Background
Ganyu currently works as a secretary at the Yuehai Pavilion, working alongside Keqing and Ningguang. She is also a devote believer of Zhongli, also known as Rex Lapis. In the past, she has made a contract with Rex Lapis to work over the residents of Liyue and has fought in the Archon War. As a result, Ganyu has watched over the city and saw it grow and change for thousands of years.
Ganyu is half-human and half-Adeptus and shares characteristics from both sides. She is specifically a half-Qilin hybrid that used to live in Jueyun Karst with all the other Adeptus, before moving to Liyue Harbor where she currently resides. Ganyu often feels isolated by both sides and has trouble fitting in with both Adeptus and humans.
Despite her quiet nature, Ganyu is one of the most hard-working people out there. Despite being in Liyue for thousands of years, she has often invested her time in working for the Liyue Qixing, rather than enjoy the sights of the city. However, she can be forgetful at times due to her age and will often get embarrassed.
Ganyu is a 5-star Cryo character from the region of Liyue that wields a bow as her weapon of choice. She first appears in the main story as a messenger to invite the player to the Jade Palace.
Ganyu Skill Talents
Ganyu has a variety of skills that harness the power of Cryo to deal AoE DMG to the enemies.
Her normal attack, Liutian Archery, differs from other archers in the game because it can deal AoE Cryo DMG. Ganyu can charge up her shots to 2 levels instead of 1. Her first level fires off a cryo arrow, while her second level will fire a Frostflake Arrow that will bloom after hitting its target to deal AoE Cryo DMG. The AoE of her arrow will still trigger even if you don’t land a precise hit on the enemy. Both of her ascension talents will also provide a power-up to this skill, increasing the CRIT Rate and Cryo damage dealt to the enemy while in your burst. Her unique charged shots allow Ganyu to provide Cryo support in the background to trigger reactions like melt or freeze with her icy arrows. She can also be built up like a DPS to fire powerful shots that deal massive critical damage. As a 5-star archer, Ganyu is also capable of hitting up to 6 shots with her attack animation.
Ganyu’s elemental skill, Trail of the Qilin, allows her to dash backward while leaving behind an Ice Lotus. This lotus will taunt the enemy to go toward it while continuously dealing Cryo DMG for 6 seconds. The cooldown of this skill is 10 seconds and the durability of her lotus will scale off of Ganyu’s HP. Although it does scale off of her HP, it isn’t recommended to build up her health because the lotus will explode after 6 seconds regardless if it still has health left. After the Ice Lotus expires it will deal AoE Cryo DMG to surrounding enemies. This skill is useful for crowd control as it will attract enemies toward her lotus. Once the enemy is close to the lotus, Ganyu can then unleash her burst to hit all enemies in the surrounding area. It can also be used to lure enemies together for your main DPS to clear them out easier.
Ganyu’s elemental burst, Celestial Shower, will summon a Sacred Cryo Pearl to rain down shards of ice on the enemy to deal Cryo DMG within an AoE field. The field is pretty big allowing her to deal constant Cryo damage to enemies within a wide range. The duration and cooldown of her burst are both 15 seconds with an energy cost of 60. Her ascension 4 talent will allow Ganyu to increase the Cryo DMG of her party members within her elemental burst. This ability makes her a great support for other Cryo characters, especially with the use of Chongyun’s elemental skill to convert melee attacks into Cryo attacks. However, Ganyu can make use of the increased damage as well if she serves as your main DPS.
Ganyu is a powerful character in co-op play with the ability to provide Cryo reactions from afar. Her elemental skill can lure enemies in, while other players deal damage to them. Ganyu’s elemental burst can also boost the Cryo DMG of all members inside of her AoE with her ascension 4 talent.
Ganyu Passive Talents
Ganyu’s ascension talents improve her support potential while allowing her to increase her damage output.
Her talent that is unlocked at the start, Preserved for the Hunt, refunds 15% of the ore used when crafting Bow weapons at the blacksmith. This talent is limiting as it only works when crafting bows. Currently, there are only two bows that can be crafted, and the rarity of the bow prototype will depend on your luck from the boss drops. As a result, her first talent won’t be used often by players who don’t have access to the bow prototype. Also, 15% of 50 is only around 7 ores back, which is a 20-hour expedition worth of ore.
Ganyu’s ascension 1 talent, Undivided Heart, increases the Crit Rate of her second Frostflake arrow after her first one is shot. The effect will also increase the bloom effect by 20% and deal more AoE Cryo DMG on the enemy. There is no cooldown for this talent, allow Ganyu’s charged shots to become extremely powerful.
