After the great Interlude story that was released with Genshin Impact‘s 2.7 Update, the popularity of Xiao skyrocketed. Many Genshin Impact players have started to want for him considering that Xiao remains one of the best Anemo DPS characters, who can plow through enemies quickly with his Burst. So now it’s the best time to learn more about the lone yaksha and how you can effectively build him.
About Xiao
Xiao is sole surviving member of the five foremost Yakshas dispatched by Morax to subdue the demonic spirits that plagued Liyue, codenamed Alatus. He currently resides at Wangshu Inn and mostly restrains himself from large crowds and social interactions.
Xiao is unfamiliar with many human customs and societal norms, often finding them strange, childish, or pointless. To others, he can come off as distant and intimidating. After meeting the Traveler, he becomes slightly more relaxed, willing to learn customs and visit Liyue Harbor with them for their sake despite his reservations with mortal life.
Here is a video showcasing Xiao’s insane damage in the Level 90 Tartaglia challenge when he’s well-built.
Recommended Party
Xiao is an Anemo DPS Polearm character, with a Burst where the player has to constantly jump and then plunge attack over and over. but unlike other Ameno characters, he does not rely on the Swirl reaction, but rather on raw Elemental Damage.
During the period of his Burst, his HP is depleted, and is capable of being reduced to 0, if you’re not careful. This is why some extra protection and HP healing is necessary, so that Xiao doesn’t die while in the middle of his Burst.
Most of the recommended teams will follow one singular logic: One shielding character, one healing/buffing character, and one crowd control character.
Unlike other characters, when considering a team for Xiao, most structures will follow this exact logic. Sucrose is there because her burst is capable of rousing up enemies together so that Xiao can defeat them all at once.
Thoma and Bennett form the Pyro Resonance, which increases Xiao’s Attack by 25%. Bennett is also able to provide the necessary buffs and healing thanks to his Fantastic Voyage skill. Thoma can also be replaced with Xinyan, should you prefer, though I prefer Thoma because of his shielding capabilities.
The team I use is exactly the same, except that I use Venti instead of Sucrose, who is capable of doing the same thing. You can switch some characters, such as Thoma with Diona for example, but I recommend making sure you get the Pyro Resonance, because Xiao really benefits from that raw attack power.
Best Weapon
Primordial Winged-Jade Spear
As the name implies, this is Xiao’s main weapon, and once you reach LV 90 with this weapon, it is not uncommon to see Xiao dish out 70 000 damage per plunge because of the effect of this weapon. If you manage to get this weapon from the Weapon Banner, you’re all set for the ultimate Xiao build.
Though it is worth noting that even if you’re reading this after the Xiao banner ends, you can still pull the Jade Spear from the regular banner, though you’re giving the rate-up.
Deathmatch
This weapon is obtained after purchasing the Gynostic Hymn and reaching LV 30 in the Battle Pass. It’s an investment, for sure, but the results do speak for themselves. This is because Deathmatch increases ATK depending on how many enemies are on the field, and the fewer there are, the better, making this a good choice for Xiao.
Blackcliff Pole
The Blackcliff Pole can be obtained from the Paimon’s Exchange with Stardust, and is the quickest, and best free option players have available, because at LV 90, it can boost the CRIT DMG of a character by 55%, and Xiao does love his critical damage!
Lithic Spear
This spear is…well, I would recommend it as a last-ditch. It requires your party to have Liyue characters in it for its effect to work, which can really compromise on your team buildup, depending on how you decide to do it. But it is still a good spear, because it increases ATK and CRIT Rate depending on how many Liyue characters are in your party.
Best Artifact Set
The best artifact set for Xiao is the Vermillion Hereafter set, which increases ATK by 18% but also has a really interesting effect. The text description is rather long, but in a nutshell: When a character’s HP decreases, the artifact set will boost their attack by 10%, for a total of 4 stacks each time that happens!
Since Xiao’s Burst does that naturally, he’ll maintain those stacks easily, and that will increase his ATK by a whopping 58%! That’s 83% if you count the Pyro Resonance from the previous teams above.
You can find the Vermillion Hereafter set in this domain located in the Chasm region of Liyue. Do note that a puzzle will be required to clear in order to unlock it:
If you haven’t unlocked the Chasm yet though, you can instead mix several Artifact sets. The most common mix that is also very easy to obtain is the Viridescent Venerer + Gladiator of the End. The first set can be found here:
And the Gladiator of the End can drop from any boss you fight: Childe, Raiden Shogun, Stormterror, Oceanid, among others. You can also fodder off artifacts you don’t need at the Alchemy Table and get a Dropbox that will give you a random item of the Gladiator’s Set.
Artifacts are divided into one main stat and four sub-stats. Listing all of them would make this guide rather long, but just keep in mind the following main stats are recommended:
■ Goblets: Ameno DMG%
■ Sand / Hourglass: ATK%
■ Hat / Crown, either CRIT DMG% or CRIT Rate%
■ Feather / Flower: Energy Recharge, CRIT DMG% or CRIT Rate% on their substats, due to how the feather is locked with flat ATK, and the flower is locked with a flat HP boost.
