Updated for Version 3.4
Xiangling is a 4-star Pyro Polearm character who provides excellent off-field damage as well as Pyro application to allow herself or a teammate to trigger Pyro-related reactions.
Players can obtain a free copy of Xiangling upon clearing Floor 3 of Spiral Abyss.
The full-length guide is available here.
Table of Contents
New Content
| Yaoyao | Yaoyao is a new 4-star Dendro Polearm character that can apply Dendro and heal the team. Burgeon teams with Yaoyao and Xiangling are possible; however, they often require two Hydro units to maintain Dendro Core production. It is better to compose a Burgeon team that includes Bennett, Tartaglia, and another Dendro character such as Nahida or Traveler. See Burgeon for more details. |
| Staff of the Scarlet Sands | This 5-star Polearm is Xiangling’s Best-in-Slot option for most of her teams. It provides a large amount of CRIT Rate and a powerful passive, even without stacks. However, it might not be worth going for since “The Catch” is a completely free option that fares only slightly worse. See Weapons for more information. |
Character Overview
Talent Priority
Burst > Skill >> Normal Attack
Xiangling’s Burst should be prioritized as it provides the greatest portion of her damage. Her Elemental Skill also dishes out substantial DPS with each hit potentially dealing damage on par with a hit of her Burst. It is not recommended to level Xiangling’s Normal Attack.
Talents
Normal Attack | Dough-Fu
Talent Description
Normal Attack
Performs up to five consecutive spear strikes.
Charged Attack
Consumes a certain amount of Stamina to lunge forward, dealing damage to opponents along the way.
Plunging Attack
Plunges from mid-air to strike the ground below, damaging opponents along the path and dealing AoE DMG upon impact.
Xiangling’s Normal Attacks are the least significant part of her kit. They can be used to trigger off-field coordinated attacks or weapon passives, but leveling this Talent will not significantly increase Xiangling’s damage.
Elemental Skill | Guoba Attack
Talent Description
Summons Guoba, who will continuously breathe fire at opponents, dealing AoE Pyro DMG.
Xiangling’s Skill provides great off-field damage and decent Energy generation. It is important to place Guoba where he can consistently hit an enemy in order to manage Xiangling’s Energy needs and maximize her damage output.
Elemental Burst | Pyronado
Talent Description
Displaying her mastery over both fire and polearms, Xiangling sends a Pyronado whirling around her. The Pyronado will move with your character for the ability’s duration, dealing Pyro DMG to all opponents in its path.
Xiangling’s Burst is the most important part of her kit. It deals substantial AoE damage and enables Pyro-related reactions. Pyronado snapshots buffs and can trigger reactions on every swing after the initial three hits (i.e., it has no Internal Cooldown).
Ascension 1 Passive | Crossfire
Talent Description
Increases the flame range of Guoba by 20%.
Makes it easier for Guoba to hit enemies and helps with his consistency. Not much else to it.
Ascension 4 Passive | Beware, It’s Super Hot!
Talent Description
When Guoba Attack’s effects end, Guoba leaves a chili pepper on the spot where it disappeared. Picking up a chili pepper increases ATK by 10% for 10s.
Xiangling’s 4th Ascension Passive provides a small ATK buff to the character who picks up the pepper. While it can be nice, it is not worth wasting time to chase down the pepper if it is not in a convenient place.
Constellations
Constellation 1 | Crispy Outside, Tender Inside
Constellation Description
Opponents hit by Guoba’s attacks have their Pyro RES reduced by 15% for 6s.
A good Constellation that effectively increases Xiangling’s damage output. It more greatly benefits teams without other forms of Pyro RES Shred (such as an Anemo unit holding the 4p Viridescent Venerer set.)
Constellation 2 | Oil Meets Fire
Constellation Description
The last attack in a Normal Attack sequence applies the Implode status onto the opponent for 2s. An explosion will occur once this duration ends, dealing 75% of Xiangling’s ATK as AoE Pyro DMG.
This Constellation provides very little benefit because Xiangling rarely finishes her entire Normal Attack sequence. It is not recommended to perform her full sequence of Normal Attacks as it takes up too much field time.
Constellation 3 | Deepfry
Constellation Description
Increases the Level of Pyronado by 3.
Maximum upgrade level is 15.
A much appreciated and significant damage boost to Xiangling’s Burst.
Constellation 4 | Slowbake
Constellation Description
Pyronado’s duration is increased by 40%.
Xiangling’s strongest and most important Constellation. This Constellation greatly increases her and her team’s overall DPS even when Pyronado cannot trigger or enable reactions for its entire duration.
