Background
Beidou is the captain of the Crux, an armed fleet based in Liyue Harbor. She is known for her immense strength and love of the open sea. As captain of the fleet, Beidou shows no fear in the face of danger. Although many fear her, Beidou is known as an amazing captain with a strong will and good heart.
Beidou received her vision after single-handedly defeating the sea creature, Haishan. The battle waged on for four days without stop as a storm raged on around her. In the end, Haishan was slain, without a single death to her crew. As a sign of her accomplishment, Beidou received the divine gift of a vision.
Beidou has gotten in trouble with the law in Liyue many times. She didn’t care about the fine as she would pay them off every single time. Beidou has an unusual relationship with the Liyue Qixing as she does not fear the Tianquan Ningguang. In fact, Ningguang would often hire Beidou’s service to do the dirty work of the Liyue Qixing. However, they would both deny this if asked.
Fun Fact: Beidou is nicknamed the Uncrowned Lord of Ocean.
Beidou is a 4-star Electro character from the region of Liyue that wields a claymore. She first appears within the story to take the Traveler and Paimon to Inazuma, where she also plays a role in helping the resistance fight against the Raiden Shogun‘s army.
Beidou Skill Talents
Beidou’s skill set consists of unleashing her counterattack and infusing her weapon with the element of Electro.
Beidou’s normal attack, Oceanborne, performs up to 5 strikes on the enemy with the last strike hitting the hardest. Compared to other claymore users, Beidou’s base level talent hits less than other units like Razor or Diluc. However, they only have 4 attacks in their animation, while Beidou has an additional one. Her charged attack will drain her stamina while dealing continuous slashes to the enemy.
Beidou’s elemental skill, Tidecaller, has two functions that you can use. If you press on her skill, Beidou will unleash her blade to deal Electro DMG. However, if you hold down her skill, Beidou will use her weapon as a shield. This shield will only work when Beidou is on the field and will be released when you stop holding her skill or the shield breaks. The amount of damage the shield can absorb scales off Beidou’s Max HP. It will also apply the Electro element to Beidou and absorb Electro DMG more efficiently. Beidou’s elemental skill is useful to get rid of other element status on her character. However, the shield and element cleanse will only apply to her.
When the shield expires, Beidou will deal Electro DMG based on the number of times she was hit while the shield was up. If the shield breaks before Beidou attacks, she will take the remaining damage. The DMG Bonus cannot go beyond 2 hits, so you can unleash her hold once she gets hit twice to deal the most damage possible with her skill. There is also the chance to do a perfect parry with her ascension 1 talent. The cooldown of this skill is 7.5 seconds, allowing Beidou to easily use it multiple times in a fight. Both of Beidou’s ascension talents provide buffs to her elemental skill.
Beidou’s elemental burst, Stormbreaker, allows her to summon a Thunderbeast’s Targe around herself. This skill has a duration of 15 seconds with an energy cost of 80 and a cooldown of 20 seconds. Both the long cooldown and high energy cost makes using her burst limited in battle, without the aid of another Electro character to boost the energy generation. While in her burst, normal and charge attacks will trigger a lightning discharge that can jump between enemies and deal Electro DMG. Beidou’s C2 will allow her discharge to jump between more enemies. Her C1 will also create a shield that can absorb damage for 15 seconds when she uses her burst. The best part about this skill is that her burst will work for any active character, allowing other characters in your team to benefit from its effects. However, the damage output of her Electro DMG is limited without her C6 effect.
In co-op, Beidou’s main use will be to deal damage as she doesn’t have any support skills to offer the team. The shield from her elemental skill will also only apply to Beidou.
Beidou Passive Talents
Beidou’s ascension talents power-up her elemental skill by allowing her to perfectly parry against enemy hits and granting her a buff to her normal attack.
Her first talent, Conqueror of Tides, decreases the stamina consumed when swimming for all party members when Beidou is in the party. This talent doesn’t help her in combat, but is useful when swimming in the overworld. It will allow you to swim for greater distances without running out of stamina.
Beidou’s ascension 1 talent is called Retribution. This talent allows her counterattack with Tidecdaller to deal the maximum DMG when released at the right moment. Beidou’s elemental skill allows her to take hits, then unleash damage back at an enemy based on the number of times she was hit. With her ascension 1 talent, Beidou is able to unleash her “perfect counter.” When you hold down on her elemental skill, a bubble will appear around Beidou. If Beidou gets hit when the bubble is active, she will deal the maximum damage for her elemental skill. This is the same as Beidou getting hit twice. It is important to remember that her perfect counter cannot nullify damage. If the damage exceeds her shield, then Beidou will take on the remaining damage. The bubble’s time frame will last for a fraction of a second. Players will struggle with her perfect counter until they master the timing of this talent.
