One of the most challenging aspects of Genshin Impact's late-game is the material and mora cost required to level talents, characters, and artifacts. Developer miHoYo has attempted to alleviate the artifact leveling grind in Genshin Impact with the recent introduction of Sanctifying Essence and Unction.
Previously the only way to level artifacts would be to infuse them with lesser artifacts. Players are now able to purchase Sanctifying Essence and Unction to instantly level a specific artifact. While this may be a welcome addition for some players, there are several key points that players should be made aware of before they decide to purchase these items.
Both the Sanctifying Essence and Unction artifact XP items are purchased through the Realm Depot shop in the Teapot Realm. Unfortunately, in order to gain access to the new items, players must reach Trust Rank 8 in the Teapot Realm before the items will be available for purchase.
The amount of XP given by each item also varies, with Sanctifying Essence awarding players 10,000 artifact XP (approximately 2 levels worth) and Sanctifying Unction giving 2500 artifact XP. While this may not seem like a significant amount of artifact XP, players should also note that the same randomized 2x and 5x artifact infusion bonuses also apply to Sanctifying Essence and Unction.
Unsurprisingly, the cost of each of the items also varies, with Sanctifying Essence costing 360 realm currency, and Sanctifying Unction costing 90. For players who have already purchased all the blueprints in the realm depot and have reached Trust Rank 10, this will not be that significant of an investment. However, for players with companion set blueprints still available for purchase, it is recommended to save for these sets as there is a significant amount of primogems that can be earned through their construction.
To use Sanctifying Essence and Unction, players must open the enhancement menu of the artifact that they want to level. From the menu, they should be able to add either of the two items to their enhancement materials in addition to any other lesser artifacts they want to get rid of.
While this system may be a welcome addition for max-level players looking to cut down on their overall domain grinding time, for the majority of players the cost of both items may be too high. Additionally, with the introduction of Transient Resin to the Realm Depot shop, a large portion of the player's weekly realm currency will be dedicated to purchasing this item. As a result, Sanctifying Essence and Unction should only be purchased if players find themselves in desperate need of artifact XP, and have no original resin, and an overabundance of realm currency.
Genshin Impact is available for Mobile, PC, PS4, and PS5, with a Switch version in development.
