How to Farm Instructor Set in Genshin Impact (March 2026) Quick Guide
The Instructor Artifact Set has been a cornerstone of support builds since Genshin Impact’s launch, and understanding how to farm it effectively can drastically improve your team’s Elemental Mastery and reaction damage. While this set maxes out at 4-star rarity, its unique party-wide buff makes it incredibly valuable for specific team compositions, especially in the early-to-mid game.
In this comprehensive guide, I’ll share everything you need to know about obtaining, optimizing, and utilizing the Instructor set based on extensive testing and community insights gathered from top sources.
What is the Instructor Artifact Set?
| Set Bonus | Effect |
|---|---|
| 2-Piece | Increases Elemental Mastery by 80 |
| 4-Piece | Upon triggering an Elemental Reaction, increases all party members’ Elemental Mastery by 120 for 8 seconds |
The Instructor set is unique in Genshin Impact because it offers one of the few party-wide Elemental Mastery buffs available through artifacts. This makes it particularly valuable for reaction-focused team compositions where maximizing Elemental Mastery across your entire squad can significantly boost damage output.
Why Farm the Instructor Set?
The Instructor set remains relevant for several key reasons:
Budget-Friendly Support Option: Unlike 5-star artifacts that require significant resin investment through domains, Instructor pieces drop naturally from various sources, making them accessible even to new players.
Party-Wide Buff: The 4-piece bonus provides 120 Elemental Mastery to your entire team, which translates to substantial damage increases for reaction-based teams running Vaporize, Melt, Overloaded, or transformative reactions.
Low Investment Required: Since the set’s value comes primarily from its set bonuses rather than substats, you don’t need to farm for perfect rolls. As long as you have 4 pieces equipped, you’re getting the full benefit.
Early Game Advantage: For players who haven’t unlocked high-level artifact domains, Instructor provides an excellent temporary solution for boosting team damage through Elemental Mastery.
Best Methods to Farm Instructor Artifact Set
Method 1: World and Weekly Bosses (Most Efficient)
The most reliable and resin-efficient way to farm Instructor artifacts is through World Bosses and Weekly Bosses. This method offers several advantages:
High Drop Rate: All World and Weekly Bosses at Level 1+ have a substantial chance to drop Instructor artifacts. This includes popular farming targets like the Anemo Hypostasis, Electro Hypostasis, and Geo Hypostasis.
Multiple Rewards: Unlike dedicated artifact domains, bosses also drop character ascension materials, making your resin investment serve dual purposes.
Consistent Availability: You can fight World Bosses as many times as you have Original Resin, unlike Weekly Bosses which reset once per week.
Here’s a complete list of bosses that drop Instructor artifacts:
Weekly Bosses (All drop Instructor at Lv. 1+):
- Stormterror Dvalin
- Lupus Boreas (Andrius)
- Childe (Golden House)
- Azhdaha
- La Signora
- Raiden Shogun (Magatsu Mitake Narukami no Mikoto)
- Scaramouche
- Guardian of Apep’s Oasis
- All-Devouring Narwhal
- The Knave (Arlecchino Boss)
World Bosses (Select Examples):
- Anemo Hypostasis
- Electro Hypostasis
- Geo Hypostasis
- Pyro Hypostasis
- Hydro Hypostasis
- Dendro Hypostasis
- Cryo Hypostasis
- Pyro Regisvine
- Electro Regisvine
- Primo Geovishap
- Golden Wolflord
- Thunder Manifestation
- Jadeplume Terrorshroom
- Algorithm of Semi-Intransient Matrix of Overseer Network
- Setekh Wenut
- Knuckle Duckle
- Radiant Moonfly
- Frostnight Herra
Pro Tip: Focus on bosses that drop materials for characters you’re currently building. This way, you’re farming character ascension materials while simultaneously collecting Instructor artifacts—maximizing your resin efficiency.
Method 2: Elite Enemies (Free but Time-Consuming)
All Elite Enemies in Genshin Impact have a chance to drop Instructor artifacts. While this method doesn’t cost resin, the drop rates are significantly lower than bosses.
Best Elite Enemies to Farm:
- Abyss Mages (Pyro, Cryo, Hydro, Electro)
- Mitachurls (all variants)
- Fatui Agents and Cicin Mages
- Ruin Guards and Ruin Hunters
- Lawachurls (Stonehide and Frostarm)
Farming Strategy: Use your Adventurer’s Handbook to track Elite Enemies. Set up a farming route that hits multiple elite enemy camps in a single session. While individual drop rates are low, farming 20-30 elite enemies daily can net you several Instructor pieces weekly without spending resin.
