There are 15 days left on both of Genshin Impact's free 5-star selectors, and the questions have changed since launch week. Fewer players are asking which names are on the lists. More are asking which one to take, whether they can still get a free constellation, and whether the character they want will actually be usable in this month's Imaginarium Theater. This page answers those three questions with the numbers as they stand today.
Quick answer: Version 7.1 has two free 5-star selectors and you can claim both, once each. Tabletop Troupe: A Gathering on Adventure's Eve offers Tartaglia, Nilou, Baizhu, Chiori, Clorinde or Varesa and needs Adventure Rank 18 plus Archon Quest Chapter VII: Act IV. Across the Frozen Wilds, Honing One's Edge offers one 5-star from the Wanderlust Invocation standard wish and needs only the Wish feature unlocked. Both close at 2026/11/03 14:59 server time. Turning your pick into a free C1 through the Stella Fortuna event now needs at least 6 weekly goals already banked, works for every selector character except Varesa, and its redemption window shuts a day earlier, at 2026/11/02 03:59.
Article status: refreshed and re-verified on 19 October 2026, during the second half of Version 7.1 "A Rekviem for the Underworld". Every deadline, eligibility rule and character list below was re-read today from the live in-game announcement feed: announcement 21924 (Tabletop Troupe), 21885 (Across the Frozen Wilds), 21761 (To Temper Thyself and Journey Far, also posted as HoYoLAB article 46184760), 21880 (Archon Quest window) and 21946 (the Version 7.1 Update Details, the source for the Imaginarium Theater and Spiral Abyss rotations). The pre-release selector lists are from the Version 7.1 Benefits Overview. Where a point comes from players or the community wiki rather than HoYoverse, the sentence says so.
When does the Genshin free 5-star selector end in your time zone?
Both selectors end at 2026/11/03 14:59, and the notices tag that time as local server time. That means the same wall-clock time on every server, but three different real-world moments, because Genshin's servers run fixed offsets with no daylight saving: Asia is UTC+8, Europe is UTC+1, America is UTC-5.
| Deadline | Asia server | Europe server | America server |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free selectors close (21924, 21885) | 3 Nov, 06:59 UTC | 3 Nov, 13:59 UTC | 3 Nov, 19:59 UTC |
| Stella Fortuna cycle closes (21761) | 1 Nov, 19:59 UTC | 2 Nov, 02:59 UTC | 2 Nov, 08:59 UTC |
| Archon Quest bonus and Epilogue close (21880) | 3 Nov, 06:59 UTC | 3 Nov, 13:59 UTC | 3 Nov, 19:59 UTC |
One detail makes this easier than usual. European clocks go back on 25 October and US clocks on 1 November, so by the deadline Central European Time and US Eastern Standard Time match their servers exactly. Played on the Europe server from Berlin, or the America server from New York, the selector closes at 14:59 on your own clock. UK players on the Europe server lose an hour: it closes at 13:59 in London.
Version 7.1's own notices expire just after that, which is when Version 7.2 is expected. Our Genshin 7.2 release date breakdown tracks what has been confirmed.
Which characters are in the Genshin "Choose 1 of 6" limited selector?
Officially this is "Tabletop Troupe: A Gathering on Adventure's Eve" (announcement 21924), and every name in it is a limited-banner character rather than a standard-wish one. The notice's wording: "During the event, you can invite an event-exclusive 5-star character of your choice from the following characters to join your party via the event interface!"
| Character | Element | Weapon | Our build guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tartaglia | Hydro | Bow | Childe build |
| Nilou | Hydro | Sword | Nilou build |
| Baizhu | Dendro | Catalyst | Baizhu build |
| Chiori | Geo | Sword | Chiori build |
| Clorinde | Electro | Sword | Clorinde build |
| Varesa | Electro | Catalyst | Varesa build |
The pick comes with "Ascension Level-Up Materials for the same character". The event notice does not name a level. HoYoverse's pre-release Version 7.1 Benefits Overview infographic (announcement 21923, an image-only notice) put it at enough for Lv. 60, so treat Lv. 60 as the infographic's figure rather than a line in the event text.
The rule that matters most is printed as a footnote: "You can invite a character only once during the event." There is no swap and no second pick.
Which characters are in the "Choose 1 of 8" standard-wish selector?
