Updated for Version 5.5

Candace is a 4★ Hydro Polearm character in Genshin Impact who provides Hydro Infusion to melee characters and buffs Normal Attacks. Learn about Candace’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.

Infographic

Support

Credits to: euphorysm, icedsquid & nova_licious

Bloom DPS

Credits to: euphorysm, cuppacote, haafr & madeofseaglass

On-Field DPS

Credits to: euphorysm, icedsquid & nova_licious

Character Overview

Playstyles

Off-Field Support

Arguably the role Candace is designed for, her off-field role takes full advantage of her kit to provide the on-field character with a Hydro Infusion and a Normal Attack DMG Bonus.

On-Field Driver/DPS

In teams with no dedicated on-field character, Candace can be the driver for the team and make use of her own Infusion, as well as additional Skill uses. Note that Candace cannot trigger her own C6.

Candace’s on-field build and playstyle is beyond the scope of this Quick Guide.

Talents

Talent Priority

Character Level > Burst ≥ Skill

If Candace is played as an on-field DPS, leveling her Normal Attack Talent is of highest priority.

Candace’s Elemental Skill and Burst Talent levels only improve her personal damage. They can be left unleveled for a low investment build. Leveling her to 90 increases her A4 buff, which scales with her Max HP.

Talent Overview

Constellations

Infusion Mechanic

Candace’s Hydro Infusion works on Sword, Polearm, and Claymore characters. The Infusion lasts 1s and is refreshed every 0.5s while her Burst is active.

If it comes into contact with another Infusion, an Elemental Reaction might occur on the active character’s weapon. To understand which Element the weapon ends up applying, click here to learn more about Infusion mechanics.

For example, her Hydro Infusion is able to overtake Bennett’s C6 Pyro Infusion, Diluc’s Pyro Infusion, Keqing’s Electro Infusion etc. Chongyun’s Cryo Infusion leads to a Frozen reaction and leaves a Frozen aura on the weapon, which applies Cryo.

Candace’s Hydro Infusion cannot override nor overtake Elemental Conversions such as Arlecchino, Xiao, Itto, etc.

Artifacts

ER Requirements

It is highly recommended to use 2 Skills per Burst to reduce Candace’s high ER requirements.

Scenarios where Candace uses 2 Skills assume that she only catches one set of particles.

Scenario	Solo Hydro	Double Hydro	Triple Hydro
1 Skill	260-280%	220-250%	180-200%
2 Skills	230-260%	180-200%	150-165%

General ER requirements for a 20s rotation.

• Each Favonius proc reduces ER requirements by ~15-25%. If Candace catches the particles, it reduces ER requirements by an additional ~10%.
• Each R5 Kitain Cross Spear proc reduces ER requirements by ~30%.
• Catching her second set of Skill particles reduces ER requirements by ~20-30%.
• Not catching her first set of Skill particles increases ER requirements by ~20-30%.

Use the Energy Recharge Calculator to determine exact requirements for your team and rotation. For more details on how Favonius weapons will affect your team, please use Ac1d’s Favonius Mastersheet.

Support

Artifact Stats

Sands	Goblet	Circlet
HP% / Energy Recharge	HP% / Hydro DMG Bonus	HP% / CRIT

Stat Priority: ER (until requirement) > CRIT Rate (Favonius) > HP% ≈ CRIT DMG

At C6, Hydro DMG% and CRIT is generally preferred. However, as Candace’s damage contribution remains relatively low even at C6, it may not be worth investing Resin into building Candace for personal damage, since a full HP% set is much easier to farm.

Artifact Sets

4pc Scroll of the Hero of Cinder City	4pc Scroll of the Hero of Cinder City (Scroll) is a strong set, especially for characters that don’t scale with ATK. Its 2-piece effect helps Candace’s ER requirements tremendously in teams with a Natlan character.
4pc Noblesse Oblige	4pc Noblesse Oblige is an alternative to 4pc Scroll that has similar or better performance in ATK-scaling teams. Its 2-piece effect improves Candace’s damage further.
4pc Emblem of Severed Fate	4pc Emblem of Severed Fate (Emblem) is the best set for Candace’s own personal damage. The 2-piece effect helps meet her ER requirements.
4pc Instructor	4pc Instructor gives a good EM buff that is appreciated in reaction-based teams. To get the effect, Candace needs to trigger a reaction while on-field. Note that 4-star artifacts give less stats; this reduces Candace’s personal damage and makes it harder to reach her ER requirements and build enough CRIT Rate for Favonius Lance.
2pc Mixed Sets	2pc Set Bonuses: HP%, Energy Recharge, Scroll of the Hero of Cinder City*, Hydro DMG Bonus, Burst DMG Bonus These 2-piece combinations provide relevant stats to Candace. The combination of 2pc Emblem and 2pc Scroll can be extremely helpful to meet Candace’s high ER requirements. *Note that to activate 2pc Scroll’s set effect, a Natlan character needs to be in the party.

Bloom DPS

Artifact Stats

Sands	Goblet	Circlet
Elemental Mastery / Energy Recharge	Elemental Mastery	Elemental Mastery

Stat Priority: ER (until requirement) > EM > CRIT Rate (Favonius) > HP%

This is Candace’s build if she deals damage from Bloom via her Hydro application from off-field or her own Hydro Infusion while on-field. Candace should not use this build in Hyperbloom and Burgeon teams.

Artifact Sets

4pc Flower of Paradise Lost	4pc Flower of Paradise Lost (FoPL) is a tailor-made set for Bloom reactions and is the best set for Candace in Nilou Bloom.
4pc Gilded Dreams	4pc Gilded Dreams performs worse than 4pc FoPL but can be farmed more efficiently alongside 4pc Deepwood Memories.
4pc Deepwood Memories	4pc Deepwood Memories is a necessary artifact set for Bloom teams. Generally, other teammates should hold this set instead of Candace herself.
2pc Mixed Sets	2pc Set Bonuses: Elemental Mastery These 2-piece combinations are the bare minimum for a Bloom playstyle.

Weapons

Support

4★ Favonius Lance	Favonius Lance is the go-to option for Candace as it reduces ER requirements for the whole team. Candace does not mind building CRIT Rate over HP% stats.
High CRIT substat Polearms	5★ Staff of Homa, Staff of the Scarlet Sands, Lumidouce Elegy; 4★ Deathmatch Solid CRIT stat sticks that improve Candace’s personal damage. Staff of Homa is noteworthy for its additional HP% stats, while Staff of the Scarlet Sands provides a higher CRIT substat. Non-listed CRIT weapons are weak as they have high Base ATK and useless passives for Candace, whose damage scales with HP.
5★ Engulfing Lightning	Engulfing Lightning is the highest ER stat stick Candace can hold. It is a comfortable option to meet her high ER requirements.
4★ The Catch	The Catch helps Candace meet her ER requirements while buffing the biggest part of her damage.
5★ Skyward Spine	Skyward Spine is a solid option for Candace’s damage that also offers an ER substat to help her meet ER requirements.
4★ Wave­break­er’s Fin (R5)	Wavebreaker’s Fin, at R5, provides a strong DMG Bonus to Candace’s Burst damage, provided high-cost Bursts are cast. This weapon does not provide ER, which can make it fall behind other options in teams with high ER needs.
4★ Rightful Reward	Rightful Reward is a craftable weapon with a passive that restores 16 Energy to Candace, provided she receives healing (even from off-field). Its HP% substat, while lower than Black Tassel’s, is still appreciated.
4★ Prototype Starglitter	Prototype Starglitter is a craftable option that Candace can use to meet her ER requirements. Refinements to this weapon are useless when she’s off-field.
3★ Black Tassel (R5)	Black Tassel is a cheap option that improves her Normal Attack DMG buff from her A4 Passive. It doesn’t help with Candace’s ER requirements, which are often more important. It also has solid drip on Candace.

Bloom DPS

4★ Dragon’s Bane	Candace’s go-to weapon in teams where she does damage through Blooms. A good EM stat stick.
4★ Kitain Cross Spear	Kitain Cross Spear is a good craftable option that helps Candace meet her ER requirements while still providing a decent amount of EM.
4★ Ballad of the Fjords	Ballad of the Fjords provides a higher amount of EM than Dragon’s Bane at R5. Its passive is very restrictive and rarely active for Candace in teams where her EM matters.
4★ Favonius Lance	Favonius Lance can be used to meet Candace and the team’s ER requirements. As the weapon doesn’t provide any EM, it generally performs worse when she deals a good portion of the team’s damage.

Teams

Teambuilding

• Candace’s teams usually center around buffing an on-field Normal Attack DPS or providing a Hydro Infusion to melee characters.
• In teams with no dedicated on-fielders, swapping between characters is preferred, but Candace can also act as the driver and stay on-field.

Best Synergies

Nilou	Candace can work well in Nilou teams at any Constellation; however, her C6 is still a strong boost to her personal Bloom damage. Sword, Polearm and Claymore characters in Nilou teams can make use of Candace’s Hydro Infusion to trigger Bloom themselves and benefit from any EM they have built. Swapping characters and weaving Normal Attacks are incentivised to trigger Candace’s Hydro application on swap and  apply Hydro via her Infusion respectively.
Mualani	Mualani lacks synergistic teammates, making Candace one of her better options. Candace provides a Normal Attack DMG Bonus, an HP% buff from Hydro Resonance, and some Hydro Particles. Mualani’s affinity for speedruns also makes Candace’s shorter 4-star animations stand out. Note that in certain setups, Candace’s C6 might prevent Mualani from properly Vaporizing her abilities.
Arlecchino	In contrast to Mualani, Arlecchino needs Candace C6 if she wants to use her as a solo Hydro for a Vaporize team. Candace provides a Normal Attack DMG Bonus and some AoE Hydro application at C6. While Arlecchino’s AoE is not large, she can still do a good amount of damage in multi-target scenarios when enemies are grouped, making Candace one of her better Hydro options. Her short cooldowns also line up well with Arlecchino’s preference for shorter rotations.

Reverse-Vaporize

Candace’s only sources of Hydro application pre-C6 are her Hydro Infusion and Hydro application when swapping teammates. For on-field Pyro damage dealers, these sources are negligible and Candace needs her C6 to offer any meaningful Hydro application. Even then, such Hydro application is slow, making her unable to keep up with most Pyro damage dealers as a solo Hydro except for Arlecchino.

Notable Teammates

Arlecchino	With C6 Candace’s AoE Hydro application, Arlecchino can Vaporize more of her Normal Attacks in multi-target scenarios if enemies are grouped enough. Candace’s Normal Attack DMG Bonus and ability to perform shorter rotations make her stand out over other Vaporize options.
Bennett	Candace’s Infusion overtakes Bennett’s C6 Pyro Infusion, which allows a C6 Bennett to Vaporize his Skills and Burst using Hydro-infused Normal Attacks. Additionally, being on-field means he can spam his Skill, generating more Energy for Xiangling and the rest of the team.
Xiangling	Candace can supplement other Hydro units with additional Hydro application to properly Vaporize Xiangling’s Burst.
Yoimiya	Bennett and Yun Jin are strong buffers for Yoimiya and cannot be replaced by Candace. Nonetheless, Candace still provides a solid Normal Attack DMG Bonus. Additionally, at C6, Candace can supplement a character like Furina with additional Hydro application to improve Yoimiya’s Vaporize reliability. This application has low range however, which clashes with Yoimiya’s ranged playstyle.
Hu Tao	Similarly to Yoimiya, Candace can use her C6 to supplement another Hydro unit like Yelan or Furina in Hu Tao teams. Hu Tao also appreciates the HP% buff from Hydro Resonance.
Xingqiu	Xingqiu’s Burst does not snapshot any buffs; however, when used on-field, his abilities can benefit from Bennett’s Flat ATK buff. Additionally, his Hydro-infused Normal Attacks benefit from any Hydro DMG Bonus from his kit and the Hydro RES Shred from his C2.

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.

Arlecchino makes use of Candace’s AoE Hydro application from her C6 to Vaporize her hits in multi-target scenarios, especially with Kazuha’s grouping. While Candace’s cooldowns allow her to run shorter rotations with Arlecchino, her ER requirements might be too high to meet without a second Skill cast. Xilonen allows Candace to use 2pc Scroll, heavily reducing her ER requirements.

Sample Rotation (Xilonen)
Arlecchino E > Bennett EQ > Xilonen E N2 > Candace EQ > Arlecchino C combo

Sample Rotation (Kazuha)
Arlecchino E > Bennett EQ > Kazuha tEP > Candace EQ > Arlecchino C combo > Candace E N2

At C0, Yelan struggles with maintaining Hydro aura reliably for Hu Tao to Vaporize her attacks. Candace’s extra Hydro application from C6 can make the team more consistent; she also provides Hydro Particles for Yelan and a Normal Attack DMG buff to Hu Tao. Additionally, Hydro Resonance benefits every member of this team.

Sample Rotation
Zhongli ED > Yelan EQ N1 > Candace E N1 Q N1 > Hu Tao E combo > Candace E N2

A Xiangling Vaporize team where Bennett takes the field to use his Skill and battery the team. Since Xingqiu’s Burst does not snapshot, he can also swap on-field to refresh Bennett’s buff and use some Hydro-infused Normal Attacks, which are further buffed by his kit. While Furina’s Hydro application alone isn’t enough for Xiangling to Vaporize her Burst, Candace helps improve Vaporize consistency especially at C6.

