Ride the waves of Natlan with Genshin Impact’s Mualani – an eager tour guide and a really fun playable character. When not attending to her shop in the Springs area, she can be found zooming around on a shark-shaped surfboard or throwing water bombs in our team comps. Here’s how to get the best Mualani build out there.
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Here’s everything you need to know about Genshin Impact’s Mualani:
What’s the best Genshin Impact Mualani build?
Mualani is a five-star character who uses the hydro element and a catalyst weapon.
| Rarity | ★★★★★ |
| Element | Hydro |
| Weapon | Catalyst |
| Best weapon | Surf’s Up! |
| Substitute weapons | Ring of Yaxche, Ash-Graven Drinking Horn |
| Best artifact set | Obsidian Codex |
| Artifact substitutes | Heart of Depth, Vourukasha’s Glow |
| Main stats | Sands – HP Goblet – Hydro damage bonus Circlet – Crit rate/damage |
| Sub-stats | HP, crit rate, crit damage, energy recharge |
Mualani’s kit is incredibly fun – she rides a Sharky Surfboard across the overworld and into battle, then throws water bombs during her normal attacks.
The best weapon for Mualani is the Surf’s Up catalyst. If you have this, the weapon’s skill means she’s best placed for a vape team, with classic teammates like Genshin Impact’s Xiangling, Genshin Impact’s Thoma, or Genshin Impact’s Dehya.
She’s a little more flexible if you don’t get her signature weapon, though, allowing her to shine in any hydro reaction team. Her attacks scale off her HP stat, so make sure to keep an eye on your artifacts and their stats to get as much as you can – but throw some crit rate and crit damage in there too.
How do I use Mualani?
Mualani’s kit is a bit different from what we’re used to. As a debut Natlan character, she has a new side to her kit called the Nightsoul Blessing state. Mualani enters the Nightsoul Blessing state when you activate her elemental skill – she rides her sharky surfboard, and you can see how long it has left thanks to the meter on the side.
When in the Nightsoul Blessing (surfing) state, if you knock into opponents, you mark them as Prey, and Mualani gains a Wave Momentum stack. This increases the damage of her normal attacks when in the Nighsoul state, which can do some heavy damage. You can see the amount of stacks she has as they light up next to the Nightsoul meter. When you have three stacks, use her normal attack, and watch the big numbers appear.
The best way to use Mualani is to enter the Nightsoul Blessing state, then surf toward enemies and mark them, then use her normal attacks while surfing to deal heavier damage. Her elemental burst can also provide a big instance of hydro damage to each enemy on field. The key is to set up any other elements before entering her rotation – though with the lack of off-field pyro, this can be the tricky bit.
What are Mualani’s best weapons?
We recommend Mualani’s signature weapon, Surf’s Up, for her kit. This boosts her vaporize damage and her crit damage overall, as well as adding a chunk to her HP stat. If you’re not in a place to pull for a limited five-star weapon, we have some other recommendations for you, including the catalyst given for free to every player upon entering Natlan, and an event reward.
| Surf’s Up | Stat: Crit damage Skill: Increases Mualani’s maximum HP by 20%. Once every 15 seconds, for the 14 seconds after using an elemental skill, she gains four Scorching Summer stacks. Each stack increases her normal attack damage by 12%. During this effect, she loses a stack every 1.5 seconds after a normal attack hits an opponent, but gains a stack when triggering a vaporize reaction. She can hold four stacks at maximum |
Weapon banner |
| Ring of Yaxche | Stat: HP Skill: Using an elemental skill grants Mualani the Jade-Forged Crown effect: every 1,000 of her maximum HP increases her normal attack damage by 0.6% for ten seconds. The maximum damage able to be gained is 16% |
Forged, and free during Natlan |
| Ash-Graven Drinking Horn | Stat: HP Skill: When an attack hits an opponent, Mualani deals AoE damage equal to 40% of her maximum HP at the target location. This effect can be triggered once every 15 seconds |
Event reward |
| Sacrificial Jade | Stat: Crit rate Skill: When Mualani isn’t on field for five seconds, her maximum HP increases. Her elemental mastery also increases. These effects cancel after she’s on field for ten seconds |
Battle Pass reward |
| The Widsith | Stat: Crit damage Skill: When Mualani takes the field, she gains one of three songs for ten seconds. This can only occur every 30 seconds. The songs are: -Recitative: Mualani’s attack increases -Aria: Increases Mualani’s elemental damage -Interlude: Mualani’s elemental mastery increases |
Gacha |
What are the best artifacts for Mualani?
