Quick Answer: Complete Mondstadt Archon Quest Prologue Act 3 to unlock Nod-Krai's auto-waypoint in Nasha Town. Progress through Song of the Welkin Moon Archon Quest to obtain free 4-star Hydro character Aino. Unlock three Meeting Points reputation systems, farm 293+ chests across four main areas, and collect Luna Sigils for reputation rewards totaling 750 Primogems plus valuable materials.
Getting Into Nod-Krai: What You Actually Need
The Real Prerequisites (It's Easier Than You Think)
So Nod-Krai dropped on September 10, 2025, with Version 6.0 Luna I – and honestly? The entry requirements are refreshingly simple. You just need Mondstadt's Archon Quest Prologue Act 3: The Song of the Dragon and Freedom. That's it.
Here's the thing though – that Teleport Waypoint in Nasha Town should auto-unlock, but sometimes it's finicky. I've seen players panic thinking they're locked out when really they just need to zoom in on the map or relog. The waypoint sits north of Natlan's Ochkanatlan region, and trust me, you'll know when you see it.
Team Building for the New Moonsign Meta
Now this is where things get interesting. The Moonsign combat mechanic completely changes how we think about team comp. Nascent Gleam kicks in with just one Nod-Krai character – suddenly your Bloom, Hyperbloom, and Burgeon reactions can CRIT with 15% CRIT Rate and 100% CRIT DMG. That's... actually huge.
Ascendant Gleam needs two Nod-Krai characters but pushes reaction damage even further. For exploration, you'll want movement abilities and elemental coverage for the usual suspects: Slimes, Hilichurl Rogues, Electro Rams, plus those new Landcruiser enemies that hit surprisingly hard.
Quick note on resources – if you're planning to pull for characters or need materials fast, BitTopup offers competitive Genesis Crystals recharge with instant delivery. Handy when you're building that perfect Nod-Krai team.
Days 1-2: First Steps in Industrial Paradise
Nasha Town: Your New Home Base
That auto-unlocked waypoint drops you right into Nasha Town – think steampunk meets cozy tavern vibes. There are 15 chests here: 13 Common, 1 Exquisite, and 1 Precious. The good stuff? Hidden inside The Flagship bar, unlocked through bounties from NPC Leszek.
Pro tip: Learn the Moonlane transport system early. Those rooftop chests aren't going to collect themselves, and climbing every building gets old fast.
Mapping Out Your Territory
Version 6.0 gives us four main zones to explore:
Lempo Isle – Your starting area with Nasha Town and Aino's workshop. 18 chests total, manageable size.
Hishi Island – Compact but dense. 20 chests including 1 Luxurious from the For a Green Island... quest.
Paha Isle – The big one. 50+ chests and serious Fatui presence. This is where you'll spend most of your time.
Connecting areas – Various smaller regions that bump the total chest count past 293.
Getting Aino: Your Free Hydro Claymore
The Quest Chain That Matters
Start with the Nod-Krai Prelude Quest The Journey Home before diving into the main story. Aino's liberation happens during Song of the Welkin Moon: Act 1 - A Dance of Snowy Tides and Hoarfrost Groves. Bit of a mouthful, but the payoff's worth it.
Step-by-Step Liberation
Travel to Nasha Town with Ineffa as your guide (she's chatty but helpful)
Hit The Flagship Tavern – follow those quest markers religiously
Meet the locals – Flins, Lauma, and Sandrone are all important later
Workshop discovery – Head west of Nasha Town to find the Clink-Clank Krumkake Workshop
Aino unlock – Complete the dialogue sequence and boom, she's yours
This is the only free copy you'll get at launch. Want constellations? You'll need to pull from her banner in Version 6.0's second half.
What Aino Actually Does
She's our first 4-star Hydro Claymore support – unique combo right there. Her kit's pretty straightforward:
Elemental Skill (Musecatcher): Throws a repositioning device for Hydro damage, generates 3 particles on hit Elemental Burst (Precision Hydronic Cooler): Deploys Cool Your Jets Ducky (yes, really) for periodic Hydro attacks over 14 seconds Key Passive (Moonsign Benediction): Automatically bumps party Moonsign level by 1
That passive alone makes her valuable for any Nod-Krai team comp.