Sample Rotation (Xingqiu)
Candace EQ > Xingqiu Q N1 > Bennett E N1 Q > Xiangling N1 ED Q > Xingqiu ED¹ N1 > Bennett N2 E > Xingqiu N3 > Bennett N2 E > Xingqiu N2 > Bennett N2 E > Xiangling N3

¹Wait for Bennett’s buff before using.

Sample Rotation (Furina)
Furina ED Q > Candace EQ > Bennett Q E > Xiangling Q E > Candace E N1 > Bennett N2 E N3 E N1 > Candace E N1 > Bennett N2 E N3 E

Bloom

Candace can act as the Hydro applier for Bloom teams. If her Hydro Infusion is used, she doesn’t need her C6; nevertheless, her C6 is still a big boost in Hydro application for such teams. At C6, and with a character that cannot utilize her Hydro Infusion, her Hydro application is slow enough to maintain good uptime for Quicken auras.

Note that if a character has Hydro-infused Normal Attacks and triggers a Bloom reaction, the Dendro Core explosion damage will scale with that character’s Level and EM — not with Candace’s stats.

Notable Teammates

Nilou	In Nilou teams, Candace’s Hydro Infusion allows any melee teammate to generate Dendro Cores with their Infused attacks, which incentivizes building more EM.
Dendro Traveler, Yaoyao	Dendro Traveler can use the Hydro Infusion to get more Bloom ownership in Nilou Bloom, which further capitalizes any EM they have built. Yaoyao operates in the same manner, but also provides a large amount of healing with her Burst.
Beidou	Surprisingly, Candace is a great driver for Beidou’s Burst, triggering 11 discharges easily by spamming her full attack string (N4). Candace’s relatively slow Hydro application preserves Quicken uptime to improve Beidou’s damage in Hyperbloom teams.
Razor	In Quickbloom and Hyperbloom teams, Candace’s Hydro Infusion allows Razor to maintain high Electro-Charged ownership and generate more Dendro Cores for his Burst to trigger Hyperbloom.
Clorinde	At C6, Candace helps generate some Dendro Cores in Clorinde Quickbloom teams. Additionally, Clorinde appreciates Candace’s Normal Attack DMG Bonus and her short cooldowns in her teams.
Raiden Shogun, Kuki Shinobu	Candace can be used as a Hydro applier, especially at C6, in Hyperbloom teams. Both Raiden and Kuki can stay on-field and use their lovely Normal Attacks in such teams. If Nahida is on the team, they can additionally make use of her EM buff.
Albedo	At a glance, there’s no innate synergy between Candace and Albedo. However, Albedo can use a full EM build in a Shatterbloom archetype, where he triggers Shatters and Blooms often. Albedo maintains ownership of the Bloom reaction using Hydro-infused Normal Attacks. Candace’s C6 is very appreciated and she should also use a full EM build in this team.

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.

Candace’s Hydro Infusion allows characters like Yaoyao and Dendro Traveler to get a high share of Bloom ownership. Candace herself also gets a surprising amount of Bloom ownership through her Hydro application from swaps and her C6. Note that when Candace is on-field, her C6 will not proc.

Sample Rotation (Nahida)
Nilou E N2 E > Nahida E Q N1C > Candace EQ N2 > Yaoyao QD 2[N3D]¹ E > Nahida E N1C > Candace E N2 > Nilou N1 (Q)

Sample Rotation (Dendro Traveler)
Nilou E N2 E > Dendro Traveler EQ > Candace EQ N2 > Yaoyao QD 2[N3D]¹ E > Dendro Traveler E N3 > Candace E N2 > (Nilou Q)

Using Candace’s Hydro Infusion, Kuki can stay on-field and benefit from Nahida’s EM buff. Candace can also be swapped to and used as a driver for Beidou’s Burst, even if her C6 doesn’t trigger. Fischl and Beidou don’t interact much with Dendro Cores, allowing Kuki to have high ownership of Hyperblooms. Candace has very little damage potential in this team, so it’s recommended to use 4pc Instructor on her for the large teamwide EM boost.

