What to Do in Genshin Impact After the Story and 100% Exploration

Finished the current Archon Quests, cleared most side quests, and pushed the map to 100%? Here is how to turn Genshin's open-ended endgame into a routine that matches the way you actually like to play.

Reviewed for Version 7.0 · Updated September 21, 2026

Quick answerGenshin Impact does not have one final activity that replaces the story. After you catch up, the endgame becomes a mix of rotating combat, account building, time-limited events, unfinished collection goals, and self-chosen projects. Start with content that expires, spend Original Resin on a specific upgrade, then pick one longer goal: improve two reliable teams, broaden your roster for Imaginarium Theater, finish a region, or build a character you enjoy. You do not need to grind every system every day.

Version 7.0 opened Snezhnaya, so “finished everything” is temporary by design. New regions, quests, enemies, and rotating challenges will keep moving the finish line. A useful endgame plan therefore needs two layers: a short routine for rewards that reset, and a personal goal that still feels worthwhile after the rewards are gone.

Choose Your Endgame Goal First

The fastest way to burn out is to treat every unfinished menu as an obligation. Pick the outcome you want, then ignore tasks that do not support it.

Your goal	Prioritize	Do not overinvest in
More Primogems	Current events, rotating combat rewards, unfinished quests, achievements, Hangouts, and remaining exploration	Endless artifact farming after your teams already clear the reward tiers you care about
Stronger combat teams	Weapons, important talents, character ascension, then artifacts with a clear stopping point	Leveling every talent or chasing perfect substats before guaranteed upgrades are done
Imaginarium Theater progress	A wider roster of usable characters across the required elements and roles	Putting every resource into one hyper-invested team
100% completion	World quests, reputation tools, treasure compasses, achievements, oculi, local legends, books, viewpoints, and hidden objectives	Repeating routes that are not tied to a collection goal
More variety	Underused characters, TCG, Serenitea Pot, co-op help, challenge runs, and photo or exploration projects	Forcing the same daily loop after it stops being fun

The Endgame Checklist: What Resets and What Can Wait

First: expiring content
Check the current event page and rotating combat modes. If a reward period is close to ending, handle it before permanent quests or farming.

Daily: one focused upgrade
Spend Resin on the material your current project needs. “Farm artifacts” is not a plan; “finish this weapon” or “raise this key talent” is.

Weekly: account maintenance
Claim the weekly boss materials you actually need, collect Serenitea Pot resources if you use the system, and review the next upgrade bottleneck.

Long-term: one personal project
Choose a region, team, collection, achievement set, or character build. Finish one project before opening five more.

If you only have 15 minutes, do the expiring task and spend Resin. If you have an hour, add one permanent project. This is more sustainable than clearing every notification badge every day.

Understand the Main Combat Endgame Modes

Spiral Abyss: two polished teams and clean execution

Spiral Abyss rewards focused team building. From Floor 5 onward, the two sides require separate teams, so one overpowered lineup is not enough. Read the enemy list and the current floor effects before entering, then assign the team with the better matchup to each half.

Important restrictionYou cannot use food or other consumables inside Spiral Abyss, and you cannot freely change party members, weapons, or artifacts during a floor. Prepare both teams before starting. The previous version of this ManaBuy article incorrectly advised using food buffs in Abyss.

A practical stopping point is the highest reward tier you can clear consistently. If one extra star would require weeks of artifact farming for a small return, you are allowed to stop.

Imaginarium Theater: roster depth matters more

Imaginarium Theater asks a different question: can you field enough workable characters under the season's element and roster rules? This mode favors account breadth, flexible supports, and characters who can contribute without perfect gear. Check the current season before building anyone specifically for it, because the required elements and Opening Characters change.

For Theater, “usable” is often more valuable than “perfect.” Give secondary characters a functional weapon, enough Energy Recharge, the correct main stats, and survivability. Save expensive artifact optimization for the characters who carry difficult stages.

Stygian Onslaught and other high-difficulty cycles

When Stygian Onslaught or another high-difficulty combat cycle is available, treat it as an optional account test, not a mandatory spending target. Clear the reward-bearing difficulty your roster supports. The highest showcase difficulty is for challenge and prestige; do not rebuild an account around it unless that is the part of Genshin you enjoy.

Official Genshin Impact Imaginarium Theater gameplay details graphic — Imaginarium Theater is designed around roster breadth and season-specific eligibility, so it rewards a different kind of account investment from Spiral Abyss. Source: Genshin Impact Official on HoYoLAB.

Build Characters in the Right Order

Endgame progress slows when every resource goes into random artifact runs. Secure guaranteed improvements first.

Define the character's job. Main damage, off-field damage, reaction trigger, buffer, healer, or shielder determines which stats and talents matter.

Raise the weapon that supports that job. A well-matched four-star weapon can outperform an unsuitable five-star weapon; rarity alone is not a build rule.

Upgrade the talents the rotation actually uses. Do not spend weekly materials on Normal Attacks a support never performs.

