September 14 closes Genshin Impact's Great Expeditionist Challenge, where Diona is a ranking reward

Genshin Impact is HoYoverse's free-to-play open-world action RPG. On August 26 the studio announced a limited-time event called the Great Expeditionist Challenge [1]. The reason to look at it now is the deadline rather than the launch: as of September 3, 2026, all three phases have opened, and the whole thing closes at 03:59 server time on September 14.

Points, not attendance

The announcement's headline reads as though showing up is enough. The body attaches one more condition. Completing challenges earns Tournament Points and raises a ranking, and reaching a specified rank is what lets a player invite "Kätzlein Cocktail" Diona (Cryo). Primogems, a Crown of Insight and other rewards come with it [2].

The usual way to add a character in Genshin Impact is the wish system, the game's gacha, which spends Primogems earned in play or bought with money. This event hands over a character without touching that currency, which is most of what it is worth to an account saving up for a banner.

The full table of rewards by rank appears in the announcement only as an image, so it cannot be read as text. What the text confirms is Diona, Primogems and the Crown of Insight.

A train, a snowball, a maze and a shooting range

Four game modes run during the event [2].

• Precision Express Handling: drive a train, follow the instructions and bring it safely into the target station inside the time limit.
• Roly-Poly Domain Raid: raise a Snowball Level through combat, then steer snowballs over enemies during the Snowball Phase.
• Maze of Frost and Foresight: use Prime Ice Constructs and assorted mechanisms to plan a route so the Jack Frosts reach the destination.
• Trigger Reflex Trial: use firearms to knock down as many targets as possible before the clock runs out.

The schedule splits into three phases. Phase I opened 2026/08/28 10:00, Phase II 2026/08/30 04:00 and Phase III 2026/09/01 04:00, all server time, and all three share the same closing time of 2026/09/14 03:59 [2]. Which mode belongs to which phase is not stated in the announcement.

The Archon Quest gate

There are three requirements [2]: Adventure Rank 20 or above, Archon Quest Prologue Act III "Song of the Dragon and Freedom" cleared, and the "Gunfire in the Silent Lands" quest of Archon Quest Chapter VII Act I "Everwinter Without Mercy" cleared. Archon Quests are the game's main story.

The third one is the real gate. Chapter VII covers Snezhnaya, the most recently opened nation, so an account that has been skipping ahead has little room to reach it in the days left. The announcement also recommends finishing Chapter VII Act II "Wraith's Nocturne" before playing.

For an account that already qualifies, the open question is the threshold. The announcement never says which rank unlocks Diona, so that number has to be read off the event screen in game.

Sources

[1] HoYoverse. "Great Expeditionist Challenge" Event Overview. Genshin Impact official news, August 26, 2026.

[2] HoYoverse. "Great Expeditionist Challenge" Event: Take Part to Invite "Kätzlein Cocktail" Diona (Cryo). Genshin Impact Official on HoYoLAB, August 26, 2026.