Tackling the Artifact Grind in Genshin Impact: When to Start and How to Optimize
Artifacts are crucial. They are the endgame of Genshin Impact. You leveled your characters. You honed your skills. Now, you face artifact farming. It is a journey filled with RNGesus’ whims. You wonder if that perfect Crit DMG circlet exists.
Fear not, Traveler! We have knowledge to help you in this journey. Let’s explore when you should begin farming artifacts. We will cover how to acquire them and how to optimize the grind to avoid burnout.
1. When to Start Farming Artifacts: Patience, Young Padawan
The key question: when should you spend resin on artifact domains? The short answer? Wait until Adventure Rank (AR) 45. Resist the urge before that.
- AR 45: The Promised Land
- This is a golden ticket. At AR 45, you unlock Level 90 artifact domains. Why is this crucial? These domains guarantee at least one 5-star artifact per run.
- Think of it this way: before AR 45, you fish in a pond hoping for a legendary fish (5-star artifact). At AR 45, it’s a lake with abundant legendary fish. Your resin becomes much more efficient.
- So, save those fragile resins! They are your emergency stash for when AR 45 hits.
- AR 40: Dipping Your Toes (Carefully)
- You can start farming at AR 40. Domains offer a *chance* at 5-star artifacts. But it is not guaranteed.
- Additionally, you might find 5-star artifacts from World Bosses around AR 30. The drop rates from these bosses are very low.
- AR 40 is like dipping your toes into the artifact pool. If you have excess resin, trying some domains is okay. But you won’t maximize your resin efficiency yet.
- AR 30: Hold Firm!
- At AR 30, you might get a 5-star artifact from Weekly Bosses. However, focus on ascension materials and leveling up.
- Artifact farming now is unproductive for serious growth. Domains will be waiting for you at AR 45, and they will be generous.
2. How to Obtain Artifacts: From Domains to Daily Chores
So where do artifacts come from? They don’t grow on trees, unfortunately. Here are the main sources:
- Domains: Your Artifact Goldmine
- Domains are your primary source for targeted artifact sets. They are special challenge areas scattered in Teyvat.
- Yes, those level 90 artifact domains are the ones you will spam at AR 45 and beyond.
- Clearing these domains costs resin but is the most reliable way to farm specific sets for your characters.
- Bosses: Weekly and Worldly
- Defeating Weekly and World Bosses can yield artifacts.
- Weekly Bosses like Stormterror or Boreas have a *chance* to drop 5-star artifacts before AR 45. The drop rates are low, though.
- World Bosses also drop artifacts, but often of lower rarity. They provide primarily ascension materials.
- Artifact Strongboxes: Recycling for (Potentially) Profit
- Think of Artifact Strongboxes as artifact recycling. Have lots of 4-star and lower artifacts? Toss them in!
- It is not an efficient method, but it utilizes unwanted artifacts for a chance at a 5-star artifact set.
- Exploration: The Everyday Scavenge
- You can find artifacts scattered across the world! Look for “investigation spots,” those sparkling points to interact with.
- These spots yield low-rarity artifacts (1-star and 2-star). They are good for artifact EXP fodder.
- Places like Wangshu Inn have daily respawning artifact spots. Loop daily for free artifact EXP!
- Vendors: The Mora Sink (for Artifact EXP)
- You can actually *buy* artifacts! Certain NPCs sell 2-star artifacts for Mora.
- These artifacts cannot be equipped, but they are good for leveling up your valuable artifacts. Buying daily saves resin long term.
- Check vendors near Diluc’s bar, Liyue Harbor/City, and a weekly merchant in Fontaine.
- Free Artifacts: Fountain of Lucine’s Little Secret
- In Fontaine, find a hidden free artifact! Talk to Veleda, a Melusine near the Fountain of Lucine. Ask her about her thoughts and she’ll gift you an artifact.
3. Optimizing Artifact Farming: Work Smarter, Not Harder (Mostly)
Artifact farming often feels like a marathon. Here’s how to make that marathon easier:
- Resin Usage: Condensed is King
- Condensed Resin is your best friend while farming artifacts. It doubles domain rewards.
- Always use Condensed Resin when farming artifact domains unless you’re desperate.
- Resin is a precious resource. Utilize it wisely for efficient progression.
- Daily Artifact Gathering: The Free EXP Trick
- Daily respawning artifact spots are more valuable than they appear! A quick run can net about 20x 2-star and 100x 1-star artifacts.
- This is worth around 60,000 artifact EXP for *zero* resin. A small investment yields good returns in artifact leveling fodder.
- Artifact Locking: Don’t Be a Hoarder (Unless You Want To)
- The game provides an Artifact Locking system for a reason. Use it!
- Lock promising artifacts immediately. This avoids accidental use as fodder.
- Utilize the Lock Assistance feature for inventory management. Organization is key when you have many artifacts.
4. Leveling Up Artifacts: EXP and Mora, the Eternal Struggle
You need to level up artifacts to maximize their potential. This requires two things:
- Artifact Experience (EXP): Fodder is Your Fuel
- Level up artifacts by feeding them other artifacts. Lower rarity artifacts (1-star, 2-star, 3-star) work best as fodder.
- Those daily artifact spots? Perfect fodder!
- Leveling artifacts increases their main stat and substat values.
- Mora Cost: Gotta Spend Mora to Make Your Stats Go Up
- Leveling artifacts costs Mora. It can be quite expensive.
- Upgrading a single 5-star artifact to level 20 costs a lot of Mora. Leveling all five 5-star artifacts to level 20 is a significant Mora sink.
