Genshin Impact Guide
Genshin Impact upcoming characters: Anastasya, Danica and Dainsleif
By: Kaption Editorial Published: 6 min read
Characters in this article
HoYoverse introduced Anastasya, the Cryo Tsaritsa, on 6 November 2026 and her Electro head maid Danica on 7 November 2026, while Dainsleif, announced in 2020, has his release listed as TBA. No weapon, kit or release version is known for any of the three.
Key points
- As of 12 November 2026: HoYoverse has introduced Anastasya and Danica as upcoming playable characters from Snezhnaya, with Anastasya listed as Cryo and Danica as Electro. Their release version, weapon and kit are not known yet.
- Anastasya is the Tsaritsa and Cryo Archon who rules Snezhnaya. Her video "Anastasya: Frostcrown Revival" went up on 6 November 2026.
- Danica is head maid of the Snezhnayan royal house and the Tsaritsa's right hand. Her video "Danica: Winter Palace's Attendant Shadow" followed on 7 November 2026.
- Dainsleif was announced as a playable character on 27 September 2020, and his release is listed as TBA. His element has not been given in English.
Which characters are announced and what is confirmed so far
The upcoming-character listing gives each of the three an element or region and an introduction, and leaves several fields empty.
| Character | Element | Region | Introduction title and date | Weapon | Release |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anastasya | Cryo | Snezhnaya | Dawn Breaks the Long Winter, 6 November 2026 | Blank | Not announced |
| Danica | Electro | Snezhnaya | Steel Sheathed in Courtly Poise, 7 November 2026 | Blank | Not announced |
| Dainsleif | Blank (the Chinese introduction uses unreadable symbols) | Khaenri'ah | Bough Keeper, 27 September 2020 | Blank | TBA |
Both Snezhnaya videos went up at 04:00 UTC, one day apart: "Anastasya: Frostcrown Revival" on 6 November and "Danica: Winter Palace's Attendant Shadow" on 7 November. Dainsleif's English introduction names neither his element nor his region, and the Khaenri'ah entry comes from the upcoming-character listing, not from that introduction.
Who Anastasya is, according to the Tsaritsa's introduction
Anastasya carries the title Tsaritsa of All Snezhnaya. She is the Cryo Archon, and she rules Snezhnaya. Her video, Anastasya: Frostcrown Revival, was published on 6 November 2026, and the introduction post carries the title Dawn Breaks the Long Winter.
The introduction looks back at the Tsaritsa's past. It describes Anastasya as a spirit that came into being from frost. Long ago she served Monomakh, and the introduction compares that time to Snezhnaya's auroras: gentle and beautiful, and gone one morning for good.
After that loss, she was brought back to life. She then spent centuries roaming through snow and wind, trying to recover the past she had lost and to find answers to the world's mysteries. Her search ended once she was sure that the person she used to be had known love and felt it deeply.
The Anastasya of the present does not trust her own memories and feelings. She puts her past aside and lives in the present, and she makes her decisions for Snezhnaya and for the world. Some of those decisions come across as cold or harsh, but the introduction says people who get close to her see the warmth underneath.
The introduction closes on Anastasya promising to follow her chosen path to the end, whether it leads to victory or to ruin. She is listed as Cryo and from Snezhnaya. The upcoming-character table leaves her weapon field blank, and her kit and release version have not been announced.
Who Danica is and how she serves the Tsaritsa
Danica's title is Head Maid of the Zapolyarny Palace Court. She is head housemaid of the Snezhnayan royal house and is seen as the Tsaritsa's right hand. Her video, Danica: Winter Palace's Attendant Shadow, was published on 7 November 2026, and her introduction post is titled Steel Sheathed in Courtly Poise.
She comes from the Postelnitskaya family and is the third generation of that family to work as a palace maid. The introduction presents her as having mastered her craft: she works with clockwork precision and without a sound, and she keeps the whole palace spotless and in order. It then warns that seeing her as only a very good housekeeper would be a serious mistake.
As the Tsaritsa's most loyal attendant, Danica also works out of sight between factions. She passes on the Tsaritsa's will and balances competing interests in Snezhnaya's political scheming. When talks between dignitaries stall, she is the one who steps in.
Danica is a young human woman, and the introduction says few people are willing to underestimate her. She trained under "The Captain" and spent time travelling from nation to nation as a mercenary. Under her maid's uniform she has explosive strength and a will well past what ordinary people have.
The introduction also has two scenes with Vesna. In the first, Vesna calls out to Danica from a train, before Vesna was banned from driving. In the second, on the day that driving ban started, Vesna speaks to Danica from outside the train.
Danica first appeared in the Transcendence Trailer - "Sudden Snow" on 26 June 2026. She is listed as Electro and from Snezhnaya, the upcoming-character table leaves her weapon field blank, and her kit and release version are not known yet.
Why Dainsleif is still waiting after his 2020 announcement
Dainsleif, also called Dain, has been an announced upcoming playable character since 27 September 2020. HoYoverse revealed him during the stream celebrating the game's global release, and his release is listed as TBA. No release version has been given for him.
His official introduction from that day calls him "Bough Keeper" and places him where past and future meet. In it, a self-proclaimed prophet asks Dain whether a strand of blonde hair stands for someone he has to kill or for the thing he is atoning for. HoYoverse has also teased him with a Character Card, and the Chinese version of that card writes his Vision's element in symbols that cannot be read.
In the story, Dainsleif was once knight captain of the Royal Guard of Khaenri'ah. He could not stop the destruction of Khaenri'ah 500 years ago. A curse of immortality now forces him to wander Teyvat without end.
If you have reached the quest Bough Keeper: Dainsleif, you have already met him. He was introduced in the Teyvat Chapter Storyline Preview: Travail in Version 1.0. Version 1.3 then added him to the game as an NPC who appears only in quests, starting with the quest Bough Keeper: Dainsleif from Chapter I: Act IV - Prelude, his first in-game appearance. He is also the narrator of the Collected Miscellany videos.
None of that has made him playable. He has not been released, his element field is still blank, and his weapon is not listed. The Dainsleif Fandom wiki page tracks the same TBA status.
What the gathering in Snezhnaya means for these characters
On 4 November 2026, two days before the Tsaritsa's video, HoYoLAB published a post on the seven nations gathering in Snezhnaya. In it, representatives of the seven nations meet in Snezhnaya as a phenomenon spreads.
The post admits that one meeting will not end old divisions. The nations still agree to sit at one table and deal with the crisis in front of them, and the post ties what is at stake to existence itself: without it, civilization, memories and emotions would mean nothing.
Snezhnaya is where the nations meet, and Anastasya is the Archon who rules it. Danica, as the Tsaritsa's right hand and the person who carries her will between factions, belongs to the same court. The post itself does not give a release date or version for either character.
What is still not known for each character
- Anastasya: Cryo and Snezhnaya are confirmed. Her weapon field is blank, and her release version and kit have not been announced.
- For Danica, Electro and Snezhnaya are confirmed. Her weapon field is blank, and her release version and kit are not known yet.
- Dainsleif's element field is blank, his English introduction names no element or region, and the Chinese introduction and Character Card show his element only in unreadable symbols. His weapon field is blank too, and his release is listed as TBA.
- Kits are unknown for all three: nothing published so far gives an Elemental Skill, Elemental Burst or attack details for any of them.
The characters already in the game and their builds are on our Genshin Impact characters and builds page, and new announcements go on our Genshin Impact news page.