Xiao is Genshin Impact’s premiere Anemo DPS, with the Liyue adeptus conquering every demon in Teyvat with his Polearm. We’ve got the best Xiao build in Genshin Impact right here, including the top artifacts, weapons, and more you need to take.
Xiao can be best described as Genshin Impact’s ultimate one-man army. The Liyue adeptus boasts one of the highest DPS in the game, especially when he’s built in the correct manner. However, it’s still important to build a strong team around him so you can maximize it.
We’ve got the ultimate guide to Xiao right here, including his best build in Genshin Impact and the top artifacts, weapons, and team comps you should run with the Vigilant Yaksha.
Contents
Xiao abilities in Genshin Impact
Normal Attack: Whirlwind Thrust
- Normal Attack: Xiao performs up to six consecutive spear strikes.
- Charged Attack: Xiao consumes a certain amount of Stamina to perform an upward thrust.
- Plunging Attack: Xiao plunges from mid-air to strike the ground below, damaging opponents along the path and dealing AoE DMG upon impact. Xiao does not take DMG from performing Plunging Attacks.
With Xiao, you want to do as many plunging attacks as possible as it’s his highest DPS. Because he has a higher than normal jump compared to other characters, he can plunge with ease, and it dishes out major AOE damage. Just make sure to plunge when you reach the apex of your jump for maximum damage.
You can also combo one normal attack into a charged attack to cancel its animation, then jump into the air and plunge enemies as they’re falling.
Elemental Skill: Lemniscatic Wind Cycling
Xiao’s Elemental Skill makes the Liyue adeptus lunge forward, dealing Anemo DMG to enemies in his path. It can be used in mid-air to hit weak spots on certain targets, as well as reposition in a fight.
He has two charges of it in his base kit, but can get an extra charge with his first constellation, and infinite refresh upon hitting two targets with his sixth constellation, making it more than just a movement tool and worth investing into (if you find all those constellations).
Elemental Burst: Bane of All Evil
Xiao’s Elemental Burst is the core of his kit, with the Liyue adeptus donning the Yaksha Mask that set gods and demons trembling millennia ago. It greatly increases his jumping ability, increases his ATK, and imbues his attacks with Anemo which is great for swirling Elemental Reactions.
Xiao will lose HP while wearing the mask, and it can be stopped by leaving the field. However, it’s important to maximize your uptime of the Burst, so bring a healer or shielder that can keep Xiao buffed up even while off-field so he can make the most of it.
Xiao constellations
Lucky enough to get multiple copies of Xiao? You’ve got plenty of great constellation buffs to look forward to.
- Level 1 — Dissolution Eon: Destroyer of Worlds: Increases Lemniscatic Wind Cycling’s charges by 1.
- Level 2 — Annihilation Eon: Blossom of Kaleidos: When in the party and not on the field, Xiao’s Energy Recharge is increased by 25%.
- Level 3 — Conqueror of Evil: Wrath Deity: Increases the Level of Lemniscatic Wind Cycling by 3. Maximum upgrade level is 15.
- Level 4 — Transcension: Extinction of Suffering: When Xiao’s HP falls below 50%, he gains a 100% DEF Bonus.
- Level 5 — Evolution Eon: Origin of Ignorance: Increases the Level of Bane of All Evil by 3. Maximum upgrade level is 15.
- Level 6 — Conqueror of Evil: Guardian Yaksha: While under the effects of Bane of All Evil, hitting at least 2 opponents with Xiao’s Plunging Attack will immediately grant him 1 charge of Lemniscatic Wind Cycling, and for the next 1s, he may use Lemniscatic Wind Cycling while ignoring its CD.
Best Xiao artifacts in Genshin Impact
Xiao doesn’t necessarily have to be forced into a specific four-piece artifact set in Genshin Impact. In reality, he benefits from two-piece sets mostly — like the Anemo DMG Bonus from Viridescent Venerer and ATK from Gladiator’s Finale and Shinenawa’s Reminiscence.
What’s most important is getting good main stats and substats. This includes Anemo DMG Bonus from your Goblets, and plenty of CRIT Rate and DMG from your Circlets and substats.
You can find a list of Xiao’s best artifacts in Genshin Impact below.
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| Artifact | Details |
Viridescent Venerer | 2-Piece Set: Anemo DMG Bonus +15% 4-Piece Set: Increases Swirl DMG by 60%. Decreases opponent’s Elemental RES to the element infused in the Swirl by 40% for 10s. |
Gladiator’s Finale | 2-Piece Set: ATK +18%. 4-Piece Set: If the wielder of this artifact set uses a Sword, Claymore or Polearm, increases their Normal Attack DMG by 35%. |
Shimenawa’s Reminiscence | 2-Piece Set: ATK +18%. 4-Piece Set: When casting an Elemental Skill, if the character has 15 or more Energy, they lose 15 Energy and Normal/Charge/Plunging Attack DMG is increased by 50% for 10s. This effect will not trigger again during that duration. |
Best Xiao weapons in Genshin Impact
There are two standout weapons for Xiao that are very flexible in every situation. The only downside is both Primordial Jade Winged-Spear and Staff of Homa are hard-to-get five-star weapons. If you have either, you should run it on Xiao regardless because the ATK buffs are huge.