Method 3: Treasure Chests (Passive Collection)
Opening Treasure Chests across Teyvat occasionally yields Instructor artifacts. While this is the least reliable farming method, it’s completely free and happens naturally as you explore.
Chest Types That Drop Instructor:
- Common Chests: Very low drop rate
- Exquisite Chests: Low drop rate
- Precious Chests: Moderate drop rate
- Luxurious Chests: Higher drop rate
Exploration Tip: If you haven’t achieved 100% exploration in all regions, systematically clearing areas for chests provides dual benefits—Primogems and potential Instructor artifacts. Use interactive maps to locate missing chests efficiently.
Best Characters for Instructor Artifact Set
Not every character benefits equally from the Instructor set. The optimal users share specific characteristics that maximize the set’s party-wide buff.
Top-Tier Instructor Users
Sucrose – S-Tier Support
- Why She’s Perfect: Sucrose’s Elemental Mastery sharing passive stacks additively with Instructor’s buff, creating massive EM boosts for the entire team
- Build Priority: EM/EM/EM on main stats, with Energy Recharge substats
- Best Teams: Vaporize with Hu Tao, Melt with Ganyu, Hyperbloom teams
Kazuha – S-Tier Support
- Why He’s Perfect: Similar to Sucrose, Kazuha converts his EM into elemental damage bonuses for the party. Instructor amplifies this effect
- Build Priority: Full EM build with Instructor 4-piece
- Best Teams: International team, Freeze teams, any reaction-focused composition
- Important Note: Only viable for early game; replace with Viridescent Venerer 5-star set once available
Nilou – A-Tier Specialized
- Why She Works: In Bloom-focused teams, the party-wide EM buff dramatically increases Bloom damage
- Build Priority: Mix of HP and EM, with Instructor providing the EM baseline
- Best Teams: Pure Hydro/Dendro Bloom compositions
Kuki Shinobu – A-Tier Hyperbloom
- Why She Works: As the Hyperbloom trigger, Shinobu benefits from personal EM while buffing team reactions
- Build Priority: EM/EM/EM with Healing Bonus circlet option
- Best Teams: Hyperbloom compositions with Dendro and Hydro units
Xiangling – B-Tier Vaporize
- Why She Works: In specific Vaporize teams, Instructor on Xiangling can boost the entire team’s reaction damage
- Build Priority: EM sands, Pyro DMG goblet, Crit circlet with Instructor 4-piece
- Best Teams: National Team variations focused on Vaporize
Characters to Avoid Using Instructor On
Main DPS Characters: Characters like Hu Tao, Ganyu, or Ayaka need personal damage stats (ATK%, Crit Rate, Crit DMG) that 5-star artifacts provide better than Instructor’s EM focus.
Characters Without Reactions: Pure Geo or Physical DPS characters don’t benefit from Elemental Mastery, making Instructor essentially worthless for them.
Late-Game Supports: Once you have access to 5-star artifact sets like Viridescent Venerer, Deepwood Memories, or Gilded Dreams, these will outperform Instructor significantly.
How to Optimize Instructor Set Usage?
Critical Gameplay Mechanics
Understanding how the Instructor 4-piece bonus works is crucial for effective use:
On-Field Requirement: The character wearing Instructor MUST be on the field when they trigger the Elemental Reaction. This means supports like Fischl’s Oz won’t activate the buff if Fischl is swapped out—only reactions Fischl triggers while actively deployed count.
Buff Doesn’t Apply to First Hit: The reaction that triggers the Instructor buff doesn’t benefit from the +120 EM itself. Subsequent reactions within the 8-second duration will receive the full bonus.
Duration Refresh: Triggering another reaction while the buff is active refreshes the 8-second duration rather than stacking multiple instances.
Swirl Limitations: Self-inflicted Swirls (like Jean’s burst pulling in elements) don’t trigger the Instructor buff. Only Swirls against enemies activate it.
