Banner Overview & Timeline
Phase 1: January 14 - February 3, 2026 (20 days)
- Nocturne's Curtain Call (Catalyst): 542 Base ATK, 88.2% CRIT DMG
- Fractured Halo (Polearm): 608 Base ATK, 88.2% CRIT DMG
Phase 2: February 3-24, 2026 (21 days)
- Lightbearing Moonshard (Sword): 542 Base ATK, 88.2% CRIT DMG
All three share 88.2% CRIT DMG but require specific team builds around Lunar reactions. For primogem top-ups, Genshin Impact recharge via BitTopup offers instant delivery.
Pity System Mechanics
Hard & Soft Pity:
- Pulls 1-64: 0.7% rate (37% cumulative early drop chance)
- Pulls 65-79: Escalating from ~7% to near-certainty
- Pull 80: Guaranteed 5-star
Epitomized Path:
- Select one featured weapon before pulling
- Earn 1 Fate Point when getting the other featured 5-star
- At 2 Fate Points, next 5-star is your selected weapon
- Maximum cost: 240 pulls (38,400 primogems)
- Average cost: 150-180 pulls (24,000-28,800 primogems)
- Fate Points reset at banner change; pity count carries forward
vs Character Banner:
- Character: 50/50 then guarantee at 180 pulls
- Weapon: 75% featured (37.5% each) then Epitomized Path at 240 pulls
- Weapon requires potentially 3x investment for specific item
Featured Weapons Deep Dive
Nocturne's Curtain Call (Catalyst)
Stats (Lv90): 542 ATK | 88.2% CRIT DMG
Passive (R1 → R5):
- Max HP: +10% → +22%
- After Lunar reaction: Recover 14 → 18 Energy (18s CD)
- Grants buff for 12s: Max HP +0% → +18%, CRIT DMG +0% → +140%
- Triggers off-field
R5 Impact: 228.2% total CRIT DMG (88.2% base + 140% buff) transforms catalyst users into crit monsters.
Best Users:
- HP-scaling catalyst DPS with Lunar access
- 60-80 Energy Burst characters
- Off-field applicators who snapshot the buff
vs Alternatives:
- Prototype Amber: Healing/Energy but zero offensive stats
- The Widsith: 55.1% CRIT DMG (R5) with random buffs, no HP scaling
The 88.2% CRIT DMG alone justifies consideration; Energy recovery and conditional buff are pure upside.
Refinement Priority: HIGH - R5 CRIT DMG buff is transformative but needs 5 copies (800+ pulls worst case).
Fractured Halo (Polearm)
Stats (Lv90): 608 ATK | 88.2% CRIT DMG
Passive (R1 → R5):
- After Skill/Burst: Gain 24% → 48% ATK for 20s
- When shielded: Gain 40% → 80% Lunar-Charged DMG
Best Users:
- Shielded polearm DPS in Lunar teams
- Characters with built-in shields
- Teams running Zhongli/Layla
vs The Catch: The Catch wins for Burst-focused characters without shields/Lunar access. Fractured Halo's 608 Base ATK and 88.2% CRIT DMG create higher ceiling with proper conditions.
Refinement Priority: MEDIUM - Doubles buffs but base weapon already strong at R1.
Lightbearing Moonshard (Sword)
Stats (Lv90): 542 ATK | 88.2% CRIT DMG
Passive (R1 → R5):
- After Skill: Gain 20% → 40% DEF
- Gain 64% → 128% Lunar-Crystallize DMG for 5s
The 5s window demands precise rotation timing. DEF bonus adds survivability for hybrid characters.
Refinement Priority: MEDIUM-LOW - Short buff duration limits refinement impact.
