Is Skyward Spine Worth It?
Skyward Spine Overview:
Skyward Spine is a 5-Star polearm in Genshin Impact. It is generally a good weapon for characters who rely on their Elemental Burst to the team or deal damage. With its high base ATK, it suits characters needing minor improvements to their Energy Recharge for more damage.
Weapon Stats:
- Base ATK: 48
- Bonus Effect: Energy Recharge + 8.0%
- Skill: Black Wing — increases CRIT Rate by 8% and Normal ATK SPD by 12%
- ive: Provides a chance to trigger a vacuum blade that deals 40% of ATK as damage in a small AoE.
Obtaining Skyward Spine:
Skyward Spine can be obtained by pulling on the Epitome Invocation Weapon Event Wish Banner and the Wanderlust Invocation Standard Wish Banner at a normal rate. This weapon cannot be obtained from the Character Event Wish Banner.
Character Compatibility:
Characters that can utilize Skyward Spine include:
- Xiao
- Zhongli
- Xiangling
- Hu Tao
- Rosaria
- Raiden Shogun
- Shenhe
- Cyno
- Arlecchino
- Emilie
Each character benefits from the weapon’s high Base ATK, Energy Recharge, and CRIT Rate buff, tailored to their playstyle.
Strengths and Weaknesses:
- High Base ATK: One of its biggest strengths is its high base attack stat, significantly boosting damage output.
- Energy Recharge Focus: Ideal for characters needing frequent Elemental Burst use due to its ive Energy Recharge.
- ive ‘Vacuum Blade’: Provides a chance for an area-of-effect damage burst after a normal attack, although the low chance and short cooldown limit its effectiveness.
Overall Evaluation:
Skyward Spine is considered a decent 5-star polearm with a high base ATK and good Energy Recharge. However, it may not be the best choice for most characters due to its ive not always synergizing well with many DPS builds. It is more suitable for characters like Xiangling or Zhongli, who benefit from high Energy Recharge and consistent off-field damage. Some players, however, might still use it on characters like Raiden Shogun, depending on team composition and artifact setup.
Recommendations:
Skyward Spine performs well on characters in Genshin Impact who rely on their Elemental Burst abilities, particularly those with energy generation and high uptime on their Bursts. While it works relatively well with Xiangling, it is recommended for Raiden instead. It remains a decent weapon, but The Catch performs better on Xiangling specifically, while Skyward Spine reaches close to an R5 The Catch for Raiden.
Best Characters for Skyward Spine
The Skyward Spine is considered one of the better polearms for certain characters in Genshin Impact. Here’s a concise breakdown of the best characters to equip this weapon:
- Rosaria: Tied for 4th best weapon alongside The Catch, only losing to Homa, Engulfing Lightning, and PJWS.
- Xiao: Considered marginal; ranks as the 8th best weapon, falling behind three 4-star weapons: Lithic, Blackcliff, and Deathmatch.
- Xiangling and Raiden Shogun: Both can use Skyward Spine effectively, but they prefer The Catch. Giving one the Skyward Spine and the other The Catch is advisable if both characters are available.
- Key Benefits of Skyward Spine:
- High base attack ideal for DPS characters.
- Energy recharge ive enables more frequent use of elemental bursts.
- Provides a chance to grant a temporary crit rate buff, enhancing damage output.
- Other Notable Characters:
- Bennett
- Xingqiu
- Childe
- Shenhe
- Zhongli
These characters can also benefit from the energy recharge and critical rate bonuses provided by the Skyward Spine.
- Overall Recommendations: Characters who benefit from high base attack, energy recharge, and a mix of crit rate/damage, like Raiden Shogun, Xiangling, Rosaria, Shenhe, and potentially Yun Jin are top choices.
How Does Skyward Spine Compare to Other Weapons?
In Genshin Impact, Skyward Spine generally stands out as a top-tier polearm thanks to its:
- High base attack
- Balanced stat distribution (including Crit Rate)
- ive ability that provides a chance to deal additional physical damage after a normal attack
This makes it a strong choice for characters who utilize fast normal attacks and bursts, especially those with high energy consumption like Raiden Shogun or Xiangling. However, depending on the specific character and team composition, other polearms might be more optimal.
For instance:
- The Catch is noted for high energy recharge, particularly excelling with Xiangling.
- Primordial Jade Winged-Spear is recommended for dedicated burst damage.
Despite this, many players find Skyward Spine effective:
- One mentions it is almost equivalent to Blackcliff because of its crit rate ive and significantly higher base attack.
