Xiao in Genshin Impact – guide to the best builds

In this guide, we will analyze Yaksa's skills and their most effective use. We will select the best weapons, artifacts and partners in the squad.

Xiao in Genshin Impact is a 5⭐ spearman whose sole purpose is to deal massive Anemo damage. He should never be considered a support or a support character. According to the story, at a young age, Xiao was enlisted by one of the bloodthirsty Archons, who forced the youth to commit terrible acts. But during the Archon War, Zhongli freed him and gave him a name. Since then, the demon hunter has fought the remains of the gods, protecting Liyue.

How to get Xiao

Xiao can be dropped during his temporary banner period in the character's Prayer tab. You can see when the last rerun was and track the next one in the separate banner schedule for 2022.

Xiao's Strengths and Weaknesses

Main advantages :

• powerful area damage;
• high base crit chance. hits and attack power;
• ignores the physical shields;
• easy to learn;
• anemo element is equally good against any element;
• handy when exploring the world.

Like any hero, Xiao has his downsides :

• an expensive ult, without which the damage sags a lot;
• due to the nature of the Explosion of the Elements, a healer and a battery are required;
• It's hard to find good weapons.

Xiao's abilities and talents

Normal attack : Strikes with the spear up to 6 times. The last two attacks have a long animation. It's best to interrupt them, even though you'll rarely need to use them.

Charged Attack : Strikes the spear upwards, dealing increased damage. Consumes stamina when used.

Falling Attack : Fly downwards, attacking all monsters in its path. Upon landing, it deals AoE physical damage. Falling attacks from any height do not consume health thanks to special mechanics.

Elemental Skill : In a special form, dashes forward a certain distance, dealing Anemo damage to enemies encountered. Has two charges and a long 10-second cooldown. Can be used while in flight.

If you use an E-shka while climbing a mountain, a small amount of stamina will be restored. It also works in flight.

Elemental Burst : Equip the Yax Mask, which:

• starts to jump much higher;
• damage and range of attacks becomes greater;
• the spear is endowed with Anemo infusion, which is not repainted into another element;
• health is constantly decreasing, ignoring the shields of allies.

The ult is cancelled when switching to another character or when the effect ends.

Passive talents :

Constellations Xiao and which one is worth knocking out

Xiao is able to deal with any opponents and without constants. But if you want to increase his damage with his passive ability and generate a little more energy, it is recommended to get the first one. The rest are not so important and only lead to the most expensive and powerful - the sixth constellation.

Materials for leveling Xiao

Elevation materials

To max out your hero, prepare 1 Pestilence, 672 Hero Experience books, and:

Talent Materials

To upgrade all three talents, you need 3 Crowns of Insight, 4 Pestilence, and also:

Talent development priority

Initially, it is worth downloading all the skills. After all the talents are at level 6, you need to upgrade the normal attack and crown it to level 10. Then Elemental Explosion up to lvl 8, and lastly elemental skill up to lvl 6. Further strengthen at will, but you can leave it like that.

Best builds for Xiao in Genshin Impact

Best Artifacts

The	Icon	Rarity	Set bonuses
Vermillion Hereafter		⭐⭐⭐⭐ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	2 items: +18% attack power; 4 items: After using the ult, grants a special effect for 16 seconds. It increases attack power by 8%. An additional 10% is added to this bonus when the character's health decreases. The effect stacks up to 4 times and occurs no more than once every 0.8 seconds. The bonus disappears when the character leaves the battlefield and resets when the ult is reapplied.  An ideal set that significantly increases damage and fits the duration of the ult. The full bonus with 66% attack amplification is gained after the second hit in the fall.
Emerald Shadow + Gladiator's End		⭐⭐⭐⭐ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	Emerald Shadow 2 items: +15% to Anemo damage; End of the Gladiator 2 item: +18% attack power. An excellent option, which is inferior to the first by only a couple of percent. At the same time, finding good stats in 2 pieces from different sets is much easier than farming a full set. Instead of the Gladiator, you can take any 2 artifacts from the sets with the same bonus: Tribute Echoes, Shimenawa's Memories, or Cinnabar Afterlife.
Emblem of Severed Fate		⭐⭐⭐⭐ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	2 items: +20% energy regeneration.  Helps to gain VE. The full set does not make sense to use, it is better to mix with the above sets.
Berserker		⭐⭐⭐ ⭐⭐⭐⭐	2 items: +12% crit chance; 4 items: +24% Crit Chance while below 70% Health.  The set is suitable for starting the game, until there are no better artifacts.

