HoYoverse's 23 October press release promised a free 4-star invite in Version 7.2, and its official event overview, posted on 1 November 2026, now names the event and shows all eight portraits, replacing weeks of leak-based lists. It doesn't print a recommendation, and it doesn't warn you about the most useful fact: seven of the eight are already free somewhere else.
Quick answer: The free 4-star selector sits inside The Grand Defense: Defy the Unjust Judgment, the flagship Version 7.2 event, listed for 11/04 to 12/16. Lower the Holy Soil threat far enough and you invite one of Amber, Xiangling, Thoma, Collei, Lynette, Kachina, Aino or Alyosha. Take Thoma if you don't own him and want a shield, since he is the only one with no free quest or event route. Otherwise take Alyosha if he is already at C1, because C2 is his key constellation. Most other accounts with reaction teams should take Aino, for +80 Elemental Mastery at C1. There is no rush: the event lasts the whole version, so decide after your Phase 1 wishes.
Article status: written on 1 November 2026, before Version 7.2 goes live on 4 November. The event details come from HoYoverse's overview post and its calendar. The Adventure Rank gate, the exact Holy Soil threshold and the reward quantities are not published yet, and this page will be updated once the in-game notice appears.
Who is in the Genshin 7.2 free 4-star selector?
The overview shows eight portraits with no text labels. Reading them left to right gives Amber, Xiangling, Thoma, Collei, Lynette, Kachina, Aino and Alyosha, which matches the wiki's event page. HoYoverse's wording of the deal is short:
"Take part in the relief operations to reduce the Holy Soil threat, and you can invite a 4-star character of your choice alongside earning rewards, including Primogems and Crown of Insight." HoYoverse, The Grand Defense event overview, 1 November 2026
Here is the whole roster with the column that decides this pick. The other routes come from each character's Availability section on the Genshin Impact Wiki, and constellation effects come from game data.
| Character | Element, weapon | Other free route | Constellation to look at |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aino | Hydro, Claymore | Archon Quest "Where the Moon Rises" (Song of the Welkin Moon, Act I), Adventure Rank 40 | C1: +80 EM for Aino and, for 15s, the active character |
| Alyosha | Electro, Polearm | Archon Quest "Gunfire in the Silent Lands" (Everwinter Without Mercy), Adventure Rank 18 | C2: Burst lasts 6s longer, and Tugarin applies Hunter's Marks |
| Thoma | Pyro, Polearm | None listed | C6: Barrier gives the party +15% Normal, Charged and Plunging DMG |
| Kachina | Geo, Polearm | Archon Quest "Flowers Resplendent on the Sun-Scorched Sojourn", Adventure Rank 40 | C1: 3 Energy from Crystallize Shards or Lunar-Crystallize, every 5s |
| Xiangling | Pyro, Polearm | Spiral Abyss Floor 3 Chamber 3, Adventure Rank 20 | C4: Pyronado lasts 40% longer |
| Collei | Dendro, Bow | Spiral Abyss Floor 4 Chamber 3, Adventure Rank 20 | C4: Burst gives nearby characters +60 EM for 12s |
| Lynette | Anemo, Sword | Event page at Adventure Rank 25 | C2: one extra Vivid Shot per shot |
| Amber | Pyro, Bow | Archon Quest "Wind-Riding Knight" (Prologue) | C6: Burst gives the party +15% ATK and Movement SPD |
Who should you pick in the 7.2 free 4-star selector?
Pick by the constellation you would reach, not by who is strongest at C0. A selector copy of someone you already own should arrive as a Stella Fortuna, which is one step up that character's constellations. HoYoverse's duplicate rule gives 4-stars a Stella Fortuna plus 2 Masterless Starglitter on copies 2 to 7, and 5 Starglitter after that. The overview itself says nothing on duplicates, so check the invite screen before you confirm.
Stop at the first line that fits your account.