Her ascension 4 talent, Leviathan’s Protection, increases the damage of Beidou’s normal & charged attack by 15% for 10 seconds when she triggers the maximum DMG Bonus with her elemental skill. Beidou’s attack speed of her normal & charged attacks will also increase by 15%. Her charged attack’s delay will also be reduced. Both her ascension talents pair well together. Beidou can unleash her perfect counter and gain increased damage to her attacks afterward. It is also more friendly to use, as if you haven’t mastered her perfect counter yet, Beidou can still get the maximum DMG Bonus by taking 2 hits and activate her ascension 4 effect that way.
Beidou gets an Electro DMG Bonus based on her ascension rank.
| Conqueror of Tides Unlocked Automatically Decreases all party member’s swimming Stamina consumption by 20%. |
| Retribution Unlocked at Ascension 1 Counterattacking with Tidecaller at the precise moment when the character is hit grants the maximum DMG Bonus. |
| Leviathan’s Protection Unlocked at Ascension 4 Gain the following effects for 10s after unleashing Tidecaller with its maximum DMG Bonus: DMG dealt by Normal and Charged Attacks is increased by 15%. ATK SPD of Normal and Charged Attacks is increased by 15%. Greatly reduced delay before unleashing Charged Attacks. |
Beidou Constellations
Beidou works as a great physical DPS at lower constellation levels. However, both her C4 and C6, give her Electro DMG a major boost.
At C1: Sea Beast’s Scourge, Beidou is given a shield for 15 seconds after she uses her elemental skill. This shield’s damage absorption will be based on 16% of Beidou’s Max HP and will absorb Electro attacks more efficiently. Unlike her elemental skill shield, this shield is only useful for absorbing damage, and can not deal back damage. However, it does work well with her burst’s damage reduction effect and can be used to shield other characters in your team.
C2: Upon the Turbulent Sea, the Thunder Arises allows Beidou’s elemental burst effect to jump 2 more targets with its arc lightning. This constellation allows Beidou’s normal attack to deal Electro DMG to more enemies. This constellation level works well with a large group of enemies, but is useless against bosses that only have one target to hit.
C4: Stunning Revenge boosts Beidou’s Electro DMG by 20% when she takes DMG for 10 seconds. Although she must take damage before this effect can activate, this constellation level allows Beidou to switch from a more physical build to an Electro DMG one. This constellation can’t be fully utilized without the use of her burst, since Beidou can only deal consistent Electro DMG with the use of her burst. This level also contradicts her C1 effect and elemental skill as they both produce shields that absorb damage. This will prevent her C4 from activating until the shield is destroyed and Beidou can take damage.
C6: Bane of Evil decreases the Electro Res of surrounding enemies while Beidou’s elemental burst is in effect. This constellation allows Beidou to deal even more Electro DMG with the use of her ultimate.
| Constellation Levels | Effects |
|---|---|
| C1: Sea Beast’s Scourge | When Stormbreaker is used: Creates a shield that absorbs up to 16% of Beidou’s Max HP for 15s. This shield absorbs Electro DMG 250% more effectively. |
| C2: Upon the Turbulent Sea, the Thunder Arises | Stormbreaker’s arc lightning can jump to 2 additional targets. |
| C3: Summoner of Storm | Increases the Level of Tidecaller by 3. Maximum upgrade level is 15. |
| C4: Stunning Revenge | Within 10s of taking DMG, Beidou’s Normal Attacks gain 20% additional Electro DMG. |
| C5: Crimson Tidewalker | Increase the Level of Stormbreaker by 3. Maximum upgrade level is 15. |
| C6: Bane of Evil | During the duration of Stormbreaker, the Electro RES of surrounding enemies is decreased by 15%. |
Recommended Builds
Main DPS
As a claymore user, Beidou’s attacks are slow, but can deal massive damage to the enemies. At lower constellation levels, Beidou is best used as a Main DPS that specializes in Physical DMG. When you unlock her C4 and C6 effect, she can start specializing in Electro DMG. This build focuses on Beidou’s normal attack. Her elemental skill will also be useful to parry enemy hits and apply the Electro statues to enemies. Beidou’s burst will be optional as she will need energy recharge on her sub-stats or another Electro character on the team to balance out the high energy cost.