For Mualani, you want to focus on hydro damage, HP, and the new Nightsoul mechanics specifically for Natlan characters. The best artifact set for Mualani is Obsidian Codex, but you can mix and match HP and hydro-boosting two-piece sets.
Remember to focus on individual pieces’ stats, too – for Mualani you need HP, crit damage and crit rate, and a hydro damage boosting goblet.
| Obsidian Codex | Two pieces: While Mualani is in Nightsoul’s Blessing on the field, her damage increases by 15% Four pieces: After Mualani consumes one Nightsoul point while on field, her crit rate increases by 40% for six seconds. This can trigger once every second |
Obtain from the Sanctum of Rainbow Spirits domain |
| Heart of Depth | Two pieces: 15% hydro damage bonus Four pieces: After using an elemental skill, Mualani’s normal attack and charged attack damage increase by 30% for 15 seconds |
Obtain from the Peak of Vindagnyr domain |
| Vourukasha’s Glow | Two pieces: Increases maximum HP Four pieces: Mualani’s elemental skill and burst damage increase by 10%. After she takes damage, the damage bonus increases by 80% for five seconds. This can stack five times. This can trigger even when she is not on field |
Obtain from the Molten Iron Fortress domain |
| Nymph’s Dream | Two pieces: Increases hydro damage Four pieces: After Mualani’s normal, charged, and plunging attacks, elemental skills, or elemental bursts hit opponents, she triggers one stack of Mirrored Nymph. When under the effect of one, two, or three stacks, her attack increases by 7/16/25%, and hydro damage bonus increases by 4/9/15% |
Obtain from the Molten Iron Fortress domain |
Artifact stat recommendations
Main stats:
- Sands: HP
- Goblet: Hydro damage bonus
- Circlet: Crit damage/rate or HP
Sub-stats:
- HP
- Crit rate/damage
- Elemental mastery
- Energy recharge
If you need a refresher on all things artifacts, we’ve got a handy Genshin Impact artifacts guide for you.
What are the best Mualani team comps?
Mualani is best used in a vaporize team comp – especially if you have her signature weapon – though you can safely use her as a hydro-based main DPS in plenty of elemental teams.
Really, you can mix any of the below recommendations – as long as Mualani can react and has some sort of healing to protect against any burn application, you’ll be good to go.
We highly recommend Kazuha and Xilonen as supports in a Mualani team – Kazuha can swirl elements and add a great chunk of damage, whereas Xilonen’s sampler will specifically decrease enemy resistance to hydro.
 Mualani |
 Zhongli |
 Dehya |
 Kazuha |
| Mualani |
 Xiangling |
 Bennett |
Kazuha |
| Mualani |
 Emilie |
Xiangling |
 Kirara |
| Mualani |
 Xilonen |
Xiangling |
Dehya |
What are Mualani’s skills?
Mualani’s kit revolves around dealing hydro damage and Nightsoul-aligned damage.