Optimal Rotation Patterns
To maximize Instructor’s effectiveness, follow this general rotation structure:
- Apply Element #1 with a non-Instructor character
- Swap to Instructor User and trigger the reaction
- Quick-swap to main DPS within the 8-second window
- Execute your damage rotation while the EM buff is active
- Refresh as needed by swapping back to your Instructor user
Example with Sucrose in a Vaporize Team:
- Bennett applies Pyro with Elemental Skill
- Xingqiu applies Hydro with Elemental Burst
- Sucrose Swirls (triggering Instructor buff)
- Hu Tao executes her Charged Attack spam with +120 EM bonus
Instructor vs Other Elemental Mastery Sets
Understanding when to use Instructor versus alternative sets helps optimize your builds:
| Artifact Set | 2-Piece Bonus | 4-Piece Bonus | Best Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| Instructor | +80 EM | Party-wide +120 EM for 8s | Early-game support, budget builds |
| Gilded Dreams | +80 EM | Up to +230 EM based on team | Reaction-focused main DPS at endgame |
| Flower of Paradise Lost | +80 EM | +80% Bloom damage | Dedicated Bloom/Hyperbloom/Burgeon units |
| Viridescent Venerer | +60 EM | -40% RES shred | Anemo supports (Superior to Instructor endgame) |
When to Use Instructor:
- Adventure Rank 45 or below
- Building reaction-focused supports without access to 5-star domains
- Extremely tight on resin and need immediate team power spike
- Testing team compositions before committing to domain farming
When to Replace Instructor:
- Reached AR 45 and unlocked highest-level artifact domains
- Have enough Fragile Resin to farm 5-star sets efficiently
- Pursuing Spiral Abyss Floor 12 or other endgame content
- Character builds require set bonuses that Instructor can’t provide
Stat Priority and Substat Guide
While Instructor’s value comes primarily from set bonuses, optimizing stats still matters:
Main Stat Priorities by Piece
Flower (HP – Fixed): No choice, always HP
Feather (ATK – Fixed): No choice, always ATK
Sands: Elemental Mastery > Energy Recharge > ATK%
Goblet: Elemental Mastery > Elemental DMG Bonus
Circlet: Elemental Mastery > CRIT Rate/DMG (for hybrid builds)
Valuable Substats
- Energy Recharge (Top Priority): Ensures your support can use their burst off cooldown
- Elemental Mastery: Stacks with set bonuses for even higher EM
- CRIT Rate/CRIT DMG: Only if your support deals meaningful damage (like Sucrose driving reactions)
- ATK%: Minimal value for most Instructor users
Don’t Stress Substats: Remember, Instructor is a transitional set. Don’t waste resources trying to roll perfect substats when you’ll eventually replace these artifacts with 5-star alternatives.
Advanced Farming Strategies
Weekly Boss Route Optimization
Since Weekly Bosses guarantee artifact drops and you’re limited to once per week per boss, optimize your clear order:
Monday Reset Priority:
- Clear all 3 original Weekly Bosses (Dvalin, Andrius, Childe) for reduced resin cost
- Focus on newer Weekly Bosses that drop materials for characters you’re building
- Save easiest bosses for last if you’re low on time
Resin Cost Optimization: The first 3 Weekly Boss clears per week cost only 30 resin each (discounted from 60). Prioritize these for maximum value.
Elite Enemy Farming Routes
Create efficient routes that chain multiple Elite Enemy camps:
Liyue Route (20-25 minutes):
- Start at Mt. Tianheng – 3 Ruin Guards
- Guili Plains – 2 Mitachurl camps
- Luhua Pool – Abyss Mage group
- Liyue Harbor outskirts – Fatui camp
- Cuijue Slope – Lawachurl
Mondstadt Route (15-20 minutes):
- Thousand Winds Temple – Multiple Abyss Mage spawns
- Stormbearer Mountains – Mitachurl camps
- Brightcrown Canyon – Ruin Hunter
- Wolvendom – Lawachurl and Mitachurls
Pro Tip: Complete these routes after your daily resin expenditure. Even getting 2-3 Instructor pieces weekly adds up over time without costing resin.
Chest Hunting Efficiency
If you’re completionist-minded or need Primogems alongside artifacts:
High-Priority Regions:
- Sumeru: Highest chest density with many unexplored areas for most players
- Inazuma: Numerous puzzle chests with better artifact drop rates
- Enkanomiya: Self-contained area with excellent chest concentration
Tools to Use:
- Official Interactive Map on HoYoLAB
- Community-made chest trackers
- Treasure Compass gadgets (craft one for each region)
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Mistake #1: Over-investing in Artifact Leveling
Many players waste resources leveling Instructor artifacts to +20. Since you’ll replace this set eventually, here’s what you should actually do:
- Flowers/Feathers: Level to +12 maximum (cheap HP/ATK boost)
- EM Mainstat Pieces: Level to +16 if needed for specific EM breakpoints
- Other Pieces: Keep at +0 or +4 unless desperate for stats
Why This Matters: Artifact EXP is precious. Save your fodder artifacts for endgame 5-star pieces that you’ll use permanently.
