Is Iron Sting a Top Choice for Kazuha?
Is Iron Sting a Top Choice for Kazuha?
The main reason why Iron Sting is one of the best options for Kazuha is because of the Elemental Mastery the weapon provides from its secondary stat. It provides 165 EM from its secondary stat, enabling Kazuha to turn it into a 6.6% Elemental Damage bonus for the entire team—this is a huge buff. Additionally, the ive of the weapon increases its wielder damage by 6% at R1 up to 12% at R5, essentially boosting the Anemo character’s personal damage as well.
Iron Sting is overall the better option in of providing more buffs and damage than the Favonius Sword in teams that do not require a lot of rotations. However, building some Energy Recharge (ER) on Kazuha via artifact sub-stats is still recommended so that he has at least 150% ER.
Moreover, Iron Sting is one of the best swords for characters that mainly deal damage through Elemental Reactions, such as Alhaitham or Kazuha. Notably, Nilou can also take advantage of Iron Sting’s skill in a Bloom team.
Iron Sting Weapon Details:
- The Iron Sting is a craftable 4-star Sword weapon in Genshin Impact.
- It provides a bonus effect of Elemental Mastery + 36.
- The skill ‘Infusion Stinger’ increases all DMG by 6% for 6s when dealing Elemental DMG, with a maximum of 2 stacks.
Kazuha Build with Iron Sting:
- Focus on maximizing his Elemental Mastery (EM) through the weapon’s high EM secondary stat.
- Kazuha becomes a strong swirl , significantly boosting the damage of elemental reactions triggered by his burst and skill.
- This is considered a great F2P option for Kazuha, as it provides a readily available high EM boost with good damage potential from its ive effect.
- High EM: The weapon’s primary secondary stat directly boosts Kazuha’s swirl damage.
- ive effect: Iron Sting’s ive provides additional Elemental DMG Bonus after triggering elemental reactions, further enhancing his damage output.
- Accessibility: As a 4-star forgeable weapon, it’s readily available to most players.
If Kazuha gets enough substats from his artifacts that make his non-swirl damage deal decent numbers, then the refinements can be worth it. Ultimately, Iron Sting is the better choice; however, Sac or Favonius might be more ideal for easier gearing and compensating for the EM difference while benefiting the team with their ive.
How to Obtain Iron Sting in Genshin Impact
How to Obtain Iron Sting in Genshin Impact
Iron Sting is acquired through crafting exclusively. It requires:
- A Northlander Sword Billet
- 50 Crystal Chunks
- 50 White Iron Chunks
- 500 Mora
Billets are random drops that can either be found from set locations/quests, or as random drops from weekly bosses.
Weapon Characteristics
Iron Sting is a forgeable 4-Star sword. It is an exotic long-bladed rapier that somehow found its way into Liyue via foreign traders. It is light, agile, and sharp. Furthermore, Iron Sting has an Elemental Mastery substat, and its ive increases all damage done by a set % after dealing elemental damage. This makes it an attractive option for any character, as long as they don’t mind the EM substat.
Strengths and Usage
The biggest strength Iron Sting has going for it is its availability. It can be acquired with materials purely found within the game. This aspect makes it an attractive option for low spending and F2P players. Additionally, Iron Sting is one of the best swords for characters that mainly deal damage through Elemental Reactions, such as Alhaitham or Kazuha.
While it has one of the stronger weapon ives for a 4-Star Sword, it is unfortunately hampered by its Elemental Mastery substat, which limits how broad its appeal is to potential s. Additionally, Iron Sting’s ive actually matters: the damage boost stacks up to 2 and triggers each time you deal elemental damage. For instance, Kazuha’s E happens to deal 2 instances of elemental damage every 6 seconds, which maxes the stacks, giving quite a big bonus.
Iron Sting vs. Prototype Rancour: Which is Better?
When comparing Iron Sting and Prototype Rancour in Genshin Impact, the choice largely depends on the character and playstyle.
Iron Sting is generally better for characters who rely heavily on elemental reactions and frequent elemental skill usage. Specifically, it prioritizes Elemental Mastery, providing:
- 93 Elemental Mastery at level 40 Ascension 1.