- No Thoma and you want a shield: take Thoma. He is the only name here whose wiki Availability lists wishes alone, with no quest, Abyss or event-page route. If you use Burgeon, Melt or Burning teams, this is a body you can't otherwise earn.
- Alyosha at C1: take Alyosha. Some early guides lead with him, and they are right about C2, but one copy on top of the free quest copy only reaches C1. If you have pulled one copy on any banner, this pick gets you to C2, the point our Alyosha build marks as key. KQM says he "requires practically no ER investment if he can Burst every other rotation at C2+, assuming he starts with Burst available."
- Aino at C0 or C1 and you run reaction teams: take Aino. C1 gives her +80 EM, and gives the active character the same for 15 seconds after her Skill or Burst. That is a large, simple buff on a free support, as long as your team runs on reactions. Aino at C1 is also a fair pick, since our Aino build calls C2 her meaningful step. She is a Hydro Opening Character in Imaginarium Theater this month, which needs Hydro, Electro and Geo, so you can try her there before you decide.
- Xiangling or Collei at C3: finish C4. Xiangling's longer Pyronado and Collei's +60 EM are their best mid-range steps. Kachina at C0 is the fallback for Geo teams, and she is the other Opening Character on this list for November.
- Lynette or Amber. Take them for a favourite. Neither first constellation changes a team, though Amber's C6 party buff is a fair target for anyone already at C5.
If you already own all eight at high constellations, take whichever has the highest value left. A newer account is the exception to all of the above. Check your missing characters first, then see which of them you can actually reach: Lynette needs Adventure Rank 25, Xiangling and Collei need Adventure Rank 20 and Spiral Abyss clears, and Aino and Kachina need Adventure Rank 40 story progress.
Does Alyosha enable Stellar-Conduct, and is Aino a Lunar enabler?
No to both. In a Reddit thread on the pick, one comment called Aino a free Lunar enabler and Alyosha the first Stellar enabler. Another player doubted the Alyosha part, and that player is right.
- Alyosha buffs Stellar-Conduct, he doesn't turn it on. Inside a Polestar Field, his mark gives the active character +20% Stellar-Conduct DMG. Today's enablers are Odette, Sandrone and Cryo Traveler, explained in our Stellar Glimmer guide. Mitya joins them on 4 November: HoYoverse's press release says he "converts the team's Superconduct reactions into Stellar-Conduct reactions". His showcase describes a Polestar Field too, so Alyosha may pair well with him, but that needs testing after launch.
- Aino raises Moonsign, she converts nothing. She adds +1 to party Moonsign level, which helps you reach Ascendant Gleam with only one other Moonsign character. She does not create Lunar reactions on her own. Our Lunar reactions guide covers who does.
How do you unlock The Grand Defense in Genshin 7.2?
The overview gives two doors. The event "will unlock as you progress through Archon Quest Chapter VII: Act VI 'A Yesterday Sent From Beyond.'" HoYoverse also adds: "If you wish to experience the event content first, you may also participate via Quick Start on the event page."
- The story route. Chapter VII starts after Adventure Rank 18 and Prologue Act III, per in-game announcement 21924. You then play forward to Act VI, which the wiki lists right after Act V "Hour of Ruin". HoYoverse says the event is "closely tied to the Archon Quest" and suggests pacing the two together.
- The Quick Start route. This button sits on the event page. It is separate from the region Quick Start players keep asking about on Reddit, which one player there says now covers Snezhnaya only. HoYoverse hasn't said what eligibility the event button has, or whether it opens the full selector.
Compare that with the 7.1 Tabletop Troupe 5-star selector, which demanded Adventure Rank 18 and Act IV. Expect a similar gate, but treat it as unconfirmed until the notice is live. Our Genshin 7.2 release date page tracks the maintenance hours.
What do you actually do in The Grand Defense?
The story is a Teyvat-wide relief effort split into a Northern, Central and Eastern Combat Zone, each tagged with a Holy Soil marker in the preview. HoYoverse shows three kinds of work.
