Genshin Impact: Best Builds for Kaeya

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Kaeya	Cryo	Sword	Mondstadt
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Kaeya is one of Genshin Impact's most versatile and frequently overlooked characters. The Cryo sword-user and Cavalry Captain is a narrative fixture in the idyllic city of Mondstadt, welcoming new Travelers to the game with his trademark brand of light-hearted trickery. He’s a free starter character, but every subsequent Kaeya is worth his weight in Mora with Constellations harder to snatch than limited 5 stars. Kaeya’s storylines indicate a greater purpose down the road of Genshin Impact’s increasingly dark plot – make sure he’s ready.

Updated on July 15, 2022, by Scott Vengel: Interest in Genshin Impact has largely started to grow again, mimicking the attraction that suddenly appeared with the release of Inazuma. Naturally, the same holds true for Sumeru, which has seen a lot of new information released in the last few weeks in anticipation of its release in Version 3.0. In addition to a recent release of the appearances of the Fatui Harbingers, by Hoyoverse themselves, many new players a looking to start Genshin Impact for themselves. With this in mind, this article will be updated to include a general overview section, to aid fans that may be overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information revolving around Kaeya's best builds in Genshin Impact.

General Overview

Given that Kaeya is the first Cryo user given to players in Genshin Impact, he offers a very simple to use skillset with quick skill cooldowns and a burst effect that automatically swaps to the active character. A Cryo sword user, Kaeya’s expertise is in quick attacks and movement at the expense of high attack damage — this makes him more effective in application and support rather than raw physical DPS and crowd control. On the other hand, Kaeya also offers excellent skill and burst attacks for Cryo DPS and application.

That said, players will find four main directions that serve Kaeya well — Permafreeze, Reverse-Melt, Physical, and Support. Generally, the first two are more effective for long-term gains, as they focus more on building Kaeya’s elemental skill and burst. Artifact-wise, the Blizzard Strayer, Gladiator’s Finale, and Shimenawa’s Reminiscence make for good sets to invest in.

As for teammates and weapons, it will largely depend on the route players are choosing to build Kaeya. The two elemental tracks will need Hydro and Pyro teammates respectively, so players should plan accordingly — Zhongli makes for an all-around good choice due to his defensive strengths (and Kaeya general lack thereof). Mistsplitter Reforged and Primordial Jade Cutter are Kaeya’s favorite swords overall.

Cryo DPS – Permafreeze

Cryo DPS or Sub-DPS is Kaeya’s strongest build for his individual damage. His Elemental Burst “Glacial Waltz” deals Cryo DMG to surrounding enemies, hitting about 15 times for an 8s duration. While his Constellations are hidden in the Standard Banner, C1 – C2 is certainly achievable thanks to Starglitter shop rotations. Kaeya becomes a viable late-game DPS/Sub-DPS choice at C2, which extends Glacial Waltz by 2.5s up to 15s when the active character defeats an opponent.

Blizzard Strayer is a top-tier artifact set for Kaeya. Blizzard Strayer’s exceptional 4 PC bonus alleviates the need to scrounge for CRIT Rate in substats on a Permafreeze team, where Kaeya’s slow-drip Burst afflicts single or grouped opponents with a steady stream of Cryo. Kaeya should be accompanied by another Cryo companion for Cryo Resonance: an additional 15% CRIT Rate boost against Cryo-affected targets, resulting in a massive 55% CRIT Rate increase when the opponent is completely Frozen. Removing the CRIT Rate component to Kaeya’s artifacts allows players to hone in on CRIT DMG and ATK %, therefore investing in his long-term highest damage output.

Farming Blizzard Strayer is a mini-game of its own, so Genshin Impact fans locked in the artifact RNG battle could consider 2 PC Gladiator’s Finale or Shimenawa’s Reminiscence on Cryo DPS Kaeya as a placeholder. This is a Hybrid build some players prefer, where CRIT Rate is exchanged for the ability to flit in and out of Permafreeze or Vapemelt roles without shuffling his build.