When choosing artifacts, focus on the stats in additional stats rather than on set bonuses. If your stats aren't very good, it's better to equip pieces from different sets that provide good percentages to the desired stats and avoid passive bonuses. This approach will yield significantly more damage.

Also note that Ancient Nobility's Ceremony will not increase the damage of attacks while falling during the ultimate ; it only increases the damage of the ultimate itself. This set is useless on Xiao.

A selection of stats in artifacts

Artifact	Main stat	Additional stats
Flower of Life	HP	CRIT DMG Crit Rate Atk Power% Energy Recovery/Attack Power
Plume of Death	ATK	CRIT DMG Crit Rate Atk Power%/Attack Power Energy recharge
Sands of Eon	Attack Power%	CRIT DMG Crit Rate Atk Power% Energy recharge
Goblet of Eonothem	Anemo Damage Bonus or Attack Power%	CRIT DMG Crit Rate Atk Power% ATK
Circlet of Logos	Crete. damage or crit chance. hits (selected based on the collected parameters, it is important that a balance is maintained)	CRIT DMG Crit Rate Atk Power%/Attack Power Energy recharge

Best Weapons

When choosing weapons, problems can arise, since all crafting guns do not sit well on Yax, and good options are very expensive.

Weapon	What does the character look like	Rarity	Main characteristics	Passive Bonus
Primordial Jade Winged-Spear		⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	Basic Attack 48–674 Crit chance. hits 4.8%–22.1%	Passive: Attacking an enemy increases attack power by 3.2%–6% for 6 sec. The bonus stacks up to 7 times and occurs no more than once every 0.3 seconds. On the 7th spawn, Attack is increased by 12%–24%. The best spear to help balance crit chance and crit. damage. The passive stacks quickly on any hit and does a lot of damage.
Staff of Homa		⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	Basic Attack 46–608 Crete. damage 14.4%–66.2%	Passive: +20%–40% HP. Increases attack by 0.8%–1.6% of your maximum health. Additionally increases attack by an additional 1%–1.8% of max. HP when the life bar drops below 50%. High basic attack with crit. damage can significantly increase damage. Due to the constant loss of HP during the ult, the lego bonus is activated, and the hero reaches less than 50% of his health quickly. One of the strongest weapons for spearmen.
Calamity Queller		⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	Basic Attack 49–741 Attack Power 3.6%–16.5%	Passive: +12%–24% Elemental Damage Bonus. Applying an E-shki grants a special effect for 20 seconds. It increases attack by 3.2%–6.4%, the bonus stacks up to 6 times. If the character is in the pocket, the bonus is doubled. Doubling the passive bonus is not always possible, as Xiao likes to be on the battlefield for most of the battle. However, the spear gives a lot of attack, which is very valuable for Xiao.
Vortex Vanquisher		⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	Basic Attack 46–608 Attack Power 10.8%–49.6%	Passive: +20% shield strength. Hitting enemies increases Attack by 4% - for 8 seconds. The bonus stacks up to 5 times, and occurs every 0.3 seconds. While under the shield, the attack bonus from the passive is increased by 100%. Another powerful spear, but requires a shield man in the squad. The charges stack quickly with any attacks. To achieve maximum damage, you must first gain the full bonus with normal hits, and then ult under buffs.
Skyward Spine		⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	Basic Attack 48–674 Energy recovery 8%–36.8%	Passive: +8%–16% Critical Chance hit and +12% attack speed. A hit with a normal or charged attack has a 50% chance to summon a blade that deals 40%-100% damage in a small radius. The effect occurs every 2 seconds. If there are no above 5⭐ copies, you can put the axis. She will give recovery, which Xiao has a big problem with. The additional damage from the passive will rarely appear, since Xiao deals the main damage from attacks in the fall, but a little crit chance is also not bad.
Lithic Spear		⭐⭐⭐⭐	Basic Attack 44–565 Attack Power 6%–27.6%	Passive effectt: Each Li Yue hero that is in the squad grants 7%-11% to attack power and 3%-7% to crit chance. The bonus stacks up to 4 times. 4⭐ an option that can strengthen the hero on a par with 5⭐ spears. But for maximum effectiveness, it limits the choice of characters and requires 5 exalted rank.
Deathmatch		⭐⭐⭐⭐	Basic Attack 41–454 Crit chance. hits 8%–36.8%	Passive: +16%-32% Attack Power and Defense when there are 2 or more enemies nearby. +24%–48% Attack Power when there are less than 2 enemies nearby. Battle Pass weapon. It simplifies the selection of artifacts, the passive gives a good damage bonus, which works stably.
Blackcliff Pole		⭐⭐⭐⭐	Basic Attack 42–510 Crete. damage 12%–55.1%	Passive: After defeating an enemy, attack power is increased by 12% - 24% for 30 seconds. Stacks up to 3 times, and the duration of additional bonuses is independent of each other. Spear from the Paimon Shop. Gives more deathmatch, but the passive is useless when fighting bosses or rooms in the Abyss, where there is one powerful enemy.
Favonius spear		⭐⭐⭐⭐	Basic Attack 44–565 Energy recovery 6.7%–30.6%	Passive: Once every 12-6 sec. Crete. Attacks have a 60%-100% chance to create energy particles that restore 6 health. energy. It is worth betting only if there are no better options and it is recommended to replace it if a stronger spear falls out.
Balaya brush		⭐⭐⭐	Basic Attack 39–401 Crit chance. hits 5.1%–22.1%	Passive: +24%–48% normal attack damage. Best 3⭐ and at the same time a free option to start, which can be found in the chests of Li Yue.

