Trying to find the best Genshin Impact Xiao build? Xiao was introduced in the Genshin Impact 1.3 update, adding a five-star Anemo polearm user to the game. Xiao is an adeptus, a magical being bound by contract to protect Liyue from daemons and evil gods. His elemental burst unleashes his Yaksha, a powerful spirit which slowly eats away at Xiao’s life force while it’s active.
Anemo characters don’t have a lot of Genshin Impact elemental reactions, though this doesn’t appear to hamper Xiao’s DPS output. Xiao specialises in dealing massive amounts of damage to multiple enemies at once, taken further with the Swirl elemental reaction which works with Cryo, Hydro, Electro, and Pyro.
Xiao has been designed from the ground up as a DPS dealer, so if you need someone to do all the heavy lifting in your party, this may be the character for you. Players have a chance to pick up Xiao in Genshin Impact 2.7 update – here’s everything you need to know about how to create the best Genshin Impact Xiao build.
BEST GENSHIN IMPACT XIAO DPS BUILD
Xiao’s playstyle is inherently risky as Bane of All Evil constantly drains his health while he wears the Yaksha mask. To combat this, Xiao’s high mobility allows him to easily dodge attacks with his elemental skill, Lemniscatic Wind Cycling. Not only can you avoid taking damage with this ability, the Dissolution Eon – Heaven Fall passive talent allows you to turn Lemniscatic Wind Cycling into an offensive ability.
When Bane of All Evil is active, you should be aiming to spam the plunging attack version of Whirlwind Thrust. Be sure to perform the attack at the apex of Xiao’s jump as this ability scales depending on how high up Xiao is. When Xiao is paired with another Anemo character, his increased energy recharge rate allows him to continuously use his elemental abilities, further increasing his damage output.
The best weapon for Xiao is the Primordial Jade Winged-Spear which has a high crit rate and deals bonus damage after every hit. The Vortex Vanquisher can also be considered if you have a shield character in your party like Zhongli as this weapon increases shield strength by 20%. As for four star weapons, Deathmatch is a viable alternative to these five star polearms as its effect grants an attack and defence bonus depending on the number of enemies Xiao is up against.
Xiao’s best Genshin Impact artifacts are a combination of the two-piece Gladiator’s Finale set and the Viridescent Venerer set. Using the two-piece Gladiator’s Finale increases Xiao’s attack by a whopping 18%, and the Viridescent Venerer set provides a 15% damage bonus to all Anemo attacks. This is very useful when using Bane of All Evil as both of these artifact sets synergise to deal the highest amount of damage possible.
Overall, the artifacts should boost Xiao’s crit damage, crit rate, and attack. If you aren’t using a second Anemo character, you may want to focus on energy recharge rate as Xiao burns through energy quickly.
Xiao works best as a carry DPS – he should be active on the field as often as possible. The best team composition for Xiao ensures he has ample healing and protective shields at all times. We highly recommend picking Sucrose to pair alongside Xiao as her abilities work perfectly in the healer and battery role. You can replace Sucrose with Jean or Venti as they are Anemo characters, granting the Impetuous Winds elemental resonance which decreases the stamina consumption of all party members by 15%. As mentioned earlier, Zhongli also deserves a spot on your team as he works extremely well alongside Xiao. If you’re running Zhongli, it’s worth adding Albedo to your party as his elemental skill earns Xiao plenty of energy while fighting against tough enemies.
GENSHIN IMPACT XIAO ABILITIES
Normal attack: Whirlwind Thrust
- Normal Attack: Perform up to six consecutive strikes
- Charged Attack: Consume a certain amount of stamina to perform an upward thrust
- Plunging Attack: Dive down from mid-air and slam the ground, dealing damage relative to the falling height
ELEMENTAL SKILL: LEMNISCATIC WIND CYCLING
Xiao lunges forward, dealing Anemo damage to enemies in his path. This attack has two charges and can be used in mid-air.
Elemental Burst: Bane of All Evil
Xiao takes on the form of a powerful Yaksha. During this effect, Xiao’s attack range and damage is increased. In addition to this, Xiao’s damage type switches to Anemo and enhances his jumping ability. While Bane of All Evil is active, Xiao’s health continuously drains.
Genshin Impact Xiao Constellations
- Dissolution Eon – Destroyer of Worlds: Increases Lemniscatic Wind Cycling’s charges by one
- Annihilation Eon – Blossom of Kaleidos: When Xiao isn’t the active member in the party, his energy recharge rate increases by 255
- Evil Conqueror – Wrath Deity: Increase the level of Lemniscatic Wind Cycling by three, up to a maximum of 15
- Transcension – Extinction of Suffering: If Xiao’s health drops below 50%, he gains a 100% defence bonus
- Evolution Eon – Origin of Ignorance: Increase the level of Bane of All Evil by three, up to a maximum of 15
- Evil Conqueror – Vigilant Yaksha: During Bane of All Evil, attacking two or more enemies with a charged attack grants Lemniscatic Wind Cycling one additional charge. This also reduces Lemniscatic Wind Cycling’s cooldown by one second
Genshin Impact Xiao Passive Talents
- Evil Conqueror – Tamer of Demons: Activating Bane of All Evil increases Xiao’s damage by 5%. Xiao’s damage continues to increase by 5% every three seconds up to a maximum of 25% until the elemental burst ends
- Dissolution Eon – Heaven Fall: When Lemniscatic Wind Cycling is active, increase all subsequent Lemniscatic Wind Cycling’s damage by 10% for six seconds. The duration refreshes with every new stack, up to a maximum of three times
- Transcension – Gravity Defier: Decreases all party member’s falling damage by 30%. If other party members have a similar passive talent, only one character’s talent will be used when taking fall damage
And that’s all you need to create the best Genshin Impact Xiao build. If you’re interested in finding out which characters might be making their way to the game, definitely check out our Genshin Impact new characters guide. Don’t forget to check out our Genshin Impact tier list to see where your favourite characters stack up against each other.