Genshin Impact 5.0 Update at a Glance - KQM (2024)

Updated 27 September 2024

Genshin impact Version 5.0 introduces Natlan, the Nation of Pyro. The update also brings along three new characters, six freely obtainable weapons, two new artifact sets, and the Nightsoul mechanics.

This Genshin Impact guide assesses new 5.0 weapons and artifact sets and describes the best characters who use them. Expect the Mualani, Kinich, and Kachina Quick Guides to come out soon!

Note that the information given may change if new discoveries are made. More extensive testing is in progress.

Join our Discord to participate in the theorycrafting process.

New Content

Nightsoul Mechanics Overview

Genshin Impact Version 5.0 introduces unique mechanics involving Nightsoul, which is intrinsic to characters hailing from Natlan. Various Nightsoul mechanics not only help Natlan characters traverse terrain more nimbly but also enhance their combat prowess. Certain equipment and enemies are also affected by the presence of Nightsoul mechanics.

Players are guaranteed Kachina as a Natlan character just by progressing through the 5.0 Archon Quest Chapter V: Act I, “Flowers Resplendent on the Sun-Scorched Sojourn.”

Nightsoul’s Blessing

Kachina in the Nightsoul’s Blessing state with the Nightsoul point indication bar.
Notice the golden flame she emits off her body in this state.

Nightsoul’s Blessing can also be used to activate artifact set effects like those of Obsidian Codex and Scroll of the Hero of Cinder City.

Nightsoul-Aligned Damage

Certain attacks from Natlan characters have a special Nightsoul property. Nightsoul-aligned damage does not have any special effects in general; the only current exception is that they deal increased damage (by a 60% DMG Bonus) against the Wayob Manifestations in their Moment of Trial state. As of the time of writing, these are the only attacks in the game that have a Nightsoul alignment:

• Kachina’s Turbo Twirly (Elemental Skill)
• Mualani’s Sharky’s Bites (Elemental Skill)
• Mualani’s Super Shark Missile (Elemental Burst)
• Kinich’s Loop Shots (Elemental Skill)
• Kinich’s Scalespiker Cannon (Elemental Skill)
• Kinich’s Elemental Burst initial hit and Dragon Breath (Elemental Burst)

Nightsoul Burst

When your team has at least one Natlan character, teammates (including non-Natlan characters) can trigger Nightsoul Bursts by dealing Elemental damage to enemies. The more Natlan characters you have in the team, the more often Nightsoul Bursts can be triggered:

Nightsoul Bursts don’t deal any damage or apply an Element themselves. However, they are used to activate certain Natlan artifact set effects and character Talent effects; for example, Nightsoul Bursts increase Mualani’s Burst damage via her A4 Passive.

Nightsoul Burst

Nightsoul Transmission

Kachina’s icon glows when Traveler is sprinting, indicating that Nightsoul Transmission is available.

Phlogiston

Phlogiston, another exploration mechanic exclusive to the Natlan overworld, is not a part of the Nightsoul system but is still interconnected to it. Phlogiston appears as a special Stamina bar on your characters that can be used for numerous overworld mechanics, including powering your Saurians’ special abilities. Interacting with certain objects can give you Phlogiston points (for example, staying close to a teleport waypoint or Statue of the Seven).

The Phlogiston meter above your character’s HP bar.

One special aspect of Phlogiston is that characters can use it as a “fuel” to maintain their Nightsoul’s Blessing state after they have exhausted all their Nightsoul points. This means that as long as the Phlogiston points do not run out, a Natlan character can be in their Nightsoul’s Blessing state forever!

New Artifact Sets Overview

The new artifact sets are found in the Domain of Blessing called Sanctum of Rainbow Spirits, located near the “People of the Springs” tribe in Natlan.

Natlan’s two new artifact sets are most impactful to characters from Natlan, or characters played in teams with a Natlan teammate.

DISCLAIMER: The following suggestions are based on early analysis. Please wait for further calculations and testing before investing a significant amount of Resin into farming these artifacts.

Scroll of the Hero of Cinder City

2-Piece Set Bonus:
When a nearby party member triggers a Nightsoul Burst, the equipping character regenerates 6 Elemental Energy.

