Updated for Version 4.0

A Xingqiu Guide
Written by chasing_haze, quinslay, .reimu.

I am most grateful for your company on my journey.

Introduction

Xingqiu is a powerful Hydro Sword user in Genshin Impact who is widely known for his Hydro application. Hydro is one of the most valuable Elements for reactions, which is why Xingqiu is useful in a wide variety of reaction-based teams. As of version 4.0, Xingqiu is currently one of the best off-field Hydro appliers in the game, being useful on a wide variety of teams.

Xingqiu is also an off-field DPS. In addition to his ability to apply Hydro, he can deal significant off-field damage.

On top of the aforementioned roles, Xingqiu has access to healing, damage reduction, interruption resistance, and other utilities, further cementing his role as one of Genshin Impact's best, most versatile characters.

This guide will walk you through the ins and outs of Xingqiu’s weapons, artifacts, substats, combos, teams, and everything in between.

Why Play Xingqiu?

TL;DR

Credits to: cegewinne, snowwwwww., and KQM Staff

Glossary

Talents

Talent Overview

Talent Priority

> >>

Burst > Skill >> NA

Xingqiu’s Elemental Burst is what makes him such a powerful unit, so prioritize leveling it. After this comes his Elemental Skill, which does a good amount of damage and shouldn’t be neglected. His Normal Attack Talent can be ignored, as it represents a negligible portion of his overall damage even when Xingqiu is played on-field. 

Constellations

Xingqiu has some of the best Constellations for a 4-star character, so let's look at how useful they are. Constellation DPS increases are averaged between all weapons listed in the weapons section.

Playstyles

Off-Field DPS

Notable Constellations

C2, C3, C6

Xingqiu’s standard build works to get his Burst up as frequently as possible for its Hydro application and damage. This allows his teammates to trigger reactions that are crucial for their DPS. His Hydro application by itself is sufficient for most teams, making additional Hydro units unnecessary in order to maintain an aura.

However, his Burst, which deals the majority of his damage, does not snapshot buffs, meaning Xingqiu’s damage potential is limited by being off-field. His ER needs are also higher since less Energy is collected while off-field. Additionally, his 21s rotation may not synchronize with your on-field DPS’s cooldowns, presenting issues with units like Yoimiya and Hu Tao.

On-Field DPS

Notable Constellations

C2, C3, C6

Xingqiu can be used as an on-field DPS to maximize his personal damage potential. In doing so, he benefits from buffs that are only applied to on-field characters, such as the Flat ATK buff from Bennett’s Burst. The downside is that using Xingqiu on-field may lead to lower team damage compared to a more conventional on-field unit like Yoimiya or Hu Tao. However, on-field Xingqiu can still be useful in teams where no clear-cut on-field DPS is present and Xingqiu is the best user of buffs.

Nuke

Notable Constellations

C2, C4, C5

The nuke playstyle revolves around dealing massive damage with Xingqiu’s Elemental Skill. Although impractical in the Abyss and other endgame content, it is still viable and may be fun in the overworld.

This guide will not cover the nuke playstyle in depth.

Gearing

Now onto the fun stuff: putting weapons and artifacts on Xingqiu. His builds aren't straightforward as Xingqiu builds aim to balance his ability to support the team with his ability to deal personal damage.

Weapons

Because Xingqiu’s C6 changes his build, his weapon recommendations change accordingly.

All values are calculated in accordance with KQM Calculation Standards, assuming an EQ rotation (EEQ for Sacrificial Sword) and ER requirements of 235% at C0–5 and 190% at C6 unless marked otherwise. Ranking is based on DPS%, which only takes Xingqiu’s personal damage into account. The DPS% is the relative damage that Xingqiu does with the equipped weapon compared to Favonius Sword.

Sacrificial vs. Favonius

Sacrificial Sword and Favonius Sword are both strong 4-star options for Xingqiu.

Field Time

While Sacrificial Sword increases Xingqiu’s personal damage and lowers his own ER requirements more than Favonius, it extends Xingqiu’s field time and therefore the team’s rotation. In most cases, being on-field for the additional Skill usage leads to a team DPS loss, as the field time could be used by other characters who provide more DPS.

Trigger Passives

Xingqiu may also struggle to get his Burst up if Sacrificial’s passive does not trigger. It should be noted that Sacrificial requires at least Refinement Rank 3 to be viable, while Favonius can be used at any refinement. Favonius is also more consistent with its Energy generation (can trigger with a quick Normal Attack if need be) and contributes more Energy to the team.

Constellation 6

At C6, Xingqiu’s ER needs are drastically lowered, meaning that both Sacrificial and Favonius lose value. However, Favonius still holds value in generating Energy for the team. Sacrificial can have value over Favonius in Double and Mono Hydro team compositions, since the additional Hydro Particles provide more Energy to Hydro characters. Nevertheless, Favonius is generally recommended over Sacrificial.

Conclusion

Overall, using Sacrificial means “sacrificing” team damage for Xingqiu’s own damage and comfort, whereas Favonius is a great weapon for Xingqiu’s Energy needs as well as the team’s. 

Artifacts

Artifact Set Comparison

Assumptions: Xingqiu Mastersheet

Calculated as an average of Xingqiu’s ER Needs ranging from 100% to 280%.

DPS% are listed as a percentage comparison to 4pc Emblem of Severed Fate.

