Since artifacts and stats are much harder to optimize earlier in the game, and HoD is a very easy way to solve this issue. At Refinement Rank 5 (R5) Level 90, it has a Base ATK of 401 and a secondary stat of 46.9% CRIT damage. And its passive is called “Vigorous”, which has the following effect: When the wielder’s HP is above 90%, they gain 28% CRIT rate. This offers plenty of CRIT – thus making it really easy to balance your CRIT ratio. Plus, HoD is a 3-star gacha weapon, so it’s easier to get refinements. This effectively gives 28% free CRIT rate if you can maintain its passive. However, HoD does fall behind later on. Although its double CRIT stats are valuable, it does lack a lot of Base ATK. And Base ATK is especially important for ATK-scaling characters – often more than HoD’s abundance of CRIT. So HoD gradually loses value the more you progress in the game. There are better weapon options for each character. And unlocking 5-star artifacts makes it slightly easier to optimize your stats. Because of this, HoD is generally recommended for early-game players – not late-game. Additionally, here’s a more detailed list of its synergy with every currently playable sword user.
Great means that HoD is one of the character’s best-in-slot weapons. Good means that HoD works on the character, but there are better options or it’s hard for the character to maintain its passive. Decent means that HoD is great for early-game but falls off late-game. Plus, these characters have much better weapon options available. Not recommended means that there are significantly better sword options – or the character simply doesn’t benefit from HoD’s stats.
Harbinger of Dawn for Albedo
Albedo is the most notable character that can take full advantage of HoD. His main source of damage – his skill – scales entirely from DEF, not ATK. So it isn’t affected by HoD’s low Base ATK at all. He’s also an off-field DPS that doesn’t spend a lot of field time, thus making it easier to stay above 90% HP. This effectively lets him fully benefit from all of HoD’s CRIT stats without suffering from its low Base ATK. So if you don’t have Cinnabar Spindle, HoD is a highly recommended sword for Albedo. It’s one of his strongest weapon options.
