Skyward Pride: Who Swings This Sword Best? – A Genshin Impact Deep Dive
So, you found the Skyward Pride. It’s a hefty five-star claymore in Genshin Impact. Maybe it dropped while you pulled for a character. Or maybe you wonder if this Mondstadt masterpiece is worth its weight in Mora. It’s not flashy. But it has potential. It needs the right wielder.
Claymore Characters and Skyward Pride: A Match Made in Teyvat?
Let’s dive into the characters who can make Skyward Pride shine, or at least not collect dust in your inventory.
Diluc: The Pyro Powerhouse Reborn (With ER!)
Diluc, the Darknight Hero, the Pyro king. For Diluc mains, the question isn’t IF Skyward Pride is good, but HOW good. The answer? Pretty good. Especially with the Crimson Witch of Flames artifact set. Skyward Pride isn’t only about raw attack power; it’s got Energy Recharge (ER).
ER is crucial for Diluc because his Elemental Burst, Dawn, dishes out massive Pyro damage. Skyward Pride ensures Dawn is ready, especially when weaving in skill activations in your rotations. Remember that Witch’s Set synergy? Diluc’s best artifact set thrives on skill usage, followed by his ultimate. Skyward Pride’s passive grants an 8% damage boost, which pairs well with this set.
It’s like adding hot sauce to spicy chicken – more flavor and kick. With Skyward Pride, you can focus less on ER substats on artifacts. This lets you chase juicy Crit Rate, Crit DMG, and ATK% rolls. It’s a win-win.
Now, let’s compare: Skyward Pride versus Wolf’s Gravestone (WGS). WGS is often seen as the claymore king, and rightfully so. But here’s the tea: at Refinement Rank 5 (R5), Skyward Pride can out-damage even an R5 Wolf’s Gravestone for personal damage. Yes, you read that right. WGS offers a bigger ATK boost, but Skyward Pride’s consistent damage bonus and ER utility make it a top contender.
Sometimes, consistency beats sheer power. Skyward Pride delivers that for our favorite brooding winery owner.
Noelle: The Maid Knight with Unexpected Offense
Noelle, our dependable maid knight. Often overlooked but a Geo damage sponge and capable dealer. For Noelle, Skyward Pride shines when you aim for a high Energy Recharge build. If Noelle needs around 140% ER or more, Skyward Pride becomes a solid choice.
It ensures her Burst is ready more often, crucial for her damage and healing. Think of it as giving her a supercharged battery pack. She’s ready to clean the battlefield at any moment.
Let’s talk comparisons again. Whiteblind is often seen as Noelle’s F2P best-in-slot. At lower ER requirements, Whiteblind and Skyward Pride perform similarly. However, as ER demands climb, Skyward Pride takes the lead. It becomes the go-to choice when needing extra energy boost without losing too much damage potential.
Favonius Greatsword may be her “signature” weapon in the story. But for a damage-focused Noelle, Skyward Pride offers more impact.
Beidou and Dori: Electro Ladies Charging Up
Beidou, the Uncrowned Lord of the Ocean, and Dori, the skilled merchant. Both appreciate Skyward Pride for its Energy Recharge and damage. For Beidou, who relies on her Elemental Burst, Stormbreaker, for off-field Electro damage, Skyward Pride keeps that Burst available. The increased damage amplifies her counter-attack and Burst damage.
Dori also finds Skyward Pride useful for healing and Energy Recharge. It fulfills her energy needs and boosts her damage output. It makes her more than just a battery, allowing for meaningful team DPS contributions.
Kaveh: The Bloom Architect Needing a Boost
Kaveh, the Sumerian architect who loves Bloom reactions, can benefit from Skyward Pride too. If you want to enhance Kaveh’s personal damage while ensuring energy to trigger his Burst more often, Skyward Pride is decent. It offers extra ER to smooth out rotations and a damage increase for Bloom gameplay.
Kinich: (Presumably Arataki Itto – A Typo Adventure!) Slightly Less Good, Still Functional
Wolf’s Gravestone is a more potent alternative for Itto. It boosts his ATK significantly. If you have a Skyward Pride lying around and struggle with Itto’s energy, it’s not a terrible choice, just not optimal. It’s an acceptable backup plan if your luck with weapon banners runs dry.
Gaming: Polearm Power… Wait, Claymore Pride!
Gaming, the Wushou dancer, comes up related to Wolf’s Gravestone and best 4-star Polearms. This is a tangent; Gaming uses polearms, not claymores. Wolf’s Gravestone is a good claymore alternative, but not for Gaming. For Gaming, poles like Staff of Homa or Primordial Jade Winged-Spear are more relevant weapons.
The mention of Gaming highlights that while Skyward Pride benefits some claymore users, weapon choice depends on character type.
Characters Less Suited (But Still Mentioned for Context)
The brief also mentions Ganyu, Zhongli, Raiden Shogun, and Bennett regarding other Skyward weapons like Skyward Harp and Skyward Blade. These mentions highlight weapons that aren’t Skyward Pride. Ganyu prefers bows like Amos Bow or Skyward Harp.
Zhongli and Raiden Shogun benefit from ER weapons like Skyward Spine or The Catch, but Skyward Pride isn’t relevant to them. Bennett benefits from Skyward Blade for its base ATK and ER. These mentions show that while the “Skyward” series shares a name, each weapon targets different characters.
Skyward Pride: The Weapon Deconstructed
Let’s give Skyward Pride its moment in the spotlight. This 5-star claymore is part of the Mondstadt series. Lore trivia says it’s Dvalin’s signature weapon. Imagine that Anemo dragon swinging it around – intimidating.
Its primary strengths are Energy Recharge and overall damage increase. When you swing it, you might hear a deep hum; that’s not imagination; it’s part of the weapon’s flavor text! Mechanically, beyond the ER substat and 8% damage bonus, the passive triggers a effect.
This creates vacuum blades that deal physical damage after using an Elemental Burst. Although physical damage isn’t the main draw, it’s an extra bit that contributes to the overall package.
Is Skyward Pride the best claymore in Genshin Impact for everyone? No. But is it a fantastic and often underrated weapon that can empower various claymore characters? Absolutely. If you have one collecting dust, dust it off and give it to Diluc, Noelle, Beidou, Dori, or even Kaveh. You may find just how much pride this Skyward sword brings to your team.
