by revycord
Updated for Version 4.5
Art by revycord | Assets by HoYoverse
Ever find yourself bored after finishing Daily Commissions and spending Resin, wishing there were more things you could do? Still forced to do Mora Ley Lines even though you would prefer to use Resin for something else? Then this guide is for you! Learn about optimal elite farming routes, artifact routes, mining routes, and more in Genshin Impact.
Table of Contents
New Content
It seems HoYoverse have boosted the Local Legend Mora drop amounts, most notably Liam & Rocky now drop 3000 Mora each, instead of 1000. Similarly the two Vishap Legends drop 1200 Mora each now, but others have gained increases too. From early data collection samples, it also seems that they have roughly three times higher chance to drop artifacts than regular elites.
Technically you can now get way more than 240K Mora (up to 1.2M) if you farm a very high number of worlds filled only with these Local Legends, but it would be extremely time consuming to do so.
Why Do Routes?
Why Do Elite Routes?
Pros
- Obtain ~60K Artifact EXP, or ~110 Resin’s worth, assuming you don’t fodder 5-star artifacts, which is optimal as you’d rather strongbox them.
- Obtain 100–240K Mora and another ~60K if you convert artifacts obtained from Elite drops into Mora per day.
- A reliable and Resinless way to farm 4pc Instructor and 4pc Exile, which are still Best-in-Slot options in some scenarios.
- Encourages playing in Co-Op Mode, either with old friends or with complete strangers.
- While doing Elite routes, you can experiment with weird new teams, try to optimize the run for speed, or just have fun defeating mobs, depending on what kind of player you are.
- Besides Mora, some players like to farm a little Character EXP from Elite routes as well. Over time, with many runs, you can actually get a decent amount of levels “for free.”
- Can improve your understanding of character kits, mob grouping strategies and mechanics, and other aspects you may have overlooked, all of which may even be applicable in the Spiral Abyss.
- You get to actually play the game, interact with its combat system, and have something to optimize with tangible gain, even if it’s arguably minor. This isn’t too different from how players optimize their Abyss runs after getting 36 stars, except you actually get something out of it!
- Once you get the hang of Elite routes, you can just watch a stream or a video, or chat with your friends while doing the route.
- Never worry about wasting higher-tier materials for slightly better drops from the Parametric Transformer as you’ll gather plenty of spare materials.
Cons
- Even when really optimized, Elite routes take time.
- It can be difficult to keep up with more experienced runners when doing routes for the first time, although this should go away after some practice.
- If you do not want to do them through a Co-Op queue, it can be quite a bit slower and not as efficient unless you are already highly adept and possess highly invested characters that work well for dealing with elites.
Why Do Artifact Routes?
Pros
- Obtain ~76K Artifact EXP, or ~140 Resin’s worth, assuming you don’t fodder your 5-star artifacts, which is optimal as you’d rather strongbox them.
- You can do artifact routes without decently built characters.
- Once you get the hang of it, you can just watch a stream, watch a video, or chat with your friends while doing the route.
- Artifact routes are usually the most time-efficient thing you can do in game after spending your Resin and doing Commissions.
Cons
- Even when really optimized, artifact routes take time.
- Artifact routes can be less fun than Elite routes.
Why Do Mining Routes?
Pros
- Obtain materials to craft 30 Mystic Enhancement Ore per day (300K Weapon EXP).
- Can be done with friends or strangers in Co-Op.
- You can stockpile ores by farming your entire overworld or hopping around in Co-Op in order to farm more efficiently across multiple worlds.
- Unlike Elites or artifacts, once you have a good stockpile of ores, you can skip doing mining routes for a long time without any efficiency loss. This is due to the relatively low cap of 300K Weapon EXP (120 Crystal Chunks) you can convert into Mystic Enhancement Ores per day.
Cons
- Over time, you will level all the weapons you use. Unless you like leveling weapons for collection or other superfluous reasons, you will end up with a surplus of Crystal Chunks rather than a deficit.
- Even when really optimized, mining routes take time.
Glossary
| Terms | Meaning |
| Common (Mob) | Weak enemies you may find across Teyvat. Open the Adventurer Handbook, go to the Enemies tab, and select “Easy” as the filter to find a list of enemies considered Common. Common mobs drop a small amount of Mora and EXP upon defeat, up to 2000 times a day, after which they stop giving any drops, Mora, or EXP. |
| Elite | Enemies stronger than Commons that you may find across Teyvat. Open the Adventurer Handbook, go to the Enemies tab, and select “Elite” as the filter to find a list of enemies considered Elite. At WL8, they drop 200–600 Mora (with a few exceptions) and some EXP upon defeat, up to 400 times a day, after which they stop giving any drops, Mora, or EXP. |
| 200 | An Elite that drops 200 Mora upon defeat. They are quite abundant, with many grouped up in efficient spots. |
| 400 | An Elite that drops 400 Mora upon defeat. |
| 600 | An Elite that drops 600 Mora upon defeat, not as many efficient spots as 200s. |
| Local Legends (LL) | Refers to some usually very tough enemies that can drop up to 3000 Mora upon defeat. They are not included in every route due to their very high HP. Note there are both elite and common mob local legends. |
| Elite Cap | Refers to the 400-Elite daily defeat limit. |
| Common Cap | Refers to the 2000–Common mob daily defeat limit. |
| Artifact Route | A route involving various investigation spots, usually optimized for speed, with the primary goal of gaining artifact fodder. |
| Artifact Cap | Refers to the 100–investigation spot limit. Note that spots loaded in before reaching the 100 limit don’t unload unless you leave the area. This allows you to go beyond 120 artifact spots per day, or even 240 if you have friends or other accounts to keep certain areas loaded in for you before you hit the artifact cap. |
| Route Extension | Refers to extra ways that “bypass” the artifact soft cap via not using investigation spots directly. These include some of the bubbles in Apam Woods and tumbleweeds in the Sumeru deserts. |
| Fodder | Artifacts considered worthless for character building, destined to be used as Artifact EXP to level another artifact. |
| (Co-Op) Queue (Elite route) | A group of people participating in an instance of Elite route being hosted. |
| Elite Trade | People participating in an Elite Trade are expected to share their world’s Elites at some point in the route. |
| Elite Share | The host of an Elite Share is just sharing their world’s Elites without expecting anyone’s world being shared in return. |
| 1/4, 3/4, 1/3, etc. | Refers to queue progress. The first number refers to players in the queue, the second number usually refers to the maximum number of players for a Co-Op route. Some routes only need 3 worlds, but in many instances people don’t really mind if a 4th one tags along. |
| Strict / Pure / Only (600) Route | Refers to routes in which you are expected not to kill any Elites that aren’t 600s or above. People doing these routes aim to maximize Mora income within the 400 Elite cap. |
| Aggro | Refers to getting an enemy’s attention. Many enemies have a short invulnerability period at the beginning of combat, so you want to “aggro” them early with a ranged attack. By the time you get to the enemy, they are ready to take damage. |
| Glider Gadget | Red Feather Fan, a gadget obtained by reaching Level 5 Inazuma Reputation. It increases gliding Movement SPD by 30% for 30s and has a 100s cooldown. Used in some spots in most Elite route runs. Reusable with no limitations. |
| Wind Current Gadget | Wind Catcher, a gadget that creates a temporary wind current for about 9s and has a 100s cooldown. It can be created via forging after using the diagram obtained by reaching Level 3 Mondstadt Reputation. Used in some spots in more heavily-optimized Elite route runs. Note that while it’s reusable, it does have to be recharged (up to 5 charges) by stepping on Anemograna. |
| WL8 | World Level 8 |
Note: this guide assumes WL8; Mora and artifact fodder drop rates scale with enemy level. For more information, see the Genshin Impact Wiki’s pages on artifact drops and Elite enemies.