Character Synergy
S-Tier Pairings
Nocturne's Curtain Call:
- HP-scaling catalyst DPS with Lunar reactions
- Energy-hungry characters (60-80 cost Bursts)
- Off-field applicators for buff snapshotting
Fractured Halo:
- Shielded polearm DPS in Lunar teams
- Self-shielding characters
- High ATK scalers with Lunar access
Lightbearing Moonshard:
- DEF-scaling sword users
- Hybrid tank/DPS with frequent Skills
- Short cooldown Skill characters
Who Should Avoid
- Characters without HP/DEF scaling (wasted passives)
- Non-Lunar reaction teams
- Energy-independent characters (Nocturne's recovery wasted)
- Can't maintain shields (Fractured Halo passive lost)
Team Building
Lunar Reaction Framework:
- Primary DPS with featured weapon
- Lunar reaction enabler
- Shield support (for Fractured Halo)
- Flex for resonance/buffs
Nocturne's 14-18 Energy recovery every 18s reduces ER requirements by 20-30%, freeing substats for offense.
4-Star Alternatives
F2P Catalyst Options:
- Prototype Amber (craftable): HP%, healing, Energy refund
- Mappa Mare (craftable): EM, reaction damage
- Fruit of Fulfillment (event): ER, EM sharing
F2P Polearm Options:
- The Catch (fishing): ER, Burst CRIT Rate/DMG
- Prototype Starglitter (craftable): ER, Skill/Burst damage
- Kitain Cross Spear (craftable): EM, Energy recovery
F2P Sword Options:
- Amenoma Kageuchi (craftable): ATK%, Energy recovery
- Iron Sting (craftable): EM, damage bonus
- Prototype Rancour (craftable): Physical DMG, ATK/DEF buffs
When 4-Stars Win:
- The Catch beats Fractured Halo for Burst-focused characters without shields/Lunar
- Prototype Amber beats Nocturne when healing matters more than damage
- R5 4-stars often beat R1 5-stars when passives align perfectly
Pull Strategy by Player Type
F2P Decision Tree
✅ PULL if ALL met:
- 240+ pulls saved (guaranteed completion)
- Weapon is BiS for main DPS
- You own the optimal character
- Both featured weapons provide value
- No upcoming must-have characters
❌ SKIP if ANY met:
- Less than 180 pulls saved
- Only one weapon has value
- Missing optimal character
- Upcoming must-have character banner
F2P Reality: 50-60 pulls/patch from events/dailies/exploration. Weapon guarantee needs 4-5 patches of saving.
Low-Spender Strategy ($30-50/month)
Monthly Pull Budget:
- Welkin Moon: 18.75 pulls
- Battle Pass: 4.25 pulls
- F2P sources: 16-20 pulls
- Total: 39-43 pulls/month
For consistent value, buy Welkin Moon through BitTopup - best primogem-per-dollar ratio at 3,000 gems/30 days.
Allocation:
- Must-have character patches: 100% character banner
- Strong weapon synergy: 60-80% weapon banner
- Filler patches: Stockpile
Whale Priorities
- R5 BiS for main DPS
- R1 coverage of meta weapons
- R5 universal weapons (Homa, Mistsplitter)
- R5 specialized for favorites
Refinement Costs:
- R1: 0-240 pulls (avg ~110)
- R5: 960-1,200 total (avg ~550)
Value Assessment
Damage Calculations
Nocturne vs Prototype Amber:
- Base ATK: 542 vs 510 (6.3% advantage)
- CRIT DMG: 88.2% vs 0% (massive)
- At 70% CRIT Rate: 88.2% CRIT DMG = ~61.7% average damage increase before conditional buff
Spiral Abyss Impact
Weapon Upgrade Tiers:
- 4-star to 5-star BiS: 15-25% faster clears
- Off-meta 5-star to BiS: 10-15% faster
- Refinements: 5-10% per refinement
Most well-built teams with R1 4-stars can 36-star Abyss. 5-stars reduce clear times and execution requirements more than enabling new clears.
