Here is a comprehensive build guide for Xianyun, the newest five-star Anemo character in Genshin Impact.
Xianyun is the newest playable 5-star Anemo character in Genshin Impact after the release of the version 4.4 update. She is the human form of the Adeptus Cloud Retainer, who moved to Liyue Harbor. Xianyun wields a Catalyst and introduces a new Plunging meta in Genshin Impact, as her skills provide a Plunge Attack damage boost to other characters.
The newest Anemo character, Xianyun, can be played as an Anemo support as she can provide heals to the party, and her elemental burst can let any characters in the party jump higher and perform plunging attacks.
Read More: Kamisato Ayaka Build Guide – Keeping the Enemies Frozen in Genshin Impact
Her elemental burst will also provide a damage boost to those plunge attacks and heal the characters over time. With proper artifact sets and weapons, Xianyun can be a fun and unique character to play with and try out new team comps in Genshin Impact.
After the release of the version 4.4 update, Xianyun’s limited-time event banner, ‘The Crane Soars Skyward,’ is now available alongside the Dendro Archon, Nahida’s rerun banner. Both banners will also feature the newest 4-star Pyro character – Gaming.
Quick Look: Xianyun Build Guide
| Kit | Focus On |
|---|---|
| Artifact Stats | ATK%, Energy Recharge%, CRIT Rate/DMG |
| Weapons | Crane’s Echoing Call |
| Artifacts | 4-piece Song of Days Past 4-piece Noblesse Oblige 2-piece Gladiator’s Finale & 2-piece Shimenawa’s Reminiscence |
| Talent | Elemental Burst > Elemental Skill > Normal Attack |
| Role | Anemo Plunge Support, Healer |
Xianyun Talents
Normal Attack: Word of Wind and Flower
Normal Attack
Summons swirling winds to perform up to 4 attacks, dealing Anemo DMG.
Charged Attack
Consumes a certain amount of Stamina and launches a Breeze Bolt in a straight line that deals Anemo DMG to opponents along its path.
Plunging Attack
Gathers the power of Anemo and plunges towards the ground from mid-air, damaging all opponents in her path. Deals AoE Anemo DMG upon impact with the ground.
Elemental Skill: White Clouds at Dawn
Xianyun enters the Cloud Transmogrification state, in which she will not take Fall DMG, and uses Skyladder once.
In this state, her Plunging Attack will be converted into Driftcloud Wave instead, which deals AoE Anemo DMG and ends the Cloud Transmogrification state.
This DMG is considered a Plunging Attack DMG. Moreover, each use of Skyladder while in this state increases the DMG and AoE of the next Driftcloud Wave used.
Skyladder
Can be used while in mid-air. Xianyun leaps forward, dealing Anemo DMG to targets along her path.
During each Cloud Transmogrification state Xianyun enters, Skyladder may be used up to 3 times, and 1 instance of Skyladder DMG can be dealt to any one opponent.
If Skyladder is not used again in a short period, the Cloud Transmogrification state will be canceled.
Furthermore, if Xianyun does not use Driftcloud Wave while in this state, the next CD of White Clouds at Dawn will be decreased by 3s.
Read More: Hu Tao Build Guide – Melt the Meta in Genshin Impact
Elemental Burst: Stars Gather at Dusk
Brings forth a sacred breeze that deals AoE Anemo DMG and heals all nearby characters based on Xianyun’s ATK. It will also summon the “Starwicker” mechanism.
Starwicker
- Continuously follows the active character and periodically heals all nearby party members based on Xianyun’s ATK.
- Starts with 8 stacks of Adeptal Assistance. While Adeptal Assistance is active, nearby active characters in the party will have their jump height increased.
- When the active character completes a Plunging Attack, Starwicker will consume 1 stack of Adeptal Assistance and deal AoE Anemo DMG.
Only 1 Starwicker can exist simultaneously.
