Let’s take a look at the fabled icy queen herself, Genshin Impact’s Tsaritsa. She remains shrouded in mystery for now, but likely has a lot going on given her status in Snezhnaya. We’re not sure what she looks like, and there are no hints as to her potential build other than lore hinting that she wields a sceptre to wield a sceptre. Here, we’ll go through what we do know about the Tsaritsa.
For more lore around Genshin’s evil-doers, check out our guides on the Genshin Impact Fatui Harbingers, Genshin Impact’s Dottore, and Genshin Impact’s Capitano.
Who is Genshin Impact’s Tsaritsa?
The Tsaritsa is one of The Seven and presides specifically over Snezhnaya. She’s the current ruler of the nation but was not an original member of the Seven. She rose to power after the Archon War, but before the Cataclysm that rocked Teyvat 500 years ago. The name ‘Tsaritsa’ is Russian for Empress and is another term for Tsar. In both Chinese and Japanese versions of the game her title is ‘Empress of Ice’, and in Korean it translates to ‘Queen of Ice’.
Tsaritsa is head of the Fatui – they are her organisation, and follow her will to a T, including the Harbingers on their mission to get the other Archons’ gnoses. She bequeaths the Fatui with Delusions – fake Visions – so that they can wield elemental power. These agents include the Cicin Mages and Mirror Maidens that frequently spring upon the Traveler in the overworld.
At this point, the Tsaritsa’s exact plan is unknown, but it likely revolves around using all the gnoses to challenge Celestia, or others even beyond that level of power. In the Shivada jade gemstone’s description, there is a quote from her, which reads:
“Sorry… to also have you shoulder the grievances of the world. Since you could endure my bitter cold, you must have the desire to burn? Then, burn away the old world for me”.
Genshin Impact’s Dainsleif mentions the Tsaritsa in the Teyvat Chapter Storyline Preview when he mentions Snezhnaya, and introduces her as a god that has no love for her people. The people of Snezhnaya also have no love left for her, either. He also states that there will be a rebellion in the future against the divine, which again likely points to her using the gnoses against Celestia.
As for where else she’s appeared in the story and lore of Teyvat, we know that she met with Morax the Geo Archon (or Genshin Impact’s Zhongli to us), and managed to negotiate with him in order to get the Geo gnosis. As for what she gave him in exchange for it, we need to wait and see. According to Zhongli, we Travelers will ‘find out ourselves’ as we venture across the regions of Teyvat.
In terms of what she’s like as a person, Genshin Impact’s Tartaglia states that she is “actually a gentle soul”. This is surprising, considering her Harbinger status. Something in her past led to a huge change in character it seems, likely to do with what she saw during the Cataclysm, as he goes on to say that she declared war on the entire world because she dreams of peace.
Is the Tsaritsa the Cryo Archon?
The Tsaritsa is, indeed, the current Cryo Archon. Her corresponding ideal is unknown, which puts her as the only one of the Seven that we currently don’t know. There are also no hints as to her true name or Archon name, either.
Will Genshin Impact’s Tsaritsa be playable?
There are plenty of chapters left in Genshin Impact’s story, so at this point, we can’t say whether the Tsaritsa will become playable or not. As a Harbinger and Archon, it’s likely that she will become a playable unit, but it’s also equally likely that she may meet a different fate.
For more on what’s coming to Genshin sooner rather than later, check out the Genshin Impact banner schedule and Genshin Impact tier list, and make use of these working Genshin Impact codes.