The Short Answer
Artifacts, not characters, decide how strong your account actually is. A well-built four-star can out-damage a poorly geared five-star. The rules that matter almost never change: pick the right 2-piece or 4-piece set, lock in the correct main stat on the three flexible slots (Sands, Goblet, Circlet), and chase CRIT, ATK%, and your character's scaling stat in the substats. Aim for a rough 1:2 CRIT Rate to CRIT Damage ratio and you are most of the way to an optimized build. Everything below is the detail.
If you have not picked your carries yet, start with the Genshin best characters and team guide, then come back to gear them.
The Five Artifact Slots
Every character wears five artifacts. Two slots have fixed main stats and three are flexible, which is where all your decisions live.
| Slot | Main stat | Notes |
| Flower | HP (flat) | Always flat HP. No choice. |
| Plume | ATK (flat) | Always flat ATK. No choice. |
| Sands | Choose one | ATK%, EM, ER, HP%, or DEF% |
| Goblet | Choose one | Elemental DMG%, Physical DMG%, ATK%, EM |
| Circlet | Choose one | CRIT Rate, CRIT DMG, Healing, ATK%, EM |
The Flower and Plume are settled the moment they drop. Your real targets are the Sands, Goblet, and Circlet with the correct main stat, because a wrong main stat cannot be fixed by leveling.
Main Stats: What to Target
Most damage dealers want the same template, with exceptions for reaction and scaling-based characters:
- Sands: ATK% for most carries. Use Energy Recharge if the character is starved for energy, or Elemental Mastery for reaction-focused units like Hydro and Dendro enablers.
- Goblet: the character's Elemental DMG% (Pyro Goblet on a Pyro DPS, and so on). This is usually your single biggest damage slot. Use an EM goblet only on dedicated reaction units.
- Circlet: CRIT Rate or CRIT DMG, whichever balances your ratio better. Healers run a Healing Bonus circlet; some HP or DEF scalers run those instead.
A handful of characters scale off HP, DEF, or Elemental Mastery instead of ATK. Always check the character's wiki page before you commit a set, because building a HP scaler with ATK% is the most common gearing mistake in the game.
Substats and the CRIT Ratio Rule
Substats are where artifacts are won or lost. For the vast majority of DPS characters, prioritize in this order:
- CRIT Rate and CRIT DMG
- ATK%
- Your character's scaling stat (EM for reactions, ER if energy-hungry)
- Flat stats only as filler
The guideline that ties it together is the CRIT ratio: aim for roughly 1 part CRIT Rate to 2 parts CRIT DMG (for example 70% Rate and 140% DMG). Stacking CRIT DMG with almost no CRIT Rate gives you huge numbers that rarely land; the ratio keeps your damage consistent instead of swingy.
2-Piece vs 4-Piece Sets
Artifact sets give a bonus at 2 pieces and a stronger one at 4 pieces. Most optimized builds run a full 4-piece of a character's best set. When you cannot get a clean 4-piece, two 2-piece bonuses are a strong stopgap: common pairings are 18% ATK + Elemental DMG%, or EM + EM for reaction units.
Do not hold a character hostage to a perfect 4-piece. A 2-piece/2-piece build with correct main stats and good CRIT will clear all the story and most endgame content. Use the Genshin tier list to decide who deserves your best sets first.
Farming Artifacts Without Wasting Resin
Artifacts come from Domains, and farming them is the real Genshin endgame. A few rules keep it efficient:
- Only farm a domain that drops two useful sets. Most domains hold two sets; pick one that serves multiple characters so nothing is wasted.
- Stop leveling early on bad pieces. Level an artifact to +4 first, check the substat rolls, and only continue to +20 if the early rolls hit CRIT or your scaling stat.
- Use the Strongbox. Convert junk five-star artifacts into a chosen set through the Crafting Bench to pity your way toward the set you need.
- Resin is your bottleneck, not artifacts. Spend it on the domain that improves the most characters, and consider using Condensed Resin to halve your trips.
Quick Build Checklist
Before you call a character "built," confirm:
- Correct Sands, Goblet, Circlet main stats for their scaling.
- A 4-piece best set, or two solid 2-piece bonuses.
- A healthy CRIT ratio near 1:2.
- Energy Recharge high enough to use the Ultimate on cooldown.
Hit those four and your character is ready for anything the game throws at you.
Keep Building
Artifacts are a long game, so gear your main team first and let the rest improve over time. Pair this with the best characters and team guide, keep the Genshin Impact wiki open for per-character stat priorities, and grab free Primogems from the codes page to keep pulling.