The free Spear of Catch won't work for Xiao , as the passive (like the Noble set's) doesn't work. It's better to give it to a friend, and leave Favonius for Xiao until better times.

Characters and team composition for Xiao in Genshin Impact

The Demon Hunter is a very demanding character. Since the ult does not generate energy, you need to take an Anemo support to the squad, which will pour energy. And the constant decrease in health during the action of the ult requires the presence of a healer.

You can take a shielder, but there are more risks: while the shield is rebounding, the enemy will deal a decisive blow (or the shield may disappear, and switching to another hero will cancel Xiao's Elemental Burst, and the damage will go to waste). Thus, there is only one place left for the fourth character.

Consider heroes that work well with Xiao:

Character	Element	Weapon	Why is it suitable
Sucrose	Anemo	Catalyst:	It will pull enemies and pour a lot of energy from the E-shki. If she is in the group, it is enough to get 120%–130% recovery from Xiao. Sucrose itself needs to be upgraded not into mastery, but into a dps build, since reactions in a pack with Xiao are not needed.
Bennett	Pyro	One-handed sword	A top support hero that gives extra attack and heals.
Fischl	Electro	Bow	Becomes a pocket damage dealer with an elemental skill. It will also give some Electro energy particles.
Diona	Cryo	Bow	Gives a shield and heals. Generates a lot of energy. You can collect a full set of the Ceremony of the Ancient Nobles for her, which will increase Xiao's attack.
Mona	Hydro	Catalyst:	Thanks to the set of nobility, the epic of the dragon slayers and the special ability of Omen, Xiao's damage will be greatly accelerated.
Venti	Anemo	Bow	It will pour a lot of energy, but you should not use his ult on small opponents, as the whirlwind will lift them into the air and Xiao will not be able to reach. It is worth taking only if there is no battery, since Venty realizes himself better with other heroes.
Zhongli	Geo	Polearm	Cuts resistors and gives a nearly impenetrable shield.
Barbara	Hydro	Catalyst:	Free version with great healing. Can wear the Epic of the Dragonslayers and enhance Xiao. However, her E-shka puts the Hydro status on the active character, so you should use it carefully in the battle with the Cryo enemies.
Jean	Anemo	One-handed sword	It will free up one more place for another character, as it can immediately heal and fill energy. It is recommended to equip it with a Favonius or Ceremonial Sword to generate more Energy Motes.
Sayu	Anemo	Claymore	4⭐ Jean's replacement. In her case, equipping the Favonius sword is a must.
Raiden	Electro	Polearm	It will give a lot of energy from the ult, replacing the Anemo character and doing solid damage.
Rosaria	Cryo	Polearm	Will pour a chance. crit hit, allowing you to collect more crit. damage.
Xiangling	Pyro	Polearm	Suitable as a pocket damage dealer. Be sure to take Bennett with her.
Albedo	Geo	One-handed sword	Huge and consistent damage. It is ideal to take in a pair with Zhong Li, but even without him it is great in a team with Xiao, as it does not require much attention.

