How To Upgrade And Refine Exaiphanes Blade In Genshin Impact

How to upgrade and refine the Exaiphanes Blade in Genshin Impact is not like any other weapon in the game. You do not spend Mora, use enhancement ore, or pull dupes from a banner. The Exaiphanes Blade is the Traveler’s free 5-star sword introduced in version 7.0, and it gets stronger every time you power up a Snezhnaya Statue of the Seven with a Cryo attack.

This guide covers everything — how to get the sword, exactly how the upgrade process works, what stats you gain at each tier, and where all five current Statues of the Seven are located. If you are still working through the Snezhnaya quests, our Eye of Graeae fragments guide and the Stellar Glimmer reaction guide are great companions for your journey through the region.

Table of Contents

TL;DR — Exaiphanes Blade Upgrade Quick Summary

The Exaiphanes Blade is the Traveler’s free 5-star sword in Genshin Impact 7.0
You get it automatically by completing the Everwinter Without Mercy Archon Quest (Great Deeds on the Tundra subquest)
Upgrading uses no Mora, no materials — just Cryo attacks on Snezhnaya Statues of the Seven
The Traveler must be in Cryo form and must hit the statue with a Cryo Elemental Skill or Burst before the upgrade option appears
Each statue gives one upgrade — seven statues total are needed for maximum power
In version 7.0, only five Statues of the Seven exist in Snezhnaya, so max upgrade is not yet possible
At upgrade 5 (max in 7.0): 608 Base ATK, 33.1% CRIT Rate
The passive Traveler’s Path only works on the Traveler — keep it equipped on them

Exaiphanes Blade

What Is The Exaiphanes Blade?

The Exaiphanes Blade is a 5-star Sword introduced in Genshin Impact 7.0 alongside the Snezhnaya region. It is the Traveler’s signature weapon and is completely free — you cannot pull it from any banner, and it is not sold anywhere. You simply get it by playing the main story.

What makes it unique is that its upgrade and refinement system works nothing like any other weapon. There are no Weapon Enhancement Materials to farm, no Ascension materials to collect, and no Mora cost. Instead, the sword grows stronger each time you activate a Snezhnaya Statue of the Seven with a Cryo attack.

The passive ability is called Traveler’s Path, and it only applies to the Traveler character. This means you should always keep the Exaiphanes Blade on the Traveler — equipping it on any other character gives you only the base stats, not the passive effect.

Play Genshin Impact on the official website or download it on Android, iOS, PlayStation, Epic Games, or Xbox.

How To Get The Exaiphanes Blade

The Exaiphanes Blade is obtained during Step 18 of the Great Deeds on the Tundra subquest, which is part of the Chapter VII Act I Archon Quest — Everwinter Without Mercy. You do not need to do anything special to claim it. Just keep progressing the main story in Snezhnaya and the sword is handed to you automatically during a cutscene.

Once you have it in your inventory, the sword sits at its starting values. It will not grow stronger on its own. You have to actively visit each Statue of the Seven and perform the upgrade step at each one.

Requirements Before You Can Upgrade

Two things must be true before any Snezhnaya Statue of the Seven will offer you the upgrade option. If either condition is missing, the View Exaiphanes Blade prompt will not appear when you interact with the statue.

Cryo form unlocked: The Traveler must have already resonated with Cryo by interacting with a Snezhnaya Statue of the Seven. This happens naturally as part of the Archon Quest when you first arrive in Snezhnaya, so most players will already have this done.
Hit the statue with Cryo: Before interacting, you must use the Traveler’s Cryo Elemental Skill or Elemental Burst to strike the statue directly. This activates the statue’s resonance and enables the special interaction. A missed attack will not count — make sure the hit lands on the statue itself.

Upgrade And Refine Exaiphanes Blade In Genshin Impact

How To Upgrade And Refine The Exaiphanes Blade — Step By Step

The process is the same at every statue. Follow these steps at each of the five Snezhnaya Statues of the Seven to power up the blade.

