Intro
Arataki Itto, the character that almost makes me pull for him simply for his voice (Spicy Puppy Snake…), is finally playable.
Many call him a "copy" of Noelle, our beloved Favonius Maid. But does he deserve this title? Or is he the "better" Noelle instead?
Conclusion
Best Artifacts for Arataki Itto
1. 4-Husk of Opulent Dreams
2. 2-Archaic Petra + 2-Husk of Opulent Dreams
Artifact Main Stat:
Defense/Geo/Crit Rate or Damage
Best Weapons for Arataki Itto
1. Redhorn Stonethresher
2. Serpent Spine
3. Whiteblind
4. Blackcliff Slasher
5. The Unforged
6. Skyward Pride
7. Wolf's Gravestone
Arataki Itto's Mechanic
Itto's gameplay revolves around his Superlative Superstrength Stack (a name that I'm sure he made up himself). There are several ways to get this stack:
1. Second and fourth hit of Normal Attack
2. First and third hit of Geo-infused Attack
3. Ushi (Elemental Skill) damage an enemy
4. Ushi got hit by an enemy (every 2s)
5. Ushi leaves the field
𝙸𝚝𝚝𝚘 𝚐𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚂𝚞𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚂𝚞𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚐𝚝𝚑 𝚂𝚝𝚊𝚌𝚔
He can get up to five Stacks, each marked by a light on the mask behind his back.
𝚂𝚞𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚂𝚞𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚐𝚝𝚑 𝚂𝚝𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚒𝚗𝚍𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚝𝚘𝚛
This Stack is used to trigger Arataki Kesagiri Slash, which is his fancy version of Charged Attack. On every last stack, Itto will deal the Final Slash, dealing higher damage than the normal Slashes. This move does not consume energy.
Meanwhile, if Itto doesn't own any Stack, he'll do one Saichimonji Slash. Unlike typical Claymore characters, he can't do 5 seconds of this Charged Attack.
𝙺𝚎𝚜𝚊𝚐𝚒𝚛𝚒 𝚂𝚕𝚊𝚜𝚑 𝚅𝚂 𝙵𝚒𝚗𝚊𝚕 𝚂𝚕𝚊𝚜𝚑 𝚅𝚂 𝚂𝚊𝚒𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚖𝚘𝚗𝚓𝚒 𝚂𝚕𝚊𝚜𝚑
Arataki Itto is highly reliant on his Elemental Burst. Luckily, he's a decent battery himself. His Elemental Skill can generate 3-4 Elemental Particles. But of course, this is not enough. You'll still want more battery support to help his regeneration.
𝚄𝚜𝚑𝚒 𝚐𝚎𝚗𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚜 𝟺 𝙿𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚒𝚌𝚕𝚎𝚜
If you use Gorou in the team, you need to remember he has a poor Energy production (2 Particles per Elemental Skill). So you'll need a better battery, like Albedo, Geo MC, or Ningguang.
𝙶𝚘𝚛𝚘𝚞 𝚐𝚎𝚗𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚜 𝟸 𝙿𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚒𝚌𝚕𝚎𝚜
If you use Itto + Albedo + C2 Ningguang with Favonius Codex, you can play with low Energy Recharge (110-120%). But in other cases, you'd want around 150% ER.
I made a little Arataki Itto Energy Calculatorif you'd like to see how much ER your Itto would need. To use it, follow this instructions.
Choosing the Artifact
Tested Sets:
4-Husk of Opulent Dreams (Full-stack)
Tested Main Stat:
• Atk/Geo/Crit
• Def/Geo/Crit
• Def/Def/Crit
Choosing the Weapon
1. Redhorn Stonethresher
2. Serpent Spine (Full-stack)
3. Whiteblind (Full-stack)
4. Blackcliff Slasher (Full-stack)
5. The Unforged (Full-stack)
6. Skyward Pride (Passive hits 8 times)
7. Wolf's Gravestone (+40% ATK team buff is not considered)
Simulation and Assumptions
1. Arataki Itto is level 90.
2. Enemy is one Hilichurl level 80.
3. Talent lv8, C0.
4. Passive 1 is considered. Passive 2 is not considered.
5. Only Geo-infused attacks are considered.
Stat Overview
Rotation Overview (Geo infused)
• N1 = 1-hit Normal Attack
• N2 = 1-hit + 2-hit Normal Attack
• C1 = 1 x Arataki Kesagiri Slash (Charged Attack)
• C2 = 2 x Arataki Kesagiri Slash (Charged Attack)
• F1 = 1 x Arataki Kesagiri Final Slash (Charged Attack)
Itto's Passive 2 supposedly increases his consecutive Slash speed (by 10%), but in the few tests I did, I can't see the ATK SPD increase, not even at its maximum (30%).
(But please note that I'm not the best at determining frames, so take this information with a grain of salt. I also didn't include animation cancelling on N4)
From the obtained value, I divided each damage by the time needed to do the action. From there, we get the effective damage/s. (Elemental Skill damage is not divided with cast time as it can only be used per 10s.)
If the values are sorted, we have:
From this, we found that the best combo for Itto, assuming he doesn't have Superlative Superstrength Stack, is N1+F1.
Just like with Hu Tao, you'd want to have your infusion active before you cast your Elemental Skill. This way, Ushi can deal great damage when summoned.
These are the best rotations I found with Itto (Note that the rotation may differ, depending on how many stacks Ushi gives you):
If you start with 5 stacks:
1. Burst
2. Skill
3. C4+F1
4. N1+F1
5. N1
6. C1+F1 (Ushi will grant one stack)
7. Skill
8. F1
Total: 2 x Skill + 2 x N1 + 5 x CA + 4 x Final Slash (Charged)
If you start with 0 stacks:
1. Burst
2. Skill
3. F1
4. N1
5. C1+F1
6. N1
7. C1+F1
8. N2
9. C1+F1
10. Skill
Total: 2 x Skill + 2 x N1 + 1 x N2 + 3 x CA + 4 x Final Slash (Charged)
Damage Overview
Simulation Result
Starting with 5 stacks:
Starting with 0 stacks:
Result Overview
From here, we can conclude that Defense/Geo/Crit is better than the other two setups.
Other than that, we also see that the 5-star weapons are outperformed by 4-star ones. This is likely because Itto doesn't really benefit from their ATK% substat.
As for Skyward Pride, it performs better on Def/Def/Crit because: more Defense = more attack = higher passive damage.
Arataki Itto Team Recommendations
Slot 1
Gorou: DEF buff, minor healing at C4
Slot 2
Zhongli: Shielder and RES shred
Geo MC: Battery and Crit Rate buff
Albedo: Battery and off-field DPS
Ningguang: Battery, Geo buff, and sub-DPS. Viable as a healer with Prototype Amber.
Slot 3
Raiden or Electro Traveler: Battery and Crystallize
Bennett: ATK buff and healing
Kokomi: Healing, off-field DPS, and sub-DPS
Use thisArataki Itto Energy Calculatorif you'd like to see how much ER your Itto would need. To understand it, you canfollow this instructions.
Personal Opinion
I actually really enjoy playing Itto. And as a Geo fan, I'm extremely inclined to pull for him (those abs are merely a bonus). But sadly, I need to stay strong if I want to ensure getting Yae Miko + Her Signature Weapon. So there's that.
If you're looking for a DPS who's not reliant on Elemental Reaction, Itto is definitely the one for you. He's also F2P friendly as you can forge Whiteblind for him.
The only pain you'll be having is the artifact farming. Have fun grinding for Itto, Albedo, and Gorou all at once!
Penny For Your Thoughts
Do you think Itto is worth it?
Is Geo underwhelming compared to Elements with amplifying reaction?
As usual, if you have any questions, corrections, or feedback, feel free to throw them in the comment! 
Recent Analysis:
Cinnabar Spindle VS Harbinger of Dawn for Albedo
Infographic Compilations
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