Claymores, also referred to as "greatswords," are one of five weapons currently available for use in Genshin Impact. They're much slower than most other weapons, but generally offer increased damage output in exchange for reduced mobility in Genshin Impact.
Normal Attacks with a claymore consist of wide sweeping moves for the most part, while Charged Attacks tend to involve either the wielder spinning in a circle or widely slashing away, non-stop until their stamina is depleted. Once stamina is depleted, the Genshin Impact character will perform a powerful finishing slash.
Genshin Impact: The Claymore
Claymores also offer the added bonus of dealing extra damage to Geo-aligned entities. So, for example, players who attack enemy shields will deal bonus damage when using a claymore. At the moment, there are five characters in Genshin Impact who wield claymores, but this number is likely to grow as characters are added to the game. There are currently claymore users aligned with Pyro (Diluc), Electro (Razor, Beidou), Cryo (Chongyun), and Geo (Noelle) elements, so at the very least, players can expect swordspeople who use Hydro and Anemo in the works.
These five characters use claymores in slightly different ways, but for the most part, they're ATK heavy fighters who take advantage of the occasional Elemental reactions. When looking at the current selection of Genshin Impact claymores, players will want to focus on two main components: utility and practicality. Utility should be a focus, because players will want their weapon to serve its purpose. Needless to say, an ideal weapon in Genshin Impact would provide functionally beneficial stat boosts and/or bonuses to its wielder. This is half the battle when choosing the right arms to bear. The other half is practicality.
Without a doubt, there are more than a handful of uber-powerful 5-star weapons lurking in the depths of Genshin Impact's loot-box depths. That being said, is a 5-star weapon really all that valuable if it's near impossible to obtain? Practicality should absolutely affect a player's decision when ranking weapon choices, because at the end of the day, a weapon can only help a player if they're actually able to obtain it.
For example, a powerful weapon that insta-kills any enemy may be more powerful than any other weapon in the game, but if it's only obtainable by paying $1,000 cash, it probably isn't as overall valuable as a slightly weaker weapon that can be looted from common enemies. Bearing that in mind, below are some of the best claymores that Genshin Impact currently has to offer.
NOTE: All craftable claymores have been noted with an asterisk.
S-Tier
Weapon (rarity) | Passive Ability - Rank 5 (max level) Passive Bonuses
- Prototype Animus* (4-star) | Crush - Normal and Charged Attacks have a 50 percent chance of triggering an additional Area of Effect (AoE) attack that deals 480 percent ATK DMG on every hit. Can occur once every 15 seconds.
- Wolf's Gravestone (5-star) - Wolfish Tracker - Base ATK increases by 40 percent. All party members' Base ATK increases by 80 percent for 12 seconds after every attacks on an enemy with less than 30 percent HP. Can occur once every 30 seconds.
Genshin Impact aficionados are raving about the Prototype Animus. Superficially, the greatsword offers an impressive passive ability as is. Once a fully upgraded Genshin Impact weapon, the blade's "Crush" ability makes it so that every attack has a 50 percent chance of generating a follow-up that deals nearly 500 percent of the user's ATK as Damage. This sheer power alone makes Prototype Animus notable, but that being said, the Animus' true power lies in its affordability.
This powerhouse can be crafted with a Northlander Claymore Prototype and 50 each of easily farmed Crystal Chunks and White Iron Chunks, which means that it can be enhanced to Rank 5 rather easily. For this reason, it reigns supreme in the realm of claymores. Sure, players may get lucky and Wish upon a Wolf's Gravestone, but upgrading that beast of a sword would require five additional (insanely) lucky Wishes.
A-Tier
- Blackcliff Slasher (4-star) | Press the Advantage - ATK is increased by 24 percent for 30 seconds after defeating an enemy. This effect stacks a maximum of 3 times, and the duration of each stack is independent (so if a player earns one stack 5 seconds after their first one, that first stack will expire 5 seconds before the new one.)
- Skyward Pride (5-star) | Sky-ripping Dragon Spine - All Damage is increased by 16 percent. Creates a vacuum blade that deals 160 percent of ATK as Damage after landing an Elemental Burst, Normal, or Charged Attack. Lasts for either 20 seconds or 8 vacuum blades.
- Whiteblind* (4-star) | Infusion Blade - Normal and Charged Attacks increase Base ATK and DEF by 12 percent for 6 seconds after a successful hit. This effect stacks a maximum of 4 times (48 percent buff total) and can only occur once every 0.5 seconds.
Whiteblind is asolid defensive choice, especially considering how easy it is to acquire. Players can craft one using the same ingredients required by the Prototype Animus, so enhancing this weapon would be a breeze too. That said, it really only shines defensively, so it's not really the best claymore in Genshin Impact unless players are shopping for Noelle, and even then, the lower-ranked Debate Club could be a better option. As such, the Blackcliff Slasher or Skyward Pride would be better choices if available.
B-Tier
- Debate Club* (3-star) | Blunt Conclusion - Deal an additional 120 percent ATK DMG to a small area after landing an Elemental Skill, Normal, or Charged Attack. The effect lasts 15 seconds, but Damage only occurs once every 3 seconds.
- The Bell (4-star) | Rebellious Guardian - When hit, generate a shield that absorbs Damage up to 32 percent of max HP. Shield lasts until broken, or for 10 seconds, and can only be triggered once every 45 seconds. Shield also grants 24 percent increased Damage.
- Serpent Spine (4-star) | Wavesplitter - Every 4 seconds a character is on the field, they will deal 6 percent more Damage, and take 3 percent more Damage. This effect stacks a maximum of 5 times, and will not be reset if the character leaves the field. Stack is reduced by 1 whenever the character takes Damage.
The Serpent Spine is unique in that it's simple to acquire, but rare. The sword is earned as one of this season's unique Genshin Impact Battle Pass rewards, so players who've opted to purchase the Genshin Impact "Gnostic Chorus" pass simply need to select it as their prize when they reach Battle Pass Level 30. If players happen to have the Battle Pass (and don't care for the other available weapons,) Serpent Spine would be an easy get.
That said, both Serpent Spine and The Bell's passive abilities are hardly substantial enough to merit their four-star labels. The Debate Club tends to make many lists at the C-level, but realistically speaking, it's easier to find than the Wolfhook players need for Razor. That makes upgrading it an absolute cakewalk, and for that, it deserves much more than a "C." Not to mention, its ability is essentially a minor version of the Prototype Animus' super strong AoE attack.
Honorable Mentions
- Rainslasher (4-star) | Bane of Storm and Tide - Enemies affected by Hydro or Electro take 36 percent more Damage.
- Royal Greatsword (4-star) | Focus - Increases CRIT Rate by 8 percent after damaging an enemy. This effect stacks a maximum of 5 times, and a Critical Hit will remove all stacks.
Both admirable weapons, but their lack of availability makes them tough to love. If a player has them, they should certainly use them—Rainslasher would be a wonderful complement to Razor or Beidou's Electro skills, for example. But even still, it'd be difficult to justify spending hard-earned Primogems and Fates on one of these two candidates when the Debate Club and Prototype are at arm's reach for all.
Genshin Impact is available now on Mobile, PC, and PS4.