Step 1: Switch the Traveler to their Cryo form in the character menu
Step 2: Travel to a Snezhnaya Statue of the Seven that you have not yet used for an upgrade
Step 3: Stand close to the statue and use the Traveler’s Cryo Elemental Skill or Elemental Burst to hit it directly
Step 4: Interact with the statue to open its menu
Step 5: Select View Exaiphanes Blade from the options
Step 6: Confirm the upgrade — the sword gains one level tier and, on certain tiers, an improved passive
Step 7: Move on to the next statue and repeat

You know the upgrade worked when the weapon details screen shows a higher level and updated Traveler’s Path passive text after you confirm. Each statue can only be used once. Returning to the same statue will not give a second upgrade.

Exaiphanes Blade Stats At Each Upgrade Level

The sword’s substat is CRIT Rate. Both Base ATK and CRIT Rate increase with each of the first five upgrades, then stop climbing once the sword reaches Level 90. The stat cap is reached at upgrade 5, which is also the maximum possible in version 7.0.

Upgrade 1 — Level 20 | Base ATK: 122 | CRIT Rate: 12.7%
Upgrade 2 — Level 40 | Base ATK: 235 | CRIT Rate: 18.5%
Upgrade 3 — Level 60 | Base ATK: 382 | CRIT Rate: 24.4%
Upgrade 4 — Level 80 | Base ATK: 532 | CRIT Rate: 30.2%
Upgrade 5 — Level 90 | Base ATK: 608 | CRIT Rate: 33.1%
Upgrade 6 — Level 90 | Base ATK: 608 | CRIT Rate: 33.1% (passive improves)
Upgrade 7 — Level 90 | Base ATK: 608 | CRIT Rate: 33.1% (passive improves)

Upgrades 6 and 7 do not raise Base ATK or CRIT Rate further. Instead, they improve the Traveler’s Path passive, pushing the ATK bonus and CRIT DMG scaling to their highest values. These two upgrades require Statues of the Seven that do not yet exist in version 7.0.

How The Traveler’s Path Passive Scales With Each Upgrade

The Traveler’s Path passive activates every time the Traveler hits an opponent. It boosts ATK for 8 seconds and regenerates Elemental Energy. The effect has a 5-second cooldown and works even when the Traveler is off-field, making it great for quick-swap team compositions.

From upgrade 2 onward, the passive also grants CRIT DMG based on how many Elements the Traveler has resonated with. Since the Traveler has access to all elements across Teyvat, this scales well over time. Upgrades 3 and 5 are stat-only tiers — the passive text does not change at those levels.

Upgrade 1: ATK +16% for 8s and 3 Elemental Energy on hit
Upgrade 2: CRIT DMG +6% per resonated Element, ATK +20%, 3 Energy on hit
Upgrade 3: Stats only — passive unchanged
Upgrade 4: CRIT DMG +6% per resonated Element, ATK +24%, 5 Energy on hit
Upgrade 5: Stats only — passive unchanged
Upgrade 6: CRIT DMG +6% per resonated Element, ATK +32%, 5 Energy on hit
Upgrade 7: CRIT DMG +6% per resonated Element, ATK +40%, 5 Energy on hit

All Five Snezhnaya Statue Of The Seven Locations

In Genshin Impact version 7.0, there are five Statues of the Seven in Snezhnaya. The blade needs seven upgrades for its highest tier, so you cannot fully max it out yet. Power up all five to take the sword as far as the current map allows. The remaining two upgrades will come as more of Snezhnaya opens in future updates.

Snezhnaya Statue of the Seven Locations In Genshin Impact

Statue 1 — Sretomorozsk

This is the first Statue of the Seven you encounter in Snezhnaya. You cannot miss it — the Archon Quest brings you directly to it after the train crash that kicks off your arrival in the region. Simply interact with it to unlock Cryo and apply the first upgrade.

Statue 2 — Snezhnograd (Capital City)

Continue progressing Everwinter Without Mercy and the story takes you to Snezhnograd, the capital city. Take the Funicular up from the train station into the city. The second statue is just outside the Central Station — it is easy to spot once you arrive.