FAQ
What are Elite routes?
Elite routes are something players decided to do themselves rather than a game mechanic. It’s not something one does in 5 or 10 minutes like Daily Commissions and spending Resin. Some players do them for the resources, and some just wish to play the game more, using their characters in Co-Op for actual combat, with resources as simply a bonus. Some are just interested in maximizing their progression and not wasting Resin on Mora Ley Lines ever again.
Are Elite routes a “free to play” thing? Are they a “whale” thing?
There are a decent amount of players at either end of the spending bracket, though newer players may not know they are a thing, as it’s not a common topic. Whether one spends or not, routes can still be highly beneficial.
If you whale, can’t you just buy Elite drops with Masterless Stardust?
Firstly, buying drops with Masterless Stardust is not always enough. Secondly, Elite routes are not really about materials; many experienced Elite route runners stop picking up material drops when they have 9999 of purple, blue, and green materials of most, if not all, mobs in an Elite route.
Furthermore, even if whales can have a lot of Stardust and Starglitter, such resources are finite. In many cases, it’s just a waste, as you can buy Mora instead. If you Resin refresh and strongbox all undesirable 5-star artifacts (possibly even slightly leveled ones), you can end up needing a lot of Mora. As Artifact EXP and Mora required for leveling an artifact from scratch have a 1:1 ratio, leveling a single artifact from +0 to +20 costs both ~270K Artifact EXP and Mora.
Are Elite routes pointless because you can trash drops from artifact routes?
On the surface, it may seem that if you convert all the artifacts from an artifact route to Mora, it’d be noticeably more time-efficient than even the fastest Elite routes. However, in many cases, you’d rather keep that fodder and use it to level even more artifacts, whereas the Mora you get from Elite routes is just Mora. You also get some 3-star and 4-star artifacts in the form of Berserker, Traveling Doctor, Instructor, and Exile pieces. The latter two are useful not just as fodder but also as Best-in-Slot options in some character builds for Spiral Abyss even to this day; with Elite routes, you can reliably farm them without Resin.
Also, you can just do both types of routes, in which case you can obtain ~255 Resin’s worth of extra fodder (assuming you don’t fodder 5-star artifacts) daily.
In the end, the cost can rack up fast. Many players may want to strongbox even slightly leveled artifacts (e.g., +4 or sometimes even higher), and if you don’t lack Mora and Artifact EXP, there’s technically no reason not to do so. This results in more Strongbox opportunities.
Isn’t this overkill? Won’t you burn out from this?
You don’t have to do Elite routes daily. Still, many do it to hang out with friends while in voice chat and have fun. Some like trying to do the Elite routes as fast as possible for the challenge, while others really appreciate the extra resources.
The same mostly applies to artifact routes.
Wouldn’t doing a route take ages?
With the newer versions, Elite routes have become much faster and more convenient. With reasonably efficient gameplay, you can reach the Elite cap in just under an hour, or even less if you are very proficient or have a whale team.
Highly optimized artifact routes can be done in under 8 minutes, while the average time is around 10–12 minutes.
How to get faster at doing these routes?
General tips will be mentioned in this guide. However, there are many niche but useful optimizations possible. You can watch a route reference video by a good runner and see what strategies they use.
Isn’t the X route very similar to the Y route?
There aren’t that many efficient spots across the map, so to a degree, people often end up with similar routes.
Why does X route not include Y spot?
This comes down to many factors, such as a route creator’s preferences. To give a few examples, certain spots may require more teleports or map dragging or are just less consistent.
You can always try making your own routes to fit your needs, although it can be a long and difficult process.
How Do I Start?
Artifact Routes
Starting an artifact route is really simple! Just follow one of the routes listed below and note down the time you started. If you plan to do it tomorrow as well, you can slightly delay the starting time (e.g., by 10 minutes). This way, spots will respawn in time even if you’re not alternating between the A and B routes, which is recommended because alternating between A and B routes is generally slightly less efficient.
Note: most AB artifact routes overlap some of the 12-hour respawning spots. Therefore, you also want to leave a 12-hour gap between your runs; otherwise, even if the alternative route is done on the next day, the 12-hour spots will not have respawned.
There is a daily limit of 100 investigations, plus whatever was loaded in the area before you performed the 100th investigation. That’s why you want to avoid investigating spots excluded from the route. If you investigate a spot by accident or earlier that day, skip an equivalent number of spots in the chosen route. Otherwise, the investigation spots past 100 may become inactive.
Elite Routes
Recommended to do in Co-Op. In the KQM Discord Server, go to #coop-readme and grab your respective server role (Asia, Europe, America, or TW/HK/MO) to gain access to Co-Op channels.
It’s recommended to claim the “@Elite-Trading” and “@Elite-Sharing” roles so you can be pinged anytime someone in your region shares their Elites or hosts an Elite Trade. For differences between the two, check the Glossary for Elite Trade and Elite Share.
It is also recommended to set your Discord display name to include your UID and WL so people can join you easier and know if they are able to do so (you can’t join the worlds of people with a higher WL than you). You can do this with /nick command.
Username [WL8][712345678]
If you want to host a trade yourself, generally you would write:
@Elite-Trading ROUTE NAME 1/4.
However, since this system was only recently introduced in the KQM Discord, you may elaborate a bit for people who are otherwise unfamiliar. For example, if I’m hosting the “-6” Elite Route, I may write:
@Elite-Trading Hosting a “-6” Elite Farming Route Trade
(“-6” Route has ~131 Elites 22 min average, 66 mins until done, 3 worlds * 22 mins each)
~118.8k Mora & 58k Artifact EXP Resin-free.
