The Genshin Impact meta can get pretty confusing. There's a lot to take into account - constellations, Elemental Resonance, artifacts, et cetera - so it's tempting to focus on the few Genshin Impact characters that are considered the "best". Venti, Diluc, and Hu Tao are all extremely useful, yes, but they're also scarce. Most players will have to make do with more common characters until their Wish pity kicks in. However, star ranking isn't always proportional to power. Certain common units are just as, if not more strong than their five-star kin. One of the best examples is the Hydro character Xingqiu.

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Xingqiu is living proof that players shouldn't judge characters by their rarity. Despite being a common four-star, he's one of Genshin Impact's most potent and flexible supports. Some may be put off by the fact that he doesn't fully fit into a role - he's weaker than most DPS units, and his healing can be negligible. But versatility is his strong suit. There are multiple ways Liyue's Juvenile Galant can become truly powerful.

Updated May 21, 2022, by Nahda Nabiilah: Xingqiu has come a long way ever since the release of Genshin Impact. Initially, like Bennett, he's often overlooked, but thanks to Hu Tao, the Guhua Disciple has quickly risen to become one of the most popular characters in the game. Like other great Genshin Impact supports, Xingqiu can provide a lot to his party. He can protect the active character, deliver minor healing, generate a lot of Energy, and, most importantly, deal an abundance of off-field damage. Considering the amount of favor the community has for this character, this article has now been updated to fit the most up-to-date information, providing players all they need to know to play and build their Xingqiu in Genshin Impact.

Xingqiu's Talent Overview

• Talent priority: Elemental Burst > Elemental Skill

When it comes to raw power, Xingqiu is outdone by many, so he shouldn't be the main DPS unit on the team. Even so, pigeonholing him as pure support is missing out on an effective fighter. Therefore, it is best to use the Guhua Disciple as a Genshin Impact sub-DPS.

For this role, Xingqiu's Normal Attack should not be considered when building him. Instead, all players need to know lies in his Elemental Skill and Burst.

Elemental Skill - Guhua Sword: Fatal Rainscreen

Xingqiu attacks the enemy with a Hydro hit, dealing two instances of damage. Afterward, Rain Swords will appear around the active character, reducing the damage taken when the Rain Sword is present (up to 53%). The Swords provided by his Skill also boost resistance to interruption, making him a combo machine.

Hydropathic makes his Rain Swords restore a little HP when they disappeared (either destroyed or the duration ended). He can't put out the healing of Barbara or Noelle, but it's still fantastically useful. When the Sword disappears, it will regenerate HP for the active character based on 6% of Xingqiu's Max HP (for each Sword).

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Elemental Burst - Guhua Sword: Raincutter

Xingqiu summons a maximum amount of unbreakable Rain Swords, providing everlasting damage reduction. When the active character performs a Normal Attack, it will trigger a Sword Rain, dealing Hydro damage to the enemy.

Thanks to his Elemental Burst, Xingqiu can be a great help in setting up Hydro reactions. For example, activating Raincutter before switching to an Electro character will set off Electro-Charged several times in a row. His Skill is also useful in bulking up fragile teammates. This playstyle really comes online after his first ascension.

However, the best part of Xingqiu's Elemental Burst is its ability to reset the Internal Cooldown on every hit. In Genshin Impact, when a character applies an Element to the enemy, they either need to wait for two and a half seconds or three hits before they can apply the aura again. Since Xingqiu's Raincutter summons three Sword Rains each time, he easily resets this Internal Cooldown, allowing more Elemental Reactions to happen.

Best Weapons For Xingqiu

Good news for free-to-play travelers: the best weapon for Xingqiu is a four-star. Bad news: it's still Wish exclusive. The best sword in Genshin Impact for Xingqiu is the Sacrificial Sword, one of the most popular weapon series in Genshin Impact. After the Guhua Disciple does damage with his Skill, there's a chance that the cooldown will end immediately. This allows players to cast his Skill twice in a row, providing double the damage and more generated Energy, making Xingqiu one of the best Batteries in Genshin Impact.

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For people who wish to maximize Xingqiu's raw damage, however, they can opt for highly offensive Genshin Impact swords like Mistsplitter Reforged and Primordial Jade Cutter. Both are five-star weapons, so they can be difficult to get. Nevertheless, the damage boost they offer will bring Xingqiu's personal DPS to a whole new level. One important thing to note is that with these weapons, the Guhua Disciple may need someone to help him fill his Elemental Burst.

Best Artifacts For Xingqiu

Xingqiu is usually paired with a four-piece Noblesse Oblige. This set boosts the damage of his ultimate while also buffing the whole team after he casts his Elemental Burst. Other alternatives are:

1. Four-piece Emblem of Severed Fate: The best option to maximize Xingqiu's Burst damage.
2. Two-piece Noblesse Oblige + two-piece Heart of Depths: The second-best option to boost the damage of the Guhua Disciple's ultimate.

Artifact main stat:

• Timepiece: ATK
• Goblet: Hydro DMG Bonus
• Circlet: Critical Rate or Damage

Sub-stat priority:

1. Energy Recharge (Players must ensure Xingqiu has 100% Burst uptime. Ignore Energy Recharge stat if the uptime requirement is already fulfilled)
2. Critical Rate and Damage
3. ATK

Best Teammates For Xingqiu

Currently, Xingqiu's best pair in Genshin Impact is the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor Director, Hu Tao. Hu Tao is a great DPS on her own, but Xingqiu ascends her to a whole new level. With the Guhua Disciple, Hu Tao can trigger the Vaporize reaction on almost every hit, multiplying her damage by at least 1.5 x.

If Xingqiu's second constellation is unlocked, pair him with a Hydro DPS character like Tartaglia. Foes hit by the sword rain will take extra damage from Hydro for a short while. Two Hydro characters also activate the Soothing Water resonance, boosting healing by 30%. Again, Xingqiu shouldn't be the main healer, but this will be a great buff to whoever is.

Other than that, one of the best Spiral Abyss team compositions in Genshin Impact, the ever-popular National Team, also includes some of the best characters to pair with Xingqiu. They are:

• Xiangling
• Bennett
• Chongyun
• Raiden Shogun

Genshin Impact is now available on Mobile, PC, PS4, and PS5. A Switch version is in development.