Magic Guide is a versatile 3-star Catalyst weapon in Genshin Impact that serves as an excellent budget option for characters who rely on Elemental Mastery and elemental reactions. Despite its low rarity, this weapon offers surprisingly competitive stats and utility that make it worth keeping and potentially upgrading.

Weapon Statistics and Specifications

  • Weapon Type: Catalyst
  • Rarity: 3-star (3⭐)
  • Base Attack at Level 90: 354
  • Secondary Stat: Elemental Mastery (187 at Level 90)

Magic Guide provides the second highest Elemental Mastery stat among all Catalyst weapons, second only to Sacrificial Fragments. This makes it an outstanding low-rarity choice for boosting elemental reaction damage in most team compositions.

Weapon Passive Ability: Bane of Storm and Tide

  • Effect: Increases damage against enemies affected by Hydro or Electro by 12%.
  • Synergy: Especially effective in reaction teams that consistently trigger Hydro or Electro status.
  • Ideal For: Electro-Charged, Taser, and Dendro-related reaction teams where these elements are regularly applied.

How to Obtain Magic Guide

Magic Guide can be acquired through the Wish system (Gacha) in Genshin Impact. It has a relatively high drop rate as a 3-star weapon and can appear in:

This easy accessibility makes Magic Guide an excellent early-game and free-to-play weapon option.

Characters and Builds That Shine with Magic Guide

Magic Guide is best suited for characters who scale strongly with Elemental Mastery or focus on reaction-based damage. Its users typically function either as main reaction DPS or as powerful elemental supports in your team composition.

Top Characters for Magic Guide:

  • Sucrose – Elite Swirl reaction support; maximizes team Elemental Mastery with her abilities.
  • Nahida – Excellent Dendro support who benefits from high Elemental Mastery for Bloom, Hyperbloom, and Quicken reactions.
  • Lisa – Can use Magic Guide for Electro-Charged and other electro-related reactions.
  • Yanfei – Functions well in Vaporize and Overload teams, taking advantage of boosted reaction damage.
  • Klee – Capitalizes on Pyro reactions such as Overload and Vaporize.
  • Yae Miko – Can benefit from the Elemental Mastery in quick-swap Taser or Electro teams.

Best Artifact Sets and Stats:

  • Main Stat Priority: Elemental Mastery (Sands, Goblet, Circlet)
  • Substats: Elemental Mastery, Energy Recharge, Crit Rate, Crit DMG (depending on playstyle)

For many teams, pairing Magic Guide with artifact sets like Gilded Dreams, Wanderer’s Troupe, or Instructor optimizes Elemental Mastery benefits.

Performance, Tier Rankings, and Team Strategy

  • DPS Tier: C-rank – Outperformed by high-ATK catalysts for raw damage, but competitive in reaction-focused setups.
  • Support Tier: B-rank – Valuable for amplifying elemental reaction damage for the whole team.

While it is eclipsed by higher-rarity options in direct DPS builds, Magic Guide stands out for enabling powerful reaction comp teams where Elemental Mastery is king. It is deceptively strong even at high world levels when built around reactions.

Synergistic Team Compositions:

  • Taser (Electro + Hydro): Sucrose + Lisa/Yae Miko + Hydro support.
  • Swirl (Anemo + Electro/Hydro): Sucrose or Nahida with Electro or Hydro elemental supports.
  • Bloom/Hyperbloom (Dendro + Hydro/Electro): Nahida with Electro and Hydro enablers.

YouTube Video Guides for Magic Guide

Explore insightful video guides to see Magic Guide’s power in action:

Don’t Get Rid of This 3 Star!! ~ Magic Guide Quick Guide by Kesigon offers a focused, practical breakdown of why Magic Guide is an underrated asset for reaction teams, showcasing test demonstrations and damage comparisons with other element-focused catalysts.

Due to current search results, only this Magic Guide-specific video was available. For a broader look or further demonstration videos, refer to YouTube directly by searching for “Genshin Impact Magic Guide.”

Elemental Mastery Catalysts: How Magic Guide Compares

In the Elemental Mastery niche, Magic Guide is only outdone by the 4-star Sacrificial Fragments for base Elemental Mastery. Here’s how it compares:

  • Sacrificial Fragments (4⭐): Highest EM/Catalyst, comes with skill reset passive
  • Magic Guide (3⭐): Second-highest EM, easily accessible, Hydro/Electro damage bonus
  • Mappa Mare (4⭐): Lower EM, craftable, Elemental DMG% stacking
  • The Widsith (4⭐): Low EM, but strong burst damage potential
  • A Thousand Floating Dreams (5⭐): High EM and team support, but extremely rare

Why Choose Magic Guide? Its main advantages are accessibility, no resource-intensive refinement, and one of the highest possible Elemental Mastery boosts, making it ideal for early and mid-game or budget-conscious players focused on reaction-oriented team play.

To compare catalysts more deeply, see Genshin.gg Builds or Game8’s catalyst weapon rankings.

Frequently Asked Questions about Magic Guide in Genshin Impact

What is Magic Guide and what makes it unique?

Magic Guide is a 3-star Catalyst that stands out due to its high Elemental Mastery secondary stat and its passive bonus damage against enemies affected by Hydro or Electro. It’s one of the best entry-level catalysts for reaction-based team compositions.

How do I get Magic Guide in Genshin Impact?

You can obtain Magic Guide as a random drop from any type of Wish (gacha pull): Standard, Weapon, and Character Event Banners.

Which characters should use Magic Guide?

Magic Guide is best for catalyst users who focus on triggering elemental reactions. Top candidates include Sucrose, Nahida, Lisa, Yanfei, Klee, and Yae Miko.

Is Magic Guide worth refining?

Refining Magic Guide increases its passive bonus damage to enemies affected by Hydro or Electro. Because refinements are easy to obtain, it’s worth refining if you plan to use it for a long time in those teams.

When does Magic Guide outperform other catalysts?

It outperforms many catalysts in reaction-oriented setups, especially when you need high Elemental Mastery and regularly trigger Hydro or Electro reactions. It’s less effective for raw attack or burst damage builds.

How does Magic Guide compare to Sacrificial Fragments?

Sacrificial Fragments has a slightly higher Elemental Mastery and skill reset passive, but is a rarer 4-star weapon. For basic reaction damage, Magic Guide is a close and much more accessible alternative.

What is the best artifact set for a character using Magic Guide?

The best artifact sets to use with Magic Guide are those that focus on increasing Elemental Mastery, like Gilded Dreams, Wanderer’s Troupe, or Instructor. Substat priority should always favor Elemental Mastery, Energy Recharge, and some Crit if possible.

Does Magic Guide work for Vaporize or Melt teams?

Yes, Magic Guide is beneficial in Vaporize and Melt teams if the catalyst user is consistently proccing these reactions or faces enemies affected by Hydro or Electro. For pure Cryo/Pyro reaction teams, its passive may not always activate, but the EM stat remains useful.

Can Magic Guide be used endgame?

Absolutely, especially for players focused on elemental reaction damage rather than ATK scaling. With the right build and team, it can contribute significantly even in Spiral Abyss and late-game domains.

Should I keep or discard extra copies of Magic Guide?

Keep copies for refinement! Once you have a max refinement, consider keeping one unrefined for multiple builds or future new characters that may benefit from Elemental Mastery.