Quick Answer: The best F2P weapons in Genshin Impact 2025 include The Catch (polearm), Prototype Amber (catalyst), Amenoma Kageuchi (sword), and upcoming Natlan/Nod-Krai craftable weapons. These are obtained through fishing, crafting, events, and world quests, offering competitive alternatives to gacha weapons when fully refined.
Understanding F2P Weapons in Genshin Impact 2025
Here's the thing about F2P weapons – they're not just budget alternatives anymore. We're talking about craftable 4-stars, event exclusives, fishing rewards, quest drops, and even some permanent banner pulls using those free Acquaint Fates. The landscape has completely shifted.
What's really exciting? Natlan's Version 5.0 dropped some game-changing craftables, and the upcoming Nod-Krai weapons in Version 6.0 are designed specifically for new reaction mechanics like Lunar-Charged and enhanced Bloom setups. (Trust me, I've been tracking these leaks for months.)
The refinement system is where F2P weapons truly shine. While whales struggle with R1 five-stars, you can guarantee R5 refinements through crafting and events. That's often better performance than their premium counterparts.
For players who want to maximize their weapon collection efficiently, Genshin Impact recharge by UID through BitTopup offers secure transactions with competitive pricing and fast delivery – because missing limited-time events means missing those valuable F2P opportunities.
Top F2P Polearms Leading the Meta
The Catch isn't just good for a free weapon. It's legitimately broken.
You'll need to fish in Inazuma – 6 Raimei Angelfish, 20 Golden Koi, and 20 Rusty Koi traded to NPC Kujirai Momiji. Yeah, fishing isn't everyone's favorite activity, but the payoff is massive. At R5, you're looking at 32% Elemental Burst DMG increase and 12% Elemental Burst CRIT Rate, plus that sweet 45.9% Energy Recharge secondary stat.
Here's what blew my mind during testing: this thing actually competes with Raiden's signature Engulfing Lightning when fully refined. For free.
Kitain Cross Spear takes a different approach with 110 Elemental Mastery at level 90. Perfect for reaction-focused builds. The blueprint comes from completing Orobashi's Legacy: Part V – that world quest chain that everyone skips but really shouldn't. Its passive is quirky but effective: costs 3 Energy initially, then regenerates 3 Energy every 2 seconds for 6 seconds after your skill connects.
Now, the upcoming options are where things get spicy. Footprint of the Rainbow synergizes beautifully with Pyro reactions, while Prospector's Shovel was clearly designed with Electro-Charged and Lunar-Charged mechanics in mind. Early calculations show Prospector's Shovel hitting 80% of signature weapon performance for characters like Ineffa. That's not good for F2P – that's just good.
Essential F2P Catalysts for Elemental Mastery
Prototype Amber is the Swiss Army knife of catalysts.
This craftable weapon transforms literally any catalyst user into a team-wide healer. With 41.3% HP scaling at level 90, it regenerates 4 Energy every 2 seconds for 6 seconds after bursting, while simultaneously healing your entire party for 4% HP. Kokomi loves it, obviously, but I've seen incredible results on Baizhu, Neuvillette, and even Barbara in Furina teams where that team-wide healing becomes absolutely crucial.
The Widsith brings the big damage windows. 55.1% CRIT DMG secondary stat, plus those random 10-second buffs that can completely change your rotation. ATK +60%, Elemental DMG +48%, or EM +240 at R1 – and yes, it's random, but when it hits right, your sub-DPS characters like Mona and Heizou absolutely demolish everything.
For sustained event participation, Genshin Impact UID recharge service through BitTopup ensures you never miss those limited-time catalyst rewards – their service reliability is honestly impressive.
The upcoming catalyst innovations are fascinating from a design perspective. Ring of Yaxche from Natlan specifically targets Normal Attack-focused, HP-scaling characters like Mualani. Meanwhile, Blackmarrow Lantern from Nod-Krai packs 221 Elemental Mastery and 48% Bloom DMG increase at R1. For character Lauma, that's reaching 84.4% of signature weapon performance. Insane value.
Best F2P Swords for Versatile Builds
Amenoma Kageuchi solved energy management for an entire weapon class.
This thing revolutionized how we think about high-cost burst characters like Ayaka. The Succession Seed mechanic is elegant: cast Elemental Skills to gain seeds (max 3 stacks), then consume them during your Elemental Burst for flat Energy regeneration. Combined with 55.1% ATK secondary stat, it's a complete package. Blueprint comes from The Farmer's Treasure world quest – another one of those chains that's easy to overlook.
Fleuve Cendre Ferryman represents Fontaine's approach to weapon design – utility with style. You'll need to visit the Fishing Association and trade 2 Maintenance Mek: Platinum Collection, 5 Rippling Heartfeather Bass, 5 Blazing Heartfeather Bass, and 6 Streaming Axe Marlin to NPC Delaroche. The passive boosts both Elemental Skill CRIT Rate and Energy Recharge after skill usage.