- Mora management is crucial in this grind. Monitor your Mora reserves!
5. Artifact Stats and Substats: The RNG Rollercoaster
The real challenge of artifact farming is RNG (Random Number Generation). Artifacts depend heavily on RNG for both main stats and substats.
- RNG Dependence: May the Odds Be Ever in Your Favor (They Won’t Be)
- Artifact farming is infamous for its RNG. Obtaining the *right* artifact set with the *right* main stat takes time.
- Even with a 5-star artifact, the substats are random. As you level it up, substat upgrades are *also* random.
- This extensive RNG aspect makes artifact farming feel like a grind and can lead to burnout.
- Main Stats: Know Your Pieces
- Each artifact piece – Flower, Plume, Sands, Goblet, Circlet – will have unique main stats.
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- Each piece has a main stat. This varies by piece.
- Sands may roll Energy Recharge as a main stat. This is unique!
- Goblets can roll Elemental DMG Bonus or Physical DMG Bonus.
- Circlets can have Crit Rate, Crit DMG, or Healing Bonus.
- Flowers always have HP; Plumes always have ATK. These are fixed.
- Prioritizing Stats: Good Enough is Often Good Enough
- Perfection can hinder completing tasks. Chasing *perfect* artifacts leads to endless farming.
- If an artifact has 3-5 useful stats for your character, it’s worth keeping! Don’t fixate on getting perfect stats on every artifact.
- Build a solid foundation of good stats in your artifacts. Refinement can happen later, but diminishing returns are real.
6. Challenges of Artifact Farming: Why It Feels Like a Second Job
Artifact farming is not always enjoyable. It brings challenges:
- RNG Dominance: The House Always Wins (Unless You’re Exceptionally Lucky)
- RNG poses a significant challenge in artifact farming. It’s like a lottery, and the odds can be against you.
- You may face long stretches of bad luck. It’s essential to manage expectations and stay sane.
- Time Investment: Weeks Turn Into Months
- Getting good artifacts can take weeks or months of steady farming. This is a major time commitment.
- Be patient, and tackle artifact farming in smaller, manageable chunks. Marathon sessions can lead to burnout.
- Resin Costs: The Resource Bottleneck
- Farming consumes resin, which is limited. Each domain run uses resin that could help with other tasks.
- Balance resin usage and do not neglect other character progression aspects due to artifact farming.
- Burnout: The Inevitable Wall
- The endless grind can lead to burnout. A lack of control means you may feel minimal progress. It is a big source of Genshin burnout.
- Take breaks! Enjoy other activities in the game. Remember what you love about it.
7. Domain Difficulty: Which Domains Are Less Painful?
Need a less stressful domain? Some are definitely easier.
- Easiest Domain: Valley of Remembrance (Viridescent Venerer/Maiden Beloved)
- The Valley of Remembrance is considered among the easiest artifact domains by many players.
- This domain lacks complex elemental challenges.
- The enemy waves are small and easy, mainly featuring Treasure Hoarders and Fatui agents.
- For quick, less stressful farming, choose the Valley of Remembrance.
8. Adventure Rank and World Level: Do They Matter for Artifacts?
Let’s clarify Adventure Rank, World Level, and artifact drops:
- AR 45 and World Level: Domain Drops vs. Overworld Drops
- AR 45 unlocks level 90 artifact domains with guaranteed 5-star drops.
- World Level does NOT impact domain drops directly. Each domain’s difficulty remains fixed. Higher World Level does not improve drop rates in domains.
- However, World Level affects overworld boss drops (like Regisvines, Hypostases, Weekly Bosses). Higher World Level yields better drops, including character materials and other artifacts.
9. Additional Tips: Little Things That Help
A few quick tips for your Genshin journey:
- Fastest Way to Level Up Adventure Rank: Quests and Commissions
- Want to hit AR 45 quickly? Focus on Archon Quests, World Quests, Story Quests, and Daily Commissions. These give the most Adventure EXP.
- Spending resin on Domains and World Bosses earns AR EXP but quests are generally faster.
- Team Composition: Early Game Synergy
- Don’t complicate early game team builds. Simple combos like Tighnari and Lisa work well for early content.
- Use Lisa’s Electro followed by Tighnari’s Dendro reactions for early challenges. Learn elemental reactions and team synergy first.
- Primogem Farming: Spiral Abyss is Your Friend (and Foe)
- Need Primogems for wishes? The Spiral Abyss is a reliable source of Primogems.
- Conquering the Abyss can be tough but it offers substantial rewards.
- Lock Assistance (Again!): Seriously, Use It
- This is key: Use the Artifact Locking system and Lock Assistance! It helps with your artifact management. Take advantage of this feature.
10. Artifact Sets and Character Builds: Emblem of Severed Fate Example
Now, let’s talk about artifact sets and character builds. Different characters need different sets. Here’s a brief example:
- Emblem of Severed Fate: Raiden Shogun’s Best Friend
- The Emblem of Severed Fate set suits Raiden Shogun.
- The 2-piece bonus offers Energy Recharge, while the 4-piece bonus enhances Elemental Burst DMG based on Energy Recharge. This fits Raiden Shogun’s abilities well.
- You can farm this set in the Momiji-Dyed Court domain in Inazuma.
- Research which sets are best for characters and their abilities to guide your domain farming gear.
Artifact farming in Genshin Impact is a marathon. Be patient, strategize with your resin, and don’t let RNG frustrate you. With knowledge and perseverance, equip characters with powerful artifacts to face tough challenges in Teyvat. Now, go forth and farm (responsibly)!