Mistake #2: Using Instructor on Main DPS
I see this constantly in co-op domains—players putting Instructor on characters like Diluc or Keqing. This is almost always suboptimal because:
- Main DPS characters need personal damage stats (ATK%, CRIT, DMG%)
- 4-star artifacts have lower main stat values than 5-star artifacts
- The EM buff doesn’t compensate for lost personal damage
Exception: Very early game (AR 20-35) when you literally have no other options. Even then, prioritize Berserker or Brave Heart for damage dealers.
Mistake #3: Expecting Instructor to Compete Endgame
The Instructor set is phenomenal for early-to-mid game, but it fundamentally cannot match 5-star alternatives in endgame content:
- Lower Base Stats: 4-star artifacts have weaker main stats
- Missing Substat: 4-star artifacts max at 4 substats instead of 5
- Better Alternatives Exist: Sets like Viridescent Venerer, Gilded Dreams provide superior benefits
Transition Timeline: Plan to replace Instructor pieces between AR 45-50 as you farm 5-star domain artifacts.
Mistake #4: Ignoring Set Activation Requirements
The Instructor 4-piece bonus has specific activation requirements that many players miss:
Won’t Work If:
- Your character is off-field when the reaction occurs
- The reaction happens to your character (self-inflicted Electro-Charged, etc.)
- Your off-field abilities trigger reactions (Fischl’s Oz, Xingqiu’s Rain Swords)
Will Work If:
- Your Instructor character is actively on-field when they trigger the reaction
- You Swirl elements as an Anemo character
- You freeze enemies as a Cryo character against Hydro
Team Composition Examples
Bloom Team – Budget Friendly
Core Setup:
- Nahida (Main DPS) – Gilded Dreams or Deepwood
- Kokomi (Hydro Enabler) – Instructor 4-piece
- Collei (Dendro Battery) – Noblesse Oblige
- Flex (Shield/Heal) – Zhongli or another healer
Rotation: Kokomi applies Hydro with Skill → Nahida applies Dendro with Skill → Collei Burst → Nahida triggers Blooms with Kokomi’s Instructor buff active
National Team Variation
Core Setup:
- Xiangling (Off-field Pyro) – Emblem of Severed Fate
- Xingqiu (Off-field Hydro) – Emblem of Severed Fate
- Bennett (Healer/Buffer) – Noblesse Oblige
- Sucrose (EM Buffer) – Instructor 4-piece
Rotation: Bennett Burst → Sucrose Swirl Pyro (activates Instructor) → Xingqiu Burst → Xiangling Burst → Normal attacks to drive reactions
Freeze Team
Core Setup:
- Ganyu (Main DPS) – Wanderer’s Troupe or Blizzard Strayer
- Mona (Hydro Support) – Instructor 4-piece
- Diona (Cryo Battery/Healer) – Noblesse Oblige
- Venti (CC/VV) – Viridescent Venerer
Rotation: Venti Burst → Mona Skill → Ganyu applies Cryo → Mona Burst (triggers Freeze + Instructor) → Ganyu Charged Attacks
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Instructor Set Worth Farming in 2026?
Yes, but with caveats. Instructor remains valuable for:
- New players (AR 20-45) building their first support characters
- Players focusing on Elemental Mastery-based reactions
- Budget-conscious players who can’t afford resin for 5-star domains yet
However, once you reach AR 45 and unlock the highest-level artifact domains, you should gradually transition away from Instructor to 5-star alternatives that offer better overall stats and more powerful set bonuses.
Can I Use 2-Piece Instructor + 2-Piece Gilded Dreams?
Yes, this is actually a solid transitional build! Using 2-piece Instructor (+80 EM) with 2-piece Gilded Dreams (+80 EM) gives you +160 Elemental Mastery total without needing to complete full 4-piece sets. This works well when:
- You’re farming Gilded Dreams domain but haven’t gotten 4 good pieces yet
- Your character only needs EM stat boost without requiring specific 4-piece effects
- You want flexibility to mix and match pieces for optimal substats
However, remember that you lose the party-wide buff from Instructor’s 4-piece, so this approach works better for selfish reaction drivers (like Sucrose in Taser teams) rather than team buffers.
Which Bosses Drop Instructor Most Frequently?