Elite Trade = every participant hosts their world at some point. If 3 people are in a trade, first they do person 1’s world, then person 2’s, then person 3’s. If you think you have to leave later, then host your world first.
We are starting the route when at least 3 are in queue and everyone in the queue is ready.
2/4 (player1, player2)
You can reply or react “+1” to join.
Mining Routes
Can be done in Co-op or alone by just following one of the routes. In the KQM Discord Server, go to #coop-readme and grab your respective server role (Asia, Europe, America, or TW/HK/MO) to gain access to Co-op channels.
Then it’s recommended to claim the “@Crystal Sharing” role so you can be pinged anytime someone in your region shares their Crystal Chunks or wishes to mine in Co-op.
If you wish to share your own, you would ping the role and mine together.
It is also recommended to set your Discord display name to include your UID and WL so people can join you easier and know if they are able to do so (you can’t join the worlds of people with a higher WL than you). You can do this with /nick command.
Username [WL8][712345678]
Elite Routes
Note: All these routes give around 60K Artifact EXP (8 4 Star artifacts; 32 3 Star artifacts) at Elite route cap (400 Elites), as the drop rate is the same for all Elites. (Except the LL Elites which seem to have roughly x3 drop-rate for artifacts).
Balanced Routes
“-6” Elite Enemies Farming Route Infographic
We made an infographic for one of the most popular Elite farming routes! Click here to see the infographic with larger dimensions. Feel free to bookmark that link or this guide so you can easily come back when you are farming Elites. It might be helpful to have the infographic on your mobile device while playing Genshin Impact on your computer or vice-versa.
| Routes Balancing Time/Mora Efficiency | |
| Probably the most popular option overall, as these routes balance both speed and Mora. Not sacrificing every 600 just because it’s not the fastest, but if a spot is annoying or noticeably slower than the 200 alternatives they do not get featured. | |
| Example Routes | Route Information |
| -6 Route by 珊瑚宫路线组 (“SGMiya”) | Route Name: -6 Author: 珊瑚宫路线组 (“SGMiya”) Elites: 131 x 3 Worlds = 393 Estimated Time per World: 14–25 Minutes Estimated Mora Yield at Cap: 118.8K |
| Qiqi’s Notebook Link Route Video References (4.4): The Original Reference Video (4.4) BiliBili Video (17min) Route Video References (4.3): The Original Reference Video (4.3) BiliBili Video (15min) C1R1 Neuvillette Kaeya Jean Kazuha Run, Neuvillette POV [18min] BiliBili Video (18min) Hyper-Optimized Whale Team Run, Yelan POV BiliBili Video (15min) Hyper-Optimized Whale Team Run, Neuvillette POV BiliBili Video (15min) Hyper-Optimized Whale Team Run, Yelan POV 2 BiliBili Video (14min) Hyper-Optimized Whale Team Run, Neuvillette POV 2 BiliBili Video (14min) Original Article (4.4): MiYouShe Article Original Article (4.3): MiYouShe Article (Note: It’s in Chinese) |
|
| -6 with Local Legends | Route Name: -6 with 3 worlds of LLs Author: original route by 珊瑚宫路线组 (“SGMiya”); modifications by revycord Elites: 131 x 3 Worlds = 393 Estimated Time per World: 16–27 Minutes Estimated Mora Yield at Cap: 138K Route Name: -6 with 4 worlds of LLs Author: original route by 珊瑚宫路线组 (“SGMiya”); modifications by revycord Elites: 99 x 4 Worlds = 396 Estimated Time per World: 15-24 Minutes Estimated Mora Yield at Cap: 156.8K |
| Qiqi’s Notebook for 3 Worlds of LLs ver: https://www.qiqis-notebook.com/route/65f869a2ea8e6fe711520833 Qiqi’s Notebook for 4 Worlds of LLs ver: https://www.qiqis-notebook.com/route/65f854ee20139e45becded8f |
|
| 600ish Route by revycord | Route Name: 600ish Author: revycord, uses some time-split data from carlo’s standard route Elites: 131 x 3 Worlds = 400 Estimated Time per World: 24–30 Minutes Estimated Mora Yield at Cap: 197.6K |
| Qiqi’s Notebook Link: https://www.qiqis-notebook.com/route/65f364cf32e8b919f3580685 |
|
Mora Routes
| Routes Maximizing Mora | |
| These routes try to include as many 600 Mora Elites as reasonably possible, even if it results in noticeably slower speed compared to more balanced routes. | |
| Example Routes | Route Information |
| “Standard Route” by carlo1231 | Route Name: Standard Route Author: carlo1231 Estimated Time per World: 30–40 Minutes Estimated Time per World (With Local Legends): 32–45 Minutes Estimated Mora Yield at Cap: ~240-250K |
| Route Video Reference (4.4): Hyper-Optimized Whale Team Run, Wrio Player POV Twitch Video (30 min) Hyper-Optimized Whale Team Run, Jean Player POV Twitch Video (30min) Original Post (4.4): Imgur Article | |
| +6 Route by 珊瑚宫路线组 (“SGMiya”) | Route Name: +6 Author: 珊瑚宫路线组 (“SGMiya”) Estimated Time per World: 30–37 Minutes Estimated Mora Yield at Cap: 200–240K |
| Route Video References (4.2): Hyper-Optimized Whale Team Run, Every Team Member POV BiliBili Video (30 min) Hyper-Optimized Whale Team Run, Every Team Member POV 2 BiliBili Video (30min) Original Article (3.4): MiYouShe Article (Note: It’s in Chinese) | |
Speed Routes
| Routes Maximizing Speed | |
| These routes don’t mind omitting some extra 600s even if the timesave is not significant. People interested in these routes generally don’t care about the Mora much or at all, rather they are just trying to maximize their Artifact EXP. | |
| Example Routes | Route Information |
| Quickie Route by mars4therich | Route Name: Quickie Author: mars4therich Elites per World: 100 Estimated Time per World: 14–20 Minutes Estimated Mora Yield at Cap: 104K |
| Route Video Reference: – Original Article (4.1): HoYoLab Article | |
| 天空岛 (“Celestia”) Route | Route Name: – Author: 天空岛 (“Celestia”) Elites per World: 131 Estimated Time per World: 15–20 Minutes Estimated Mora Yield at Cap: 92K |
| Route Video Reference (4.1): BiliBili Video (15 min) Original Article (4.4): MiYouShe Article Original Article (4.1): MiYouShe Article (Note: It’s in Chinese) | |
Duo & Solo Routes
| Duo & Solo Routes | |
| These routes are generally not recommended for players new to Elite Farming in Co-Op. The solo routes even more so are only recommended with strong investment into characters and high level of familiarity with farming Elites. | |
| Example Routes | Route Information |
| Fast Cap Duo by revycord | Route Name: fast cap duo Author: revycord Elites per World: 192 Estimated Time per World: 25-35 Minutes Estimated Mora Yield at Cap:101.2K |
| Qiqi’s Notebook Link | |
| Duo Route by mars4therich | Route Name: mars duo route Author: mars4therich Elites per World: 197-203 Estimated Time per World: 35-50 Minutes Estimated Mora Yield at Cap: – |
| Route Video Reference: – Original Article (4.1): HoYoLab Article | |
| Dgame555’s Solo Route | Route Name: dgame solo route Author: Dgame555 Elites per World: 400 Estimated Time per World: 55-80 Minutes Estimated Mora Yield at Cap: ~100K |