4-Piece Set Bonus:
After the equipping character triggers a reaction related to their Elemental Type, all nearby party members gain a 12% Elemental DMG Bonus for the Elemental Types involved in the elemental reaction for 15s. If the equipping character is in the Nightsoul’s Blessing state when triggering this effect, all nearby party members gain an additional 28% Elemental DMG Bonus for the Elemental Types involved in the elemental reaction for 20s. The equipping character can trigger this effect while off-field, and the DMG bonus from Artifact Sets with the same name do not stack.

The Scroll artifact set’s 2pc effect can be utilized in 2pc mixed sets for characters whose primary purpose is casting their Bursts off cooldown. However, the condition to trigger the effect limits teambuilding, since triggering Nightsoul Burst requires at least one Natlan character in the team. Additionally, there are often more useful support artifact sets to use on these Burst-centric characters.

The 4pc effect is much more notable, as it potentially grants a massive teamwide buff of up to 40% Elemental DMG Bonus (12% + 28%). However, only Natlan characters in their Nightsoul’s Blessing state can trigger the part of the 4pc effect that further increases the Elemental DMG Bonus by 28%, limiting the effectiveness of this set on non-Natlan holders. 4pc Scroll should generally be equipped by support characters to buff the team’s damage dealers to a greater extent.

Notes on Scroll of the Hero of Cinder City’s 4-Piece Set Bonus

• Multiple reactions triggered by the same user results in a DMG Bonus buff to all Elements involved.
• Off-field units can still trigger the effect.
• The 12% DMG Bonus and 28% DMG Bonus are counted individually. They can be triggered separately and have independent uptime.
• Each Element can only receive 1 instance of 12% DMG Bonus and 1 instance of 28% DMG Bonus.
• Reactions not related to the holder’s Element do not trigger the 4pc effect. For example, if an Anemo character with 4pc Scroll triggers a Pyro Swirl reaction that leads to a Vaporize reaction on the adjacent enemy, that Anemo character will only give Anemo and Pyro DMG Bonus to the team and not Hydro DMG Bonus.
• The duration of the buff can be refreshed, both on-field and off-field.
• Reactions on most non-enemy entities cannot trigger the 4pc effect. This includes but is not limited to environments (bodies of water, grass, etc.), certain objects (Regisvine Cores, Electro Crystals, etc.), Elemental Infusion, and reactions on characters.
• Shatter does not trigger the effect.
• Hyperbloom and Burgeon give Dendro and Electro / Pyro DMG Bonus, respectively.
• Quicken and Aggravate give Dendro and Electro DMG Bonus, while Spread only gives Dendro DMG Bonus.
• It is inconsistent to trigger the set effect with Burning, as reapplying Dendro or Pyro on a Burning enemy does not guarantee a “reaction.”

Which Characters Can Use Scroll of the Hero of Cinder City?

At the time of writing, Kachina is the only support character who can trigger the full effect of the set. However, other non-Natlan support characters can still find the set useful for their teams in many scenarios. Nonetheless, the set remains promising and will likely have its value increased with the introduction of more Natlan units.

Viable 2pc Set Users

Best 4pc Set Users

Viable Non-Natlan 4pc Set Users

Not Recommended

Obsidian Codex

2-Piece Set Bonus:
While the equipping character is in Nightsoul’s Blessing and is on the field, their DMG dealt is increased by 15%.

4-Piece Set Bonus:
After the equipping character consumes 1 Nightsoul point while on the field, CRIT Rate increases by 40% for 6s. This effect can trigger once every second.

The 2pc effect of Obsidian Codex provides a straightforward 15% DMG Bonus, while the 4pc further gives 40% CRIT Rate to the set user if they consume 1 Nightsoul point while on-field. This totals to a universally good buff volume for on-field DPS characters from Natlan, as they can easily trigger and maintain the set effects from both the 2pc and 4pc.

Which Characters Can Use Obsidian Codex?

Obsidian Codex is limited to Natlan characters only, as both its 2pc and 4pc effects need the holder to be in the Nightsoul’s Blessing state to trigger. Currently, there are only Mualani and Kinich as the main users of this artifact set. However, Obsidian Codex’s set bonus is so massive that it will likely become the Best-in-Slot (BiS) for many on-field Natlan DPS characters soon to be released.

Best 4pc Set Users

Viable 2pc Set Users

Niche 4pc Set Users

New Artifact Definition and Extraction Function Overview

Version 5.0 introduced the Artifact Transmuter, a gadget that provides two artifact-related functions — extraction and definition.

Artifact Definition consumes a material called Sanctifying Elixir, also introduced in Version 5.0. Using these Elixirs, players can obtain an artifact with a predetermined set, type, main stat, and up to two substats. Elixirs are consumed at the following rates, based on type (the other properties have no effect on Elixir consumption):

It is important to note that only one artifact of each set can be defined per patch. Because of this, it’s advisable to prioritize defining Goblets over the other pieces, as it is harder to come by those pieces with good substats. In rare cases, players may also consider defining a Sands or Circlet. However, if looking for a Flower / Plume upgrade, it is usually a good idea to farm the Domain or use the Strongbox, as the fixed main stat of those pieces makes them drop with good substats far more often.

Sanctifying Elixirs can be obtained through:

• Natlan Exploration (including but not limited to the Tona Offering System)
• Purchasing the Gnostic Hymn tier of the Battle Pass
• Events like the 2024 Anniversary (which will provide an Elixir through in-game mail)
• Artifact Extraction

Artifact Extraction consumes 5-star artifacts of Level 4 or higher and converts them to progress towards a Sanctifying Elixir. You can extract 1 Sanctifying Elixir per patch, and progress obtained from each artifact extracted is calculated based on its level:

If only considering the number of 5-star artifacts used, using Lv. 19 or 20 artifacts — roughly four of them in total — would be the most efficient way to extract a Sanctifying Elixir. However, using Lv. 4 artifacts is most efficient in terms of Artifact EXP used. Since it is already common practice to level certain pieces to Lv. 4, usually in search for a good fourth substat, players should have a steady supply of Lv. 4 pieces, which can only be used for the Strongbox or experience at the cost of the other opportunity. Artifact Extraction can thus be seen as less wasteful than both, and thus it is advisable to use Lv. 4 artifacts in it as the best way to dispose of such pieces.

New Craftable Weapons Overview

Natlan’s craftable weapons provide various secondary stats and passives that benefit different types of characters. Weapon descriptions are stated on a range of R1–R5.

DISCLAIMER: The following suggestions are based on early analysis. Please wait for further calculations and testing before investing in billets and ore to craft or refine these weapons.

Flute of Ezpitzal (Sword)

Base ATK: 454
DEF: 69.0%

Using an Elemental Skill increases DEF by 16–32% for 15s.

Flute of Ezpitzal is a good free-to-play option for DEF-scaling Sword users, as DEF% is a rare stat to get from a Sword. This weapon synergizes well with the two current DEF-scaling Sword damage dealers, namely Albedo and Chiori.

Best Users

Earth Shaker (Claymore)

Base ATK: 565
ATK: 27.6%

After a party member triggers a Pyro-related reaction, the equipping character’s Elemental Skill DMG is increased by 24-48% for 8s. This effect can be triggered even when the triggering party member is not on the field.

Earth Shaker requires a Pyro reaction (Vaporize, Melt, Overloaded, Burning, Burgeon, Pyro Swirl, or Pyro Crystallize) to trigger its passive, so having at least one Pyro character in the team (who can be the weapon holder themself) is a must. The Claymore is best suited to characters who deal good Elemental Skill damage and scale with ATK.

Other craftable weapons such as Tidal Shadow or Prototype Archaic are still better ATK stat sticks if the equipping character does not have their Elemental Skill as a big portion of their damage.

Note that reapplying Dendro or Pyro onto enemies that are currently in the Burning state does not count as triggering a Burning reaction for this weapon passive’s activation. As such, keeping the uptime of Earth Shaker’s passive may be an issue in some Burning teams.

Best Users

Not Recommended

Footprint of the Rainbow (Polearm)

Base ATK: 510
DEF: 51.7%

Using an Elemental Skill increases DEF by 16-32% for 15s.

Footprint of the Rainbow is a good stat stick weapon for Polearm users with DEF scaling, as DEF is a rare stat to get from external sources.

Best Users

Ring of Yaxche (Catalyst)

Base ATK: 510
HP: 41.3%

Using an Elemental Skill grants the Jade-Forged Crown effect: Every 1,000 Max HP will increase the Normal Attack DMG dealt by the equipping character by 0.6-1% for 10s. Normal Attack DMG can be increased this way by a maximum of 16-32%.

Ring of Yaxche is a strong weapon to increase the Normal Attack damage of HP-scaling Catalyst DPS characters, provided that they use an Elemental Skill not long before their Normal Attack field time. The passive incentivizes building more HP on the holder than usual, but CRIT and DMG% should still have a high stat priority regardless.

