If you’ve ever stared at the limited-time weapon banner wondering if you should drop your hard-earned primogems, you’ve probably asked yourself are 5 star weapons worth it Genshin Impact at some point. I’ve been there too, hovering over the pull button at 70 pity, weighing if that signature sword for my Ayaka main was going to make enough of a difference to skip the next two character banners I was curious about. The answer isn’t a simple yes or no, and it changes a lot depending on how you play the game, how much you spend, and what teams you run. We’re going to break down every angle so you can stop second-guessing your pulls and spend your primogems on things that actually make your gameplay more fun.
Are 5 Star Weapons Worth It Genshin Impact: A Breakdown by Playstyle
The first thing you need to consider when weighing 5 star weapon pulls is how you engage with the game on a daily basis. Casual players who spend most of their time exploring the open world, completing story quests, and running event content will rarely see enough benefit from a 5 star weapon to justify the cost. Casual players who prioritize story and open world exploration almost never need 5 star weapons to clear any content the game offers, even the toughest world bosses and event challenge modes.
For players who push spiral abyss content and aim for 36 stars every reset, 5 star weapons can make a noticeable difference. The extra damage and unique passives can help you clear tight timer checks that you might miss with 4 star weapons, especially if you’re running less meta team comps. If you only log in a few times a week to do dailies and event quests, 4 star weapons are more than enough for every piece of PvE content and you won’t feel like you’re missing out on anything by skipping weapon banners.
Your spending habits also play a big role here. F2p and low-spender players only get around 50-60 pulls per patch, so saving for a 5 star weapon often means skipping 2-3 limited character banners. That’s a huge tradeoff, since new characters open up entirely new playstyles and team comps, while a weapon only makes existing characters stronger.
Key Advantages of 5 Star Weapons Over Lower Rarity Options
When you do pull a good 5 star weapon, the gains are hard to ignore. The biggest benefit is their massively higher base ATK stat compared to 4 star alternatives, which gives a flat damage boost that applies to all of your character’s attacks, skills, and bursts. For example, a R1 Mistsplitter Reforged on a well-built Ayaka can boost her freeze team damage by nearly 30% compared to a R1 Amenoma Kageuchi, which is enough to cut seconds off your spiral abyss run times or make tough boss fights feel far less tedious. 5 star weapons have the highest base ATK stats in the game, which translates to consistent damage gains across all team comps, regardless of what artifacts you have.
Many 5 star weapons also have unique passive effects that are tailored to amplify specific playstyles, which no 4 star weapon can match. For example, the Staff of Homa’s HP-based ATK bonus is perfect for Hu Tao, who scales off HP for both damage and survivability, and there’s no 4 star polearm that offers a similar effect. Some 5 star weapons are also incredibly universal, meaning you can use them on half a dozen different characters to get value out of them for years. We’ve rounded up the most universal 5 star weapons that are worth pulling for even if you don’t have their intended signature character:
- Primordial Jade Cutter: Works on all sword DPS and sub-DPS characters including Kazuha, Ayaka, Keqing, and Alhaitham, with high crit rate and HP scaling that fits almost any build
- Staff of Homa: Ideal for polearm DPS characters like Hu Tao, Zhongli, Xianyun, and Cyno, with high crit damage and HP-based ATK bonuses that work for both damage and support builds
- Elegy for the End: A top-tier support bow that boosts team attack and elemental mastery for any team that runs a bow support, from Venti to Faruzan to Kujou Sara
- Skyward Spine: A flexible polearm option that works for both DPS and support characters, with high energy recharge and crit rate that fits nearly any polearm user’s build
Downsides of Pulling for 5 Star Weapons You Shouldn’t Ignore
For all their benefits, 5 star weapons come with some pretty big drawbacks that most players don’t consider before pulling. The biggest issue is the weapon banner’s pity system, which gives you a 50% chance to get either of the two featured 5 star weapons when you hit pity. If you lose that 50/50, you have to hit pity a second time to get a guaranteed copy of the weapon you want, which can cost up to 240 pulls total. Pulling for 5 star weapons is significantly more expensive than pulling for characters, with no guarantee of getting the exact weapon you want on your first pity.
Another big downside is that most 4 star weapons are surprisingly close in performance to 5 star options, especially when refined to R5. Craftable 4 star weapons like the Amenoma Kageuchi, Harbinger of Dawn, and Favonius series perform within 10-15% of their 5 star counterparts for most builds, and they’re completely free to get and refine. Many free craftable 4 star weapons perform within 10% of their 5 star counterparts when fully refined, making them a far more cost-effective choice for players on a primogem budget.
You also run the risk of pulling a niche 5 star weapon that’s only useful on one or two characters, which becomes a wasted investment if you stop using those characters later. For example, a weapon like the Tulaytullah’s Remembrance is only really good for Wanderer, so if you don’t main him, it’ll just sit in your inventory collecting dust.
When You Should Pull for a 5 Star Weapon (And When You Should Skip)
There are a few specific scenarios where pulling for a 5 star weapon makes sense, even if you’re a low spender. The first is if you already have all the limited characters you want for the next 2-3 patches, so you have extra primogems sitting around with nothing to spend them on. If you don’t have any upcoming characters you’re excited for, pulling for a universal 5 star weapon is a great way to use your extra primogems to make your existing teams stronger.
It’s also worth pulling for a 5 star weapon if you main a specific character and use them in almost every team you run. If you play Hu Tao in 90% of your content runs, pulling a Staff of Homa will make every part of the game feel more fun, and you’ll get constant value out of the pull for as long as you keep playing her. You should only ever pull for 5 star weapons if you have no upcoming limited characters you plan to pull for in the next few update cycles, since characters almost always give more value for your primogems.
You should skip weapon banners entirely if you’re still building out your core team roster, or if the banner has one niche 5 star that you won’t use if you lose the 50/50. There’s no point wasting primogems on a weapon banner when you could get a new character that opens up entirely new playstyles and team combinations for you to experiment with.
At the end of the day, the answer to are 5 star weapons worth it Genshin Impact depends entirely on your personal goals, budget, and playstyle. You don’t need them to enjoy 99% of what the game has to offer, and pulling characters will almost always give you more value for your primogems if you’re still building out your roster. If you do have extra primogems and want to push your main's damage to the next level, a good universal 5 star weapon can be a great investment that pays off across multiple teams and patches. Just don’t feel pressured to pull for them if you’d rather spend your resources on new characters to play with, since fun is always the most important thing in any game.