Background
During the Archon War, Xiao was tasked along with 4 other Yakshas by Rex Lapis to kill the demons residing in Liyue. After the war, Xiao remained the sole surviving Yakshas and has watched over the development of Liyue from the shadows. Xiao fights a constant battle with himself to not let his powers out of control and drag him into the darkness.
Among all the other Adeptus, Xiao holds a reputation for being a strong fighter, capable of conquering demons with his might. He is unknown to most people in Liyue, due to the nature of his true power. However, this doesn’t concern Xiao as he has a dislike for the mortal world.
Xiao is known to be blunt and reserved when you first met him. He takes his duties to guard Liyue very seriously. He prefers being alone and is often seen in a bad mood. However, an offering of Almond Tofu will often lift his spirits.
Fun Fact: In one of his dialogues, Xiao mentions eating the snow from the ground when it is thick enough.
Xiao is a 5-star Anemo character from Liyue that uses a polearm. He first appears within the story when the Traveler and Paimon go to Wangshu Inn to inform him about Rex Lapis’s Death.
Xiao Skill Talents
Xiao’s skillset is capable of dealing powerful Anemo DMG to the enemy. He doesn’t have much to offer in terms of reaction power or support and is more suited as a DPS unit. His main source of damage will be his burst’s power to sacrifice HP in return for more damage.
Xiao’s normal attack, Whirlwind Thrust, unleashes up to 6 rapid strikes on the enemy. As a polearm user, Xiao’s attacks are faster than other weapon users. Xiao is able to unleash an upward thrust to send enemies flying with his charged attack. When up in the air, Xiao is able to plunge down on enemies to deal AoE damage to the enemy. His plunging attack will not hurt him, no matter the height he descends from. Jumping from a high altitude will deal more damage. You can also use his plunge attack if you jump then use Xiao’s elemental skill, then plunge down.
Xiao’s elemental skill. Lemniscatic Wind Cycling, deals Anemo DMG while Xiao lunges toward the enemy. This skill can provide extra mobility to Xiao as it can also be used mid-air. The cooldown is only 10 seconds, but it comes with two charges at C0.
Xiao’s elemental burst, Bane of All Evil, allows him to unleash his Yaksha form. While in this form, Xiao’s attack power and jumping ability get amplified based on the skill level. All of his damage will also be converted in Anemo DMG. This makes his burst highly mobile as he will need to move around to plunge into enemies. His Anemo DMG cannot be overridden by other elements. For example, while in his burst, Chongyun’s elemental skill won’t be able to convert his melee attacks in Cryo DMG.
In exchange for the increased power, Xiao’s HP will continuously be drained while in this form. The rate is 3% every second at its base level, but will decrease if you level up the skill. At full health, the HP drain should not be enough to kill Xiao. The higher his health, the more HP his burst will drain. Due to the health drain, Xiao will require a healer like Qiqi or Barbara to keep him healthy. The duration is 15 seconds with a cooldown of 18 seconds. His burst also requires 70 energy to activate. Xiao’s elemental burst requires a lot of mobility around the battlefield if you use his plunging attacks. Characters like Bennett cannot properly support him unless you stay in the range of his burst. Xiao burst has the potential to yield high damage numbers, but requires you to maintain his health. His burst will end if the duration time is up or if Xiao switches to another character.
In co-op, Xiao is best played as a damage dealer as he won’t be able to offer elemental reaction or supports with his skills. Xiao is special from other Anemo characters as his skillset does not benefit from the Swirl reaction. He is capable of dealing strong Anemo attacks, but doesn’t offer any buffs or support for his team. There should be a healer on the team that is able to heal Xiao’s HP as he uses his burst.
Xiao Passive Talents
Xiao’s ascension talents both give his elemental skill and burst a boost to their damage.
His first passive talent, Transcension – Gravity Defier, decreases the climbing stamina of all party members when Xiao is in the party by 20%. This skill doesn’t benefit his damage output, but it will help you when exploring high places in the overworld.
Xiao’s first ascension talent, Evil Conqueror – Tamer of Demons, increases all of his DMG by 5% during the duration of his burst. That DMG will increase by 5% every 3 seconds until he reaches 25%. To maximize the damage increase from this skill, Xiao needs to stay on the field and use his burst for 12 seconds. This talent allows Xiao to deal more Anemo damage the more time he is in his burst form. It is important to keep in mind that the more time Xiao spends in his burst, the more HP he will lose. Using his burst will also cut into the time your other units are on the field, so make sure your other characters use their skill first before Xiao activates his burst.
Xiao’s ascension 4 talent, Dissolution Eon – Heaven Fall, increases the damage of his subsequent elemental skill when he uses it the first time. The increase lasts for 7 seconds, but the duration will refresh when he gets a new stack. Xiao’s max stack from this talent is 3. Xiao has two charges from his skill at C0, and he gets an additional charge at C1.