Best Users

Not Recommended

Chain Breaker (Bow)

Base ATK: 565
ATK: 27.6%

For every party member from Natlan or who has a different Elemental Type from the equipping character, the equipping character gains 4.8-9.6% increased ATK. When there are no less than 3 of the aforementioned characters, the equipping character gains 24-48 Elemental Mastery.

Chain Breaker gives stats and incentivizes the equipping character to be in a team with Natlan characters or teammates of different Elemental Types from them. Note that the weapon does count its user for one instance of the ATK% buff if the equipping unit is from Natlan themself. With the currently released character roster, a Chain Breaker user can get a maximum of 28.8% ATK and 48 EM from the weapon’s passive (at R5). This makes Chain Breaker a very competitive generalist weapon among its 4-star competitors as a simple stat stick. It is not worth modifying your team just to gain more ATK% increase over other more important teambuilding considerations.

Best Users

New Event-Exclusive 4-Star Weapon Overview

Ash-Graven Drinking Horn (Catalyst)

Base ATK: 510
HP: 41.3%

When an attack hits an opponent, deal AoE DMG equal to 40-80% of Max HP at the target location. This effect can be triggered once every 15s.

Ash-Graven Drinking Horn gives an HP% secondary stat and a passive that deals a notable Physical damage instance based on the user’s Max HP every 15s. Thus, the Catalyst is best used on characters that benefit from building HP. However, the weapon faces stiff competition from Ring of Yaxche and Prototype Amber — two “F2P” options that also offer the same HP% secondary stat and useful passives.

The passive’s damage instance is Physical damage and thus does not benefit from the user’s Elemental DMG Bonus, but it is affected by their Common and Physical DMG Bonus.

Best Users

Niche Users

Not Recommended

New Event Wish-Exclusive Weapon Overview

Surf’s Up (Catalyst)

R1

R2

R3

R4

R5

Base ATK: 542
CRIT DMG: 88.2%

Max HP increased by 20%.
Once every 15s, for the 14s after using an Elemental Skill: Gain 4 Scorching Summer stacks. Each stack increases Normal Attack DMG by 12%. For the duration of the effect, once every 1.5s, lose 1 stack after a Normal Attack hits an opponent; once every 1.5s, gain 1 stack after triggering a Vaporize reaction on an opponent. Max 4 Scorching Summer stacks.

Base ATK: 542
CRIT DMG: 88.2%

Max HP increased by 25%.
Once every 15s, for the 14s after using an Elemental Skill: Gain 4 Scorching Summer stacks. Each stack increases Normal Attack DMG by 15%. For the duration of the effect, once every 1.5s, lose 1 stack after a Normal Attack hits an opponent; once every 1.5s, gain 1 stack after triggering a Vaporize reaction on an opponent. Max 4 Scorching Summer stacks.

Base ATK: 542
CRIT DMG: 88.2%

Max HP increased by 30%.
Once every 15s, for the 14s after using an Elemental Skill: Gain 4 Scorching Summer stacks. Each stack increases Normal Attack DMG by 18%. For the duration of the effect, once every 1.5s, lose 1 stack after a Normal Attack hits an opponent; once every 1.5s, gain 1 stack after triggering a Vaporize reaction on an opponent. Max 4 Scorching Summer stacks.

Base ATK: 542
CRIT DMG: 88.2%

Max HP increased by 35%.
Once every 15s, for the 14s after using an Elemental Skill: Gain 4 Scorching Summer stacks. Each stack increases Normal Attack DMG by 21%. For the duration of the effect, once every 1.5s, lose 1 stack after a Normal Attack hits an opponent; once every 1.5s, gain 1 stack after triggering a Vaporize reaction on an opponent. Max 4 Scorching Summer stacks.

Base ATK: 542
CRIT DMG: 88.2%

Max HP increased by 40%.
Once every 15s, for the 14s after using an Elemental Skill: Gain 4 Scorching Summer stacks. Each stack increases Normal Attack DMG by 24%. For the duration of the effect, once every 1.5s, lose 1 stack after a Normal Attack hits an opponent; once every 1.5s, gain 1 stack after triggering a Vaporize reaction on an opponent. Max 4 Scorching Summer stacks.