Active skills
| Normal attack | Cooling Treatment Normal: Performs up to three attacks dealing hydro damage Charged: Consuming stamina, Mualani smacks a Pufferball into the air that deals AoE hydro damage Plunging: Mualani plunges to the ground dealing hydro damage in a small AoE |
| Elemental skill | Surfshark Wavebreaker Mualani can surf anywhere and gains 60 Nightsoul points. She also enters the Nightsoul’s Blessing State. Nightsoul’s Blessing: Mualani Continuously consuming points, Mualani mounts her Sharky Surfboard. This increases her movement speed and interruption resistance. She can move on water and liquid phlogiston. Her normal attacks turn into Shark’s Bites, dealing Nightsoul-aligned hydro damage based on her maximum HP. She can use these attacks in mid-air. When Mualani makes contact with an enemy, she applies Marked As Prey, which gives her one Wave Momentum stack. She can hold three stacks and can gain one stack every 0.7 seconds. Wave Momentum and Marked as Prey When Mualani uses Sharky’s bite, her damage increases based on the Wave Momentum Stacks she currently has. When she has three stacks, Sharky’s Bite turns into Sharky’s Surging Bite, increasing her damage and using all stacks upon hitting an opponent. When Sharky’s Bite hits an opponent with Marked as Prey, the mark gets removed, and she fires Shark Missiles at (up to) five enemies that are Marked as Prey. If more than one opponent is the target, the damage decreases, decreasing to 72% of the original damage at most |
| Elemental burst | Boomsharka-laka Mualani fires a Super Shark Missile that tracks opponents, dealing Nightsoul-aligned AoE hydro damage based on her maximum HP |
Passive skills
| Heat-Resistant Freshwater Puffer | When Sharky’s Surging Bite hits an opponent, a Puffer gets generated. Mualani restores 20 Nightsoul points when she picks up a Puffer. She can create two during any instance of being in Nightsoul’s Blessing |
| Natlan’s Greatest Guide | When a party member triggers a Nightsoul burst, Mualani gains one stack of Wavechaser’s Exploits, lasting for 20 seconds. She can hold three stacks. When she uses her elemental burst, she clears all Wavechaser’s Exploits stacks and increases her damage by 15/30/45% (depending on stacks) of her maximum HP |
| Night Realm’s Gift: Crests and Troughs | When Mualani’s Nightsoul Points get depleted, she consumes phlogiston to maintain the Nightsoul Blessing. When in an area with phlogiston mechanics, she can use Nightsoul Transmission: Mualani. This means that the Mualani gains 40 Nightsoul points when the active character swaps to her while sprinting, swimming, or in the air. Mualani’s Nightsoul point or phlogiston consumption while moving on water and liquid phlogiston during Nightsoul’s Blessing decreases by 75% when in Natlan |
| The Trick is to Keep Smiling! | When in an area with phlogiston mechanics in Natlan, Mualani restores 15 phlogiston when picking up harvestable items. She also shows the location of Natlan specialty items on the mini-map |
What are Mualani’s constellations?
For those of you going for a C6 Mualani, or that happen to pull more than one of the surfer on the banner, here’s what you can unlock with her constellations.
| C1 | The Leisurely Metzli… The damage dealt by the first Surging Bite from Sharky after Mualani enters the Nightsoul Blessing state, and Shark Missiles trigger, increases by 66% of Mualani’s maximum HP. This instance of increased damage is subject to the diminishing rules of Surfshark Wavebreaker. In addition, when out of combat, Mualani’s Nightosul Blessing state consumes 30% less phlogiston and Nightsoul points |
| C2 | Mualani, Going All Out! Mualani gains two Wave Momentum stacks when she enters the Nightsoul Blessing state. She gains one stack when obtaining a Puffer. Whenever she gets two Puffers in a single instance of the Blessing state, she recovers an additional 12 points. This requires the talent “Heat-Resistant Freshwater Floater” to be unlocked |
| C3 | Surfing Atop Joyous Seas Increases the level of Mualani’s elemental skill by three, up to a maximum level of 15 |
| C4 | Sharky Eats Puffies Mualani regenerates eight energy when she gets a Puffer. Boomsharka-laka deals an additional 75% increased damage |
| C5 | Same Style of Surfboard on Sale! Increases the level of Mualani’s elemental burst by three, up to a maximum level of 15 |
| C6 | Spirit of the Spring’s People The damage increase from “The Leisurely Metzli…” is no longer limited to triggering once every Nightsoul Blessing state |
What are Mualani’s ascension materials?