Reach the useful ascension and level breakpoint. Reaction-based damage and some HP/DEF-scaling characters benefit differently from levels, so avoid one universal rule for every unit.

Farm artifacts last, with a stopping point. Start with correct main stats and enough Energy Recharge to make the rotation work. Improve substats after the team is functional.

Once one team works, build the second Abyss team. After that, widen the roster for Theater instead of endlessly polishing one carry. This gives you more ways to respond when enemies, elements, or stage rules change.

Genshin Impact Training Guide showing character level, weapon, artifacts, and talents — The in-game Training Guide separates character level, weapon, artifacts, and talents, making it useful for identifying guaranteed upgrades before returning to artifact farming. Source: Guide of Teyvat.EN on HoYoLAB; repost allowed.

What to Do After the Map Says 100%

The displayed exploration percentage is not proof that every chest, puzzle, Seelie, or hidden objective is complete. If completion is your goal, move from wandering to a checklist.

Official HoYoLAB Teyvat Interactive Map showing filters for chests, puzzles, enemies, and materials — The official Teyvat Interactive Map can narrow a search by chest, puzzle, enemy, material, or region—but it should be used as a manual checklist, not treated as proof that every in-game item has already been collected. Source: Genshin Impact Official on HoYoLAB.

Finish World Quests that open sealed areas or change the map.
Use the official HoYoLAB Interactive Map as a reference, but only mark items you have personally confirmed.
Unlock and use regional treasure compasses where available.
Check regional achievement categories, local legends, Shrine of Depths keys, viewpoints, books, and reputation objectives.
Search one subregion at a time. A single missing chest is easier to locate in a defined area than across all of Teyvat.

Do not restart the entire map blindlyIf you did not track collectibles from the beginning, begin with high-value gaps: incomplete achievement series, unspent sigils, missing oculi rewards, locked reputation objectives, and unfinished World Quest chains.

A Practical One-Week Routine

Session	15-minute core	If you have more time
First login of the week	Check event deadlines and the current combat cycles	Choose one character or team project for the week
Normal day	Use Resin on that project's current bottleneck	Complete one quest, achievement chain, or defined exploration zone
Boss/material day	Claim only materials tied to planned upgrades	Prepare the next weapon or talent breakpoint
Long session	Attempt the next realistic Abyss/Theater reward tier	Review failed runs before farming more artifacts
End of week	Claim expiring rewards	Decide whether the project is finished or needs one more week

When Should You Stop Grinding?

Stop when the next upgrade no longer changes what you can clear or how much you enjoy the character. A build with the correct main stats, a smooth rotation, and enough damage for your target is finished—even if an optimizer can show a theoretical improvement.

If nothing currently feels worth doing, taking a break is a valid endgame choice. Limited-time rewards are designed to create urgency, but a game should not become a second job. Return when a new region, character, story chapter, or combat season gives you a reason.

Planning wishes as well as builds?
Set your pull limit before opening the Wish screen. If you decide to buy Genesis Crystals, use the verified Genshin Impact top-up page and confirm the account and purchase details before payment. Spending is optional; it does not replace team planning or execution.

Genshin Endgame FAQ

What is the real endgame in Genshin Impact?

There is no single endgame. Spiral Abyss tests two-team strength, Imaginarium Theater tests roster breadth, other rotating challenges test specific matchups, and exploration or collection gives non-combat players long-term goals.

What should I do first after finishing the Archon Quests?

Handle any event or reward cycle that is about to expire, then choose one permanent goal. For most accounts, finishing two reliable teams and clearing valuable World Quest chains gives better progress than random artifact farming.

Does 100% exploration mean I found every chest?

No. The displayed percentage can reach 100% while some chests, puzzles, hidden objectives, and collectibles remain. Use region-specific tools and achievement gaps to narrow the search.

Should I level every character for Imaginarium Theater?

No. Build enough eligible characters to enter and complete the difficulty you target. Give secondary units functional gear and correct roles; reserve expensive optimization for the characters who carry key stages.

Can I use food buffs in Spiral Abyss?

No. Food and other consumables cannot be used inside Spiral Abyss. Prepare healing, shielding, energy, equipment, and teams before entering the floor.

Is artifact farming always the best use of Resin?

No. Weapon levels, important talents, and required ascensions are guaranteed improvements. Artifact farming is most efficient after those upgrades are complete and you have defined a realistic stopping point.

Final Recommendation

Build an endgame routine around one reward deadline and one personal goal. That can mean clearing one more combat tier, finishing a Snezhnaya subregion, building a favorite character, or doing nothing until the next update. The best endgame plan is the one that gives your next login a clear purpose without turning every system into homework.

Source and review notes
Current-version baseline: Genshin Impact Official — Version 7.0 Update Details. Spiral Abyss restrictions cross-checked against the in-game rule text as documented by the Genshin Impact Wiki. Progression logic cross-checked with KQM's progression guidance. Community discussions were used only to identify real player questions, not as authority for version, reward, or commercial claims.