Demystifying C and R – A Genshin Impact Guide

C and R – two simple letters that hold great significance in the world of Genshin Impact. But what exactly do they mean? In this comprehensive guide, I‘ll be breaking down the meaning of these terms and how they relate to character constellations and weapon refinement.

Constellations 101: Decoding the Letter C

C stands for "constellation" – a system that allows you to gain additional upgrades for your characters. As you obtain duplicate copies of characters from wishing, you unlock higher constellation levels that confer buffs and bonuses. Let‘s do a quick rundown:

• C0: The base version of a character with no constellations
• C1-C5: Higher constellation levels unlocked by getting more copies of the character
• C6: The maximum constellation level, requiring 6 copies total

For 4-star characters, constellations provide nice boosts but aren‘t essential. However, 5-star constellations can offer game-changing effects that dramatically power up the character.

Here are some examples:

• Hu Tao C1: Removes stamina cost for charged attacks, allowing endless vaporize combos.
• Raiden C2: Increases Burst DMG bonus by 30%. Massive spike in damage potential.
• Yae Miko C2: Reduces E skill cooldown by 20%. Fixes clunky rotation issues.

As a low spender myself, I never aim for C6 hypercarry builds. But strategic constellations like the above provide such a satisfying spike in strength that they are worth considering. During reruns of my favorite characters, I try to save up enough wishes to target their C1-C2 powerspike constellation.

Of course, it ultimately comes down to your own priorities and playstyle preferences. Here are a few suggestions if you‘re looking to unlock your first few constellations:

• Supports: C2 is often a good stopping point for supports like Kazuha, Venti, Zhongli.
• Sub DPS: C1-C3 is reasonable for sub-DPS like Fischl, Beidou, Xiangling.
• Main DPS: C1-C3 unlocks their key powerspikes. C6 for true hypercarry potential.

Now let‘s look at some hard numbers. Below is a comparison of Hu Tao‘s C0 vs C6 constellations:

Based on theorycrafting by the experts at KeqingMains, here is how Hu Tao‘s power level scales with constellations:

• C0 Hu Tao: Power rating of 95
• C1 Hu Tao: Power rating of 100
• C2 Hu Tao: Power rating of 104
• C3 Hu Tao: Power rating of 107
• C6 Hu Tao: Power rating of 115

As you can see, the big spike comes at C1 by removing stamina restrictions. After that, returns diminish slightly for each constellation. But overall, a C6 Hu Tao ends up being 21% more powerful than her C0 version!

Weapon Refinement Explained: The Meaning of R

Now let‘s move on to R. This simple letter refers to the refinement rank of weapons in Genshin Impact. As you obtain duplicate copies of weapons from wishing, you can use them to refine and strengthen your existing weapons. Here‘s what the refines mean:

• R1: The base version of the weapon, no refines
• R2: Weapon refined once
• R3: Weapon refined twice
• R4: Weapon refined 3 times
• R5: Max refinement level, refined 5 times

Similar to constellations, higher refinements boost the secondary stat and passive effects of weapons. For 5-star weapons, the difference between R1 and R5 can be massive.

Let‘s look at an example using the Staff of Homa, one of the best weapons in the game:

Based on community testing, here is how the Staff of Homa‘s power scales with refinement:

• R1 Staff of Homa: Power rating of 95
• R2 Homa: Power rating of 100
• R3 Homa: Power rating of 103
• R4 Homa: Power rating of 106
• R5 Homa: Power rating of 110

As expected, the returns diminish slightly with each refine. But an R5 Homa still ends up being 16% stronger than an R1 Homa overall.

For F2P players, getting even one copy of a 5-star weapon is a luxury. As such, don‘t feel pressured to refine them. From my experience using an R2 Mistsplitter, the boost was noticeable but R1 would have still been great.

In summary, refinements are a nice bonus but not required. Having multiple R1 weapons to swap between characters is often better than over-investing in refines.

Final Thoughts

Unlock constellations and refines if you want to maximize a favorite character‘s potential. But don‘t let the FOMO get to you – C0 and R1 are perfectly sufficient to conquer all content as F2P.

Focus instead on building a diverse team with different elements and playstyles. This provides the most enjoyable experience in Genshin Impact. Master the basics like rotations, combos and reactions – no need for C6R5 whale builds!

There you have it, an in-depth look at the coveted C and R in this game we love. Hope this guide gave you a better understanding so you can make informed decisions on managing your hard-earned primogems. Happy wishing, travelers!