There's always that big question once you've got the current showcased 5-star character in Genshin Impact: what weapon do you give them? In this case, it's Ayaka. Lucky for her, and for you, Genshin Impact has a healthy selection of swords to choose from. Since Ayaka is a fully-fledged DPS carry or main, she deserves the best you got in that crowded inventory of sharp objects.
One of Ayaka's advantages is that she's a Cryo character. Thus, she can create and bloat up her own Crit Rate without relying too much on artifacts or weapons. Thus, you'll want to consider this when picking the best weapon for her. Other characters usually want Crit Rate on their weapons, Ayaka can go without that. With that in mind, these swords will help ensure that your Ayaka is bound to be one of the best.
Updated November 14, 2021, by Sid Natividad: It has been a while since Ayaka was released as one of the earliest characters in Inazuma. So far, she has been a huge part of the current meta and a generally good character. As the Genshin Impact updates went by though, she only became more and more viable. Now we have more options for the best weapon for Ayaka. It's all thanks to the subsequent Inazuma updates. We got more islands and Ayaka got more swords. That also means it's harder to pick which among the best weapons for Ayaka is actually at the top. Such is the case for the new 4-star swords. So those still maining her to this day will do well to give a look to these new swords for Ayaka.
15/15 Favonius Sword
- Max Base Stat: ATK 454
- Max Secondary Stat: Energy Recharge 61.3%
Energy and the high cost of her Elemental Burst have always been Ayaka's most glaring weaknesses. That's why some of you might prefer to plug that hole and the Favonius Sword is one of the best plugs for that. The generous amounts of Energy Recharge lets Ayaka chain her Bursts as much as possible.
If that's not enough, then the weapon's passive ability adds even more energy. Each CRIT hit generates energy particles for Ayaka. It just so happens that Ayaka does CRIT attacks all the time thanks to her Cryo disposition. Thus, this sword is a good use for all that CRIT.
14/15 Festering Desire
- Max Base Stat: ATK 510
- Max Secondary Stat: Energy Recharge 45.9%
Another option for those struggling with Ayaka's energy problems but don't want to find a solution in Cryo battery characters is the Festering Desire. It grants less Energy Recharge compared to the Favonius Sword but trades off that utility stat for some damage.
For most situations, that's enough as a way to make Ayaka self-sustaining. The weapon's passive ability increases the damage of Ayaka's Elemental Skill but that's neither her main source of damage nor a reliable one. It's still nice to have though so you don't lose much.
13/15 Lion's Roar
- Max Base Stat: ATK 510
- Max Secondary Stat: ATK 41.3%
Lion's Roar focuses on damage alone which is always great for Ayaka teams that have their own Cryo battery for her. The secondary stat grants copious amounts of ATK which should vastly improve Ayaka's Charged Attacks, her main damage source.
Meanwhile, the passive ability is highly useful for a Reverse Melt Ayaka team. It gives Ayaka a 20 percent damage increase against enemies affected by Pyro. Put Xiangling on the team and give Ayaka the Pyronado and this will trigger Lion's Roar for an astonishing amount of Melt damage.
12/15 Sword of Descension
- Max Base Stat: ATK 440
- Max Secondary Stat: ATK 35.2%
Sadly, the Sword of Descension is available only for PlayStation owners but it's still a decent weapon on Ayaka. While the base and secondary stat leave much to be desired compared to other swords, it makes up for it with the passive ability.
Sword of Descension's passive allows Ayaka a big chance to deal 200 percent of her ATK as area damage whenever she does a Charged Attack. She does that all the time so the synergy is great for her especially since she lacks area damage.
11/15 Iron Sting
- Max Base Stat: ATK 510
- Max Secondary Stat: Elemental Mastery 165
Here's a weapon that's generally good on Ayaka and is available for everyone. Iron Sting is a craftable 4-star sword so it should be highly accessible to most players. As a weapon for Ayaka, it's a bit niche thanks to the secondary stat. It works best on Reverse Melt Ayaka teams with a Xiangling.
Even without that, the passive ability ensures that Ayaka deals continuously buffed Cryo Charged Attacks. Because whenever she deals elemental damage with this sword, she gets as much as a 12 percent damage increase. That's pretty good.
10/15 Amenoma Kageuchi
- Max Base Stat: ATK 454
- Max Secondary Stat: ATK 55.1%
Being a craftable weapon in Inazuma, the Amenoma Kageuchi is a great weapon for all. When it comes to stats, it's not bad. The low base attack is offset by the increased percentage bonus in the secondary stat slot. That makes it more or less equal to other good four-star swords for Ayaka that are harder to obtain.
The kicker here is the weapon's ability. It gives plenty of Energy Recharge for Ayaka. Since a high energy cost for her Elemental Burst is her most glaring weakness, then the Amenoma Kageuchi can be a reliable counterbalance as it can grant back 18 to 36 energy whenever Ayaka uses her Elemental Burst.
9/15 The Flute
- Max Base Stat: ATK 510
- Max Secondary Stat: ATK 41.3%
An apt weapon for celebrating the frozen and shattered corpses of Ayaka's enemies with a musical number, The Flute is impressive as far as affordable four-star weapons go. Ayaka will surely thrive on the high base attack and desirable secondary stat.
