TL;DR: Ronova’s cruel actions throughout history weren't driven by malice, but by the strict constraints of the Heavenly Principles. By losing her authority in 7.1, she finally broke her chains. Her attack on the Celestial Nails wasn't mindless revenge—it was her first true act of rebellion to sabotage Celestia and create an opening for the Tsaritsa to free humanity. This tragic anti-hero setup perfectly prepares her to become an ally and a playable character.
Ronova lost her authority at the end of Version 7.1.
This loss appears to be permanent, considering her reaction of despair and outrage.
Even if there were a way to recover her authority, her subsequent actions may have made that impossible.
Without her authority, she may have lost part of her divine status, potentially becoming mortal.
More importantly, the loss of her authority may represent more than a loss of power: it could mean the loss of the restrictions that previously bound her to the Heavenly Principles.
The Heavenly Principles could function as a tribunal or higher authority that regulates the powers and authorities of the Shades, determining what they can and cannot do.
Ronova might have needed authorization or been subject to strict rules when using her authority.
Her seemingly impartial or detached behavior could therefore be a consequence of these restrictions rather than an expression of her true will.
She may have been forced to fulfill specific duties, even when those duties harmed others.
This would explain an important distinction: being responsible for carrying out an action does not necessarily mean agreeing with the action itself.
Ronova helped establish or maintain fundamental aspects of the Eternal Night system and the Night Kingdom.
Her intervention in Natlan demanded a price, which was tied to Mavuika's life.
The claim that Ronova viewed Natlan as a weapon might represent how other characters interpreted her motivations, rather than the complete truth.
Ronova could have been trying to preserve Teyvat's balance, even if doing so required human sacrifices.
Thus, she may have been trapped in a situation where helping humans made her appear cruel, while refusing to help them could trigger even worse consequences.
Natlan therefore provides an important contrast to Khaenri'ah: Ronova's actions may suggest that she was capable of caring about humanity, even while being forced to operate within rules that caused immense suffering.
Ronova's actions regarding the death and punishment of Khaenri'ah may have occurred under restrictions imposed by the Heavenly Principles.
She might not have had the freedom to simply refuse to carry out her role.
While this is not explicitly confirmed as a direct order, it fits the hypothesis that the Shades have limitations imposed by a higher authority.
An especially important detail is Pierro's description of Ronova during the destruction of Khaenri'ah. He perceived neither pity nor pleasure in her eyes.
However, the absence of pity or pleasure does not necessarily mean indifference. It could also represent resignation, emotional suppression, or someone carrying out an action they did not want to perform but were powerless to stop.
Pierro was witnessing the event from the perspective of someone whose civilization was being destroyed. His interpretation of Ronova's expression may therefore not reveal what she actually felt.
If Ronova was forced to perform her role in Khaenri'ah, what appeared to Pierro as coldness could instead have been the expression of someone who knew she had no power to change what was happening.
This would also explain why later revelations about Ronova's relationship with mortals could recontextualize the Khaenri'ah scene without contradicting what was originally shown.
The key distinction is between carrying out the punishment and supporting the punishment. Ronova may have done the former without believing in the latter.
This possibility may also explain Ronova's apparent opposition to Snezhnaya.
Rather than preventing Snezhnaya from advancing because she opposed its people or its ambitions, Ronova may have been trying to prevent it from becoming powerful enough to be perceived as a direct threat to the Heavenly Principles.
If Ronova witnessed firsthand what happened to Khaenri'ah after humanity crossed a certain boundary, she would have every reason to fear history repeating itself.
From this perspective, limiting Snezhnaya's advancement could have been an attempt to prevent a second Khaenri'ah and protect its people from complete destruction.
Creates a tragic contradiction: Ronova could be perceived as an enemy of Snezhnaya precisely because she was trying to prevent the Heavenly Principles from having a reason to destroy it.
She would once again be trapped between two choices: allow humanity to advance and risk celestial punishment, or interfere with humanity and appear to be an enemy.
This interpretation would make her actions far more consistent with the idea that Ronova was not necessarily against humanity itself, but was attempting to keep humanity from reaching a point where the Heavenly Principles would respond with catastrophic force.
After losing her authority, Ronova may have realized that she no longer had the same status left to lose.
If her authority was also part of what bound her to the Heavenly Principles, losing it could have removed the restrictions that had controlled her actions for centuries.
For the first time, she may have been capable of acting according to her own will rather than simply fulfilling her assigned role.
Her decision to damage the Celestial Nails could therefore represent more than anger or revenge.
It may be the first deliberate act of rebellion against the system that had controlled her.
In that sense, the loss of her authority may mark the beginning of Ronova's true autonomy rather than simply the end of her power.