The second selector is "Across the Frozen Wilds, Honing One's Edge" (announcement 21885). Its eligibility line is the shortest in the game: "After unlocking the Wish feature." Beyond unlocking Wishes, there is no extra quest or Adventure Rank requirement. The notice's own title says the invite comes "From the 'Wanderlust Invocation' Standard Wish", and the pre-release Benefits Overview named the eight characters:
| Character | Element | Weapon |
|---|---|---|
| Jean | Anemo | Sword |
| Diluc | Pyro | Claymore |
| Qiqi | Cryo | Sword |
| Mona | Hydro | Catalyst |
| Tighnari | Dendro | Bow |
| Keqing | Electro | Sword |
| Dehya | Pyro | Claymore |
| Yumemizuki Mizuki | Anemo | Catalyst |
Same material grant, same one-invite limit. Because these eight are standard-pool characters, every one of them can also turn up from the standard wish later. That makes this selector a "fill the gap" pick, not a scarcity pick. For Mizuki's kit, see our Mizuki build guide.
Which free 5-star can you actually field in Imaginarium Theater right now?
This is the filter most "who to pick" lists skip, and with 15 days left it matters more than it did at launch. Imaginarium Theater only accepts characters of the season's required elements, plus four Special Guest Stars who ignore the element rule. You still have to own a guest star, or borrow one from a friend's Supporting Cast. Announcement 21946 published both remaining Version 7.1 seasons:
| Season | Required elements | Special Guest Stars |
|---|---|---|
| Live now (from 1 October) | Hydro, Cryo, Anemo | Ineffa, Yae Miko, Thoma, Chiori |
| From 1 November | Hydro, Electro, Geo | Qiqi, Odette, Vesna, Jahoda |
Here are all 14 selector characters checked against those two seasons. The grid covers element and guest-star eligibility only; the Theater's usual character-level and roster-size requirements still apply on top.
| Pick | Selector | October season | November season |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tartaglia | Choose 1 of 6 | Yes (Hydro) | Yes (Hydro) |
| Nilou | Choose 1 of 6 | Yes (Hydro) | Yes (Hydro) |
| Chiori | Choose 1 of 6 | Yes (guest star) | Yes (Geo) |
| Clorinde | Choose 1 of 6 | No | Yes (Electro) |
| Varesa | Choose 1 of 6 | No | Yes (Electro) |
| Baizhu | Choose 1 of 6 | No | No |
| Mona | Choose 1 of 8 | Yes (Hydro) | Yes (Hydro) |
| Qiqi | Choose 1 of 8 | Yes (Cryo) | Yes (guest star) |
| Jean | Choose 1 of 8 | Yes (Anemo) | No |
| Yumemizuki Mizuki | Choose 1 of 8 | Yes (Anemo) | No |
| Keqing | Choose 1 of 8 | No | Yes (Electro) |
| Diluc | Choose 1 of 8 | No | No |
| Tighnari | Choose 1 of 8 | No | No |
| Dehya | Choose 1 of 8 | No | No |
What the grid shows:
- Five of the 14 work in both seasons: Tartaglia, Nilou, Chiori, Mona and Qiqi. If the Theater is your main reason to want a new 5-star, these five are the safe picks.
- Qiqi is easy to miss. She qualifies on Cryo now, then becomes a Special Guest Star on 1 November, when Cryo leaves the rotation. That covers both seasons, the same as Chiori from the other list.
- Clorinde and Varesa, the two most-debated picks, are both benched until 1 November. That is under two weeks away, so it is not a reason to skip them. It does mean that taking one today adds nothing to your October Theater run.
- Baizhu fits neither published season, and neither do Diluc, Tighnari or Dehya. HoYoverse has not published any rotation past November, so this only covers the rest of Version 7.1.
The current Spiral Abyss leans the same way. The 16 October rotation in announcement 21946 gives Floor 11 a 60% Anemo and 60% Cryo DMG bonus, and Floor 12's second half a 75% Cryo DMG bonus. Of the 14 picks, only Qiqi is Cryo, and only Jean and Mizuki are Anemo. Our Spiral Abyss Floor 12 guide covers the enemy line-up.
Can you still turn a free 5-star into C1 with the training event?
For a pick you don't own yet, only if you have already banked enough weekly goals in the training event. Check your count before you plan around it. If you already own your pick, the invite itself is a duplicate, which is covered in rule 5 of the next section.
The route runs through "To Temper Thyself and Journey Far" (announcement 21761). The current cycle runs 2026/08/10 04:00 to 2026/11/02 03:59. Claim rewards from 4 Daily Commissions and spend 120 Original Resin in a day for a daily goal; 5 daily goals in a week make a weekly goal; 8 weekly goals unlock a Stella Fortuna, which you redeem for a character "from the characters on the event page's roster."