For her teammates, I recommend having two Pyro characters in the team to give everyone the Pyro team attack buff. This can help Beidou deal more damage, and allow Qiqi to heal more health with her skills. Bennett’s burst will provide an attack buff and heal any character within its range. Xiangling can trigger Pyro reactions, and her elemental skill can buff a character’s attack with her ascension 4 talent. This team relies on the reactions Overloaded and Superconduct. Melt can also be triggered to deal extra damage when Cryo and Pyro elements react together. You will want to trigger Superconduct as often as you can because it lowers the enemies’ Physical RES by 50%. If going for an Electro DMG Beidou, you can switch Qiqi for Barbara or another Hydro character, to trigger the electro-charged reaction.
Note: Having a pyro character that can burn grass, will allow Beidou to immediately counterattack with her elemental skill.
Beidou’s recommended weapon will be the Wolf’s Gravestone or the Prototype Archaic. The Wolf’s Gravestone is a 5-star weapon and is one of the best claymores in terms of damage output. This weapon will increase Beidou’s ATK in both its sub-stat and passive effect. It can also boost the party’s Base ATK for 12 seconds when Beidou lands a hit on enemies with less than 30% of their health. The Prototype Archaic is a craftable 4-weapon, which is more accessible than the 5-star weapon choice. This weapon will boost Beidou’s attack and has the chance to deal additional damage when she uses her normal attack on an enemy. Both of these weapons are the preferred weapons for any DPS claymore users as they focus on increasing their normal attack damage output.
In terms of 5-star weapons, the Skyward Pride and The Unforged are also good picks for Beidou. However, the Skyward Pride puts more of a focus on Beidou’s elemental burst. The Unforged is also conditional as its main strength comes from being protected by a shield. Beidou’s elemental skill can act as a shield, but the shield is lowered once she unleashes her hold on the skill or counterattacks. Beidou’s C1 can also generate a shield, but that will only last for 15 seconds. If you do choose to use The Unforged, then having a shield generator will be necessary for the success of your team.
The Serpent Spine from the battle pass is another great option for a Main DPS Beidou and will boost her Crit Rate. Its passive effect will increase Beidou’s DMG every 4 seconds she is on the field. However, she will take more damage as long as the effect is active. The effect can stack up to 5 times and will reset once Beidou gets damaged. This weapon can boost Beidou’s DMG, but players need to be cautious about its side effect. Having a shield generator, like Noelle or Diona can help minimize the Serpent Spine’s side effect.
If you have a Cryo character on the team like Qiqi or Diona, the Snow-Tombed Starsilver can also be a good weapon choice. This weapon will give Beidou a Physical DMG Bonus to boost her normal attack and can deal AoE ATK DMG when Beidou lands a hit. Enemies affected by Cryo will also be dealt additional ATK DMG.
The Blackcliff Slasher and Royal Greatsword can also be used and are bought from the Starglitter Exchange. The Blackcliff Slasher will increase Beidou’s Crit DMG and boost her ATK after defeating an enemy. The Crit DMG is great, but its secondary effect will be useless in a boss fight as she will need to defeat an enemy first before the boost can activate. The Royal Greatsword will increase her attack with its sub-stat. Its passive effect will increase Beidou’s Crit Rate after damaging an enemy. This effect can stack up to 5 times and will reset once she lands a critical hit. This weapon is less conditional than the Blackcliff Slasher, but can be annoying to use as its bonus resets every time Beidou hits a CRIT. Only use these weapons if you have no other options, as they can be expensive to refine.
For the early game, your best option would be the Debate Club. This 3-star weapon from the Gacha boosts the user’s ATK. Its passive effect can also deal additional damage after an elemental skill is used. The Skyrider Greatsword can also work to boost Beidou’s Physical DMG. The passive ability will increase her ATK when she lands a hit with her normal attack.
For the recommended artifact set, the 4-piece Gladiator’s Finale will give Beidou an ATK boost and increase the damage of her normal attack. This set is great for any melee DPS character, as the effects aren’t conditional. A 2-piece Gladiator’s Finale and Bloodstained Chivalry can also work to boost her Physical DMG if you have trouble farming for a 4-piece Gladiator’s Finale. A 4-piece Bloodstained Chivalry is not recommended as it only boosts her charged attack.
If you want to focus on Electro based build, go for a 2-piece Thundering Fury and Gladiator’s Finale to maximum her Electro DMG. A 2-piece Thundering Fury and Bloodstained Chivalry set will also work for a mixed attacker. A 4-piece Thundering Fury will be better suited for a Sub DPS Beidou as that relies on reaction damage. A 4-piece Thundersoother is another decent option that will increase her damage if the enemy is affected by Electro.
For the early game, Beidou can benefit from the 4-piece Berserker to increase her Crit Rate. The 2-piece Brave Heart and Resolution of Sojourner can also be used as they will each give Beidou an 18% attack increase.
The main stats on her artifacts should be:
- ATK% Sands
- Physical DMG% Goblet (Electro Goblet if you want to focus on Electro DMG instead. Recommended for C4.)
