The question of whether to build Critical Rate and Critical Damage on Sucrose is a common one among Genshin Impact players, and the definitive answer largely depends on her intended role. For the vast majority of team compositions, focusing on Elemental Mastery is the far superior and more efficient strategy. However, a niche DPS-focused build does exist for players looking for a specific playstyle.
The Standard Build: Why Elemental Mastery is King
For Sucrose's role as a support, which is what she excels at, building for Elemental Mastery (EM) is the optimal choice. Here’s why this is the dominant and most recommended strategy:
- Swirl Damage Does Not Crit: The most important reason is that transformative reactions, including Swirl, cannot critically hit. The damage from these reactions scales only with the character's level and Elemental Mastery. Since Sucrose's kit is designed to trigger Swirl constantly with her Normal Attacks, Elemental Skill, and Elemental Burst, maximizing her EM directly increases her personal damage output.
- Massive Team Buffs: Sucrose's Ascension Passives are her true power. Her "Mollis Favonius" passive grants 20% of her Elemental Mastery to all other party members for 8 seconds after her Skill or Burst hits an opponent. An additional 50 EM is shared via her "Catalyst Conversion" passive to characters matching the swirled element. A Sucrose with high EM can provide an enormous damage boost to teams that rely on elemental reactions like Vaporize, Melt, Hyperbloom, and Electro-Charged.
- Level 90 Priority: Because transformative reaction damage scales exponentially with character level, leveling an EM-focused Sucrose to 90 is a high priority for maximizing her damage and support potential, often yielding better returns than investment in some artifact substats.
The Niche Build: When to Consider Crit
While generally inefficient, a dedicated main DPS Sucrose build can be a fun alternative for players who want to see larger personal damage numbers from her. This build focuses on her raw Anemo damage rather than her reactions.
- Personal Anemo Damage: A crit-focused build would prioritize stats like Anemo Damage, Crit Rate, and Crit Damage on artifacts. This buffs the raw Anemo damage of her Normal Attacks, Charged Attacks, and the initial hit of her Elemental Skill and Burst. Unlike Swirl, this raw Anemo damage can critically hit.
- Different Weapon Choices: This build allows for weapons with crit substats, such as The Widsith or Lost Prayer to the Sacred Winds, which would otherwise be inefficient on a support Sucrose.
- Playstyle Shift: A main DPS Sucrose build changes her playstyle from a quick-swap enabler to an on-field driver. She stays on the field longer, chaining Normal and Charged Attacks to trigger buffs from weapons or constellations, like her C4.
Comparison Table: EM Support vs. Crit DPS
| Feature | EM Support Sucrose | Crit DPS Sucrose |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Role | Off-field Support, Reaction Enabler | On-field Main DPS |
| Main Damage Source | Reaction damage (Swirl, Hyperbloom, etc.) | Personal Anemo damage from attacks |
| Key Stats | Elemental Mastery, Energy Recharge | Crit Rate, Crit Damage, ATK% |
| Artifact Main Stats | EM / EM / EM | ATK% / Anemo DMG / Crit |
| Artifact Set | 4pc Viridescent Venerer | 4pc Viridescent Venerer (Resistance Shred) |
| Best Weapon | Sacrificial Fragments, Thrilling Tales of Dragon Slayers, Magic Guide | Lost Prayer, The Widsith |
| Team Synergy | Highly versatile with reaction-based teams (Vape, Taser) | Mono-Anemo, or teams that don't rely on her EM buffs |
| Resource Efficiency | Very high; talents can be left low, focuses on Level/EM | Low; requires significant artifact farming and optimal weapons |
How to Build a Support Sucrose (The Right Way)
For most players, the EM support build offers the highest value and efficiency. Here is a breakdown of the key components:
- Level 90: Prioritize getting Sucrose to character level 90. This provides a significant boost to her Swirl and other transformative reaction damage that scales directly with level.
- Artifacts: The 4-piece Viridescent Venerer set is non-negotiable. It provides a massive 60% increase to Swirl DMG and, more importantly, shreds the enemy's elemental resistance by 40% to the infused element for 10 seconds. For main stats, use Elemental Mastery on the Sands, Goblet, and Circlet.
- Weapons: The best options for an EM build are Sacrificial Fragments (EM substat, skill reset), Mappa Mare (EM substat, craftable), and Thrilling Tales of Dragon Slayers (HP substat, ATK buff for the next character).
- Talents: You do not need to level her combat talents very high. Her buffing capabilities are tied to her EM and her passive talents, not her talent levels.
An Outlier: Favonius Codex
The Favonius Codex is a unique case where a player might want some Crit Rate on Sucrose. Its passive, "Windfall", has a chance to generate elemental particles on a critical hit, which can significantly help with the energy needs of both Sucrose and her team. However, even with this weapon, it is not worth forgoing a full EM artifact build simply to activate the passive more often. It is better to use an EM circlet and hope to trigger the passive with her base Crit Rate and substat rolls, as the energy is often not worth the loss of EM.
Conclusion: The Final Verdict
So, should Sucrose have crit? The resounding answer for virtually all team compositions is no. Investing in Elemental Mastery maximizes her unparalleled support potential and reaction damage, providing the greatest benefit to your overall team's damage output. A crit build is a costly, niche endeavor that sacrifices her most valuable strengths for a less efficient playstyle. By focusing on EM, leveling her to 90, and equipping the 4-piece Viridescent Venerer set, you will unlock Sucrose's full power as a premier support character.
For more in-depth calculations and team compositions, the Keqing Mains theorycrafting guide is an excellent resource: Sucrose Guide: Harmless Sweetie.