Artifact Sets

genshin impact kaeya with blizzard strayer set

4 PC Blizzard Strayer: 15% Cryo DMG Bonus, + 20% CRIT Rate on Cryo-affected enemies & another 20% on Frozen enemies
2 PC Gladiator’s Finale/Shimenawa’s Reminiscence & 2 PC Blizzard Strayer: + 18% ATK & + 15% Cryo DMG Bonus
2 PC Blizzard Strayer & 2 PC Noblesse Oblige: + 15% Cryo DMG Bonus & + 20% Elemental Burst DMG

Artifact Stats: ATK % Sands, Cryo DMG Goblet, CRIT DMG/Rate Circlet

Substat goals: CRIT DMG, ATK %, CRIT Rate, Energy Recharge

Weapons

genshin impact kaeya with mistsplitter reforged

As a sword-wielder, Kaeya has a range of weapon options that depend on his team build and artifact stats. Mistsplitter Reforged is generally considered his best in the slot. Kaeya can only achieve the first stack of Mistsplitter by himself – he needs Chongyun or C6 Bennet (who can't be used with Permafreeze) to reach the second stack and the third stack is out of the question. Despite this, Mistsplitter is just so good in general that these setbacks don't really matter.

Primordial Jade Cutter is legendary with an additional Bennet ATK buff and extra helpful for a C4 Kaeya with a ton of field time, fortifying his otherwise meager shield - though its CRIT Rate might be overkill with Blizzard Strayer. Skyward Blade is best for endurance situations depending on the team comp. Summit Shaper is a powerful weapon without a shield but especially shines with Diona in tow.

5* Mistsplitter Reforged – CRIT DMG Bonus, + 12% Elemental DMG Bonus up to 16% with Chongyun or C6 Bennet
5* Primordial Jade Cutter – CRIT Rate Bonus, HP + 20%, ATK bonus + 1.2% of HP
5* Skyward Blade – Energy Recharge Bonus, CRIT Rate + 4%; Post-Burst: Movement SPD + 10%, ATK SPD + 10%, Normal/Charged Attack DMG + 20% of ATK for 12s
5* Summit Shaper – ATK % Bonus, Shield Strength + 20%, ATK + 4% x 5 stacks for 8s; shielded characters ATK effect increased by 100%
4* Festering Desire – Energy Recharge Bonus, Elemental Skill DMG + 16% & Elemental CRIT Rate + 6%
4* Blackcliff Longsword – CRIT DMG Bonus, ATK + 12% upon enemy defeat x 3 stacks
4* The Flute – ATK% Bonus, Normal/Charged Attack deal 100% ATK DMG after 5 hits

