Every time a new artifact set in Genshin Impact is released, it's usually because another 5-star character has also been introduced. The new artifact set is typically tailor-made to be the best-in-slot (BIS) for that new 5-star character. Thus, only they can utilize it to the full extent and every other character ought to get something else. Such has been the case for the two newest artifact sets (as of Update 2.6).
This can be confusing for new or beginner players, especially those who are unaware that artifact sets can drastically change a character's role. Luckily, not all artifact sets in Genshin Impact are rigid and made for only one character. Some, despite being best-in-slot for certain characters, are still great for others. Hence, farming these more or less "universal" artifact sets is the most cost-effective, especially when spending precious Resin.
Updated August 30, 2022, by Sid Natividad: Now that Genshin Impact's developers have graced players with the 3.0 or Sumeru update, it's like discovering the game again for the first time. Everything is fresh, and rightfully so, the balance has been upset once again by the new artifact sets. There were only two new ones introduced (at the time of writing) but that number is about to skyrocket pretty soon, along with new domains and content. That means players both old and new will need and want additional pointers on which artifact sets offer the best bang for their Resin.
12 Brave Heart (4-star only, for low-AR players)
- 2-Piece Bonus: ATK +18%
- 4-Piece Bonus: Increases DMG by 30% against enemies with more than 50% HP.
Not all players will benefit from immediately grabbing 5-star artifact sets or waiting for them. Sometimes, new players will need a boost, and the best one comes in the form of these training wheel artifact sets. The Brave Heart set is one of them.
It gives a universally-used bonus, which is ATK or DMG. All characters, especially the 4-star ones will benefit from either stat one way or another. So, if players want to make good progress while also making endgame farming easier, then the Brave Heart set works well enough until they get to Adventure Rank 45 and beyond.
11 Berserker (4-star only, for low-AR players)
- 2-Piece Bonus: CRIT Rate +12%
- 4-Piece Bonus: When HP is below 70%, CRIT Rate increases by an additional 24%.
CRIT Rate is also another universal stat and the only character who doesn't benefit from it is Kokomi (at the time of writing) and she's content with being a fish. In any case, there's never enough CRIT Rate in Genshin Impact and every percentage helps considerably.
Some players even wish for a 5-star version of the Berserker artifact set because the bonuses are simply appealing and scale well into the late game. That's a total of 36 percent CRIT Rate which is hard to achieve with most other artifact sets (minus Blizzard Strayer). Too bad it's only good for players below AR 45.
10 Martial Artist (4-star only, for low-AR players)
- 2-Piece Bonus: Increases Normal Attack and Charged Attack DMG by 15%.
- 4-Piece Bonus: After using Elemental Skill, increases Normal Attack and Charged Attack DMG by 25% for 8s.
Something that might even be better for low-AR players than the Brave Heart set would be Martial Artist. It's great for any character whose primary source of damage is either a Normal Attack or Charged Attack. Those would be DPS characters or hypercarries.
Ayaka, Ayato, Razor, Raiden Shogun, Yoimiya, Klee, Ningguang, Hu Tao, or even Fischl (and many more) would benefit a lot from this set. That is assuming the players don't yet have the optimal or best-in-slot artifact set for those characters since they're low-AR.
9 Archaic Petra
- 2-Piece Bonus: Gain a 15% Geo DMG Bonus.
- 4-Piece Bonus: Upon obtaining an Elemental Shard Created through a Crystallize Reaction, all party members gain a 35% DMG Bonus for that particular element for 10s. Only one form of Elemental DMG Bonus can be gained in this manner at any one time.
Sure, it's mostly a set made for Geo characters, but one can't deny that Geo characters in Genshin Impact are some of the best. First, they get access to Geo Resonance which is one of the best damage buffs in the game, then they also get good access to Shields.
The meta has even come to a point where having two Geo characters in a team is almost always a good composition. In fact, there are even all-Geo compositions that handle the Spiral Abyss well enough. With this in mind, players shouldn't throw away those good Archaic Petra sets just yet. Even their two-piece bonus is a good damage boost.
8 Gilded Dreams
- 2-Piece Bonus: Elemental Mastery +80
- 4-Piece Bonus: Within 8s of triggering an Elemental Reaction, the character equipping this will obtain buffs based on the Elemental Type of the other party members. ATK is increased by 14% for each member whose Elemental Type is the same as the equipping character, and EM is increased by 50 for every member with a different Elemental Type. Each of the buffs will count up to 3 characters. This effect can be triggered once every 8s and even when not on the field.
Quite a wall of text there, almost like it was Fischl who came up with this artifact set. Joking aside, this is a good alternative to Viridescent Venerer. What makes it competitive enough is its boost to Elemental Mastery, something characters like Hu Tao, Childe, Diluc, Klee, and even Ganyu (Melt) can benefit from.
Of course, the artifact is best equipped on a support character like Kazuha, Venti, Sucrose, Collei, Kuki, or even Thoma. It might take a lot of trial and error, as well as testing to see how it measures up, but those farming the new domain can rest assured that they're getting the most out of their Resin.