Meeting Points: The New Reputation System
Three Factions, Three Opportunities
Meeting Points replace traditional city reputation here. After progressing Where the Moon Rises until you meet Aino at home, three faction locations unlock:
Frostmoon Enclave (Lauma): Complete Blessings of the Frost Moon
Final Night Cemetery (Flins): Finish To the Lighthouse on Paha Isle
Clink-Clank Krumkake Craftshop (Aino): Complete Problem-Sorting Robot
Each unlock quest drops 3 Hero's Wit and 21,500 Mora. Not bad for mandatory progression.
The Reputation Grind (But Make It Rewarding)
Each Meeting Point has 5 levels. You'll need 30 Luna Sigils plus specific subregion exploration percentages:
Level 1 (10%): 50 Primogems, 1 Fragile Resin, Compass Lvl 1
Level 2 (30%): 50 Primogems, 1 Acquaint Fate
Level 3 (50%): 50 Primogems, 1 Crown of Insight, Compass Lvl 2
Level 4 (70%): 50 Primogems, 1 Acquaint Fate
Level 5 (90%): 50 Primogems, Faction-Specific Item & Blueprint, Compass Lvl 3
That's 250 Primogems per faction, plus 2 Acquaint Fates and 1 Crown of Insight each. Multiply by three factions and you're looking at serious rewards.
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Primogems Farming: The Systematic Approach
Why the Luna Treasure Compass Changes Everything
This tool upgrades through Meeting Points progression and honestly? It's a game-changer:
Level 1: Shows nearby treasures and clues Level 2: Displays Oculi and up to 10 treasures/clues
Level 3: Reveals all Oculi and most treasures/clues (not 100% guaranteed, but close)
Island-by-Island Breakdown
Hishi Island Route (20 chests): 4 Common, 6 Exquisite, 5 Precious, 4 Remarkable, 1 Luxurious. That Luxurious chest needs the For a Green Island... world quest completed first. Watch out for underground caves – they're hiding some good stuff.
Lempo Isle Route (18 chests): 7 Common, 6 Exquisite, 2 Precious, 2 Remarkable, 1 Luxurious. The Luxurious comes from Friends of Moleyvalley side quest. Fun fact: there's an Exquisite chest literally inside Aino's house in town. The magnet ball puzzle near the Domain rewards a Remarkable chest.
Paha Isle Route (50+ chests): This is the big one. 11 Common, 20 Exquisite, 8 Precious, 8 Remarkable, 3 Luxurious. Many chests tie into The Shoemaker's Children Go Barefoot world quest. Those three Luxurious chests? Fatui base summit, lowered arena combat, and a two-phase combat test that'll make you sweat.
Mid-Week Push: Days 3-5
Domain Unlocks and Material Planning
The Lightless Capital domain on Lempo Isle provides Elysium talent books for Aino – available Tuesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. You've also got Lost Mooncourt (Hishi Island) and Frostladen Machinery (Paha Isle) for various materials and artifacts.
Aino's Ascension Shopping List
Getting her to Level 90 requires:
Mora: 420,000 (ouch)
Hydro Gemstones: 1 Sliver, 9 Fragments, 9 Chunks, 6 Gemstones
Boss Drop: 46 Precision Kuuvahki Stamping Die from Knuckle Duckle boss (Lempo Isle)
Local Specialty: 168 Portable Bearings (check around Aino's workshop, Barrowmoss Barrens, Blue Amber Lake)
Enemy Drop: Drive Shafts from Landcruiser enemies (18 Broken, 30 Reinforced, 36 Precision)
Talent Books: The Long Game
Maxing all talents to Level 10:
Mora: 4,957,500 (yeah, really)
Crown of Insight: 3 crowns
Elysium Books: 9 Teachings, 63 Guides, 114 Philosophies
Trounce Material: 18 Silken Feathers from The Knave weekly boss
Drive Shafts: 18 Broken, 66 Reinforced, 93 Precision
For support builds, prioritize: Elemental Burst > Elemental Skill > Normal Attack.