Favonius Sword remains the unsung hero of team building. That 60% chance on CRIT hits to generate 6 Energy benefits your entire team, not just the wielder. Invaluable for energy-hungry compositions and support characters like Kazuha, Bennett, Xingqiu, and Furina.
Strategic F2P Bow Selection
Song of Stillness has this interesting mechanic where healing triggers 16% DMG increase for 8 seconds
– and it works even at full HP or while off-field. Blueprint's available from Estelle, the blacksmith in Court of Fontaine. That 41.3% ATK secondary stat provides solid offensive scaling too.
Hamayumi specializes in Normal and Charged Attack builds with impressive 55.1% ATK scaling. At R1, you're getting 16% Normal Attack DMG and 12% Charged Attack DMG increases, with effects doubling at full Energy. The blueprint requires opening Takashi's Mysterious Conch chests seven times – a bit tedious, but worth it for Ganyu, Yoimiya, Tartaglia, Lyney, and Tighnari builds.
Favonius Warbow follows the same particle generation mechanics as other Favonius weapons. They literally give this to you for free after completing A Long Shot in the Mondstadt Archon Quest.
Weapon Acquisition and Refinement Strategies
The crafting process is straightforward but resource-intensive: 1 region-specific billet, 50 Crystal Chunks, 50 White Iron Chunks, plus Mora. Billets are the bottleneck here – Weekly Boss drops have notoriously low rates, and Souvenir Shops only sell limited quantities.
My recommendation? Focus on versatile weapons first. The Catch, Amenoma Kageuchi, and Prototype Amber serve multiple characters effectively.
Event participation remains absolutely crucial. Remember Festering Desire from Version 1.2? That weapon provided 32% Elemental Skill DMG and 12% Elemental Skill CRIT Rate at R5 – completely free through event participation. More recently, the Off We Go to the Nation of Pyro! web event offered three Natlan weapons based on community milestones: Footprint of the Rainbow at 10 million cheers, Ring of Yaxche at 20 million, Earth Shaker at 30 million.
Refinement priority should always favor guaranteed paths. F2P weapons reaching R5 through crafting or events consistently outperform R1 five-star weapons.
Character-Weapon Synergy Analysis
Support character optimization prioritizes utility over personal damage – and the community data backs this up. Recent analysis shows 62.79% of players prefer Favonius Sword R2 over craftable alternatives for support Xilonen specifically because of that team-wide energy generation. Sacrificial weapons offer similar utility through skill cooldown resets, enabling double-casting for increased particle generation.
Reaction-based team building benefits enormously from upcoming Nod-Krai weapons. These were clearly designed with specific reaction types in mind. Blackmarrow Lantern's 48% Bloom DMG increase is perfect for Dendro teams, while Prospector's Shovel's bonuses align perfectly with new character kits and emerging reaction mechanics.
Advanced Enhancement and Material Management
Resource allocation requires serious planning. Full character ascension materials cost approximately 2,500 Original Resin – that's 14-21 days of consistent farming. Priority should target weapons serving multiple characters or providing unique utility that can't be replicated elsewhere.
Daily resin allocation should focus on guaranteed upgrades: Talents and Weapon/Character Ascension before artifact farming, especially before AR 45. (I can't stress this enough – artifact domains before AR 45 are resin traps.)
Long-term planning must account for upcoming weapon releases. Nod-Krai weapons introduce Borderlander Billets as new crafting material, expected to drop from Natlan and Nod-Krai Trounce Domains. Early preparation through consistent Weekly Boss completion ensures you're ready when these drop.
FAQ
What makes The Catch the best F2P polearm in 2025? The Catch provides 32% Elemental Burst DMG and 12% Elemental Burst CRIT Rate at R5, with 45.9% Energy Recharge. Completely free through Inazuma fishing (6 Raimei Angelfish, 20 Golden Koi, 20 Rusty Koi), rivaling 5-star weapons for burst-focused characters.
How do new Natlan and Nod-Krai weapons compare to existing F2P options? Nod-Krai weapons introduce specialized bonuses: Blackmarrow Lantern (48% Bloom increase, 84.4% signature weapon performance for Lauma), Prospector's Shovel (80% effectiveness for Ineffa with Electro-Charged/Lunar-Charged bonuses).
Should F2P players prioritize weapon refinement or multiple copies? Prioritize refinement for craftable and event weapons. R5 4-star weapons often outperform R1 5-star weapons. Keep multiple copies of versatile weapons like Favonius series. Always refine The Catch to R5.
Which billets should F2P players use first? Prioritize Amenoma Kageuchi (energy management), Prototype Amber (healing utility), and upcoming Blackmarrow Lantern (Bloom teams) for highest value across multiple characters.
How important are Favonius weapons for F2P team building? Crucial for energy management. 60% CRIT hit chance generates 6 Energy benefiting entire teams, solving team-wide energy problems more effectively than personal damage weapons for supports.
What's the most efficient way to obtain weapon enhancement materials as F2P? Establish daily farming routes for monster drops, complete first three Weekly Bosses at reduced resin cost, participate in all events. Focus resin on guaranteed upgrades before artifact farming.