How to get the Sword of Narzissenkreuz in Genshin Impact

By completing some World Quests in Genshin Impact, you can upgrade the Holy Blade of Narzissenkreuz from a wooden toy to an actual, equipable weapon. Doing so takes several hours though, so here’s a chronological rundown of the specific quests you need to do in order to obtain this weapon.

Aqueous Tidemarks

Aqueous Tidemarks takes you through the Institute of Natural Philosophy, unlocking the area for future quests.

Start the Aqueous Tidemarks World Quest by speaking to Virgil near the Statue of the Seven in the Court of Fontaine. You’ll likely meet him when you first arrive in Fontaine via aquabus.

Ann of the Narzissenkreuz series

Ann of the Narzissenkreuz is a series of World Quests centered around a little Oceanid named Ann and her team of adventurers. Completing this quest will get you a wooden toy version of the Holy Blade. It will show up in your inventory as a quest item, not a true weapon.

The series starts with The Narzissenkreuz Adventure, which you can start by speaking with Ann. She can be found near the teleporter in Chemin de L’Espoir directly southwest of the Court of Fontaine.

Ancient Colors series

The Ancient Colors series of World Quests introduces you to Seymour and the history of Elynas. 

Start this series by rescuing Mamere by the small pool north of the Statue of the Seven in Elynas.

Unfinished Comedy series

Unfinished Comedy is a series of World Quests that introduces you to Caterpillar and Lanoire as they attempt to escape the Fortress of Meropide.

Start this quest line by entering the Fortress of Meropide, either as part of the Fontaine Archon Quests or through some other means. The easiest method is to get caught by the searchlights emanating from the large underwater structure north of Mont Esus East.

Initial Facts

Initial Facts is a World Quest that can be started upon entering the Narzissenkreuz Ordo after completing all of the quests above. Meet up with Ann, Seymour, and Caterpillar to gather information and plan your next move.

You can enter the Ordo by interacting with a book in the Institute of Natural Philosophy.

In the Wake of Narcissus series

In the Wake of Narcissus is a series of World Quests that finally bring an end to the Narzissenkreuz saga. It requires the completion of Initial Facts, and therefore all of the other prerequisite quests listed above.

Start this series in the Narzissenkreuz Ordo by skipping forward two days after completing Initial Facts.

Upon completing Rowboat’s Wake (the last quest in this series), you should have an equipable version of the Sword of Narzissenkreuz in your weapons inventory. You can equip it to your character of choice and upgrade it like a normal weapon.

How to refine the Sword of Narzissenkreuz

The Sword of Narzissenkreuz starts at Refinement Rank 1, but it can be refined by using Sacred Surging Chalices as a Refinement material.

Sacred Surging Chalices are a powered-up version of Drained Conch Cups, which can be obtained from various chests around Fontaine. There are four Drained Conch Cups in total. 

1. A chest in a small room inside the Institute of Natural Philosophy next to a set of Ancient Notes and a Hydroculus.
2. A Precious chest in the Narzissenkreuz Ordo.
3. A chest by Pahsiv in a cave north of Loch Urania. (Requires completion of the Wild Fairy of Erinnyes quest series.)
4. A chest inside Bravais’ Hidden Study near the teleporter southeast of the Experimental Field Generator world boss. (Requires collecting and forging all Arkhium pieces.)

Take the cups to the Little Fountain right beneath the teleporter in Annapausis. There, you can offer the cups to the fountain to convert them into Sacred Surging Chalices. You can use the chalices in the Refine tab of the sword’s weapon menu.

How to switch between pneuma and ousia

The Sword of Narzissenkreuz has a special gimmick that allows it to change between pneuma and ousia forms. You can change its form at the Little Fountain in Annapausis — the same place you convert its Refinement materials. Interact with the fountain and select the option to change its alignment.

Changing its alignment changes the type of damage dealt by its passive effect, which deals an instance of Physical Pneuma or Ousia damage at intervals when using Normal, Charged, or Plunging Attacks. This passive allows a non-Fontainian Sword user to utilize Arkhe mechanics. There’s currently no real incentive to use this Sword, but I will say that the Ousia version of the Sword of Narzissenkreuz looks great on Keqing.