When you’re new to Genshin Impact, your inventory quickly fills with weapons.
Some are 3-star weapons from wishes and chests, while others may be 4-star weapons obtained from wishes, crafting, events, or other sources.
The problem is simple: upgrading every weapon wastes Enhancement Ore and Mora.
So which weapons are actually worth leveling early?
The best approach is to invest in weapons that match the characters you actively use and can remain useful as your account grows.
Don’t Level Every Weapon You Find
Weapons require Enhancement Ore and Mora to level, and additional materials are required when you ascend them.
Early in the game, these resources may seem plentiful.
However, upgrading several weapons at the same time can quickly consume materials that could have been used on your main team.
Instead, focus primarily on the weapons equipped by the characters you actually use.
Prioritize Weapons for Your Main Damage Dealer
Your main damage dealer is usually a good place to start.
Weapon levels increase important weapon stats, including Base ATK, so keeping an appropriate weapon upgraded can provide a noticeable improvement to your character.
If you have a good 4-star weapon that works well with your main character, it can often remain useful for a long time.
You don’t need a 5-star weapon to make meaningful early-game progress.
Don’t Ignore Good 3-Star Weapons
A higher rarity doesn’t automatically mean every lower-rarity weapon should be discarded.
Several 3-star weapons can be genuinely useful, especially early in the game.
Examples include:
- Thrilling Tales of Dragon Slayers
- Harbinger of Dawn
- White Tassel
- Slingshot
Some 3-star weapons can remain useful even after you obtain more 4-star weapons because of their stats or passive effects.
So don’t automatically use every 3-star weapon as enhancement material.
We’ll cover which 3-star weapons are worth keeping in a separate guide.
Look at the Secondary Stat
When deciding whether a weapon is worth leveling, don’t look only at its rarity.
Check its secondary stat as well.
Weapons can provide useful stats such as:
- ATK
- Energy Recharge
- Elemental Mastery
- CRIT Rate
- CRIT DMG
- HP
- DEF
The best choice depends on the character using the weapon.
For example, a support character that relies heavily on their Elemental Burst may benefit more from Energy Recharge than from a weapon focused purely on damage.
Read the Weapon’s Passive
Weapons also have passive effects that can significantly affect how useful they are.
A weapon may increase damage, improve Energy generation, strengthen certain attacks, or provide support to other characters.
Because of this, two weapons of the same rarity can have very different value for a particular character.
Try to match the weapon’s passive with what the character actually does.
Be Careful When Refining Weapons
If you obtain duplicate copies of the same weapon, you can use them to increase its Refinement Rank.
Refinement improves the weapon’s passive effect and can be performed until Refinement Rank 5.
This can be useful for many lower-rarity weapons.
However, don’t automatically consume every duplicate weapon.
Keeping an extra copy can sometimes be useful if multiple characters benefit from the same weapon.
How Far Should Beginners Level Their Weapons?
You don’t need to fully upgrade every weapon in your inventory.
Instead, prioritize the weapons used by your main team and continue upgrading them as your Adventure Rank and available resources increase.
If you’re unsure whether you’ll continue using a weapon, you can stop investing in it temporarily rather than spending additional materials immediately.
Once you find a weapon that fits an important character well, investing further becomes much easier to justify.
Use the Training Guide if You’re Unsure
Genshin Impact includes a Training Guide that can provide character-building suggestions, including weapon recommendations based on commonly used equipment.
However, those recommendations don’t automatically determine the perfect weapon for every character, so you should still consider the character’s role and how the weapon works with their abilities.
It can still be a useful starting point for beginners who aren’t sure what to upgrade.
A Simple Weapon Strategy for Beginners
If you’re overwhelmed by weapon choices, keep it simple:
- Choose the characters you actually use.
- Give your main damage dealer a suitable weapon.
- Upgrade the weapons used by your main team first.
- Keep useful 3-star weapons instead of automatically destroying them.
- Check secondary stats and passive effects before investing heavily.
- Avoid leveling weapons simply because you own them.
This will prevent you from spreading your resources across too many weapons.
Final Thoughts
Beginners don’t need a collection of fully leveled weapons.
A few appropriately chosen and upgraded weapons for your main characters are much more useful than dozens of partially upgraded ones.
Focus on character compatibility rather than rarity alone, keep valuable 3-star weapons, and avoid investing heavily in weapons you aren’t actually using.
As your account grows, you’ll have plenty of time to build additional weapons for new characters.
StoryBillion Tip: Before investing heavily in a weapon, ask whether it fits a character you actually use. A well-matched 3-star or 4-star weapon can be more valuable to a beginner than a higher-rarity weapon with poor synergy.
