Genshin Impact Xiangling guide: weapons, artifacts, and more

Xiangling is a fantastic enabler: she brings two on-going Pyro skills that are active even when she switches out, and can apply the element multiple times. That is a huge blessing in the world of Genshin Impact.

Here’s how to make the most of her either as a DPS or enabler, and make a meal out your opponents.

Genshin Impact Xiangling guide

Weapons

Xiangling is also the only Polearm user in the game right now (though that is set to change with Zhongli’s release), so any good Polearm you’ve rolled should immediately be going to her straight away! The likes of Kunwu’s Iris Rift, Skyward Spine, and Crescent Pike all work well with the chef, but here are a few of the priority picks:

Primordial Jade Winged-Spear

(Picture: miHoYo)

Probably the best Polearm available if you want to run Xiangling as a DPS option. Crit Rate is always strong on a DPS, and the Xiangling can stack Eagle Spear of Justice really fast thanks to her normal attack pattern 

Dragon’s Bane

(Picture: miHoYo)

One of the best Polearms for Xiangling if you want to build her as an enabler. Elemental Mastery makes reactions she causes from her long-lasting Elemental Skill and Burst hit harder, and it’s very easy for her to activate Bane of Fire and Water.

Halberd

(Picture: miHoYo)

A great budget option that works for both DPS and more supportive playstyles. Good attack scaling is more raw damage, and amped auto-attacks are nice either as a finishing touch before switching out (enabler) or for fairly consistent bonuses to damage (DPS).

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As with all 3* weapons, it’s also very easy to Refine to higher ranks to really make the Weapon Ability to do work.

Artifacts

The secret ingredient is fire (Picture: miHoYo)

On to Xiangling’s artifacts. The cream of the crop is absolutely a full 4-piece Crimson Witch of Flames which amps both Pyro damage and Pyro-based elemental reactions considerably. If you want to run Xiangling as an enabler, this is the set for you. Noblesse Oblige is also very effective, as it makes Pyronado absolutely devastating - especially if you run a double Pyro team composition.

For a more DPS focused build, 4-piece Gladiator’s Finale is an excellent choice with its +18% ATK and an additional +35% normal attack damage from Polearms. Another option is 4-piece Martial Artist which has less consistent damage but offers more if you want to prioritise using skills then attacking with the artifact buff before switching out.

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If you’re struggling for artifacts, Instructor amps up your elemental reactions well, and switching in either a 2-piece Exile or Instructor set can really help with energy recharge for her Elemental Burst, particularly when paired up with a 2-piece Noblesse Oblige.

Artifact Stats

If you want to run Xiangling as a support/enabler, you want to push your stats this way:

Stats (enabler)

• Energy Recharge
• Elemental Mastery
• Pyro Damage Goblet
• ATK and Crit%/DMG aren’t to be sniffed at either

For a more DPS based build, index more into Crit:

Stats (DPS)

• Crit Rate (50~%+)
• Crit DMG
• ATK
• Pyro DMG
• Energy Recharge

(Picture: miHoYo)

Play Patterns

As an enabler, Xiangling is all about getting out Guoba and using her Elemental Burst as often as possible, then switching out to someone who can either proc an elemental reaction or your main DPS character.

Part of why Xiangling is generally favoured more towards support/enabling is because her Pyro Skills can be a touch inconsistent for a pure DPS option: Guoba is stationary, and Pyronado, while strong, has a weird radius and can knock enemies away. In short, be careful with your positioning.

Her Elemental Skill does get more forgiving once you unlock Crossfire to increase its range, but it does still require a little forethought. 

(Picture: miHoYo)

That said, she certainly has the burst to put down the hurt as a DPS, but she does require decent positioning on her skills. Depending on your weapon and artifacts it can often be worth going all-out with your skills and attacks, then switching out to another character once buffs and skills time out.

Getting a few Constellation Levels under Xiangling’s belt also does a lot to up her and her team’s Pyro damage (C1 and C6 particularly), so do keep that in mind if you roll her more than once.

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Good team comps include a team member who can create Hydro for Vaporise (one of the highest damage reactions), Electro for Overload (Fischl and Lisa are great choices here, especially as two other enablers), or Anemo for the potent swirl reactions you can pull off (pray for Venti). You may also want to run a second Pyro user to get the ATK buff from the Pyro Elemental Resonance, and also make use of her Pyro buffs at higher Constellation Levels.

With that, you’re ready to get cooking. Go forth and bring the heat!