4 Best Weapons for Barbara in Genshin Impact

Image: miHoYo via HGG / Devin Dornbrock

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Monstadt’s favorite Deaconess is a four-star Hydro catalyst character whose dream is to become an idol. She’s a hard worker and is already well on her way to achieving her goal, but we’re not here to talk about that. We’re here to talk about making her a more effective addition to your team.

Barbara is a great healer to have on hand, whether you’re tackling the spiral abyss or simply running low on food. She’s also one of the few characters you can get for free without needing to wish. There are a few different ways to build Barbara, and her weapon has a pretty big impact on her overall build. Today, we’ll be covering the best weapons for Barbara in Genshin Impact.

Let’s get started!

Foreword on Barbara’s Best Weapons

No matter which weapon you give Barbara, there aren’t any bad choices. Still, some catalysts are definitely better than others. For purposes of this list, we will be assuming all weapons are at Refinement Level 1 unless otherwise stated.

We will also be including some five-star weapons that are part of limited-run banners, which means they may or may not be available to you at the moment. If they aren’t, don’t sweat it — we’ll also be covering some four- and three-star options that are available at any time.

Weapons for Barbara: In General

best weapons for barbara- talent — **Let the show begin!**| Image: miHoYo via HGG / *Devin Dornbrock*

Most weapons will work for Barbara, but the best ones will offer supporting stats that compliment her healing ability. Players who are determined to create a damage dealing build may have other stats in mind, but for beginners, we don’t recommend catalysts with CRIT or ATK stats.

Just to cover some basic info — every three-, four-, and five-star weapon in Genshin Impact has two stats. The primary stat is always a flat ATK, while the secondary stat differs from weapon to weapon. Secondary catalyst weapon stats can be one of the following:

ATK%
CRIT DMG
CRIT Rate
Elemental Mastery
Energy Recharge
HP%

The secondary stat you want to look for most in potential weapons for Barbara is HP%. Since her healing ability scales with her HP, your build should primarily be focused on upping her max HP.

Energy Recharge isn’t a bad secondary stat to look for either, since the right artifacts can boost HP a lot on their own. More Energy Recharge will mean more healing too, since you’ll be able to use Barbara’s burst more often.

For new players who don’t have access to many weapons yet, Elemental Mastery is a somewhat viable option, but you’ll probably want to change weapons eventually.

4 Best Weapons for Barbara in Genshin Impact: Information & Instructions

Now that we’ve gone over the basics, let’s get into the best catalyst weapons for Barbara in Genshin Impact!

4. Favonius Codex: 4* Catalyst

Our first recommended weapon for Barbara is the Favonius Codex. Out of all the Energy Recharge catalysts (at least the ones available as of Version 2.6), the Favonius Codex is the best fit for Monstadt’s wannabe idol. As a four-star weapon, it’s always available in both limited and standard wish banners, so players will typically come across it eventually if they haven’t already. It’s not the most free-to-play friendly, but it’s definitely doable without spending all your primos.

Stats & Effects

A fully-ascended Favonius Codex will increase Energy Recharge by 45.9%. It also provides a chance to generate Elemental Particles, which regenerate energy as well. If you’re in need of big heals fairly frequently, the particles and recharge will be a great way to up the frequency of Barbara’s Elemental Burst, Shining Miracle.

Drawbacks

There are some drawbacks to the Favonius Codex that make it a less viable weapon for Barbara. Firstly, the main effect of the catalyst is reliant on CRITs. As a support, most Barbara builds won’t have a high CRIT Rate. This prolongs her time on the field in order to actually be able to generate those particles.

Not having that HP stat also means that the amount of healing given by Barbara’s talent and burst is lowered. This is somewhat compensated for by the increased burst frequency, but there are other catalyst options on our list that provide the same benefits without the downsides.

We really only recommend giving Barbara the Favonius Codex if you don’t have one of our other recommended weapons.

Fully Ascend the Favonius Code

To fully ascend the Favonius Codex, you will need:

150k Mora
3 Tile of Decarabian’s Tower (2* material)
9 Debris of Decarabian’s City (3* material)
9 Fragment of Decarabian’s Epic (4* material)
4 Scattered Piece of Decarabian’s Dream (4* material)
15 Heavy Horns (2* enemy drop)
18 Black Bronze Horns (3* enemy drop)
27 Black Crystal Horns (4* enemy drop)
10 Divining Scrolls (1* enemy drop)
15 Sealed Scrolls (2* enemy drop)
18 Forbidden Curse Scrolls (3* enemy drop)

3. Prototype Amber: 4* Catalyst

The Prototype Amber catalyst is among the many weapons players are able to forge in Genshin Impact. You will be able to forge it at any blacksmith location or inside your Serenitea Pot (as long as you have a forge within your teapot). You’ll need the following materials:

500 Mora
1 Northlanter Catalyst Billet
50 Crystal Chunks
50 White Iron Chunks

Stats & Effects

Unlike the Favonius Codex, the Prototype Amber’s secondary stat is HP%. Additionally, the Prototype Amber regenerates energy after using an Elemental Burst for a short period of time. All members of your team will regenerate 4% HP every two seconds for the duration of this effect.

At higher refinement levels, the energy and HP% regenerated will increase as well. The energy generation and healing compliment Barbara’s talents and boosts her healing ability, which is ideal for her.

Since the main effect of the Prototype Amber is reliant on Barbara’s burst, you can also avoid using her talent as frequently. Her Elemental Skill, Let the Show Begin, is a nice way to heal your team without using your burst.

Drawbacks

Heals are nice, but an added emphasis on Barbara’s Elemental Skill can be a problem. Since it can also apply a wet effect to your active character, you have to be careful of elemental reactions like Frozen and Electro-Charged.