Recommended Artifact Sets

4pc Emblem of Severed Fate	100%	Xingqiu’s best set by far, and in a very Resin-efficient Domain. In almost all teams, this set is the end goal for Xingqiu.
4pc Noblesse Oblige	87%	If Xingqiu is the only user of this set in a team, it does fairly well due to him benefitting from the 4pc buff along with any ATK scaling teammates. However, because others can usually utilize this set better, it is not typically recommended. There are niche scenarios, such as iterations of Xiangling Xingqiu Bennett, where Xingqiu can use this set.
4pc Nymph’s Dream	89% (Off-Field) 96% (On-Field)	Not specifically better than any 2pc mixed sets for a standard Xingqiu unless he attacks on-field. Even if he does, it does not surpass 4pc Emblem. It is recommended to N1 Weave with this artifact set. It is not recommended to perform a Charged Attack with Xingqiu to stack the effect of this set.
2pc Combos ER, ATK%, Hydro DMG%, Burst DMG%	88-89%	Sets Include: Emblem of Severed Fate, Noblesse Oblige, Heart of Depth, Nymph’s Dream, Gladiator’s FInale, Shimenawa’s Reminiscence, Echoes of an Offering, Vermillion Hereafter. Great if you don't have a full 4pc Emblem set yet. These sets might be preferred if Xingqiu has low ER requirements (<120%) and the artifacts have good substats. Since the difference between them is small, pick the combination with the best substats.

Other/Early-Game Artifact Sets

2pc + 2pc Exile + Scholar	Xingqiu’s best early-game set. As a 4-star set, it becomes much less useful when you reach mid/late-game.
4pc Gambler	Technically nets more Energy than The Exile (2) / Scholar (2) but requires an enemy kill, which makes it inconsistent. Also becomes less useful once you reach mid/late game due to it being a 4-star set.
4pc Blizzard Strayer	About 10% better than 4pc Emblem of Severed Fate in Freeze-based teams. However, because it is useless outside of those scenarios, it is not recommended to farm this artifact set for Xingqiu specifically.

Artifact Sets Overview

4pc Emblem of Severed Fate

In most scenarios, 4pc Emblem of Severed Fate is the go-to set. It is Resin-efficient since many characters use both the 4pc and 2pc set, and it shares the same Domain as Shimenawa’s Reminiscence, whose 2pc set bonus is useful on many characters (including Xingqiu himself). Additionally, in most teams, 4pc Emblem of Severed Fate is 13-19% better than the second-best option, which is a huge margin by Genshin standards.

2pc Combos

If you don't have access to 4pc Emblem of Severed Fate, then either 4pc Noblesse Oblige or 2pc Noblesse Oblige 2pc Heart of Depth is recommended. If you aren’t AR45 yet, 2pc The Exile 2pc Scholar is your best choice.

Raiden Teams

In teams with Raiden, or where Xingqiu needs less than 130% ER, he can use 2pc Noblesse Oblige 2pc Heart of Depth for higher damage. At low ER, 4pc Noblesse Oblige can also be used for higher team damage if the team benefits from its buff and no one else in the team can use it better. 

Freeze Teams

4pc Blizzard Strayer can be used in Freeze-oriented teams. However, it's not recommended to deliberately farm this set for Xingqiu since 4pc Emblem works as well and is more universal.

Artifact Stat Priorities

Sands	Goblet	Circlet
ER% or ATK%	Hydro DMG%	CRIT Rate or CRIT DMG

Substat Priority:
ER% (until requirement) > CRIT Rate = CRIT DMG > ATK%

If you can reach the desired ER without an ER Sands, use an ATK% Sands. Otherwise, use an ER Sands to easily recharge his Burst.

Xingqiu should always use a Hydro DMG Bonus Goblet for increased personal damage and increased damage reduction from his orbital Rain Swords.

Xingqiu’s Circlet is almost always CRIT Rate/DMG. ATK% can be a temporary substitute, but it does less damage.

Energy Recharge Requirements

Energy Recharge (ER) is one of the key factors in building Xingqiu. Since Xingqiu is so reliant on his Burst, it’s important to have enough ER on him to Burst every rotation. However, since he can be used in a variety of teams, his ER needs are subject to change. These tables provide an estimation of Xingqiu’s ER needs depending on his weapon and teammates. However, it is recommended to test and work out what ER works for you in various types of content. 

It’s important to recognize that building more ER on Xingqiu means that you’re taking away from his damage potential. Try to find the breakpoint where you can comfortably Burst, but don’t build so much ER that you have to sacrifice offensive stats. 

If Xingqiu’s ER needs are significantly lower than the ER substat value of a level 90 weapon (e.g., Sacrificial Sword provides 61.3% ER but C6 Xingqiu only needs 138% with Raiden), it is recommended to run a more offensive weapon instead.

Notes

• Not catching Xingqiu’s Elemental Skill particles increases his ER needs by ~40%.
• Adding a Favonius user to any of these scenarios decreases ER needs by ~10-15%.
• Xingqiu holding Favonius Sword and attacking on-field decreases his ER needs by ~20-30%.
• This ER chart assumes that Sacrificial Sword always triggers the Elemental Skill cooldown reset. 
• Amenoma Kageuchi’s ER needs can be 10% higher or lower depending on its refinement in comparison to R3.

Nuke Build

Nuke Xingqiu is focused on Vaporizing both of Xingqiu’s Skill hits for the highest damage possible (see Forward Vaping Xingqiu’s Skill in the Mechanics section). This guide will not cover Nuke Xingqiu in-depth since it is generally not advised for clearing endgame content such as the Spiral Abyss. However, it can be fun to see how much damage Xingqiu’s Skill can do.

All values are calculated in accordance with KQM Calculation Standards, assuming a double Vaporized CRIT hit Skill taking advantage of all available buffs, if possible.

Team consists of:
C0 Amber — 4pc Instructor, R1 Elegy for the End
C6 Bennett — 4pc Noblesse Oblige, R5 Sapwood Blade
C6 Sucrose — 4pc Viridescent Venerer, R5 Thrilling Tales of Dragons Slayers

You can check out the full calculations here.

Weapon DPS% is relative to R1 Mistsplitter Reforged.

Nuke Weapons

Weapon	DPS%	Notes	Sands
Mistsplitter Reforged	115% (R5) 100% (R1)	Provides everything Xingqiu would ever want for a nuke: high Base ATK, CRIT DMG, and DMG Bonus.	ATK%
Light of Foliar Incision	99% (R5) 92% (R1)	A good nuke weapon for Xingqiu with the highest CRIT DMG of any weapon in the game and an EM-based passive that increases Skill DMG.	EM
Freedom-Sworn R5	91%	Though you have to trigger its passive beforehand, the buff it provides along with the base EM and DMG Bonus are significant.	ATK%
Blackcliff Longsword R5(3 Stacks)	88%	This weapon, while good on paper, is inconsistent if facing enemies where it is difficult to get passive stacks (e.g., bosses).	EM
Freedom-Sworn R1	84%	Though you have to trigger its passive beforehand, the buff it provides along with the base EM and DMG Bonus are significant.	ATK%
Summit Shaper R5 (4 Stacks)	82%	Prestacking required for maximum potential.	EM
Blackcliff Longsword R1 (3 Stacks)	82%	This weapon, while good on paper, is inconsistent if facing enemies where it is difficult to get passive stacks (e.g., bosses).	EM
Lion’s Roar (Passive Up)	81% (R5) 76% (R1)	Provides a simple DMG Bonus and ATK%.	EM
Toukabou Shigure R5	80%	Provides a simple DMG Bonus and EM.	ATK%
Summit Shaper R1 (4 Stacks)	79%	Prestacking required for maximum potential.	EM
Iron Sting R5 (2 Stacks)	77%	Provides DMG Bonus and EM. Prestacking required for maximum potential.	ATK%
Blackcliff Longsword R1 (0 Stacks)	76%	Blackcliff Longsword with 0 Stacks is much less desirable.	EM
Iron Sting R1 (2 Stacks)	73%	Provides DMG Bonus and EM. Prestacking required for maximum potential.	ATK%

Nuke Artifact Sets

Artifact Set DPS% is relative to 4pc Lavawalker.

4pc Archaic Petra	102%	For this set to function, Xingqiu has to be hit by a Geo attack to trigger Crystallize off of his Rain Sword orbitals.
4pc Lavawalker	100%	The best unconditional set for Nuke Xingqiu.
2pc Heart of Depth + 2pc Nymph’s Dream	98%	Unconditional, but 5% less DMG Bonus than 4pc Lavawalker.
4pc Gilded Dreams	97%	Requires Xingqiu to trigger an Elemental Reaction before he uses his Skill.
4pc Nymph’s Dream	96% (3 Stacks) 92% (2 Stacks)	3 Stacks of Nymph’s Dream is only really feasible if you can do a Plunging Attack, which may not always be possible.
2pc 15% Hydro DMG Set + 2pc 80 EM Set	95%	Unconditional, but Xingqiu is very saturated with EM, making this set less valuable.
2pc 15% Hydro DMG Set + 2pc 18% ATK Set	95%	Unconditional, but Xingqiu is very saturated with ATK, making this set less valuable.
4pc Crimson Witch of Flame	91%	Unconditional, but just use Lavawalker.
No Set Bonus	84%	Get a set bonus.

Nuke Artifact Stats

Sands	Goblet	Circlet
ER% or ATK%	Hydro DMG%	CRIT Rate or CRIT DMG

Nuke Substat Priority:
CRIT DMG > EM = ATK%

Mechanics

N1 Weaving

Triggering Xingqiu's Burst

Regardless of whether Xingqiu is played as an on-field or off-field DPS, a majority of his damage comes from his Burst. Thus, it is important to maximize the number of Burst triggers in a rotation. As a general rule of thumb, every Skill or Burst from a teammate should be accompanied by a quick Normal Attack. Luckily, most characters’ first Normal Attack has a fast animation, and Xingqiu’s Burst triggers on animation, not hit.

What Is N1 Weaving?

N1 weaving during Xingqiu’s Burst is key to getting all of its value. The term refers to adding N1’s before or after characters’ abilities to get a wave of Xingqiu’s sword rain attacks. Most of the time, Xingqiu’s Burst is cast near the beginning of the rotation, which allows you to swap through the rest of your party before going to the character that uses most of the field time.

It is important to know that you do not need to do a full N1 animation to trigger Xingqiu’s sword rain attacks.

Which Characters Should I Weave With?

Different characters have different normal attack timings, so the frequency of Xingqiu’s sword rain attacks varies. Generally speaking, Claymore characters have much slower N1 animations; the wave of sword rain attacks takes longer to come out and you have to do more of the N1 animation to trigger Xingqiu’s Burst. However, a character with quick Normal Attack animations can’t just spam sword rain attacks due to the ~1s cooldown per wave. For this reason, you want to space out your NA’s around 1s between each NA.

Canceling the Normal Attack Animation

One might argue that doing these N1’s takes field time away from the character you want to have on-field. However, most of the time when you add in a N1, you can cast a Burst, Skill or swap almost immediately after, which cuts down animation time. By not N1 weaving during Xingqiu’s Burst, you lose a significant amount of damage and Hydro application; it is strongly recommended to learn how to N1 weave.

C6 Xingqiu Energy with Weaving

On top of this, the more sword rain attacks you get out, the more you trigger Xingqiu’s C6 passive, which increases not only sword rain attack damage but also his personal Energy generation.

Example Team with N1 Weaving

In this team, where Xingqiu’s Hydro application is not only important for Dendro Core generation but also for DPS, effective N1 weaving is vital to gameplay. If we compare two rotations, one with N1 weaving and one without, we can see how many sword rain attacks the first rotation adds.

Comparison

N1 Weaving	No N1 Weaving
14 Burst Procs	11 Burst Procs
Nahida E Q -> Yelan E -> Xingqiu Q N1 E N1 -> Yelan Q N1 -> Thoma N1 Q N1 E -> Nahida N3D -> Yelan N1 E -> Nahida 3 (N3D) N3C	Nahida E Q -> Yelan E -> Xingqiu Q E -> Yelan Q -> Thoma Q E -> Nahida N3D N2C -> Yelan E -> Nahida 3 (N3D) N3C *N2C in Nahida field time needs to be added so Yelan E lines up properly. Normally the N1’s in the previous rotation fill in this time*

For every N1 in the first rotation that is not in the second rotation, that is one sword rain attack lost (excluding Thoma’s first N1). The difference between the two rotations is about 3 waves total, equating to anywhere between 7 and 10 sword rain attacks, which is a non-negligible amount of damage. This does not take into account the extra Hydro application, which aids in creating Dendro Cores.

Dedicated On-Fielder Difference

Something worth mentioning is that since Nahida is on-field for a relatively long time in both rotations, the sword rain attack wave output appears similar. In teams where there is not a main on-fielder (like Quickswap teams) the difference in sword rain attack waves can become much higher if you do not N1 weave. 

Combos

• N# = Corresponding number of consecutive Normal Attacks
• E = Skill*
• Q = Burst

*It is important to dash cancel Xingqiu’s Skill to minimize unnecessary field time unless you need to save Stamina (e.g. Hu Tao teams).

(E) EQ	The standard Skill into Burst for prefunneling particles. It is viable if your team doesn’t let you switch back to Xingqiu again later in the rotation (see When to Separate Burst and Skill). The downside is that Xingqiu does not take advantage of his C4 and particles are wasted if Xingqiu is Frozen (see Xingqiu’s Self-Cleanse). Nevertheless, it takes up less field time than QE(E) due to N1 weaving being strongly encouraged with the latter.
EQE With N1 Weaving: EQ N1 E N1	EQE is not recommended since it lengthens the amount of time between Skill uses and therefore extends 21s rotations.
QE (E) With N1 Weaving: Q N1 E N1 (E)	Burst into Skill gives the extra 50% Skill damage from Xingqiu’s C4, but risks Burst uptime. If you swap to another character too quickly, Xingqiu does not catch his particles and struggles to get his Burst up in the next rotation. Staying on-field to catch the particles increases Xingqiu’s field time. One workaround is the “book trick” — opening the Adventurer’s Handbook or some other menu to “pause” the game (particles will not be “paused,” so Xingqiu can catch all of his particles). The N1 weaving version is a strong opening for many rotations. It’s especially useful if Xingqiu has Favonius Sword, as it greatly increases the chance of triggering the passive.
N5	Although not Xingqiu’s best combo for raw Physical damage (that’s N2C for those wondering), a full N5 string is best at triggering his Burst. Since a majority of his damage comes from his Burst, N5 is recommended over all other combos for on-field Xingqiu.

Internal Cooldown

One part of Xingqiu’s kit that makes him such a valuable unit is his Hydro application. This is due to the way his Burst interacts with Internal Cooldown of Elemental Applications (ICD). To fully understand ICD, it is also important to grasp the fundamentals of Elemental Gauge Theory (EGT). It is highly recommended to read about ICD and EGT to comprehend the rest of this section. In-depth explanations of both concepts can be found in the KQM Theorycrafting Library and the hyperlinks above.

Xingqiu has two main sources of Hydro application, the sword rain attacks from his Elemental Burst and the Rain Sword orbitals from his Elemental Burst or Skill. While Xingqiu’s Burst makes up a majority of his Hydro application, his orbitals contribute a noteworthy amount as well. Xingqiu’s Hydro application from his orbitals have a ~2.25s ICD, and the Hydro from his Burst will be applied once every 3 hits.

C0-C5 Xingqiu Hydro Application

Xingqiu’s sword rain attacks hit in waves that alternate between 2 and 3; this is referred to as a 2-3-2 sequence.

*0s is the time the first wave of sword rain attacks from Xingqiu’s Burst hits the enemy and each wave after that is ~1s apart from one another.

Xingqiu gets an initial Hydro application upon casting his Burst from his Hydro orbitals.  This is followed up by the orbital Hydro being applied every ~2.25s, which can be viewed as applying Hydro from the orbitals on every other wave (it’s important to note that Xingqiu’s orbital Rain Swords will hit around ~0.6s before his sword rain attacks hit). The sword rain attacks apply Hydro every 3 hits and the ICD time rule resets the sword rain's ICD every 2.5s. Because of this, waves three and four provide 2 separate instances of Hydro application that can be triggered back to back.

C6 Xingqiu Hydro Application

Xingqiu’s sword rain attacks at C6 share the same ICD properties as C0-C5, with the main difference being the amount of sword rain attacks per wave. At C6, Xingqiu’s Burst alternates between 2, 3 and 5 sword rain attacks respectively; this is referred to as a 2-3-5 sequence.

*0s is the time the first wave of sword rain attacks from Xingqiu’s Burst hits the enemy and each wave after that is ~1s apart from one another.

Similar to the C0-C5 Hydro application, Xingqiu has initial Hydro application from his Burst’s Hydro orbitals. The orbitals then apply Hydro every ~2.25s, which can be viewed as applying Hydro on  every other wave (it’s important to note that Xingqiu’s orbital Rain Swords will hit around ~0.6s before his sword rain attacks hit). The sword rain attacks apply Hydro every 3 hits and the ICD time rule resets the sword rain's ICD every 2.5s. Because of this, waves three and four provide 2 separate instances of Hydro application that can be triggered back to back.

Importance of Orbital Hydro Application

The extra Hydro application from the orbitals helps a lot in teams where another Element is being constantly applied, commonly seen in Nahida's Hyperbloom teams and Hu Tao's Vaporize teams. In the case of Hu Tao teams, other Hydro appliers struggle to apply enough Hydro to let her consistently Vaporize her Charged Attacks. These scenarios potentialize the Hydro application provided by Xingqiu’s orbitals in maintaining the Hydro aura on opponents.

Due to the abundance of Xingqiu’s Hydro application, he is the premiere Hydro applier for most team compositions.

Rotation Crafting

Understanding rotation crafting allows players to get the most out of Xingqiu’s abilities. It helps solidify Xingqiu’s correspondence with the rest of the team, and create smooth flowing rotations. 

Utilization of N1 Weaving

As discussed in the N1 Weaving section, proper N1 weaving with Xingqiu’s Burst provides the most from his sword rain attacks. It is highly recommended to read the N1 Weaving section as it covers the essentials of understanding the concept.

If a character takes field time when Xingqiu’s Burst is active, do an N1 before or after your Elemental Skill/Burst to get in an extra wave. If you ended the previous character’s field time with an N1, open your next character’s field time with their Skill or Burst then N1 due to the 1s cooldown of Xingqiu’s Burst waves. Otherwise, put in an N1 between most inputs as long as they are at least 1s apart.

When to Separate Burst and Skill

A huge misconception is that you should always E Q to prefunnel the Energy into his Burst or Q E to get the buff from Xingqiu’s C4. While both of these combos are effective ways to use Xingqiu’s Skill, there is another way to use it in rotations: separating the usage of the Burst and Skill.

Since Xingqiu’s Skill has a high multiplier, you can use it in rotational downtime to keep DPS up. In many rotations, there is some downtime where using the high multiplier on Xingqiu’s E and the buff from his C4 can lead to a significant DPS increase. Doing so may also help control the Elemental aura on the enemy. In these teams, the rotation isn’t too strict and you can freely swap into Xingqiu without losing too much DPS on another character.

Examples of these teams include: Hyperbloom, Taser, Burgeon, and Bloom teams. Example teams and scenarios in which you are not able to separate your Skill from your Burst would include but are not limited to: Hu Tao VV Vape teams and Yoimiya teams. 

Example Team

Sample Rotation: 
Nahida E Q -> Xingqiu Q N2 -> Fischl E N1 -> Thoma E N1 Q -> Nahida NA spam Until Oz runs out -> Fischl N2 Q -> Nahida E N1 -> Xingqiu N1 E N2 -> Nahida NA Spam until Xingqiu’s Burst runs out

This team makes extremely good use of using Xingqiu’s Skill and Burst separately in a rotation. Not only does Xingqiu’s Skill give higher DPS by filling rotation downtime, but it also prevents a Burning aura and ensures constant Dendro Core generation.

Maximizing Off-Field Elemental Application

One of the most essential parts of rotation crafting is understanding the order in which you should use your off-field DPS/supports abilities. A general rule to follow is that you should open with the longest-lasting ability. The reason Xingqiu uses his Elemental Burst at the beginning of many rotations is because it lasts for 18s at C2+. In a team where there are a lot of off-field abilities, it is important to make sure your cooldowns and Elemental application uptime line up properly.

A team like Sucrose Hyperbloom (image above) requires that Fischl, Xingqiu, and Dendro Traveler all have their off-field application going at the same time. Part of rotation crafting is learning to get the most overlap in their uptime and Elemental application as possible. Maximizing the uptime overlap allows you to take advantage of whatever reaction, in this case Hyperbloom, for as long as possible.

*This graphic assumes Constellation 6 on Xingqiu, Dendro Traveler and Fischl.

Other Things to Consider

With all this being said, maximizing the overlap in their off-field Burst uptime isn’t the only important aspect of rotation crafting. Other reasons may influence your rotation in such a way that doesn’t fully maximize uptime. These include:

• Making sure you have enough Energy to consistently use your Bursts.
• Lining up the cooldowns of your Elemental application.
• Triggering Elemental Reactions in a certain order.
• Controlling the way some Bursts interact with enemies and Elements (e.g. Dendro Traveler’s Burst has different variations depending on the first Element it comes into contact with).

Even comfort can be a good reason for a certain rotation. Xingqiu’s interruption resistance makes gameplay much easier (by preventing you from getting canceled during your animations), so casting his Burst at the beginning is plausible. Just make sure that if you play a character that relies on Xingqiu’s Burst for Elemental application, his Burst doesn’t run out during their field time (i.e. Vaporize carries like Hu Tao or Yoimiya).

Forward Vaping Xingqiu’s Skill

Xingqiu’s Skill has no ICD, which makes it possible to Vape both hits for big damage. This can be done via the usage of Xiangling’s Guoba and Pyronado. However, the timing is difficult as it requires one hit to Vape with the former and the other hit with the latter. It also requires the enemy to be cleared of any preexisting Elemental auras (this includes any Hydro application from Xingqiu’s Burst or orbitals) so that they don’t interfere with the reaction setup. There are specific teams built around Forward Vaporizing Xingqiu’s Elemental Skill, notably including Amber, that can allow one to easily Vaporize both hits of his Elemental Skill.

This technique is niche, but allows Xingqiu to front-load damage in a rotation. The more investment your Xingqiu has, the more valuable this becomes. It’s worth noting that taking advantage of Xingqiu’s C4 is difficult without fast and well-timed Pyro application due to his orbitals’ Hydro application.

Xingqiu’s Self-Cleanse

Xingqiu’s Skill applies Hydro to himself for the length of his Skill’s animation (0.5s). This can work in favor of Xingqiu by cleansing auras such as the Smoldering Flames Ley Line Disorder. However, it can also stun him via Electro-Charged or immobilize him via Freeze if he is affected by an existing Electro or Cryo aura. If using Xingqiu’s Skill to prefunnel into his Burst, getting Frozen can result in wasted particles.

Character Synergies

There are a lot of characters that synergize with Xingqiu in Genshin Impact. This section overviews the general usage of characters that Xingqiu is often used with, along with gameplay tips for teams involving Xingqiu.

Teambuilding

Xingqiu vs. Yelan

Xingqiu and Yelan fill essentially the same role — fast Hydro appliers whose application triggers on Normal Attacks — which makes them desirable for many, many teams.

Damage and Utility

While Yelan has a higher damage potential (though the two are similar if Xingqiu is C6) and provides powerful universal buffing through her A4 Passive, she lacks Xingqiu’s quality-of-life and survivability boosts (damage reduction, minor healing, interruption resistance, etc.).

Hydro Application

Additionally, while both characters’ Hydro application is primarily single-target, Xingqiu’s Rain Sword orbitals also apply Hydro to enemies who hug a little too close; in scenarios where there is a high rate of Pyro application, Xingqiu’s higher Hydro application becomes preferable over Yelan’s.

Scaling and Constellations

Xingqiu’s other benefits are locked behind Constellations (e.g., Hydro RES Shred and +3 sec Burst duration at C2, extra Hydro application at C6, etc.), but as a 4-star who is available in the Starglitter Shop, they are not too difficult to attain. On the flip side, Yelan’s full HP scaling may make her easier to farm for, even though she does not benefit from ATK buffs (even if neither Yelan’s nor Xingqiu’s Bursts snapshot these buffs). 

Flexibility

All in all, many of Xingqiu and Yelan’s differences are so minute that any team which works with Yelan will also work with Xingqiu (and vice versa). It’s less about which one is better and more about the fact that having both opens up your choices for making two Abyss teams or, even better, putting them together in the same team.

Xingqiu and Yelan (Double Hydro)

Xingqiu paired with Yelan practically guarantees that a Hydro aura is always on the enemy. Since they are both Hydro characters, they can battery each other’s high cost Bursts while increasing Yelan’s HP through Hydro Resonance. Xingqiu’s C2 Hydro RES Shred benefits both of them as well. The last two slots in a Xingqiu-Yelan team are extremely flexible.

Xingqiu	Provides extra Energy for Yelan on top of Hydro RES Shred at C2. Both characters primarily function as off-field DPS and Hydro appliers.
Yelan	Provides extra Energy for Xingqiu and DMG Bonuses to whomever is on-field.
On-Field Flex	As neither Xingqiu nor Yelan has significant field time requirements, an on-field unit can be used to drive their Bursts and deal damage.
Flex	Provides personal damage, buffing, and/or survivability.

Example Teams

Sample Rotation: Double Hydro Hu Tao Rotation | Xingqiu Yelan Hu Tao Sucrose

Sample Rotation: Double Hydro Hyperbloom Rotation | Xingqiu Yelan Nahida Kuki

Vaporize

A strong and reliable team archetype that has stood the test of time. These teams are generally single-target due to the nature of Xingqiu and the fact that many Pyro units thrive in single-target. Many on-field Pyro DPS units also appreciate Xingqiu’s damage reduction and interruption resistance. This team's slots are very flexible: they can facilitate other reactions along with Vaporize such as Melt / Overloaded or provide defensive utility / additional damage.

Xingqiu	Fast off-field Hydro applier who can enable consistent Vapes. Also provides high personal damage.
Pyro DPS	Takes advantage of 1.5x Vaporize damage multiplier.
Flex	Provides personal damage, buffing, and/or survivability.

Example Teams

Sample Rotation: VV Vape Yoimiya Rotation | Xingqiu Kazuha Bennett Yoimiya

Sample Rotation: VV Vape Hu Tao Rotation | Xingqiu Hu Tao Amber Sucrose

Freeze

Any time you can take advantage of the Freeze reaction, Freeze teams are always a potent option. For this reason, Xingqiu’s ability to be a core part of a Freeze team is a strong benefit. Xingqiu’s main downside is that his application is mostly single-target; he can be outperformed by other Hydro units that apply Hydro consistently within AoE.

The team should have a dedicated on-field unit to trigger Xingqiu’s sword rain attacks for consistent application; commonly, the Cryo DPS also adopts this role. Characters like Ganyu struggle to trigger Xingqiu’s Burst effectively.

Xingqiu	Fast off-field Hydro applier. Also provides high personal damage.
Cryo DPS	Cryo damage dealer that is able to apply Cryo and keep enemies Frozen.
Cryo Flex	Any Cryo battery, buffer, or damage dealer that works with the other Cryo unit to maintain Freeze uptime and contribute to Cryo Resonance for the extra CRIT Rate boost
Anemo Flex	The Anemo slot is relatively flexible; as long as they carry 4pc VV, your Cryo character's damage is immensely boosted. Xingqiu prefers characters with good grouping to make up for his lack of AoE (his orbitals and Skill can help maintain Hydro application in AoE).

Example Team

Sample Rotation: Ayaka Freeze Rotation | Xingqiu Kazuha Diona Ayaka

Electro-Charged (Taser)

Taser teams maintain an Electro-Charged aura on the enemy via consistent Electro and Hydro application. An Electro-Charged aura allows both the Hydro and Electro aura to coexist; as a result, the Anemo character not only triggers Swirl to buff the Hydro and Electro characters in the team, but also Electro-Charged with a full EM build for impressive damage.

On-Field Driver

It is convenient to have the Anemo character such as Sucrose trigger Electro-Charged on-field; but an on-field Electro/Hydro unit and an off-field Anemo support can be used instead. Regardless of the on-field character’s Element, it is important that they are good at driving Xingqiu and the other off-field DPS units’ Bursts, since a lot of the damage in Taser teams tends to come from them.

Xingqiu	High single-target damage and fast Hydro application. Also acts as your defensive option in the team via his damage reduction and small amount of healing.
Electro DPS	On/Off-field Electro DPS that can apply a good amount of Electro to take advantage of the Electro-Charged reaction.
Anemo Flex	On/Off-field Anemo support to reduce RES with 4pc VV and buff other DPS as well as triggering Swirls and additional Electro-Charged reactions.
Flex	Most commonly another Electro unit, but can also be another Hydro unit or a different unit that provides  utility / damage and doesn’t interfere with Elemental aura (e.g. Zhongli / Albedo).

Example Team

Sample Rotation: Sucrose Taser Rotation | Xingqiu Sucrose Fischl Beidou

Anemo Overvape (Soup)

Anemo Overvape (Soup) teams function similarly to Electro-Charged (Taser) teams but the flex slot goes to a Pyro unit.

Pyro Units

The two common Pyro units are Xiangling for her fast Pyro application and high damage and Thoma with his slower Pyro application and shield. Xiangling may be an obvious choice as she is a standout unit in many teams, but Thoma is actually quite good as well. Due to his slower Pyro application, he is able to consistently trigger Overloaded and do decent damage with a full EM build, as well as providing slight defensive utility when combined with Xingqiu.

Kazuha and Bennett

There are iterations of Soup that use Bennett as the Pyro unit and rely on the Anemo unit’s Absorption mechanics for Pyro application (the most useful and consistent one being Kazuha). Using Bennett can be useful if you want to buff either Xingqiu or the Electro unit as the on-field DPS. 

Xingqiu	High single-target damage and fast Hydro application. Also acts as your defensive option in the team via his damage reduction and small healing.
Pyro Flex	Off-field Pyro applier that triggers Overloaded and Vaporize.
Electro Flex	On/Off-field Electro DPS that can apply a good amount of Electro to take advantage of the Electro-Charged reaction.
Anemo Flex	Anemo unit that generally absorbs or Swirls Pyro if possible (Sucrose, Kazuha, Venti, Jean [if the Pyro Flex is Bennett]) to trigger high damage Overloads as well as Swirling other Elements to buff teammates.

Example Team

Sample Rotation: Sucrose Soup Rotation | Xingqiu Xiangling Fischl Sucrose

Hyperbloom

This team's 3-person core is extremely strong, allowing the last slot in the team to be extremely flexible. If the Electro slot is a Hyperbloom trigger (e.g. Kuki or Raiden), the flex slot can be anybody who provides further utility or damage without interfering with the team’s Hyperblooms. If they are simply an Electro applier instead (e.g. Fischl or Beidou), you want the last slot to be a Hyperbloom trigger, whether that is an Anemo character (e.g. Sucrose or Heizou) or an on-field Electro unit (e.g. Cyno). The latter type of characters serves the purpose of driving off-field abilities while also triggering Hyperblooms.

Xingqiu’s ability to consolidate multiple roles becomes very noticeable when you have a team that requires a minimum of 3 different Elements to trigger one reaction. He becomes even more outstanding when you realize that he is generally the best Hydro applier for Hyperbloom teams without compromise, despite being able to fill so many different roles.

Xingqiu	High single-target damage and fast Hydro application. Also acts as your defensive option in the team via his damage reduction and small amount of healing.
Dendro Flex	On/Off-field Dendro applier that works together with Xingqiu to create Dendro Cores.
Electro Flex	The Electro flex can either be Hyperbloom trigger or an Electro applier that doesn’t hit the Dendro Cores too much.
Flex	Very flexible last slot; can be Electro trigger for Hyperbloom if you do not already have one, an Anemo character for support and triggering Hyperblooms, or even another off-field DPS that doesn’t interfere with reactions too much.

Example Team

Sample Rotation: Double Hydro Hyperbloom Rotation | Xingqiu Yelan Nahida Kuki

Quickbloom

Despite Quickbloom and Hyperbloom teams sharing the same core Elements, they are quite different in the way that they play. Quickbloom teams aim to maintain some Quicken uptime to trigger Aggravate or Spread reactions, while also creating a decent amount of Dendro Cores for Hyperbloom damage. These teams focus on both a character’s personal damage and reaction damage from Hyperbloom and Spread / Aggravate. It’s important to mention that the increased Hydro application from C6 Xingqiu may turn many Quickbloom teams into Hyperbloom-esque teams.

