Genshin Impact Artifact Substats Guide: Priority Ranking, Roll Values & Keep-or-Feed
What substats are & the rules behind how they roll
Substats are the 4 lines under the main stat on every piece — this is where RNG truly decides if a piece is "good," since main stats only have a handful of fixed options per slot. Genshin has exactly 10 substat types: 3 flat stats (Flat HP, Flat ATK, Flat DEF), 3 percentage stats (HP%, ATK%, DEF%), plus Elemental Mastery (EM), Energy Recharge% (ER), Crit Rate% (CR) and Crit DMG% (CD). A piece never rolls a substat identical to its own main stat, and never repeats the same substat twice before reaching 4 lines.
- A 5★ piece drops with 3 or 4 substat lines already rolled at random.
- Every +4 levels (up to +20) it gets a value added to an existing line (or unlocks a new one if under 4 lines) — 5 upgrades total over its lifetime.
- For a piece that starts with all 4 lines: total value-additions = 4 (initial) + 5 (upgrades) = 9 rolls spread randomly — averaging ~2.25 rolls per line, but luck can pile most of them onto just 1-2 lines.
Since it's pure RNG, locking the right main stat still matters more than obsessing over substats first — see the artifact overview page.
Full roll value table: all 10 substats, 5★ max values
Every time a substat gets a value added, it lands on one of 4 tiers: 70% / 80% / 90% / 100% of its max possible value ("high roll" = near 100%). Per-roll ranges on a 5★ piece (cross-checked across community sources):
- Crit Rate%: 2.7% – 3.9% (top roll 3.89%)
- Crit DMG%: 5.4% – 7.8% (top roll 7.77%)
- ATK% / HP%: 4.1% – 5.8% each (same tier group, so they roll identically)
- Energy Recharge%: 4.5% – 6.5%
- Elemental Mastery: 16 – 23 points
- Flat HP: 209 – 299
- DEF%: ~5.1% – 7.3% (flagged: single clear source — DEF% always rolls higher than ATK%/HP% due to a different main-stat coefficient)
- Flat ATK / Flat DEF: ~14-19 and ~16-23 (flagged: single source — few guides bother listing these precisely since it's the substat worth dumping first)
A theoretically perfect 5★ piece (every roll hitting 100%) reaches a Roll Value of ~900% — a purely theoretical number almost nobody actually hits (single community source, not fully cross-checked). To collapse Crit Rate/Crit DMG into one comparable score, use the Crit Value formula on the Crit Rate/Crit DMG ratio page.
Substat priority tier list by role: S/A/B/F
There's no single priority chart that fits EVERY character, but the community consensus settles on this framework for most main DPS:
- S — always keep: Crit Rate%, Crit DMG% — a piece rolling ≥20% Crit DMG or ≥10% Crit Rate from substats alone is already solid.
- A — high priority: ATK% — still contributes near-linear damage, don't discard it just because it's not crit.
- B — team-dependent: Energy Recharge% (only needed if your ult isn't charging in time each rotation) and Elemental Mastery (only worth it if the character actually triggers or buffs a reaction — see the block below).
- F — nearly worthless: Flat HP/ATK/DEF — genuinely useful during AR1-25 when base ATK is only ~200, but past AR30 they're basically dead substats; 3 flat lines combined still lose to a single Crit Rate line.
A practical stopping rule: a piece is "good enough" once it has the correct main stat plus at least 2 of the 4 substats you actually need (usually Crit Rate, Crit DMG, ATK% and one flex slot) at decent rolls — you don't need to wait for all 4 to be perfect.
Elemental Mastery: when it pays off, when it's a trap substat
This is the most argued-over substat because its value depends ENTIRELY on the reaction type a character actually uses — having reactions in your kit doesn't automatically make EM good:
- Amplifying reactions (Vaporize, Melt) still scale with ATK, Crit and DMG Bonus like normal damage — EM is only a bonus on top, it can't replace ATK%/Crit.
- Pure Transformative reactions (Superconduct, Overloaded, Swirl, Bloom/Hyperbloom) do NOT scale with ATK or DMG Bonus and can't crit — damage depends only on character level and EM. This is where EM becomes the #1 DPS substat, outclassing even Crit.
- Catalyze reactions (Aggravate/Spread) are NOT the same bucket as pure Transformative even though they also scale hard with EM: this is bonus damage added on top of the triggering hit, so its base value (from level + EM) still CAN crit and still gets the DMG Bonus of that hit — Raiden/Cyno/Keqing aggravate builds still need Crit, not just EM.
