Best 3-Star weapons in Genshin Impact

Genshin Impact has a large variety of weapons that suit different situations. Typically, most players would opt for a 4-star or 5-star weapon, as they have stronger stats and passives. Unfortunately, with the way gacha gaming is, there are times where you’ll need to opt for a weaker choice.

While 3-star weapons are at the bottom of the barrel of usability, some weapons of a weaker caliber are usable for many characters. And in some situations, some 3-star weapons exceed 4-star or 5-star weapons. For example, did you know that Albedo’s best in slot weapon is widely agreed to be a 3-star weapon?

Another advantage of a 3-star weapon is its commonness, making them easy to refine and optimize completely. You’ll pick up 3-stars like crazy while trying to summon for characters or stronger weapons, meaning it’ll be easy to bring them to maximum refinements. As a result, all 3-star weapons listed are considered to be at the highest refinement possible.

Here are the best 3-star weapons in the game, not listed in any particular order:

Black Tassel

With the prevalence of HP-scaling polearm characters increasing, the value of this weapon increases as a niche build path. The HP-scaling characters in Genshin Impact utilize shields, such as Zhongli and the upcoming Thoma. As a result, you can use the Black Tassel to improve your shields while sacrificing damage.

That’s because the Black Tassel has an HP%-increasing main stat. You’re purely using this weapon as a means to make your shields stronger. Unfortunately, the Black Tassel has a useless passive, so the weapon really has no other utility. But if you want a Zhongli shield that’s truly unbreakable, the Black Tassel is actually your best bet.

Harbinger of Dawn

The Harbinger of Dawn is genuinely a strong option for sword characters who function as off-field DPS. The weapon provides an incredible amount of stats, giving a maximum of 46.9% Crit DMG and 28% Crit Rate. That would be good on a 4-star weapon, and the fact that it’s on a 3-star weapon is shocking.

There is a caveat, however. Your character needs to be above 90% HP, or else the 28% Crit Rate passive will not work. This is why this weapon is good for off-field DPS, who can easily switch in and avoid damage. Albedo comes to mind, as he can set his Elemental Skill and switch off immediately. Other characters who can utilize this weapon well are Keqing (as an Elemental Burst focused DPS) or Xingqiu.

(Note, as corrosion becomes a more prevalent mechanic in the game, this weapon’s value may decrease in the future.)

Magic Guide

The Magic Guide provides a lot of Elemental Mastery as its substat, reaching a maximum of 187 extra EM. As it so happens, quite a few Catalyst users want to take advantage of Elemental Mastery, making this a suitable stat stick.

Sucrose, for example, utilizes Elemental Mastery for her support abilities. Lisa can also utilize the Magic Guide as a DPS character who focuses on Elemental Reactions like Overload or Electro-Charged.

Skyrider Sword

There are plenty of sword characters in Genshin Impact that want to maximize their Energy Recharge. The Skyrider Sword is an okay option for that, adding a decent 51% Energy Recharge to your character.

This is best for characters like Xingqiu, who rely on having his Elemental Burst up. You could feasibly pop this weapon on your Bennett or Jean as well, who also appreciate using their Elemental Burst as much as possible.

Thrilling Tales of Dragon Slayer

The Thrilling Tales of Dragon Slayer is an extremely strong support weapon for Catalysts, and your best option most of the time if your character is built as support. This is because of the weapon’s insane passive, increasing a character’s ATK by 48%.

Any Catalyst can take advantage of this weapon. To begin with, characters who focus on support, like Barbara or Kokomi, will enjoy this weapon the most. But you can feasibly put this weapon on any Catalyst character and turn them into a buffer. Best of all, it’s a cheap item to build. It’s not even necessary to level up this weapon at all since you’re using this weapon strictly for the passive.