Constellation 5 | Guoba Mad
Constellation Description
Increases the Level of Guoba Attack by 3.
Maximum upgrade level is 15.
A decent Constellation that provides a damage boost to her Skill.
Constellation 6 | Condensed Pyronado
Constellation Description
For the duration of Pyronado, all party members receive a 15% Pyro DMG Bonus.
Unfortunately, Xiangling’s Burst itself does not snapshot this buff, but the Pyro DMG Bonus is still appreciated by her Pyro teammates. Guoba can also be buffed if Pyronado is cast beforehand.
Artifacts
ER Requirements
Xiangling’s ER requirements vary significantly depending on her team. Funneling the Pyro Energy particles generated by Bennett’s Skill to Xiangling helps tremendously with lowering her ER requirements. Kitain Cross Spear and Favonius Lance are also fantastic weapon options to help meet her high ER requirements.
| Kitain Cross Spear (R5) | Favonius Lance (1 Proc) | Other | |
| Solo Pyro | 205-270% | 215-270% | 255-330% |
| Double Pyro with Hu Tao | 235-270% | 240-270% | 290-335% |
| Double Pyro with Bennett | 170-195% | 180-205% | 205-240% |
| Raiden and Bennett | 110-125% | 130-145% | 155-165% |
Assumptions: Average particle RNG, Guoba lands 2 hits on enemies, Kitain Cross Spear R5 generates 15 Energy since Xiangling casts Burst before Skill, Bennett funnels 3 Skills
When played with Bennett, players should pre-funnel Energy particles using this sequence: Bennett’s Skill > Xiangling’s Burst > Xiangling’s Skill.
The Energy Recharge Calculator by Zakharov is available to calculate more specific Energy requirements for your given team and rotation.
Artifact Stats
 Sands |  Goblet |  Circlet |
| ER / EM / ATK% | Pyro DMG% | CRIT |
Substats: ER (until requirement) > CRIT > ATK% (= EM)
Generally, Xiangling should use an ER Sands with non-ER weapons, and EM or ATK% Sands with ER weapons.
An EM Sands is recommended when Xiangling can trigger a Transformative Reaction alongside Reverse Vape, such as Burgeon or Overloaded. EM and ATK% Sands perform similarly in other teams where Xiangling only triggers Reverse Vape on almost all of her damage. An ATK% Sands is best in teams where Xiangling does not trigger Elemental Reactions or cannot Reverse Vape all of her Burst hits.
Artifact Sets
| Artifact Set | Description |
| 4p Emblem of Severed Fate (4ESF) | Xiangling’s best set in almost every situation. Due to her high ER requirements, Xiangling benefits greatly from its set bonus. It is not recommended to consider other options when farming artifacts for Xiangling. |
| 4p Crimson Witch of Flames (4CWF) | A good option in teams where Xiangling triggers Pyro-related reactions. 4CWF can technically surpass 4ESF in Overvape teams with Sucrose. However, it is not recommended to farm since it falls behind 4ESF in every other situation. |
| 4p Gilded Dreams (4GD) | 4p Gilded Dreams is fine in any team where Xiangling triggers reactions where it performs on par with 4CWF. 4GD performs exceptionally well in Burgeon teams. |
| 2p/2p Combinations: CWF, EM, ATK%, ESF | In a pinch, Xiangling can use 2p/2p artifact set combinations that provide useful stats. Nonetheless, a good 4ESF set will perform much better. |
Weapons
Xiangling has many great weapon choices, and her best option depends on her team and build. The options described below will be noted for their excellence in a specific team where applicable.
| Weapon | Description |
| “The Catch” R5 | An incredibly strong free-to-play option received from Inazuma’s Fishing Association. Its ER secondary stat and passive at R5 let Xiangling deal tremendous damage with her Burst in any of her teams. This option is highly recommended as a good baseline, though other Polearms can surpass its potential damage. |
| Staff of the Scarlet Sands | Staff of the Scarlet Sands is Xiangling’s Best-in-Slot option in almost all of her teams. The stacks on its passive are cumbersome to obtain and not worth waiting for. But even without stacks, this option is still amazing and can have the highest potential damage for Xiangling. |
| Engulfing Lightning | For the most part, Engulfing Lightning performs on par with R5 “The Catch”. However, Engulfing Lightning and 4ESF allow Xiangling to run relatively high ER without sacrificing significant damage. This is Xiangling’s best option in teams without Bennett. |
| Staff of Homa | Xiangling cannot reliably obtain less than 50% HP; however, Staff of Homa is still a great option due to its raw stats. At R1, it performs about on par with “The Catch”. |
| Kitain Cross Spear R5 | Kitain Cross Spear’s strength comes from its ability to reduce Xiangling’s ER requirements. Its EM secondary stat, in conjunction with its Energy generation, make it the best 4-star option for Xiangling when she can use her Elemental Skill twice per rotation. Aside from that, it makes rotations more forgiving and reduces the need to battery Xiangling. |
| Favonius Lance | Favonius Lance is a great option to meet Xiangling’s own high ER requirements and lower her teammates’ ER requirements as well. The passive cannot be triggered off-field, but Xiangling’s three large AoE hits on her Burst’s initial swings usually allow for one proc per rotation even at low refinements. |
| Wavebreaker’s Fin | The passive gives Burst DMG% based on the total Burst Energy costs of all team members, so its value will vary depending on the team. This option is much better at R5, with external buffs, and with artifacts that have a lot of CRIT Rate and CRIT DMG rolls. |
| Dragon’s Bane | Dragon’s Bane possesses a valuable EM secondary stat and a strong passive for Xiangling that scales very well with refinements. It is competitive with “The Catch” at equal refinements in Reverse Vape and Overvape teams, and performs incredibly well in a Burgeon team with Bennett. |
| Deathmatch | Deathmatch’s value comes from being a CRIT Rate stat stick. Its meager ATK% passive and low Base ATK are not that great. Nonetheless, it is a competitive option at R5 and slightly worse at R1. Refinements for Deathmatch do not increase Xiangling’s damage as much as refinements for Dragon’s Bane or Wavebreaker’s Fin do. |
| Missive Windspear R5 | Missive Windspear is a limited-time free-to-play option that can be viable when “The Catch” is being used on another teammate and Xiangling herself has enough ER. Works best in reaction-based teams where Xiangling can trigger its passive. |
| Primordial Jade Winged-Spear | This option is generally not recommended because, at R1, it performs worse than “The Catch”. Nonetheless, its Base ATK and CRIT Rate make it a viable option when “The Catch” is being used by another teammate. Its passive can only be triggered on-field, but it is generally not worth taking field time to gain full stacks on its passive. |
| Skyward Spine | Skyward Spine is not a great option. It gives some ER, but its passive is useless except for the small amount of CRIT Rate it provides. Xiangling prefers other options available to her such as “The Catch”. |
Teams
This is not a comprehensive list of teams, and the inclusion or exclusion of any given team does not necessarily reflect its power level. This list is not ranked.
Team-Building
Bennett is Xiangling’s best teammate in a majority of her teams. He provides crucial buffs with his Burst and fantastic batterying with his Skill.
When playing Bennett, players should pre-funnel Energy particles using this sequence: Bennett’s Skill > Xiangling’s Burst > Xiangling’s Skill. Additional uses of Bennett’s Skill should be used at the end of the team’s rotation to provide more Energy particles for Xiangling’s Burst.
Visit Bennett’s Character Guide for more information about him.
National
One of Xiangling’s most popular team archetypes pairs her with Bennett and Xingqiu. By adding an on-field DPS who can trigger Xingqiu’s Rain Swords, the team can trigger many Elemental Reactions and dish out significant damage. This archetype’s variants perform exceptionally well in single-target environments.
These Xiangling teams can be considered as a Reverse Vape, Overvape, or Vapemelt team, but teammate options are described here in more detail due to the popularity of the archetype.