Cyno
KeqingPractical rule: pure Transformative builds (e.g. a Bloom/Hyperbloom sub-DPS, an EM-stacking team) → prioritize EM on par with Crit; Aggravate/Spread builds (Raiden, Cyno, Keqing...) → still prioritize Crit Rate/Crit DMG like a normal DPS (the bonus damage can crit), then stack EM on top to boost the base — don't dump Crit entirely for EM; normal DPS builds (Vaporize/Melt/physical) → EM is dead weight, prioritize Crit/ATK% first. See how each reaction scales in detail on the elemental reactions page.
Ideal roll distribution: how much to dump into Crit vs ATK%
The community often says "dump everything into Crit, ignore ATK%" — but a mathematical optimization model (Lagrange multipliers) for a standard DPS build (ATK% Sands, DMG Bonus Goblet, Crit Rate Circlet) actually shows: out of all available rolls, the optimal split is ~7 rolls into ATK%, ~14 into Crit Rate, ~17 into Crit DMG — meaning ATK% is still worth ~19% of total rolls, not 0% (flagged: single source — one author's specific model, assuming a standard build, not an absolute rule for every character).
- The Crit DMG:Crit Rate ratio from this model comes out to ~182.6% : 90.7%, still roughly 2:1 — matching the CD + CR×2 Crit Value formula the community commonly uses.
- Practical takeaway: don't go to the extreme of discarding every ATK% line chasing pure Crit — a piece with the correct main stat + 2 Crit lines + 1 ATK% line + 1 flex line is already a good build; you don't need to wait for all 4 lines to be Crit.
To understand why the 2:1 ratio is optimal and how to apply it per role, see the detailed Crit Rate/Crit DMG page.
Keep or feed? Off-piece rules and what to send to the Strongbox
"Off-piece" means using a piece that does NOT belong to your main set (say, a Circlet from a different set) purely because its main + substats are excellent — a 4pc set bonus doesn't always beat a piece with perfect substats, especially on Sands/Goblet/Circlet slots which already have many main stat options.
- Feed it immediately: a piece with ≥2 Flat HP/ATK/DEF lines out of its 4 — it's almost guaranteed worse than a fresh roll.
- Keep even if imperfect: a piece with the correct main stat + ≥2 of 4 substats in your needed group (usually Crit Rate, Crit DMG, ATK%/EM depending on build) even at non-max rolls — this is the “good enough” bar to equip right away instead of chasing further.
- Wait on Strongbox/Transmuter: if you're missing exactly ONE of the two sets a domain drops, the Strongbox (3x 5★ into 1) or the newer Artifact Transmuter/Reshaping lets you target the right set or reshape main/substats without re-farming from zero — see full mechanics and costs on the efficient artifact farming page.
Anti-regret tip: when torn between keeping or feeding, ask “is this piece blocking a slot another build needs?” — if not, just let it sit until a clearly better replacement shows up instead of feeding it hastily.
Common mistakes when reading & optimizing substats
Most new (and even veteran) players waste resources by repeating a few basic mistakes:
- Forcing 100% Crit Rate: anything past 100% Crit Rate is pure waste — the overflow does nothing, so stop around the point where CR:CD sits near 1:2 instead of maxing one stat alone.
- Treating EM as a “universally good” substat: applying one character's logic to every build — EM is only strong for Transformative reactions, and near-useless otherwise (see block 4).
- Keeping a piece “out of pity” despite 2+ flat lines: sunk-cost feelings don't change the damage math — flat lines don't scale with %, so their relative value shrinks the more your character levels up.
- Comparing two pieces by raw summed % without converting: 1% Crit Rate ≠ the value of 1% ATK% or 1 point of EM — use the Crit Value formula or a damage calculator instead of adding numbers by feel.
- Waiting for a “perfect” 4/4 roll before using a piece: per the optimal distribution in block 5, a piece just needs to hit the “good enough” bar to be equipped right away — save your resin for farming other characters instead.
To quickly check what your current build is missing, use the damage calculator on the damage calculator page to compare before/after a substat swap.
FAQ
Are substat rolls biased, or completely random?
Why are Flat ATK/HP/DEF considered "dead" substats?
How much Crit Rate/Crit DMG from substats counts as a "good" piece?
Does gamevika have a tool to calculate how substats affect damage?
Straight from the developers
Quoted verbatim from miHoYo’s own documentation — not a third-party retelling. Published here in full.
Artifacts are equipment items that increase the character stats and activate some special effects when certain conditions are reached.
