Overview
What is a “Support Weapon”?
A true support weapon improves the whole team in one or more of these ways:
- It gives Energy to the team.
- It buffs the active character or the entire team.
The Main Criteria for Ranking
When judging a support weapon, there are several things that matter.
1. Meta Presense
A weapon can only be useful if it is being used. Therefore, meta team usage will be the higest consideration.
2. Buff
A strong weapon needs to provide strong effects to either the active character or the entire party. How powerful that buff is will also be taken into consideration.
3. Ease of Triggering
A support weapon should not force the team into unnatural gameplay, or lengthen the rotation. A userful support weapon should increase the team's DPS not lower it.
4. Versatility
A strong weapon can be even more useful if it can be used by more characters, increasing the value of the weapon.
5. Uptime
A strong buff is less useful if it only lasts for part of the rotation, or once every other rotation.
Overall Ranking
1. Favonius Weapons
Favonius weapons generate extra Energy particles when the holder lands a CRIT hit. This sounds simple, but it is one of the strongest support effects in the game because Energy is tied directly to rotation length. If your team lacks energy then it can significantly lower your DPS. Thereby making the Favonius series is the best overall support weapon family in Genshin Impact
Favonius weapons help by doing several things at once:
- They have Energy Recharge main stat.
- They generate extra particles for the team.
This is why Favonius weapons are so hard to power creep. A new weapon may provide a stronger damage buff, but Favonius solves a universal problem.
Favonius Lance and Sword are probably the best single Favonius weapons overall because so many important supports can use them. While Favonious Codex and Claymore isn't as viable because there are less characters that can make use of them. Especially because Catalyst users have a fantastic option in TTDS.
2. Thrilling Tales of Dragon Slayers
Thrilling Tales of Dragon Slayers, usually called TTDS, is one of the best support weapons in the game despite being a 3-star weapon.
At Refinement 5, it gives a huge, 48% ATK buff to the next character you switch into after the holder. This makes it extremely powerful for ATK-scaling carries.
The reason TTDS is so valuable is simple:
- It is free and easy to obtain
- It is cheap to use, you don't even have to level it.
- It gives a massive buff.
Essentially every catalyst can make used of TTDS if the main DPS is an attack scaler, making it especially useful in game modes like Imaginarium Theatre where you have to build an abundance of characters. Therefore, making TTDS an extremely valuable option for all players.
3. Symphonist of Scents
Symphonist of Scents is Escoffier's signature weapon, also more widely known as Fork. It is a fantastic premium support polearm for ATK-scalers as it gives 32% attack to the on fielder if they are healed by the weapon holder.
The reason why it ranks so highly is because it doesn't require its best users to change the rotation. Chevreuse, Iansan, and Escoffier are 3 of the best supports in the game. Fork also allows these users to give the active character the buff with 100% up time so long as they are healed.
Fork Weaknesses
Its main weakness is restriction. The user needs to heal to activate the support value, and the buff only benefits ATK-scaling teams. This makes it powerful in the right setup, but much less universal than Favonius or TTDS.
4. Elegy for the End
Elegy for the End is one of the best premium support weapons in Genshin Impact. It is one of Venti's signature weapon and is more widely known as Elegy. It is a 5-star bow with an Energy Recharge main stat and a teamwide buff of 100 EM and 20% attack after the holder triggers its effect through Elemental Skill or Burst hits.
Elegy is excellent because it can be can trigger it from off-field and it is especially good in teams where both ATK and EM matter, such as reaction teams like Vaporize, and Melt.
Elegy Weaknesses
Elegy is not equally strong in every team. If the team does not care about EM or Attack then part of the buff is wasted.
Also Elegy only has 12s up time with a 20s cooldown, making it not available every rotation.
5. Sacrificial Weapons
Sacrificial weapons reset the holder’s Elemental Skill cooldown after the Skill deals damage. They are not always the strongest support weapons, but they can be excellent on the right character because it helps with more particle generation and as well as a skill reset, which matters a lot if the character needs more elemental application, grouping, or up time.
There are specific set ups that require a sac trigger like Pyro Traveler in Mualani's team to maintain 100% up time or Citlali to avoid having to burst in Dark Durin's team. Navia can also make used of the weapon as a cheap option to get an additional skill shot.
Sacrificial Weaknesses
They are much less universal than Favonius because the passive only matters if the character’s Skill is actually worth using twice. Often using skill twice is a DPS loss over Fav because it can slightly extend the rotation and the particle type isn't white.
6. Tulaytullah Weapons
Tulaytullah weapon series were introduced in Sumeru as a gacha only 4 star weapons.
The reason this series is so good is that all three weapons convert the holder’s Elemental Mastery into teamwide buff. Xiphos converts EM into Energy Recharge. Makhaira and Wandering Evenstar convert EM into ATK.
All three weapons can trigger even when the holder is not on-field at all, making the trigger condition trivial, you simply need to exist in the team and you will get 100% uptime on the teamwide buff. Wandering Evenstar, especially at R5, is easiest the best in the series as it converts the holder's EM into attack and its holder already naturally want to build EM. Makhaira Aquamarine is similar but it's not as good because Claymore users generally don't want to build EM. While Xiphos' Moonlight used to be the best because it converts EM into teamwide ER but it clashes with Fav in this niche, making it not as valuable.