Team Players

Chongyun: Chongyun is Cryo Kaeya’s ideal Sub-DPS or Support. Chongyun’s Skill infuses swords, claymores, and polearms with Cryo and boosts Normal ATK SPD by 8% inside the AoE. His Passive decreases enemy Cryo RES by 10% for 8s. C2 Chongyun decreases the CD time of Elemental Skills & Bursts cast within his Skill AoE by 15%. Chongyun’s addition to the team enables Cryo Resonance.
Xingqiu: Xingqiu is the best Hydro Support character in Genshin Impact. His Skill generates Rain Swords that reduce the bearer’s DMG taken, susceptibility to interruption and restores a small amount of HP when broken. Xingqiu’s Burst summons Rain Swords that attack alongside the active character’s Normal strikes, Permafreezing everything when combined with Kaeya's Burst. C2 and C4 Xingqiu further extend the duration of his Burst which further extends the duration of Frozen.
Rosaria: Rosaria is a swift attacker who will position Kaeya out of the enemy fire with her Skill, quickly applying and prolonging Cryo in a small AoE with her Burst. Though it’s sometimes difficult to keep multiple enemies in range of her Burst’s Cryo pulses, she’s a great fit for a high CRIT DMG, feeble CRIT Rate Permafreeze Kaeya equipped with Blizzard Strayer for her CRIT Rate-boosting Passive Talents. Rosaria buffs the party’s CRIT Rate by up to 15%, enabling Blizzard Strayer Kaeya to maximize his CRIT DMG.
Diona: Diona will heal, shield, and apply Cryo for maximum Blizzard Strayer potential all while enabling Cryo Resonance for her spot on the team. Her Passive increases Movement SPD by 10% and decreases Stamina Consumption by 10% for characters in her shield, and she’ll de-buff the ATK of opponents in her Burst AoE.
Ganyu: Ganyu is usually a Charged-shot DPS, but Burst DPS Ganyu has an amazing Cryo application for Blizzard Strayer teams and grants a 20% Cryo DMG Bonus to active members in the Burst AoE.
Kazuha: Kazuha crowd controls and applies either Hydro or Cryo depending on what the team needs in the moment in a large AoE. His Passive grants a 0.04% Elemental DMG Bonus to the party according to the element absorbed and proportionate to his Elemental Mastery. Support Kazuha carries Viridescent Venerer, meaning he can decrease enemy Cryo RES by 40% for 10s – essential for a non-reactive Permafreeze team.
Mona: Mona is an excellent Support or Sub-DPS. She’ll buff Kaeya’s attacks with Omen inflictions while crowd controlling weaker opponents with her Burst. C1 Mona increases the duration of Frozen by 15%. C4 Mona increases party CRIT Rate by 15%.
Bennet: Bennet may seem out of place on this list, but it’s challenging to find a team he doesn’t benefit from. Kaeya’s Glacial Waltz snapshots – which means activating it within Bennet’s Burst AoE will attach the buff to Glacial Waltz even when Kaeya leaves the AoE. Since Kaeya’s Burst is such an important part of his Cryo DPS kit, and Bennet’s Pyro application is so minimal, a Permafreeze team is stronger with this fiery outlier.
Barbara: Barbara’s Skill is perfect for melee Cryo-users, healing while applying Wet to enemies instantly Frozen within the range of Kaeya’s simultaneous Glacial Waltz. Barbara is a great option for earlier players who haven’t acquired Diona or Xingqiu.

Cryo DPS – Reverse-Melt

Reverse-Melt is an elemental reaction that occurs when Cryo hits an enemy already affected by Pyro, dealing 1.5x DMG. Kaeya is an unusual yet effective Reverse-Melt DPS because he isn’t seeking a big reactionary hit with his Elemental Burst. Instead, Kaeya’s Elemental Skill will do the majority of the Reverse-Melting. The individual icicles in his Burst have their own cooldown and are difficult to time with the Pyro application from even Xiangling – the AoE of Glacial Waltz and Pyronado don’t quite align unless the enemy is still and staggered for a considerable period.

Reverse-Melt Kaeya is best on a team with 2 Pyro characters for that sweet 25% ATK increase courtesy of Pyro Resonance and another Cryo accomplice for complete Energy assurance. Cryo Resonance isn’t negligible but plays a less significant part for Reverse-Melt Kaeya, whose partners are likely to Melt Frozen enemies before he can hit them again. Since he’s already a talented battery solo, the second Cryo representative could be replaced by an Anemo Swirler like Kazuha, Venti, or Sucrose for an emphasis on Elemental Mastery and Viridescent Venerer shred instead. C3 Kaeya enjoys a 3-level increase to his Elemental Skill and serves as a particularly formidable Reverse-Melter.

The Hybrid-friendly 2 PC Glad./Shim. combo with 2 PC Blizzard Strayer is a go-to for Reverse-Melt Kaeya. Kaeya in a Sub-DPS position would prefer Lavawalker for his one-hit Skill – as a DPS, he’s likely to linger on the field with his Burst that wipes off the Pyro application Lavawalker needs to succeed. This Kaeya build does well with around 100 – 200 Elemental Mastery, 80 of which he can grab from Wanderer’s Troupe in the absence of EM-carrying Supports.