comparison 2026-05-14 · 1,674 words

Staff of Homa vs. Jade Spear: Which 5-Star Polearm is Better?

Finding the perfect weapon for a polearm DPS often comes down to a choice between two legendary 5-star options: the Staff of Homa and the Primordial Jade Winged-Spear.

📝 Editorial Note: This guide is AI-assisted and game data evolves rapidly. Please cross-reference with in-game information. Updated: 2026-05-14.

Choosing between the Staff of Homa and the Primordial Jade Winged-Spear (PJWS) is a classic dilemma for Genshin Impact players. Both weapons have been staples of the meta since the early 1.x patches, yet they serve significantly different roles in team compositions. While one offers a massive Critical Damage boost and rewards high-risk, high-reward gameplay, the other provides the stability of Critical Rate and rewards sustained field time.

TL;DR Verdict

If you are looking for a quick answer on which spear to prioritize, the choice depends on your specific roster and playstyle.

Staff of Homa is the superior “stat stick” and generalist weapon due to its massive 66.2% CRIT DMG and universal HP-to-ATK conversion. It is the gold standard for burst-oriented characters and those who can manipulate their HP.
Primordial Jade Winged-Spear (PJWS) is the best-in-slot for sustained on-field DPS characters like Xiao who benefit from its high 674 Base ATK and stacking passive.
Pull for Staff of Homa if you want a weapon that fits almost every DPS polearm user in the game, especially Hu Tao and Zhongli.
Use the Jade Spear if you already own it from the Standard Banner or if you are a dedicated Xiao or Arlecchino main.
Homa wins in burst scenarios, while Jade Spear catches up in long, sustained rotations where the character stays on the field for more than 7 seconds.

Feature	Staff of Homa	Primordial Jade Winged-Spear
Best For	Burst DPS / Low HP Scaling	Sustained On-field DPS
Primary Stat	66.2% CRIT DMG	22.1% CRIT Rate
Ease of Use	High (Immediate value)	Medium (Requires ramp-up)
Versatility	Universal	High (for On-fielders)

Side-by-Side Table

To understand why these weapons are so highly valued, we must look at their Level 90 statistics and the specific mechanics of their passive abilities.

Statistic (Level 90)	Staff of Homa	Primordial Jade Winged-Spear
Base ATK	608	674
Secondary Stat	66.2% CRIT DMG	22.1% CRIT Rate
Passive Name	Reckless Cinnabar	Eagle Spear of Justice
Passive Effect (R1)	HP increased by 20%. Provides ATK Bonus based on 0.8% of Max HP. When HP is < 50%, ATK bonus increases by an additional 1% of Max HP.	On hit, increases ATK by 3.2% for 6s. Max 7 stacks. Can occur once every 0.3s. At max stacks, DMG dealt is increased by 12%.
Availability	Limited Weapon Banner Only	Limited Banner & Standard Banner
Signature User	Hu Tao	Xiao

Detailed Comparison

While both weapons sit at the top of the tier lists, they interact with a character’s kit and team buffs in vastly different ways.

Base Stats: High ATK vs. High CRIT Value

The first major difference is the Base ATK. The Primordial Jade Winged-Spear boasts a high Base ATK of 674. This is crucial for characters whose skills scale strictly off their total ATK, such as Xiao or Arlecchino. A higher Base ATK means that every “ATK %” substat on your artifacts provides more flat ATK, leading to higher scaling overall.

The Staff of Homa has a lower Base ATK of 608 but compensates with a massive 66.2% CRIT DMG substat. In the current meta, CRIT DMG is often harder to obtain through artifacts than CRIT Rate. Because Homa provides so much CRIT DMG, it allows players to focus their artifact farming on CRIT Rate, making it significantly easier to reach the ideal 1:2 CRIT ratio.

Passive Mechanics: HP Scaling vs. Stacking Buffs

The Staff of Homa’s passive, “Reckless Cinnabar,” is essentially two buffs in one. It provides a flat 20% HP increase, which is useful for survivability and specifically benefits characters like Zhongli or Hu Tao who have abilities scaling with HP. The ATK bonus it provides is “always on.” Even if you are at 100% HP, you receive an ATK boost. When you drop below the 50% HP threshold, that boost more than doubles.

The Primordial Jade Winged-Spear requires a “ramp-up” period. To reach its full potential, you must hit enemies seven times. This takes approximately 2 to 3 seconds of active combat. Once you hit seven stacks, you gain a 12% All DMG bonus. This makes the Jade Spear less effective for “Quickswap” teams where characters swap in, use an Elemental Burst, and swap out immediately. It is designed for “Hypercarries” who intend to stay on the field for the duration of their abilities.