7 Emblem of Severed Fate
- 2-Piece Bonus: Energy Recharge +20%
- 4-Piece Bonus: Increases Elemental Burst DMG by 25% of Energy Recharge. A maximum of 75% bonus DMG can be obtained in this way.
All characters in Genshin Impact rely on their Elemental Burst one way or another. That's why Emblem of the Severed Fate is such a powerful and versatile artifact set. Energy Recharge might not be the most desirable artifact stat but for characters who depend on their Elemental Burst for damage, this is an underrated DPS increase.
It's actually Raiden Shogun's BIS artifact set and for her, it's simply perfect. For anyone else, it's still great— even for support or healer characters since the Energy Recharge boost is a valuable enabler for their abilities.
6 Blizzard Strayer
- 2-Piece Bonus: Cryo DMG Bonus +15%
- 4-Piece Bonus: When a character attacks an opponent affected by Cryo, their CRIT Rate is increased by 20%. If the opponent is Frozen, CRIT Rate is increased by an additional 20%.
The 2-Piece Bonus means it's mostly for Cryo characters, but those ones are the best right now in Genshin Impact. Ayaka, Ganyu, Shenhe, Rosaria—even Chongyun and Kaeya; all love this set. But despite the 2-Piece Bonus being wasted on non-Cryo characters, it's still a decent CRIT rate booster for other characters.
Because the targets only have to be Frozen for that juicy 40 percent CRIT Rate. It just so happens that Freeze teams are all the rage. Hydro DPS hypercarries can yield good results from this set. Meanwhile, Pyro hypercarries that rely on Melt or Frozen enemies to trigger Melt can also get a good boost from this set.
5 Heart of Depth
- 2-Piece Bonus: Hydro DMG Bonus +15%
- 4-Piece Bonus: After using an Elemental Skill, increases Normal Attack and Charged Attack DMG by 30% for 15s.
It's a similar predicament as the Blizzard Strayer set but for non-Hydro characters. Still, Heart of Depth's 2-Piece bonus can easily be ignored in favor of the impressive damage boost. It's not just Childe's BIS artifact anymore.
Certified hypercarries like Ayato can also utilize it well. Meanwhile, Hydro characters who want to take on a more hypercarry role, such as Xingqiu (or even Barbara) will surely appreciate all the bonuses of this set. Of course, any other character that relies on Normal Attacks or Charged Attacks for damage output can give this one a shot.
4 Noblesse Oblige
- 2-Piece Bonus: Elemental Burst DMG +20%
- 4-Piece Bonus: Using an Elemental Burst increases all party members' ATK by 20% for 12s. This effect cannot stack.
Noblesse Oblige is by far, the best artifact set for support characters that often have to use their Elemental Burst. That could be Bennett, Xingqiu, Diona, or even Raiden Shogun for those who don't have a good Emblem Set.
The Elemental Burst bonus is just astounding on this one. But it's also the 4-Piece Bonus that makes the main DPS character's damage skyrocket especially if they're already packing a high ATK stat.
3 Retracing Bolide
- 2-Piece Bonus: Increases Shield Strength by 35%.
- 4-Piece Bonus: While protected by a shield, gain an additional 40% Normal and Charged Attack DMG.
Retracing Bolide might even be a better option compared to the Heart of Depth set for characters who rely on Normal and Charged Attacks. But that's only the case if the players have a dedicated shield-giver. For those who don't have the Geo Archon, Zhongli, then maybe Diona or Thoma will do.
Their shields are weaker, however. Regardless, the Retracing Bolide's 4-Piece Bonus is a solid DPS increase for characters like Ganyu, Ayaka, Fischl, Childe, or even Ayato. The best part is that this set combines survivability with damage.
2 Shimenawa's Reminiscence
- 2-Piece Bonus: ATK +18%
- 4-Piece Bonus: When casting an Elemental Skill, if the character has 15 or more Energy, they lose 15 Energy and Normal/Charged/Plunging Attack DMG is increased by 50% for 10s. This effect will not trigger again during that duration.
Originally intended as the BIS set for Yoimiya, Shimenawa's Reminiscence has since become an underdog set for characters that don't need or rely on their Elemental Burst for damage. Ganyu comes to mind here since all she needs to do is perform Charged Attacks.
It can also be decent for Ayato since the set doesn't completely bar him from using his Elemental Burst. Even supports like Albedo can make good use of this set (assuming he decides to become a main DPS).
1 Gladiator's Finale
- 2-Piece Bonus: ATK +18%.
- 4-Piece Bonus: If the wielder of this artifact set uses a Sword, Claymore or Polearm, increases their Normal Attack DMG by 35%.
Just about any melee character in Genshin Impact can make good use of this artifact set. Well, almost all of them, particularly those that primarily use Normal Attacks to deal damage. This can be good for Diluc, Razor, Beidou, Jean, and Ayato.
In some cases, the Gladiator's Set even holds up evenly against Ayato's BIS artifact set, Echoes of an Offering. Sadly, it's an expensive set to acquire but those who have ascended multiple characters and leveled up their talents will surely have a bunch of these lying around. Plus other artifact sets can easily be converted to Gladiator's Finale.
Genshin Impact is now available on Mobile, PC, PS4, and PS5. A Switch version is in development.