Passive Talents
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Galefeather Pursuit | Each opponent hit by Driftcloud Waves from White Clouds at Dawn will grant all nearby party members 1 stack of Storm Pinion for 20s. Max 4 stacks. These will cause the characters’ Plunging Attack CRIT Rate to increase by 4%/6%/8%/10% respectively. Each Storm Pinion created by hitting an opponent will exist independently. |
| Consider, the Adeptus in Her Realm | When the Starwicker created by Stars Gather at Dusk has Adeptal Assistance stacks, nearby active characters’ Plunging Attack shockwave DMG will be increased by 170% of Xianyun’s ATK. The maximum DMG increase that can be achieved this way is 8,500. Each Plunging Attack shockwave DMG instance can only apply this increased DMG effect to a single opponent. Each character can trigger this effect once every 0.4s. |
| Crane Form | Increases gliding SPD for your own party members by 15%. Not stackable with Passive Talents that provide the exact same effects. |
Xianyun Constellations
| Constellation | Effect |
|---|---|
| Purifying Wind (Unlocked at C1) | White Cloud at Dawn gains 1 additional charge. |
| Aloof From the World (Unlocked at C2) | After using a Skyladder from White Clouds at Dawn, Xianyun’s ATK will be increased by 20% for 15s. Additionally, the effects of the Passive Talent “Consider, the Adeptus in Her Realm” will be enhanced: When the Starwicker created by Stars Gather at Dusk has Adeptal Assitance stacks, nearby active characters’ Plunging Attack shockwave DMG will be increased by 30% of Xianyun’s ATK. The maximum DMG increase that can be achieved this way is 15,300. Each Plunging Attack shockwave DMG instance can only apply this increased DMG effect to a single opponent. Each character can trigger this effect once every 0.4s. |
| Creations of Star and Moon (Unlocked at C3) | Increases the level of Stars Gather at Dusk by 3. Maximum upgrade level is 15. |
| Mystery Millet Gourmet (Unlocked at C4) | After using Skyladder 1/2/3 times during one White Clouds at Dawn Cloud Transmogrification state, when a Driftcloud Wave unleashed during that instance hits an opponent, it will heal all nearby party members for 50%/80%/150% of Xianyun’s ATK. This effect can be triggered once every 5s. |
| Astride Rose-Colored Clouds (Unlocked at C5) | Increases the level of White Clouds at Dawn by 3. Maximum upgrade level is 15. |
| Cloudkeeper’s Spirit (Unlocked at C6) | After Xianyun uses 1/2/3 Skyladders within one Cloud Transmogrification caused by White Clouds at Dawn, the CRIT DMG of a Driftcloud Wave created in this instance of Cloud Transmogrification will be increased by 15%/35%/70%. Within 16s after Xianyun has used Stars Gather at Dusk, the use of White Clouds at Dawn will not enter CD. This effect will be canceled once she has used White Clouds at Dawn 8 times. |
Artifact Sets For Xianyun
The new 4-piece Song of Days Past is the overall best artifact set for Xianyun. The 2-piece set will increase Xianyun’s Healing Bonus by 15%. When Xianyun heals a party member, the Yearning effect will be created because of the 4-piece set bonus.
After the active party member hits an opponent with a Normal Attack, Charged Attack, Plunging Attack, Elemental Skill, or Burst, the damage will increase by 8% of the total healing amount recorded by the Yearning effect.
Xianyun can also be equipped with the 4-piece Viridescent Venerer set, increasing her Anemo DMG by 15% and Spread DMG of Swirl by 60%.
Additionally, the 4-piece set bonus will apply a debuff to enemies by that, a debuff to enemies hit by that Spread, and elemental resistance for the same element as the Spread by 40%.
However, you can also equip Xianyun with a 4-piece Noblesse Oblige or 2-piece Gladiator’s Finale and a 2-piece Shimenawa’s Reminiscence since her abilities scale off ATK%.
In some instances, equipping Xianyun with 2-piece ATK% and 2-piece ATK% artifact sets could be beneficial since all her skills scale off ATK.