Notable Teammates
| Character | Description |
| Raiden Shogun | Raiden Shogun is often regarded as an excellent on-field DPS for this team core, thanks to her tremendous personal damage, powerful buff, and batterying capability. The Burst DMG% buff from her Skill and Energy generation from her Burst are both valuable for Xiangling, Xingqiu, and Bennett. |
| Fischl | Fischl’s great off-field Electro DMG from Oz and her 4th Ascension Passive make her a good option. She performs worse in AoE scenarios due to her single-target damage and frequent triggers of Overloaded. |
| Sucrose / Heizou | Sucrose or Heizou are fantastic on-field drivers for the team because they provide Swirls, an EM buff, and a vital 4p Viridescent Venerer RES Shred. They can also hold Thrilling Tales of Dragon Slayers, providing an even greater ATK buff to Xiangling. |
| Kazuha | Kazuha is a fantastic off-field Anemo option due to his Elemental DMG% buff, grouping, and good personal damage from Swirls. He can also hold the valuable 4p Viridescent Venerer set. Kazuha should absorb Hydro into his Elemental Burst so that Xiangling can properly trigger Vaporize. |
| Yelan | Yelan is an off-field Hydro single-target DPS that synergizes incredibly well with the team. When using Yelan, Bennett can act as the on-field driver and weave Skills between his Normal Attacks. Xingqiu can also be played on-field so his Elemental Burst can enjoy Bennett’s ATK buff. |
| Chongyun | Chongyun provides a Cryo Infusion that can allow Melt to occur. His Burst can Reverse Melt and deal substantial damage as well. His second Constellation is incredibly valuable for its cooldown reduction for the team. |
| Kaeya | Kaeya can provide substantial Cryo application through his Elemental Skill and Burst. While on-field, he can weave Normal Attacks between uses of his Elemental Skill. |
Reverse Vape
Xiangling’s Reverse Vape teams are some of the best in the game and get even better with hyper-investment. A Hydro character enables her Burst to trigger Vaporize on every hit after the initial ramp up, which equates to incredibly significant damage output. She deals even more damage paired with Bennett and an Anemo character.
Notables Teammates
| Character | Description |
| Hydro: Tartaglia, Ayato, Xingqiu, Yelan | A Hydro character is needed to apply Hydro for Xiangling’s Pyro abilities to Vaporize. For off-field Hydro applicators, Yelan and Xingqiu are very strong options. For on-field Hydro application, Tartaglia is the strongest choice. Ayato’s Hydro application through his Skill and Burst can sometimes lead to inconsistent Vaporize ownership between himself and Xiangling. A Double Hydro core can be played to provide more than enough Hydro for Xiangling to Vaporize all her damage. |
| Anemo: Kazuha, Sucrose, Heizou, Venti | An Anemo character is crucial for providing Elemental RES Shred through the 4p Viridescent Venerer artifact set. Kazuha and Sucrose can provide additional buffs and grouping. Heizou and Sucrose can also hold Thrilling Tales of Dragon Slayers to provide an additional ATK% buff to Xiangling. Venti is the premier grouping Anemo support in AoE situations, though he can sometimes lift smaller enemies out of Xiangling’s Burst range. Venti’s Flat Energy refund is also appreciated. Absorbing Hydro in these characters’ Bursts can enable more consistent Vaporize ownership for Xiangling, though the team will lose out on Swirl DMG since Hydro Swirls do not deal AoE damage to nearby enemies. |
| Geo: Zhongli, Albedo | Using a Geo character can provide more comfort through shielding but sacrifices the crowd control, grouping, and 4p Viridescent Venerer RES Shred provided by an Anemo character. They can also wear 4p Archaic Petra to provide an additional buff to Xiangling. Zhongli is useful for his RES Shred and unmatched shielding, while Albedo can provide off-field DPS and a small EM buff. Neither one’s Geo application interferes with Vaporize reactions significantly. |
Example Teams
Xiangling — Bennett — Tartaglia — Kazuha
Xiangling — Bennett — Ayato — Sucrose
Xiangling — Bennett — Xingqiu — Yelan
Overvape & Soup
Xiangling works great in conjunction with Electro and Hydro units because Electro-Charged enables her to trigger both Overloaded and Vaporize consistently. Since Overloaded can knock enemies away, Overvape teams work better in single-target situations or against enemies that are resistant to Overloaded stagger. Characters that have AoE, ranged, or movement abilities are helpful against groups of smaller enemies that can be staggered.
Example Teams
Xiangling — Bennett — Raiden — Xingqiu
Xiangling — Bennett — Fischl — Ayato
Xiangling — Bennett — Yae Miko — Yelan
Xiangling — Sucrose — Fischl — Kokomi
For more information on this team, commonly known as “Sukokomon”, visit Xiangling’s Character Guide.
Reverse Melt
Reverse Melt teams use Cryo abilities on a Pyro aura to trigger Melt. Xiangling’s Burst can provide enough Pyro application to allow a Cryo DPS to consistently trigger Melt on enemies.
