Next to Artifacts, weapons are the most important part of a good character build inGenshin Impact. The playable characters fight with either a Catalyst, Bow, Sword, Polearm, or Claymore, and not all weapons are born equal. Most importantly, weapons are ranked from 1 to 5 stars, with the latter being the very best and, of course, the rarest.
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It can be hard toget good 4- or 5-star weaponsinGenshin Impact, especially for new players. Fortunately, there are plenty of great 3-star weapons to use in the meantime. The following 3-star weapons truly stand out among the crowd, especially once a player has leveled, ascended, and refined them.
Updated July 31, 2025, by Nahda Nabiilah:On most banners in Genshin Impact, each 5-star character is accompanied by a weapon banner that features their best-in-slot equipment. For example, on Hu Tao’s banner in Version 2.2, her best Polearm, Staff of Homa, is obtainable via the Weapon Banner.
Unfortunately, the Weapon Banner is filled with uncertainty. To gain the 5-star equipment they need, players need to spend around 200 wishes (if they’re unlucky). Fortunately, until a decent 4-star or 5-star gear is available, players can utilize these 3-star weapons. They may be low in rank, but their performance at Rank 5 can be on-par with Rank 1 4-star weapons.
White Tassel
White Tassel is probably the best 3-star Polearm. It has a Critical Rate substat, which can be extremely useful for players transitioning to mid-game. At level 90, it offers a 23.4% Critical Rate. Other than that, at refinement Rank 5, White Tassel provides a48% increase in Normal Attack damage.
This number is massive, considering it’s higher than some artifact bonus. For example, Gladiator’s Finale set grants a 35% Normal Attack damage bonus. However, it’s crucial to remember thatWhite Tassel is only obtainable via chests. So players should lock at least one of the Rank 5 Polearm to ensure they won’t use it for upgrading materials.
Skyrider Greatsword
Skyrider Greatsword is outshined by Debate Club in the early game, and it’s easy to see why. Unlike the club, Skyrider Greatsword can only be used on Physical DPS. With a43.9% Physical damage bonus, this Claymore can outperform the Club if used on the correct unit. On Razor, this Claymore is a great alternative if 4-star weapons are not yet available.
Unfortunately, just like White Tassel,Skyrider Greatsword is only obtainable via chests in Liyue. So it’s also far less accessible compared to Debate Club.
Skyrider Sword
Although this weapon comes from the same series as the Skyrider Greatsword, the Sword version is less offensive. Skyrider Sword has a large sub-stat (51.7% Energy Recharge), but a lower main stat,354 Base Attack.
Since the weapon focuses on ER, its passive also enhances Elemental Burst; after using Burst,the weapon grants a24% extra ATK and Movement SPD for 15s. Therefore, Skyrider Sword is a great choice for Burst Support.
Thrilling Tales of Dragon Slayers
Even though it has only 3 stars, the Thrilling Tales of Dragon Slayers Catalyst is one of the best support weapons inGenshin Impact. Its base stats are not that special, but its passive is great; wheneverthe character wielding this Catalystswaps places with another character, the latter will have up to48% more attack power(depending on weapon refinement level) for a duration of ten seconds.
This makes it very useful to the team as long as this Catalyst is equipped by an HP-focused support.
Magic Guide
The Magic Guide Catalyst deals good damage when equipped by the right character. For starters,its secondary stat increases the wearer’s Elemental Mastery. Although it has the lowest base attack of all three-star Catalysts, the Magic Guide has a great damage output if equipped by either Hydro or Electro damage dealers.
Thanks to its passive,all damage against enemies affected by the Hydro or Electro element is increased by 12% to 24%. As causing an Elemental Reaction is not even necessary, this Catalyst is an easy damage-dealer to use with any Hydro or Electro character.
Slingshot
The Slingshot is an extremely useful weapon forDPS bow characters such as Fischl. If a Normal or Aimed shot hits the enemy within 0.3 seconds of being fired, it canincrease the damage dealt with up to 60%.
The secondary stat also grants a higher critical hit chance, which makes this a great DPS weapon. The only drawback is thatdamage will be decreased by 10% if the shot takes longer than 0.3 seconds. So, as long as the wielder stays close to the target, this 3-star is great for dealing high damage.
Sharpshooter’s Oath
This 3-star bow can do a lot of damage, but it requires some skill. TheSharpshooter’s Oath’spassive skill increases damage against weak spots by up to 48%. It also increases Critical Damage as a secondary stat. In other words, when wielded by a strong damage character, this bow is perfect to take down larger foes.
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However, some players will have more trouble aiming at and hitting weak spots than others. If the player can trust their aiming abilities enough, then this is a great bow to use.
Harbinger of Dawn
The Harbinger of Dawn is a very decent melee weapon. Its secondary stat grants additional Critical Damage while the character’sCritical Rate is increased by up to 28%. However, this effect only occurs when the character’s HP is above 90%.
This means that the character wielding the Harbinger of Dawn is very dependent on having a great healer on the team, or a large supply of healing foods. As long as the player is able to keep the HP above that threshold though, this melee weapon is very useful for damage-dealing.
Fillet Blade
This sword has a decent base attack and grants additional attack power as a secondary stat. Furthermore, it has the potential to deal massive damage thanks to its passive ability;every hit has a 50% chance to deal between 240% and 400%(depending on refinement level)damage to an enemy.
This can occur every 11 seconds if the highest refinement level is reached. As the high damage output can be easily wasted on a weaker enemy with low HP, the Fillet Blade is best used to defeat bigger enemies.
Cool Steel
The Cool Steel Sword is a great weapon to have for all Hydro and Cryo DPS characters.It increases damage against enemies affected by the Hydro or Cryo element by up to 24%. It also has increased attack power as its secondary stat. This makes Cool Steel a very decent 3-star weapon in almost any situation.
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Cool Steel is especially useful when having both a Hydro and Cryo character on the team though. After making the enemy wet and consequently freezing them, Cool Steel can hit away at the stunned enemy.
Black Tassel
TheBlack Tassel Polearm increases damage done against slimes by up to 80%. This is very useful inGenshin Impact, as slimes are one of the most common enemies. Slimes are found in abundance in both the wild and in dungeons. To have a weapon specialized in killing slimes is, therefore, no unnecessary luxury.
The only drawback is the secondary stat which grants additional HP. This is a little less useful considering that this weapon will be equipped by aPolearm damage dealer such as Xiangling. When used by early-game characters though, it can’t hurt to have extra slime-killing abilities and some additional protection at the same time.
Debate Club
Thisheavy Claymore weaponcan deal a lot of damage. Not only does the secondary stat increase the already decent base attack power, butusing the character’s Elemental Skill will alsogrant up to 120% increased attack power in a small area for all Normal and Charged Attacks.
This effect will last for fifteen seconds. The Debate Club is best used by a character meant for DPS. Furthermore, as the effect is triggered by the Elemental Skill, it works great for a character with a low Elemental cooldown.
Bloodtainted Greatsword
The Bloodtainted Greatsword does not have the highest base attack ofall three-star Claymores, but it still has the potential to be the best damage-dealer.Its passive ability increases damage against enemies affected by Pyro or Electro by up to 24%. An Elemental Reaction is thus not required.
This weapon is a great fit for any Pyro or Electro character build for high damage output,such as Diluc, especially if they have a relatively low Elemental cooldown. Furthermore, this Greatsword grants additional Elemental Mastery as a secondary stat.
Genshin Impactis now available on Mobile, PC, PS4, and PS5. A Switch version is in development.
