Read the weapon in three parts
A weapon combines an equipment type, stats and an effect. Check those separately. A Sword belongs to a different equipment type from a Bow; a useful-looking passive does not remove that distinction.
In the Weapons directory, open the Inspector to compare level, ascension and refinement. The base-stat panel and the effect description answer different questions: what the weapon adds directly, and what its conditional effect can do.
Favonius Sword is a useful reading example. Its stat table lists Base ATK and Energy Recharge. Its Windfall effect describes a particle-producing trigger. Energy Recharge and a triggered source of particles are different parts of the weapon, even though both are relevant to Energy.
Level and ascension change the stats
Use a weapon’s level and ascension state together. At an ascension boundary, a reference can show the same level twice: once before ascension and once after it. These are distinct equipment states, not duplicate rows.
For example, Favonius Sword’s admitted stat table shows different Base ATK values at level 20 before and after its first ascension. Its secondary stat does not have to change in the same way. Read each column rather than assuming every number rises on every upgrade.
Compare weapons at the state you can actually equip. Mixing a low-level weapon with a fully raised one can disguise the difference between their underlying designs.
Refinement changes the effect
Refinement is another axis. R1 through R5 describe versions of the weapon’s effect, not its weapon level. Changing the refinement selection in the Inspector lets you read those differences without changing the stat-table level.
For Favonius Sword, Windfall requires a CRIT Hit. At R1, its listed activation chance is 60% and its cooldown is 12 seconds. At R5, the chance is 100% and the cooldown is six seconds. The CRIT requirement remains; 100% here is the effect’s activation chance after that requirement, not 100% CRIT Rate.
That is why reading only the largest percentage is misleading. A trigger, a chance and a cooldown control different parts of the effect. These numbers describe Favonius Sword specifically, not every weapon’s refinement pattern.
Compare like with like
Start with compatible weapon types, then hold level, ascension and refinement explicit. Check which stat the Character’s relevant talent uses, and whether their actions can activate the weapon’s effect.
Next, read the limits: the triggering action, recipient, duration and cooldown. A weapon can be useful for its stats even when an effect is hard to activate, but that is a different comparison from assuming the entire effect always works.
Continue with Reading Character Talents when the uncertainty is in the kit. Use the actual weapon record for its full effect text. This guide explains the comparison, rather than assigning a best weapon or recommending that you consume a spare copy.