The Unwritten Rules of Playing Genshin Impact’s Xianyun Explained

After a long while of waiting to see Cloud Retainer become playable, Genshin Impact has delivered and given players Xianyun. She’s a five-star Anemo catalyst who can play the role of both a sub-DPS and a support for her teams. She has incredible potential and has brought old characters back into the Genshin Impact meta. Units like Diluc can now make their way back into the Spiral Abyss as a solid DPS instead of people only being able to use him if they liked using him.

Xianyun also allows units who can infuse normal attacks, such as Genshin Impact‘s Candace, to get their place in the meta as well. The infusion alongside the Anemo damage that she puts out during her burst can boost the overall damage of her team. The Swirl reaction and anything else on her team will be boosted greatly by the fun combinations her kit allows players to make.

Genshin Impact’s Xianyun’s Kit

Xianyun’s Build

In order to use her well, players should know how her kit works. Xianyun’s skill allows her to jump up to 3 times, and she can plunge at any time to deal Anemo AOE damage. Her burst deals Anemo AOE damage and heals the entire team. It also boosts jump height, similar to how Genshin Impact‘s Xiao’s burst works. She can also buff plunge attacks with her fourth ascension passive, which gives the first eight plunges during her burst an increase of damage by 200% of her ATK.

For Genshin Impact‘s Xianyun’s build, one of her best sets is going to be Viridescent Venerer for the 40% elemental resistance that the set offers. However, this isn’t the only set that works for her, since Songs of Days Past and Noblesse Oblige are both good for her as well. These sets can help her be a solid support unit, but the stats on those artifacts are what will really make her shine. The needed stats for her build are:

• Energy Recharge: She needs a lot of this to get her burst up consistently, especially if she’s the only Anemo unit in the party.
• ATK%: Her kit scales off of ATK, and she needs as much of it as possible.
• Healing Bonus: This one is optional, but if she is the only healer on the team, it may be useful.

Xianyun’s Weapons

Her weapon options are pretty varied as a Genshin Impact support catalyst unit. Xianyun has many catalysts that players can give her to either boost her own damage or support abilities. Her signature weapon is an amazing pull that boosts plunging damage by 28% and grants energy to her. Some of the best weapons for Xianyun, besides her signature weapon, since that can be expensive, are:

• Oathsworn Eye (limited-time event weapon)
• Thrilling Tales of Dragon Slayers (three-star, exploration, gacha)
• Skyward Atlas (five-star, standard banner)
• Favonius Codex (four-star, all gacha)

Xianyun’s Team Comps

Though plunging attacks may be seen as a niche combat choice, Xianyun’s very presence can make it viable for numerous units. She can make use of infusion units like Candace and Chongyun. However, there are plenty of other support units and even some DPSs like Genshin Impact‘s Diluc that Xianyun can work well with. Some solid units who can be slotted into her teams are:

• Furina
• Gaming
• Bennett (C6 works here too)
• Yae Miko
• Xingqiu

Xianyun’s Constellations

For Genshin Impact‘s Xianyun’s constellations, there are some that are more worth it than others. Her first constellation grants her an additional skill charge, which isn’t too bad for her kit. Her second boosts her fourth ascension passive from 200% boost to 400%. Her fourth constellation gives her more healing, but her sixth is the one that boosts her damage potential as a DPS.

Genshin Impact

Released

September 28, 2020

Multiplayer

Online Multiplayer

Engine

Unity

ESRB

T for Teen – Fantasy Violence, Alcohol Reference

Metascore

86

Platforms That Support Crossplay

Mobile, PC, PS4 & PS5

PS Plus Availability

N/A