| Route Video Reference (4.3): YouTube Video Infographic link can be found in the video description. (Note: It’s in Japanese) | |
Common Mob Routes
| Common Mob Routes | |
| These routes are generally not recommended unless you really want every resource possible, as the return from time spent is less than even the 600 Elite routes. All of them will get around ~90K Mora when capped. | |
| Example Routes | Route Information |
| Common Mob A Route by 珊瑚宫路线组 (“SGMiya”) | Considered more difficult than Mob B route for inexperienced players but faster. Not recommended for solo, better to do Mob B in that case. Route Name: Mob A Author: 珊瑚宫路线组 (“SGMiya”) Mobs per World: 589+35 Tsurumi Estimated Time per World: 20–30 Minutes |
| Route Video Reference (3.5): BiliBili Video (15min) Original Article (4.4): MiYouShe Article Original Article (3.5): MiYouShe Article (Note: It’s in Chinese) | |
| Common Mob B Route by 珊瑚宫路线组 (“SGMiya”) | More beginner-friendly for inexperienced players, but slower. Route Name: Mob B Author: 珊瑚宫路线组 (“SGMiya”) Mobs per World: 500+30 Tsurumi Estimated Time per World: 20–30 Minutes |
| Route Video Reference: – Original Article (3.5): MiYouShe Article (Note: It’s in Chinese) | |
Artifact Routes
| Classic Artifact Routes |
| These routes are pretty straightforward. Just do the exact same route everyday and delay the repeat time by ~10 minutes (or more) to avoid spots not respawning yet if you end up going faster than last time. Due to the rigid time limit, these can become quite inconvenient. They’re frankly outdated at this point, so the “AB” routes in the next section are recommended instead. |
“AB” Routes
| “AB” Artifact Routes | |
| These routes solve the problems of classic artifact routes. They’re more worthwhile since we have quite an abundance of efficient artifact spots. You can make two relatively fast artifact routes with no overlapping spots (or if they overlap, they respawn in 12 hours instead of 24). With most normal routes (127 investigating spots), you’ll get ~76K Artifact EXP. | |
| Example Routes | Route Information |
| AB Artifact Route by Graph | You are expected to do the A route until/unless you want to “reset” the time, in which case you would do the B route on that day NOTE: this route is not as fast as routes below, but some readers may find using not youtube and lack of english explanations in the video too much |
| Route Video Reference: 4.2 AB artifact route by Graph YouTube Video | |
| 4.3 AB Artifact Route by Jason_TF | You are expected to do the A route until/unless you want to “reset” the time, in which case you would do the B route on that day. NOTE: This artifact route is only possible if you don’t complete the “In Wake of Narcissus: Act II – Savior’s Wake” World Quest, as doing so causes the Tower of Gestalt to sink permanently, reducing efficiency. You do want to proceed with the quest up until the point you unlock the teleportation to the artifact spots shown in the video. If you have sunk the tower already, the author recommends using his previous route below. |
| Route Video References: 4.5 Artifact Route Speedrun, A Route 7:27 by Jason_TF BiliBili Video 4.3 Artifact Route Speedrun, A Route 7:30 by Jason_TF BiliBili Video The B route meant to complement the above A route BiliBili Video Investigation Spot Efficiency Table BiliBili Video | |
| 4.1 AB Artifact Route by Jason_TF | You are expected to always do the A route until/unless you want to “reset” the time, in which case you would do the B route on that day. |
| Route Video References: 4.1 Artifact Route Speedrun 7:57, A Route by Jason_TF BiliBili Video The B route meant to complement the above A route BiliBili Video | |
Co-Op Routes
| Co-Op Abuse (2p/3p/4p) Artifact Routes | |
| Since investigation spots in loaded areas don’t despawn even if you reach the cap, you could have your friend or an alt account standing in an area to keep it loaded in. With Co-Op restrictions, you can do that with up to 4 players. While this increases the maximum amount of fodder one could obtain significantly, it’s not very practical for most people. It requires either bothering your friends every day or having alt accounts that can join your world. In general, it just takes longer, but it is an option covered here for the sake of completeness. | |
| Example Routes | Route Information |
| Co-Op Artifact Route by 梅摩拉斯姬 | Contains 240 investigation spots, which allows you to get ~143K Artifact EXP instead of the usual ~76K (equal to roughly 268 Resin assuming you don’t fodder 5-star artifact drops). Takes ~35 minutes. |
| Route Video Reference: BiliBili Video | |
Route Extensions
| Artifact Route Extensions | |
| There are few exceptions to the investigation cap, usually a result of not being a regular “investigation spot”. This lists some of the more worthwhile exceptions to consider after you are done with the route if you want even more fodder. For some less efficient ones, check other less efficient ways to farm Artifact EXP section. | |
| Example Extensions | Extension Information |
| Apam Woods | When it rains in Apam Woods, there are bubbles you can pop to create investigation spots, seven of which drop Artifact EXP. Requires the “Varuna Gatha” quest to be done for controlled behavior of the weather. Estimated Artifact EXP: ~4.2K |
| Extension Video Reference: YouTube Video by Graph | |
| New Fontaine Research Institute | There are 3 canisters in the New Fontaine Research Institute area;you can smash to create investigation spots, which drop Artifact EXP. The last one featured is significantly slower than the others, so preferentially it can be excluded. Estimated Artifact EXP: ~1.8K |
| Extension Video Reference: YouTube Video by revy | |
| The Chasm: Main Mining Area | There is a spot with crates in The Chasm: Main Mining Area; you can smash it to create a single investigation spot, which drops Artifact EXP. Estimated Artifact EXP: ~600 |
| Extension Video Reference: YouTube Video by revy | |
Mining Routes
| Mining Routes | |
| These are some optimized routes for mining Crystal Chunks, which you can convert into up to 30 Mystic Enhancement Ores in a 1:5 ratio. | |
| Example Routes | Route Information |
| Efficient Mining Route by 在小角落嗑瓜子的CC | Author: 在小角落嗑瓜子的CC Crystal Chunks per World: ~270 Estimated Time per World: ~22 Minutes |
| MiYouShe Article (Note: It’s in Chinese) | |
| Quick Mining Route by 在小角落嗑瓜子的CC | Author: 在小角落嗑瓜子的CC Crystal Chunks per World: ~225 Estimated Time per World: ~15 Minutes |
| MiYouShe Article (Note: It’s in Chinese) | |
Elite Route Teambuilding
Notable Teammates
Ratings are made with a 4-player Elite Trade in mind, so you only control a single character in Co-Op. They will change slightly if that is not the case.
