20, and you need to have completed the following Dragonspine quests:

For a Tomorrow Without Tears
Traveler Observation Report (AR requirement is lowered to 20 for the duration of this event. This quest is unlocked after completing ‘For a Tomorrow Without Tears’)
Lost in the Snow

How to start Shadow Amidst Snowstorms: Snowy Past

If you want to know how to start the Shadow Amidst Snowstorms quest, you'll need to do the Shadow Amidst Snowstorms introduction quest: The Snowy Past before you can start working on your Puffy Snowmen. It’ll take quite a bit of time (somewhere between half an hour and one hour, depending on whether you skip dialogue), but you’ll learn a lot more about Albedo’s backstory.

How to get Puffy Snowmen in Genshin Impact: Born of the Snow

You’re now ready to start the event challenges. The first one is ‘Born of the Snow’. The task is simple: go to the Puffy Snowmen locations on your Dragonspine map (click ‘locate’ in the event menu to see snowmen icons) and build them.

However, no need to visit these locations just yet. You first need to collect the Components by doing the Dragonspine Special Training challenges. It can be a bit confusing, as the only rewards you’ll see are Puffy Snowmen heads. The only Dragonspine Special Training that actually grants other types of Puffy Snowmen parts, is the Tracker Training (the second one). They’re inside the Crystal Piles.

You only need to build one Puffy Snowman to get a free four-star Sword: the Cinnabar Spindle. Obtain event currencies to buy the Cinnabar Spindle’s refinement materials in the Event Shop.
A complete Puffy Snowman needs a head, hat, hands, eyes, nose, and scarf.
Click ‘exchange components’ in the event menu to swap Puffy Snowman Components with your friends.

Dragonspine Special Training challenge, agility

Go to the Dragonspine map icon with the running man. Activate the red mechanism to start a speed challenge: follow the course as fast as possible and collect as many Insignias (gold coins) as you can.

While running, try to pick up the Blessings along the way. The Galespring Blessings (blue ones) increase your jumping ability, and the Ironskin Blessings (yellow) enable you to destroy nearby ice pillars. A few tips:

Insignias of Adventure (bright yellow) are often hidden inside the ice pillars. You can still spot them though; the pillars will emanate a yellow light.
Insignias of Conquest (transparent) are timed. They will disappear if you’re not fast enough.
There’ll be obstacles like mud bombs too, but hitting them doesn’t decrease your score.
You don’t need all the Insignias to get a gold medal.
You can’t obtain Puffy Snowman Components from this challenge, but you’ll get a lot of Snowstrider Emblems to exchange in the Event Shop.

Dragonspine Special Training challenge, tracker training

Go to the location indicated by the rock icon on your Dragonspine map. Your task is to melt all the Crystal Piles in the yellow area. The exact number is on the left side of your screen.

The Crystal Piles will melt when hit by Pyro, so don’t go through the trouble of collecting Scarlet Quartz. Each Crystal may contain a Puffy Snowman Component, but you’ll also find other materials and the occasional animal (that’s somehow still alive). A few more tips:

Use Klee or Yanfei if you have them. Thanks to their Catalysts, one Normal Attack is enough the melt a Crystal Pile.
You’ll still encounter enemies in the tracker training areas. You can choose to outrun them while melting the Crystals, of course.
About half the Crystal Piles contain Puffy Snowman Components, making this Dragonspine Special Training the best source.

Dragonspine Special Training challenge, combat

Go to the locations marked with a crossed swords icon on the map. Interact with the mechanisms (the Lures) to start the challenge. The basics are quite simple: defeat the opponents within the time limit to get the rewards.

However, the Lures will emanate frost, which buffs your opponents’ Cryo damage and increases your Sheer Cold meter. To counter this effect, you need to light up the three nearby lanterns using Scarlet Quartz.

This will change the Lures into heat sources, keeping you warm and restoring your Energy at fixed intervals. If you attack an enemy while carrying Scarlet Quartz, you’ll trigger a Pyro shockwave. A more few things to keep in mind:

You can already hit the three lanterns with Scarlet Quartz before activating the mechanism.
You can do the challenge without changing the Lures into heat sources. However, it’ll be much more time-consuming.
You’ll get Snowman Heads for your Puffy Snowmen after completing the first two combat challenges.

Have fun building those Puffy Snowmen! As the third and final Shadow Amidst Snowstorms challenge will unlock in a few days, stay tuned for an update.

Rise of the Fell Flower Genshin Impact challenge

The final act of the Shadow Amidst Snowstorms event is called the Rise of the Fell Flower. To start the challenge, you first need to complete the corresponding event quest. Doing so will also award you with a special Serenitea Pot painting of Paimon.

Rise of the Feel Flower is a boss fight against a giant Cryo Whopperflower. It’s not enough to just defeat it though; check the event page to see the extra reward conditions. For example, you’ll get 120 Vanquisher’s Emblem (event currency), 2 Hero’s Wit, and a bunch of Mora if you defeat the Flower without allowing it to absorb Arcane Essence.

Here’s how you defeat the Rise of the Feel Flower boss:

Keep your distance at the start, and be ready to simply dodge attacks instead of dealing damage.
The Whopperflower will summon Arcane Fruits. Destroy them to damage the shield.
The Whopperflower will then leave a few Arcane Essence pieces on the battlefield. Use sprint to pick them up before they can recharge the shield.
Repeat the dodge/destroy Arcane Fruits/pick up Arcane Essence cycle about three times. When the shield is down, just throw all your most-damaging attacks at the Flower and you’ll win the fight.
This challenge can be done in co-op. Select this option instead of single player at the start of the fight if you find it too difficult on your own.