Tulaytullah Weaknesses
The Tulaytullah series is a gacha only 4 star line up. This means that there are no guaranteed that you will get your weapon and generally you would need to wait a long time for a rerun because they are an older series now.
7. Starcaller’s Watch
Starcaller’s Watch is a strong premium catalyst for catalyst shielders.
When creating a shield, the weapon gives the active character a 28% DMG Bonus.
Because all of the catalyst shielders have 100% up time on their shield, Starcaller also has 100% uptime so long as the shield doesn't break. Although comparatively, the buff is less than TTDS, it is still more favorable in teams with shorter rotation or for non-attack scalers.
Starcaller’s Watch Weaknesses
Starcaller’s Watch is not universal because it requires catalyst shielder, which there aren't many.
It also competes with TTDS, which is much a much cheaper option and isn't much weaker for attack scalers. However Starcaller's Watch has full up time unlike TTDS, making it slightly better on average. In Skirk's team where triggering Scroll + TTDS is harder, Starcaller's Watch is an better alternative as not only does it allow Citlali to funnel particles into Escoffier, but also simplify the rotation.
8. Angelos’ Heptades
Angelos’ Heptades is another catalyst designed around shield-based support. Similar to Starcaller's Watch, it gives 26% DMG Bonus.
Angelos’ Heptades Weaknesses
Angelos’ Heptades' biggest weakness is that it requires the holder to have 2600 attack to maximize its buff, while providing less than Starcallers' Watcher. But in exchange, even if the shield breaks, the effect still persists because it's given when the holder trigger a shield. Additionally, the weapon does refund 14 energy to only the holder once per rotation but none of its prominent user is energy hungry enough to make used of this.
Similar to Starcaller's Watch, Angelos’ Heptades has to compete with TTDS, which is a free weapon. The weapon is only particularly good on Nicole because of high base attack.
9. Freedom-Sworn
Freedom-Sworn is one of the best premium sword support weapons, especially on Kazuha.
It provides Elemental Mastery and a team buff after the holder triggers Elemental Reactions. The buff increases 20% ATK and 16% Damage Bonus for Normal, Charged, and Plunging Attack.
Freedom-Sworn Weaknesses
It is very hard to trigger outside of Kazuh so it is a very niche weapon. Similar to Elegy, Freedom-Sworn also has up time issues when there is only a 12s uptime for a 20s cooldown.
10. Key of Khaj-Nisut
Key of Khaj-Nisut is a strong support sword for HP-scaling characters.
It can convert the holder’s HP into Elemental Mastery for the team with 100% uptime. This makes it very strong on characters who naturally build a lot of HP and can trigger the passive, which requires 3 skill hits.
Key of Khaj-Nisut Weaknesses
Key is not a general support sword, it is only strong when the holder scales with HP and can trigger the passive properly, which heavily limit the potential users. Also the EM buff isn't that signicantly, even Nilou will only provide about 150 EM to the team in the optimal condition, while other holders will provide much less.
Honorable Mentions
Peak Patrol Song
Peak Patrol Song is a strong support weapon for DEF-scaling support characters. After 2 Normal or Plunging Attacks hit, and give a maximum of 25.6% DMG Bonus for 15s uptime
Peak Patrol Song Weaknesses
Peak Patrol Song is not a universal sword because it requires the user to build full Defence to meet the 2600 DEF threshold or the weapon loses value. Aside from Xilonen herself, Chiori and Albedo, nobody can fully utilized it and those characters are no longer favorable in the meta.
Athame Artis
Athame Artis is a support sword built around Elemental Burst damage. It gives a 16% attack buff for 3s, refreshing every burst hit. With Hexerei: Secret Rite effects, the ATK buff becomes becomes 28%.
Athame Artis Weaknesses
Athame Artis requires constant burst hits from the holder for full uptime. Because of this restriction, Durin is the only meta character who can use this weapon. However its full buff potential is reliant on Hexerei teams, making it more restricted while still providing less than Fork at only 28% attack.
Are support 5-star weapons must-pulls?
If you are F2P or a low spender, your priority should NOT be 5-star support weapons. You should focus on the weapons or constellations that give the most value for the least cost.
Premium support weapons are strong, but they are rarely mandatory.
Usually it is more optimal to invest vertically into the main DPS.
But if a good support weapons, regardless of rarity, are available on your DPS' banner then it certainly increases the value of that banner if you can make used of said weapon.
Final Verdict
The best support weapon in Genshin Impact is the weapon that makes your team function.
For most accounts, that means Favonius weapons. They fix Energy problems, stabilize rotations, and allow teammates to build more offensive stats.
For low-cost teams, Thrilling Tales of Dragon Slayers is still one of the strongest weapons in the game. It is cheap, and powerful.
All 5-star support weapons are more niche and should only be pulled if the conditions are suitable.