Why Dive Into F2P 4-Star Weapons?
The Real Deal for Newbies
Look, if you’re just starting out or pinching those Primogems, F2P 4-star weapons are your lifeline. They deliver base ATK north of 500, plus juicy sub-stats like 45.9% ER or 165 EM—perfect for meta reactions such as Lunar-Bloom. Take Prototype Amber: it lets healers like Barbara pump up to 40k+ HP, regenerating 4 Energy every 2s after her Burst. (As an editor who’s grinded countless hours, I gotta say—it’s a game-changer for sustain builds.) Forge it at Adventure Rank 10 with 1 Catalyst Billet, 50 Crystal Chunk, and 50 White Iron Chunk from those Liyue mining spots. Then, enhance to level 90 using 200 Mystic Enhancement Ore. Simple, right?
How Easy Are These Weapons to Grab?
Crafting or fishing gets you gems like The Catch—510 Base ATK, 45.9% ER, and it ramps Elemental Burst DMG from 16% at R1 up to 32% at R5. Xiangling in National teams? She thrives on this. Hunt down 6 Raimei Angelfish, 20 Golden Koi, and 20 Rusty Koi in Inazuma with False Worm Bait, then swap with Kujirai Momiji. Refine duplicates during events for that sweet R5.
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Getting the Hang of Weapon Types and Stats
Breaking Down the Essentials: ATK, Crit, and the Rest
At level 90, base ATK sits between 454-565, with sub-stats like 41.3% ER or 55.1% CRIT DMG tailored for new characters. Dawning Frost? It’s got 510 Base ATK and 55.1% CRIT DMG, plus it tacks on +72 EM from Charged Attack hits—ideal for Nefer in Lunar-Bloom squads aiming for 500+ EM. Slap it on a Dendro DPS, throw in ER Sands for 200% total ER, and trial it in domains to nail that 1:2 CRIT ratio (75% Rate, 150% DMG). Solid setup.
Passives: The Secret Sauce in Combat
Passives can flip the script on your gameplay. Hamayumi doubles Normal Attack DMG to 24% at full Energy, boosting Yoimiya with its 454 Base ATK and 55.1% ATK sub-stat. Grab the blueprint by snagging 7 Mysterious Conches in Inazuma, craft with 1 Bow Billet and some ores, and keep that Energy topped off via team batteries for killer Vaporize plays. —Honestly, it’s one of those weapons that feels underwhelming at first but shines once you sync it right (editor’s note: I’ve lost count of the pulls I’ve skipped just to refine these bad boys).
How We Ranked This Tier List
Our Ranking Approach
We zeroed in on sub-stats like EM/ER/CRIT and how passives mesh for F2P in Version 6.1. Kitain Cross Spear lands in S-Tier with 565 Base ATK and 110 EM, dishing out 3 Energy every 2s after Skill use—prime for Cyno in Hyperbloom. We stacked ER utility against EM for reactions, using the Adventurer’s Handbook to scout boss drops. It’s all about that 200% ER target.
What Matters for Fresh Characters
For scalers like Nefer, EM and CRIT are king. Blackmarrow Lantern brings 454 Base ATK and 221 EM, juicing Bloom DMG by 48% against bosses like Perpetual Mechanical Array. Craft it with 1 Catalyst Billet, 50 Crystal Chunk, 50 White Iron Chunk, and 10 Midsommar Berry; refine to R5 for 88% of signature weapon performance in triple Dendro lineups. No fluff—just results.
S-Tier Stars: The Cream of the Crop
Deep Dive on The Catch and Prototype Amber
The Catch? 510 Base ATK, 45.9% ER, and it bumps Burst CRIT Rate by 6% at R1—Raiden Shogun eats this up. Prototype Amber packs 41.3% HP and regenerates 4% Max HP every 2s after Burst, perfect for 40k+ HP Kokomi tanks. Fish The Catch in Inazuma, craft Prototype Amber at Mondstadt’s blacksmith; level to 90 with Enhancement Ore and refine duplicates for +32% Burst DMG.
Kitain Cross Spear and Fleuve Cendre Ferryman Spotlight
Kitain’s 110 EM and +6% Skill DMG make Thoma a beast in Overload crews. Fleuve Cendre Ferryman? 41.3% ER and +16% Skill CRIT Rate for Furina, hitting 200% ER in quick-swap rotations. Finish Orobashi’s Legacy for Kitain’s blueprint, fish Fontaine species for Fleuve; enhance with 3★ fodder and Mora to unlock R5 passives.
Quick Hits on Other S-Tiers
Sacrificial Greatsword: 565 Base ATK, 30.6% ER, and a 40% Skill CD reset for Noelle. Thrilling Tales of Dragon Slayers: +24% ATK buff on switch-in for Sucrose. Craft duplicates, refine for 80% proc at R5—test in Geo teams for killer uptime. These are the ones that keep coming back in my rotations.