Which characters are on that roster? The notice prints only the names added this cycle: "Lyney, Wriothesley, Navia, Sigewinne, Clorinde, Emilie, Chiori, Xianyun, Yumemizuki Mizuki." The base list is older and also first-party: HoYoverse's own explainer for the event from Version Luna I includes a roster infographic of 18 event-exclusive and 7 standard characters, 25 in all. Add this cycle's 9 and you get 34, which is exactly what the community Genshin Impact Wiki's cycle page lists. Checked against the two selectors, 13 of the 14 picks are on it: every one except Varesa. That covers Tartaglia, Nilou, Baizhu, Chiori and Clorinde from Tabletop Troupe, and all eight standard characters from Across the Frozen Wilds. The current notice doesn't reprint the full list, so check the event page in-game before you plan around it.
The arithmetic below is ours, not HoYoverse's, so here are the inputs. The cycle is 84 days, or 12 Monday-to-Monday weekly windows with the reset at 04:00 server time. The 19 October reset opens window 11, so only windows 11 and 12 remain. Two more weekly goals against the 8 required means you need 6 already banked before your server's 19 October reset. Under that, the training-event C1 is out of reach this cycle, and the notice says an unclaimed selection "does not carry over to the next season".
If you do have 6 or more banked, two rules in the same notice decide whether it works:
- Claim the character first. "Stella Fortuna cannot be obtained for characters you have not obtained", the notice says. Invite your pick from the selector before you redeem.
- Redeem before 2 November, not 3 November. The Stella Fortuna cycle closes at 03:59 on 2 November server time, about 35 hours before the selectors do. If you treat the selector deadline as your deadline, you lose the constellation.
The same sentence also blocks any character who "already obtained a Stella Fortuna from past" cycles. That limit is per character, not per account. It matters most for the older standard names: a long-time player may already have used a past cycle on Keqing, Mona or Diluc, but only if they owned the character at the time.
A common mistake in this weekend's threads: in an r/GenshinImpactTips discussion of which limited 5-star to select, one reply assumed Varesa "gets her free con from temper thy self". She is the one selector character missing from the roster: announcement 21761 does not add her, and the wiki's full list does not include her. If you were counting on a training-event Stella Fortuna, Varesa is the one pick that cannot get one this cycle.
Who should you pick from the Genshin free 5-star selector?
Pick for what your account is missing. Then use the deadline and the Theater grid to break ties. The order we'd use:
1. Start from your teams, not the constellation. Since 13 of the 14 picks are on the Stella Fortuna roster, the training-event C1 only separates one character from the rest: Varesa. Whether a C1 matters also depends on the character. Read what it does on the build page before you let it decide the pick.
2. Varesa or Clorinde comes down to your 4-stars. It comes up again and again in r/GenshinImpactTips. In two threads posted on 18 October (one, two), Varesa was the most frequent answer, praised for damage and exploration. Several replies pointed players without Iansan or a high-constellation Chevreuse to Clorinde, and some suggested Chiori. That's player advice from a handful of replies, not something HoYoverse publishes. Our Varesa build and Clorinde build cover the teams. The constellation difference above (Clorinde has the route, Varesa does not) only counts if you have 6 weekly goals banked. Neither can enter the Theater until 1 November.
3. If you play Imaginarium Theater, take one of the five both-season picks. From Tabletop Troupe that is Tartaglia, Nilou or Chiori; from the standard list it is Mona or Qiqi. All five are on the Stella Fortuna roster too.
4. Take Baizhu only if you specifically want him. He is a strong healer, but he fits neither remaining Theater season. Our Baizhu build explains where he does fit.
5. On the standard list, take the one you don't own. All eight can also come from the standard wish. If you own all eight, a duplicate is not wasted. HoYoverse's support article on duplicate characters covers a 5-star you already own "whether obtained in a wish, redeemed at the shop, or awarded by the game": copies 2 to 7 convert into that character's Stella Fortuna ×1 plus Masterless Starglitter ×10, and from the 8th copy it becomes Masterless Stella Fortuna ×1 plus Masterless Starglitter ×25. By that rule, inviting a character you already own should convert into a constellation until C6; the selector notices themselves don't mention duplicates. That is separate from the training event's Stella Fortuna above. Pick the character whose next constellation you want most.
We still aren't publishing a damage ranking of all 14. The real decision is about your roster, deadlines and Theater eligibility, and a tier list doesn't answer those.
How do you unlock Tabletop Troupe if you are behind on the story?
