Genshin Impact’s Xingqiu is known for his love of fictional books, which inspired him from a young age to be chivalrous and a little eccentric. If you want to help him become the hero he’s always dreamt of being, our Xingqiu build guide is the perfect place for you, diving into his skills, constellations, best weapons and artifacts, and more.
For those of you who are a bit low on mora or primogems, head over to our Genshin Impact codes list so you can make some extra wishes and earn some in-game currency for a healthy wallet. Study up with our build guides for Genshin Impact’s Xiangling, Genshin Impact’s Qiqi, and Genshin Impact’s Bennett. For another game like Genshin Impact, check out our Wuthering Waves Rover and Wuthering Waves Yinlin builds.
Adventure with us to learn all about Genshin Impact’s Xingqiu.
What’s the best Genshin Impact Xingqiu build?
| Best weapon | Primordial Jade Cutter |
| Weapon substitutes | Skyward Blade |
| Best artifact set | Emblem of Severed Fate |
| Artifact substitutes | Heart of Depth |
| Main stats |
|
| Sub-stats |
|
The best build for Xingqiu is an off-field DPS build. His best weapon is Primordial Jade Cutter which boosts his crit rate and general attack output. If you’re struggling to get your hands on this sword, Skyward Blade is a great replacement. Xingqiu’s best artifacts are a full set of Emblem of Severed Fate with energy recharge, hydro damage, and crit stats.
When leveling up Xingqiu’s talents, we recommend prioritizing his elemental burst, followed by his elemental skill. His normal attack is negligible, so you can either leave that until last or ignore it entirely.
Xingqiu is an extremely useful four-star character that has become a staple in many of the top ‘National’ team comps. He has the most consistent hydro application on single-target enemies in the game, and some AoE capabilities, allowing him to enable reactions. He deals some of the highest single-target damage off-field, provides a large survivability boost to his team, can self-sustain, and is affordable to build.
How should I use Xingqiu?
Xingqiu’s elemental skill and elemental burst are the key to his off-field damage, creating Rain Swords to protect your teammates and attack enemies for tons of hydro damage. Depending on your build, Xingqiu’s skill and burst can constantly be available, so make sure to swap in, activate his abilities, and swap back out again.
What are the best Xingqiu weapons?
When it comes to choosing Xingqiu’s weapon, the best-performing option relies heavily on what constellation you have him at. Check out the super handy graph on the Keqingmains Xingqiu guide for more info.
Generally, Primordial Jade Cutter is the best offensive option for Xingqiu. With a full set of Emblem of Severed Fate artifacts and 240% energy recharge, it outperforms all other options regardless of your constellation level. Skyward Blade is also a great option for Xingqiu at any constellation level due to its comfortable energy recharge substat, high base attack, and useful crit rate buff through its skill. Plus, it’s a far more accessible five-star than Primordial Jade Cutter, and less highly contested among other sword wielders.
Sacrificial Sword is Xingqiu’s best four-star option, due to its energy recharge substat and handy passive which gives you room to farm for more offensive artifact stats.
| Weapon | Effect | How to obtain |
| Primordial Jade Cutter | Bonus effect: crit rate Skill: increases HP by 20%. Also provides an attack bonus based on 1.2% of Xingqiu’s max HP |
Weapon event gacha |
| Sacrificial Sword | Bonus effect: energy recharge Skill: after an opponent is damaged by an elemental skill, the skill has a 40% chance to end its own cooldown. This can only occur once every 30 seconds |
Gacha |
| Skyward Blade | Bonus effect: energy recharge Skill: crit rate increases by 4%. Xingqiu gains Skypiercing Might when he uses his elemental burst. This increases movement and attack speed by 10% and boosts the damage of normal and charged attacks by 20% for 12 seconds |
Gacha |
What are the best artifacts for Xingqiu?
We recommend using a full set of Emblem of Servered Fate or Noblesse Oblige for Xingqiu to focus on increasing the impact of his elemental burst. Alternatively, you can use Heart of Depth to buff his hydro attack.
| Artifact set | Effect | How to obtain |
| Emblem of Severed Fate | Two equipped: energy recharge +20% Four equipped: increases elemental burst damage by 25% of energy recharge. You can obtain a maximum of 75% bonus damage in this way |
Momiji-Dyed Court domain on Yashiori Island in Inazuma |
| Noblesse Oblige | Two equipped: elemental burst damage +20% Four equipped: increases all party members’ attack by 20% for 12 seconds after using an elemental burst. This effect cannot stack |
Clear Pool and Mountain Cavern domain in Minlin, Mt. Aozang, or from the Noblesse Oblige Artifact Strongbox |
| Heart of Depth | Two equipped: hydro damage +15% Four equipped: increases normal and charged attack damage after using an elemental skill by 30% for 15 seconds |
Peak of Vindagnyr domain on Dragonspine, in Mondstadt, or from the Heart of Depth Artifact Strongbox |
| The Exile | Two equipped: energy recharge +20% Four equipped: elemental bursts regenerate two energy for all party members, excluding Xingqiu, every two seconds for six seconds |
Chests, enemy drops, quest rewards |
Artifact stat recommendations
Main stats:
- Sands: Energy recharge or attack%
- Goblet: Hydro damage bonus
- Circlet: Crit rate, crit damage, or attack%
Sub-stats:
- Energy recharge
- Attack%
- Crit rate
- Crit damage
What are the best Xingqiu team comps?
As we said earlier, Xingqiu works in a huge range of team comps as he’s great for hydro application. He also fits really nicely into National team comps for the same reasons.