Ease of Use and Consistency

Homa is often considered the more consistent weapon because its primary buff (the initial HP-to-ATK conversion) is active the moment you swap to the character. You do not need to perform Normal Attacks to “wake up” the weapon. This makes it the superior choice for characters like Rosaria or Xiangling in many compositions.

However, Homa has a “conditional” ceiling. To get the maximum possible damage, you must stay below 50% HP. In modern Genshin Impact, this has become increasingly difficult due to the prevalence of powerful healers like Xianyun, Bennett, and Baizhu. If your team heals you above 50%, Homa loses a portion of its value, though it usually remains competitive due to the raw CRIT DMG stat.

Team Synergy: The Bennett and Xianyun Factor

The value of these weapons changes based on which supports you use.

The Bennett Effect: Bennett provides a massive flat ATK buff. Because the Jade Spear already has high Base ATK and provides ATK% stacks, adding Bennett can sometimes lead to “ATK oversaturation,” where adding more ATK yields diminishing returns. In a Bennett team, the CRIT DMG from Staff of Homa often provides a larger relative increase in total damage.
The Xianyun Effect: For Xiao mains, Xianyun has changed the calculation. Xianyun provides massive Plunge Attack buffs and consistent healing. This healing makes it almost impossible for Xiao to stay below 50% HP to trigger Homa’s secondary passive. In this specific team, the Primordial Jade Winged-Spear is significantly more consistent.

Character Performance: Hu Tao, Xiao, and Beyond

Hu Tao

For Hu Tao, the Staff of Homa is undisputed. Her entire kit is built around being below 50% HP and scaling with Max HP. While she can use the Jade Spear, she struggles to maintain the stacks because her optimal combo (Charged Attack dash-canceling) doesn’t always trigger the stacks as quickly as a character using Normal Attack strings.

Xiao

For Xiao, the Primordial Jade Winged-Spear is his signature for a reason. His Elemental Burst allows him to stay on the field long enough to easily maintain max stacks. While Homa can out-damage PJWS if Xiao is below 50% HP, the difficulty of maintaining that threshold while under the protection of a healer or shielder usually makes PJWS the more practical choice.

Arlecchino

Arlecchino is a unique case. She cannot be healed by teammates during combat due to her “Bond of Life” mechanic, which might make you think Homa is better. However, her high-speed Normal Attack strings allow her to reach max stacks on the Jade Spear almost instantly. For Arlecchino, the two weapons are very close in performance, often coming down to which one helps you balance your artifact CRIT ratios better.

Xiangling

While “The Catch” (R5) is the F2P queen for Xiangling, both Homa and PJWS are upgrades in terms of raw damage. Homa is generally preferred here because Xiangling is a “snapshot” character—she can benefit from Homa’s ATK boost immediately upon casting her Pyronado, whereas she cannot build Jade Spear stacks while off-field.

Recommendation

Deciding which spear to pull for or equip depends on your current account needs and your willingness to spend Primogems on the Weapon Banner.

When to pull for Staff of Homa

You main Hu Tao or use Zhongli as a hybrid Burst DPS.
You want a “universal” spear that can be passed between almost any polearm user (Cyno, Raiden, Rosaria, etc.).
Your artifact luck has given you plenty of CRIT Rate but very little CRIT DMG.
You play “Quickswap” teams where characters are on the field for less than 5 seconds at a time.

When to use Primordial Jade Winged-Spear

You are a dedicated Xiao or Arlecchino main.
You have already obtained the weapon from the Standard Banner (Wanderlust Invocation) and don’t want to spend more Primogems.
You need the 22.1% CRIT Rate to make your character’s build functional.
You prefer sustained, on-field playstyles where you stay on one character for long durations.

F2P and Low-Spender Perspective

If you are a Free-to-Play (F2P) player, it is important to remember that the 4-star polearm “The Catch” (obtainable via fishing) is exceptionally powerful for Burst DPS characters like Xiangling and Raiden Shogun. Similarly, “Deathmatch” from the Battle Pass provides a massive CRIT Rate boost that rivals the Jade Spear.

Pulling on the weapon banner is high-risk. Only pull for the Staff of Homa if you are prepared to reach the “Fate Points” pity or if the second weapon on the banner is also something you need.

Final Verdict

The Staff of Homa remains the “King of Polearms” for its sheer versatility and the ease with which it fits into any build. Its ability to provide massive value without a ramp-up period makes it the better investment for the average player.

However, the Primordial Jade Winged-Spear is no slouch. It is a top-tier alternative that is arguably easier to acquire over time through the Standard Banner. If you own it, you rarely “need” to pull for a Homa unless you are min-maxing a Hu Tao build. In the battle of sustained power vs. immediate burst, Homa’s flexibility gives it the slight edge in the current 2026 meta.