Team samples

The backbone of the group	Sap-dd	Support	Hill/Shield/Support	Group features
Xiao	Sucrose	Bennett	Zhongli	A team with good energy regeneration, healing, buffs and additional control of enemies that Sucrose could not pull off. In combat, Bennet sets up a buff and heal field, then Zhong Li gives a shield, summons a comet and cuts resistances, after which Xiao uses an elemental burst. Until Xiao ults, Jinn uses abilities to energize him and heal him. If Djinn has 4 constellation, after Bennett's ult, use Djinn's elemental explosion to increase Anemo damage.
Xiao	Anemo MC	Noel	Barbara	Free team to start. The traveler does not generate many particles, so it is better to collect the Xiao energy indicator around 160%.
Xiao	Albedo	Jean	Zhongli	A powerful squad in which Xiao feels completely safe and does not think where he will land during the ult, so as not to receive damage. Control of opponents and good damage from minor heroes. If Jinn has the 4th constellation, she will lower the enemy's Anemo resistance and become the perfect companion for Xiao.
Xiao	Xiangling	Sucrose	Bennett	Two Pyro heroes will increase attack power by 25%. Xiang Ling will be able to passively deal solid damage to enemies under Bennett's buff. Bennet will give attack and heal, and Sucrose will flood energy. One of the most popular and easy to use units: Bennett's ult → E-shka and Sucrose's ult → E-shka and Xiang Ling's ult → Xiao's ult.
Xiao	Sucrose	Rosaria	Diona	Anemo and cryo resonance. The team gives you a chance. crit, allowing you to disperse Xiao's damage due to a build with increased crit. damage. Rotation: E-shka, Ulta Sucrose → Shield, hill dion →  Rosary's ultimate → Xiao's ultimate.
Xiao	Mona	Bennett	Qiqi	Mona is fully focused on empowering Xiao equipped with nobles, epic and Omen. Qi qi is needed only for healing.
Xiao	Raiden	Bennett	Thoma	25% attack bonus due to Pyro Resonance. Raiden gives a lot of energy. Volumes with 4 constellations will allow you to use the shield on cooldown.
Xiao	Fischl	Anemo MC	Diona	Another inexpensive option with epic heroes. Fischl does a great job of implementing passive damage and a small energy boost for Xiao. The traveler will pull off small enemies and flood energy. If there is sucrose, it is better to put it instead of GG. Dione will also give additional particles, in addition, she will take responsibility for maintaining Xiao's HP.
Xiao	Ganyu	Sucrose	Kokomi	A freeze squad that helps keep enemies in place. Rotation: Sucrose generates energy with skills → Gan Yu Elemental Explosion → Kokomi's E-shka → Xiao's Ultimate.
Xiao	Venti	Xingqiu	Bennett	Venty gives a lot of energy, but if you use the ult on small enemies, the Whirlwind will lift them into the air and Xiao will not reach. Rotation: Bennett Ult → Venti Skills → Xing Qiu Skills → Xiao E-box with a quick switch to Elemental Burst to collect particles from the E-box to restore energy.

How to play Xiao

Xiao is a selfish character, requiring a constant presence on the battlefield and a unit tailored to his needs. Yaxa's main damage comes from falling attacks during Elemental Explosion, which is expensive. It is also important to consider that under the ult it does not generate energy. Therefore, it is necessary to gain 120%–150% recovery and be sure to take a battery into the squad.

To make it easier to restore your ult, use these tricks :

• with a charged ult, apply both charges of the E-kit and quickly activate the ult so that the current energy is spent, and the particles from the E-kit are absorbed and restore energy for the next use. When the time for Elemental Explosion ends, you need to use the E-shku again;
• it is Xiao who needs to pick up the particles that the second Anemo character generates so that he receives energy in full.

A key caveat when fighting the Ruin Hunter: don't jump too high, otherwise the hunter will rise high into the air and start firing. If you don't have an archer in your party, the battle can drag on.

Is it worth it to knock out Xiao

If a squad needs a strong Anemo damage dealer, then Xiao is an excellent character who, with the right leveling and team selection, can deliver huge damage. In addition, the wide variety of 2+2 set selection makes it easier to find the perfect stats in artifacts, which is very useful at any stage of the game.