Xiao, the enigmatic Anemo polearm wielder in Genshin Impact, is not just a character; he’s a whirlwind of high-octane damage and aerial prowess. Known for his unique “pogo-stick” playstyle, Xiao excels in delivering devastating plunge attacks that can decimate foes with ease. As players delve into the intricacies of his builds, they will discover the best weapons, artifacts, and team compositions that elevate his already formidable capabilities. Whether you’re a seasoned veteran or a newcomer looking to harness the power of this 5-star hypercarry, our guide will equip you with everything you need to unleash Xiao’s true potential on the battlefield.
General information
Xiao is a 5-star Anemo character in Genshin Impact, wielding a polearm and excelling as a high-damage dealer. Known for his unique gameplay mechanics, Xiao utilizes plunge attacks enhanced by his Elemental Burst, “Bane of All Evil,” which increases his jump height and AoE damage while sacrificing his health. His build revolves around maximizing damage output through specific artifact sets and weapon choices, making him a popular choice for players seeking a powerful DPS character. With the right team composition and support, Xiao can effectively dominate battles while providing substantial AoE damage to multiple enemies.
Xiao is a five-star character with an Anemo element who fights with a spear. This is one of the best characters in terms of dealing damage, so Xiao should be your main DPS.
Focus mainly on such stats as ATK%, Anemo DMG, Crit DMG and Crit Rate.
Best team compositions
Xiao, as an Anemo DPS character in Genshin Impact, thrives in team compositions that maximize his damage output while providing necessary support and survivability. The best team compositions for Xiao typically include characters that can enhance his Plunging Attack damage and mitigate his health drain during his Elemental Burst. A top-tier setup features Xiao, Xianyun, Faruzan, and Furina, where Xianyun offers healing and buffs specifically for Plunging Attacks, while Faruzan provides critical damage boosts and crowd control. Alternatively, a classic composition of Xiao, Bennett, Zhongli, and Albedo ensures strong healing, shields, and additional damage through Geo resonance. For budget players, combinations like Xiao, Faruzan, Sucrose, and Bennett can still deliver effective support without requiring high-investment characters. Each of these compositions allows Xiao to shine as a primary damage dealer while maintaining team synergy and resilience.
- Anemo DPS – Xiao/Jean/Albedo/Zhongli
- Anemo DPS – Xiao/Zhongli/Bennet/Sucrose
Anemo DPS Build
Xiao excels as a DPS character in Genshin Impact, particularly through his Anemo DPS Build, which focuses on maximizing his damage output during his Elemental Burst, Bane of All Evil. This build capitalizes on his unique ability to deal significant damage with Plunge Attacks, enhanced by his Burst that increases jump height and AoE damage. To optimize Xiao’s performance, players should prioritize artifacts that boost ATK%, Anemo DMG Bonus, and CRIT Rate/DMG. The ideal weapon for this build is the Primordial Jade Winged-Spear, which further amplifies his damage potential. Team compositions that include supportive characters like Bennett and Faruzan can significantly enhance Xiao’s capabilities, ensuring he maintains high DPS while managing his HP drain during Burst usage.
Xiao will mainly focus on dealing increased damage when using Elemental Burst. With Vermillion Hereafter, you’ll gain even more buffs by losing health.
- Artifacts – 4x Vermillion Hereafter/2x Gladiator’s Finale 2x Viridescent Venerer
- Weapons – Primordial Jade Winged-Spear/Deathmatch
As for the artifacts worth equipping Xiao with, you should focus on 4x Vermillion Hereafter in the first place. This set guarantees 18% ATK and a boost that activates when you use Elemental Burst. For 16 seconds, you get bonus 8% ATK. When the character’S HP drops, this bonus will increase by 10%. This is the perfect set for Xiao, as his Elemental Burst causes him to lose HP as his damage increases.
You can also focus on combining two sets of artifacts, namely 2x Gladiator’s Finale and 2x Viridescent Venerer. It doesn’t have to be Gladiator’s Finale, though. You can put on any two artifacts of the same type that offer bonus ATK. In this case, you will get 18% ATK and 15% Anemo DMG.
When choosing a spear for Xaio, the best choice will be his “standard weapon,” which was available to get along with his banner, namely the Primordial Jade Winged-Spear. It is a five-star spear. In addition to the increased critical hit chance, this weapon offers an increased ATK of 3.2% for 6 seconds. You can get a maximum of 7 stacks. When you get all of them, damage will be increased by 12%.
The second weapon is Deathmatch. This is a four-star spear, which is easier to hit from banners. It also offers a bonus chance for critical hit. Additionally, it has an skill that gives you a bonus ATK. When two opponents are close to you, your ATK will increase by 16%. If there are less than two enemies close to you, the ATK will increase by 24%.
Talents
Xiao, a 5-star Anemo Polearm character in Genshin Impact, showcases a unique set of talents that define his role as a powerful DPS. His Normal Attack: Whirlwind Thrust allows him to perform up to six consecutive spear strikes, with a distinctive advantage where plunging attacks do not inflict damage upon himself, regardless of height. The Elemental Skill: Lemniscatic Wind Cycling enables swift movement and damage, while his Elemental Burst: Bane of All Evil significantly enhances his jump height and AoE damage, converting all damage to Anemo while draining his HP. Players are encouraged to prioritize leveling his Normal Attack and Elemental Burst for optimal performance, particularly in teams that can mitigate his health loss and enhance his damage output through supportive characters like Bennett and Faruzan.
