Is Level 90 Worth it for Weapons in Genshin Impact?
In my expert opinion, yes – maxing weapons to level 90 is absolutely worth the investment for your main DPS characters.
For key supports, level 80/90 is sufficient in most cases. But for your primary damage dealers, the attack bonuses from 90 are too significant to ignore.
In this comprehensive guide, I‘ll break down the pros, cons, costs, and damage comparisons to help you decide if taking weapons to 90 is worth it:
How Weapon Levels Impact Attack
As weapons increase in level, their base attack stat grows:
| Weapon Level | Base ATK Increase |
|---|---|
| 70 → 80 | ~14% |
| 80 → 90 | ~22% |
These attack bonuses get added to your character‘s base. So any % attack buffs from artifacts, skills, resonances etc will scale off that higher number.
For example, with 150% bonus attack at level 90, that 22% base increase turns into over a 30% total attack gain.
While the base attack growth is linear from levels 1-70, it really starts ramping up at the later ascensions past 80. You can see this in the following chart:
Data sourced from genshin.gg weapon calculator
So while the costs jump up hugely from 80 to 90, so do the attack returns.
The Cost of Max Level Weapons
Here‘s a comparison of the material costs to go from:
- Level 70 → 80
- Level 80 → 90
| Cost | 70→80 | 80→90 |
|---|---|---|
| Mora | 700k | 1.6 million |
| Weapon EXP | 169k | 420k |
| Boss Drops | 6 | 18 |
As you can see, the resource costs more than double from 80 to 90:
- 2.3x more Mora
- 2.5x more Weapon EXP
- 3x more Boss materials
And don‘t forget the resin cost. You‘ll spend around:
- 1,400 resin on leylines for Mora
- 2,100 resin farming weapon domains for EXP
- 4,500 resin on weekly bosses for billets
That‘s over 7,500 resin or 9 weeks of resin from 80 to 90!
So while the attack gains are very rewarding, you sacrifice a ton of time, resin, and mora.
You really need to be strategic about which weapons are worth this huge investment.
Which Characters Want Level 90 Weapons?
For primary DPS characters, level 90 weapons should be top priority.
But for supports, 80/90 is generally sufficient. Let‘s take a look at some examples:
Main DPS
- Ganyu – Charged shot focus makes her highly reliant on weapon attack
- Hu Tao – Low base attack means she benefits more from level 90
- Ayaka – Gains 32% damage bonus from her C4 which scales on base attack
- Itto – His DEF conversion to attack utilizes every point of base attack
For sustained on-field damage dealers like these, the attack bonuses from 90 can improve output by 25-35%.
Supports
- Xingqiu – Gains minimal damage from higher weapon attack
- Fischl – Only uses weapon during skill, level not impactful
- Bennett – Base attack boosts allies, but short on-field time
Many supports rely more on skill levels and energy regeneration than attack. Level 80/90 is often enough for them.
Anemo characters like Kazuha and Venti are the exception, as swirl scales heavily with character and weapon level.
Weapons with Crit Scaling
Weapons that gain crit from ascensions also benefit more from hitting 90:
- Skyward Harp – 4.5% crit rate
- Deathmatch – 6.6% crit rate
- The Black Sword – 7.2% crit rate
For characters using these weapons, the extra crit on top of attack is very valuable.
Ganyu Case Study: Level Her Weapon to 90
Let‘s examine why maxing weapons is especially worthwhile for Ganyu:
As a charged shot DPS, her damage relies almost entirely on raw attack. She also has access to Amos‘ Bow which has an ATK% substat that scales hugely.
Here is how her attack changes from level 80 to 90 Amos‘ Bow:
| Level | ATK | ATK Difference | % Increase |
|---|---|---|---|
| 80 | 787 | – | – |
| 90 | 1,008 | 221 | 28% |
Accounting for artifacts and passive bonuses, this turns into over a 250 total attack increase, improving her charged shots by 35-40%.
Other weapons like Skyward Harp provide 20-25% crit rate, which also scales with level.
For Ganyu, the benefits of level 90 weapons are definitely worth the high costs. Her charged attack damage will be dramatically higher.
Compare Weapon vs. Talent Investment
When considering where to spend your resin, it‘s important to weigh the returns on weapon levels vs. talent levels.
Here‘s a comparison of potential damage gains from each:
| Investment | Resin Cost | Damage Increase |
|---|---|---|
| Level 90 Weapon | ~7,500 | 25-35% |
| Triple Crown | 2,700 | ~32% |
As you can see, weapon levels provide similar returns to talent levels, though crowning talents is more resin efficient.
I generally recommend balancing weapon and talent investments. Here are some good guidelines:
- Level key talents to 9+ first
- Then focus on weapons to 80/90
- Max out weapons before triple crowning
This maintains a good balance of the various progression paths for improving your characters‘ damage.
What About Refinements?
When it comes to 5-star weapons, you‘ll also need to weigh the value of refinements versus level 90:
| Investment | Cost | Damage Increase |
|---|---|---|
| R1 → R2 | ~160 wishes | 10-15% |
| Level 80 → 90 | ~8,800 resin | 25-30% |
Assuming no epitomized path
For low spenders, level 90 will likely provide better returns than chasing refinements.
However, for moderate spenders refinements can push damage further, especially if you already have multiple characters built.
My recommendation is to focus first on expanding your roster. Only after getting multiple carries would I revisit old characters for refinements. Level 90 weapons are still the safer investment overall.
What About Ascension Materials?
I‘ve focused mostly on mora, EXP and resin costs so far. But don‘t forget weapon ascension materials!
To reach level 90 you‘ll need:
- 18 boss material drops
- 1 billet
That‘s around 9 weeks of boss farming worst case. Make sure to start pre-farming these boss mats well in advance.
And if you‘re low on billets, be sure to grab them from quests and the sigil shops before wishing on epitomized path. You‘ll want as many billets saved up as possible.
Should You Level Everything to 90?
While I recommend level 90 for DPS weapons, going beyond that is overkill.
Leveling every weapon in your account to 90 would cost astronomical amounts of mora, EXP, resin, and time.
Prioritize your main characters first. Supports can generally live at 70/80 or 80/90.
Only consider further level 90 weapons once your core teams are built. Chasing perfection on every character will lead to burnout and slow overall progress.
Closing Thoughts
Here are my final tips on maximizing weapons in Genshin Impact:
- Level 90 weapons for main DPS
- 80/90 is sufficient for most supports
- Balance weapon and talent upgrades
- Farm weapon ascension materials early
- Focus on raising core teams first, not all characters
Hopefully this guide provides a comprehensive overview of the pros, cons, costs, and strategies around level 90 weapons. Let me know if you have any other questions! I‘m happy to offer my insight as a theorycrafter and expert on building characters in Genshin.