- Another suggests it should not be wasted on starglitter, highlighting its energy recharge (ER) benefits, especially for Xiao.
- It works relatively well with Xiangling but is recommended for Raiden instead, as it performs closely to R5 The Catch for her.
Overall, Skyward Spine is best on characters who rely on Elemental Burst abilities, particularly those with energy generation and high uptime on their Bursts.
If Skyward Spine is your only 5-star polearm, it’s still a decent choice. However, alternatives like Deathmatch or Blackcliff may be competitive, especially at higher refines.
Finally, it’s a good non-weapon banner/BP option for Raiden and Xiao, as they benefit from its high base attack and ER sub-stat. For Shenhe, it’s better than Favonius; however, if you’re not running a second pyro with Xiangling, the extra particles from Favonius might provide a significant advantage.
Skyward Spine’s Energy Recharge Benefits
Skyward Spine Overview:
- Skyward Spine is a 5-Star polearm.
- It is part of the Mondstadt Series.
- The second stat of Skyward Spine is Energy Recharge, which increases from 8% at base to 36.8% at level 90.
- This weapon is particularly notable for its increasing Energy Recharge benefit as it ascends.
Energy Recharge Benefits:
- Skyward Spine has a high Base ATK and decent Energy Recharge Sub-stat.
- It increases the CRIT Rate of the character, making it a valuable weapon.
- ATK increased by 28% of Energy Recharge over the base 100%, with a maximum bonus of 60% ATK.
- After using an Elemental Burst, you gain 25% Energy Recharge for 12 seconds.
Additional Attributes:
- Increases CRIT Rate by 8% and Normal ATK SPD by 12%.
- Normal and Charged Attacks have a 50% chance to trigger a vacuum blade that deals 40% of ATK as DMG in a small AoE.
- This effect can occur no more than once every 2 seconds.
Character Synergies:
- Characters like Bennett, Xingqiu, and Childe (Tartaglia) benefit greatly from the energy recharge and critical rate bonuses provided by Skyward Spine.
- Opinions vary on which characters benefit most from this weapon, but Raiden, Xiangling, and Shenhe are popular choices.
- Skyward Spine works relatively well with Xiangling, but it’s recommended to use it on Raiden instead.
- This weapon is best on characters who rely on their Elemental Burst abilities, especially those with energy generation and high uptime on their Bursts.
Character Builds Featuring Skyward Spine
Skyward Spine Overview:
- Skyward Spine is a 5-star Polearm obtained from the Weapon Event Wish in Genshin Impact.
- It increases CRIT Rate by 8%/10%/12%/14%/16% and boosts Normal ATK SPD by 12% at all levels.
- Additionally, it has a 50% chance to trigger a vacuum blade on Normal and Charged Attacks, dealing 40%/55%/70%/85%/100% of ATK as DMG in a small AoE (this effect can occur no more than once every 2s).
Best Character Builds:
- Skyward Spine is best suited for characters who rely on their Elemental Burst abilities.
- It works particularly well with Raiden, as she has high uptime on her Bursts and energy generation.
- While it’s also compatible with Xiangling, Raiden is recommended over her.
- It has a high Base ATK and a decent Energy Recharge Sub-stat, making it suitable for characters like Cyno due to its 12% crit rate boost and increased Normal ATK speed.
- Skyward Spine is generally a good weapon for characters who may rely on their Elemental Burst for team or damage.
- However, for characters like Hu Tao and Raiden, Dragonsbane and The Catch may be better options.
- If considering usage for Zhongli, it’s still a viable option.
Skyward Spine in Team Compositions
Skyward Spine Overview
Skyward Spine is a 5-star polearm in Genshin Impact that provides Energy Recharge, making it more suitable for characters than DPS characters.
Its ive skill, Black Wing, increases the wielder’s Crit Rate by 8% and Normal Attack Speed by 12%. This makes the weapon an excellent match for characters like Xiangling and Zhongli.
Xiangling Team Composition
For Xiangling, using Skyward Spine as a character allows her to benefit from increased Energy Recharge. This is essential for her Elemental Burst, the Pyronado, which has an energy cost of 80 and a cooldown of 20 seconds.
This synergy aids in triggering Elemental Reactions such as Melt, Vaporize, and Overload.
Zhongli Team Composition
Zhongli also benefits from Skyward Spine, as it helps him accumulate enough elemental particles before his Elemental Burst cooldown ends.
His Elemental Burst, Planet Befall, has a cooldown of just 12 seconds and an energy cost of 40. Therefore, the high Energy Recharge from Skyward Spine is crucial for consistent use.
