The Genshin Impact system of categorizing items is easy to understand: 1- and 2-star items being the most common, and 4-star gacha weapons and 5-star items being the rarest. However, this system has some flaws and isn't necessarily correct all the time; some 5-stars aren't as rare as they appear, and vice versa.
Some items in Genshin Impact are rarer than others, however, many players gloss over them due to their star value. Bottom line, a star rating is best viewed as a mix of an item's rarity and strength of use. But when it comes down to it, there are plenty of ways to understand the true value of Genshin Impact's rarest items.
Updated on November 10th, 2021, by Scott Vengel: It has been a big last few days for the Genshin Impact community. The start of Hu Tao's rerun banner has breathed nostalgia and hope into the minds of new and veteran players alike. The impact of these planning decisions has truly left its mark, as the game has become the most profitable game in its first year ever. Nonetheless, despite the game's massive increase in popularity, there are still a lot of hidden features that players still have yet to get a hold of. As such, this article will be updated to include some items that were missed in the Inazuma updates.
13 Primogems
- In-Game Rarity: 5-star
- How-To-Get: Event rewards, unlocking chests and waypoints, story quest rewards
- Uses: Purchasing fates, refilling resin
The premium currency of Genshin Impact, primogems are designed to be rare items used to buy wishes and other processes. After all, if they weren't rare, then their value would amount to nothing; not exactly what one would want for a currency. However, sometimes it seems like primogems are a little too rare given the low drop rates for the gacha system.
There are three ways to get primogems in the game. First and foremost, players receive it through first-time occurrences in the game: through quests, chest opened for the first time, etc. Secondly, players can receive them through limited-time events, like the recent Thunder Sojourn event. Thirdly, players can purchase primogems for about $2 per gacha pull. Players can also buy the Blessing of the Welkin Moon for $5, a pass that gives 90 primogems daily for 30 days (plus 300 immediately).
12 Serenitea Pot Furniture
- In-Game Rarity: Varies
- How-To-Get: Serenitea Pot rank rewards, quest completion, and Tsurumi Furniture Chests
- Uses: Building furniture for Serenitea Pot
Surprisingly, the Serenitea Pot (Genshin Impact's in-game housing system) has been the basis for a lot of new rewards and gameplay. An interesting new feature for completionists in the community, the Serenitea Pot allows players to decorate their homes by unlocking furniture recipes via quests and rankings.
However, some of these furniture sets are harder to unlock than others, requiring special tasks (sometimes requiring the player to visit another player's Serenitea Pot). Completing all of Tubby's tasks can be difficult on its own, but it becomes even harder to build some furniture, requiring a lot of wood and other materials.
11 In-Game Fate Rewards
- In-Game Rarity: 5-star
- How-To-Get: Completing in-game tasks, purchase with primogems
- Uses: Pulling on character and weapon banners
To be fair, Fates are rare for the same reasons as primogems. Acquainted and Intertwined Fates are the vessels needed to summon items in the gacha, however, their price can be extensive for the number of primogems given in the game: 160 per pull.
Even more, however, is how few are given as rewards in-game. Outside of adventure rank rewards and for upgrading places like the Shrine of the Seven and Frostbearing Tree, Fates are not common rewards. At that, they are most commonly given as Acquainted Fates for the standard banner, which isn't often sought after by players.
10 Sword of Descension
- In-Game Rarity: 4-star
- How-To-Get: Play Genshin Impact on the PS4
- Uses: Weapon
Although Genshin Impact is primarily a PC and mobile masterpiece, many forget that it also has a port for PS4. It's for this reason that the Sword of Descension, a four-star sword with damage-boosting stats, is so rare.
Given as an exclusive for the PS4 edition of the game, only players on this platform have access to the weapon. And given how much smaller the PS4 community is compared to the PC and mobile community, it makes sense why this sword in particular would be rarer in co-op matches.
9 Hamayumi Bow Recipe
- In-Game Rarity: 4-star
- How-To-Get: Choosing the right chest
- Uses: Forging the Hamayumi Bow
Not all rare weapons in Genshin Impact are exclusive rewards. Some weapons, like the Hamayumi Bow in Inazuma, are rare based on gameplay mechanics alone. In order to get the Hamayumi Bow recipe, the player will need to pick the right chest from a vendor in the north of Yashiori Island.
However simple this must appear, Genshin Impact players should still be wary: choosing the right chest isn't as easy as it may appear. Players have a 1 in 3 chance of choosing the right chest each day, which has left many players without the recipe even now. Furthermore, given the secluded location of the chests, its easy for players to forget to place the guesses the next day.
8 Shrine of Depths Keys
- In-Game Rarity: 5-star
- How-To-Get: Adventure Rank Rewards, Statue of Seven worship
- Uses: Opening Shrines of Depths
For those looking to prosper in a foreign field, the Shrine of Depths makes for a hefty milestone. The stone gazebos hosting a luxurious chest, only a few Shrine of Depths exist in each nation. Now with Inazuma's release, Shrines of Depths in the nation are crucial for both new and veteran players looking to succeed.
