Choosing the Right 4-Star Weapon for Kaeya: A Comprehensive Guide
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Finding the ideal 4-star weapon for Kaeya in Genshin Impact can significantly enhance his performance, regardless of whether you use him as a main DPS, sub-DPS, or support. While 5-star weapons often steal the spotlight, there are several excellent 4-star options that are more accessible and highly effective. The best 4-star weapon for Kaeya really depends on your specific team composition and his intended role, but a few stand out as consistently strong choices.
The top contenders for Kaeya’s best 4-star sword are the Sacrificial Sword and the Favonius Sword. These weapons, due to their Energy Recharge substats and passives, allow Kaeya to consistently use his Elemental Burst, which is crucial for his cryo application and damage. Other great options include the Kagotsurube Isshin for its offensive stats and the Black Sword for sustained damage and healing. These are all excellent 4-star weapons with different benefits which we’ll explore below.
Understanding Kaeya’s Needs
Before we dive into specific weapon recommendations, it’s vital to understand Kaeya’s core needs. Primarily, Kaeya benefits from:
- Energy Recharge (ER): His Elemental Burst, Glacial Waltz, is the cornerstone of his utility, and the higher his ER, the more often he can use it.
- Attack (ATK): A significant portion of Kaeya’s damage scales with his attack, whether it’s through normal attacks or his Elemental Skill and Burst.
- Crit Rate/Crit Damage: These stats enhance his damage output, especially when you’re using him as a DPS.
- Elemental Mastery (EM): If playing Kaeya in a reverse-melt team, you’ll want more EM.
Bearing these in mind, let’s look at our top 4-star weapons.
Top 4-Star Weapons for Kaeya
1. Sacrificial Sword
The Sacrificial Sword is often cited as one of the best 4-star options for Kaeya due to its Energy Recharge substat. Its passive also has a chance to end the cooldown of his Elemental Skill when it deals damage, allowing for more energy particle generation and more cryo application. This can allow a main DPS Kaeya to act as a sort of battery for his teammates while also generating his burst more often.
- Best for: Support and sub-DPS roles focusing on consistent Cryo application.
- Pros: High Energy Recharge, frequent Elemental Skill use for more Cryo particles.
- Cons: Low Base Attack, passive relies on proc chance.
2. Favonius Sword
The Favonius Sword is another excellent option for its Energy Recharge substat. Its passive generates energy particles on critical hits, not just for Kaeya but for the entire team. This makes it useful for team compositions that need extra energy. It is a bit less consistent than the Sacrificial Sword due to requiring crits to generate the particles, but if you can reach a high enough crit rate it is a great option.
- Best for: Support roles, energy-focused team compositions.
- Pros: High Energy Recharge, team-wide energy regeneration, good base attack.
- Cons: Passive reliant on critical hits, may not be best choice for DPS Kaeya.
3. Kagotsurube Isshin
Kagotsurube Isshin is a craftable weapon that provides a good mix of attack and utility. Its passive grants an attack bonus after using an Elemental Skill, making it beneficial for a Kaeya that uses normal attacks a lot. It is worth noting that the attack bonus only applies after using Kaeya’s skill so remember this before switching to another character. It is also a very good option for an off-field Kaeya due to its ER stat and its energy particle generation.
- Best for: On-field DPS builds who use normal attacks.
- Pros: High base attack, passive is good for both on-field and off-field Kaeya due to ER stats.
- Cons: Passive needs some consideration before team rotations, less effective for sub-DPS Kaeya.
4. The Black Sword
The Black Sword is a battle pass weapon with a Crit Rate substat. Its passive also increases normal and charged attack damage and gives a healing effect based on attack. This makes it a fantastic option for a main DPS Kaeya who needs high damage output and a little bit of sustain.
- Best for: On-field main DPS Kaeya builds
- Pros: Crit Rate substat, increased Normal Attack damage, provides healing
- Cons: Limited availability, less useful in sub-DPS or support roles.
5. The Alley Flash
The Alley Flash provides a great elemental mastery substat, which makes it ideal for a Kaeya played in a reverse melt team. It has a passive that scales with attack, which helps Kaeya if his EM is already high. The passive also helps with Kaeya’s burst which is good for the reactions in a reverse melt team.