Best Artifact Stats for Xianyun
| Artifact | Stat Priority (Main/Sub) |
|---|---|
| Flower | HP/Crit Rate (CR), Crit Damage (CD), ATK%, Energy Recharge(ER%) |
| Feather | ATK/CD, CR, ATK%, ER% |
| Sands | ATK%/CD, CR, ER% |
| Goblet | ATK%/CD, CR, ER% |
| Circlet | ATK%/CR, CD, ER% |
Read More: Navia Build Guide – Changing the Geo Meta in Genshin Impact
Best Weapons For Xianyun
Xianyun has both four and five-star weapon options, including good free-to-play ones. There are the best weapons for Xianyun:
| Weapon | Description |
| Crane’s Echoing Call | Xianyun’s signature and her best-in-slot Catalyst weapon. Crane’s Echoing Call has the highest base ATK amongst all the catalysts and provides a lot of ATK for Xianyun. The weapon’s passive will grant other party members’ Plunging Attack damage by 28% after Xianyun hits an enemy with a Plunge attack. Additionally, the weapon will restore 2.5 energy to Xianyun every 0.7s. |
| Oathsworn Eye | Oathsworn Eye is a 4-star Catalyst which was made available for free in the Three Realms Gateway Offering event in version 2.5 Enkanomiya update. It’s the best 4-star option for Xianyun if players obtain it after completing the event. Oathsworn Eye has a decent base ATK and will give Xianyun more bonus ATK% with its passive. The weapon will increase Xianyun’s energy recharge by up to 48% after using her elemental skill. |
| Skyward Atlas | Skyward Atlas is Xianyun’s second-best 5-star option after her signature weapon. The weapon has a high base ATK and will provide Xianyun with more ATK with its bonus. Skyward Atlas is great for playing Xianyun as a DPS and will increase her elemental damage. Moreover, the weapon will earn the favor of the clouds, which will seek out nearby enemies to attack for 15 seconds and deal 160% more ATK damage. |
| Favonius Codex | For a 4-star Catalyst, Favonius Codex has a relatively high base attack, and the passive will provide a lot of energy recharge for Xianyun. This weapon will generate a small amount of elemental particles after each Crit hit, which is really good for Xianyun if you decide to play her in a supporting role. |
| Hakushin Ring | One of the two free-to-play weapons for Xianyun, which can be obtained after completing the Sacred Sakura Cleansing Ritual world quest in Inazuma. Hakushin Ring has a high base ATK and energy recharge substats, which Xianyun can benefit from. However, this weapon is good and slightly better than Favonius Codex if Xianyun slotted in Electro-based team comps, where she will provide an elemental damage bonus to other party members. |
| Flowing Purity | Xianyun’s second free-to-play Catalyst, Flowing Purity, is a craftable weapon that can be obtained from Estelle, the blacksmith in Fontaine. After using Xianyun’s elemental skill, all elemental damage bonus will be increased by 8% for 15 seconds. |
Suggested Xianyun Team Comps
Xianyun is mainly played as an Anemo support, a Plunge attack damage buffer, or a healer. These are some of Xianyun’s best team compositions:
- Xianyun + Xiao + Bennett + Furina
- Xianyun + Furina + Raiden Shogun + Yelan
- Xianyun + Gaming + Bennett + Furina
- Xianyun + Kazuha + Furina + Raiden Shogun
Xianyun’s Playstyle
Xianyun is a relatively new character, and Hoyoverse introduces a new Plunge attacking meta with her arrival. She is primarily played as a plunge attack buffer and healer in most team comps. In addition to her damage buff and healing abilities, Xianyun can group enemies and is great for exploration in the open world.
Her elemental skill, White Clouds at Dawn, will make Xianyun enter the Cloud Transmogrification state, and she can leap three times before turning into her Crane form and Plunge attack a nearby enemy. After hitting an enemy with her elemental skill, she will deal AoE Anemo damage and group up nearby enemies.
With her elemental burst, Stars Gather at Dusk, Xianyun will summon a sacred breeze that will deal with AoE Anemo damage and heal the characters in your party. The sacred breeze will allow the active party member to jump higher and plunge into the enemies. While your active character performs plunge attacks on the enemies, the sacred breeze will buff the plunge attack damage and heal the active character over time.
Xianyun’s playstyle is unique and different from other characters in Genshin Impact. Her primary role is boosting the plunge attack damage, and there are only a few characters in the game whose playstyle revolves around plunging. Xiao, one of the earliest Anemo characters in the game, performs plunge attacks to deal the most damage. However, the new 4-star character Gaming also performs plunge attacks to deal damage to enemies. Xianyun’s abilities will bring new team comps for both Xiao and Gaming, as they can benefit from the bonus damage she will provide.
With each constellation, Xianyun’s damage potential will increase, although she is a really good support at C0. However, her sixth constellation will unlock and convert her into a DPS, as she can cast elemental skills continuously after using her elemental burst.
Hoyoverse will likely release more characters in the future, focusing on the plunge attack meta in the game. But for the time being, Xiao and Gaming are the only two characters who can benefit from Xianyun in Genshin Impact.
Read More: Yoimiya Build Guide – Lighting the Fireworks in Genshin Impact
Follow GameRiv for more Genshin Impact news, leaks, and guides in the future.
