Yanfei Dual Blaze Hydro Build Guide | Genshin Impact | Abyss Ready
Aug. 5, 2022Yanfei Dual Blaze Hydro Build Guide | Genshin Impact | Abyss Ready
In thisGenshin Impact GuideI’m going to be showing you myDual Hydro BuildforYanfei.It’s a Vaporize build, featuring Yelan andXingqiu, as part of a team of three potent damage dealers. This build is meant to squeeze more frequent Vaporize procs fromYanfeienabling frequent Charged Attacks, which is a huge gain for damage.
This build adds a second off-field Hydro applier, who’s also a damage dealer. Thanks to the introduction of the five-star character, Yelan, we can finally unleash it’s full potential ofYanfei. Such a build is much more expensive resin-wise, as you have to build three full DPS characters. However, it enables an aggressive playstyle, with a higher damage ceiling. If this sounds like your kind of playstyle, it’s worth checking out.
It has been a year, since my last build forYanfei. Back there, AOE content was dominant in the Spiral Abyss, and Inazuma was not out yet. An Overload team ofYanfei,FischlandBeidouwas optimal against most content. Nowadays, Spiral Abyss is full of bosses, so we draft a team tailored for a single target situation, and is still decent in AOE.
The idea is to apply an excessive amount of Hydro element on the enemy, by using both Yelan andXingqiu. Their Hydro is applied from off-field when your active character does a normal attack.Yanfeihas to go through normal attacks to build up “seals,” then at a max seal number, unleash her charged attack. So the goal is to Vaporize all charged attacks, for massive damage. With multiple hydro sources, you can fully utilizeYanfei‘s burst, which allows for seals to build much faster.Yanfeican therefore unleash Charged Attacks sooner, following two normal attacks instead of three. This will still vaporize the charged attack in the process.
Not only that, but she can also exploit the fact that she gains a full number of seals after using both, elemental skill, and burst. So you can unleash two extra charged attacks after one normal attack, for more Vaporize hits. Meanwhile, both Yelan andXingqiuadd their high single-target damage on top of Yanfei’s damage.
The ideal buffer support in the fourth team slot isBennett, due to the fact he can buff Attack stats, add Pyro resonance for even more Attack, and help Yanfei generate energy for her burst. He also act as the healer, and wielder of eitherNoblesse ObligeorInstructorartifact sets, for more team buffs.
This build is ideally tuned for endgame content, and in thisGuideI’ll explain just how to build aDual Hydro BuildusingYanfei. Perfect for conquering the open world, event challenges, as well as Spiral Abyss. I’ll go through whatWeaponsto use, whatArtifactsto upgrade and which companions to pick.
With her being able to Vaporize most of her damage,Yanfeibenefits more from Elemental Mastery (EM). So we go withEMas the main stat on Sands,Pyro Damageon Goblet, andCriton circlet. You should aim for around 200-230EM, but don’t go higher. If you are using a weapon withEMbonus, or have two pieces of the Wanderer’s Troupe, you should considerAttackSands.
ForCriticalstats, you should aim for a balance ratio of 1 Crit Rate : 2 Crit Damage. If you have Yanfei at C2 or higher, you have to consider the additional 20% Crit Rate from this constellation. This bonus applies to enemies below 50% HP only, so it averages 10% in the overall calculations.
This encourages you to cap your Crit Rate (in character sheet) at 80%, so the extra 20% pushes it to 100%, and doesn’t waste any extra chances. However, if you have very high Crit damage (200% or higher), it’s still worth pushing Crit Rate beyond 80%.
If you play Yanfei on short rotation, and desire to use her burst on cooldown, you have to build someERon her. However, I advise against wasting too many sub stats on ER. The better solution is to extend the rotation a little bit, to funnel energy from Bennet’s skill into Yanfei. Or just ignore her burst for the second rotation.
The catalyst is a pure elemental weapon, so Yanfei has the benefit of dealing Pyro damage through Normal attacks, Charged Attacks, elemental skill, and burst. This allows her to deal proper damage with every part of her kit and enables generic Pyro builds to be so effective. It also promotes the usage of a wide variety of catalyst weapons.
From the get-go,Mappa Mareis an excellent weapon for a Yanfei Vaporize build. It has one of the highest base attacks among four-star Catalyst (565), and has EM sub-stat. On top of that it has an elemental damage bonus that stacks up to 16% at base refinement one, and 32% at max refinement.
You can craft this weapon early in-game, and it will carry you to the endgame. If you don’t need refinement on other craftable Catalyst, feel free to refine it to the max. However, as you get more damage from other four-star weapons, such asThe Widsith, you might consider saving the crafting material onMappa Mare.
The Widsithis best Catalyst in the game for Yanfei, and at Refinement 5, it beat five-star Catalysts by a big margin. The weapon maintains its strength, even with downtime accounted for. So it really has no contender, and you should hold onto it once you get one.The Widsithhas 510 base attack, and 55.1% Crit damage sub-stat, these values by themselves are very competitive in most scenarios. However, the true strength comes from the passive, which gives the active characters a random buff from three.
Yanfei vaporize builds utilize all of the three buffs to the fullest, no matter which one it picks. The buff has 10-second duration, but 30-second cooldown. In an ideal rotation of 20 seconds, you will have buff in the first rotation, then miss it in second; then get it in the third, and so on. That’s an effective 50% uptime, with a very high damage value. The average damage ofThe Widsithover two rotation is still higher than all other weapons.
It’s ironic, but all five-star weapons are worse thanThe Widsithat max refinement. So you only use these five-star weapons on Yanfei if you don’t haveThe Widsith, or have it at one refinement.
The two weapons that are worth using areKagura’s Verity, andLost Prayer to the Sacred Winds. As they are better than R1The Widsith, we can use them temporarily.
When it comes toYanfei‘s choice of artifact, she’s very flexible and able to achieve a great result with a wide variety of artifacts.
Going with two pieces of one set, and two pieces from another is totally a viable option forYanfei. You can easily mix and match sets with various bonuses, to giveYanfeithe best sub-stats possible. Hybrid is not the best option in a fully optimized build at the very endgame. Some full sets have strong bonuses forYanfei, with the four-piece set bonus being very desirable. However, hybrid is easier to get, more flexible and has the potential to give superior sub-stats.
You can pick one set that provides an 18% Attack with a two-piece bonus. These sets areGladiator’s Finale,Shimenawa’s Reminiscence, Vermillion Hereafter, and Echoes of an Offering. On the other hand, you have the option to go with either a 15% Pyro damage bonus from theCrimson Witch of Flames, or 80 EM fromWanderer’s Troupe. The other option is to just pick a different Attack set from among the four different sets.
I personally recommend a Hybrid set, rather than farming theCrimson Witch of Flamesfor months. This is the most efficient way to spend your Resin.
This set gives 80 EM as a two-piece bonus and gives a 35% Damage multiplier to Charged Attacks. Charged Attack is the major source of damage in Vaporize builds, it deals more than 60% of overall damage. So giving it a high multiplier from aWanderer’s Troupeis a total damage increase in most scenarios.
However, acquiring goodWanderer’s Troupepieces is different from farming other sets.Wanderer’s Troupedoesn’t drop from domains, and can’t be farmed. It only drops from the Weekly bosses and world bosses, but not in great numbers. You will get some from open-world exploration, and some from quest rewards. So in the early game, when you are short on resin (because you have to farm for characters’ ascension materials and talent levels) theWanderer’s Troupeset will be the more accessible. At endgame, after levelling all characters and talents, you have enough resin to farm artifacts in the long term. At this point, you will start to feel there are not enoughWanderer’s Troupepieces to compete with farmable sets.
So depending on where you are in progress, this set will be either a best in slot, or a lesser competitor.
On paper,Crimson Witch of Flamesis the best set for any Pyro character playing as a vaporize build. It does much higher numbers (in an optimal setup), and it has several bonuses that fit the needs of Yanfei . It has a 15% Pyro damage bonus on the two-piece set, which will go up to 22.5% after using the elemental skill. The four-piece bonus has a 15% extra vaporize multiplier.
These bonuses are very competitive, and if paired with good sub-stats, it provides Yanfei with the highest damage possible. However, Hybrid sets can match or bypass it if it gets better sub-stats. So farmingCrimson Witch of Flamesfor weeks or months is not the most resin-efficient decision to make. This is especially true with the Sumeru expansion. The newer domains and bosses will need resin. TheCrimson Witch of Flamesdomain doesn’t have a good second set to justify farming there.
Level talents in this order:Normal Attack > Elemental Burst > Elemental Skill.
Yanfei‘s normal and charged attacks do Pyro damage at range by nature. Her Normal attacks allow her to build up to three Seals at C0~5, and four at C6. Seals reduce stamina consumed by the next Charged Attack and increase its damage. So the aim is to build three seals, and unleash a Charged Attack afterwards.
During an Elemental Burst, one seal is granted passively to Yanfei every second. This extra seal allows Yanfei to unleash a charged attack with three seals, after two normal attacks instead of three. This change is huge, as it allows more charged attacks used within the burst uptime, for more Vaporize reaction, and higher damage. Note that Burst also increases Charged Attack damage.
Elemental skill is a nine-cooldown talent, that deals Pyro damage in the AOE. It’s quick to cast and grants Yanfei maximum seals. It allows an extra Charged Attack to be used with high damage potential.
Make sure enemies are close to Yanfei before casting the elemental skill, because it has a shorter range than the rest of her kit.
Elemental Burst deals Pyro damage in the AOE, similar to the elemental skill. It also grants Yanfei maximum seals, and gives her a Charged Attack buff for 15 seconds, on a 20-second cooldown. At Constellation four, an elemental burst grants Yanfei a shield equal to 40% of her HP, for 15 seconds.
For the 15 seconds duration of the buff granted by her burst, Yanfei will generate a seal passively, every 1 second. This enables her to use Charged Attacks with full seals after two normal attacks.
To fully utilize Yanfei in a dual hydro vaporize team, you need have a certain understanding of hidden mechanics in the game. These include understanding the internal cooldown and elemental gauge. I’ll go over a quick explanation of the basic concept here, and make a full dedicated guide in future.
In short, Elemental attacks don’t apply their corresponding element with each hit. Instead, they apply the element in the first hit, then go into cooldown before applying the element again.
The standard ICD for normal attacks of all characters are three hits and last 2.5 seconds. So if you spam normal attacks, in Yanfei’s case she finishes three hits in 90 frames (1.5 seconds), it will go as follows:
It means that Yanfei effectively applies Pyro three times in three seconds from normal attacks only. If you add Charged Attacks, she will apply even more Pyro, because Charged Attacks has no ICD, to begin with, and can apply Pyro with every hit. So a basic two normal attacks followed by a charged attack repeated twice, will apply Pyro four times within three and a half seconds. Then she has the potential to apply Pyro a fifth and even a sixth time if she scores critical hits on her Charged attacks (which cause an extra attack from her C2).
So overall, Yanfei applies too much Pyro. To be able to vaporize all her hits or at least the most important ones, we need to understand the elemental gauge.
Elemental gauge is a simple mechanic in Genshin that allows elemental reactions in consuming varied portions of elements on enemies in the reaction. In every reaction, there’s a stronger element and a weaker element. If the stronger element is applied to the enemy, and the weaker element is used as a trigger for the reaction, it consumes only half of the element gauge on the enemy. This allows the element to persist for another reaction, and that’s the case of Reverse Vaporize.
In Reverse Vaporize, we apply the stronger element (Hydro) to enemies and proc the vaporize with the weaker element (Pyro). However, even with a Pyro consuming portion of Hydro aura, Yanfei’s Pyro application is still rapid, and one Hydro support can’t keep up. So we use two Hydro supports, with off-field hydro application, to enforce the hydro aura to stay put on enemies, even with Yanfei.
Yelan andXingqiuonly apply their hydro with active character’s Normal Attacks on 1 seconds cooldown. So we use both of them together to ensure two hydro application per second, and let Yanfei go wild with her Pyro application, and not miss Vaporize procs.
To exploit the double amount of Hydro application we get from using Dual hydro units, I’ve made some tests with Yanfei. The best result I could find is to use a Charged Attack at every chance possible, so we use an extra charged attack after Elemental Skill and after Elemental burst as well.
In an ideal scenario, you would start this rotation after you already Cast all Elemental Skills and Elemental Bursts of Yelan,Xingqiu, andBennett. The rotation goes as follows (I’ll use “E” as the symbol for Elemental Skill, “Q” for “Burst”, “C” for Charged Attack, and “N 1, 2, 3” for normal attack)
At C6, you get three Charged attacks with four seals and three Charged Attacks with three seals. At C5 or lower, you get all seven with three seals.
Genshin Impacthas unique playstyles that rely on switching characters and chaining combos across these characters. So a solid part of this Yanfei vaporize build is knowing which characters will accompany her, and what roles they will play.
In this section, I’ll fill you in on some of the best characters that synergize well with this build. It’s universally recommended for you use a five-star support character, and the most suitable among them for this build is Yelan.
The latest addition to the Hydro roster, and the second off-field hydro support, along withXingqiu. There’s no real need to compare the two, since we use them both and they’re not in competition. Yelan is an excellent support for Yanfei, that fills multiple roles in the team. She works as off-field DPS, who can dish out great damage without external buffs. At the same time, her off-field hydro application is necessary to play Vaporize.
Finally, Yelan buffs the active character on the field with a tremendous damage increase buff, that goes up to 50%. This buff keeps building up over time, so Yanfei is one of the few Pyro DPS in-game that takes full advantage of it. Yanfei’s damage is dynamic and doesn’t snapshot buffs, which allows her to update her damage with the increase in Yelan’s buff. Yanfei also stays on the field for longer, to take advantage of Yelan’s buff at higher values. Finally, Yelan adds mobility and allows fast repositioning to the team.
Make sure to level Yelan’s elemental burst as high as possible, to increase her DPS. After that, you are free to level her Elemental skill, but always skip leveling her Normal attack, it’s not important in this build.
Yelan will be doing a lot of damage in this team, so we focus only on her dps. Unlike Hu Tao who scales with Attack, and converts HP into Attack. Or Noelle who scales attack but converts it from Def. All of Yelan’s damage scales with HP , and its true scaling, where the HP stat directly scales damage without conversion. This type of scaling is very strong in Genshin, and yields very high damage for so little investment. Not to mention how HP stat is less contested by other characters, and easier to get.
For the best results, we prioritize%HP,Hydro DMG bonus, andCrit. These are the stats that scale Yelan damage.Hydro DMGroll only on Goblet,Critrolls only on Circlet, whileHPcan roll on Circlet, Goblet and Sands. So you always want HP% on Sands, Hydro on Goblet, and you are left with the choice betweenHP%andCriton Circlet.
Usually the circlet with better sub-stats is better overall, so you have some flexibility on the main stat here.
The HP scaling on Yelan make the weapon base damage absolutely useless. That means five-star weapons are not better than four-star weapons, and both are not better than three-star weapons. What determines weapon usefulness for Yelan is the sub-stats, and weapon passive only. Among these, we seek either HP, ER, Burst damage, or Crit.
Yelan has a very high energy recharge requirement, even withXingqiuon the team. That makes weapons with energy recharge the absolute best pick. So the best weapon for her isFavonius Warbow, with the highest ER sub-stat among bows, and a passive that generates additional energy for herself and the entire team.Favonius Warbowgets more value at higher refinement, due to a higher chance to proc, and a shorter cooldown on the passive.
If you don’t have aFavonius Warbow, you can substitute withFading Twilight,Elegy for the End, orSacrificial Bow. These are ok choices, butFavonius Warbowis still the better pick.
Using Energy Recharge Sands has a very high opportunity cost since you lose% HPstat that you can’t easily compensate with a weapon. But it’s possible if all else fails.
Recurve Bowis the only free weapon with an HP% sub-stat, but it doesn’t have a useful passive. So again, it’s not better than theFavonius Warbow.
Crit weapons are numerous, and come in all forms, from three stars to five stars. But usually, ER and HP weapons are just better. Even her signature weapon,Aqua Simulacrais only slightly better thanFavonius Warbow. So I highly recommend against wishing for it, even if you have hundreds of extra wishes.
With the high ER Yelan can achieve,Emblem of Severed Fatebecomes a very effective set for her. Yelan’s damage comes from Burst only, so theEmblem of Severed Fategives her up to a 50% damage multiplier, or more, depending on the total ER she has.