Here’s an example of one of the many strong Xingqiu team comps:
| First character slot | Second character slot | Third character slot | Fourth character slot |
 Xingqiu |
 Raiden Shogun |
 Xiangling |
 Bennett |
What are Xingqiu’s abilities?
Active skills:
| Skill | Effect |
| Normal attack: Guhua Style | Normal: Perform five strikes Charged: Consume stamina to perform two powerful strikes Plunging: Plunges from mid-air to deal AoE damage on impact |
| Elemental skill: Guhua Sword – Fatal Rainscreen | Perform two strikes that deal hydro damage and summon the maximum number of Rain Swords. These swords float around Xingqiu and have the following properties:
|
| Elemental burst: Guhua Sword – Raincutter | Xingqiu begins Rainbow Bladework and fights using an illusory sword rain. This also creates the maximum number of Rain Swords. While Rainbow Bladework is in effect, normal attacks made by the active character will trigger sword rain attacks that deal hydro damage. Rain Swords will remain at the maximum number as long as this ability is active |
Passive skills:
| Skill | Effect |
| Hydropathic | When a Rain Sword shatters or expires, it regenerates your HP by 8% of Xingqiu’s maximum HP |
| Blades Amidst Raindrops | Gain a 20% hydro damage bonus |
| Flash of Genius | When crafting character talent materials, you have a 25% chance to refund a portion of the materials |
What are Xingqiu’s constellations?
Here’s every bonus you receive when leveling up Xingqiu’s constellations by unlocking duplicates of him.
| Constellation | Effect |
| C1: The Scent Remained | The maximum number of Rain Swords is increased by one |
| C2: Rainbow Upon the Azure Sky | The duration of Guhua Sword – Raincutter is increased by three seconds. Enemies hit by sword rain receive a 15% decrease to their hydro resistance for four seconds |
| C3: Weaver of Verses | Increases the level of Guhua Sword – Raincutter by three, up to a maximum level of 15 |
| C4: Evilsoother | For the duration of Guhua Sword – Raincutter, damage dealt by Guhua Sword – Fatal Rainscreen is increased by 50% |
| C5: Embrace of Rain | Increases the level of Guhua Sword – Fatal Rainscreen by three, up to a maximum level of 15 |
| C6: Hence, Call Them My Own Verses | If you activate two Guhua Sword – Raincutter’s sword rain attacks, the damage is increased for the third strike. Three energy is regenerated when the sword rain attacks hit enemies |
What are Xingqiu’s ascension materials?
Here are all the materials you need to fully ascend Xingqiu:
| Level | Mora | Ascension materials |
| 20+ | 20k | One varunada lazurite sliver, three silk flowers, three damaged masks |
| 40+ | 40k | Three varunada lazurite fragments, two cleansing hearts, ten silk flowers, 15 damaged masks |
| 50+ | 60k | Six varunada lazurite fragments, four cleansing hearts, 20 silk flowers, 12 stained masks |
| 60+ | 80k | Three varunada lazurite chunks, eight cleansing hearts, 30 silk flowers, 18 stained masks |
| 70+ | 100k | Six varunada lazurite chunks, 12 cleansing hearts, 45 silk flowers, 12 ominous masks |
| 80+ | 120k | Six varunada lazurite gemstones, 20 cleansing hearts, 60 silk flowers, 24 ominous masks |
Here’s where to find all of Xingqiu’s ascension materials:
- Varunada lazurite – drops from normal and weekly bosses
- Silk flowers – sold in Liyue and Sumeru, found in Liyue Harbor and the Wangshu Inn, or grown in the Serenitea Pot
- Damaged masks / stained masks / ominous masks – drops from hilichurl enemies
- Cleansing hearts – drops from the Rhodeia of Loch normal boss in Liyue
What are Xingqiu’s talent materials?
Here are all the materials you need to get each of Xingqiu’s talents up to max level:
| Talent level | Mora | Materials |
| Two | 12.5k | Six damaged masks, three teachings of gold |
| Three | 17.5k | Three stained masks, two guides to gold |
| Four | 25k | Four stained masks, four guides to gold |
| Five | 30k | Six stained masks, six guides to gold |
| Six | 37.5k | Nine stained masks, nine guides to gold |
| Seven | 120k | Four ominous masks, four philosophies of gold, one tail of Boreas |
| Eight | 260k | Six ominous masks, six philosophies of gold, one tail of Boreas |
| Nine | 450k | Nine ominous masks, 12 philosophies of gold, two tails of Boreas |
| Ten | 700k | 12 ominous masks, 16 philosophies of gold, two tails of Boreas, one crown of insight |
Here’s where to get each of Xingqiu’s talent materials:
- Damaged masks / stained masks / ominous masks – drops from hilichurl enemies
- Gold talent books – rewards from the Taishan Mansion domains on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays
- Tails of Boreas – drops from the Andrius weekly boss in Mondstadt
Talent priorities
When leveling up Xingqiu’s talents, we recommend prioritizing the following:
- Elemental burst > Elemental skill >> Normal attack
That’s everything you should know about Genshin Impact’s Xingqiu. If you need some help with Hoyoverse’s new urban fantasy game, check out our Zenless Zone Zero Nicole, Zenless Zone Zero Billy, and Zenless Zone Zero Anton guides. Alternatively, take a look at our build guides for Honkai Star Rail’s Seele, Honkai Star Rail’s Firefly, and Honkai Star Rail’s Black Swan.