Here are all the materials you need to ascend Mualani all the way up to level 80. We highly recommend doing this as her HP stat grows, which is key to her on-field success.
| 20➔40 | 20k mora One varunada lazurite sliver Three sprayfeather gills Three marks of the binding blessing |
| 40➔50 | 40k mora Three varunada lazurite fragments Ten sprayfeather gills 15 sentry’s wooden whistles Two marks of the binding blessing |
| 50➔60 | 60k mora Six varunada lazurite fragments 20 sprayfeather gills 12 warrior’s metal whistles Four marks of the binding blessing |
| 60➔70 | 80k mora Three varunada lazurite chunks 30 sprayfeather gills 18 warrior’s metal whistles Eight marks of the binding blessing |
| 70➔80 | 100k mora Six varunada lazurite chunks 45 sprayfeather gills 12 saurian-crowned warrior’s golden whistles 12 marks of the binding blessing |
| 80➔90 | 120k mora Six varunada lazurite gemstones 60 sprayfeather gills 24 saurian-crowned warrior’s golden whistles 20 marks of the binding blessing |
Here’s where to find all the items you need to ascend Mualani:
- Varunada lazurite – obtain from normal and weekly bosses – especially the hydro hypostasis and hydro tulpa – or craft via alchemy
- Sprayfeather gill – you can find these plants growing in the are around People of the Springs and Toyac Springs
- Mark of the binding blessing – this item drops from the Goldflame Qucusaur Tyrant boss in Natlan
- Sentry’s wooden whistle, warrior’s metal whistle, saurian-crowned warrior’s golden whistle – these items drop from sauroform tribal warrior enemies in Natlan. You can craft them into higher rarities at an alchemy bench, and purchase them from the stardust exchange
What are Mualani’s talent materials?
Here are all the materials you need to fully upgrade any of Mualani’s talents.
| 1➔2 | 12.5k mora Six sentry’s wooden whistles Three teachings of contention |
| 2➔3 | 17.5k mora Three warrior’s metal whistles Two guides to contention |
| 3➔4 | 25k mora Four warrior’s metal whistles Four guides to contention |
| 4➔5 | 30k mora Six warrior’s metal whistles Six guides to contention |
| 5➔6 | 37.5k mora Nine warrior’s metal whistles Nine guides to contention |
| 6➔7 | 120k mora Four saurian-crowned warrior’s golden whistles Four philosophies of contention One lightless mass |
| 7➔8 | 260k mora Six saurian-crowned warrior’s golden whistles Six philosophies of contention One lightless mass |
| 8➔9 | 450k mora Nine saurian-crowned warrior’s golden whistles 12 philosophies of contention Two lightless masses |
| 9➔10 | 700k mora 12 saurian-crowned warrior’s golden whistles 16 philosophies of contention Two lightless masses One crown of insight |
To find all these items, head to these locations and hunt these enemies:
- Contention talent books – farm these in the Sublime Turning domain in Natlan on Mondays, Thursdays, and Sundays
- Sentry’s wooden whistle, warrior’s metal whistle, saurian-crowned warrior’s golden whistle – these items drop from sauroform tribal warrior enemies in Natlan. You can craft them into higher rarities at an alchemy bench, and purchase them from the stardust exchange
- Lightless mass – you can get these as a reward for the weekly All-Devouring Narwhal boss in Fontaine. If you don’t get the right drop, you can transform them at an alchemy station
Talent priority
- Elemental skill > elemental burst > normal attack
Who is Mualani?
Mualani comes from a line of ‘People of the Springs’, a group known for their knowledge of the world around them who act as guides. She’s known throughout Natlan already despite being a new, young guide on the scene. Judging by her ability to find shortcuts, it’s likely that her passive talent may have something to do with faster travel for your party.
We’re itching to get into Natlan, so are digging into the lore of the game and building up some key characters – if you want to do the same, check out our builds for Genshin Impact’s Bennett, Genshin Impact’s Nahida, and Genshin Impact’s Emilie.