Xiao gets a Crit Rate Bonus based on his ascension rank.
| Transcension – Gravity Defier Unlocked Automatically Decreases climbing Stamina consumption for your own party members by 20%. Not stackable with Passive Talents that provide the exact same effects. |
| Evil Conqueror – Tamer of Demons Unlocked at Ascension 1 While under the effects of Bane of All Evil, all DMG dealt by Xiao increases by 5%. DMG increases by a further 5% for every 3s the ability persists. The maximum DMG Bonus is 25%. |
| Dissolution Eon – Heaven Fall Unlocked at Ascension 4 Using Lemniscatic Wind Cycling increases the DMG of subsequent uses of Lemniscatic Wind Cycling by 15%. This effect lasts for 7s, and has a maximum of 3 stacks. Gaining a new stack refreshes the effect’s duration. |
Xiao Constellations
Xiao’s constellation levels mainly alter the usage of his elemental skill and doesn’t affect his playstyle.
C1: Dissolution Eon – Destroyer of Worlds increases his elemental skill charge by 1, allowing Xiao to use it 3 times, before waiting 10 seconds for 1 recharge. With the cooldown of his skill being 10 seconds, his C1 effect allows Xiao to use his elemental skill to gain more energy for his burst. 2 charges is already nice, to begin with, but having 3 adds extra convenience. It also pairs nicely with his ascension 4 talent that increases the damage of his elemental skill each time he uses it.
C2: Annihilation Eon – Blossom of Kaleidos increases Xiao’s Energy Recharge when he is not an active party member. Like his C1 effect, this skill only offers extra convenience so he can recharge his burst faster. Xiao’s skillset requires him to stay on the field to deal damage, so the effects of this constellation won’t always be in effect.
C4: Transcension – Extinction of Suffering grants Xiao a 100% DEF Bonus when his HP falls below 50%. This constellation will double his defense, allowing Xiao to take on more hits. The defense buff is nice, but Xiao will continue to lose HP as long as he is in his burst form.
C6: Evil Conqueror – Vigilant Yaksha give his elemental skill an extra charge when he hits 2 or more enemies with a plunging attack during his elemental burst. It will also reduce the cooldown of his elemental skill by 1 second. This constellation can give Xiao more uptime with his elemental skill due to the reduced cooldown and additional charge, as long as he hits 2 or more enemies with his plunging attack in burst form.
| Constellation Levels | Effects |
|---|---|
| C1: Dissolution Eon – Destroyer of Worlds | Increases Lemniscatic Wind Cycling’s charges by 1. |
| C2: Annihilation Eon – Blossom of Kaleidos | When in party but not the currently active character, Xiao’s Energy Recharge is increased by 25%. |
| C3: Evil Conqueror – Wrath Deity | Increases the Level of Lemniscatic Wind Cycling by 3. Maximum upgrade level is 15. |
| C4: Transcension – Extinction of Suffering | When Xiao’s HP falls below 50%, gains a 100% DEF Bonus. |
| C5: Evolution Eon – Origin of Ignorance | Increase the Level of Bane of All Evil by 3. Maximum upgrade level is 15. |
| C6: Evil Conqueror – Vigilant Yaksha | While under the effects of Bane of All Evil, hitting at least 2 opponents with Xiao’s Plunging Attack will immediately grant him 1 charge of Lemniscatic Wind Cycling and for the next 1s, he may use Lemniscatic Wind Cycling while ignoring its CD. |
Recommended Builds
Main DPS
With the 2.6 update of Genshin Impact, the Vermillion Hereafter was introduced and was practically created for Xiao. This artifact set increases his ATK stat and grants him an ATK buff when he loses HP after using his burst. This effect will only be active while Xiao is on the field, but will help boost his overall damage. For weapons, any 5-star weapons will work for Xiao like the Staff of Home, Calamity Queller, or you can stick with his signature 5-star weapon Primordial Jade Winged-Spear. For extra energy regeneration, you can pair Xiao with another Anemo character or use the Raiden Shogun as a battery. Bennett and Sara will be sued to boost Xiao’s damage. Sara can be swapped with Jean for extra energy regeneration and healing.
Artifact stats for Xiao:
- Sands: ATK%
- Goblet: Anemo DMG%
- Circlet: Crit DMG% or Crit Rate%
Burst Build
This build emphasizes the use of Xiao’s burst to deal increased Anemo DMG to enemies. It will focus on Xiao’s Crit DMG and Crit Rate to deal even more damage. While in his burst form, Xiao will continue to lose HP until the duration of his burst ends or he switches out. At full health, the health drain shouldn’t be a problem, especially if you have a healer like Barbara on your team. However, he will need to be careful of enemy hits while he uses his burst, as the hp drain combined with enemy damage can prove to be deadly for him. For his team, I recommend units that can deal passive damage while Xiao is in his burst form, as you can not switch to another character without canceling out Xiao’s burst. Fischl’s elemental skill allows her to summon Oz to deal passive Electro DMG when she is not on the field and can provide energy. Albedo is another good choice with the wide range of his elemental skill. You can also use Bennett to increase Xiao’s ATK and heal him. However, Xiao will need to stay in the area of his burst for it to be effective. Having another Anemo character like Venti or Sucrose, will allow Xiao to recharge his burst faster and consume less stamina with his charged attacks. For his skills, focus on maxing out his normal attack and burst as his burst will act as a damage multiplier for his normal attack. Xiao’s elemental skill can also be helpful, but takes less priority for this build. This build works well for all of Xiao’s attacks, especially his plunging attacks.
For his recommended weapon, the 5-star Primordial Jade Winged-Spear is currently the best weapon to use with Xiao. This weapon boosts Xiao’s Crit Rate and will also increase his ATK for 6 seconds every time he hits an enemy. This passive effect has a maximum stack of 7. When he is at max stacks, Xiao’s overall DMG will increase based on the weapon’s refinement level. The Primordial Jade Winged-Spear scales well with Xiao’s DMG output, especially his plunging attacks. The Crit Rate sub-state allows Xiao to focus on Crit DMG on his artifacts. The 5-star Skyward Spine can also work as its passive effect will increase Xiao’s attack speed and Crit Rate. It will increase his energy recharge and can create a vacuum blade when Xiao uses a normal or charged attack.
The Blackcliff Pole is another weapon you can use that will increase Xiao’s Crit DMG. It is a 4-star weapon from the Starglitter Exchange. After defeating an enemy, Xiao will gain an attack buff based on the weapon’s refinement level for 30 seconds. He can have a total of 3 stacks with this buff and each stack has an independent duration from each other. The main benefit of this weapon is the Crit DMG bonus that will allow Xiao to deal massive damage when he lands a critical hit. The passive effect is a nice bonus, but requires Xiao to defeat an enemy first before activating. This doesn’t work well in boss fights if there is only 1 enemy to defeat.
The Deathmatch from the battle pass is another viable option that will increase Xiao’s Crit Rate. When there are less than 2 enemies around, Xiao will gain a 24% ATK buff at refinement level 1. However, if there are more than two enemies, Xiao will gain a 16% buff to his ATK and DEF. The conditions are more favorable than the Blackcliff Pole, but Xiao will sacrifice the Crit DMG that comes with that weapon.
If you lack good spear options, the Prototype Grudge or the Crescent Pike can be decent weapon choices. They are both 4-star craftable weapons from the blacksmith. The Prototype Grudge will increase Xiao’s energy recharge and increase his normal and charged attack for 12 seconds after using his elemental skill. Since Xiao has two charges on his elemental skill, this will allow him to activate the maximum stack of 2 right at the start. The Crescent Pike has a Physical ATK Bonus, which will not benefit Xiao’s burst form. However, picking up an energy particle or orb will allow Xiao to deal additional DMG afterward for 6 seconds.
For the early game, I recommend using the White Tassel as it will increase Xiao’s Crit Rate and normal attack damage. The Halberd can also work to increase his ATK and normal attack output.
For Xiao’s recommend artifact set, the 2-piece Viridescent Venerer, and 2-piece Gladiator’s Finale will increase both his Anemo DMG and ATK. The 4-piece Viridescent Venerer won’t benefit Xiao as his skill set doesn’t utilize the Swirl reaction. The 4-piece Gladiator’s Finale can also work, but Xiao’s plunging attack won’t get the 4-piece bonus.
In the early game, the 4-piece Resolution of Sojourner will increase his ATK by 18% and increase the Crit Rate of his charged attack by 30%. You can also go for a 2-piece Brave Heart and Resolution of Sojourner as they both will give Xiao an 18% boost to his attack.
For the main stats, go for an ATK% Sands, Anemo DMG Bonus Goblet, and a Crit DMG/ Crit Rate Circlet. I recommend going for a Crit DMG Circlet to increase the power of his critical hits and focus on Crit Rate in the sub-stats. Xiao also gets a decent bonus to his Crit Rate based on his ascension level. For the sub-stats look for; Crit DMG, Crit Rate, ATK%, and ATK. Energy recharge will also suffice to recharge his burst faster. HP isn’t as important as the more HP he has, the more HP will be drained from his burst.
Shield DPS Build
If you are not a fan of using plunging attacks, then this build is the perfect one for you to spice things up. Due to the nature of his burst, Xiao’s health will go down the more he uses it. This makes him prone to taking damage and bringing this health down even further. This build for Xiao optimizes his normal and charged attack while being protected by a shield to reduce his damage taken from enemies. It is not flexible with team composition as it requires you to have a shield on Xiao. I provide an alternative artifact option for this build down below. The skills you should max out first are his normal attack and burst. His elemental skill can also be maxed out if you have the resources. This build doesn’t rely on reaction damage or plunging attacks and the main focus is to power-up Xiao’s normal attack. The uptime of his burst will also be low for this build, unless you add in another Anemo character.