Overview
"Five categories of artifacts exist. Each set includes an item of headwear, a flower, a goblet or similar, a timepiece, and a bird's feather." Artifacts have these elements: piece, rarity, level, stats (Main Affix and up to 4 Minor Affixes), set and name. Table with Main Affixes at their max level: |
Rarity | 5-star (level 20) | 4-star (level 16) | 3-star (level 12) | 2-star (level 4) | 1-star (level 4) |
HP (Flower) | 4780 | 3571 | 1893 | 551 | 324 |
ATK (Feather) | 311 | 232 | 123 | 36 | 21 |
ATK% (Sands, Goblet, Circlet) | 46.6% | 34.8% | 23.1% | 9% | 7.9% |
DEF% (Sands, Goblet, Circlet) | 58.3% | 43.5% | 28.8% | 11.2% | 9.9% |
HP% (Sands, Goblet, Circlet) | 46.6% | 34.8% | 23.1% | 9% | 7.9% |
Elemental Mastery (Sands, Goblet, Circlet) | 187 | 139 | 92 | 36 | 32 |
Energy Recharge% (Sands) | 51.8% | 38.7% | 25.6% | 9.9% | 8.8% |
Physical DMG Bonus (Goblet) | 58.3% | 43.5% | 28.8% | 11.2% | 9.9% |
Elemental DMG Bonus (Goblet) | 46.6% | 34.8% | 23.1% | 9% | 7.9% |
Healing Bonus% (Circlet) | 35.9% | 26.8% | 17.8% | 6.9% | 6.1% |
CRIT Rate% (Circlet) | 31.1% | 23.2% | 15.4% | 6% | 5.3% |
CRIT DMG% (Circlet) | 62.2% | 46.4% | 30.8% | 11.9% | 10.5% |
The 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 star artifacts can have up to 1 / 2 / 4 / 4 / 4 Minor Affixes respectively. Every 4 levels, if there are less than the maximum amount, a new Minor Affix will appear; otherwise, one of them will be enhanced. You are able to preview the fourth minor affix on 5-star Artifacts with three initial minor affixes. The corresponding preview function will also be available for the Lock Assistance and Sort features. Table with Minor Affixes at their max value (100%): |
Rarity | 5-star | 4-star | 3-star | 2-star | 1-star |
ATK | 19 | 16 | 9 | 5 | 2 |
ATK% | 5.8% | 4.7% | 3.5% | 2.3% | 1.5% |
DEF | 23 | 19 | 11 | 6 | 2 |
DEF% | 7.3% | 5.8% | 4.4% | 2.9% | 1.8% |
HP | 299 | 239 | 143 | 72% | 30 |
HP% | 5.8% | 4.7% | 3.5% | 2.3% | 1.5% |
Elemental Mastery | 23 | 19 | 14 | 9 | 6 |
Energy Recharge% | 6.5% | 5.2% | 3.9% | 2.6% | 1.6% |
CRIT Rate% | 3.9% | 3.1% | 2.3% | 1.6% | 1.0% |
CRIT DMG% | 7.8% | 6.2% | 4.7% | 3.1% | 1.9% |
All artifacts belong to a certain set that enables a special effect when equipped to one character at the same time called Set Bonus. Excepting,, and(with the 3-star/4-star Circlet), there is a 2-Piece set bonus and a 4-Piece set bonus for each set. Finally, the name of the artifact is predefined according to the piece and set to which it belongs. |
Obtaining
The player's Inventory supports up to 2,400 artifacts. | ||
Midsummer Courtyard | Valley of Remembrance | Domain of Guyun |
Hidden Palace of Zhou Formula | Clear Pool and Mountain Cavern | Peak of Vindagnyr |
Ridge Watch | Momiji-Dyed Court | Slumbering Court |
The Lost Valley | Spire of Solitary Enlightenment | City of Gold |
Molten Iron Fortress | Denouement of Sin | Waterfall Wen |
Faded Theater | Sanctum of Rainbow Spirits | Derelict Masonry Dock |
Frostladen Machinery | Moonchild's Treasures | Thorny Crown of the Mountain Wind |
There are two other special ways to obtain artifacts: by Mystic Offering with a Crafting Bench, and by Artifact Definition with the. "Consume Sanctifying Elixir to generate Artifacts of the designated Set and Piece, with the designated Main Affix and some of the Minor Affixes." Consume Sanctifying Elixir to create a specific 5-star Artifact. When Defining an Artifact, the player must choose its Set, Piece, Main Affix, and 2 Minor Affixes. After the Definition is complete, Sanctifying Elixir will be consumed to generate the Artifact Piece designated by the player. A single Artifact Set may undergo two designations per cycle, regardless of Piece. The different Pieces will have differing Sanctifying Elixir costs as follows: ·Flower of Life, Feather of Death: 1 ·Sands of Eon: 2 ·Circlet of Logos: 3 ·Goblet of Eonothem: 4 Artifacts defined through the consumption of Sanctifying Elixir are guaranteed to get at least 2 hits for their defined Minor Affixes when fully leveled up. | ||
Equipping
"Treasures endowed with great power. Equipping several connected artifacts simultaneously increases their power even further." Each character can be equipped with up to 5 different artifact pieces. The artifacts can't be equipped to two characters at the same time. In any case, if both characters are using artifacts, they can swap them. The Fast Equip option has two functions: Quick Configuration and Custom Configuration. When using a Custom Configuration, the player can edit the following: 1. Main Affix: Only artifacts that match the correct Main Affix will be selected. When the player edit a Custom Configuration, the player needs to at least select the Main Affix for the Sands of Eon, Goblet of Eonothem, and Circlet of Logos. 