- Crit Rate/Crit DMG Circlet
The sub-stats you should focus on are: Crit DMG, Crit Rate, ATK%, & ATK. Energy Recharge can also work to recharge her burst faster. HP will improve the strength of her shield, allowing Beidou to absorb more damage.
Burst Build
This build focuses on Beidou’s burst and maximizing its damage. As long as her burst is active, other characters in your team will gain the ability to deal Electro DMG with their normal attack. A C6 Beidou will be able to fully utilize this build, due to her Electro Res decrease on enemies. The skills you should focus on are mainly her burst. Beidou’s elemental skill and burst can be leveled up based on your preference.
Beidou can act as the main DPS or as a sub DPS for this build. Tartaglia is a powerful Hydro DPS that can enter a melee stance with his elemental skill. The melee stance can take advantage of Beidou’s burst to deal both Hydro and Electro DMG with his attacks. Bennett is useful to boost the damage dealt to enemies and heal if necessary. Xingqiu is another good support character that can deal passive Hydro DMG with his burst. At C2, Xingqiu is also able to decrease Hydro RES of enemies, making Tartaglia’s attack deal even more damage. You can replace Xingqiu with another Electro character like Fischl to recharge Beidou’s burst faster.
The recommended 5-star weapon of this build is the Skyward Pride, due to its energy recharge sub-stat. It also has a secondary effect that increases all of Beidou’s damage. If you plan on attacking with Beidou, the Skyward Pride will also deal additional Physical DMG after she uses her burst. Other 5-star claymores will also work for this build, but you will need to focus on energy recharge in the artifacts.
The Prototype Archaic is her other recommended weapon because it can be crafted from the blacksmith. It is also one of the best 4-star claymores in the game. This weapon can increase Bediou’s overall ATK and can deal additional damage when Beidou lands a normal attack on enemies.
Other weapons you can use are the Sacrificial Greatsword and Favonius Greatsword. Both of these weapons increase Beidou’s energy recharge, but doesn’t boost her damage output. The Sacrificial Greatsword can end the cooldown of her elemental skill after she uses it, allowing Beidou to use her counter more often. The Favonius Greatsword can generate more energy for the party if Beidou lands a critical hit. The usage of these weapons will depend on Beidou’s role in your team and your preference.
The Rainslasher can also work to deal more reaction damage with its elemental mastery sub-stat. This weapon will allow Beidou to deal more damage to enemies affected by Hydro or Electro.
For her recommended artifact set, a 2-piece Noblesse Oblige and Thundering Fury will increase the power of Beidou’s burst. If you want to use Beidou and then switch her out, a 4-piece Noblesse Oblige will work if you don’t have another character with it already. A 2-piece Thundering Fury and Gladiator’s Finale will also work to increase both her elemental skill and burst damage.
The stats you should focus on are:
- ATK% or Energy Recharge Sands
- Electro DMG% Goblet
- Crit Rate/Crit DMG Circlet
The sub-stats you should focus on are: Crit DMG, Crit Rate, ATK%, & Energy Recharge. HP will also suffice if you plan to use her elemental skill.
Recommended Party Members
Xiangling can provide pyro support with her elemental skill and burst. Her elemental skill can also boost a character’s attack.
Qiqi is a powerful 5-star healer. Her healing scales off her ATK, allowing her to deal damage to the enemy as well. Can be replaced with another healer like Barbara or Diona.
Xingqiu can deal passive Hydro DMG with his burst. At C2 he can decrease Hydro RES of enemies to deal more damage to them with his attacks,
Tartaglia is a powerful DPS unit that specializes in Hydro DMG with his melee stance and elemental burst.
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|
| Able to counterattacks enemies with her elemental skill | Needs constellation levels to boost her Electro DMG |
| Good Physical DPS at lower constellation levels | High energy cost of elemental burst |
| Has 5 attacks in her normal attack animation instead of 4 | Using her elemental skill causes her to be unable to move |
Recommended Domains: Cecilia Garden, Forsaken Rift, Taishan Mansion, Domain of Guyun, Stormterror, Childe, Boreas, Peak of Vindagnyr
Conclusion
Beidou as a DPS unit is often compared to Razor, another Electro DPS character, due to their role as a Physical damage dealer. Beidou needs her constellation levels to set her apart from Razor. She has a unique parry attack with her elemental skill that relies on getting hit first before she can deal maximum damage. Beidou’s elemental burst has a high energy cost, but it allows her to gain the ability to deal Electro DMG along with her normal attack. However, she gets outperformed by other DPS characters without the use of her constellation levels.
What do you think of Beidou? Is there anything I missed? 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 