Statue 3 — Morepesok (Flamefeather Valley)

Use the train to reach Morepesok. Head to the Rankova Zorya station first and then set your route to Morepesok. Once there, follow the train tracks through the open Tundra. The third statue stands right along the rail line, so stay on the tracks until it comes into view.

Statue 4 — Svetloledovka (Fellfrost Peak)

The fourth statue is located to the southeast of Snezhnograd, near the mining town of Svetloledovka. Take the train to the nearest station first. From there you will need to hike up the mountain carefully. Watch out for the harsh weather on the way up — it can damage or down your party if you are not prepared.

Statue 5 — White Birch Snowgrave (Pilgrimage to the Sacred Gorge)

The fifth statue is in the northernmost part of Snezhnaya. Head to the Korolevskiy Theater and glide toward the nearby railway track in the northeastern direction. This area is only accessible after you unlock White Birch Snowgrave through the On One Side a Palace, On the Other a Tomb quest chain. Interacting with this statue also completes the Continental Explorer: Snowblanketed Nation regional exploration achievement.

If you have not yet unlocked this area, our Eye of Graeae fragments guide explains exactly which quests you need to complete to reach White Birch Snowgrave. The Down In The Dumps quest is one of the key steps in that chain.

Can You Max Out The Exaiphanes Blade In Version 7.0?

No — you cannot reach maximum upgrade in version 7.0. The sword needs seven upgrades total to hit its full potential, but only five Snezhnaya Statues of the Seven currently exist in the game. That means you are capped at upgrade 5 for now, which still brings the sword to Level 90 with 608 Base ATK and 33.1% CRIT Rate.

The remaining two upgrades — which improve the Traveler’s Path passive to ATK +32% and eventually ATK +40% — will become available as HoYoverse releases more of Snezhnaya in future updates. When new statues are added, revisit this guide to complete the final two tiers.

Is The Exaiphanes Blade Worth Using?

Yes, absolutely. Even at upgrade 5, the Exaiphanes Blade is the Traveler’s best-in-slot weapon by a wide margin. It provides 608 base ATK, 33.1% CRIT Rate as a substat, and a passive that gives bonus ATK, CRIT DMG based on resonated elements, and free Elemental Energy on hit. No weapon on the banner comes close to this combination for the Traveler specifically.

It is also a strong stat stick for certain other characters like Odette, even without the passive benefiting them. And for F2P and low-spending players, getting a free 5-star sword with top-tier stats just for playing the story is an exceptional value.

Troubleshooting — Why Is The Upgrade Option Not Showing?

If you interact with a Statue of the Seven and the View Exaiphanes Blade option does not appear, check these two things:

Is the Traveler in Cryo form? Open the character switch panel and confirm the Traveler is set to Cryo. If not, visit the nearest Statue and resonate first.
Did you hit the statue with a Cryo attack? You need to use the Traveler’s Cryo Elemental Skill or Elemental Burst and have the attack actually connect with the statue. If the attack missed or hit the ground, try again — the hit has to land on the statue itself.

Once both conditions are met, the option will appear in the statue’s interaction menu without any issues.

Tips For Upgrading The Exaiphanes Blade

Mark each statue on your map after visiting it so you do not waste time returning to one you already used
Unlock all Teleport Waypoints near each statue to make travel fast and easy
Always keep the Traveler in your team while exploring Snezhnaya — the sword’s passive works off-field, so you benefit even in quick-swap builds
Do the Archon Quest first — the story naturally takes you to most statues, so combining exploration with quest progress saves time
The Traveler’s Path passive cooldown is 5 seconds — build your rotation around triggering it consistently for maximum ATK uptime
Upgrades 3 and 5 are stats-only tiers — do not expect new passive text after those two, it is working correctly

Related Genshin Impact Guides

The Exaiphanes Blade is just one part of what makes the Cryo Traveler worth building in Genshin Impact 7.0. Here are some guides to help you make the most of everything Snezhnaya has to offer: