Updated for Version 4.2

Ayato is a 5-star Hydro Sword character in Genshin Impact who uses his Elemental Skill and Burst to deal considerable Hydro damage. He is a flexible and versatile Hydro DPS unit. Learn about Ayato’s best builds, best weapons, best artifacts, and best teams in this quick guide.

Note that the information given may change if new discoveries are made. More extensive testing is in progress.

The full-length guide is available here. It is currently being updated.

New Content

Infographic

Design: angtahimik
Content: luno_

Character Overview

Pros

Strong, consistent damage output in both multi-target and single-target scenarios
Valuable on-field and off-field Hydro application
Wide variety of team compositions
Multiple Resin-efficient artifact options
High viability without Constellations

Cons

12s Skill cooldown resulting in 24–25s rotations which do not sync well with most other characters’ cooldowns
Free-to-play weapon selection that performs significantly worse than other options
Lack of front-loaded damage without Constellations
Competition from other Hydro units
Team compositions that require highly-contested teammates

Playstyles

Ayato is primarily an on-field DPS unit, but he does have some off-field potential via his Burst. This quick guide focuses on Ayato’s on-field playstyle.

On-Field DPS

As an on-field DPS, Ayato generally uses two Elemental Skills per Burst. He can enable or trigger Elemental Reactions in his teams.

Off-Field Burst DPS

As an off-field Burst DPS, Ayato uses only one Skill per Burst to decrease his field time. Instead, he capitalizes on his Burst’s off-field AoE Hydro application to enable different reactions.

Talents

Level and Talent Priority

Talents Priority:
Skill ≥ Level 90 > Burst

Level 90 is recommended to maximize the damage from Ayato’s Namisen stacks. Ayato does not need to level his Normal Attack Talent since the damage from his Shunsuiken attacks (Hydro-infused Normal Attacks after using his Skill) scales with his Elemental Skill Talent.

Talent Overview

Normal Attack

Elemental Skill

Elemental Burst

Ascension 1 Passive

Ascension 4 Passive

Normal Attack

Normal Attack | Kamisato Art: Marobashi

Talent Description

Normal Attack
Performs up to 5 rapid strikes.

Charged Attack
Consumes a certain amount of Stamina to dash forward and perform an iai.

Plunging Attack
Plunges from mid-air to strike the ground below, damaging opponents along the path and dealing AoE DMG upon impact.

Ayato’s Hydro-infused Normal Attacks do not scale with his Normal Attack Talent. His Physical Normal Attacks are never used in combat.

Elemental Skill

Elemental Skill | Kamisato Art: Kyouka

Talent Description

Kamisato Ayato shifts positions and enters the Takimeguri Kanka state.
After this shift, he will leave a watery illusion at his original location. After it is formed, the watery illusion will explode if opponents are nearby or after its duration ends, dealing AoE Hydro DMG.

Takimeguri Kanka
In this state, Kamisato Ayato uses his Shunsuiken to engage in blindingly fast attacks, causing DMG from his Normal Attacks to be converted into AoE Hydro DMG. This cannot be overridden.
It also has the following properties:

After a Shunsuiken attack hits an opponent, it will grant Ayato the Namisen effect, increasing the DMG dealt by Shunsuiken based on Ayato’s current Max HP. The initial maximum number of Namisen stacks is 4, and 1 stack can be gained through Shunsuiken every 0.1s. This effect will be dispelled when Takimeguri Kanka ends.
Kamisato Ayato’s resistance to interruption is increased.
Unable to use Charged or Plunging Attacks.

Takimeguri Kanka will be cleared when Ayato leaves the field. Using Kamisato Art: Kyouka again while in the Takimeguri Kanka state will reset and replace the pre-existing state.

Ayato’s Elemental Skill provides the bulk of his damage. After casting his Skill, Ayato can perform 15 consecutive Shunsuiken attacks at C0. These attacks generate Hydro Pparticles and apply Hydro. Shunsuiken attacks have a noticeably large AoE, which means that Ayato can still hit enemies who are not tightly grouped.

Note that you can hold down the Normal Attack button to perform Shunsuiken attacks. You do not have to individually perform each Shunsuiken attack.

Elemental Burst

Elemental Burst | Kamisato Art: Suiyuu

Talent Description

Unveils a garden of purity that silences the cacophony within.
While this space exists, Bloomwater Blades will constantly rain down and attack opponents within its AoE, dealing Hydro DMG and increasing the Normal Attack DMG of characters within.

Ayato’s Elemental Burst deals AoE Hydro damage through Bloomwater Blades, which we refer to as droplets. Characters within the Burst radius gain a Normal Attack DMG Bonus.

Droplet Targeting

Enemies within the Burst’s AoE are targeted by droplets for 18s. The droplets are summoned in waves, with a maximum of 4 droplets per wave, and a maximum total of 36 droplets altogether. Each enemy within the Burst AoE for its entire duration is guaranteed to be hit by 9 droplets, with a random amount of additional hits occurring depending on enemy size.

Quadratic Scaling

Individual droplets deal damage in a small AoE. Enemies that are grouped closely enough can take damage from droplets that target another enemy. This results in quadratic scaling damage; that is, the number of damage instances from droplets can equal the number of enemies if they are grouped closely enough. For Ayato’s Burst, the quadratic scaling effect caps at 4 enemies.

Ascension 1 Passive

Ascension 1 Passive | Kamisato Art: Mine Wo Matoishi Kiyotaki

Talent Description

Kamisato Art: Kyouka has the following properties:

After it is used, Kamisato Ayato will gain 2 Namisen stacks.
When the water illusion explodes, Ayato will gain a Namisen effect equal to the maximum number of stacks possible.

Ayato’s A1 Passive lets him start out with 2 Namisen stacks after casting his Elemental Skill. When his clone explodes, he gains the maximum amount possible of Namisen stacks (4 or 5 depending on Constellation).

Ascension 4 Passive

Ascension 4 Passive | Kamisato Art: Michiyuku Hagetsu

Talent Description

If Kamisato Ayato is not on the field and his Energy is less than 40, he will regenerate 2 Energy for himself every second.

Ayato’s A4 Passive can help lower his ER requirements. The Energy generated from this passive is Flat Energy, which is not affected by ER% stats.

Constellations

Ayato’s C2 and C3 are good stopping points before going for C6. It is not worth pulling solely for his C1.
Calcs for Constellation comparisons can be found here (last updated for Version 2.8).

Constellation 1

Constellation 2

Constellation 3

Constellation 4

Constellation 5

Constellation 6

Constellation 1

Constellation 1 | Kyouka Fuushi

Shunsuiken DMG is increased by 40% against opponents with 50% HP or less.

Ayato’s C1 is unreliable and dependent on enemy health. It has a minuscule impact on his damage in most cases.

Constellation 2

Constellation 2 | World Source

Namisen’s maximum stack count is increased to 5. When Kamisato Ayato has at least 3 Namisen stacks, his Max HP is increased by 50%.

Ayato’s C2 increases his usual cumulative Namisen stack damage from 57 stacks to 69 (assuming 15 Shunsuiken attacks per Skill), resulting in a significant damage increase. It also increases his Max HP by 50% if he has at least 3 active stacks.

Constellation 3

Constellation 3 | To Admire the Flowers

Increases the Level of Kamisato Art: Kyouka by 3.
Maximum upgrade level is 15.

Ayato’s C3 is quite strong since it increases the damage from his Skill, the primary source of his damage. This Constellation also synergizes with his C2.

Constellation 4

Constellation 4 | Endless Flow

After using Kamisato Art: Suiyuu, all nearby party members will have 15% increased Normal Attack SPD for 15s.

Ayato’s C4 increases the whole team’s Normal Attack SPD, which allows him to perform 2–3 more Shunsuiken attacks per Skill. This results in a solid overall damage increase.

Constellation 5

Constellation 5 | Bansui Ichiro

Increases the Level of Kamisato Art: Suiyuu by 3.
Maximum upgrade level is 15.

Ayato’s C5 increases his Burst’s damage, which results in a minor damage buff.

Constellation 6

Constellation 6 | Boundless Origin

After using Kamisato Art: Kyouka, Ayato’s next Shunsuiken attack will create 2 extra Shunsuiken strikes when they hit opponents, each one dealing 450% of Ayato’s ATK as DMG.

Both these Shunsuiken attacks will not be affected by Namisen.

Ayato’s C6 provides a large amount of front-loaded damage after using his Skill, resulting in a considerable damage increase.

Artifacts

ER Requirements

For an on-field DPS playstyle, refer to the 2 Skill Uses rows. For an off-field Burst DPS playstyle, refer to the 1 Skill Use row.

2 Skill Uses — With Fischl	130–140%
2 Skill Uses — No Fischl	150–170%
1 Skill Use — Double Hydro	140–150%
1 Skill Use — Solo Hydro	200%+

Teammate Favonius procs reduce ER requirements by 10–15%.
Electro Resonance lowers ER requirements by 5–10%.

Use the Energy Recharge Calculator to determine exact requirements for your team and rotation.

Artifact Stats

Stat Priority: ER% until requirement > CRIT > ATK% > HP%

An ER% Sands can be used to meet Ayato’s ER requirements if he is used as an off-field Burst DPS.

While Ayato can make use of HP% substats, they should not be prioritized over CRIT or ATK%.

Artifact Sets

We recommend that you use Genshin Optimizer to compare your actual artifacts.

Calcs for artifact comparisons can be found here (last updated for Version 3.6).

Recommended Sets

All of these sets perform similarly. Choose the option that has the best substats for your account.

Niche Sets

These sets depend on different circumstances to be viable.

Weapons

Calcs for weapon comparisons can be found here (last updated for Version 3.6).

Amenoma Kageuchi is not recommended for Ayato over Kagotsurube Isshin.

Teams

This is not a comprehensive list of teams. The inclusion or exclusion of any given team does not necessarily reflect its power level.

Rotation Notation

N = Normal Attack
C = Charged Attack
A = Aimed Shot
P = Plunging Attack

E = Elemental Skill
tE = Tap Skill
hE = Hold Skill

Q = Elemental Burst

D = dash cancel
J = jump cancel
W = walk cancel

> = switch character
( ) = these actions are optional; please refer to the notes below
[ ] = repeat these actions the specified number of times

Teambuilding

Dendro

Anemo

Geo

Electro

Pyro

Hydro

Cryo

Dendro

Ayato currently shines in Dendro teams. One or two Dendro teammates can be used in his Hyperbloom, Burgeon, and Nilou Bloom teams.

Anemo

Anemo units are strongly recommended in Ayato’s non-Dendro teams due to their ability to hold 4pc Viridescent Venerer (which shreds enemy Hydro RES with Hydro Swirls).

Geo

Geo teammates are generally not recommended with Ayato; however, they can be viable in a few team archetypes.

Electro

Electro teammates allow for Hyperbloom, Electro-Charged, and Overvape team compositions.

Pyro

Pyro teammates enable Vaporize or Burgeon.

Hydro

Ayato benefits greatly from Hydro teammates since they help lower his ER requirements. They are especially powerful in Burgeon, Mono Hydro, and Hypercarry teams.

Cryo

Cryo teammates generally appear in Ayato’s Freeze teams. Two Cryo teammates are required to enable Cryo Resonance.

Hyperbloom

**Ayato — Shinobu / Raiden — Dendro — Flex**

Ayato performs well in Hyperbloom teams. Ayato’s AoE Hydro application from his Shunsuiken attacks and Burst droplets produce a significant amount of Dendro Cores.

Kuki Shinobu and Raiden Shogun are the only viable Hyperbloom triggers with Ayato. The flex slot can be an off-field Electro, Dendro, Hydro, or Geo teammate.

Example Teams

This is not a comprehensive list of teams. The inclusion or exclusion of any given team does not necessarily reflect its power level.

This is a great Hyperbloom team. Fischl may occasionally steal Hyperblooms from Shinobu, but Fischl’s personal damage more than makes up for the difference.

Sample Rotation
This team has a flexible rotation. Oz and Shinobu’s Skill just need to be refreshed at consistent intervals. Nahida’s Burst is typically irrelevant.

Burgeon

Ayato and Thoma Burgeon teams work quite well. Ayato’s AoE Hydro application is helpful in mitigating Burning (which limits Dendro Core production). Ayato’s Shunsuiken attacks proc Thoma’s Burst and refresh his shield. The flex slot is generally a Hydro, Electro, or Dendro teammate.

Example Teams

This is one of Ayato’s stronger Burgeon teams. Fischl helps eliminate Burning and provides strong personal damage.

Sample Rotation
Ayato Q > Fischl E > Nahida E N1 Q > Thoma EQ N1 > Ayato E N15 > Fischl Q > Nahida N2 E N2 > Thoma N1 E > Ayato E N15

**Ayato — Thoma — Dendro Traveler — Collei**

This is a more accessible Burgeon composition. Dendro Traveler’s Burst must first come in contact with Hydro to prevent it from exploding from Thoma’s Pyro application. Collei provides additional Dendro application and enables Dendro Resonance.

Sample Rotation
Ayato Q > Traveler Q ED > Collei E > Thoma Q N1 E > Ayato E N15 > Traveler E N2 > Collei N1 Q E > Thoma E > Ayato E N15

This rotation assumes C1+ Thoma. Depending on how fast you execute the rotation, you may have to fill some downtime with additional Normal Attacks to accommodate Thoma’s Skill cooldown.

Nilou Bloom

Ayato works well in Nilou Bloom teams, an archetype that is incredibly strong in AoE scenarios. At least one of the Dendro characters must be a healer. Triple Hydro Nilou Bloom teams with Nahida are generally not recommended.

Example Teams

This is Ayato’s highest-performing Nilou Bloom team (with defensive units). Baizhu provides valuable defensive utility and increases damage from the active character’s Blooms. Nahida provides strong Dendro application, an EM buff, and high personal damage.

Sample Rotation
This team has a generally flexible rotation. Start with Nilou’s Skill and Burst. Use Skills and Bursts when they are available.

**Ayato — Nilou — Yaoyao — Dendro Traveler**

This is a more accessible Nilou Bloom team. Yaoyao can use her Burst to provide additional healing if necessary.

Sample Rotation
This team has a generally flexible rotation. Start with Nilou’s Skill and Burst. Use Skills and Bursts when they are available.

Anemo Overvape

Ayato’s Anemo Overvape teams (formerly known as Soup) are incredibly strong in both multi-target and single-target scenarios. Bennett is almost always used thanks to his strong Flat ATK buff, healing, and self-applied Pyro within his Burst (which allows the Anemo unit to absorb Pyro).

Example Teams

This is one of Ayato’s highest-performing teams in both single-target and multi-target scenarios.

Sample Rotation
Ayato Q > Fischl E > Kazuha N1 hEP > Ayato E N15 > Bennett EQ > Fischl Q > Kazuha N1 tEP Q > Ayato E N15

This team can suffer from “Circle Impact” issues since the on-field character has to stay within both Bennett and Jean’s Bursts to enable the Sunfire effect. As such, it is only recommended in single-target or very-low–AoE scenarios.

Sample Rotation
Bennett EQ > Ayato Q > Fischl E > Jean EQ > Ayato E N15 > Bennett E > Fischl Q > Jean E > Ayato E N15

Vape

Ayato is a viable Vape DPS in teams with Bennett and Xiangling. He inconsistently sustains Hydro auras on enemies, which means either him or Xiangling will be the Vaporize trigger. An Anemo, Electro, or Geo flex slot is typically recommended.

Example Teams

**Ayato — Bennett — Xiangling — Sucrose**

This team employs Sucrose’s Guoba Swirl technique to obtain Pyro RES Shred via 4pc Viridescent Venerer.

Sample Rotation
Ayato Q > Bennett Q E > Xiangling E > Sucrose E (Guoba Swirl) > Xiangling Q > Ayato E N15 > Bennett E > Xiangling N2 > Sucrose E > Bennett E > Xiangling E > Ayato E N15

**Ayato — Bennett — Xiangling — Fischl**

This Ayato Overvape team is incredibly powerful, especially in single-target scenarios. In the latter half of the rotation, Normal Attacks can be used to fill downtime between Ayato’s Skill. In practice, this could also be dashing to a new wave of enemies or waiting for boss invulnerability windows.

Sample Rotation
Ayato Q > Bennett EQ > Fischl N1 E > Xiangling QE > Ayato E N15 > Fischl N2 Q > Bennett N1 E > Xiangling N4 E > Ayato E N15

Electro-Charged

Ayato’s Electro-Charged teams (also known as “Taser” by some) do not actually focus on the reaction. Rather, the Electro-Charged aura maintained on enemies allows Ayato to use Lion’s Roar and enables an Anemo unit to consistently Swirl both Hydro and Electro.

Ayato can opt to use 4pc Thundering Fury in this team composition.

Example Teams

This team’s rotation assumes Ayato is on 4pc Thundering Fury. On another set, the rotation is extended by a few seconds to accommodate Ayato’s downtime.

Sample Rotation
Ayato Q > Fischl E/Q > Venti EQ > Beidou EQ > Ayato E N15 E N15 > Beidou E > Venti E

Another Electro-Charged option. This rotation does not assume 4pc Thundering Fury.

Sample Rotation
Ayato Q > Shinobu E > Yae 3[E] > Kazuha hEP > Ayato E N15 > Yae Q 3[E] > Shinobu E > Kazuha hEP Q > Ayato E N15

Shinobu’s Skill may come off cooldown a bit later in subsequent rotations, but you can easily swap in and refresh it at any point.

Freeze

Ayato’s Freeze teams generally do not perform as well as his other options. Nonetheless, they are viable in AoE scenarios with enemies that can be Frozen. Ayato can opt to use 4pc Blizzard Strayer; however, his Cryo teammates generally use the set better if you have limited artifact selection.

As an off-field Burst DPS, Ayato underperforms in comparison to Kokomi and Mona.

Example Teams

This team’s rotation is quite flexible due to their low cooldowns, and other rotations may be better based on wave content. It is possible to skip Ayato’s Burst every other rotation to accommodate a 15s rotation, which also helps alleviate his ER requirements.

Sample Rotation
Ayato Q > Rosaria E > Kazuha N1 hEP Q > Rosaria Q E > Kaeya E Q > Ayato E N15 > Kaeya E > Rosaria E > Kazuha N1 tEP > Ayato E N15

This Freeze team trades off between damage and Ayato’s ER requirements. One Charged Shot from Ganyu takes about the same time as 5 of Ayato’s Shunsuiken attacks, but Ganyu’s Charged Shots deal significantly more damage at equal investment. As such, there are 2 possible rotations to accommodate damage or ER requirement considerations.

Sample Rotation (Ganyu 1[C] + Ayato N15)
Diona (Q) hE > Ganyu EQ > Venti EQ > Ayato Q > Ganyu 1[C] > Venti E N1 > Ayato E N15

Sample Rotation (Ganyu 2[C] + Ayato N10)
Diona (Q) hE > Ganyu EQ > Venti EQ > Ayato Q > Ganyu 2[C] > Venti E N1 > Ayato E N10

Mono Hydro and Hypercarry

Ayato’s Mono Hydro and Hypercarry teams generally underperform in comparison to his reaction-based teams. However, they can be viable depending on your Ayato’s level of investment and your available teammate selection. Mono Hydro teams in particular help lower all the Hydro teammates’ ER requirements.

Example Teams

This is one of many possible Ayato-Furina teams. Kokomi provides teamwide healing to counteract Furina’s HP drain. Kazuha’s Hydro DMG% buff and 4pc Viridescent Venerer Hydro RES Shred are incredibly powerful. Yelan and Jean together is also a great option.

Sample Rotation
Furina E(D) Q > Kokomi E > Kazuha hEP > Ayato Q > Kazuha Q > Ayato E N15 > Kokomi Q 3[N3D] > Kazuha tEP > Ayato E N15

This Mono Hydro team is a comfortable pick that performs well in single-target scenarios. Zhongli should hold 4pc Archaic Petra and pick up Hydro Crystallize shards when possible.

Sample Rotation
(Yelan C) > Zhongli hE > Xingqiu EQ (E) > Ayato E N15 Q > Yelan Q N1 E > Zhongli tE > Ayato E N15

Yelan performs a Charged Attack at the beginning of the first rotation so Zhongli can trigger Hydro Crystallize for 4pc Archaic Petra.

This team is not recommended unless you have significant investment into Ayato.

Sample Rotation
Ayato Q > Bennett EQ > Candace EQ > Kazuha N1 tEP Q > Ayato E N15 > Kazuha N1 hEP > Candace E > Ayato E N15

Credits

luno_, kolvii, irokei, reens, polomo, quinslay, bunnycookie, rrei., fritzzes, idk.anonymized, mina, seima, Leah, cinders_pear

Team images made with the KQM portrait generator.

Furina	Furina is a good option in Ayato’s Mono Hydro and Hypercarry teams, granted there is teamwide healing provided from a unit like Kokomi or Jean. She also helps lower Ayato’s ER requirements.
Charlotte	Charlotte is a comfort pick in Ayato’s Freeze teams. She is generally not recommended.
Lynette	Lynette is a viable option in Ayato’s non-Dendro teams thanks to her Taunt and AoE Elemental application (depending on which Element her Burst absorbs).
Baizhu	Baizhu is a strong defensive choice and good buffer in Ayato’s Dendro-related teams. He is one of two healing Dendro options available in Nilou Bloom.
Yaoyao	Yaoyao is a 4-star alternative to Baizhu. She provides 15s of AoE Dendro application and healing with her Skill. She does not need to worry about using her Burst (except for emergency healing), which removes any need to build ER.
Nilou	Ayato is a great Hydro option in Nilou Bloom teams.
Splendor of Tranquil Waters	Splendor of Tranquil Waters is a good option for Ayato if you have a spare. It performs on par with R5 Black Sword and R1 Light of Foliar Incision.
Finale of the Deep	Finale of the Deep can be a good free option for Ayato in teams with strong healers (e.g., Bennett or Kokomi). Further testing is needed to determine its exact viability.
Light of Foliar Incision	Light of Foliar Incision is a strong option for Ayato. It generally performs on par with R5 Black Sword, but it improves with EM buffs (e.g., Sucrose’s A1/A4, Kazuha’s C2, Nahida’s A1).
Nymph’s Dream	4pc Nymph’s Dream is a great option, performing on par with 4pc Gladiator’s Finale and 4pc Heart of Depth. Ayato can usually reach only 2 stacks, unless his clone deals damage to an enemy.

Sands	Goblet	Circlet
ATK% or Energy Recharge	Hydro DMG Bonus	CRIT Rate or CRIT DMG

4pc Heart of Depth	4pc Heart of Depth is one of Ayato’s best sets. It usually performs better without additional Hydro DMG Bonus from teammates or Ayato’s weapon.
4pc Gladiator’s Finale	4pc Gladiator’s Finale is another top contender. It performs slightly better with weapons that provide less ATK but more DMG% stats.
4pc Nymph’s Dream	4pc Nymph’s Dream is a great option, performing on par with 4pc Gladiator’s Finale and 4pc Heart of Depth. Ayato can usually reach only 2 stacks, unless his clone deals damage to an enemy.
2pc + 2pc Combinations	2pc Hydro DMG% + 2pc ATK% 2pc Hydro DMG% + 2pc Hydro DMG% 2pc ATK% + 2pc ATK% These combinations of 2pc sets can be as strong as the aforementioned 4pc sets depending on substats. Depending on your artifact farming practices, these may be your best option. Use G enshin Optimizer to compare your actual artifacts.

4pc Echoes of an Offering	4pc Echoes of an Offering is only recommended if you have consistent ping below 100ms. The 4pc effect activation rate is inconsistent at higher ping. Echoes of an Offering is not generally recommended to farm. It performs just slightly better than the recommended sets above even if you can effectively use it. Its Domain is also typically less Resin-efficient.
4pc Thundering Fury	4pc Thundering Fury is an option in Electro-Charged teams with 2 Electro characters (primarily Fischl and Beidou). In these teams specifically, its 4pc effect reduces Ayato’s Skill cooldown enough to perform consecutive Skill uses without a 6s break. The DPS increase from using this set is minor (around 5–6%); however, it is noted here if you already have a good set or think the playstyle is fun.
4pc Blizzard Strayer	4pc Blizzard Strayer is only viable in Freeze teams. It outperforms other options assuming high Freeze uptime. It may be better for Ayato’s Cryo teammates to hold 4pc Blizzard Strayer instead and for Ayato to hold one of his recommended sets above, depending on your artifact availability.
4pc Emblem of Severed Fate	4pc Emblem of Severed Fate is recommended for Ayato if he is the only Hydro character and he serves as an off-field Burst DPS unit. Nonetheless, any of his recommended sets perform similarly if you can meet his ER requirements.

Haran Geppaku Futsu	Haran Geppaku Futsu is Ayato’s Best-in-Slot. It provides Ayato with a myriad of beneficial stats.
Primordial Jade Cutter	Primordial Jade Cutter is Ayato’s second-strongest weapon. It provides high CRIT Rate and an unconditional passive effect.
Mistsplitter Reforged	Mistsplitter Reforged is Ayato’s third-best option. Ayato can struggle to maintain maximum stacks in his typical rotations, which makes it fall further behind his top two picks. It does perform relatively stronger in off-field Burst DPS playstyles, however.
Splendor of Tranquil Waters	Splendor of Tranquil Waters is a good option for Ayato if you have a spare. It performs on par with R5 Black Sword and R1 Light of Foliar Incision.
Light of Foliar Incision	Light of Foliar Incision is a strong option for Ayato. It generally performs on par with R5 Black Sword, but its viability improves with EM buffs (e.g., Sucrose’s A1/A4, Kazuha’s C2, Nahida’s A1).
Skyward Blade	Skyward Blade helps meet Ayato’s ER requirements and performs roughly on par with R1 Black Sword. Ayato can execute a couple more slashes per Skill thanks to the Attack SPD buff from its passive.
Black Sword	The Black Sword is Ayato’s strongest 4-star weapon option. It provides a valuable CRIT Rate secondary stat and a Normal Attack DMG Bonus. Refinements from R1 to R5 only result in a 6–7% DPS increase.
Kagotsurube Isshin	Kagotsurube Isshin is Ayato’s best free option, available from Kazuha’s second Story Quest. It provides ATK stats and not much else. Ayato can snapshot its passive effect onto his Burst, so perform a single Normal Attack at the beginning of his rotations if you are using this weapon.
Harbinger of Dawn	R5 Harbinger of Dawn is a strong option only if you can keep Ayato above 90% Max HP. It performs on par with Black Sword R1 in these circumstances. However, it is unusual for Ayato to maintain the passive effect due to his on-field presence and typical teammate selection.
Lion’s Roar	In Electro-Charged teams only, Lion’s Roar is a strong 4-star option for Ayato. In other cases, it performs very poorly.