In Elite Routes, movement speed is very important. “Tall Male” model characters have the highest movement speed and ability to intentionally slide off cliffs at high velocity, a relatively common technique by more experienced players.
To avoid redundancy, only information uniquely relevant to Elite farming is discussed, for general explanation of character kits, you are encouraged to check their dedicated guides.
Pyro
 Bennett Performance: A+ | Quite commonly used. Especially a good option if you don’t have any other relevant characters for Elite routes. as many people have a Bennett built. A good buffer and a healer. Not a “Tall Male” model. Does not have any special speed enhancements. |
 Yoimiya Performance: A | Relatively uncommonly used, but a solid choice as she is not very Burst-reliant. If there are Hydro teammates, she may get a few Vaporize reactions as well. Not a “Tall Male” model. Does not have any special speed enhancements. |
Electro
 Raiden Performance: A | One of the more popular DPS choices due to a decent amount of players having C2R1 or C3R1. Is able to get Burst back pretty comfortably and can use Burst to kill an Abyss Mage in Tatarasuna before it shields up. Not a “Tall Male” model. Does not have any special speed enhancements. |
 Sara (C6) Performance: A- | Mainly used by another player to support a Raiden in the team. Not a “Tall Male” model. Does not have any special speed enhancements. |
Cryo
 Wriothesley Performance: S | Not Burst-reliant. Cryo, or more specifically Freeze, is useful in Elite routes due to how Frozen enemies skip their death animation. He can function as one of the damage dealers, especially with Constellations, or if supported by Shenhe, or both. Being a “Tall Male” model, and his ability to hold Lost Prayer to the Sacred Winds helps to keep a good pace too. Proficient players can use his Elemental Skill nearby an enemy as a 3rd dash to close distance, improving his mobility. His value is higher in more single-target focused Elite routes, which are usually 600 Mora ones. |
 Kaeya Performance: A+ | Stamina-reducing Utility Passive (only applies to your characters). Can also Freeze enemies to skip the death animation. He can function as one of the damage dealers, especially with Constellations, or if supported by Shenhe, or both. Being a “Tall Male” model helps to keep a good pace too. Unfortunately, he cannot hold Lost Prayer to the Sacred Winds like Wriothesley. While Skyrider Sword is an option, it’s harder to maintain uptime as you need to use his Burst regularly for the Movement SPD. Additionally, the weapon features lesser offensive stats, reducing Kaeya’s potential as one of the damage dealers. |
 Shenhe Performance: A | Mainly used to support another teammate playing a Cryo DPS. Not a “Tall Male” model. Does not have any special speed enhancements. Can also Freeze enemies to skip the death animation. |
 Ayaka Performance: A- | Has great damage potential. Her main problem is that she is quite Burst-reliant, especially without Constellations or support from a Shenhe teammate. Not a “Tall Male” model. Her alternate dash, while better than typical sprinting in most contexts, makes her unable to launch herself off cliffs at high velocity, which is quite important in Elite routes; on top of that, it is slower than other speed enhancements. Can also Freeze enemies to skip the death animation. |
 Ganyu Performance: A | Not used too commonly but performs relatively well. Not Burst-reliant. As a Bow user, she can aggro enemies to avoid waiting for enemies’ invulnerability frames; as a Cryo unit, she can also Freeze enemies to skip the death animation. Not a “Tall Male” model. Does not have any special speed enhancements. |
Hydro
 Yelan Performance: S | Yelan has great mobility and good personal damage without requiring buffs. As a Bow user, she can aggro enemies in certain spots to avoid waiting for enemies’ invulnerability frames. Some players run Recurve Bow when there is no healer available in the team, although it’s usually more recommended to just have a healer. |
 Neuvillette Performance: S | Neuvillette deals great AoE damage and is not too Burst- or buff-reliant. “Tall Male” model. His value is higher in more AoE-focused Elite routes, which are usually 200 Mora ones. |
 Ayato Performance: A+ | “Tall Male” model. Not Burst-reliant. Has respectable personal damage, especially with Constellations. Overall, a solid pick for Elite routes. |
 Furina Performance: A | A solid option due to her buffs and ability to heal if needed. Not a “Tall Male” model. Does not have any special speed enhancements. Her water walking isn’t too relevant as most Elite routes don’t feature water sections much at all. Can be a hindrance in “strict” Elite runs where you don’t want accidental kills from her pets. |
 Kokomi Performance: A- | Good healer pick, which is desirable in Elite routes, although usually you’d prefer Jean. Not a “Tall Male” model. Does not have any special speed enhancements. |
Dendro
Anemo
 Jean Performance: S | Jean is generally the Best-in-Slot healer, especially at C2 due to consolidating 4VV RES Shred, healing, and the C2 buff (if owned). When running with Wanderer, her C4 is also beneficial. Not a “Tall Male” model. It’s common to see Jean players use Stamina consumption–reducing food or Skyrider Sword for Movement SPD. A less common but an interesting option is to run 4pc Scholar in teams with Catalyst and Bow users. Can help deal with the Hydro shield of the Abyss Mage in Tatarasuna. |
 Wanderer Performance: S | Wanderer has great mobility, especially with Lost Prayers to the Sacred Winds (10% Movement SPD). Can fill the slot of a 2nd DPS unit. Contributes to Anemo Resonance. Can help deal with the Hydro shield of the Abyss Mage in Tatarasuna. |
 Kazuha Performance: A+ | Stamina-reducing Utility Passive (only applies to your characters). Great 4pc VV application. Contributes to Anemo Resonance. His grouping is actually not that impactful as later on you can’t pick up every drop due to the 9999 cap, and grouping them together makes it more difficult to differentiate them apart just by looking at the drop’s model. Furthermore, Elite enemies themselves generally are not groupable. Not a “Tall Male” model. Can hold Skyrider Sword to help keep up in terms of Movement SPD. Can help deal with the Hydro shield of the Abyss Mage in Tatarasuna. |
 Sayu Performance: A+ | Good, albeit uncommon alternative to Jean in Elite routes. Has great mobility due to her Elemental Skill. Can apply 4pc VV and heal, although unfortunately she does not have useful Constellations for Elite routes like Jean C2. Can help deal with the Hydro shield of the Abyss Mage in Tatarasuna. |
 Xianyun Performance: A | Xianyun has great mobility; unfortunately, she does not have ways to buff your teammate’s movement like Jean with her C2. Her teamwide jump height increase is actually a hindrance in most cases, as it interferes with jump-walking commonly done by someone like Kazuha. It also makes you waste extra time in air when you try to jump off a cliff when sliding off the cliff instead is unreliable or inconsistent. Contributes to Anemo Resonance. Can help deal with the Hydro shield of the Abyss Mage in Tatarasuna. It should be noted that as stated in the introduction to this section, this assumes you are in 4p Co-Op Elite Trade. Xianyun so far seems like a great option in a Duo Route, as both players can use Yelan and alternate between Yelan and Xianyun, since jump-walking is not necessary. |
Geo
 Zhongli (C2+) Performance: A | At C2+, he becomes a decent option due to his teamwide shield. “Tall Male” model. |
Elite Route Team Examples
These are recommended teams for 4-player Co-Op runs, so you only control a single character. This can change slightly with fewer players.