Nonetheless, obtaining a key to the Shrine of Depths is no easy task. There are several ways to obtain a key to the Shrine of Depths: through quests, one-time domains, adventure rank increases, even from upgrading a Statue of the Seven. That said, these features are never easy, requiring great investment and time to just unlock one.
7 Rare Fish
- In-Game Rarity: Varies
- How-To-Get: Fishing in bodies of water
- Uses: Unlocking items, processed into fish for cooking
Fishing was a mechanic added in Genshin Impact's 2.1 update. Given the novelty of the feature, many players are still grasping how to perfect the art. Some fish are harder to find than others or require a special type of bait to be caught.
That said, the rarity of fish in-game stems primarily from two major issues: difficult spot placement and respawn time. It can be challenging to find the best spots to fish, which are found in more difficult-to-reach spots. And at that, the respawn rate of all fish is very long: fish respawn at a rate of three real-world days. That said, the issue can be alleviated by visiting another player's world and fishing there (with the user's permission).
6 Any Weekly Boss Talent Material
- In-Game Rarity: 5-star
- How-To-Get: Defeating a weekly boss at level 70 difficulty
- Uses: Upgrading character talents
There are 4 weekly bosses in Genshin Impact: Dvalin, Andrius, Tartaglia, and Azhdaha. Each of these bosses gives out one of three specialty talent level-up items needed to ascend talents to higher levels. Easy enough at face value, these items are exceedingly rare.
Each character needs one, and only one, type of material for each talent level over level 6. That means that there is a 1 in 3 chance each week, to get the item the player is looking for. And given that most talent upgrades require multiple for each level, these talent materials are always in high demand.
5 Dream Solvent
- In-Game Rarity: 4-star
- How-To-Get: Defeating weekly bosses
- Uses: Converting boss talent material to another material (from specific boss)
Luckily for players looking to upgrade their talents past level 6 without waiting weeks, miHoYo added the Dream Solvent in update 1.5. Unfortunately for players, the item is fairly rare. The Dream Solvent appears via the same means as the level-up item; beating a weekly at the sufficient challenge level may yield a Dream Solvent.
However, the chance is not guaranteed; there always exists a chance that a Dream Solvent will not appear at all. Nonetheless, for players lucky enough to receive the Dream Solvent, they can change one level-up item into another level-up item from its weekly boss fight.
4 Xiao Lanterns (And Other Event-Exclusive Items)
- In-Game Rarity: Varies (typically 4-star)
- How-To-Get: Participate in events
- Uses: Varies depending on the type
Limited event items are the only type of item so far that gets rarer among players as time goes on. Once the limited-time event is over, the item cannot be received again unless the event occurs more than once. The most interesting of these are the Xiao lanterns obtainable during Liyue's Lantern Rite Festival.
Though they do not serve any benefit besides being released, they are consumed after use. This of course makes them even rarer than items that have no expiration, like the Windblume Lyre. Nonetheless, these items serve as beloved reminders of past experiences, the Xiao lanterns, in particular, being common in "pulling rituals."
3 Five-Star Weapons
- In-Game Rarity: 5-star
- How-To-Get: Obtained through the banner system
- Uses: Weapon
While the star rating system may be flawed in many ways, it is correct most of the time. Five-star items in the gacha are exceedingly rare, especially when they are limited characters and weapons like Ganyu. Considering that the chances of pulling a five-star item are a measly 0.6%, calling these weapons rare is an understatement.
Of course, it is manageable to get these items, even for those players that want to spend the minimum amount possible (or nothing at all). While well-known among the Genshin Impact community, there exists a pity system that makes the gacha much easier; after 75 pulls players enter soft pity where rates are increased, and 90 pulls offer a guaranteed five-star item.
2 Crown of Insight
- In-Game Rarity: 5-star
- How-To-Get: Through event rewards, upgrading Frostbearing Tree and Sacred Sakura
- Uses: Upgrading character talents to max level
Talent level-ups are important, that much most Genshin Impact fans understand; otherwise, talent level-up items wouldn't be as important as they are. However, eventually, talents must reach their maximum level, which is where Crowns of Insight come into play.
These incredibly rare items help players level up talents past level 9 until they max out at level 10. Crowns of Insight are so rare that they are almost always the top reward during important events in-game (where they will be unobtainable after the event ends). That said, 4 Crowns of Insight can be obtained outside of events: 1 from the Frostbearing Tree at level 11, and 3 from Inazuma's Sacred Sakura at levels 5, 15, and 25.
1 Dark Iron Sword
- In-Game Rarity: 3-star
- How-To-Get: Talk to Chen the Sharp
- Uses: Weapon
"A perfectly ordinary iron sword, just slightly darker than most." What godly weapon could possibly be the rarest item in Genshin Impact? Reality can often be disappointing, and sadly, the same is true for this aspect of the game. The rarest item in Genshin Impact isn't even a 5-star item, but a 3-star sword called the Dark Iron Sword.
Objectively, there cannot be an item rarer than this one that exists in the game; the Dark Iron Sword has a total of one occurrence in the game. Should the player talk to Chen the Sharp in Liyue with just the right dialogue, they will be rewarded with this perfectly ordinary sword (which boosts Electro reactions).
Genshin Impact is available on PS5, PS4, PC, Android, and iOS.