This gate is where lapsed accounts lose the limited pick, and with 15 days left it's the one to start today. Announcement 21924 requires Adventure Rank 18 and completion of Chapter VII: Act IV "A Rekviem for the Underworld". Act III is not enough.
You don't need Sumeru, Fontaine or Natlan. Per 21924: "Once you reach Adventure Rank 18 and complete Archon Quest Prologue: Act III 'Song of the Dragon and Freedom,' you can explore the Snezhnaya region to automatically accept Archon Quest Chapter VII: Act I 'Everwinter Without Mercy' and continue progressing up to the latest Archon Quest introduced in the current version update."
The full chain:
- AR18 and Prologue Act III are needed to start Chapter VII.
- Chapter VII Acts I and II must be done next. Announcement 21880 lists Act II "Wraith's Nocturne" as the unlock requirement for Acts III and IV.
- Act IV unlocks Tabletop Troupe.
Clearing on time pays twice. Announcement 21880 adds Primogems, ascension and level-up materials and Snezhnaya specialties for finishing Acts III and IV by 2026/11/03 14:59. Finishing Act IV in that window also opens the series Epilogue, which the notice calls "a time-limited quest" and which closes at the same minute. Our Version 7.1 Archon Quest guide covers the acts.
A smaller free unit sits on the same route. Announcement 21812, "The Hunt Begins!", grants the 4-star Alyosha for progressing through the Version 7.0 Archon Quest. It has no deadline: the event page closes when Version 7.x ends, but the notice says "you can still invite" him while progressing through "Everwinter Without Mercy."
What happens after 3 November?
Both selectors close and the six Tabletop Troupe characters go back to limited banners, whenever HoYoverse reruns them. Announcement 21924 has no carry-over clause. The one-invite rule and the end time are the whole of it, so treat 3 November 14:59 server time as final.
The standard selector does have a stated follow-up, but only for new accounts. Announcement 21885: "During Version 7.x, Travelers who register after Version 7.1 ends can invite a standard 5-star character of their choice in the subsequent 'Across the Frozen Wilds, Honing One's Edge' event. Further details will be available in future announcements." No date or terms have been published, and nothing says existing accounts get a second pick.
One more anniversary reward ends today. The Resplendent Starlight login event (announcement 21879), which paid the 10 Intertwined Fate across 7 login days, closes at 2026/10/19 03:59 server time. That was 18 October, 19:59 UTC on Asia and 19 October, 02:59 UTC on Europe, and it is 19 October, 08:59 UTC on America. For what is still claimable this version, see our Version 7.1 free Primogems tracker.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you claim both Genshin 7.1 free 5-star selectors? Yes. Tabletop Troupe and Across the Frozen Wilds are separate events with separate notices and separate requirements. Claiming one does not use up the other, and both close at 2026/11/03 14:59 server time. Each allows one invite.
When does the Genshin free 5-star selector end? 2026/11/03 at 14:59 server time: 06:59 UTC on Asia, 13:59 UTC on Europe and 19:59 UTC on America. After both daylight-saving changes, that is 14:59 on your own clock in Berlin or New York.
Should I pick Varesa or Clorinde from the free selector? In this weekend's r/GenshinImpactTips threads, Varesa was the most common answer for damage and exploration, with Clorinde suggested if you lack Iansan or a high-constellation Chevreuse. Clorinde is on the Stella Fortuna roster and Varesa is not, but that only matters if you have 6 weekly goals already banked. Neither can enter Imaginarium Theater until 1 November.
Can I still get a free constellation for my selector pick? If you already own the character, inviting a duplicate should convert into that character's Stella Fortuna under HoYoverse's duplicate rules. For a new character, the training-event route needs 6 or more weekly goals banked by the 19 October reset. The cycle needs 8 and has two windows left. Every selector character except Varesa is on the roster as transcribed by the community wiki, and you must redeem before 2026/11/02 03:59 server time.
Do I need to finish the Archon Quest for both selectors? No, only for Tabletop Troupe, which needs Adventure Rank 18 and Chapter VII: Act IV. Across the Frozen Wilds needs only the Wish feature unlocked.
Does claiming a free 5-star affect my pity or 50/50? No. The character is granted through the event interface, not a wish, so no Fate is used and your Character Event Wish pity and guarantee are untouched. HoYoverse does not state this in either notice; it follows from how the grant works. Our pity system guide covers how pity carries between banners.
More Genshin Impact guides
Planning the rest of Version 7.1? These pages are kept current:
