Genshin Artifact Main Stats Guide: Sands, Goblet & Circlet Priority by Role (6.7)

The 5 artifact piece types split into 2 groups: 2 pieces with a FIXED main and 3 pieces with a RANDOM main (rolled from a pool the instant the piece drops, and it can't change through normal play):

• Flower of Life: 100% fixed main = flat HP, no other option.
• Plume of Death: 100% fixed main = flat ATK, no other option.
• Sands of Eon: random from 5 options: HP%, ATK%, DEF%, Elemental Mastery (EM), Energy Recharge (ER%).
• Goblet of Eonothem: random from a bigger pool: HP%, ATK%, DEF%, EM, Physical DMG%, OR exactly one of the 7 elemental DMG% types (Pyro/Hydro/Electro/Cryo/Anemo/Geo/Dendro) — a Goblet can NEVER roll both Physical and Elemental DMG%, and it can never roll two elements at once.
• Circlet of Logos: random from HP%, ATK%, DEF%, EM, CRIT Rate, CRIT DMG, Healing Bonus.

Since the last 3 pieces are random, a 5★ that hits 'all 3 correct mains at once' is extremely rare — which is exactly why the community says correct main beats rarity or set bonus: a 4★ Goblet with the right element is usable right now, while a 5★ Goblet with the wrong element is basically dead weight for a main DPS.

Sands is the most flexible piece — it locks in the overall build direction:

There's no common 'Sands DEF%' for a regular DPS — that option is basically reserved for characters whose damage/shield formula explicitly scales off DEF in their kit description.

Goblet is the most argued-over piece because Elemental DMG% only counts for the ONE element printed on that specific piece:

Case	Goblet choice
Match your main damage element exactly	a Pyro carry needs Pyro DMG% Goblet, not Cryo DMG% even at the same %; the wrong element gives 0% bonus, basically as bad as no useful main at all.
Physical DMG%	only makes sense when most of your damage is elementless Normal/Charged Attacks; if the character infuses their normal attacks with an element, Elemental DMG% matching that element is still usually the better pick.
EM Goblet	only fits pure Transformative-reaction builds where that character doesn't need Elemental DMG% or ATK% to deal damage (specialized EM builds like Gilded Dreams setups) — rarely a top pick for a regular main DPS.
HP%/ATK%/DEF% Goblet	is rarely optimal, except for characters whose kit formula scales directly off those stats (usually specific supports/tanks, not main DPS).

Domain-picking tip: each Domain of Blessing only ever drops 2 fixed sets — check which of the two matches the Goblet/Sands you actually need before spending resin, so you don't grind the wrong domain for a week and never get the right element. See which set drops where on our artifact farming guide.

Circlet is the only piece where CRIT Rate and CRIT DMG can be the main stat, which makes it the single most important main to optimize for a regular DPS:

Since a Circlet only rolls EXACTLY one of the two (CRIT Rate or CRIT DMG — never both on the same main), the rest of that 1:2 ratio has to come from substats, weapon, and set effects — which is why a CRIT Rate main Circlet with good CRIT DMG substats is always more sought-after than a CRIT DMG main Circlet with average rolls: crit substats are rare and each line is worth less than the equivalent main stat.

Since 3 of the 5 main stats are random, there are a few legitimate ways to raise your odds of hitting the right main instead of grinding blindly:

• Pick the right Domain of Blessing: each domain only ever drops 2 fixed sets — figure out which set + which main you need before spending resin, so you don't waste resin in a domain that never had your set to begin with.
• Strongbox: pick the recipe for the SET you want at the Alchemy Table, then sacrifice 3 ANY 5★ pieces (they don't need to be the same piece type or even the same set) to receive 1 brand-new 5★ piece of that chosen set — but the resulting piece TYPE (Flower/Feather/Sands/Goblet/Circlet), main stat, and substats are all completely random, with no guarantee you get the piece type or main you need; it's a fixed 3-for-1 material trade, not a probability boost, so repeated use can still keep handing you the wrong element.
• Artifact Transmuter (added in 5.0): uses materials to CRAFT a brand-new artifact piece and lets you pick its main stat right at creation (except Flower of Life/Plume of Death, which are always fixed) — it's the only way to choose a main on purpose, but it produces a whole new piece rather than editing one you already own.
• Reshaping / Dust of Enlightenment (added in 5.7): only reallocates the SUBSTAT rolls on an already max-level 5★ piece, letting you rescue an old piece with a great set but bad substats — it CANNOT change the main, so if the main itself is wrong, Reshaping won't fix it; you'd need the Strongbox, the Transmuter, or fresh farming instead.
• Off-piece 4+1: if you're only missing 1 slot (usually Goblet or Sands) for a perfect main, it's fine to use that slot from a DIFFERENT set (losing the 4pc bonus, keeping 2pc of the main set + 2pc of a secondary set) as long as the main is right — a correct main is usually worth more than a complete 4pc bonus with the wrong main.

To see the full 2pc/4pc effects of each set before deciding what to farm, check our artifact overview page; to further optimize substats once you've got the right main, see our substat priority guide.

Whether you main EM or ATK%/Crit depends entirely on WHICH kind of elemental reaction that character is using to deal damage:

• Amplifying reactions (Vaporize, Melt): multiply a coefficient directly onto ATK-based damage that already accounts for crit — so ATK% Sands + matching Elemental DMG% Goblet + Crit Circlet is still correct, EM is only a supporting stat (it boosts the multiplier %, not the base damage).
• Transformative reactions (Swirl, Overload, Electro-Charged, Crystallize, Bloom, Superconduct...): damage comes straight from its own formula scaling off Character Level + EM, with NO bonus from ATK% and NO possibility of critting — here, ATK%/CRIT Rate/CRIT DMG mains are basically useless, and you need to push EM instead (EM Sands, EM Goblet if the build allows it, EM Circlet instead of crit).

This is exactly why the same Anemo/Dendro character can need two completely different main-stat setups depending on the team: a solo build leaning on Swirl needs full EM, while a team build pushing Vaporize/Melt goes back to traditional ATK%/Crit. See how these two reaction families work on our elemental reactions page, and how to build teams around them on our team building guide.