Base ATK: 542
CRIT DMG: 88.2%

Max HP increased by 20%.
Once every 15s, for the 14s after using an Elemental Skill: Gain 4 Scorching Summer stacks. Each stack increases Normal Attack DMG by 12%. For the duration of the effect, once every 1.5s, lose 1 stack after a Normal Attack hits an opponent; once every 1.5s, gain 1 stack after triggering a Vaporize reaction on an opponent. Max 4 Scorching Summer stacks.

Mualani’s signature and Best-in-Slot weapon. The weapon grants the user a good amount of Normal Attack DMG% as long as they can maintain a good interval between each Vaporize reaction proc. Its high CRIT DMG secondary stat makes it a decent stat stick on almost any DPS Catalyst user, while the straightforward HP% buff from the passive gives an incentive for the user to be HP-scaling.

Best Users

Possible Users

Fang of the Mountain King (Claymore)

R1

R2

R3

R4

R5

Base ATK: 741
CRIT Rate: 11.0%

Gain 1 stack of Canopy’s Favor after hitting an opponent with an Elemental Skill. This can be triggered once every 0.5s. After a nearby party member triggers a Burning or Burgeon reaction, the equipping character will gain 3 stacks. This effect can be triggered once every 2s and can be triggered even when the triggering party member is off-field. Canopy’s Favor: Elemental Skill and Burst DMG is increased by 10% for 6s. Max 6 stacks. Each stack is counted independently.

Base ATK: 741
CRIT Rate: 11.0%

Gain 1 stack of Canopy’s Favor after hitting an opponent with an Elemental Skill. This can be triggered once every 0.5s. After a nearby party member triggers a Burning or Burgeon reaction, the equipping character will gain 3 stacks. This effect can be triggered once every 2s and can be triggered even when the triggering party member is off-field. Canopy’s Favor: Elemental Skill and Burst DMG is increased by 12.5% for 6s. Max 6 stacks. Each stack is counted independently.

Base ATK: 741
CRIT Rate: 11.0%

Gain 1 stack of Canopy’s Favor after hitting an opponent with an Elemental Skill. This can be triggered once every 0.5s. After a nearby party member triggers a Burning or Burgeon reaction, the equipping character will gain 3 stacks. This effect can be triggered once every 2s and can be triggered even when the triggering party member is off-field. Canopy’s Favor: Elemental Skill and Burst DMG is increased by 15% for 6s. Max 6 stacks. Each stack is counted independently.

Base ATK: 741
CRIT Rate: 11.0%

Gain 1 stack of Canopy’s Favor after hitting an opponent with an Elemental Skill. This can be triggered once every 0.5s. After a nearby party member triggers a Burning or Burgeon reaction, the equipping character will gain 3 stacks. This effect can be triggered once every 2s and can be triggered even when the triggering party member is off-field. Canopy’s Favor: Elemental Skill and Burst DMG is increased by 17.5% for 6s. Max 6 stacks. Each stack is counted independently.

Base ATK: 741
CRIT Rate: 11.0%

Gain 1 stack of Canopy’s Favor after hitting an opponent with an Elemental Skill. This can be triggered once every 0.5s. After a nearby party member triggers a Burning or Burgeon reaction, the equipping character will gain 3 stacks. This effect can be triggered once every 2s and can be triggered even when the triggering party member is off-field. Canopy’s Favor: Elemental Skill and Burst DMG is increased by 20% for 6s. Max 6 stacks. Each stack is counted independently.

Base ATK: 542
CRIT DMG: 88.2%

Max HP increased by 20%.
Once every 15s, for the 14s after using an Elemental Skill: Gain 4 Scorching Summer stacks. Each stack increases Normal Attack DMG by 12%. For the duration of the effect, once every 1.5s, lose 1 stack after a Normal Attack hits an opponent; once every 1.5s, gain 1 stack after triggering a Vaporize reaction on an opponent. Max 4 Scorching Summer stacks.

Kinich’s signature and Best-in-Slot weapon. Fang of the Mountain King is a niche weapon, as there are few Claymore users who can meet the triggering requirements (i.e., don’t mind being in a team with Burning or Burgeon) and utilize the Elemental Skill and Burst DMG% that well. The high Base ATK of 741 makes the weapon user scale better with ATK%.

Best Users

Niche Users

Credits

Writers:

• acerbus114
• .whalien

Contributors:

• clevernt
• haafr
• pjeljr
• lostguide
• polomo

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