Deciding which Artifacts to keep in Genshin Impact can become surprisingly difficult.
At first, it may seem simple: keep Artifacts with CRIT stats and get rid of everything else. But as you build more characters, you quickly discover that different characters can want very different stats.
An Artifact that looks useless for one character may be excellent for another.
So, which Artifacts should you actually keep?
In general, you should keep Artifacts with useful main stats, promising substat combinations, uncommon stat combinations, or clear potential for characters you use or may build later. Artifacts that are easily replaceable and have little potential can usually be used for enhancement or other Artifact systems.
Here is how to decide.
Do Not Judge an Artifact by CRIT Stats Alone
CRIT Rate and CRIT DMG are extremely valuable for many damage-focused builds, but they are not the only stats that matter.
Different characters can scale or benefit from:
- ATK
- HP
- DEF
- Energy Recharge
- Elemental Mastery
- CRIT Rate
- CRIT DMG
- Elemental or Physical DMG Bonus
This means an Artifact without CRIT is not automatically bad.
For example, a character whose damage or support abilities scale heavily with HP may value an HP-focused Artifact far more than a traditional ATK piece.
Likewise, some reaction-focused characters may care much more about Elemental Mastery than CRIT.
The first rule of Artifact management is therefore:
Judge the Artifact based on who could use it, not based on one universal definition of a “good” Artifact.
Which Flowers and Plumes Should You Keep?
Flowers always have flat HP as their main stat, while Plumes always have flat ATK. Because their main stats are fixed, their substats become especially important when deciding which ones to keep.
Promising substats can include combinations of:
- CRIT Rate
- CRIT DMG
- Energy Recharge
- Elemental Mastery
- ATK%
- HP%
- DEF%
The exact combination you want depends on the Artifact set and the character who might use it.
For example, HP% may be undesirable for one damage dealer but extremely useful for a character whose abilities scale with HP.
Because Flowers and Plumes are generally easier to compare than Sands, Goblets, and Circlets, you can usually be more selective with them once your account has accumulated many Artifacts.
Which Sands Should You Keep?
Sands can have several different main stats, so it is worth keeping potentially useful options instead of looking only for ATK%.
Possible Sands main stats include:
- HP%
- ATK%
- DEF%
- Energy Recharge
- Elemental Mastery
Each can be useful on the right character.
Energy Recharge Sands can be particularly valuable for characters who struggle to meet their Burst energy requirements, while Elemental Mastery Sands can be important for reaction-focused builds.
HP% and DEF% Sands should not automatically be discarded either. Some characters directly scale with those stats.
When evaluating Sands, consider both the main stat and what the Artifact set is designed to support.
Which Goblets Should You Keep?
Goblets deserve extra caution when cleaning your Artifact inventory because they have a large pool of possible main stats.
Depending on the build, useful Goblets may include:
- Elemental DMG Bonus
- Physical DMG Bonus
- Elemental Mastery
- ATK%
- HP%
- DEF%
A useful Goblet can also serve as the off-set piece in a character’s build, so it does not always need to belong to the character’s preferred Artifact set.
This makes strong Goblets particularly flexible.
If you find a Goblet with a useful or difficult-to-replace main stat and promising substats, think carefully before getting rid of it simply because its set currently seems irrelevant.
Which Circlets Should You Keep?
CRIT Rate and CRIT DMG Circlets are obvious candidates to inspect carefully, especially when they also have useful substats.
However, Circlets can also have other valuable main stats, including:
- Healing Bonus
- Elemental Mastery
- ATK%
- HP%
- DEF%
Support and healing characters may have completely different priorities from traditional damage dealers.
For this reason, do not automatically discard a Circlet just because its main stat is not CRIT.
Ask whether that main stat makes sense for the set and for a character who could realistically use it.
Should You Keep Artifacts With Double CRIT Substats?
Usually, they are worth keeping long enough to evaluate.
An Artifact that starts with both CRIT Rate and CRIT DMG has obvious potential for characters who benefit from CRIT.
But double CRIT does not guarantee that the Artifact will become excellent.
When the Artifact is enhanced, its upgrades can roll into other substats instead.
Likewise, an Artifact that begins with only one CRIT stat can still become very strong if its later upgrades are favorable.
So double CRIT should be treated as a strong reason to investigate an Artifact, not as the only requirement for keeping one.
Should You Keep Artifacts With Only Three Substats?
Yes, if the Artifact otherwise has potential.
5-star Artifacts can begin with either three or four substats. If an Artifact starts with three, enhancing it to +4 reveals its fourth substat.
That means you should not automatically reject a promising three-substat piece.
For example, if the Artifact already has a useful main stat and several relevant substats, leveling it to +4 can reveal whether it is worth investing in further.
This is especially useful for Artifacts that would be difficult to replace.
Should You Keep HP% and DEF% Artifacts?
Sometimes, absolutely.