Xingqiu	High single-target damage and fast Hydro application. Also acts as your defensive option in the team via his damage reduction and small amount of healing.
Dendro Flex	On/Off-field Dendro applier that works together with Xingqiu to create Dendro Cores while also maintaining Quicken uptime. If on-field, they will be a DPS that triggers both Spread and Bloom.
Electro Flex	On/Off-field Electro applier that is either used to maintain Quicken uptime or be the Aggravate and Hyperbloom trigger.
Flex	Very flexible last slot; can be another off-field DPS or a support.

Example Team

Sample Rotation: Alhaitham Quickbloom Rotation | Xingqiu Alhaitham Nahida Raiden

Bountiful Bloom (Nilou)

Despite Nilou being very niche in which teammates she can pick to take advantage of her Bountiful Cores, Xingqiu is definitely one of her best teammates. Though his damage reduction does not reduce Bloom self-damage, his fast Hydro application and single-target damage help a lot. Due to two slots being taken up by Xingqiu and Nilou, leftover slot options are limited; nevertheless, it is important to have consistent healing so you don’t die to your own Bountiful Cores.

Xingqiu	High single-target damage and fast Hydro application. Damage reduction doesn’t work on Bloom self-damage. Depending on the other units you choose, Xingqiu may trigger a significant portion of Bountiful Cores. In these teams, it is recommended to run more EM on him than usual.
Nilou	Through her Ascension Passives, Nilou  greatly boosts the Bloom reaction.
Dendro Flex	Dendro applier who works together with other units to trigger Blooms.
Flex	Can either be another Hydro or Dendro unit, both of whom work quite well. Bloom self-damage will push you to want a healer somewhere in your team. Depending on the characters you use, the character(s) triggering the most Blooms may also change. Check out the Nilou Quick Guide for more information.

Example Team

Sample Rotation: Nilou Bloom Rotation | Xingqiu Nilou Nahida Yaoyao

Freeze Bloom (Fridge)

Fridge teams take advantage of a unique interaction that occurs when a Dendro and Cryo aura coexist on an enemy. When Hydro interacts with the aura, it will not only trigger Freeze but also Bloom. However, if your Dendro application is too fast, there will be no Hydro aura to Freeze with. Despite these teams not being very competitive, in scenarios where you can take advantage of Freeze as well as the extra Dendro Cores, they can have some value in the CC and Bloom DMG the team provides.

Xingqiu	High single-target damage and fast Hydro application. Also acts as your defensive option in the team via his damage reduction and small healing.
Dendro Flex	Dendro applier that works together with other units to trigger Blooms.
Cryo Flex	Works with Xingqiu to eat away at his fast Hydro application to generate more Dendro Cores.
Flex	Very flexible last slot;  can be another off-field DPS, a support, or an Electro character that triggers Hyperbloom.

Example Team

Sample Rotation: HyperFridge Rotation | Xingqiu Nahida Rosaria Raiden

Mono Hydro

A surprisingly strong team that ignores reactions altogether to fully utilize Kazuha’s DMG Bonus buff. Many Hydro units are quite strong with Xingqiu as he can battery them while shredding Hydro RES (with C2); the Hydro Resonance can help as well. Kazuha is the best Anemo unit to use here because of his DMG Bonus buff, but other Anemo units work too as long as they are holding 4pc Viridescent Venerer.

Xingqiu	High single-target damage and fast Hydro application. Shreds Hydro RES with C2 and batteries other Hydro characters. Also acts as your defensive option in the team via his damage reduction and small healing.
Kazuha	Kazuha gives a substantial Elemental DMG Bonus to the entire team while also shredding Elemental RES with 4pc VV. His grouping allows attacks to hit in AoE much more easily.
Hydro Flex	Can be any Hydro unit that takes advantage of Kazuha’s buff. Preferably one on-fielder and one off-fielder.

Example Team

Sample Rotation: On-Field Kokomi Mono-Hydro Rotation | Kazuha Xingqiu Yelan Kokomi

On-Field DPS Xingqiu

This team allows Xingqiu to be on-field, who takes advantage of Bennett’s huge Flat ATK buff to deal high single-target damage via his sword rain attacks. Combined with other buffers, his personal damage can really shine. 

Xingqiu	High single-target damage and fast Hydro application. By attacking on-field, Xingqiu can take full advantage of his high multipliers.
Bennett	Provides a large Flat ATK buff to Xingqiu, allowing his personal damage to shine.
Hydro Flex	Flex slot should generally be another buffer like Kazuha but can also be a comfort option like Zhongli.

Example Team

Sample Rotation: On-Field Xingqiu Rotation | Xingqiu Bennett Yelan Kazuha

Afterword

Thanks so much for reading this Xingqiu guide! We hope it provided you with some insightful information about our favorite waterboy. Xingqiu has made it a long way from his release, where he is now a well-enjoyed staple unit in the Genshin Impact community. We would like to extend a huge thank you to everyone who has helped in immeasurable ways with this project through thick and thin.

If you would like to reach out with any questions or inquiries, feel free to find us at the KQM Discord. 

– Chase, Quincy, and Reimu

Credits

Writing: chasing_haze, quinslay, .reimu.

Calculations: quinslay, EduLis

Rotation Videos:, .reimu.

Readability Editing: rioau, idkanonymized

Theorycrafting Editing: Nikatosaurus, nociii

Transcription: irokei

Formatting: Latiwings, Casdela, chasing_haze

Consultation: Lettuce Hunt, Rare Possum, miannes, lactose., pweep, kay, Cuzimori, Potade

References

• Xingqiu Calculations Mastersheet
• Xingqiu 4.0 Weapon Calculations

Changelog

• 20 September 2021: Published for Version 2.1
• 9 October 2023: Rewritten and Updated for Version 4.0