A-Tier Solid Choices: Reliable Workhorses
Hamayumi and Iron Sting Under the Lens
Hamayumi’s 454 Base ATK and 55.1% ATK double Charged Attack DMG to 32% at full Energy—Ganyu’s dream for melt comps. Iron Sting: 510 Base ATK, 165 EM, stacking +6% Elemental DMG for Kazuha. Nab conches for Hamayumi’s blueprint, craft Iron Sting with 1 Sword Billet; pair with ER artifacts and refine for max stacks.
Sapwood Blade and Mappa Mare Breakdown
Sapwood Blade: 565 Base ATK, 30.6% ER, spawning +60 EM leaves on Dendro reactions for Collei. Mappa Mare: 565 Base ATK, 110 EM, stacking +8% Elemental DMG after reactions for Mona. Trade for Sapwood’s blueprint in Sumeru, craft Mappa from Liyue diagrams; upgrade to R5 for +16% DMG in Dendro squads. Versatile as heck.
More A-Tier Gems
Flowing Purity: 565 Base ATK, 27.6% ATK, +8% Elemental DMG after Skill for Neuvillette. The Black Sword: 510 Base ATK, 27.6% CRIT Rate, HP regen on CRIT for Keqing. Craft Flowing Purity with Fontaine mats; snag Black Sword from the free Battle Pass track and refine for physical build sustain.
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B-Tier and Lower: Niche or Skip?
When They Shine (Or Don’t)
Serpent Spine: 510 ATK, 27.6% CRIT Rate, stacking +6% DMG for shielded Itto teams. Footprint of the Rainbow: 510 Base ATK, 51.7% DEF, +16% Skill DEF for Natlan Geo supports. Get Serpent via paid Battle Pass, craft Footprint with Natlan fruits—great in multi-enemy Abyss for stacks.
Avoid Compound Bow’s 454 ATK and 69% Physical DMG; its +4% ATK per hit is flaky compared to Chain Breaker’s 565 ATK. Snow-Tombed Starsilver’s 80% ATK AoE icicle works for Cryo but trails Prototype Archaic’s 240% ATK AoE. Test in domains; dodge low-versatility ones without shields. (My take? They’re fine for filler, but don’t build around 'em.)
Tailored Picks for New Characters
Gear for Nefer and Natlan Folks
Dawning Frost suits Nefer with 510 Base ATK, 55.1% CRIT DMG, and EM on hits for 500+ in Lunar-Bloom. Earth Shaker for Natlan Pyro: +16% Skill DMG post-reaction, 565 Base ATK. Pull Dawning via Limited Wish, craft Earth Shaker with Natlan flowers; add ER Sands and test in triple Dendro.
Hamayumi amps Chasca’s Charged Attacks by 16-32% for rainbow reactions. Sacrificer’s Staff: +8% ATK and 6% ER per stack off-field for Emilie. Craft with standard billets; EM Goblet priority, refine for max stacks in Nightsoul teams.
Snagging and Upgrading These Beauties
Craft Kitain Cross Spear with 1 Polearm Billet, 50 Amethyst Lump, and 50 White Iron Chunk after Orobashi’s Legacy. Fleuve Cendre Ferryman? Fish 2 Maintenance Mek and 5 Rippling Bass in Fontaine. Unlock at AR20+, forge in 10-15s; rinse and repeat for refinements.
Mine Amethyst in Inazuma’s Tatarasuna for Kitain or Crystal Chunk in Liyue for Prototypes. Billets from weekly bosses like Stormterror. Handbook for nodes, Resin on bosses; hoard 50 ores per craft—Zhongli’s passive refunds 15% for Swords. Pro tip.
Dodging Common Traps and Pro Tips
Overdoing Favonius without 50%+ CRIT Rate? You’ll miss that 60% particle proc for ER. Pair with CRIT Circlet in National teams for 200% ER. Build Rate through artifacts, Abyss-test procs; swap to Sacrificial for CD resets instead.
Skipping refinement? The Catch at R1 versus R5’s 32% Burst DMG cripples Xiangling. Fish events for R5. Farm billets from commissions, craft duplicates; Emblem set adds +25% Burst from ER. Synergy is everything.
Wrapping It Up: Your Next Moves
S-Tier like The Catch brings versatility, while A-Tier Sapwood Blade fits Dendro newbies—craftables close 12% gaps to signatures in rotations. Solid.
Stockpile for Natlan, like Earth Shaker with 50 Condessence Crystal. Watch Version 6.1+ for blueprints; R5 for 75% passive boosts in Nightsoul. Stay sharp—patches shake things up. What’s your go-to F2P weapon?