All Level 1+ bosses have the same drop rate for Instructor artifacts—approximately 30-40% chance per boss kill. There’s no specific boss that drops Instructor more frequently than others. Instead, choose bosses based on:
- Materials needed for character ascension
- Accessibility and clear speed
- Your current resin priorities
The Hypostasis series (Anemo, Electro, Geo) tends to be fastest to clear for most players, making them efficient Instructor farming targets if you don’t need specific character materials.
Should I Keep Instructor Artifacts After Getting 5-Star Sets?
It depends on your account progression:
Keep If:
- You have multiple support characters and might temporarily need Instructor for specific teams
- You’re a collector who likes having options for theory-crafting
- You play multiple accounts and might use them on alt accounts
Fodder If:
- You’ve fully transitioned to 5-star artifacts for all support roles
- You’re desperate for artifact EXP to level endgame pieces
- Inventory space is limited
My Recommendation: Keep one complete +12 or +16 Instructor set with EM main stats as a “just in case” option. Fodder duplicates and pieces with bad main stats.
Does Instructor Work for Crystallize Reactions?
Yes! Instructor’s 4-piece bonus triggers on ALL Elemental Reactions, including Crystallize. However, Crystallize benefits from Elemental Mastery differently than transformative reactions:
How EM Affects Crystallize:
- Increases shield strength by a small percentage
- The buff is minimal compared to damage-focused reactions
- Generally not worth building EM specifically for Crystallize
Better Alternative: Use Archaic Petra (4-piece) on your Geo supports instead, as it provides a stronger damage buff for your team (35% elemental damage bonus) compared to Instructor’s EM increase for Crystallize-focused teams.
How Much EM Does My Team Need From Instructor?
The value of Instructor’s EM buff depends heavily on your team composition and reaction types:
Transformative Reactions (Swirl, Overloaded, Electro-Charged, Hyperbloom):
- Scales quadratically with EM at low values
- +120 EM represents approximately 15-20% damage increase
- Most valuable when team EM is between 0-400
Amplifying Reactions (Vaporize, Melt):
- Scales more moderately with EM
- +120 EM typically adds 5-10% damage increase
- More valuable when stacked with other EM sources
Formula: Each character’s ideal EM depends on their role, but as a general rule, Instructor helps most when bringing characters from 0-100 EM baseline to 120-220 EM total.
Can I Mix Instructor with Other 4-Piece Sets?
No, you cannot activate two different 4-piece bonuses simultaneously. You must choose one:
Option 1: Full Instructor 4-piece (party-wide EM buff) Option 2: Another 4-piece set + random off-pieces Option 3: Two different 2-piece sets (like Instructor 2pc + Gilded Dreams 2pc)
Which to Choose?:
- Choose Instructor 4-piece if your main goal is buffing team reactions
- Choose other 4-piece sets if they provide better specialized bonuses for that character
- Use 2-piece combinations when you lack full sets or need stat flexibility
How Often Should I Farm Instructor Artifacts?
Active Farming Phase (AR 20-44):
- Spend 20-30 minutes daily farming Elite Enemies
- Complete ALL Weekly Bosses each week
- Clear World Bosses when you need their character ascension materials
Passive Collection Phase (AR 45+):
- Stop actively farming Instructor
- Collect pieces incidentally from bosses you fight for other reasons
- Focus your resin on 5-star artifact domains instead
Transition Goal: By AR 45-50, you should have enough Instructor pieces to equip one complete EM-focused set. After that, collecting more becomes very low priority.
Conclusion
The Instructor Artifact Set represents an accessible and powerful option for supporting reaction-focused teams throughout the early and mid-game of Genshin Impact. While it can’t compete with 5-star alternatives in endgame content, its unique party-wide Elemental Mastery buff makes it invaluable during your progression journey.
Remember these key takeaways:
Farm Smart: Focus on World and Weekly Bosses that also drop materials you need. Don’t waste dedicated resin on Instructor once you hit AR 45.
Use Strategically: Instructor works best on supports who trigger reactions while on-field, like Sucrose, Kazuha (early game), or Mona in specific team compositions.
Don’t Over-Invest: Keep artifact levels modest (+12 to +16 maximum) since you’ll eventually replace this set with 5-star alternatives.
Know When to Transition: Start farming 5-star replacements once you reach AR 45 and unlock the highest-level artifact domains. The power difference becomes too significant to ignore.
By following this comprehensive guide, you’ll maximize the value of your Instructor artifacts during the crucial early-to-mid game progression while setting yourself up for smooth transitions to endgame artifact sets. For more Genshin Impact guides, tips, and the latest updates, be sure to bookmark our site and check out our other comprehensive resources!