One of the easiest mistakes to make is assuming that HP% or DEF% automatically makes an Artifact bad.
Some characters scale directly with HP or DEF, making those stats important parts of their builds.
The better question is:
Does this stat make sense on this Artifact set or for a character I could reasonably build?
An HP-focused Artifact from a set commonly used by HP-scaling characters may be worth keeping.
A random HP% piece with several irrelevant substats and no obvious user may be much easier to replace.
Context matters.
Should You Keep Elemental Mastery Artifacts?
Elemental Mastery pieces are worth inspecting carefully.
Certain reaction-focused characters and teams can value Elemental Mastery extremely highly, and EM main stats are not available on every Artifact slot.
Sands, Goblets, and Circlets can have Elemental Mastery as their main stat.
If you obtain an EM main-stat piece from a set associated with reaction-focused builds, it can be worth keeping even when its substats do not look like a traditional CRIT-focused Artifact.
Again, the potential user matters more than whether the piece looks conventionally powerful.
Should You Keep Energy Recharge Sands?
Energy Recharge Sands are often worth keeping when they have useful supporting substats or belong to a set used by characters with significant energy needs.
A character cannot benefit from a powerful Elemental Burst consistently if they cannot recharge enough Energy to use it when needed.
For some builds, meeting an Energy Recharge requirement can be more important than simply adding another offensive stat.
That does not mean every Energy Recharge Sands should be saved forever.
But good ones are worth reviewing before using them as enhancement material.
Should You Keep Artifacts From Sets You Do Not Currently Use?
Sometimes.
Genshin Impact regularly introduces new characters, teams, and build possibilities. An Artifact set you do not currently use may become useful later.
However, this does not mean you should keep every remotely usable piece from every set.
A better approach is to be more selective.
Keep unusually strong or difficult-to-replace pieces and get rid of mediocre duplicates that could easily be farmed again if you eventually need them.
This prevents “maybe someday” from turning into hundreds of average Artifacts occupying your inventory.
What About Off-Set Artifacts?
Do not overlook them.
A character normally needs only enough matching pieces to activate the desired set bonuses. This can leave room for an Artifact from another set.
A particularly strong Goblet, Circlet, Sands, Flower, or Plume may therefore remain useful even if its set does not match the rest of the build.
This is another reason not to evaluate Artifacts based solely on their set name.
A strong individual piece can have value outside its original set.
Which Artifacts Are Usually Safe to Get Rid Of?
There is no rule that works for every account, but an Artifact becomes easier to give up when several negative factors appear together.
Examples include:
- An easily replaceable piece with poor substats
- A main stat that has little synergy with the set
- Several similar pieces that are clearly stronger
- A Flower or Plume with little useful substat potential
- An Artifact you have kept for a long time without finding a realistic use
- A piece that would require extremely lucky enhancement rolls just to become competitive with Artifacts you already own
The key is comparison.
An Artifact does not need to be objectively terrible before you get rid of it. It only needs to be unlikely to provide meaningful value compared with the alternatives already available to your account.
What Should You Do With Artifacts You Do Not Keep?
Unwanted Artifacts do not necessarily have to go to waste.
Depending on their rarity and what your account needs, unwanted pieces can be used for:
- Enhancing other Artifacts
- Artifact Salvage
- Artifact Strongbox through Mystic Offering for eligible 5-star Artifacts
For unwanted 5-star pieces in particular, choosing between enhancement EXP and the Artifact Strongbox can matter because using the Artifact for one purpose means giving up the other.
So it is worth deciding what resource your account needs before converting large numbers of 5-star Artifacts.
A Simple Rule for Deciding Whether to Keep an Artifact
When you are unsure, ask these five questions:
- Is the main stat useful for a real character or build?
- Do the substats have meaningful potential for that build?
- Does the Artifact set make sense for its possible user?
- Is the piece difficult to replace?
- Do I already own a clearly better version of the same type of Artifact?
If several answers are positive, keep or lock the Artifact.
If almost every answer is negative, it is probably a reasonable candidate to use elsewhere.
And if you genuinely cannot tell yet, there is nothing wrong with locking the piece temporarily and deciding later.
Quick Answer: Which Artifacts Should You Keep?
Keep Artifacts that have useful main stats, promising substats, good synergy with their set, or combinations that could be difficult to replace.
Do not keep or discard an Artifact solely because it has—or does not have—CRIT stats.
HP, DEF, Energy Recharge, Elemental Mastery, Healing Bonus, and other stats can all be valuable when they match the right character and build.
Most importantly, avoid keeping hundreds of average Artifacts purely because they might become useful someday.
Keep the pieces with genuine potential, test uncertain pieces when appropriate, and get rid of easily replaceable Artifacts that are unlikely to improve any realistic build.
That gives you enough flexibility for future characters without turning your Artifact inventory into permanent storage for every “maybe.”