Notable Teammates
| Character | Description |
| Rosaria | Rosaria is a formidable Cryo DPS because she provides CRIT Rate to her teammates and can trigger Melt on every tick of her Elemental Burst. |
| Kaeya | Kaeya can serve as an off-field Cryo DPS in Reverse Melt teams. However, he is only able to trigger Melt on a third of his damage. Nonetheless, he is still a good free-to-play option. |
| Chongyun | A great choice for Reverse Melt. With his Cryo Infusion and tremendous Burst damage potential, Chongyun can serve as a quickswap Burst Cryo DPS and allow Rosaria to remain on-field to spam Cryo-infused Charged Attacks. With proper setup, Chongyun can even trigger Melt multiple times within one Burst. |
| Shenhe | Shenhe buffs Cryo DMG with her kit while also being able to trigger Melt with her abilities. She also provides a Burst DMG buff with her A4 Passive. Shenhe enables Cryo DPS teammates to deal more frontloaded damage, which can be useful for enemies with short DPS windows. |
| Ganyu | Ganyu’s Reverse Melt team is good in single-target or low AoE. Her Charged Attacks and Frostflake Arrows can deal a massive amount of damage and trigger Melt on every hit with Xiangling’s Elemental Burst. |
Example Teams
Xiangling — Bennett — Rosaria — Kaeya/Chongyun
Xiangling — Bennett — Ganyu — Zhongli
Burgeon
Xiangling can be played as an off-field Pyro applicator in Burgeon teams with her Burst. She deals tremendous off-field damage but her high rate of Pyro application can trigger Burning on enemies. Burning interferes with the amount of Dendro Cores that can be produced and is an overall DPS loss. Using Tartaglia or two Hydro characters to apply high amounts of Hydro can avoid this issue.
In Burgeon teams without Bennett, Xiangling should opt for R5 Kitain Cross Spear in order to meet her incredibly high ER requirement. Additionally, her teammates can hold a Favonius weapon to further lower her ER requirement.
Notable Teammates
| Nahida | Nahida is not only arguably the best Dendro applicator in the game, but also a significant DPS in her own right. Her off-field Dendro application refreshes often and can keep up with Burgeon teams. She also provides a much appreciated EM buff to Xiangling. |
| Dendro Traveler | An excellent free-to-play option. In team rotations, Hydro must be applied to the Traveler’s Elemental Burst before Pyro, or else it will explode and no longer provide off-field Dendro application. Dendro Traveler can be built cheaply with enough ER to maintain Burst uptime but can also serve as an off-field Dendro DPS with higher investment. |
| Tartaglia | Tartaglia applies enough Hydro to prevent Burning from occurring. He is the only Hydro character that does not require another Hydro character to keep up with Xiangling’s Pyro application. |
| Ayato | Ayato is a good choice when paired with another Hydro applicator. He provides strong AoE personal damage and decent Hydro application with his Skill and Burst |
| Kokomi | Kokomi provides valuable healing and good Hydro application, which makes her an excellent choice for Burgeon teams. |
| Barbara | Barbara can work as an on-field Hydro applicator and also provides healing. Her personal damage is quite low, but she works as a free-to-play option nevertheless. |
| Xingqiu | Xingqiu is one of the strongest off-field Hydro applicators available. His DMG Reduction and minor healing can help mitigate self-inflicted damage through Burgeon. |
| Yelan | Yelan applies slightly less Hydro than Xingqiu (even less compared to C6 Xingqiu) but provides strong personal DPS and a powerful team buff through her 4th Ascension Passive. |
Example Teams
Xiangling — Tartaglia — Nahida — Bennett
Xiangling — Kokomi — Nahida — Yelan
Mono Pyro
Mono Pyro teams include an on-field Pyro DPS unit that can deal significant damage without relying on reactions. Xiangling is a core unit that applies enough Pyro to allow the on-field DPS character to use the 4p Lavawalker set. While Klee is the most prevalent Pryo DPS unit for this archetype, other on-field Pyro DPS characters can be played as well.
Example Teams
Xiangling — Bennett — Kazuha — Klee
Xiangling — Bennett (C6) — Sucrose — Xinyan
Flex Option
Xiangling is a good flex choice even in teams that do not specifically cater to Pyro-related reaction damage. On-field DPS characters appreciate her low field time and strong off-field Burst damage. Bennett is a common support for on-field DPS characters, and Xiangling makes good use of his utility. Together they provide the Pyro Resonance Bonus for the team.
With an on-field Anemo DPS unit, she enables Pyro Swirls to occur, which leads to a slight damage increase. With an on-field Geo DPS unit, she enables Crystallize to occur, which can provide a shield for the Geo Resonance DMG Bonus.
Example Teams
Xiangling — Bennett — Faruzan — Wanderer
Xiangling — Bennett — Albedo — Ningguang
Credits
Contributors: irokei#6189, jamberry#71423, cote#4733, Nikatosaurus#5639, Chasing Haze#3014, acie#1290
Team images courtesy of the KQM portrait generator.