- Operation I, Tactical Sweep. "Deploy members to obtain combat buffs, take on monster bosses, and reduce the effects of Ley Line Disorders."
- Operation II, Securing Air Supremacy. You guide the Favonian Falcon through a storm, fend off monsters and deliver intelligence.
- Operation III, a rescue mission. You search for tracks and reach survivors. This panel shipped in Chinese in the English post, so we are not printing an English name until the game shows one.
The deployment screen is the part worth studying now, because it looks like it rewards a wide roster rather than one strong team.
The sample mission, "Armed Recon: Source of Springvale's Enemies", checks four conditions: Members Dispatched at 2 or more, Main Force Traits of Hydro or Pyro at 1 or more, Main Force Weapon Types of Catalyst or Sword at 1 or more, and a Support Squad Trait called Independent Master. The combat preview adds a Strike Score, and one fight against a Defiled Bathysmal Vishap says triggering Crystallize or Lunar-Crystallize "grants additional Support Progress."
That is one sample, so don't build around it yet. It does suggest that levelled Geo units and varied weapon types will help here. We would expect benched 4-stars to earn their keep.
Familiar companions appear too. The second infographic marks them on Fontaine and Liyue maps and a third map showing Amsvartnir, with Qiqi and a line about Dr. Baizhu in the Liyue section.
What are the rewards and how long does the event last?
The Version 7.2 Event Calendar gives The Grand Defense a 920-Primogem badge, the largest on that calendar and 39% of the calendar's 2,370 total. That is 5.75 wishes at 160 Primogems each. The overview strip adds Crown of Insight and Character Talent Materials, with no quantities printed. If you are unsure where a Crown should go, read our Crown of Insight guide before you spend it.
The window is 42 days. The overview says "Available throughout the entirety of Version 7.2", and the calendar prints 11/04 to 12/16 in UTC+8, per HoYoverse's calendar post on X. Our full 7.2 events calendar places it against everything else.
Should you claim the free 4-star right away?
No. Wait until your Phase 1 wishes are done. Any 4-star copy you pull could change which breakpoint is closest, and Valeriy, the new 4-star boosted in Phase 1, may change what your Electro team needs. Each 7.1 5-star selector allowed just one invite, and we expect this one to be final too.
There is also no reason to hurry the story for this. The free 5-star selectors end on 3 November, and that deadline is the urgent one this week. This 4-star pick can sit until December. Just don't leave it for the last day: the threat threshold is unknown, and the exact end time for your server isn't published.
FAQ
What is the free 4-star in Genshin 7.2? It is a one-time invite from The Grand Defense: Defy the Unjust Judgment. You choose one of Amber, Xiangling, Thoma, Collei, Lynette, Kachina, Aino or Alyosha after lowering the Holy Soil threat to a set level.
Who is the best free 4-star in 7.2? Take Thoma first if you don't own him and can use a shield. After that, take Alyosha if he is at C1, and otherwise Aino if your teams run on reactions.
When does the 7.2 selector start and end? The official calendar lists 11/04 to 12/16, shown in UTC+8, and the overview says the event lasts all of Version 7.2. You still need to finish enough relief operations before you can invite anyone.
Do you need to finish the Archon Quest to get the free 4-star? The event unlocks through Chapter VII Act VI, or through Quick Start on the event page. HoYoverse hasn't confirmed whether Quick Start alone reaches the invite, so we will update this once the notice is live.
What happens if you pick a character you already own? It should count as a duplicate, which gives that character's Stella Fortuna plus 2 Masterless Starglitter on copies 2 to 7. The event overview doesn't address this directly.
Is Alyosha better than Aino in the selector? It depends on what you already own. With Alyosha at C1, his C2 wins. With both at C0, we would take Aino if your team runs on reactions, since +80 EM does more than Alyosha's 15 Energy refund at C1.
More Genshin Impact guides
Getting ready for Version 7.2? These pages are kept current:
