Lan Yan Guide and Best Builds for Genshin Impact

Strengths

• Some of the strongest shields in the game.
• Being an Anemo character allows Lan Yan to use Viridescent Venerer while shielding which provides role compression.
• AoE grouping with Elemental Burst.

Weaknesses

• Short Shield duration being unable to last a full rotation.
• Can be difficult to swirl the right Element for your Main DPS to gain the benefits of VV.
• Crowd Control is tied to use of Lan Yan's Elemental Burst.

Lan Yan's biggest asset is her shielding potential, allowing her to provide shields stronger than even the Geo Archon himself at times. This build focuses on Lan Yan's potential as a supportive character in the form of increasing shield strength as well as benefits that Lan Yan provides to the team. Lan Yan's best weapons in a support build focus either on increasing her shield strength or providing buffs to the team. Memory of Dust and Skyward Atlas are best at increasing shield strength while Starcaller's Watch and Thrilling Tales of Dragon Slayers are best at providing buffs to the team if you do not need shielding.

Viridescent Venerer is Lan Yan's best artifact set for the RES Shred increase which further amplifies her value as a support. Other artifact sets you can build for Lan Yan include Noblesse Oblige or any 2 Piece ATK % artifact set bonuses however Viridescent will be the main set. Lan Yan wants around 180-190% Energy Recharge to burst every rotation if needed although many teams do not want/need the grouping provided by her burst or the EM buff provided by her C4.

Lan Yan's Elemental Skill is by far her most important Talent to level with her Elemental Burst being second if used. Normal Attacks are rarely needed on Lan Yan unless you plan to use her to drive reactions occasionally.

Lan Yan is a straightforward character to play and a refreshing change from recent releases. Lan Yan's Elemental Skill Swallow-Wisp Pinion Dance is your is your primary ability. It grants a strong shield lasting 12.5 seconds, though not the longest duration. Holding the skill activates a mobility ability instead. Her Elemental Burst, Lustrous Moonrise, offers AoE grouping (and an EM buff at C4) but might not always be necessary, depending on your team setup.

The shields are particularly notable thanks to the Ascension Passive Four Sealing Divination Charms, which allows the shield to absorb Hydro, Pyro, Cryo and Electro damage. Additionally, her C2 constellation, Dance Vestments Billow Like Rainbow Jade, enhances shielding by restoring some damage absorption when Normal Attacks hit enemies.

To play Lan Yan effectively as a shielder, you need to get the timing right for your team. With Viridescent Venerer's effect only lasting 10s and the shield lasting 12.5s you want to use your Elemental Skill where possible right before your DPS enters the field to gain the full benefits but you also need to ensure you swirl the right element.

Being an Anemo character, Lan Yan can be used in a wide range of team compositions. Most importantly, she acts as a great substitute for both Kaedehara Kazuha and Zhongli due to being able to provide both Shielding and RES Shred. In teams that use both Kazuha and Zhongli, using Lan Yan instead allows you to add either another DPS or support character while still retaining some of the benefits these characters have.

Lan Yan can also be played in any team that simply wants a strong shielder.

One of the places that Lan Yan shines best is in Aggravate teams where she is often one the perfect defensive option. On top of the general benefits she provides, Lan Yan can also use Hakushin Ring which provides a huge DMG bonus for these teams but the main benefit is having a middle ground between Kazuha (more damage) and Zhongli (shields).

While currently being overshadowed by Citlali, Lan Yan is another great shielder for Arlecchino teams who is simply an improvement over Zhongli variants due to high shielding and increased RES Shred.

Another great example is Lyney teams. Many of Lyney's best teams are Mono-Pyro where you ideally want to use Kaedehara Kazuha for the RES Shred but this can make gameplay harder due to Lyney being a bow character. Lan Yan provides the perfect balance.

Other examples of teams that Lan Yan can be used in are Electro-Charged (Taser) teams either as a driver if built that way or simply as an effective shielder for a DPS such as Kamisato Ayato.

Another team composition would be a Neuvillette team where you can free up Kaedehara Kazuha and Zhongli to be used in other teams, or if you simply do not have these 5 star characters. Lan Yan is also great on a C0 Neuvillette as you gain RES Shred and the shielding which helps while Neuvillette has less interruption resistance.