It’s true, thatEmblem of Severed Fateis highly contested by many characters. But Yelan needs pieces with HP% main and sub stats, so she doesn’t put much pressure on other characters.
Xingqiuis the original Hydro enabler to the Reverse Vaporize teams. Now Yelan is it competition with him over the role, but we just use them together in our build. Two hydro appliers enable Yanfei to Vaporize more frequently. On top of that,Xingqiushreds enemies’ Hydro resistance, allowing Yelan to do more damage.
Xingqiuwith theSacrificial Swordgenerates good elemental particles, to help himself and Yelan recharge their burst. He also adds much more survivability to the team, with a damage reduction, small heals, and more importantly can resist interruptions. Yanfei will remain resistant to interruptions, so enemies don’t break her combos during Charged Attacks.
This team has a healer, so we don’t need any healing fromXingqiu, and can build a full-damage dealer instead.
With Yelan in this team, andSacrificial Sword,Xingqiurequires lessEnergy Recharge,so we go forAttackon Sands,Hydro Damageon Goblet, andCrit RateorCrit Damageon headpiece for main stats. For sub-stats, we go withEnergy Recharge,Attack, andCrit.
I prefer to use theSacrificial SwordforXingqiu. It can reset the cooldown ofXingqiu‘sElemental Skill, to use two casts instead of one. It gets better with a higher refinement level, so make sure to get more duplicates of this weapon.
Overall it’s the most reliable weapon, even though not the weapon dealing the highest damage.
Emblem of Severed FategivesXingqiuthe best personal damage. However, Yanfei’s damage output is much more important. So we have the option to equipXingqiuwithNoblesse Oblige, for a slightly smaller damage, but a team-wide attack buff. It also decreases contests over the bestEmblem of Severed Fatepieces.
Bennettis the main “Attack” buffer in Genshin Impact, and he’s in this team to maximize Yanfei’s damage. Paired with her, Bennett adds Pyro resonance, for an extra 25% attack. With theInstructorartifact set in tow, he can also buff EM for even higher damage. He’s the healer of the team as well.
In this team, we castBennett‘s elemental burst right before switching to Yanfei, to increase the time Yanfei stays buffed. The reason being is that Yanfei stays on the field longer than the duration of Bennett’s elemental burst.
The team has enough damage sources, so we buildBennettas a pure support. Focus onEnergy Rechargeto maximize the uptime of his Elemental Burst. You can fulfil his ER by usingERon the Timepiece, which frees up the weapon slots to have a higher base attack.
Bennett‘s Attack buff scales with hisBase Attack,which comes from levelling and Ascending him, and his weapon. It isnotaffectedby the flat or percentageAttackstat on Artifacts. So we should give him a sword with the highest base attack available.
On the other hand, to maximize his healing, we should give himHPandHealing Bonusstats.
The main stats onBennettgoes as follows:Healing Bonuson Circlet,Pyro Damage Bonusor% HPon Goblet, andERon Sands. For sub-stats, go for what you want, either HP for more healing, or for Attack and crit for little extra damage.
All Energy recharge weapons forBennettare decent. But in this team, with lower ER requirements, and longer rotation, we can just stick to an ER Timepiece, and use a higher base attack weapon.
For example the four-star swords with high base attacks are:Blackcliff Longswordfrom Paimon’s Bargains, the free weaponPrototype Rancour, and the limited bannerThe Alley Flash.
If you have got a five-star sword that no damage dealer is using, you can give it toBennett. The increase in base attack will translate to a higher attack buff for the entire party, and yield a huge damage boost. That’s especially true if you’ve got aSkyward Blade, which has a high base attack, andEnergy Rechargesub-stat.
Bennettis a classic support character who could either use good oldNoblesse Oblige, to grant an attack buff for the entire party. Or just useInstructorto increase EM, while lettingXingqiuholdNoblesse Oblige.
We hope you found this build useful, and hopefully it gives you a good a better idea of how to maximize Yanfei’s potential.
Genshin Impactis now available to play on PC, iOS, Android and PS4 and PS5. If you enjoyed thisGenshin Impact Guidebe sure to check out more even more info on ourGenshin Impact Wiki. You can also keep an eye out for more guides and be sure to not miss ourEula Physical Supremacy Build Guideas well as, ourfull support guide for Kokomi.
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