Long-Term Scoring (0-10 scale)
Nocturne's Curtain Call:
- Versatility: 4/10 (HP catalyst only)
- Power Ceiling: 9/10 (exceptional CRIT DMG)
- Investment Efficiency: 7/10 (strong R1, exceptional R5)
- Total: 20/30
Fractured Halo:
- Versatility: 5/10 (shielded polearm)
- Power Ceiling: 8/10 (high ATK, strong conditional)
- Investment Efficiency: 6/10 (needs shield uptime)
- Total: 19/30
Lightbearing Moonshard:
- Versatility: 4/10 (DEF sword)
- Power Ceiling: 7/10 (niche but powerful)
- Investment Efficiency: 6/10 (short buff window)
- Total: 17/30
Opportunity Cost
Character Banner Value:
- New character: New playstyles, teams, exploration
- Constellation: 10-30% power increase
- Guarantee: 180 pulls max
Weapon Banner Value:
- New weapon: 15-40% damage increase
- Refinement: 5-15% per refinement
- Guarantee: 240 pulls max
Weapon must provide equivalent/greater value than new character. Occurs when you own all desired characters or weapon enables new comps.
Common Mistakes
Myth: Never Worth for F2P
When Weapon Banner Wins for F2P:
- Both weapons are BiS for owned characters
- Character roster complete
- Weapon significantly improves Abyss
- 240+ pulls saved
Probability Errors
Common Mistakes:
- 75% featured means I'll get it in 4 pulls - Reality: 75% applies only after getting a 5-star
- I'm due after 60 pulls - Reality: Soft pity starts at 65
- Epitomized guarantees in 160 pulls - Reality: 240 pulls worst-case
Actual Distribution:
- 50% get desired weapon within 150 pulls
- 75% within 190 pulls
- 95% within 230 pulls
- 100% at 240 pulls
Refinement Trap
Diminishing Returns:
- R1→R2: ~10-15% improvement (lowest efficiency)
- R2→R3: ~8-12%
- R3→R4: ~6-10%
- R4→R5: ~5-8%
Stop Pulling When:
- You got your selected weapon (R1 done)
- 240+ pulls spent without R1
- Higher-priority upcoming banners
- Can't afford another 240-pull cycle
Timing Mistakes
- Starting Epitomized Path without 240 pulls
- Pulling Phase 1 when target is Phase 2
- Forgetting Fate Points reset at banner change
- Pulling at high pity on wrong banner
Resource Maximization
Primogem Sources
Daily (60/day = 1,800/month):
- Commissions: 40
- Bonus: 20
Weekly (600-2,400/month):
- Spiral Abyss 9-12: 150-600 based on stars
Events (1,500-2,000/patch):
- Major events: 420 each (3-4 per patch)
- Minor events: 60-120 each
Exploration (one-time):
- New region: 2,000-5,000+ total
Maintenance:
- Major update: 300
- Emergency: 100
Genesis Crystal Efficiency
First-Time Bonus Packages:
- $0.99: 120 crystals (0.61 pulls)
- $4.99: 600 crystals (3.75 pulls)
- $14.99: 1,960 crystals (12.25 pulls)
- $29.99: 3,960 crystals (24.75 pulls)
- $49.99: 6,560 crystals (41 pulls)
- $99.99: 12,960 crystals (81 pulls)
After bonuses expire, Welkin provides 18.75 pulls for $4.99 monthly - 5x more efficient than direct purchases.
Battle Pass vs Weapon Banner
Battle Pass ($9.99/42 days):
- Guaranteed 4-star weapon selection
- Extra resources (mora, books, ore, gems)
- No RNG
Decision:
- Need specific 4-star: Battle Pass
- Targeting 5-stars: Weapon Banner
- Limited budget: Battle Pass better value
- Large gem stockpile: Weapon Banner
Future-Proofing
Upcoming Synergies
All 6.3 weapons depend on Lunar reactions. Future Natlan characters will likely expand the Lunar user pool, potentially increasing versatility.
Risk: Specialized weapons face higher obsolescence if future characters don't support mechanics. Universal stat-sticks (high ATK, CRIT DMG) maintain value regardless.
Banner Rotation Patterns
Historical Trends:
- Signature weapons rerun with character reruns
- New region weapons debut with region release
- Popular weapons (Homa, Mistsplitter) rerun every 6-9 months
- Specialized weapons may wait 12+ months
6.4+ Predictions:
- Continued Natlan weapon focus
- Potential Fontaine weapon reruns
- New weapons for upcoming kits
If you skip 6.3, similar Lunar weapons will appear later, but specific weapons may not return for 8-12 months.
