You're standing at the blacksmith in Court of Fontaine, looking at a blueprint that costs a bunch of Condessence Crystals. It’s the finale of the deep genshin players have been debating since the 4.0 update. Is it worth it? Or is it just another mid-tier F2P trap? Honestly, it’s one of the most misunderstood weapons in the game because of one specific mechanic: the Bond of Life.
Most people see "Bond of Life" and panic. They think it’s a debuff. Technically, it is. But for certain characters, it's the secret sauce that makes this sword out-damage some five-star options.
What Makes Finale of the Deep Tick?
Let's look at the raw numbers. At Level 90, this sword gives you a Base ATK of 565. That’s high for a four-star. It also has an ATK substat of 27.6%. But the real magic happens in the passive, "An Ending of the Spotlight."
When you use an Elemental Skill, your ATK increases by 12% for 15 seconds. On top of that, a Bond of Life worth 25% of your Max HP is granted. When that bond is cleared—meaning when you receive enough healing to satisfy the debt—you get an additional ATK buff. At Refinement 1, that's a flat ATK increase based on 2.4% of the bond's value.
At Refinement 5? That number jumps to 4.8%. If you have a character with 20,000 HP, that's a massive chunk of extra power.
It's a weird rhythm. Skill. Heal. Destroy.
The Bond of Life Headache
So, how does it actually feel to play? You use your skill, and a red outline appears around your health bar. You can't actually "heal" your red health until that red bar is gone. This sounds like a nightmare for squishy DPS units like Ayaka or Lynette. However, in the current meta, you’re almost always running a dedicated healer anyway.
Think about it.
If you're running a Bennett circle or Jean's burst, that Bond of Life vanishes in less than a second. The moment it disappears, the secondary buff kicks in. You aren't just getting the base ATK; you're getting a massive steroid to your total damage output.
I've seen players try to use this without a healer. Don't. Just don't. You’ll never clear the bond, you’ll never get the full buff, and you’ll likely die to a stray breeze in the Spiral Abyss.
Best Characters for Finale of the Deep
Not every sword user wants this. Furina, for example, scales off HP. Putting an ATK sword on her is a waste of time. But for ATK-scaling carries? It’s a gold mine.
Ayaka is the obvious winner here. Since she usually runs in Freeze teams with a healer like Kokomi or Charlotte, she clears the bond instantly. The high base ATK helps her Blizzard Strayer build significantly. It's often better than the Amenoma Kageuchi if you can manage your Energy Recharge elsewhere.
Kamisato Ayato also loves this thing. His skill hits fast, and if you're running him with Baizhu or Mika, he becomes a blender.
Then there's Jean. Since she’s a healer who scales off her own ATK, the sword feeds into her kit perfectly. She uses her skill, gets the bond, and then her own burst heals it away immediately. It's a self-sustaining loop of high-damage swirls and massive heals.
Refinement is Not Optional
If you're going to use the finale of the deep genshin impact provides through crafting, you need to go for R5. The difference between R1 and R5 is staggering. We're talking about doubling the value of the Bond of Life conversion.
- R1: 2.4% of Bond of Life converted to ATK.
- R5: 4.8% of Bond of Life converted to ATK.
Since it's a craftable weapon, the only thing stopping you is your luck with Midlander Sword Billets. If you have them sitting in your inventory, use them. This sword is arguably the best craftable option for pure DPS since the Amenoma.
Comparing the Competition
A lot of people ask: "Why not just use the Lion's Roar or the Blackcliff Longsword?"
Lion's Roar is great, but it locks you into Electro or Pyro reactions. If you're running a Freeze team or a Geo-heavy comp, it’s useless. Blackcliff costs Starglitter, which is a premium currency for F2P players. Finale of the Deep is "free." It just costs time and farming.
The main rival is the Amenoma Kageuchi. Amenoma is better for comfort because it fixes energy issues. But if your artifacts are good and you already have enough ER, the damage ceiling on Finale of the Deep is much, much higher. It's the "pro" choice for players who want to squeeze every drop of DPS out of their rotations.
How to Optimize Your Rotation
To get the most out of this sword, you have to change how you play slightly. You can't just unga-bunga your way through a fight.
- Swap to your healer and set up their field (Bennett Burst, Kokomi Jellyfish).
- Swap to your DPS (the one wearing the sword).
- Use the Elemental Skill immediately.
- Wait that split second for the healing to tick.
- Go into your main damage window.
If you swap out too early, you might miss the window. It takes a little practice to get the muscle memory down.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
The biggest mistake is ignoring your Max HP. Because the flat ATK buff is based on the size of the Bond of Life (which is 25% of your Max HP), having a bit of HP substats on your artifacts isn't actually terrible. You don't want to build HP/HP/HP, obviously. But a few rolls into HP% here and there actually increase the value of your weapon's buff.
Also, watch out for enemies with "Corrosion." If you're in a floor of the Abyss with Rifthounds, the Bond of Life can be dangerous. It prevents you from healing back the chip damage from Corrosion until the bond is gone. In those specific scenarios, you need to be very aggressive with your healing.
The Crafting Grind
You'll need a few things. 50 Condessence Crystals, 50 White Iron Chunks, and 500 Mora. Plus the Billet. The Crystals are all over Fontaine, especially near the boiling lakes and underwater caves. It’s a bit of a trek, but compared to the old Inazuma ore farm, it’s relatively painless.
Actionable Steps for Your Build
If you’ve decided to commit to this weapon, start by checking your Billet stash. If you're short on Midlander Billets, remember you can convert Northlander Billets at the alchemy bench using Dream Solvent.
Next, audit your team. Do you have a healer who can output at least 5,000 to 8,000 healing in a single tick or very rapidly? If you’re relying on slow, incremental healing like Shinobu’s ring, you might find the Bond of Life hangs around too long. Characters like Bennett, Jean, Sayu, or Baizhu are your best friends here.
Finally, check your Energy Recharge. Since you’re giving up the energy-regen passive of the Amenoma Kageuchi, you might need to swap to an ER sands or find more ER in your sub-stats to keep your Burst on cooldown.
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Once those pieces are in place, the finale of the deep genshin sword becomes a powerhouse. It bridges the gap between low-tier F2P weapons and the expensive five-stars. It's a high-skill, high-reward blade that rewards players who understand the flow of Fontaine's unique combat mechanics.