Version 7.1 has been live since September 23, 2026, and it reshuffled the Spiral Abyss again. HoYoverse added two new five-stars, Vesna and Vodyanitsa, and Floor 12 now clearly rewards teams built around the newest Nod-Krai cast.
You do not need either one to clear. You do need a plan, because the current blessing punishes lazy team building more than any cycle this year.
We cleared both halves on multiple accounts. These are the teams that worked, the budget options that still get 36 stars, and the mistakes that cost people their Primogems.
How Spiral Abyss works in version 7.1
The Abyssal Moon Spire resets once a month on the 16th at 04:00 server time, per HoYoverse’s official support page. Floors 9 through 12 are the repeatable part, and a full 36-star clear pays 800 Primogems per cycle, 200 per floor, as of November 2026.
Imaginarium Theater, the other endgame mode, resets on the 1st of each month. Treat both as one monthly income stream; our Primogem farming guide ranks every free source if you are saving for a banner.
Each cycle brings a new Blessing of the Abyssal Moon. The 7.1 blessing favors the Stellar Glimmer mechanic introduced with the Nod-Krai cast, which is why the newest units top the usage charts right now.
Floor 12 first half: Stellar Glimmer teams
Game8’s Floor 12 guide for version 7.1 recommends one core pattern for the first half: a Stellar Linchpin character, an Anemo, Cryo or Electro support, a healer, and a flexible fourth slot.
The premium version pairs Vesna with Odette, Vodyanitsa and Faruzan. Vesna drives the Stellar Glimmer mechanic, Odette shreds with Cryo, and Faruzan keeps damage high against the chamber’s tanky elites.
A second strong option runs Sandrone, Odette, Alyosha and Yae Miko. Alyosha, the four-star Electro from version 7.0, keeps reactions rolling while Yae Miko’s turrets deal damage off-field.
Rotation matters more than raw investment here. Trigger the Stellar Glimmer windows on cooldown and the first half ends with 30 to 45 seconds to spare.
Floor 12 second half: Cryo cores
The second half looks simpler on paper: Game8 recommends a Cryo core, meaning two Cryo units plus two flex slots. In practice, this half checks your Cryo roster depth, and accounts that skipped the Nod-Krai banners feel it.
Odette is the standout. She anchors every top-performing second-half team in the 7.1 data, pairing burst damage with enough Cryo application to keep the blessing active.
Free-to-play players can lean on the Cryo Traveler, added in version 7.0. Game8’s own sample budget team runs Mizuki, Odette, Cryo Traveler and Sucrose, which clears comfortably when Sucrose groups the waves.
Budget teams that still clear
No Vesna, no Vodyanitsa, no problem. The Mizuki, Cryo Traveler and Sucrose core costs zero limited five-stars if you picked Odette on her banner, and even without her, Kaeya and Rosaria fill Cryo slots in the second half.
Investment beats novelty. A well-built older carry with crowned talents outperforms a half-leveled new five-star, so spend your resin on the units you already own before chasing the banner.
Performance matters too. Frame drops during chamber three rotations cost real time, so PC players should read our settings guide that boosts FPS before blaming their team.
Where most runs fall apart
The biggest killer is ignoring the blessing. Teams that cannot trigger Stellar Glimmer in the first half or keep Cryo application up in the second lose a huge chunk of their effective damage.
Poor energy management is a close second. Burst-hungry units like Yae Miko need a battery on the team, and skipping one turns a 90-second chamber into a three-minute slog.
Hardware plays a quiet role as well. Abyss timers do not care about stutter, and on console the gap between the base PS5 and the PS5 Pro shows up most in crowded Abyss chambers.
The verdict
Build around Odette if you own her. She is the single most valuable unit in the 7.1 Abyss, flexes into both halves, and makes the free Cryo Traveler look like a limited five-star.
Vesna is excellent but optional. Her Stellar Glimmer ceiling is the highest in the game right now, yet the first half clears fine without her, which makes her a luxury pull rather than a requirement.
Skip the panic pulls. Farm your existing roster, learn the two chamber patterns above, and 36 stars is realistic on almost any account that finished the Nod-Krai story.
Frequently asked questions
How often does the Spiral Abyss reset?
Once a month, on the 16th at 04:00 server time, according to HoYoverse’s official support article. The companion mode, Imaginarium Theater, resets on the 1st of each month.
How many Primogems is a full clear worth?
A 36-star clear of floors 9 through 12 pays 800 Primogems per cycle, 200 per floor, as of November 2026. Over a year that adds up to roughly 9,600 Primogems, or about 60 wishes.
Do I need Vesna or Vodyanitsa to clear Floor 12?
No. They make the first half faster, but Game8’s version 7.1 sample teams include budget clears built on Mizuki, Sucrose and the Cryo Traveler. Investment and rotations decide most runs, not the newest banner unit.
Is the Cryo Traveler worth building?
Yes, if your Cryo roster is thin. The Cryo Traveler arrived in version 7.0 and slots directly into the second-half Cryo cores that the current Abyss favors.