In general, you can have a huge variety of Elite route teams, but movement-enhancing abilities like Yelan’s or Wanderer’s Skills are highly valued. Stamina consumption reduction Utility Passives (e.g., Kazuha’s), Anemo Resonance, Jean C2, etc. can be nice as well. Below are just some examples to give you ideas rather than an exhaustive list of all possibilities.
Double Anemo Core
This is probably the most common and popular Elite route team archetype.
Example Teams
Two Hydro units help alleviate Energy issues for each other, and having two damage dealers ideally lets you split in two for certain Elite spots instead of doing it one by one for faster runs.
Anemo Flex
C2 Jean is one of the best options as a solo Anemo flex unit.
Example Teams
Artifact Route Team Examples
Below are just some examples to give you ideas rather than an exhaustive list of all possibilities.
Damage is much more of a secondary concern in artifact routes, and Movement SPD is king. Fastest runs use the First Great Magic on Yelan and Lost Prayer to the Sacred Winds on Wanderer. You want to turn the clock to benefit from either Dehya’s, Gaming’s or Rosaria’s Utility Passive.
Example Teams
Best option if you have all the units. Equipping the First Great Magic on Yelan if owned is recommended, Chiori mainly allows one to skip the turning back of the clock, required for the day/night Movement SPD passives of units like Rosaria, Gaming and Dehya, due to her own Movement SPD passive not being tied to time of day.
Best option if you have all the units except Chiori and Xianyun.
Best option if you have Wanderer but no Yelan, Chiori, or Xianyun.
Best option if you have neither Yelan, Wanderer, Xianyun or Chiori.
Mining Route Team Examples
Below are just some examples to give you ideas rather than an exhaustive list of all possibilities. It should also be noted not all Claymore users need the same amount of attacks to break a Crystal Chunk; some need 3, but others need 4.
Someone to destroy the Crystal Chunks quickly and someone to maximize Movement SPD are the main priorities. These examples assume you are mining alone rather than in Co-Op, in which case the ideal teams may be slightly different, but the goals remain the same.
NOTE: Xianyun is not featured, as there has not yet been conclusive testing on whether she is an upgrade. Regardless, preliminary analysis suggests she is likely an upgrade over previous Anemo options.
Example Teams
Best option if you have both Zhongli and Wanderer.
Best option if you have Zhongli but no Wanderer.
Best option if you have Wanderer but no Zhongli.
Best option if you have no Wanderer or Zhongli.
Best option if you have no Wanderer, Zhongli, or Yelan.
Elite Mob Index
| Elite Mobs | |
| Mob | Mob Information |
Mitachurls Shieldwall/Axe | Mora at WL8: 200 Axe ones are pretty simple to deal with, Shieldwall ones can be annoying due to blocking Bow attacks. Appear sometimes in routes, mainly Tatarasuna. |
Lawachurls Stonehide, Frostarm, Thunderhelm | Mora at WL8: 600 Pretty simple to deal with. Mostly seen in 600s routes, but some efficient spots do appear in more speed-oriented routes. A spot in Sumeru featuring two of them is quite dangerous as you can get one-shot quite easily due to their jump attack. Nevertheless, the attack is well telegraphed and you can usually i-frame it by using your character’s Burst or dashing. |
Hilichurl Rogues Anemo, Hydro | Mora at WL8: 200 Generally they don’t get featured in Elite routes due to there being 200s that are much faster to deal with and less spread out. |
Abyss Mages Pyro, Hydro, Cryo, Electro | Mora at WL8: 200 Relevant for Elite routes. One popular spot is in the West of Tatarasuna, since it features 4 Level 88 Abyss Mages of various Elements. Fast Elite runs try to one-shot them before they get their shield up. To do so in 3p Co-Op you need to hit 86873 or higher; in 4p Co-Op 108591 or higher. Very difficult without food buffs for Yelan E in 4p Co-Op, quite easy for Raiden Q. |
Abyss Heralds Torrents, Frost Fall | Mora at WL8: 600 Generally not featured in Elite routes due to their shields and high health. |
Abyss Lectors Flames, Lightning | Mora at WL8: 600 Generally not featured in Elite routes due to their shields and high health. |
Rifthound Whelps Rockfond, Thunder | Mora at WL8: 200 Quite abundant and in groups, usually paired with a Rifthound, which all together makes them pretty efficient. Unfortunately, due to their HP drain (and constant fall damage one will take if trying to run terrain fast), running Elite routes healerless is not recommended. |
Rifthounds Rockfond, Thunder | Mora at WL8: 400 Less abundant than Rifthound Whelps, but still quite efficient due to being paired with Whelps in many cases, and occasionally being in pairs. |
The Black Serpents Defender, Linebreaker, Flagbearer, Windcutter, Rockbreaker | Mora at WL8: 600 Quite efficient as there are multiple spots you can find them in groups. |
Breacher Primuses Overgrown, Shatterstone | Mora at WL8: 200 Multiple spots have these in groups. |
Large Breacher Primuses Overgrown, Shatterstone | Mora at WL8: 400 Multiple spots have these in groups. One of the more uncommonly seen 400s. |
Ruin Guards | Mora at WL8: 200 Have a relatively slow death animation. While there are few spots they appear in groups in, they’re not very efficient. |
Ruin Hunters | Mora at WL8: 200 They can fly up into the air and drop bombs down on you if you jump high (e.g., Kazuha E or Xiao during Burst) or are generally higher than them (through being on the high ground, climbing/gliding), which can be quite annoying. |
Ruin Drakes Earthguard, Skywatch | Mora at WL8 200 Can be quite annoying if they go up in the air. Uncommon in Elite routes. |
Ruin Graders | Mora at WL8: 600 Pretty standard mob, common in 600s routes. In more speed-oriented routes, only the most efficient spots featuring them remain. |
