Search
Account
Discord
Understanding the Genshin Impact Bloodtainted Greatsword
The Genshin Impact Bloodtainted Greatsword is a 3-star claymore that distinguishes itself with an Elemental Mastery substat. Its description tells a rather intriguing tale: it’s a steel sword rumored to have been coated with dragon blood, making it invulnerable to damage, though this protective effect doesn’t extend to its wielder.
At its base, this weapon starts with 38 Base ATK and 41 Elemental Mastery at Level 1. As you ascend and level it up, its Base ATK can reach up to 354 at Level 90, and its Elemental Mastery can increase significantly, up to 187.
What truly sets the Bloodtainted Greatsword apart is its passive skill, “Bane of Fire and Thunder”. This skill increases the damage dealt against opponents affected by Pyro or Electro. At its initial refinement level (Refinement 1), this bonus is 12%, but it can go up to a substantial 24% at Refinement 5. This makes any damage you deal 24% more potent against enemies with these elemental statuses.
Acquiring the Bloodtainted Greatsword
Unlike some weapons that can be crafted or found in the open world, the Bloodtainted Greatsword is exclusively obtained through the game’s gacha system, specifically by pulling on any active wish banners. This includes banners like “A Beginner’s Prayer,” “Thirst for Wanderlust,” “Character Event Prayer 5-star,” and “Prayer Weapon Event 5-star”. Since it’s a 3-star weapon, there’s a 94.3% chance of getting any 3-star weapon from banners, with a 3% chance to get any of the available 3-star weapons, meaning you’re likely to acquire it after a couple of dozen pulls. It’s not typically featured as a rate-up weapon on banners.
Ascension and Refinement
To fully unlock the potential of the Bloodtainted Greatsword, you’ll need to ascend and refine it. Ascension increases its base stats and allows it to reach higher levels, while refinement enhances its passive skill.
Here’s a breakdown of the materials required for ascension:
- Mora: A total of 105,000 Mora is needed to ascend the weapon to its maximum level.
- Boreal Wolf’s Teeth: You’ll need various forms of Boreal Wolf’s Teeth, including Milk Tooth, Cracked Tooth, Broken Fang, and Nostalgia. These can be farmed in the Cecilia’s Garden dungeon on Tuesdays, Fridays, and Sundays.
- Dead Ley Line Branches/Leaves/Sprout: These materials are obtained by defeating Abyss Mages, which are numerous in regions like Liyue.
- Arrowheads: Different types of arrowheads—Firm, Sharp, and Weathered—are required. These drop from defeated hilichurl archers.
In total, to reach Level 90, you’ll need 2 Boreal Wolf’s Milk Tooth, 6 Boreal Wolf’s Cracked Tooth, 6 Boreal Wolf’s Broken Fang, 3 Boreal Wolf’s Nostalgia, 10 Dead Ley Line Branch, 12 Dead Ley Line Leaves, 18 Ley Line Sprout, 6 Firm Arrowhead, 10 Sharp Arrowhead, and 12 Weathered Arrowhead, along with 607 Mystic Enhancement Ore. You can also use online calculators to determine exact resource needs.
Refining the Bloodtainted Greatsword requires duplicates of the weapon itself. Since it’s a 3-star weapon and relatively common from wishes, maxing out its refinement (R5) is generally quite easy if you’ve done a fair amount of pulls.
Who Benefits from the Bloodtainted Greatsword? (Character Suitability)
The Bloodtainted Greatsword is primarily suitable for characters who can leverage its Elemental Mastery substat and its passive damage bonus against Pyro or Electro affected enemies. It’s considered a generalist Elemental Mastery weapon for reaction-based DPS or sub-DPS characters.
Here are some characters it can be good for:
| Character | Synergy with Bloodtainted Greatsword |
|---|---|
 Beidou | Benefits from the Elemental Mastery and damage bonus against Pyro/Electro-affected enemies, ideal in Overload teams. Works well with her C4 and Electro scaling. |
 Sayu | Utilizes Elemental Mastery for Swirl and healing; passive can activate with her skill. Good alternative if Rainslasher is unavailable. |
 Diluc | Can work in Overload/Burning/Burgeon comps; synergizes with Pyro skills and Electro supports. Viable for reaction damage despite 3★ drawbacks. |
 Razor | Primarily physical, but passive helps with Electro uptime from Burst and skill. Not BiS but functional if no better options are available. |
 Kaveh | High EM aids Stimulate/Bloom teams; passive less relevant for Budding but still a strong stat stick. |
 Dori | Can enhance her skill and Burst (especially at C2), though not commonly used as a DPS. |
It’s important to acknowledge that the main drawback of any 3-star weapon, including the Bloodtainted Greatsword, is its significantly lower base attack compared to 4-star and 5-star weapons. This means you will see a noticeable drop in your raw attack stat. While its Elemental Mastery boost is “massive” and reactions are crucial in late-game, some argue that Elemental Mastery is often better suited for support characters who trigger reactions, as the main DPS (like Diluc) might only proc reactions once per skill use or burst.
Gameplay Tips and Team Synergy
The Bloodtainted Greatsword encourages an offensive playstyle centered around elemental reactions or normal/charged attacks against enemies affected by Electro or Pyro. To maximize its passive, you need to ensure enemies are consistently under Pyro or Electro status.
A strong team composition leveraging this weapon could involve:
- Bennett: Provides Pyro application and powerful attack buffs.
- Beidou: Equipping her with Bloodtainted Greatsword, she applies Electro and triggers Overload.
- Diluc: Can also be equipped with Bloodtainted Greatsword to trigger multiple Overloads with his skills and burst due to Beidou’s ultimate.
- Lisa: Another Electro character who can cause reactions on burning enemies with her normal attacks.
This team allows for multiple consecutive Overload reactions. For example, Bennett can apply Pyro, Beidou triggers Overload and applies continuous Electro with her ultimate, Diluc then causes several Overloads, and Lisa can follow up with more reactions. Even with just two of these characters, parts of this powerful combo can still be executed. If facing rainy weather, which can vaporize Pyro, having an Electro applicator like Fischl or Lisa alongside would ensure the weapon’s passive remains active.
Comparisons to Other Weapons
When discussing the Bloodtainted Greatsword, comparisons inevitably arise with other free-to-play (F2P) claymores.
- Prototype Archaic (formerly Aminus): This is often considered the best F2P weapon for Diluc. However, some argue its 27.5% ATK bonus at Level 90 only applies to base attack, and its physical damage-dealing skill (“Crush”) doesn’t benefit from Diluc’s common Pyro damage build, making it less optimal for late-game Pyro-focused Diluc builds. Critically, it has a long cooldown of 15 seconds. Many players still recommend Prototype Archaic over Bloodtainted Greatsword due to its higher base attack and overall scaling with attack stats.
- Royal Greatsword: This weapon offers similar stats to Prototype Archaic but comes with a passive that grants Crit Chance every time you deal damage (max 5 stacks) until you score a crit. For Diluc, this is beneficial as Crit Chance helps his skill and burst, which are multi-hit and can stack the passive quickly. However, some consider it one of the worst 4-star greatswords because you don’t control which hit crits, and its utility diminishes as your overall crit rate increases.
- Whiteblind: While often associated with Noelle, Whiteblind can be viable for other claymore users. At Refinement 5, it offers a total of 48% base attack and defense. The downside is that its stacks fade after 6 seconds if you’re not constantly hitting, making it less ideal for characters who swap out frequently. It also has a lower flat attack than Prototype Archaic.
- Debate Club: For newer players seeking to compare it to Bloodtainted Greatsword, the Debate Club is generally considered to have more damage due to its main stat and ability proc, and it’s often recommended over the Bloodtainted Greatsword early on, with the advice to quickly replace it with Prototype Archaic.
In the grand scheme, the Bloodtainted Greatsword’s key strength lies in its high Elemental Mastery and specific damage bonus, making it cheap to level up and a good investment for Overload teams, particularly with characters like Beidou and Diluc. It’s especially viable if you don’t have better 4-star alternatives.
Aesthetic Appeal
Beyond its combat utility, the Bloodtainted Greatsword holds a special place for some players due to its appearance. It has been noted to look “really good on Diluc” and is even the sword he is depicted holding in his in-game art. This can be a significant factor for players who prioritize character aesthetics.
Conclusion
The Bloodtainted Greatsword, while a 3-star weapon with a lower base attack, carves out a niche for itself through its substantial Elemental Mastery substat and a potent passive that boosts damage against Pyro or Electro-affected enemies. It’s a particularly strong contender for characters like Beidou and Sayu, and it can be a surprisingly effective, cost-efficient option for Diluc in specific reaction-focused team compositions. While it might not always compete with higher rarity weapons in terms of raw attack, its ability to enhance elemental reaction damage makes it a valuable tool worth considering, especially for free-to-play players looking to optimize their teams.
