Background
Xiangling is the head chef at the Wanmin Restaurant located on Liyue Harbor. She is known for her exotic recipes that feature a variety of ingredients from slime condensate to mist balls. Xiangling can get pretty heated when it comes to cooking and is a major fan of hot & spicy dishes. She inherited this cooking passion from her father who taught her from a young age.
Xiangling’s unconventional cooking methods stem from the lack of access to luxurious ingredients like crabs and matsutakes for regular people. She wanted everyone to experience good food out of any ingredient. Although her cooking method has proven to be very successful, there have been some failures. She has destroyed her wok many times and has caused diarrhea when experimenting with certain ingredients. However, Xiangling takes these failures as a learning experience to do better next time.
Fun Fact: It is rumored that Xiangling has developed a resistance to certain toxins after taste-testing her many exotic dishes.
Xiangling met her companion, Guoba, after collecting violetgrass in the mountainsides one day. She was forced to shelter herself from the rain in a cave and passed out from exhaustion. When she awoke, she saw a strange creature eating some food that she had left out. The mysterious creature loved Xiangling’s cooking and she decided to name her new friend Guoba.
Fun Fact: Guoba is the new of Xiangling’s favorite childhood snack.
Xiangling is a Pyro pole-user from the region of Liyue. She first appeared in an adventure quest where you help her in a cooking face-off against a chef from Springvale.
Xiangling Skill Talents
Xiangling’s skillset offers a range of powerful Pyro DMG that is further supported by her talents and ascension levels. As a pole-arm user, her attacks are fast, but can lack the power to deal decent damage if not built correctly. Xiangling’s reactions through her skill and burst will also be strengthened with her bonus in elemental mastery with her ascension level. The skills you should build up depend on her role on your team. There are only two spear users in the game at the moment, Xiangling and Zhongli. Out of the two, Xiangling ‘s attacks are faster and can hit harder.
Xiangling’s normal attack, Dough-Fu, rapidly hits the enemy with up to 5 strikes. Her hits are weaker at the base level than other weapon-users. but Xiangling makes up for it with her attack speed. Her C2 effect makes her normal attack even stronger by adding Pyro DMG to the end of her 5th attack. This pairs well with how fast she can attack and her ability to trigger critical hits faster if you build her with Crit Rate in mind.
Xiangling’s elemental skill, Guoba Attack, summons her fiery friend, Guoba, to shoot fire out at nearby enemies. His duration is 12 seconds, but his positioning affects his usefulness in battle. Guoba doesn’t move after you position him, so you need to place him near the enemy yourself for the attacks to hit. He can switch directions to attack surrounding enemies, but his targeting can be buggy sometimes. You can also slide Guoba to move him a little closer to his target, but that can be tricky. Xiangling’s ascension talents will boost Guoba’s fire range and allow him to leave you a spicy treat to help aid you in battle. At C1, his fire will also lower enemy resistance toward fire attacks, allowing him to deal even more damage.
Xiangling’s elemental burst, Pyronado, summons a whirling tornado made out of pyro energy to deal Pyro DMG to attack surrounding enemies. Her burst moves along with your character and will still be in effect even if you switch characters. This effect only lasts for 10 seconds, unless you have Xiangling at C4. Her burst is effective to deal with multiple enemies at once and trigger reactions. The energy cost is pretty high so it isn’t always useable, unless you prioritize energy recharge. At C6, Xiangling’s Pyronado will give all team members a 15% Pyro ATK Bonus.
In co-op play, Xiangling’s role will depend on your build and constellation levels. She can serve as a Physical/Critical DPS to deal rapid strikes to the enemy or as a Pyro Support to trigger powerful elemental reactions. She pairs well with Diluc and other pyro users because of her ability to debuff enemy DEF against fire attacks and also boost their attack after using her elemental skill.
Xiangling Passive Talents
Xiangling’s ascension talents give her elemental skill a powerful boost.
Her first skill, Chef de Cuisine, gives Xiangling a 12% chance to get twice the amount of dishes when she cooks ATK-boosting dishes. This skill is handy to potentially get more dishes to raise your ATK in battle and save resources, but it is not guaranteed to activate.
Xiangling’s first ascension talent, Crossfire, increases the range of her elemental skill by 20%. This skill will help Guoba hit targets from a greater distance.