Ruin Sentinels Cruiser, Destroyer, Defender, Scout | Mora at WL8: 200 One of the most popular and common enemies in Elite routes from the 200s due to their tendency to be featured in groups of 3 or even more. Note that the Destroyer (Snake) likes to burrow and waste time in invincibility frames for a relatively long time, so try to prioritize them. It’s also usually the first mob whose drops you end up capping (reaching 9999). Note that while 2-star (green) drops can be destroyed, 3-star and 4-star (blue and purple) cannot be destroyed outside of Parametric Transformer. This is relevant because once you reach 9999 item cap, trying to pick up one of them gives an annoying pop-up that takes about 2s to disappear and stops your movement, slowing you down in routes. Therefore, quite a few runners actively avoid picking up any drop they think they already have an abundance of. |
Pirmal Constructs Prospector, Reshaper, Repulsor | Mora at WL8: 200 Pretty solid 200 to include in routes as they also tend to be in groups, although not many routes feature them. You also encounter a few during the end of artifact route in “Khemenu Temple” so it can be a good habit to dispose of them anyway. That is because some routes actually target fewer than 400 Elites, taking into account how you’ll probably kill a few in normal gameplay. |
Fatui Cicin Mages Electro, Cryo | Mora at WL8: 200 They have a relatively long death animation. At the Tatarasuna spot, a Jean player can throw them into water to drown. |
Mirror Maidens | Mora at WL8: 200 Generally not featured in Elite routes due to there being much faster and less spread out 200s. |
Fatui Operatives | Mora at WL8: 200 Generally not featured in Elite routes due to there being much faster and less spread out 200s. |
Geovishap Hatchlings | Mora at WL8: 200 While burrowing can be annoying, generally they die quite fast. Uncommon in fast routes but can appear in non-strict 600s routes due to being nearby Geovishaps. |
Geovishaps | Mora at WL8 600 Pretty simple to deal with. Mostly seen in 600s routes only. |
Bathysmal Vishap Hatchlings Bolteater, Primordial, Rimebiter | Mora at WL8: 200 Another popular enemy in Elite routes from the 200s due to their tendency to be featured in groups. They have an orb attack that deals Hydro damage and drains 10 Energy from the active character. If the active character has less than 10 Energy, it inflicts HP Loss instead. |
Bathysmal Vishaps | Mora at WL8: 600 Popular due to their tendency to be in pairs or at least with a few Bathysmal Vishap Hatchlings. They have an orb attack that deals Hydro damage and drains 10 Energy from the active character. If the active character has less than 10 Energy, it inflicts HP Loss instead. |
Consecrated Beasts Crocodile, Fanged Beast, Serpent, Vulture, Scorpion | Mora at WL8: 200 Generally not featured in Elite routes due to there being much faster and less spread out 200s. |
Eyes of the Storm | Mora at WL8: 600 They don’t drop any items outside of the normal chance to drop 3-star and 4-star artifacts. Also immune to Anemo damage. Can be quite annoying if they go up in the air. |
Tainted Hydro Phantasms Splitting, Spouting | Mora at WL8: 200 Generally not featured in Elite routes due to there being much faster and less spread out 200s. Being immune to Hydro damage does not help either as some of the most efficient teams run Hydro characters as the primary damage dealers. |
- Wiki Entry for More Enemy HP Information
- Wiki Entry About Common Mobs
- The Great Snowboar King is excluded from this list as it drops no Mora.
Miscellaneous Information
Random Events and World Quests
Rewards
Random Events and World Quests can drop rewards up to 10 times per day. The rewards can vary between 1050-1950 Mora, 0–2 Fine Enhancement Ores, 0–2 Mystic Enhancement Ore. Depending on the Event, one can get either 10 or 15 Companionship EXP. One does not have to wait for the loot text to appear for the mora and ores to be added to your inventory.
Rewards on average are:
- 1500 Mora
- 1 Fine Enhancement Ore
- 0.25 Mystic Enhancement Ore
| Average | x10 | |
| Mora | 1500 | 15000 |
| Fine Enhancement Ore | 1 | 10 |
| Mystic Enhancement Ore | 0.25 | 2.5 |
Location
A list of all the different possible events can be found here: Random Event | Genshin Impact Wiki | Fandom
There are multiple locations where different Random Events can spawn. One of the fastest strategies might be if you have an Bow unit with enough damage to one-shot the crocodiles from the Random Event “Evil Bares Its Fangs”, which is also an event that rewards 15 Companionship EXP: Friendship – YouTube
As one can see, it only takes a few seconds and the main time consumption is the loading screens. With a fast device, it can be very fast to get some basically free rewards.
Crystalflies
For most players, a full-on Crystalfly route is not necessary. It’s instead recommended to just use this spot in Fontaine, “Thalatta Submarine Canyon”, which makes catching Crystalflies easy and has a pretty high number of them all in one spot. There’s also a few locations you can naturally pick up some during an Artifact or Elite route, if you happen to do either of those.
If you do find yourself needing a higher quantity of Crystalflies, you can consider checking out this route.
Video for additional context:
Fungi
Fungi enemies that are applied with Electro (activated) or Pyro (scorched) are considered an “Elite” enemy in respect to your Elite quota. When you kill them in this state, it will count towards your Elite quota for the day (up to 400). This applies to all Fungus types, small and large ones included.
Once the enemies become “Elite”, the experience gained triples and they do not drop artifacts like an Elite would. Mora from the drop does not increase as well.
Mora Travel Time
When you kill an enemy or investigate an artifact spot that gives Mora, the Mora, unlike EXP, needs to travel to you in order to receive it. It does despawn after a while, so this should be kept in mind as you could miss on some Mora if you move very quickly after a kill or your teammates kill at a more remote spot. Just because you got the EXP does not mean you have received the Mora.