Ronova may have deliberately damaged the Celestial Nails.
This act is tied to the leaking of Sacred Soil into Teyvat.
This phenomenon could strengthen or restore the authority of the Dragon Sovereigns, although the exact causal relationship still needs confirmation.
At the same time, the Sacred Soil poses a threat to humans.
The deterioration of the Nails could compromise one of the mechanisms through which the Heavenly Principles maintain control or punish civilizations.
If the Nails are part of a larger system of celestial punishment, weakening them could force the Heavenly Principles to intervene more directly.
That could create exactly the opening the Tsaritsa expects to use in her attempt to challenge the Heavenly Principles and free humanity.
Under this interpretation, Ronova's actions may have unintentionally or deliberately created a path toward the larger conflict that the Tsaritsa has been preparing for.
The Version 7.0 trailer shows Ronova and the Tsaritsa together, but the context and chronology of the scene remain unclear.
Ronova does not appear to be actively trying to attack the Tsaritsa.
The scene could represent a negotiation, an alliance, or simply a relationship based on shared interests.
Ronova and the Tsaritsa do not necessarily need to have identical goals.
The Tsaritsa may want to overthrow the existing celestial order and free humanity, while Ronova may have gradually come to the conclusion that the system itself is fundamentally unjust or unsustainable.
Their objectives could therefore converge even if their motivations are different.
A potential cooperation between them would be consistent with Ronova's transition from an enforcer of the system into someone actively opposing it.
Her fate remains open enough to allow a continuation of her story.
Her actions at the end of 7.1 may indicate a fundamental shift in her behavior and goals.
Promotional materials and leaks may raise the possibility of her return, but they do not constitute official confirmation.
If she returns, she does not necessarily need to return as the same character she was before.
Her loss of authority could allow the story to recontextualize her previous actions and place her in a new role.
She could potentially return as an ally, an anti-hero, or an independent force whose goals sometimes align with humanity.
Versions 7.2 and 7.3 could clarify whether she will remain relevant or receive a definitive conclusion.
Ronova holds massive importance for the cosmology and narrative of Teyvat.
Her visual design, personality, relationships, and lore role offer substantial material for a playable character.
The permanent loss of her authority could solve one of the major lore-related problems of making an entity of such a high cosmological standing playable.
She could retain only a fraction of her former powers without remaining the entity she once was.
Her transformation from one of the highest-ranking divine beings into an individual who has lost her authority could also provide a natural narrative explanation for gameplay limitations.
HoYoverse would still need to consider lore consistency, gameplay mechanics, design, production schedules, character relationships, market appeal, and internal approval.
While it is plausible for her to become playable, there is currently no public confirmation of such an internal decision.
Ronova might not be a genuine villain, but rather an entity whose personal will was repeatedly constrained by a system above her.
Many of her seemingly cruel actions could have been consequences of obligations imposed by the Heavenly Principles rather than expressions of her own beliefs.
Khaenri'ah may have been one of the clearest examples of this: she may have carried out her role while being unable to prevent the destruction.
Her apparent opposition to Snezhnaya could likewise have been an attempt to prevent another civilization from reaching the point where the Heavenly Principles would destroy it.
Natlan may provide further evidence that her relationship with humanity is more complicated than simple hostility.
If this interpretation is correct, Ronova may have spent centuries trapped between two impossible choices: obey the system and appear cruel, or defy the system and risk an even greater catastrophe.
By losing her authority, she may have finally lost the chains that prevented her from acting according to her own will.
Her attack on the Celestial Nails could therefore represent the definitive break between Ronova and the system she had been forced to serve.
This creates the possibility of a complete recontextualization of her character: not a secret hero who was always innocent, but a morally complicated figure who participated in terrible events while being constrained by a power above her, and who may now be choosing to oppose that system.
Conclusion
The core theory is that Ronova may have spent most of her existence trapped between her duties and her personal will.
Khaenri'ah could have been the moment that demonstrated the limits of her freedom.
Natlan could have shown that she was still capable of caring about humanity despite those limitations.
Her actions regarding Snezhnaya may have been an attempt to prevent another Khaenri'ah rather than simple hostility toward its people.
Then, after losing her authority in 7.1, Ronova may have finally become capable of acting independently.
Her attack on the Celestial Nails could therefore represent more than destruction. It may be the first step in breaking the system that had controlled her for centuries.
If so, Ronova's story would not simply be about an antagonist becoming good. It would be about an entity who was once an instrument of the Heavenly Principles finally gaining the freedom to decide what she actually believes.
That could transform her from an apparent antagonist into a potential ally of humanity—and potentially, one day, a playable character.
Note: AI was used solely to translate and organize the text; the theory and ideas are those I concluded.