2. Set Type: Selecting 1 artifact set will generate a lineup that contains a 4-piece set of artifacts from that set. Selecting 2 artifact sets will generate a lineup that contains two 2-piece sets from those set types. If the player does not select an artifact set, the player will not be limited to any artifact set in lineup generation, but again, unexpected combinations may occur. 3. Minor Affixes: The player can select priority and secondary Minor Affixes, up to a maximum of 3. Minor Affixes at the same priority tier will be selected for in no particular order. 4. Recommend Stats: When usable data exists, the Recommend Stats function can be used. The Recommend Stats function will automatically sort and add main affixes, Artifact Set type, and minor affixes to the current lineup based on data gathered from recently active players. 5. Other: The player can also select whether or not to use artifacts that are not equipped on any other character. This decision will affect the generation process. At the generation process, if the player's Inventory does not contain artifacts that match the player's Main Affix filter, such that the player will not be able to generate 4-piece sets or 2-piece sets of their preference, there is a chance that the generation process will fail. At this time, the player may adjust the filters and try again. When previewing affixes for the player's plan, the various attributes of the character will only account for their own stats plus weapons and artifacts, and will not take the current party's Elemental Resonance, Ley Line Disorders, or other conditions into account. If the player's current filters have Minor Affix priority, then the candidate artifacts will be sorted with reference to said filters. The "Recommended Configurations" function includes a "Check Alternatives" feature, allowing you to swap Artifacts with other suggested options. There are two preset configurations in "Custom Configuration," and a "Recommended Order Scope of Effect" setting in the sorting function, which can be set to "Current Slot" or "All Slots." When viewing a 5-star Artifact in the Character Menu, a special mark will be displayed if certain conditions are met. The Artifact must have a highlighted Main Affix and at least five highlighted Minor Affixes, including any that have been enhanced. This feature can be toggled on and off in Settings > Other. |
Enhancing
"Artifacts derive power from their original bearers' ambitions and memories. It follows that they must consume other artifacts to increase their power." To level up an artifact, Artifact EXP and Mora are required. There is a chance to double (x2) or quintuple (x5) the EXP gained without additional cost, as an EXP multiplier. The EXP required to reach the max level is 270,475 for 5-star, 122,675 for 4-star, 52,275 for 3-star, 6,525 for 2-star, and 3,250 for 1-star. |
Reshaping
Consumeto reallocate the enhancements of Minor Affixes on a fully-leveled 5-star Artifact. |
Destruction
"A traveler's bag can only fit so much. If you have too many of any item, you can destroy items to make room. But once something is destroyed, you can't get it back…" Unleveled 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 star artifacts can be destroyed to receive 420 / 840 / 1260 / 2520 Mora. Up to 100 artifacts can be destroyed at the same time. There is a "Quick Unlock" option and another "Quick Lock" option to unlock or lock the artifacts of the selected sets. Furthermore, the artifacts can be manually marked by pressing the star sign. Marked Artifacts will be automatically locked. When a locked Artifact is unlocked, its mark will also be removed. On the "Artifacts" tab of the Inventory, there is an option to filter by "Mark" status, and sorting "Marked," "Locked Only," and "Not Locked" Artifacts. "Consume 5-star Artifacts of Lv. 4 and above to extract Sanctifying Elixir. The amount of Sanctifying Elixir that can be extracted in a single period is limited, and each Artifact Set can be defined once this way per period." Artifacts used in Extraction must be 5-star Artifacts of Lv. 4 or higher. Artifacts of different Levels will grant Extraction Progress points as follows: When the Artifact used in Extraction is Lv. X · Level 4 – 7: X Extraction Progress · Level 8 – 11: X + 2 Extraction Progress · Level 12 – 15: X + 6 Extraction Progress · Level 16 – 19: X + 14 Extraction Progress · Level 20: 50 Extraction Progress Artifact Enhancement Materials also provide Extraction Progress: Each Sanctifying Elixir requires 100 Extraction Progress points, and the leftovers are saved for the next Extraction. The player can salvage Artifacts for EXP, which can then be converted into Artifact EXP Materials. Whether using Artifacts for salvage or as EXP Materials, they will generate the following amount of EXP according to their quality: ·1-star: 420 ·2-star: 840 ·3-star: 1,260 ·4-star: 2,520 ·5-star: 3,780 |
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