Weapon banner for sub end game content

Not important at all, they're a trap if you care about account strength.

In Genshin basically every character has decent non-5* alternative weapons.

Abyss has never needed more than 4* weapons. Stygian Menacing doesn't need more than 4* weapons. Stygian Fearless they could make a difference, but not as much of a difference as if you just had the latest characters since each weapon is a character you didn't get. Stygian Dire they can be pretty important, but at the point you're realistically challenging that, hopefully you already know what you're doing if you pull on the weapon banner.

Edit: Incidentally, 5* constellations are in the same category.

How important are weapons for end-game content really?
\- Weapons are important, but not 5 stars. Two of the most important weapons in the game are Fav lance and sword. And don't forget Catalysts like Widsith, Sac Frag, and ttds. Just to name a few.

Were there any moments in the past where players couldn’t clear Abyss without 5★ weapons?
\- No, not even close.

Veteran players — were you able to clear Abyss comfortably with 4★ weapons, even on older patches?
\- Yes.

I have some 5\* star banner weapons, but I pull them just for my favorite characters, not for strength. I have for Navia, Mavuika, and Citlali (lost 5050). I also have two Mistsplitters that I have lost on. It seems to me that f2p dps swords are kinda hard to come by, but that might just be me not looking all that into it because of those two Mistsplitters.

Background: played Genshin since the 2nd ever banner (klee). Had a long break from 1.3-2.6, mostly because I was frustrated with the game being a gacha. I came back in 2.6 and worked on my account, and cleared everything end game except Dire in Stygian ever since.

Spending: 4-ish BPs and at probably 1-2 year of Welkin.

I also don't get cons because I enjoy the game more when they're not too overpowered. I have c2 Arlecchino because I liked her and had so much primos in my stash from saving, and c1 Escoffier by accident.

>Veteran players — were you able to clear Abyss comfortably with 4★ weapons, even on older patches?

1.0 player here. I would say I have consistent 36\* Abyss since first Ganyu banner (v1.2). I never had to explicitly pull in weapon banner just to clear Abyss content.

>In the last few patches I’ve been consistently getting 36★ in Abyss. I clear SO up to difficulty 4 in co-op, and IT depending on the roster, but usually on Hard/Normal.

Since you're able to do this I doubt you're account strength is lacking in any sort. 4\* R5 Battlepass is more than good enough - and constellations are *usually* more important anyway for actual whale content (Stygian Dire).

In my opinion, the endgame benchmark currently is Luna Imaginarium Theatre - as it gives the best rewards among the 3 endgame content.

Being able to clear this means you're actively investing in multiple team archetypes, which will also prepare you for multiple Abyss/Stygian scenarios.

Not really necessary I have been playing for 5 years and only have 4 -5 5* weapons (mostly from standard banner) and I can do most stuff without them I mostly used the weapons we get from events and such

No, they're not needed. In fact, there's devoted players out there who clear Spiral Abyss without even using 5-star characters (4-star only). That' something to keep in mind - different players have different skill levels. What's easy for one person may be challenging for another.

It's possible to clear Abyss without 5-star weapons - people do it all the time. But those are other people, not you. If you're consistently coming CLOSE to clearing but can't quite pull it off, a 5-star weapon might be enough to close the gap. Or, just accept that you need more practice, and work to get better at the game.

If you watch a lot guide videos where they do the dps calculations, the right 4* is usually only 10% below a reasonable baseline, and signatures are rarely better than 20% above. The right team and artefacts can bridge the gap effectively.

It's not like HSR where the weapons (light cones) restrict combat efficiency (speed and skill points).

I've got 3 sigs. And I feel like if I didn't have them I had viable four star options. I never felt like sigs was the make or break for units moreso than their kit or team structure

5 star weapons are nice to have and certainly help with a character's aesthetic in most cases (Thundering Pulse on Yoimiya and Key of Khaj-Nisut on Nilou being glaring exceptions) but at the end of the day, you don't need them. Every character has a decent F2P option/4 star weapon or even 3 star options. And even after the rework to Weapon Banner Pity system, it's just more worth it to expand your roster and invest in your account horizontally rather than vertically. Especially with Abyss and Stygian turning up the heat and making it tough for people who haven't pulled the current banner characters