Free 5-star constellations have been one of the more player-friendly moves Genshin Impact has made in recent years, and the event delivering them is about to loop back around. To Temper Thyself and Journey Far kicks off its fifth cycle on August 10, a date that lines up closely with the expected launch of update 7.0 and the long-awaited Snezhnaya region.
The timing matters for more than just calendar reasons. The fifth cycle marks the end of the event's original four-part debut run, which means HoYoverse could realistically update the roster of eligible characters before the next phase begins.
How the event actually works
Each cycle of To Temper Thyself and Journey Far runs for 12 weeks. To earn a free Constellation, players need to log at least 8 completed weeks within that window, hitting a minimum of 5 days of tasks per week. Complete that, and you walk away with a Constellation for a 5-star character you already own.
The key here is that each character can only be redeemed once across the entire event's history. Most players use it to push a character from C0 to C1, unlocking the first passive that normally requires pulling a duplicate from the gacha. That said, if you already have a character sitting at C1, the event can still push them to C2.
With four previous cycles completed, players who have been consistent since launch could theoretically be sitting on four free Constellations claimed across different characters.
Which characters stand to benefit most right now
The original roster leaned heavily on older units, but the meta has shifted enough that several of them have become genuinely worthwhile picks again. Yae Miko is the standout example: recent changes have made her arguably the best C1 target in the entire pool, thanks to her synergy with the Stellar Conduct reaction that much of the incoming Snezhnaya cast appears to be built around. Cyno sits in a similar position as another Stellar Conduct-focused pick.
Beyond Stellar Conduct, Shenhe at C1 becomes a more compelling support for Skirk, who has emerged as a meta-relevant Cryo DPS. Hu Tao at C1 still holds up as a Pyro option alongside modern support packages like Columbina and Ineffa. Characters like Albedo and Klee also picked up indirect value through buffs tied to the Hexerei faction tag.
The roster has aged better than it looked on paper a year ago.
What the Snezhnaya era could change
The community has been vocal about one notable gap in the current lineup: Yumemizuki Mizuki, the only standard-banner 5-star not currently available through the event. She does appear in the dedicated standard 5-star selector tied to Genshin Impact's anniversary, but her absence from To Temper Thyself and Journey Far stands out.
Beyond Mizuki, there's genuine hope that Sumeru-era and Fontaine-era characters get added to the pool as the Snezhnaya arc begins. The stronger units from those eras are probably safe from being handed out for free, but there's a reasonable case for more mid-tier characters from those regions joining the rotation.
HoYoverse hasn't confirmed any roster changes yet. The August 10 start date is confirmed via the official event timeline, but the character list for cycle five remains unannounced. That announcement will likely land closer to the update 7.0 rollout.
For everything else dropping alongside the new update, the Genshin Impact version 6.6 Luna VII events and new items guide has the full breakdown of recent content, and you can find all active redeem codes and more in the Genshin Impact guides collection to get the most out of the lead-up to August 10.