- Best for: Reverse melt teams
- Pros: High elemental mastery substat, useful passive for reverse melt
- Cons: Not as useful in general purpose teams, may not work for players who have lower EM.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Is the Sacrificial Sword really that good for Kaeya?
Yes, the Sacrificial Sword is one of the top 4-star options due to its Energy Recharge substat and the passive. It allows Kaeya to use his Elemental Skill more often, generating Cryo particles and triggering his Burst more frequently. This is beneficial whether you want to use him as a support, sub-DPS or Main DPS.
2. Can I use Favonius Sword on Kaeya as a main DPS?
While the Favonius Sword is more suited for support, it can work for a main DPS Kaeya if you focus on Crit Rate and energy recharge in his artifacts. However, weapons like the Black Sword or Kagotsurube Isshin will provide more damage.
3. Is Kagotsurube Isshin a good free-to-play option?
Absolutely. Kagotsurube Isshin is an excellent free-to-play choice, providing good ATK stats and a useful passive. It also has a decent energy recharge stat, which makes it good for support as well.
4. How does the Black Sword compare to other options?
The Black Sword is a strong contender for main DPS Kaeya, thanks to its Crit Rate substat and passive that boosts Normal Attack damage and provides healing. It’s a good choice if you don’t have access to 5-star weapons.
5. Should I prioritize Energy Recharge for Kaeya?
Yes, Energy Recharge is very important for Kaeya, especially if you want him to consistently use his Elemental Burst. Try and make sure he has at least 180% if you want constant burst uptime.
6. What about ATK for Kaeya? Is that important too?
While Energy Recharge is crucial, ATK is still very important for Kaeya. His damage output scales with it. You want a good balance of Energy Recharge, Crit Rate/Damage, and ATK.
7. What are the best artifacts for a Kaeya using the Favonius Sword?
For a support Kaeya with Favonius Sword, focus on the Emblem of Severed Fate set for maximum ER and the Noblesse Oblige set for increased burst damage. Main stats should be Energy Recharge or ATK sands, cryo damage goblet, and crit rate/damage circlet.
8. Can I use the Sacrificial Sword for a DPS Kaeya build?
Yes, the Sacrificial Sword can still be effective in a DPS Kaeya build, especially if you want to act as a battery for the team. If you are looking to do more damage you might want to look at the black sword or Isshin.
9. Is there a big difference between 4-star and 5-star weapons for Kaeya?
Yes, 5-star weapons generally offer higher base stats and stronger passives. However, the best 4-star weapons can still make Kaeya highly effective if you don’t have a 5-star option.
10. What if I don’t have any of these 4-star swords?
If you don’t have these specific swords, any sword with Energy Recharge or ATK substats can work in the meantime. You might want to consider the Royal Longsword for its attack if you don’t have anything else.
11. Is the Mistsplitter Reforged the best weapon for Kaeya?
While Mistsplitter Reforged is an excellent 5-star weapon for Kaeya’s personal damage output, it’s harder to obtain and its passive can be tricky to maximize without specific team compositions. The 4-star options outlined above are very competitive and more accessible.
12. How does the Alley Flash work for Kaeya?
The Alley Flash provides a large amount of Elemental Mastery making it great for a reverse melt build. The passive scales with ATK so if you’re able to get high EM without sacrificing too much ATK then this is a great option.
13. What’s the priority for Kaeya’s talents?
You should prioritize his Elemental Burst, then his Elemental Skill, and finally his Normal Attack. This is generally for all Kaeya builds.
14. Is a C6 Kaeya better than a C0 Kaeya?
Absolutely. C6 Kaeya gets a significant buff to his Elemental Burst by adding more icicles, increasing its damage and cryo application, which makes him an amazing sub-DPS.
15. How do I choose between ER and ATK on artifact main stat?
If you are using Kaeya as a support, aim for ER sands. If you want to use Kaeya as a main or sub-DPS, balance ER with ATK sands and then try and get more ER in the substats.
By carefully choosing a 4-star weapon and understanding Kaeya’s needs, you can significantly enhance his performance and contribute to a powerful and well-rounded team. Whether you prioritize consistent Burst uptime or maximized damage output, there is a 4-star weapon that can help you get there.