Lithic Spear is also great, especially if you run a Liyue national team with the likes of Zhongli and Xingqiu (more on that further down) given its passive scales based on the number of Liyue characters in your party. However, it does force you into a specific playstyle.
Check out the full list of Xiao’s best weapons in Genshin Impact below.
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Xiao Talent Level-Up and Ascension materials
Being a Liyue adeptus, you can expect to find most of Xiao’s materials in the region. Slime Condensate can be found everywhere, but special items like Shadow of the Warrior and Juvenile Jade are from Liyue bosses Childe and Primo Geovishap respectively.
Qingxin can be found dotted around the Liyue mountainside, while Vayuda Turquoise can be farmed from bosses like the Anemo Hypostasis or Maguu Kenki.
You can find the full list of Xiao’s Talent Level-Up and Ascension materials below, including exactly how much you need to max him out.
Xiao Talent Level-Up materials
| Talent Level-Up Materials | |||
| Talent Level-Up Materials | Teachings of Prosperity x9 | Guide to Prosperity x63 | Philosophies of Prosperity x114 |
| Common Ascension Materials | Slime Condensate x18 | Slime Secretions x66 | Slime Concentrate x93 |
| Weekly Boss Materials | Shadow of the Warrior x18 | ||
Xiao Ascension materials
| Ascension Level | Mora Cost | Materials | |||
| 1 | 20,000 | Vayuda Turquoise Sliver x1 | – | Qingxin x3 | Slime Condensate x3 |
| 2 | 40,000 | Vayuda Turquoise Fragment x3 | Juvenile Jade x2 | Qingxin x10 | Slime Condensate x15 |
| 3 | 60,000 | Vayuda Turquoise Fragment x6 | Juvenile Jade x4 | Qingxin x20 | Slime Secretions x12 |
| 4 | 80,000 | Vayuda Turquoise Chunk x3 | Juvenile Jade x8 | Qingxin x30 | Slime Secretions x18 |
| 5 | 100,000 | Vayuda Turquoise Chunk x6 | Juvenile Jade x12 | Qingxin x45 | Slime Concentrate x12 |
| 6 | 120,000 | Vayuda Turquoise Gemstone x6 | Juvenile Jade x20 | Qingxin x60 | Slime Concentrate x24 |
Xiao trailer in Genshin Impact
Xiao’s trailer dropped ahead of his February 2021 release during the first Lantern Rite event, showcasing the Vigilant Yaksha and diving into his backstory dating back to the millennia-ago Archon War.
It also dives into some of his combos and enhanced movement techniques, which are the key to mastering Xiao.
Best Xiao team comp
Xiao is very much a one-man army. He can deal all the damage himself and it’s worth having him on the field for as much as possible. That means when you’re building a comp around Xiao, you want to get the most out of your Supports and Sub DPS units who can drop their spells and sub out.
However, there’s one non-negotiable option if you really want to maximize your Xiao, and that’s Zhongli. It’s a heavy investment to get the two Liyue five-stars, but Zhongli’s shielding makes Xiao unkillable, and also resistant to some enemy crowd control which can be key with his plunging playstyle. Taking Albedo alongside Zhongli for Geo Resonance is also a great idea.
You also want an Anemo support like Sucrose, Venti, or even Jean in your squad, who can provide Xiao with Elemental Particles as a battery as well as Anemo Resonance. Jean fills the nice double role of being a healer, but you can round out your team with Diona, Xingqiu, Bennett, or even Kokomi if you don’t have Jean.
If you flex around these options, making sure you have at least a healer, a shielder, and an Anemo battery for Xiao (some of those characters fill multiple roles), then you’re well on your way.
If you have Xiao, he is definitely worth investing into as he is one of Genshin Impact’s best characters when built correctly.
If you’re looking for more great Genshin Impact builds to round out your team, check out our list below:
Best Albedo build | Best Aloy build | Best Ayaka build | Best Childe build | Best Diluc build | Best Eula build | Best Ganyu build | Best Hu Tao build | Best Itto build | Best Jean build | Best Kazuha build | Best Keqing build | Best Klee build | Best Kokomi build | Best Qiqi build | Best Raiden Shogun build | Best Shenhe build | Best Yoimiya build | Best Yun Jin build | Best Zhongli build
