As someone who has spent far too many evenings grinding ascension materials, I was skeptical when HoYoverse finally pushed Genshin Impact’s version 7.0 update. A trading system? In my game? It sounded almost too good to be true. But after unlocking the new Storage Device mechanic in Snezhnaya and testing it with friends for a few days, I can honestly say this is one of the most practical quality-of-life additions we’ve gotten in years — even if it isn’t a full player-to-player auction house.

If you’re wondering whether this system can save you time, the short answer is yes — especially if you’re building multiple characters or helping a newer Traveler catch up. Here’s everything I learned about trading efficiently in the current patch.

How I Unlocked the Storage Device

Before you can trade anything, you need to complete the early parts of Snezhnaya’s Act 1 Archon Quest. That’s where you obtain the Eye of Graeae, a small gadget that unlocks the Fab-Vision build mode. Only after you get that device can you actually build the Storage Device construct.

Building one isn’t free, though. Each Storage Device costs 40 Prime Ice and 40% Kresnik Energy. If you’ve been exploring Snezhnaya regularly, you likely already have enough Prime Ice saved up. Kresnik Energy refills as you adventure, so I didn’t find the cost too punishing.

Was the unlock process painful? Not at all. If you’re already caught up with the Archon Quest, you can grab the Eye of Graeae quite early and start experimenting within your first hour or two of the new region.

Building and Using a Storage Device

Once you have Fab-Vision active, open build mode and place a Storage Device anywhere you like. The device has 30 item slots, but you can stack the same item twice, so it can effectively hold up to 60 items. That’s more generous than I expected for a free construct.

Here’s the key rule: any player can add items to a Storage Device, and any player can take items from it. Storing items does not consume your daily trade limit. Taking items, however, does. You get 5 trade uses per day, and each use can grab a stack of up to 2 of the same item — so in a best-case scenario, you can take 10 items total per day.

Many helpful players place their Storage Devices near Statues of the Seven and Teleport Waypoints for easy access. I found a few stocked with Frostfairy Flowers and Flockingweed, which are exactly the kind of regional specialties that can slow down character ascension. Check every device you encounter — you might get lucky.

Can’t see any Storage Devices in your world? Don’t panic. You may have accidentally toggled off the option to receive Prime Ice constructs. To fix it, open build mode in Fab-Vision, select the Storage Device, go to Construct Details, click the settings cog, and toggle the option back on. I ran into this myself and spent longer than I’d like to admit trying to figure out why nothing was showing up.

What You Can and Cannot Trade

So, what exactly can you trade? Right now, only two categories are allowed:

I’ll be honest — the restrictions are real. You can’t hand a friend a five-star artifact or help them skip the grind for boss materials. That’s probably a smart move by HoYoverse to prevent endgame exploits, but it also means you can’t shortcut the most painful parts of character building. Still, sharing ascension materials is a huge boon for new players, especially when certain items are locked behind region progression. Materials like Sea Ganoderma can be a real headache to farm if you haven’t unlocked the right areas yet, and now a veteran player can simply drop some into a Storage Device for you.

Co-Op Trading Rules

Trading in co-op works, but the world owner needs to build the Storage Device. Once it’s placed, both players can use it to exchange items, up to the daily limit of five trades. I did notice one quirk: in some cases, the Storage Device might not appear for the guest player. The community is still testing this, so don’t be surprised if it feels inconsistent.

Standard co-op restrictions still apply. Players must be at the same World Level, or a higher-level player can join a lower-level world. Since lower-level players cannot join higher-level worlds, the lower-level player should be the one to build the Storage Device. Also, make sure both players have reached Snezhnaya, obtained the Eye of Graeae, and spoken to Alyosha before attempting co-op trading. Skipping any of those steps will leave you staring at an empty build menu.

Tips to Trade Efficiently

After messing around with the system for a while, I’ve settled on a few habits that make a real difference:

• 🎯 Prioritize rare materials. Use your daily trades on time-gated or hard-to-farm items, such as regional specialties from distant areas. Don’t waste a trade on something you can gather in ten minutes.

• 🤝 Coordinate with friends. Plan trades in advance to maximize the daily limit. For example, trade two stacks of the same material per use to get 10 items per day. A little coordination goes a long way.

• 🔒 Toggle construct visibility. If you want a private storage area, disable the option to receive other players’ constructs. This is useful for solo players who just want to move items between their own characters without random visitors taking things.

Should you build multiple Storage Devices? That depends on how much Prime Ice and Kresnik Energy you’re willing to spend. I found one well-placed device near a Teleport Waypoint was enough for my own needs, but if you’re managing a busy co-op group, a few extras can help keep things organized.

Final Thoughts

Genshin Impact’s trading system is a welcome addition for material sharing, especially for F2P players and those managing multiple accounts. It won’t let you skip the artifact grind, and the daily trade limit keeps things from getting out of hand, but using Storage Devices wisely can save you days of farming.

Will HoYoverse expand the tradable item pool in future patches? I hope so. For now, this is a solid step in the right direction, and I’m excited to see how the community uses these little constructs across Snezhnaya.