Xingqiu Guide and Best Builds for Genshin Impact

Strengths

• Incredible single-target Hydro application.
• Elemental Skill provides damage reduction, stagger resistance and healing making Xingqiu have supportive utility.

Weaknesses

• Requires a lot of Energy for Xingqiu's Elemental Burst.
• Elemental Skill has a long 21 second cooldown limiting use.
• Can accidentally freeze themselves due to the self-Hydro application of their Elemental Skill.

Xingqiu is built as a Sub DPS who deals damage off-field and consistently applies Hydro for use in elemental reactions.

Xingqiu can be built with a wide range of viable weapons. Xingqiu's best weapon being Primordial Jade Cutter while some good 4-Star build options include Wolf-Fang, Favonius Sword and Fleuve Cendre Ferryman. Depending on your build and Energy Recharge breakpoints (see next section) consider using a weapon that provides Energy Recharge.

Build Xingqiu with either Emblem of Severed Fate or Noblesse Oblige. Emblem is your best-in-slot artifact set due to the range of buffs it provides but Noblesse is a nice secondary option and handy in some situations if no one else is using the set.

Listed below is a brief table showing what Energy Recharge you want to aim for depending on your weapons and constellations. Exact Energy Recharge requirements vary based on your specific team composition, certain character skills, the weapons your team has and if Xingqiu will be on-field to pick up the particles.

Xingqiu's Elemental Skill, Guhua Sword: Fatal Rainscreen, and Burst, Guhua Sword: Raincutter are both incredibly useful. When using Guhua Sword: Fatal Rainscreen be careful that you do not swap characters too early to ensure Hydro Particles are collected if you need the energy for your Burst.

At lower constellations, use your Elemental Skill first. However, at C4 you should use your Elemental Burst before your Skill for increased damage. This is assuming you have the energy to do so.

Thats all you need to do for Xingqiu, once your burst is used. Swap to other supports or your Main DPS and the rain swords will do all the work to facilitate elemental reactions and deal damage.

Be careful when using either Skill or Burst! They both apply the Hydro Wet status to yourself. This can be useful to cleanse anything such as Pyro burning off but does cause Cryo to freeze you.

Many people may compare Xingqiu to his 5-star counterpart, Yelan. However, Xingqiu offers increased Hydro application for reactions and survivability instead of the damage Yelan provides.

That being said, many team compositions will actually use both Xingqiu and Yelan at the same time! Combined they have amazing elemental application.

Xingqiu is used in a wide range of teams, anything that benefits from Hydro application benefits from having Xingqiu. Listed below are a few of the most popular examples.

Hyperbloom team compositions benefit from Xingqiu's Hydro application as well as his supportive capabilities due to Guhua Sword: Fatal Rainscreen.

Many of the characters are flexible simply requiring a Hydro, Dendro and Electro character. The final position can be flexible, giving you a wide range of potential Hyperbloom compositions.

National/International is a popular team composition involving Xingqiu, Xiangling, Bennett and a Main DPS in the flex position. While there are a range of variants, the above 2 using Raiden Shogun and Tartaglia are generally the most common.

Xingqiu has great synergy with Hu Tao and is often paired with either Yelan or Furina to ensure there is more than enough Hydro application so that every charged attack from Hu Tao creates a reaction. One example includes Citlali who provides buffs to both Pyro and Hydro alongside creating Melt reactions for higher damage, while the Xianyun variant changes Hu Tao's playstyle and supports Furina's damage buffs.