Characters like Zhongli or Noelle that can produce a shield will be necessary for the success of this build. Diona is another good option as her elemental skill can create a shield and her elemental burst can heal. If you don’t have a character that can produce a shield with their skill, you can substitute it for a Geo character to trigger the crystalize reaction and create a shield that way. Having two geo characters in your team will also allow you to boost the DMG of the character protected by the shield and decrease enemy RES of Geo attacks. Having Bennett on your team will allow you to power-up Xiao’s attack and heal him. Albedo has an amazing elemental skill that can deal passive Geo DMG every 2 seconds. His elemental skill also has a wide range and a short cooldown, allowing Albedo to easily move it to a different location. Albedo can provide the Geo team bonus with Zhongli. You also have the option of using another Anemo character like Jean or Venti to recharge his burst faster, but Anemo characters cannot produce crystals. Since there are two geo characters on the team, you will need at least 1 unit of a different element that can trigger the crystalize reaction. You also have the option of replacing Albedo with another character, but will lose the shield bonus.
For his recommended weapon, either the Primordial Jade Winged-Spear or the Deathmatch would work for him. I explained each weapon and their usability in the previous build. The Primordial Jade Winged-Spear is a 5-star weapon, which can be hard to obtain for many players. Both the Deathmatch and Blackcliff Pole can make a nice substitute. The Deathmatch works well in both boss fight and regular battles and is the recommended weapon due to its usability in more situations. With the Blackcliff Pole, Xiao will deal more damage due to its Crit DMG increase, but you sacrifice its passive effect when fighting a boss.
Another good weapon for Xiao with this build is the 5-star Vortex Vanquisher. This weapon increases Xiao’s shield strength and gives him a buff to his ATK when he lands a hit on an enemy. He can only stack this effect up to 5 times. While protected by a shield, that buff is increased by 100%. Although this weapon is the perfect one for this build, this weapon was on a limited time banner, so those without it will have to wait for it to come back.
Xiao’s recommended artifact set is the 4-piece Retracing Bolide due to its ability to increase his strength shield and his normal damage when protected by a shield.
For Xiao to benefit from the Retracing Bolide, he must be protected by a shield. If that doesn’t work with your current team composition, then go for a 4-piece Gladiator’s Finale. This set will give you +18% ATK and increase Xiao’s normal attack by 35%. The bonus is less than the Retracing Bolide, but the effect is unconditional. It will also work for more team compositions since you don’t need to focus on maintaining a shield. Both of these artifact sets will not work with Xiao’s plunging attack.
For the main stats, go for an Anemo DMG Bonus Goblet, ATK% Sands, and a Crit Rate/ Crit DMG Circlet. For the sub-stats look for; Crit Rate, Crit DMG, ATK%, ATK, and Energy Recharge.
Recommended Party Members
Fischl’s elemental skill can deal passive Electro DMG and provide energy for Xiao’s burst.
Venti’s elemental skill will allow Xiao to plunge from his wind current. Having two Anemo characters will recharge both of their bursts faster and reduce stamina consumption. Jean or Sucrose can also be used.
Barbara can heal Xiao when he is low on health. She can be replaced with other healers like Qiqi.
Albedo’s elemental skill has a wide area, allowing Xiao to move around the battlefield without worry. It also has a short cooldown, allowing Albedo to easily move it around.
Zhongli can provide a shield that can protect Xiao from damage. Noelle can fill a similar role. Having two geo characters, will also give Xiao a 15% bonus to his ATK DMG when protected by a shield.
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|
| High damage output with the use of his burst | As an Anemo DPS, Xiao doesn’t benefit from any reactions |
| Good to explore with through the use of his passive talent and elemental skill | Elemental burst drains his HP |
| High mobility with plunging attacks and ability to use elemental skill in mid air | Not a lot of flexibility with artifact sets or team compositions |
Recommended Domains: Peak of Vindagnyr
Conclusion
Xiao is a powerful 5-star Anemo DPS character that is capable of landing powerful hits against the enemy. With the use of his burst, Xiao becomes a very mobile unit capable of landing plunging attacks that deal Anemo AoE DMG. However, his increased strength comes at a cost. Xiao’s burst will drain him of his HP, leaving him more vulnerable to enemy attacks. As an Anemo character, he won’t benefit from reaction damage like other DPS characters. Overall, Xiao is capable of dealing massive Anemo damage with his burst, but he doesn’t provide any support for the party, leaving his teammates to fill in that role for him.
What do you think of Xiao? 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 