Your Ultimate Genshin Impact Talent Guide: Leveling, Costs & Boss Drops (2025 Edition!)

Hey fellow Travelers! So, you've pulled that shiny new 5-star or finally built up your favorite 4-star, but their damage feels kinda... meh? Yeah, I've been there. The secret sauce, beyond just artifacts and weapons, is maxing out those Talents! Seriously, leveling them up makes a HUGE difference, like turning a wet noodle into a flaming greatsword swing. It's not always straightforward though, with all the different books, bosses, and ascension phases. Don't sweat it! I've grinded this out more times than I've run the Emblem domain (which is saying something!), and I'm breaking down everything you need to know in 2025.

What Are Talents & Why Bother?

Every character in Teyvat has unique skills baked into their Talents. Think of them as their special moveset and passive perks. We mainly focus on leveling up their Combat Talents:

• Normal Attack: This governs your basic swings, charged attacks (that eat stamina!), and those satisfying plunging attacks from high up. You know, the ones that go splat! ud83dude02

• Elemental Skill (E): Their signature move! Press E and magic (or fists) happens.

• Elemental Burst (Q): The BIG one! Unleash ultimate power, often with flashy animations and massive effects.

Passive Talents are the unsung heroes. You get one right away (Utility Passive), and two more unlock as you ascend your character:

• Utility Passive: Usually offers handy overworld perks like showing local specialties on the map, reducing stamina cost while swimming/climbing, or giving bonuses when cooking/crafting. Super useful for QoL!

• Ascension Passives (Unlocked at A1 & A4): These directly enhance combat abilities, like boosting damage under certain conditions, adding healing effects, or reducing cooldowns. Game-changers!

Unlocking & Leveling: It's All About Ascension!

You can't just max talents willy-nilly. Your character's Ascension Phase acts like a gatekeeper, determining the max level for everything – character level, talents, and even what weapons they can equip. Here's the roadmap:

Constellations can push Combat Talents beyond level 10, up to a max of 13. That's some serious power!

Grinding Those Talent Books (Where & When!)

To level Combat Talents, you need specific Talent Level-Up Books. Each region (Mondstadt, Liyue, Inazuma, Sumeru) has its own set of three book types, each with three rarities: Teachings (Common), Guide (Rare), Philosophies (Super Rare).

You farm these from Domains of Mastery. Here's the lowdown on locations and schedules:

• Mondstadt: Forsaken Rift (South of Springvale)

  • Freedom : Mon / Thu / Sun

  • Resistance: Tue / Fri / Sun

  • Ballad : Wed / Sat / Sun

  

• Liyue: Taishan Mansion (Jueyun Karst lakeside)

  • Prosperity: Mon / Thu / Sun

  • Diligence : Tue / Fri / Sun

  • Gold : Wed / Sat / Sun

  

• Inazuma: Violet Court (Island south of Ritou)

  • Transience: Mon / Thu / Sun

  • Elegance : Tue / Fri / Sun

  • Light : Wed / Sat / Sun

  

• Sumeru: Steeple of Ignorance (West of Chatrakam Cave, requires Archon Quest Ch1 Act1)

  • Admonition : Mon / Thu / Sun

  • Ingenuity : Tue / Fri / Sun

  • Praxis : Wed / Sat / Sun

  

Pro Tip: Use Alchemy to craft higher-rarity books from lower ones! Sunday is the universal farming day (all books available). Resin efficiency is key, people!

Conquering Weekly Bosses for the Good Stuff

Leveling talents past 6 requires special drops from Weekly Bosses. You gotta unlock them via Archon Quests first, and then you can challenge them once per week for rewards. Here are the big ones and what they drop:

• Andrius (Wolvendom): Tail/Ring/Spirit Locket of Boreas

• Stormterror (NW Mondstadt): Dvalin's Plume/Claw/Sigh

• Tartaglia/Childe (Golden House, S Liyue Harbor): Tusk/Shard/Shadow

• Azhdaha (S Mt. Hulao): Crown/Branch/Scale

• La Signora (Tenshukaku, Inazuma City): Moment/Butterfly/Heart

• Raiden Shogun (End of Oneiric Euthymia, Narukami Shrine): Mudra/Tears/Meaning

• Scaramouche/Balladeer (Joururi Workshop, Avidya Forest): Mirror/Bell/Strings

• Apep (Realm of Beginnings, Desert of Hadramaveth): Everamber/Greenbloom/Fern (Requires Nahida Story Quest Act 2)

The Mora Drain: Talent Leveling Costs (OMG!)

Brace yourselves, the Mora cost is... significant. Here's the breakdown per talent level jump:

1. 1 → 2: 12,500 Mora | 3 Teachings | 6 Common Mats (1★)

2. 2 → 3: 17,500 Mora | 2 Guides | 3 Common Mats (2★)

3. 3 → 4: 25,000 Mora | 4 Guides | 4 Common Mats (2★)

4. 4 → 5: 30,000 Mora | 6 Guides | 6 Common Mats (2★)

5. 5 → 6: 37,500 Mora | 9 Guides | 9 Common Mats (2★)

6. 6 → 7: 120,000 Mora | 4 Philosophies | 4 Common Mats (3★) | 1 Weekly Boss Mat

7. 7 → 8: 260,000 Mora | 6 Philosophies | 6 Common Mats (3★) | 1 Weekly Boss Mat

8. 8 → 9: 450,000 Mora | 12 Philosophies | 9 Common Mats (3★) | 2 Weekly Boss Mats

9. 9 → 10: 700,000 Mora | 16 Philosophies | 12 Common Mats (3★) | 2 Weekly Boss Mats | 1 Crown of Insight

The Grand Total to max ONE Talent to Level 10?

• Mora: 1,652,500

• Books: 3 Teachings | 21 Guides | 38 Philosophies

• Common Ascension Mats: 6 (1★) | 22 (2★) | 31 (3★)

• Weekly Boss Mats: 6

• Crown of Insight: 1

Yep, that Crown is only from limited-time events. Use them wisely! Leveling multiple talents? That Mora number gets scary fast. Ley Line overflow events are your best friend.

Whoa, That's Expensive! What Should I Level First?

This is CRUCIAL! Don't spread your resources too thin early on. Prioritize based on your character's role and your playstyle:

• Main DPS: Usually prioritize their main damage source. Is it their Normal Attacks (like Yoimiya)? Or their Elemental Skill/Burst (like Raiden's Burst)? Check guides or test!

• Sub-DPS/Support: Focus on the talent that provides their key support or off-field damage (e.g., Xiangling's Burst, Bennett's Burst, Zhongli's Skill).

• Healers/Shielders: Level the talent that provides the healing or shielding (e.g., Diona's Skill/Burst for shields/heals, Barbara's Skill/Burst for heals).

Sometimes, you only need to level a talent to 6 or 8 for it to be super effective, especially for supports. Leveling to 9 or 10 is often a luxury reserved for your absolute favorites or main hyper-carries. Resin is precious – plan your farming routes!

Final Thoughts

Leveling talents is a marathon, not a sprint. It demands resin, Mora, and patience. But trust me, seeing those big, juicy numbers pop up after finally crowning your favorite character's ultimate move? Pure satisfaction. ud83dude0d Use this guide, target the right domains and bosses on the right days, and prioritize smartly. Your Teyvat journey will be way smoother (and more explosive!). Now go forth and farm, Travelers! What talent are you working on maxing next? ud83dudcaa