Kaeya Build Guide Cryo DPS, Physical DPS, and Burst Support

Kaeya, the enigmatic Cryo swordsman of Genshin Impact, is more than just a charming face with a mysterious past—he’s a powerhouse waiting to be unleashed. As a free-to-play character, Kaeya offers players a unique opportunity to harness his versatile abilities for both Sub DPS and crowd control. With quick cooldowns on his skills and the potential to freeze enemies in their tracks, mastering Kaeya’s builds can elevate your gameplay to new heights. Discover how to optimize his talents, weapon choices, and team compositions to make the most of this icy hero’s potential in your quest across Teyvat.

General information

Kaeya, a 4-star Cryo character in Genshin Impact, is known for his versatility as both a sub-DPS and support character. He wields a sword and excels at applying Cryo damage, making him particularly effective in Freeze and Reverse Melt team compositions. Kaeya’s skill set includes quick cooldowns and abilities that enhance his team’s elemental reactions. His Elemental Burst, “Glacial Waltz,” summons icicles that deal significant Cryo damage, while his passive abilities provide healing and energy regeneration. Players can optimize Kaeya’s performance by focusing on critical damage, elemental mastery, and utilizing the right artifacts and weapons to enhance his Cryo capabilities.

Kaeya is a 4-star hero of Cryo element whose weapon of choice is a sword. Let’s note here that this is a free character – you have access to him from the beginning of the game without any additional steps met. His easy applying of Cryo on enemies make him a good and useful Sub DPS.

When building him, you should focus on improving ATK%, Crit Rate, and Crit DMG.

Best team compositions

Kaeya excels in team compositions that leverage his Cryo abilities, particularly through Freeze and Reverse Melt strategies. In a Freeze team, pairing Kaeya with characters like Sangonomiya Kokomi allows for consistent Cryo application, enabling opponents to be frozen while benefiting from Kokomi’s Hydro support. This setup maximizes elemental reactions and overall damage output. For a Reverse Melt team, combining Kaeya with Pyro characters like Bennett or Xiangling enhances damage through the powerful reaction that occurs when Cryo meets Pyro. Additionally, teams featuring Kaeya should consider including a buffer like Kazuha or Sucrose to further amplify elemental damage and provide crowd control options. Overall, Kaeya’s versatility makes him a valuable asset in various team configurations, focusing on maximizing elemental reactions for optimal performance.

1. Freezing Sub DPS – Ayaka/Kaeya/Kazuha/Kokomi
2. Superconduct Sub DPS – Keqing/Shenhe/Kaeya/Zhongli

Sub DPS Build

Kaeya excels as a Sub DPS in Genshin Impact, effectively supporting the main damage dealer while applying Cryo effects to enemies. His abilities, particularly his Elemental Skill “Frostgnaw” and Elemental Burst “Glacial Waltz,” have short cooldowns and low energy costs, allowing him to frequently contribute to the team’s damage output. This makes him an excellent choice for teams that rely on Cryo for elemental reactions like Freeze or Superconduct. To maximize his potential, players should focus on building his Crit Rate and Cryo Damage through artifacts like the Blizzard Strayer set, which enhances his effectiveness against Cryo-affected foes. With careful management of his skills, Kaeya can consistently deliver support while enabling the main DPS to shine in battle.

Kaeya’s recommended path is Sub DPS, whose task is to appear on the battlefield, use his skills masterfully, and let Main DPS do the talking. His Elemental Skill and Elemental Burst have short cooldowns and spend little Energy, and this makes him a good hero and a viable choice for the Sub DPS role.

1. Artifacts – 4x Blizzard Strayer
2. Weapons – Mistplitter Reforged/Sacrificial Sword

The recommended artifact picks for him are 4x Blizzard Strayer. With x2 of this artifact, your Cryo DMG is increased by 15%. Moreover, with x4 Blizzard Strayer equipped, when the hero strikes an enemy who is affected by Cryo element, Crit Rate increases by 20%. Finally, you receive 20% additional Crit Rate on enemy that has been frozen.

When it comes to weapons, first recommended pick is a 5-star Mistsplitter Reforged. Weapon bonus increases Crit DMG. The weapon skill gives an additional 12% Elemental DMG for each element. Levels 1/2/3 correspond to 8/16/28% elemental damage. Stacks are applied in the following way: Normal attack will deal elemental damage after you use Elemental Burst or if your Energy is below 100%.

The second recommended weapon, which is much easier to obtain, is Sacrificial Sword. Sacrificial Sword gives additional Energy Recharge and the weapon skill gives a 40% chance of reducing Elemental Skill cooldown to 0. With this weapon, you have a bigger chance of retrieving Energy, be it for Kaeya or remaining team members.

