Rosaria: the Physical vs. Cryo debate, the best team comps for Genshin Impact's newest hero

Scandalous, mildly goth, and dangerous it’s no wonder Rosaria has been picking up quite the player-base as Genshin Impact’s latest character. It also helps that the erstwhile nun of Barbatos seems to be pretty damn strong - and moreover, versatile.

… Which has also proved to be something of an issue. Rosaria’s versatility in build is great, but it also means there’s a lot to choose from and it can be difficult to work out exactly how to make the most out of her. While we already have a more general guide for this stealthiest of nuns, this will be a deep dive into team comps and situations where you’ll want to build Rosaria differently.

(Picture: miHoYo)

Cryo DPS

A Cryo build for Rosaria is all about keeping up high Cryo application, and trying to abuse Elemental Reactions -  in particular, Reverse Melt and Freeze. To get the most out of a cryo build you need to be looking for strong synergies between team members, and if possible get Rosaria’s Constellation Level 2, Land Without Promise, which increases the duration of Rosaria’s Elemental Burst by 4s.

Of course, you don’t need C2, but it does broaden your options.

Team Comps

Permafreeze

First on the block, the Permafreeze Comp. To make this stick, you need some very specific pieces. First and foremost, you’re going to need Chongyun, whose Elemental Skill converts basic attacks into Cryo damage. To round out the comp, you’ll want a Hydro support/enabler (Xingqiu or Barbara) to apply wet from off-field, and an Anemo enabler to offer cc and to Swirl those all-important Cryo and Hydro applications (Jean, Venti or Sucrose). If you’re struggling for a Chongyun, a Kaeya with a lot of Energy Recharge for high Elemental Burst uptime can work in a pinch.

(Picture: miHoYo)

In short, this comp is all about keeping enemies permanently frozen, and abusing Rosaria’s Ascension Level 1 Talent plus Cryo Resonance plus 4-piece Blizzard Strayer for a stratospheric 75% base Crit Rate against frozen enemies. And that’s all without additional stats and substats. Throwdown the skills of your enablers, then let Rosaria run wild in the frozen wonderland.

As a note, this comp also works exceptionally well with C1 Kaeya!

Artifacts

• 4-Piece Blizzard Strayer

Stats

1. Crit DMG
2. ATK%
3. Energy Recharge (up to 150%, then focus Crit Rate)
4. Crit Rate 

Reverse Melt

A little more flexible, team comp-wise. This is all about using Rosaria to consistently proc Reverse Melt (i.e. Cryo being applied to Pyro for 1.5x DMG). As such, you’ll want at least one Pyro user who’s able to apply consistent Pyro procs from off-field (Bennett is king, but Xiangling and Xinyan are good). Have your Pyro character(s) set up their off-field pyro abilities, then let Rosaria use her own Elemental Skill and Burst to rapidly proc multiple Reverse Melt reactions.

(Picture: miHoYo)

While the rest of the comp is fairly open from there, definitely consider running 2x Pyro and 2x Cryo for the ATK and Crit Rate increases from Pyro and Cryo Resonance, but an Anemo enabler wouldn’t go amiss either, and a 2x Geo with a strong shielder can also work wonders. Once again, Chongyun and his Elemental Skill can also prove invaluable in this comp as well - you’ve got to love easy access to consistent Cryo attacks.

You’ll want to level Rosaria’s Elemental Burst over her Basic Attack if you do go for this comp, and you have a little more flexibility in artifact set-up as well (though Blizzard Strayer is still very strong).

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As a last note, this is also a good comp to run Rosaria as a Sub DPS. go 4-piece Noblesse Oblige and focus on Crit Rate and Elemental Mastery, then use her Elemental Burst on cooldown to enable a main Pyro DPS.

Artifacts

• 4-piece Blizzard Strayer
• 4-piece Gladiator’s Finale
• 2-piece Blizzard Strayer/2-piece Gladiator’s Finale
• (Sub DPS) 4-piece Noblesse Oblige

Stats

1. Crit DMG
2. ATK%
3. Energy Recharge (up to 150%)
4. Elemental Mastery (prioritise second for Sub DPS)
5. Crit Rate

Physical DPS

A Physical DPS build on Rosaria is a little bit more generic - she can fit into most team comps when built this way because she’s less tied to Elemental Reactions. Even so, you’ll probably want to run at least one Electro enabler in order to get consistent procs of Superconduct, which lowers enemy Physical Resistance. The best of the bunch are Fischl and Beidou, but a high Energy Recharge Lisa can also do a lot with her Elemental Burst and its defence debuff.

(Picture: miHoYo)

Outside of that, other team members are pretty flexible. You can look for a second Cryo character to get Cryo Resonance, but 2x Pyro and 2x Geo are exceptionally strong right now, and 2x Electro to enhance Superconduct is also good.

4-piece Gladiator’s Finale is best in class for this build, but at C2 4-piece Blizzard Strayer is also viable as Rosaria’s Elemental Burst then has sufficient uptime to compete with Superconduct procs removing Cryo. As another option, Crescent Pike with 2-piece Gladiator’s Finale/2-piece Bloodstained Chivalry is also strong, as Crescent Pike’s Weapon Ability does not stack with Gladiator’s.4-piece effect

(Picture: miHoYo)

Artifacts

• 4-piece Gladiator’s Finale
• 4-piece Blizzard Strayer (C2+)
• 2-piece Gladiator’s Finale/2-piece Blizzard Strayer (for use with Crescent Pike)

Stats

1. Crit Rate
2. Crit DMG
3. ATK%
4. Energy Recharge

Thus our breakdown of the strengths and weaknesses of Physical versus Cryo DPS for Rosaria comes to a close! Now to go hunt down the correct artifacts...