- Good synergy with characters such as:
- Kaedehara Kazuha (EM Build)
- Kuki Shinobu
- Traveler (Anemo, Geo, Electro)
- Kaeya (Burst )
Iron Sting is particularly effective for enhancing melt damage with Kaeya due to its Elemental Mastery substat and elemental damage ive.
On the other hand, Prototype Rancour shines for characters focused on physical damage through normal attacks. It provides:
- 19.3% physical damage bonus at the same level.
Thus, if you prioritize elemental reactions, Iron Sting is recommended. Conversely, Prototype Rancour suits those who rely more on normal attacks to defeat enemies.
In conclusion, Prototype Rancour might be considered the best weapon for certain physical damage-focused builds, and you can also refine it since you likely already have one from rewards.
Is Iron Sting Underrated in the Genshin Impact Community?
Iron Sting Overview
Iron Sting is a forgeable 4-Star sword that belongs to the Infusion Series.
Its design is needle-like, featuring a point but no edges, sacrificing the ability to slash for increased piercing damage.
Although it requires a level of skill to realize its full potential, it still serves as a fine weapon even for those lacking particular skill.
Comparison with Xiphos’ Moonlight
- Iron Sting is a free 4-star craftable weapon, while Xiphos’ Moonlight is a limited 4-star weapon.
- Both weapons have the exact same stats but different ives, with Xiphos’ Moonlight typically being preferred due to its overall better ive.
Usage by Characters
- For Kazuha, Jean, and Anemo Traveler, Xiphos’ Moonlight is undoubtedly the superior choice because these Anemo s scale off Elemental Mastery and require Energy Recharge. Therefore, they gain more from Xiphos’ ive than Iron Sting.
- On the other hand, Iron Sting and Xiphos’ Moonlight are interchangeable for Nilou. She benefits from both as she scales well with Elemental Mastery, damage bonus, and Energy Recharge for her burst.
Free-to-Play Viability
- Iron Sting is considered a good free-to-play option for players who do not have Xiphos’ Moonlight.
- It is referred to as a great early game weapon due to its damage buff and Elemental Mastery substat.
- Iron Sting is easily crafted, making it easy to refine.
- It is likely the best free-to-play option, as no refinements are necessary if used as ; refinements are only needed if using it as a sub DPS.
Best Characters to Equip Iron Sting for Maximum Effect
Main DPS Characters:
- Neuvillette
- Mualani
- Mavuika
Sub DPS Characters:
- Xingqiu
- Furina
- Mona
- Nilou
- Nahida
- Fischl
- Mavuika
Characters:
- Kazuha
- Nahida
- Xilonen
- Furina
- Bennett
All of these characters can themselves well in battle, so you shouldn’t have a hard time whether you are in Hard or Fearless difficulty.
In Hard difficulty, just keep blasting Hydro attacks on the Tyrant to defeat it. However, when it comes to Fearless mode, you might require more than one Hydro character to deal with the boss fight. The main takeaway of the battle is to break the Tyrant’s pyro shield, which is possible if you have at least 2 Hydro characters in your team.
Additionally, here is a list of characters that have good synergy with Iron Sting:
- Kaedehara Kazuha (EM Build)
- Kuki Shinobu
- Traveler (Anemo, Geo, Electro)
- Kaeya (Burst )
Since Kazuha’s ive talent allows him to provide Elemental DMG bonuses to his party based on his own Elemental Mastery, Iron Sting has become one of the best in slot weapons for Kazuha.
The best characters for Iron Sting in Genshin Impact include:
- Alhaitham
- Kazuha
- Neuvillette
- Mualani
- Mavuika
- Kuki Shinobu
- Traveler (Anemo, Geo, Electro)
- Kaeya (Burst )
Iron Sting is particularly effective for characters that primarily deal damage through Elemental Reactions, such as Alhaitham and Kazuha.
Lastly, Iron Sting is one of the recommended weapons for Kuki Shinobu in Genshin Impact. It provides an increase in Elemental Mastery and boosts damage after dealing Elemental DMG. After releasing Keqing’s ive talent 1, her main damage source becomes electro, making Iron Sting better than Prototype Rancour.
