Genshin Impact 7.0 introduces one of the most hands-on exploration mechanics the game has ever shipped: Prime Ice Construct. The moment you step into Snezhnaya, you receive the Eye of Graeae, which unlocks a set of building and dismantling powers tied directly to the region. This is not a passive buff or a combat upgrade. It gives you real control over the environment, letting you place structures, create traversal tools, and tear down obstacles to find what is hidden behind them.
The system feeds into quests, puzzles, and open exploration throughout Snezhnaya, so understanding each construct type early saves a lot of backtracking. Here is everything you need to know.
How does Prime Ice Construct work?
To place any construct, you need two things: Eye of Graeae energy and Prime Ice in your inventory. Eye of Graeae energy is the primary resource currency of Snezhnaya, and Prime Ice is the physical material used to form each structure. Neither is unlimited, so you cannot just spam constructs across the map.
Each construct type also has its own placement cap, which means you cannot chain together an endless series of Link Mechanisms to create a cross-region zipline network. The game enforces a maximum count per type, keeping the system balanced while still giving you meaningful freedom.
Dismantling works alongside building. Many locked chests, hidden passages, and material caches in Snezhnaya are sealed behind structures you can tear down using the same Eye of Graeae powers. If you see something suspicious on a wall or blocking a path, try dismantling it before assuming it is decorative.
All Prime Ice Construct types explained
There are 9 permanent construct types available through the system. Some quests introduce temporary construct variants that only exist for that specific mission, but the 9 listed below are the ones you will use throughout your full time in Snezhnaya.
Which constructs matter most for puzzles?
The Cube and Basic Heat Source show up constantly in puzzle design. Cubes act as pressure plate weights and door blockers, while Heat Sources reveal the majority of secret passages tied to exploration quests. The Grappling Gun becomes relevant once you start encountering platform-based puzzles where a latch or anchor point needs to be engaged from a distance.
For pure traversal, the Launching Platform is the most efficient option since it costs no stamina and gets you airborne quickly. The Link Mechanism is more situational but genuinely useful when you need to cross a gap repeatedly without climbing.
Genshin Impact Prime Ice Construct Guide: All Types Explained
What are Ambient Bollards actually useful for?
The Ambient Bollard is easy to overlook because its benefits are passive, but placing one before a tough fight or a long exploration sequence pays off. The elemental energy regeneration buff speeds up burst rotations, and the stamina regeneration helps in areas where climbing and swimming are unavoidable. Think of it as a temporary field station.
If you are farming the Immortal Construct boss in Snezhnaya, check out the Immortal Construct boss guide for strategies on breaking its shield and surviving the one-shot AoE. Dropping an Ambient Bollard nearby before the fight is a small but legitimate edge.
How to get the most out of the construct system
The biggest mistake players make is treating Prime Ice Construct as a one-time quest tool. The system stays active throughout your entire time in Snezhnaya, and many of the region's secrets require revisiting areas once you have unlocked additional construct types through progression.
Dismantling is just as important as building. If you are exploring and hit a wall, literally, check whether the Eye of Graeae can break something down rather than build something up. Several chests and material nodes are gated behind destructible structures that look like permanent terrain.
For characters who perform well in Snezhnaya's combat encounters, the Lohen best build guide covers maximum Cryo melt damage setups that pair well with the region's elemental identity. Pairing strong Cryo output with the Basic Heat Source construct for exploration creates a natural loop between combat and puzzle-solving.
The Storage Device is worth mentioning separately. Snezhnaya drops a lot of regional materials, and having a field deposit point reduces the number of times you need to fast travel back to manage inventory. Place one early and keep it stocked.
Resource management tips
- Prioritize Basic Heat Source and Cube placements for quest and puzzle progression before spending resources on utility constructs
- The Link Mechanism cap means you should plan zipline routes deliberately rather than placing them wherever looks convenient
- Ambient Bollards are reusable in the sense that you can dismantle and redeploy them, so move them to wherever you are currently working rather than leaving them in cleared areas
- Save at least one Grappling Gun slot for platform puzzles, since several quests require it and you cannot always predict when one will appear
For more character builds and strategies across the full game, the Genshin Impact strategy guides collection covers everything from new characters to farming routes in one place.