What makes it better than Amenoma Kageuchi is the weapon's ability. The Flute will increase Ayaka's damage output thanks to the Harmonics explosion that deals damage based on her overall ATK. This builds up every time she performs a normal or charged attack.
8/15 Skyward Blade
- Max Base Stat: ATK 608
- Max Secondary Stat: Energy Recharge 55.1%
You're shocked that a five-star weapon ranks so relatively low in this roster, right? Well, that's because Skyward Blade is a bit of a niche weapon for Ayaka. While the base ATK is one of the highest for swords, the secondary stat is a bit wasted on Ayaka, considering how easy it is to get Energy Recharge for her or to provide her with some Cryo batteries in the party.
That alone doesn't warrant the low rating but even Skyward Blade's passive ability doesn't synergize well with Ayaka. The ability grants several physical damage wind blades after she pops up her Elemental Burst. Since Ayaka capitalizes on Cryo damage, these wind blades are somewhat wasted.
7/15 Freedom-Sworn
- Max Base Stat: ATK 608
- Max Secondary Stat: Elemental Mastery 198
Much like Skyward Blade, Freedom-Sworn is another five-star weapon that has a limited purpose on Ayaka thanks to the secondary stat. It grants Elemental Mastery which Ayaka only needs if you're running her in a reverse-melt team composition.
Otherwise, she doesn't really benefit much from having too much Elemental Mastery. Although the passive ability is actually good on Ayaka as some of her best team compositions rely on the Frozen reaction. This will increase her normal and charged attacks. It's a good compensation but overall not as robust as other options.
6/15 Black Sword
- Max Base Stat: ATK 510
- Max Secondary Stat: CRIT Rate 27.6%
One of the best four-star swords for Ayaka, possibly second-best even, the Black Sword is a solid Crit weapon for the Cryo princess. It's a bit expensive since you can only obtain it in the paid version of the Battle Pass, so it's not an option for free players. However, it's worth every penny when used on Ayaka.
The Black Sword's passive ability heals Ayaka and increases her normal and charged attacks. Additionally, the Crit Rate increase is highly valuable on her even if she can obtain Crit Rate by being a Cryo character; the Crit Rate from the weapon allows Ayaka to use a different artifact set such as the Noblesse Oblige for better Burst damage.
5/15 Blackcliff Longsword
- Max Base Stat: ATK 565
- Max Secondary Stat: CRIT DMG 36.8%
Considered by many as the best four-star option for Ayaka, the Blackcliff Longsword holds a high spot that's tough to beat. It gives her significant amounts of Crit damage, which is actually better than Crit Rate, considering how easy she can obtain the latter.
Two problems exist with the Blackcliff Longsword though. The first would be obtaining it as you'll need 24 Masterless Starglitters. Those are hard to obtain if you wish impulsively. Another problem is the weapon's passive ability which will not trigger in one-on-one boss fights.
4/15 Aquila Favonia
- Max Base Stat: ATK 674
- Max Secondary Stat: Physical DMG Bonus 41.3%
Sure, Aquila Favonia's secondary stat is wasted a bit on Ayaka but the whopping base attack of 674 (the highest out of all swords) is enough to offset that wastage. This five-star Favonius Knights weapon is marginally better than the previous two red four-star swords when the math calculations were done.
It's all thanks to the additional increase of ATK in the passive ability. Furthermore, the additional effect of that passive ability gives periodic explosive damage and some clutch healing that's always welcome for Ayaka - she can be rather busy with those charged attacks to dodge.
3/15 Primordial Jade Cutter
- Max Base Stat: ATK 542
- Max Secondary Stat: CRIT Rate 44.1%
For an even better version of the Black Sword, look no further than the Primordial Jade Cutter. It gives out a hefty amount of Crit Rate to Ayaka. So much in fact that some of it might even go to waste, depending on the artifacts you give to her. That's one issue with this weapon.
Beyond that, it's a useful and awesome weapon for her. Not only does it give additional HP, but it also further increases her damage based on the max HP. The high base damage also isn't too bad. It's better than other four-star weapons at the very least.
2/15 Summit Shaper
- Max Base Stat: ATK 608
- Max Secondary Stat: ATK 49.6%
Any of you lucky enough to have been blessed by this weapon during its limited run ought to rejoice. It's the second-best sword for Ayaka as it's a huge ATK dump for her. The passive ability focuses on shields for Ayaka but that only means she can play with fewer interruptions assuming you include Diona or Zhongli in the party.
There's also an additional damage increase when she lands her hits which are fast and convenient. In any case, this weapon raises up her damage high enough that in some situations or instances, the Summit Shaper even competes against Ayaka's best weapon.
1/15 Mistsplitter Reforged
- Max Base Stat: ATK 674
- Max Secondary Stat: CRIT DMG 44.1%
Is it any surprise what the best weapon is for the latest five-star character? She was released alongside the Mistsplitter Reforged so naturally, it's her current ideal weapon. The secondary stat is what gives it an edge sharper than most other swords for Ayaka.
Meanwhile, the weapon's passive ability looks as if it was tailor-made for Ayaka. All her movements and attacks contribute to building up the passive for a dizzying amount of Elemental Damage bonus that makes her Elemental Burst a roaring blizzard that consumes everything in its path.
