The day I pulled Wriothesley, the air in my room felt as electric as a Fontemer Aberrant's core. After months of saving Primogems, the Duke of the Fortress of Meropide, the first-ever Cryo Catalyst user, was finally mine. His splash art promised elegance and power, but I knew the real adventure was just beginning. Building a character in Teyvat is a journey in itself, a meticulous process of gathering resources from every corner of the nation. For Wriothesley, this meant diving deep into the heart of Fontaine's industrial marvels and confronting its mechanical guardians. His story as a key figure in Fontaine's narrative was compelling, but to make him a force on the battlefield, I needed to embark on the universal Genshin Impact rite of passage: the Ascension and Talent grind.

The first step was understanding the blueprint for his power. Ascending Wriothesley, like sculpting a perfect ice sculpture from a rough block, required a specific formula of resources. The list was daunting but familiar: regional specialties, world boss drops, common enemy loot, elemental stones, and mountains of Mora. His unique ingredient, the Subdetection Unit, was a new addition from the 4.1 update, scattered like forgotten blueprints across the Liffey Region and the Fontaine Research Institute of Kinetic Energy Engineering Region. Farming them felt like collecting fragile, glowing components for a grand clockwork device.

Meanwhile, the core of his ascension power, the Tourbillon Device, demanded I face The Prototype Cal. Breguet. This normal boss, residing in the Academic Assembly Hall, was a test of my own team's coordination. Each victory yielded the precious devices, which to me were as vital as the mainspring in a fine watch. The common drops, Meshing Gears, Mechanical Spur Gears, and Artificed Dynamic Gears, came from the ubiquitous Clockwork Meka found all over Fontaine. Their relentless whirring and clanking became the soundtrack to my farming routes.

The requirements escalated with each phase, a progression system as intricate as the gears inside a Fontaine creation. Here’s the complete breakdown of what I needed to take him from level 1 to 90:

Phase	Level	Mora Cost	Shivada Jades	Subdetection Units	Clockwork Gears	Tourbillon Devices
1	40	20,000	Sliver x1	x3	Meshing Gear x3	N/A
2	50	40,000	Fragment x3	x10	Meshing Gear x15	x2
3	60	60,000	Fragment x6	x20	Spur Gear x12	x4
4	70	80,000	Chunk x3	x30	Spur Gear x18	x8
5	80	100,000	Chunk x6	x45	Dynamic Gear x12	x12
6	90	120,000	Gemstone x6	x60	Dynamic Gear x24	x20

However, gathering ascension materials was only one part of the equation. I learned the hard way with previous characters that neglecting the sheer volume of Mora and EXP books could halt progress faster than a Ruin Guard's spin attack. Leveling Wriothesley's base stats was a foundational investment, as crucial to his strength as the materials themselves. The total cost from level 1 to 90 was a staggering commitment:

• Hero's Wit: 404 📚

• Adventurer's Experience: 35 📘

• Wanderer's Advice: 12 📖

• Mora: Approximately 1,671,600 🪙

When combined with the ascension Mora cost, the total to get him to level 90 alone ballooned to around 2,091,600 Mora. It was a fortune that would make the Northland Bank blush, but for the Duke, it was a necessary tribute.

Yet, a level 90 character with unleveled talents is like a masterfully forged sword with a dull edge. To truly unlock Wriothesley's potential as a Main DPS, where his Normal Attacks and Elemental Skill shine, I had to tackle the talent system. This process was the true marathon, requiring rarer resources like talent books and weekly boss drops. Farming for talents felt like transcribing an ancient, complex law codex—tedious, demanding precision, but ultimately rewarding.

The materials for a single talent, from level 1 to 10, were a mountain to climb:

Talent Level	Mora Cost	Order Talent Books	Clockwork Gears	Primordial Greenbloom
2	12,500	Teachings x3	Meshing Gear x6	N/A
3	17,500	Guide x2	Spur Gear x3	N/A
4	25,000	Guide x4	Spur Gear x4	N/A
5	30,000	Guide x6	Spur Gear x6	N/A
6	37,500	Guide x9	Spur Gear x9	N/A
7	120,000	Philosophies x4	Dynamic Gear x4	x1
8	260,000	Philosophies x6	Dynamic Gear x6	x1
9	450,000	Philosophies x12	Dynamic Gear x9	x2
10	700,000	Philosophies x18	Dynamic Gear x12	x2 +

Crown of Insight |

The Crown of Insight, that ultimate symbol of dedication, was the final piece. Obtaining it felt like being granted a rare judicial pardon, only available through limited events or deep loyalty to the sacred trees of Teyvat. To "triple crown" Wriothesley—maxing all three talents—meant multiplying this entire table by three. The Mora cost for that endeavor alone was astronomical, a financial undertaking as vast as the Fortress of Meropide itself.

Reflecting on the journey, building Wriothesley was more than just resource management. It was a pilgrimage across Fontaine, battling meka, studying order, and challenging weekly bosses. Each Subdetection Unit collected, each Tourbillon Device earned, and each Philosophy of Order mastered felt like adding another cog to the magnificent clockwork that is a fully built 5-star character. The process, as demanding as calibrating a hydrokinetic dynamo, transformed him from a prized collection piece into the centerpiece of my team—a Cryo catalyst wielding Duke whose power was forged through patience, perseverance, and a truly immense amount of Mora. 😅