Talents

Kaeya, a 4-star Cryo character in Genshin Impact, showcases a versatile skill set that excels in both Sub DPS and Cryo application roles. His talents, including Frostgnaw and Glacial Waltz, allow him to effectively freeze enemies and deal significant Cryo damage, making him a valuable asset in Freeze and Reverse Melt team compositions. Kaeya’s Elemental Skill has a low cooldown, enabling frequent Cryo application, while his Elemental Burst enhances his ability to support the main DPS by dealing continuous damage. Players can optimize his performance by focusing on improving ATK%, Crit Rate, and Crit DMG through the recommended Blizzard Strayer artifact set, ensuring he remains a formidable presence on the battlefield.

Talents are special abilities divided into Combat and Passive categories. In case of Eula, you should focus on getting these talents in this order:

1. Sub DPS – Glacial Waltz, Frostgnaw, Ceremonial Bladework

Constellations

Kaeya’s constellations significantly enhance his performance as a Sub DPS, although he remains effective even at C0. His first constellation, Excellent Blood, increases the CRIT Rate of attacks against enemies affected by Cryo, making him more formidable in combat. At C2, Never-Ending Performance extends the duration of his Elemental Burst, Glacial Waltz, by up to 15 seconds when he defeats enemies, allowing for sustained Cryo damage output. Subsequent constellations further improve his abilities but are not essential for maximizing his potential as a Sub DPS, enabling players to incorporate him into their teams without the need for extensive investment in his constellations.

What are the key differences between Kaeya’s Sub DPS and Cryo DPS builds

Kaeya’s builds in Genshin Impact can be broadly categorized into Sub DPS and Cryo DPS, each with distinct strengths and strategies.

Sub DPS Build

• Role: Kaeya excels as a Sub DPS, focusing on applying Cryo status to enemies while allowing the main damage dealer to shine. His Elemental Skill and Burst have quick cooldowns, making him ideal for quick swaps in battle.
• Artifacts: The recommended set is 4x Blizzard Strayer, which boosts Cryo damage and increases Crit Rate significantly against Cryo-affected enemies. This setup enhances his ability to support the team by maintaining Cryo application.
• Weapons: Top choices include Mistplitter Reforged for increased Crit DMG or Sacrificial Sword, which enhances Energy Recharge and reduces cooldowns, allowing for more frequent skill usage.
• Team Composition: Works well in teams that focus on Freeze or Superconduct reactions, often paired with characters like Ayaka or Zhongli to maximize elemental reactions and damage output.

Cryo DPS Build

• Role: As a Cryo DPS, Kaeya can deal significant damage through his Elemental Burst, “Glacial Waltz,” which hits multiple times and can maintain Cryo status on enemies. This build focuses more on maximizing his damage potential rather than supporting others.
• Artifacts: Similar to the Sub DPS build, 4x Blizzard Strayer is also effective here, but players may prioritize different stats based on their team composition and playstyle.
• Weapons: While the same weapons are viable, players might lean towards those that enhance overall damage output rather than Energy management, depending on their strategy.
• Team Composition: Kaeya’s effectiveness as a Cryo DPS is amplified when paired with Pyro characters for Reverse-Melt reactions, allowing him to capitalize on high damage multipliers from elemental interactions.

In summary, while both builds utilize Kaeya’s Cryo abilities, the Sub DPS build emphasizes support and quick application of Cryo for team synergy, whereas the Cryo DPS build focuses on maximizing his personal damage output through sustained Cryo application and reactions.

Which artifacts are best for a Reverse-Melt Kaeya build

For a Reverse-Melt Kaeya build in Genshin Impact, selecting the right artifacts is crucial to maximize his damage output. Here are the best artifact sets and stats to consider:

Best Artifact Sets

1. 4-Piece Lavawalker’s Troop
   • This set significantly boosts damage against Pyro-affected enemies, making it ideal for maximizing Kaeya’s damage when paired with Pyro characters.
2. 2-Piece Gladiator’s Finale + 2-Piece Blizzard Strayer
   • This combination provides a balanced increase in ATK and Cryo damage, enhancing both his overall damage and Cryo application.
3. 2-Piece Shimenawa’s Reminiscence + 2-Piece Blizzard Strayer
   • Similar to the previous set, this combination boosts ATK and Cryo DMG, making it effective for dealing damage while maintaining Cryo application.
4. 4-Piece Emblem of Severed Fate
   • While not as common for Reverse-Melt, this set can be beneficial if Kaeya’s Energy Recharge is sufficient, enhancing his Elemental Burst damage.

Main Stats

• Sands of Eon: ATK% or Elemental Mastery (EM) depending on your team composition and playstyle.
• Goblet of Eonothem: Cryo DMG Bonus to enhance his Cryo damage output.
• Circlet of Logos: CRIT Rate or CRIT DMG based on your current CRIT ratios.

Substat Priorities

Focus on acquiring substats that enhance Kaeya’s performance:

• CRIT Rate and CRIT DMG (aim for a balanced ratio, e.g., 1:2)
• ATK%
• Elemental Mastery (especially useful if you have multiple Pyro characters applying Melt)

By carefully selecting these artifacts and stats, you can significantly enhance Kaeya’s effectiveness in a Reverse-Melt team, allowing him to deal devastating damage through elemental reactions.