Pull Now vs Hold
Pull Now:
- Weapon is BiS for main DPS
- Both featured weapons valuable
- 240+ pulls saved
- No announced weapons interest you
- Need power for current Abyss
Hold:
- Upcoming must-have character
- Only one weapon valuable
- Less than 180 pulls
- Leaked future weapons better
- Current weapons suffice
Pro tip: Wait until final banner days before pulling to maximize info about next patch (livestreams preview 1-2 weeks before patch ends).
Arsenal Building Priority
- One strong weapon per type (7 total)
- BiS for main DPS
- Universal multi-character weapons
- Specialized for favorites
- Refinements for most-used
6.3 Contribution: These fill specialized Lunar niches, not universal coverage. Pull only if lacking weapons in these categories or needing Lunar options.
Final Verdict
Definitely Pull
✅ HP-Scaling Catalyst Mains: Nocturne is BiS with exceptional CRIT DMG and Energy recovery
✅ Shielded Polearm DPS: Fractured Halo's high ATK and conditional damage shine here
✅ Dual-Weapon Value: Both catalyst and polearm users benefit - loss still provides value
✅ Completionists: Collection/aesthetic priorities override meta
✅ Surplus Gems: 300+ pulls saved with no upcoming character priorities
Skip and Wait
❌ Character Priority: Upcoming must-have characters/constellations
❌ Single-Weapon Target: Only want one weapon - unfavorable 240-pull risk
❌ Non-Lunar Teams: Passives provide minimal value outside Lunar reactions
❌ Budget F2P: Less than 240 pulls risks incomplete Epitomized Path
❌ 4-Star Satisfied: Current weapons clear all content adequately
Quick Decision Chart
- 240+ pulls saved? NO → Skip | YES → Continue
- Both weapons valuable? NO → Skip | YES → Continue
- Own optimal characters? NO → Skip | YES → Continue
- Upcoming characters higher priority? YES → Skip | NO → PULL
Simplified:
- F2P: Skip unless 240+ pulls AND both weapons valuable
- Low-Spender: Pull if 180+ pulls and one weapon BiS
- Whale: Pull for collection/refinements as desired
FAQ
Is the 6.3 weapon banner worth pulling?
Worth pulling only if you have 240+ pulls for Epitomized Path guarantee, use HP-scaling catalyst or shielded polearm in Lunar teams, and both weapons provide value. Most F2P players get better efficiency from character banners.
How does Epitomized Path work?
Select one featured weapon before pulling. Each wrong featured 5-star earns 1 Fate Point. At 2 Fate Points, next 5-star is your selected weapon. Maximum 240 pulls (38,400 primogems) for guarantee. Fate Points reset at banner change.
What are the featured weapons?
Phase 1 (Jan 14-Feb 3): Nocturne's Curtain Call (Catalyst, 542 ATK, 88.2% CRIT DMG) and Fractured Halo (Polearm, 608 ATK, 88.2% CRIT DMG). Phase 2 (Feb 3-24): Lightbearing Moonshard (Sword, 542 ATK, 88.2% CRIT DMG).
How many primogems for guaranteed 5-star?
Hard pity at 80 pulls (12,800 gems), but soft pity from pull 65 means most get weapons at pulls 65-77. For specific weapon via Epitomized Path: 240 pulls max (38,400 gems), average 150-180 pulls (24,000-28,800 gems).
Should F2P pull on weapon banner?
F2P should only pull with 240+ pulls saved, both weapons BiS for owned characters, and no upcoming must-have characters. The 240-pull guarantee makes it high-risk vs character banner's 180-pull guarantee.
What's the weapon banner pity system?
80-pull hard pity, soft pity from pull 65. Each 5-star has 75% chance for featured weapons (37.5% each), 25% for standard. Pity carries between weapon banners; Fate Points reset at banner change.