While the Prototype Amber is a good option, the next weapons we cover do more than just bolster Barbara’s healing ability. For players who are going the totally free-to-play route though, the Prototype Amber is the only catalyst available without wishing.

Fully Ascend the Prototype Amber

To fully ascend the Prototype Amber, you will need:

150k Mora
3 Mist Veiled Lead Elixir (2* material)
9 Mist Veiled Mercury Elixir (3* material)
9 Mist Veiled Gold Elixir (4* material)
4 Mist Veiled Primo Elixir (5* material)
15 Mist Grass Pollen (2* enemy drop)
18 Mist Grass (3* enemy drop)
27 Mist Grass Wicks (4* enemy drop)
10 Firm Arrowheads (1* enemy drop)
15 Sharp Arrowheads (2* enemy drop)
18 Weathered Arrowheads (3* enemy drop)

As a forgeable weapon, the Prototype Amber is one of the easiest weapons to fully refine. Gathering 5 catalyst billets could take time if you haven’t saved them up, though. Currently, the only reliable way to obtain billets is by purchasing one from Xingxi’s shop in Liyue or defeating weekly bosses. Only one is available from Xingxi, and billet drops are not guaranteed from weekly bosses, which can make them a pain to collect.

2. Thrilling Tales of Dragon Slayers: 3* Catalyst

Three-star weapons get a bad rap, but some of them are honestly better than some four-star options. Thrilling Tales of Dragon Slayers is definitely one of those weapons. Its secondary stat is HP% but it only gives 35.2%, which is quite low for a weapon.

Stats & Effects

The best part of Thrilling Tales is its effect. Heritage increases ATK by a base of 24% for ten seconds when a new character takes the field. Even for a character with low attack, this buff is on par with some food ATK buffs.

At Refinement Level 5, the ATK increase is all the way up to 48%. Needless to say, this is a fantastic support effect for any team, even if the effect can only happen once every twenty seconds. While Thrilling Tales doesn’t regenerate energy, the ATK increase is invaluable during a fight.

Another pro to using Thrilling Tales is how common it is. Most players will rack them up without realizing after wishing a few times. As long as you keep an eye out for it, you’ll come across them eventually. Next time you come across a five-star character you want, you might even be able to fully refine Thrilling Tales.

Drawbacks

While three-star weapons have lower stats overall than higher rarity weapons, they do have much lower ascension costs. Overall, materials are less than half of what a fully-ascended five-star weapon will cost you. That means a lot less item gathering and grinding.

The lower stats can make for disappointing attacks, though, even after the ATK boost. It’s also easy to accidentally consume it to level up other weapons without meaning to. The default settings in Genshin Impact auto-add three-star weapons during the weapon leveling process.

Fully Ascend the Thrilling Tales of Dragon Slayers

To fully ascend the Thrilling Tales of Dragon Slayers, you will need:

105k Mora
2 Boreal Wolf’s Milk Teeth (2* material)
6 Boreal Wolf’s Cracked Teeth (3* material)
6 Boreal Wolf’s Broken Fangs (4* material)
3 Boreal Wolf’s Nostalgia (5* material)
10 Dead Ley Line Branches (2* enemy drop)
12 Dead Ley Line Leaves (3* enemy drop)
18 Ley Line Sprouts (4* enemy drop)
6 Diving Scrolls (1* enemy drop)
10 Sealed Scrolls (2* enemy drop)
12 Forbidden Curse Scrolls (3* enemy drop)

1. Everlasting Moonglow: 5* Catalyst

The five-star catalyst Everlasting Moonglow is the best option for catalyst healers in general. It is also only available during Kokomi banners, so either you have it or you don’t.

Stats & Effects

Similarly to Thrilling Tales of Dragon Slayers, Everlasting Moonglow’s secondary stat boosts HP%. Instead of only giving characters 35.2%, though, Everlasting Moonglow tops out at 49.6%. It also increases your character’s healing bonus by 10% and their normal attack by 1% of their max HP.

On top of increasing attack and giving a healing bonus, Everlasting Moonglow also restores small amounts of energy when hitting opponents after using an Elemental Burst. That makes this catalyst a triple threat for supporting healer characters like Barbara.

Drawbacks

As the best healing weapon for Barbara, Everlasting Moonglow doesn’t have the downsides the four- and three-star options do. Plus, it still has all the advantages that even some the lower-rarity options don’t.

It is, unfortunately, still a five-star weapon, which means it’s not easily available and thus not the most viable option. If you do end up with the Everlasting Moonglow catalyst, make sure you’re ready to farm ascension materials.

Fully Ascend the Everlasting Moonglow

To fully ascend the Everlasting Moonglow, you will need:

225k mora
5 Coral Branches of a Distant Sea (2* material)
14 Jeweled Branches of a Distant Sea (3* material)
14 Jade Branches of a Distant Sea (4* material)
6 Golden Branches of a Distant Sea (5* material)
23 Dismal Prisms (2* enemy drop)
27 Crystal Prisms (3* enemy drop)
41 Polarizing Prisms (4* enemy drop)
15 Spectral Husks (1* enemy drop)
23 Spectral Hearts (2* enemy drop)
27 Spectral Nucleuses (3* enemy drop)

If you’re still looking for a healer to add to your team but you aren’t sold on Barbara, we’ve got a list of the best healers in Genshin Impact, so go check it out! Number one might surprise you.

Join the High Ground

That’s it for our recommended weapons for Barbara in Genshin Impact! Have you found one you think works better? Drop it in the comments below! We’re always posting more content, so make sure you subscribe to stay up to date in all things Genshin and more.

Happy gaming!

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4 Best Weapons for Barbara in Genshin Impact

Foreword on Barbara’s Best Weapons

Weapons for Barbara: In General