Talents are abilities used by every character in the game. In the case of Xiao, you should develop them on appropriate order::
- Anemo DPS – Whirlind Thrust simultaneously with Bane of All Evil, Lemniscatic Wind Cycling
Constellations
In Genshin Impact, Xiao is a powerful 5-star Anemo character known for his unique playstyle that revolves around high-damage plunge attacks. His abilities allow him to excel as a hypercarry, dealing significant AoE damage while maintaining mobility. The character’s gameplay is heavily influenced by his Elemental Burst, Bane of All Evil, which enhances his jump height and converts all damage to Anemo, making him a formidable force in battle. Xiao’s optimal builds focus on maximizing his damage output through specific artifact sets like Vermillion Hereafter and weapons such as the Primordial Jade Winged-Spear. Team compositions often include supportive characters that can mitigate his HP drain and enhance his overall damage, ensuring he remains a top-tier choice for players seeking to dominate the battlefield.
What are the key strengths and weaknesses of Xiao’s build
Xiao, the Anemo Hypercarry in Genshin Impact, possesses a distinct set of strengths and weaknesses that define his gameplay and effectiveness in various team compositions.
Strengths
- High AoE Damage: Xiao excels in dealing powerful area-of-effect (AoE) damage, particularly through his Elemental Burst, which enhances his Plunge Attack damage and increases the AoE radius, making him effective against groups of enemies.
- Independent Damage Dealer: His playstyle does not rely on elemental reactions, allowing him to deal significant damage without needing to synergize with other elements. This makes him a straightforward choice for players looking for a reliable DPS character.
- Easy to Play: With a relatively low skill floor, Xiao can be effective even for players who may not have mastered complex mechanics. His kit allows for high damage output with simple rotations, making him accessible while still offering depth for advanced players.
- Versatile Utility: Xiao’s Elemental Skill provides mobility and repositioning options, allowing him to dash through enemies and evade attacks while dealing damage. This can be particularly useful in dynamic combat scenarios.
Weaknesses
- HP Drain: A significant drawback of Xiao’s Elemental Burst is the continuous health drain during its activation. This necessitates having a healer in the team to sustain his health, which can limit team composition flexibility.
- Energy Management: Xiao has steep energy requirements to maintain his Burst uptime effectively. Players need to focus on optimizing Energy Recharge stats and managing his energy generation carefully, which can be challenging without proper artifact investment.
- Limited Team Synergy: While he can perform well independently, Xiao’s lack of elemental reaction capabilities means he may not synergize as effectively with certain team compositions that rely heavily on elemental interactions. This can make it difficult to maximize overall team damage output.
- Knockback Issues: His attacks can knock enemies back, making it difficult to maintain consistent damage on targets that are thrown off by his high AoE attacks. Players may find themselves chasing enemies or struggling to hit moving targets consistently.
Overall, while Xiao is a powerful and rewarding character to play as a Hypercarry, he requires careful management of health and energy resources, as well as strategic team composition to mitigate his weaknesses.
What are the best team compositions for maximizing Xiao’s damage
To maximize Xiao’s damage potential in Genshin Impact, it’s essential to assemble a team that complements his unique playstyle as an Anemo Hypercarry. Here are some of the best team compositions designed to enhance his performance:
Top Team Compositions for Xiao
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Xiao + Xianyun + Faruzan + Furina
- Xiao: Main DPS
- Xianyun: Healer and damage buffer
- Faruzan: Support providing Anemo resistance shred and crit damage boosts
- Furina: Sub-DPS and support, offering healing while draining HP for damage buffs
- This team excels in synergy, as Xianyun heals while Furina boosts damage, allowing Xiao to maintain high DPS without worrying about health loss during his Burst.
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Xiao + Jean + Faruzan + Furina
- Xiao: Main DPS
- Jean: Healer with crowd control abilities
- Faruzan: Provides Anemo buffs and resistance shred
- Furina: Offers additional healing and damage boosts
- While slightly less optimal than the first composition due to Jean not enhancing Plunge Attack damage, this setup still provides solid healing and support.
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Xiao + Xianyun + Faruzan + Bennett
- Xiao: Main DPS
- Xianyun: Healer and damage buffer
- Faruzan: Support with Anemo buffs
- Bennett: Provides significant ATK boosts and healing
- This composition focuses on maximizing Xiao’s damage output through Bennett’s buffs while ensuring he has adequate healing from Xianyun.
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Xiao + Jean + Albedo + Zhongli
- Xiao: Main DPS
- Jean: Team healer
- Albedo: Off-field Geo damage dealer
- Zhongli: Provides shields and resistance shred
- This team offers strong defensive capabilities with Zhongli’s shield while allowing Xiao to deal consistent damage through Albedo’s off-field support.
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Xiao + Faruzan + Sucrose + Bennett
- Xiao: Main DPS
- Faruzan: Anemo support with buffs and energy generation
- Sucrose: Provides additional Swirl reactions and energy particles
- Bennett: Healer and ATK buffer
- This composition focuses on elemental reactions, utilizing Sucrose for Swirl while maintaining high damage output through Bennett’s buffs.
Key Considerations
- Each team should include at least one healer to mitigate Xiao’s health drain during his Elemental Burst.
- Incorporating characters that can generate energy particles is crucial for maintaining Xiao’s Burst uptime.
- The choice of supports can vary based on available characters and specific combat scenarios, but the emphasis should always be on enhancing Xiao’s Plunge Attack capabilities.
By strategically selecting teammates that provide healing, energy regeneration, and damage boosts, players can significantly enhance Xiao’s effectiveness as a main DPS character in various game modes.