Her Ascension 4 talent, Beware, It’s Super Hot!, will leave a chili pepper on the field after Guoba finishes attacking. This pepper will boost the ATK% of any character that picks it up for 10 seconds. This talent is great to increase Xiangling’s damage output. This pepper can also be picked up by other characters in co-op, allowing Xiangling to provide some support for her teammates.
Note: Xiangling gets a boost to her Elemental Mastery based on her ascension level.
| Chef de Cuisine Unlocked Automatically When Xiangling cooks an ATK-boosting dish perfectly, she has a 12% chance to receive double the product. |
| Crossfire Unlocked at Ascension 1 Increases the flame range of Guoba by 20%. |
| Beware, It’s Super Hot! Unlocked at Ascension 4 When Guoba Attack’s effect ends, Guoba leaves a chili pepper on the spot where it disappeared. Picking up a chili pepper increases ATK by 10% for 10s. |
Xiangling Constellations
Xiangling’s constellation talents provide a boost to her pyro attacks. It also allows Xiangling to better provide pyro support for her teammates. She works well as a Physical DPS at lower constellation levels, but her pyro support becomes the main focus at higher levels.
At C1: Crispy Outside, Tender Inside, any enemy hit by Gouba’s fire will have their Pyro RES lowered, effectively making his attack hit for more DMG. This constellation level works well with Xinangling’s elemental burst to summons a Pyronado to hit surrounding enemies. This effect will also pair well with Diluc to increase his Pyro DMG against the enemy.
C2: Oil Meets Fire increases Xinangling’s normal attack by adding the Implode status to enemies in her last attack sequence. This status will cause an explosion that will deal AoE Pyro DMG based on Xiangling’s ATK. This skill works well with a DPS Xiangling to increase her damage. It will also allow her to cause pyro reactions with her normal attacks.
C4: Slowbake will increase her elemental duration to allow it to last longer. The increase is only 4 seconds which is decent, but not game-breaking. However, this effect does pair well with her C6 effect.
At C6: Condensed Pyronado, every party member receives a 15% Pyro DMG Bonus during the duration of her elemental burst. Although it puts a restriction on other teammates that don’t deal Pyro DMG, this effect works well to increase Diluc’s pyro attacks. Xiangling can also use this effect to deal more damage herself if you don’t have Diluc.
| Constellation Levels | Effects |
|---|---|
| C1: Crispy Outside, Tender Inside | Enemies hit by Guoba’s attacks have their Pyro RES reduced by 15% for 6s. |
| C2: Oil Meets Fire | The last attack in a Normal Attack sequence applies the Implode status onto the enemy for 2s. An explosion will occur once this duration ends, dealing 75% of Xiangling’s ATK as AoE Pyro DMG. |
| C3: Deepfry | Increases the Level of Pyronado by 3. Maximum upgrade level is 15. |
| C4: Slowbake | Pyronado’s duration is increased by 40%. |
| C5: Guoba Mad | Increase the Level of Guoba Attack by 3. Maximum upgrade level is 15. |
| C6: Condensed Pyronado | For the duration of Pyronado, all party members receive a 15% Pyro DMG Bonus. |
Recommended Builds
Critical Build
As a pole-arm user, Xiangling’s attacks are swift and fast. She can rapidly go through her 5 consecutive attacks before the enemy even has a chance to counter. This build pairs her Critical Rate with her fast attack speed. It can be used at lower constellation levels as it doesn’t need her constellations to be viable. However, her C2 skill will give this build an extra boost to its firepower. Her teammates can vary, as long as they can provide reaction support and buffs to Xiangling. It is recommended to have two pyro users on the team to receive the ATK% boost. You should prioritize leveling up her normal attack to boost her DPS output. Her elemental skill and burst are optional and will depend on your preference.
For her recommended weapon, the 5-star weapon, Primordial Jade Winged-Spear, is a great choice for Xiangling. This weapon increases her Crit Rate and will increase her ATK every time she hits an enemy. This effect will stack up to 7 times. The Skyward Spine is another good choice and increases her energy recharge to use her burst more often.
Her other recommended weapon is the Crescent Pike, which can be forged at the blacksmith. The Crescent Pike will give Xiangling a Physical ATK Bonus and will increase her overall ATK DMG after she picks up an elemental particle. This weapon doesn’t provide a boost to her Crit Rate, so you will have to make up for it with her artifacts. The Prototype Grudge is another 4-start weapon that you can use. This weapon will increase Xiangling’s attack after using her elemental skill. Since both of these weapons can be crafted, they are more easily obtainable than the 5-star weapons.
The Royal Spear and Deathmatch are also decent options. The Royal Spear can be bought in the shop and will increase Xiangling’s ATK%. Its passive effect will also increase her Crit Rate up to 5 times after damaging an enemy. The Deathmatch can be obtained through the battle pass and will increase Xiangling’s Crit Rate. Her attack will also be raised depending on the number of enemies nearby.
In the early game, White Tassel or the Halberd can be used. Both of these weapons will increase Xiangling’s normal attack. However, their damage output will be overshadowed by some of your other options in the late game.
For Xiangling’s recommended artifact set, the Gladiator’s Finale is a solid choice for her. The set bonus will increase her ATK and will increase her Normal ATK% as well. You can also try a 2-piece Gladiator’s Finale and 2-piece Bloodstained Chivalry for a more Physical DMG Build. Xiangling’s artifact stats should focus on Crit Rate and Crit DMG to optimize the most damage out of her critical hits. ATK% and Physical DMG% will also work, especially if you want a more physical build on her.
Support Build
This build focuses on the power of Xiangling’s pyro attacks and ability to buff other pyro characters like Diluc. This build will work well with her higher constellation levels that boost the effects of her elemental skill & burst. The skills you should max out are Xiangling’s elemental skill and burst. Her normal attack is optional if you want to attack with her.
The recommended weapon for this build is the 5-star weapon, Skyward Spine. This weapon will increase Xiangling’s energy recharge. Its passive effect can increase her Crit Rate and can trigger a vacuum blade to deal AoE DMG to enemies in its path.
Her second choice is the 4-star weapon, Dragon’s Bane. Its secondary stat boost will affect Xiangling’s elemental mastery to power-up her elemental reactions. The Dragon’s Bane will also increase the damage done to enemies affected by her pyro attacks. This weapon pairs well Guoba’s effect to lower the Pyro RES of enemies at C1.
Other decent weapons you can use are the Favonius Lance and the Prototype Grudge since they both increase Xiangling’s energy recharge. The Favonius Lance will generate more particles to regenerate her burst more often. While the Prototype Grudge will increase her normal attacks after using her elemental skill.
For Xiangling’s artifact set, the 4-piece Crimson Witch of Flames will increase her Pyro DMG and increase the power of her elemental reactions. You can also use a 4-piece Noblesse Oblige to boost the power of her elemental burst. The 4-piece bonus will also give an ATK% boost to the character she switches to. A 2-piece set of the Crimson Witch of Flames and Noblesse Oblige will also work to boost the power of her elemental burst.
Recommended Party Members
Having two pyro users on the team will increase team ATK. Bennett can also buff team ATK and heal with his burst.
Chongyun can trigger the melt reaction. His elemental skill can also increase Xiangling’s attack speed.
Diluc is a powerful Pyro DPS that pairs well with Xiangling’s Pyro skills and buffs.
Barbara is a reliable healer and easy to obtain through the main story progression.
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|
| Fast attack animation | Normal attacks can lack power if not built right |
| Can provide buffs for party | Elemental skill requires careful positioning |
| Strong elemental support skills | Guoba’s aim isn’t already accurate |
Recommended Domains: Andrius, Stormterror, Cecilia Garden, Hidden Palace of Lianshan Formula, Forsaken Rift, Midsummer Courtyard, Peak of Vindagnyr
Conclusion
Xiangling is a versatile character that can play many roles in your team. As a pole-arm user her attacks and swift and deadly. She can also provide powerful pyro attacks with her elemental skill & burst. Her only downfall is the accuracy of her elemental skill and how Guoba doesn’t always hit the enemy you want him to hit. Currently, there is a lack of spear users in the game, so Xiangling makes a great addition for any team!
What do you think of Xiangling? Let us know in the comments below! You can also reach out through our Twitter or my Discord handle Seyfrid#2589.
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*Images of gameplay owned by miHoYo
The Informal Gamer 