Sample Rotation (Fischl)
Nahida E Q > Fischl E/Q > Candace EQ N1 > Kuki N1 Q N1 E 2[N1C] > Candace E N1 > Kuki 2[N1C] N1

Sample Rotation (Beidou)
Nahida E > Kuki E > Beidou EQ > Candace N1 Q N3 E N1 > Nahida E N2C > Beidou E N2 > Kuki N1 Q N1 > Candace E N2

Candace provides Clorinde with a Normal Attack DMG Bonus and some off-field Hydro application at C6, allowing Clorinde to trigger some Hyperblooms while still having high Quicken uptime. Candace’s short cooldowns line up well with Clorinde’s rotations, although her ER requirements are high in this team.

Sample Rotation
Nahida E (Q)¹ > Fischl E/Q > Candace EQ N1 > Clorinde combo Q

¹Use if available. Do an N2C if not.

Generic Buffer

Candace can act as a generic Normal Attack buffer. She’s best used with other Hydro units as they can make use of Hydro Resonance, her Hydro Particles and possibly her Hydro Infusion, allowing them to deal more personal damage.

Notable Teammates

Mualani	Mualani’s main source of damage is her Sharky’s Bites, which make great use of Candace’s Normal Attack DMG Bonus. Additionally, due to lacking sources of HP% buffs, Hydro Resonance becomes a strong source of added damage. Note that at C6, Candace may prevent Mualani from properly Vaporizing her abilities.
Ayato	While Yun Jin buffs Ayato’s damage more, her performance drops in multi-target scenarios; meanwhile Candace’s performance remains the same. Ayato’s HP scaling is poor, making Hydro Resonance a miniscule increase to his damage, but Candace’s extra Hydro Particles are still appreciated.
Kokomi	Compared to Ayato, Kokomi benefits more from Hydro Resonance and the additional Hydro Particles as her Burst is more important for her damage.
Xingqiu	Xinqiu’s Hydro-infused Normal Attacks benefit from any Hydro DMG Bonus in his build and the Hydro RES Shred from his C2.
Furina	Furina doesn’t have any innate synergies with Candace, but if Candace is used in a Mono Hydro team, Furina is commonly present. While Plunge Attacks do not benefit from Candace’s Normal Attack DMG Bonus, Candace’s Hydro Infusion unlocks a Plunge team for Furina (without her C6) when used with Xianyun.
Wriothesley	Using Candace incentivizes combos with more Normal Attacks when playing Wriothesley. At C6, she can help keep decent Freeze uptime against opponents.
Wanderer	Similarly to Wriothesley, Wanderer is incentivized to use combos with more Normal Attacks. Candace can also help Wanderer trigger the Hydro buff of his A1 Passive, which extends his flight duration. Note that Wanderer’s flight height makes Candace’s C6 miss enemies frequently.

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.

Candace provides Mualani with Hydro Resonance and a good Normal Attack DMG Bonus. She is also a cheap and relatively easy to use option pre-C6. The Hydro application from Candace’s C6 occurs after Mualani’s Normal Attack, meaning Candace won’t interfere with the first Vaporize. For subsequent Vaporizes, the Hydro aura on the enemy would need to be replaced with a Pyro aura, which is not always achievable in practice, especially without a Dendro unit or Xiangling’s Burst.

Sample Rotation (Mavuika)
Candace EQ > Xilonen E N2 > Mavuika Q ED > Mualani E combo (Q)

Sample Rotation (Xiangling)
Mualani N1 > Xilonen E N2 > Xiangling Q ED > Candace EQ > Mualani E combo Q > Candace E > Xilonen E N2 > Xiangling E > Mualani E combo

Similarly to Yun Jin, Candace can replace Yelan in a Mono Hydro team with Ayato. However, the value she provides is low as she’s only offering a Normal Attack DMG Bonus to Ayato. Candace’s ER requirements are fairly low in this team, allowing her to run a more offensive build.

Sample Rotation
Xilonen Q > Furina ED Q > Xilonen E N2 > Candace EQ > Ayato E N15 > Xilonen E N2 > Candace E > Ayato Q N2 E N10

While Plunge Attacks do not benefit from Candace’s Normal Attack DMG Bonus, players can still pair Furina with Candace in a Xianyun team to emulate C6 Furina.

Sample Rotation
Furina ED Q > Xianyun EPQ > Xilonen E N2 > Candace EQ > (Xianyun N3)¹ > Furina 8[JP] > Xilonen E N2 > Candace E N1

¹Can be used to refresh 4pc VV.

Credits

Quick Guide Contributors: quinslay, .athene., lesterberne, pjeljr, alehannita

Previous Quick Guide Contributors: juko, .athene., mina, idkanonymized, Nociii, konodiada, Seima, uhinf1999

Team images made with the KQM portrait generator.