Ideal Characters for Skyward Spine
In Genshin Impact, Skyward Spine is best used on characters who benefit from high base ATK, a mix of normal attack speed, and a bit of energy recharge.
It is most suitable for fast-paced DPS characters like Raiden Shogun, Xiangling, and potentially future characters with similar playstyles where consistent damage output and quick attacks are key.
Recommended Team Compositions
- Raiden Shogun (Electro DPS): Pair her with strong off-field s like Fischl, Bennett, and Kazuha to maximize her burst damage and allow her to quickly spam normal attacks to trigger the weapon’s ive.
- Xiangling (Pyro DPS): Utilize Xiangling with a dedicated healer like Barbara or Diona, along with strong enablers like Bennett and Kazuha to maximize her burst damage and allow her to quickly cycle through normal attacks.
Conclusion
Skyward Spine is indeed a great choice for characters like Cyno as well. It has high base ATK and its ive provides benefits that enhance critical strike capabilities and attack speed.
Pros and Cons of Skyward Spine
Pros of Skyward Spine
- Offers impressive base stats, including high base ATK that is ideal for physical damage s.
- The secondary stat, Energy Recharge, allows for quicker energy generation for elemental burst abilities.
- Increases critical rate and damage, beneficial for maximizing damage output.
- The ive ability “Blackwing” enhances attack speed and movement speed after using an Elemental Skill, improving overall DPS.
- Flexible weapon for various Polearm s, working well with Sub-DPS characters like Xiangling and characters like Shenhe.
- Particularly effective for characters who rely on their Elemental Burst abilities.
Cons of Skyward Spine
- Its rarity as a 5-star weapon makes it challenging to obtain, especially for players who do not spend money on the game.
Character Compatibility
- Opinions on character suitability for Skyward Spine vary. Popular choices include Raiden, Xiangling, and Shenhe.
- Players debate between Xiangling and Raiden regarding who benefits more from the weapon’s stats.
- Shenhe enthusiasts question whether Skyward Spine maximizes her potential or if other weapons suit her attack style better.
- Some players have successfully used the Skyward Spine on Rosaria, demonstrating its versatility.
In summary, the Skyward Spine has significant advantages for characters focused on critical hits and energy recharge. However, its rarity can be a considerable drawback for many players.
Ultimate Guide to Using Skyward Spine
Skyward Spine in Genshin Impact
Skyward Spine is a polearm that was introduced in version 1.0 when the game first launched. However, it isn’t a weapon that you can acquire through regular gameplay. You’ll need some gacha luck to get your hands on this weapon by spending Primogems on the Wanderlust Invocation banner. This is the Standard Wish banner that contains all non-event characters and items.
- The chance of pulling the Skyward Spine is 0.6% since it’s a five-star item.
- After 10 wishes, you’re guaranteed to get a four-star or higher character or item, so that percentage jumps up to 1.6%.
- You’re guaranteed to get a five-star item after 90 wishes.
Weapon Stats and Abilities
Skyward Spine (5★) is a Polearm with:
- A base ATK of 48 and an Energy Recharge of 8 at level 1.
- Increased CRIT Rate by 8% and boosts Normal ATK SPD by 12%.
- A Blackwing ability that increases CRIT rate and normal ATK speed, with normal and charged attacks having a 50% chance to trigger an AOE that deals 40% of ATK damage once every two seconds.
The weapon’s secondary stat type is Energy Recharge, which can reach 33.5% at weapon level 80. This means that it’s great for characters like Xiangling and Zhongli who are more or sub DPS types. Skyward Spine will essentially allow you to use Xiangling’s Pyronado Elemental Burst or Zhongli’s Planet Befall at a much faster rate than what is normally possible. It’s especially beneficial for Xiangling because her Burst stays active even if she isn’t in use, allowing for constant activation while switching to a main DPS character.
Recommended Characters
The recommended characters to use with Skyward Spine include those who can benefit from the increased Normal ATK SPD and the CRIT Rate it provides. Additionally, this polearm is ideal for characters who depend on their Elemental Burst for team or damage. It enhances energy management, making it a perfect fit for characters reliant on casting their Elemental Burst.
Ascension Materials
The weapon’s ascension materials are quite extensive, requiring various items like:
- Fetters of the Dandelion Gladiator
- Chaos Devices
- Divining Scrolls
Obtaining Skyward Spine
Skyward Spine was featured on the Epitome Invocation once, along with Ayaka during her banner. However, this weapon can be obtained from the Standard Banner as well. There is a 1/15 chance that the 5 star you pull from your standard banner is a Skyward Spine.
