It’s as if the Thundering Pulse wasn’t enough, Childe gets another weapon that’s totally suited to him. The Polar Star is a new 5-star bow arriving in the first Weapon Wish banner of Version 2.2, alongside Childe’s featured character banner. As with all weapon banners, Polar Star in Genshin Impact comes with another 5-star weapon in the featured pool, Memory of Dust. Both weapons have quite the niche usage, but still very useful and generally better than 4-star weapons. This guide will help you decide if it’s worth pulling for Childe’s signature weapon or not.
Polar Star Overview and Analysis
Lv 90 Polar Star – 608 ATK – 33.1% Crit Rate
Passive – Daylight’s Augury – Elemental Skill and Elemental Burst DMG increased by 12%. After a Normal Attack, Charged Attack, Elemental Skill, or Elemental Burst hits an opponent, 1 stack of Ashen Nightstar will be gained for 12s. When 1/2/3/4 stacks of Ashen Nightstar are present, ATK is increased by 10/20/30/48%. The stack of Ashen Nightstar created by the Normal Attack, Charged Attack, Elemental Skill, or Elemental Burst will be counted independently of the others.
This weapon’s passive is a handful of words, but it’s also just as loaded in terms of power level. To put it simply, you want to deal damage from as many sources as possible, namely NA, CA, Skill, and Burst, in order to get the most damage. At peak performance, four stacks provide a massive 48% ATK boost, which is almost as good as an extra lv20 ATK artifact. The weapon’s Crit Rate substat is amazing, and its high ATK boost makes it almost universal for a lot of bow users. The passive’s multiple conditions, however, limits the weapon’s usability on other bow users who specialize in fewer damage sources, like Yoimiya or Melt Ganyu.
Why You Should Pull for the Polar Star in Genshin Impact
Due to the Polar Star’s ATK boost passive being universally good, the weapon has some crazy potential outside of just being Childe’s signature weapon. For Tartaglia himself, this weapon synergizes greatly with his usual playstyle. His melee form makes it easy to weave in normal and charged attacks, which usually takes a lot longer for a normal bow character. His Riptides also count as Elemental Skill damage, and his Elemental Burst finally adds the final stack of the Polar Star’s passive.
Outside of Childe, there are other bow characters who can also benefit from the weapon’s unique passive. Morgana Ganyu, a comp that exploits the Frozen affliction, easily gains a lot of damage on Ganyu’s Burst and Charged Attacks with the Polar Star. The weapon is also Sara Kujou’s best-in-slot, thanks to her unique mechanic of needing to perform a charged attack for the damage boost. A simple string of Normal Attack to Skill to Charged Attack to Burst, allows Sara to fully utilize the Polar Star’s passive, and deal a great amount of burst damage.
Memory of Dust, which is the Polar Star’s tandem in the banner, is a good catalyst for Ningguang and even other catalyst users. Also in the rate-up pool is the Rust, which is an amazing weapon for Childe and Yoimiya, especially if you’re not planning to obtain any of the 5-star weapons.
Why You Should Not Pull for the Polar Star
The weapon has great potential, but it doesn’t set itself too far apart from the other 5-star bows. Skyward Harp is a lot easier to use, and Amos’ Bow is still the best option for Ganyu. Since Childe’s Constellation 6 play style is more like the traditional hypercarry, Thundering Pulse’s Normal Attack bonus is still better for it. If you don’t plan on using any of the characters who greatly benefit from the Polar Star, it’s not a good idea to pull on the banner.
The other 5-star weapon in the banner also isn’t too special. Memory of Dust has an ATK% substat, and a passive that requires the active character to have a shield. Without Zhongli, it’s quite difficult to sustain a durable shield, especially for a catalyst user who’s always too far away to pick up the Crystallize shards.
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