Week 1 Wrap-Up: Days 6-7
Your Completion Checklist
By week's end, you should have: ✓ All three Meeting Points unlocked and reputation started ✓ Free Aino acquired and ascension materials farming begun ✓ Efficient chest routes established across all four areas ✓ Luna Treasure Compass activated for systematic exploration ✓ Major world quests completed for those sweet Luxurious rewards
Building Aino Right
For maximum support effectiveness:
Artifacts: 4-piece Silken Moon's Serenade (best-in-slot) or 4-piece Noblesse Oblige for team buffs Main Stats: Elemental Mastery on Sands, Goblet, and Circlet Target Stats: 700-800 Elemental Mastery, 150-180% Energy Recharge (solo Hydro), 110-130% Energy Recharge (double Hydro teams) Weapons: Flame-Forged Insight (Event weapon), Master Key (Craftable), or Favonius Greatsword for F2P
Avoiding the Common Pitfalls
Quest Gating Will Trip You Up
Here's something that caught me off guard – map sections, teleporters, and puzzle mechanics lock behind quest progression. I've seen players report puzzles appearing broken until they approach specific trigger spots for mandatory cutscenes. For Paha Isle especially, many chests stay locked until you complete The Shoemaker's Children Go Barefoot.
Those Magnet Puzzles Need Practice
The new magnet-based mechanics lack clear tutorials. Key insight: charging range is super short, but interaction range extends much further. Transform mechanisms to extend your effective range, and use environmental objects like shellfish for long-distance item movement.
Don't Rush Aino's Build
Avoid dumping resources into ascension before confirming her role in your team. Her personal damage is minimal – the value comes from Hydro application and team buffs through Moonsign. That Moonsign Benediction passive automatically increases party Moonsign level by 1, which is her real strength.
Advanced Strategies from the Community
Constellation Priorities (If You're Pulling)
C4 (Butter and Cats and the Law of Energy Supply): Restores 10 Elemental Energy when Skill hits opponents (once per 10 seconds). This significantly reduces Energy Recharge requirements.
C6 (The Burden of Creative Genius): Increases Electro-Charged, Bloom, Lunar-Charged, and Lunar-Bloom reaction damage by 15% for 15 seconds after Burst. With Ascendant Gleam active, that bonus jumps to 35% total.
The Exploration Feedback Loop
Luna Treasure Compass progression creates this satisfying cycle – higher reputation reveals more chests, providing more Luna Sigils for further progression. Aino's utility passive Miniaturized Detection Sensor displays Nod-Krai-unique resources on the mini-map, which is surprisingly helpful.
Team Synergy Deep Dive
Pairing Aino with other Nod-Krai characters like Flins or Lauma activates Ascendant Gleam. This enhances her Burst with faster attacks and larger AoE while providing bonus CRIT stats to Lunar-Bloom reactions. The Nascent Gleam benefit allowing Bloom reactions to CRIT with fixed 15% CRIT Rate and 100% CRIT DMG opens up entirely new team building possibilities.
FAQ
How long does it take to unlock free Aino in Nod-Krai? About 2-3 hours of starting the Archon Quest sequence, assuming you've done the Mondstadt prerequisite.
What Adventure Rank do I need for Nod-Krai? No specific AR requirement. Just complete Mondstadt Archon Quest Prologue Act 3: The Song of the Dragon and Freedom.
How many Primogems can I realistically farm in Week 1? Conservative estimate? 1000+ Primogems. That's 750 from Meeting Points progression (250 per faction × 3), plus rewards from 293+ chests, world quests, and achievements.
Are there time-gated quests limiting Week 1 progress? Most content is immediately accessible after prerequisites, but some world quests need specific story triggers. No daily reset limitations on major milestones though.
What's the best team for Nod-Krai exploration? Aino works best in reaction teams leveraging Moonsign. Pair her with another Nod-Krai character for Ascendant Gleam and enhanced Burst performance.
Can I max all Meeting Points in Week 1? You can unlock all three Meeting Points easily, but reaching Level 5 reputation requires systematic chest farming and thorough exploration. Doable, but you'll need to commit to the grind.
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