Genshin Impact isn’t like most games. Well, okay, it is a little like Breath of the Wild. And yes, we suppose it does share a few similarities with Spellbreak. But, for the most part, Genshin Impact is a game with few others like it. It’s a sprawling Action RPG with depth to its lore, a nuanced combat system, and high production value being given away as free-to-play on mobile alongside console and PC. Indeed, you’d be hard-pressed to find anything comparable to it on the market, and that’s just the broad strokes.
Where Genshin Impact really sets itself apart is in the details. Details like the character-switching — details like the Artifacts. We’ve gone over a whole lot of Genshin Impact guides. Everything from Genshin Impact Tier Lists to a Geoculus Guide to an Elemental Mastery Guide.
But now it’s time for our Genshin Impact Artifact Guide.
Genshin Impact Artifact Guide: Leveling, Stats, and Priorities
Unlike most other RPGs, equipment in Genshin Impact doesn’t come in the form of armor with varying material grades. Instead, it’s separated into five distinct Artifact slots. Each Artifact provides a primary “main stat” bonus that provides the bulk of its value, alongside several other sub-stats that come with leveling up the Artifact.
Each artifact slot has a main attribute it boosts — like the Feather for Attack or the Flower for HP. It doesn’t matter what Feather or Flower it is, what it’s sub-stats are, what set its a part of, or how you want to build it; the main stat for each slot is the same across all Artifacts for it, with only the value, sub-stats and set bonuses changing
99.9% of the time, you’ll want to max Attack beyond any other stat. It is the foundation upon which the utility of all other damage-oriented stats is built. Crit rate, Crit Damage, Elemental Mastery — none of it matters if you don’t have the base attack to derive real value out of those increased bonuses.
In the beginning, every single one of your artifacts should have a percentage attack boost for at least one of its stats.
The only exception to this rule is in the case of specific support characters whose primary value scales with a different stat, like Barbara whose Heal scales with her max HP or Noelle who derives extra damage from increased Defense.
Secondary to Attack is Crit Rate and Crit Damage, followed by Elemental Mastery (which deserves its own guide). This is because Genshin Impact rewards players for floating like a butterfly and stinging like a bee; hitting without getting hit is the way to play in Genshin Impact. Even characters like Noelle who can lean on high defense are best used with an evasive style because if you can smash your enemies before they can smash you, well, you don’t even need that Defense.
Genshin Impact Artifact Guide: How to Curate God-Tier Artifacts (No Matter the Rarity!)
To really get the stats you need, you must learn to be ruthless with your Artifacts. You have to have patience, and be willing to play the long game when it comes to character growth.
It works like this:
Since, as we explained earlier, Artifacts gain a new sub-stat every four levels or upgrade an existing one, and you want to prioritize Attack/damage above all else, it’s in your best interest to throw anything/everything in the Feeding Bin for leveling better artifacts the moment a substandard sub-stat is introduced. Even if you have Attack, Crit Rate and Crit Damage, if the RNG gods give you Defense for that fourth stat, stop leveling that otherwise great Artifact and start leveling a new one with potential.
Think of it like tending a garden. Some crops will be better than others. You’re looking for that prize pumpkin of the patch. The one that wins you the farmer competition or whatever those things are called (we game far too much to know that). And that means weeding. Weeding out bad stats like Defense or HP (excepting specific cases like Noelle or Barbara, of course).
Sure, continue to wear the artifact that just popped defense as it’s fourth sub-stat. Wear it until you have a better one. But do put it at the bottom of the feeding pile. You might be thinking, “But! But Nerdschalk! What kind of Artifact Guide is this! What about all that experience I fed to it! I can’t just throw all that away, can I?”
And the truth is: you can. And you should.
You get 70-80% of the XP you put into an Artifact back when you disband it, so all is not lost. Yeah, you do lose a good chunk of XP — but that’s the price you pay for eventual god-like power and it’s well worth it.
Through this slow, gradual process of Artifact curation, you’ll weed out all those poor stats until you have purples or even blues that can turn your party into a four-person wrecking ball.
That said, depending on your level of intensity, more casual gamers can be satisfied with some slight tweaking. With so many levels of RNG to work through to get your hands on the flawless Artifact you want, and so much farming required at AR Rank 40+ to level the five-star Artifacts that for most intents and purposes you can feel free to leave a substandard sub-stat on there every now and then.
To complete the main story, where it’s at thus far, you can get by with underwhelming Artifacts and decent player skills. It’s those looking for maximum performance that really need to rule their artifacts with an iron fist.
Genshin Impact Artifact Tips: Farm and Best ones?
This Genshin impact artifact guide wouldn’t be doing right by you if we didn’t tell you upfront that the best of the best artifacts in Genshin Impact are locked behind a Resin wall. It costs you 20 Resin to claim the rewards from the Domain that you want, and with both Resin and the Trounce Domain(s) time-gated, you might not get exactly what you want immediately.
Don’t start building your character until you’ve chosen the set you want to aim for. Do some research on specific sets to choose the kind of set bonuses you want to aim for. Wanton experimentation and wasteful leveling can set you back days, if not weeks, when trying to really maximize that perfect set once you’ve got your hands on it.
Farming Artifacts is a gradual process, and like most F2P games, you should focus on enjoying the journey, rather than the destination. You don’t need a Genshin Impact artifact guide to tell you that with stats randomized for every artifact, even if you do get the set-piece you wanted you’re still beholden to the will of the RNG gods for the right stats. So, embrace the grind.
Because it will take a while.
Check out our Genshin Impact Archives for more Genshin Impact guides, walkthroughs, and explainers check out our Genshin Impact Archive. Seriously. It has everything.
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