Some players purposefully stay in Co-Op mode so Mora can travel to them while they are selecting the next teleport location, as normally the game would be paused during that time. It is not advised, however, to ask someone to join your world just to save time doing an investigation route. Possible time gain by not waiting for Mora would not justify doing so.
It should be noted that, if you happen to die in an Elite route, it can be better to wait until your teammates finish off the enemies and then come pick up the drops after or at the end of the route. If you respawn immediately and try to get back there, chances are you will only find Energy Particles but no Mora, material, or artifact drops.
Relevant TCL Ticket on Mora Before Teleporting
Artifact Spot Types
There are two known types of artifact spots:
- “Mora” ones that always drop some Mora (200 on average). These always drop 1-star artifacts (1.5 on average) and never drop 2-star artifacts.
- “No Mora” ones that never drop Mora. These always drop a single artifact, but the artifact has 35% chance for it to be a 2-star one and remaining 65% to be a 1-star.
On average, the “Mora” type gives 630 Artifact EXP, and “No Mora” ones give 567, so in theory “Mora” type ones are better in every way, assuming all other things equal. The difference is too small to be of concern for an average player, but it should be kept in mind when designing artifact routes.
- Relevant TCL Ticket on Overworld Farming Statistics
- Relevant database of noteworthy artifact spot clusters (constantly updated)
Cicin Farming
Cicin are unique in how they drop a relatively high amount of Mora for a Common Mob, so there are some routes which target them specifically.
One such route for those interested is in this MiYouShe article.
Advanced Movement Techniques
There are many ways to enhance your usual movement speed besides the obvious ones like Wanderer’s or Yelan’s Skill. One of the most useful and practical ones is launching yourself at high velocity off cliffs while maintaining the momentum (called “cliffsliding” here on out); the effect of a cliffside is more extreme with a Tall Male model and a lot of Movement SPD buffs. The following video shows quite a few examples and tips for cliffsliding, more specifically in context of the “-6” Route: Bilibili video.
Another option, mainly used by players using Kazuha or other short males, is bhopping. If done correctly, it allows you to maintain sprinting speed while out of Stamina. There are many videos that describe bhopping in detail (for example, this one); furthermore, some players use a macro or rebind the jump action to the mouse’s scroll wheel to make bhopping easier. Note that neither KQM nor HoYoverse endorse macro usage.
Relevant TCL Ticket on Movement and Physics
Elite Route Food
In some runs, players use food to speed up routes. The most common food is one that reduces Stamina consumption for 15 minutes, like “Cloud-Shrouded Jade” (Yun Jin’s Specialty), due to its relatively long duration and ease of crafting.
Stamina can be quite annoying, especially for characters who struggle to keep up with characters with various mobility enhancements like Yelan or Wanderer. You will also see Essential Oils commonly used for the damage dealers of their respective Elements and HP%-increasing food for characters who scale with HP, usually combined with CRIT Rate– and CRIT DMG–increasing foods. Note that most of these only last 5 minutes each, unlike the Stamina consumption ones, which means in an average route you’ll have to reapply them at least 4 times. This can be quite difficult if you don’t also do routes for materials required for those dishes.
For more information, consider checking out the Wiki Entry on Food.
Specific routes are beyond the scope of this guide, but you may find some on Qiqi’s notebook website.
Reducing Loading Screen Time
Most people doing any of these routes will see loading screens quite a lot, so many runners have looked into how to minimize the loading screens as much as possible. Generally, the most important difference is having any type of SSD and a CPU with reasonably good single-threaded performance.
Currently the two graphics settings known to affect loading screens are “Environment Detail” and, in case of areas with NPCs, “Crowd Density”.
People have tested using Intel Optane or Ramdisk and they were found to not make a perceivable difference, at least assuming you are going from an SSD already.
PS5 currently has best loading times, but PC users can navigate the menu quicker in theory. In practice, it ends up around the same with PC users being faster if they use a macro (neither KQM nor Hoyoverse endorse macro usage).
Reputation Reward Notification as Quick Access Shortcut
Some hardcore Elite route runners leave an unclaimed Reputation Reward notification from a completed quest to save some clicks or zooming when going from one region to another. Alternatively, people also use the bottom right menu to select regions, but the offset is slightly different, potentially requiring you to adjust zoom to click a certain Teleport Waypoint; you don’t need such adjustments with the Reputation Reward notification. Furthermore
Bottom Right Map Menu -> Region Selection -> Teleport you want
Is 3 clicks vs.
Reputation Reward Notification -> Teleport you want
It should be noted that notifications do not appear outside your current map, e.g. if you are in the Chasm, you will not see them, but you will see them if you are for e.g. in Sumeru to quickly access Inazuma.
Another note is that this access is not limited to Reputation notifications, for example Fountain of Lucine can be used similarly.
Other Artifact EXP
In Tatarasuna, there are 3 investigation spots one can reveal by shooting the cannons at correct angles.
In the Sumeru desert, there are Tumbleweeds that have a small chance to drop 1-star or 2-star artifacts when destroyed; this does not affect your investigation spot limit. There appears to be a finite amount of Tumbleweeds in a single player’s world, but it is currently unknown whether there is a limit for the amount of Tumbleweeds that can be destroyed while still obtaining drops. In theory, it could be an infinite source of fodder if you just keep joining other player’s worlds, although not a very time-efficient one.
For more information, consider checking out the Wiki Entry on Tumbleweeds.
There are also Tanuki that can lead and make visible to you some artifact investigation spots, although they’re also not very time-efficient.
Artifact Shops
For players who partake in routes primarily for Artifact EXP instead of Mora, this section would be of interest, as you can buy some Artifact EXP from shops listed below every 7 days (Refreshes on Thursday reset). It costs 60K Mora to do so, and it results in extra 25.2K Artifact EXP per week.
| NPC Shopkeeper | Location |
 |  City of Mondstadt |
 |  Liyue Harbor |
 |  Liyue Harbor (Only at 19:00–06:00) |
 |  Ritou, Inazuma |
 |  Grand Bazaar, Sumeru City (Below the tree) |
 |  Fleuve Cendre, Court of Fontaine (Underground) |
Credits
Guide Author: revycord
Section Author — Random Events and World Quests: mars4therich
Calculations: revycord
General Help: mcpie
Elite Route Infographic: angtahimik
Readability Editing: lostguide, idkanonymized, astrolatte, polomo
TC Contributors: revycord
Transcribers: alehannita, irokei
Data: Data Gathering Discord, Genshin Fandom Wiki, KQM TCL
Combined efforts and discoveries of the entire Elite, Mora, and mining route community.
References
Resinless_Guide.xlsx by revycord