Her ascension 4 talent, Harmony between Heaven and Earth, grants Ganyu the ability to powerup the Cryo DMG of everyone in the AoE of her elemental burst. This skill works well with other Cryo characters or Chongyun’s elemental skill that converts melee normal attacks to Cryo attacks. It won’t benefit other party members that don’t deal Cryo dmg, which limits the number of characters that Ganyu can fully support in battle. However, a Cryo DPS will be able to fully reap the benefits of this ascension talent.
Note: Ganyu gets a bonus to her Crit DMG based on her ascension rank.
| Preserved for the Hunt Unlocked Automatically Refunds 15% of the ores used when crafting Bow-type weapons. |
| Undivided Heart Unlocked at Ascension 1 After firing a Frostflake Arrow, the CRIT Rate of subsequent Frostflake Arrows and their resulting bloom effects is increased by 20% for 5s. |
| Harmony between Heaven and Earth Unlocked at Ascension 4 Celestial Shower grants a 20% Cryo DMG Bonus to active members in the AoE. |
Ganyu Constellations
Ganyu doesn’t need a high constellation to be useful in battle, but her C1 will make it easier to gather elemental particles and lower the Cryo RES of enemies. Her constellation levels mainly deal with debuffing the enemy and improving the power of her Charge Level 2 Frostflake Arrow.
C1: Dew-Drinker allows Ganyu to decrease the Cryo RES by 15% of enemies hit by her Frostflake Arrow and its bloom effect. It will also regenerate energy for Ganyu once per charge, regardless if it hits the enemy or not. This constellation increases the usability of her charged shots, allowing her burst and elemental skill to deal more damage if used within the debuff’s duration. It will also allow her to increase the damage output of other Cryo characters on the team when the debuff is in effect.
C2: The Auspicious gives Ganyu an additional charge of her elemental skill, Trail of the Qilin. Having two charges will allow Ganyu to have her elemental skill up for 12 seconds if timed correctly, This bypasses the 10-second cooldown, effectively allowing Ganyu to always have her elemental skill on the field.
C4: Westward Sojourn increases the damage of enemies standing in her elemental burst. It can go up to 25% in total and will still cause damage for 3 seconds after the effects of her elemental burst wear off. This constellation increases Ganyu’s DPS output and maximizes the damage of her burst.
C6: The Clement allows Ganyu to fire her level 2 charge shot without charging it after using her elemental skill. This constellation pairs well with her C2 effect that gives her an additional charge on Trail of the Qilin and will save you time in battle from charging up her shots.
| Constellation Levels | Effects |
|---|---|
| C1: Dew-Drinker | Taking DMG from a Charge Level 2 Frostflake Arrow or Frostflake Arrow Bloom decreases opponents’ Cryo RES by 15% for 6s. A hit regenerates 2 Energy for Ganyu. This effect can only occur once per Charge Level Frostflake Arrow, regardless if Frostflake Arrow itself or its Bloom hit the target. |
| C2: The Auspicious | Trail of the Qilin gains 1 additional charge. |
| C3: Cloud-Strider | Increases the Level of Celestial Shower by 3. Maximum upgrade level is 15. |
| C4: Westward Sojourn | Opponents standing within the AoE of Celestial Shower take increased DMG. This effect strengthens over time. Increased DMG taken begins at 5% and increases by 5% every 3s, up to a maximum of 25%.The effect lingers for 3s after the opponent leaves the AoE. |
| C5: The Merciful | Increases the Level of Trail of the Qilin by 3. Maximum upgrade level is 15. |
| C6: The Clement | Using Trail of the Qilin causes the next Frostflake Arrow shot within 30s to not require charging. |
Recommended Builds
Main DPS
Ganyu has the potential to do massive damage to groups of enemies with her charged shots. Unlike other archers, she gets a second level to her charged shot that allows Ganyu to fire an AoE Cryo attack. This build focuses on Ganyu’s charged shot, but will also boost the damage done by her ultimate through the use of critical hits. Her teammates should be able to support Ganyu through elemental reactions and buffs. Having other Cyro characters like Kaeya or Chongyun will also give an extra 15% increase to the Crit Rate of enemies that are affected by Cryo or are frozen. Bennett will be useful in maximizing the damage done and heal if needed, while Xinqiu can reliably freeze the enemy with the help of Ganyu. The skills you should mainly focus on are her normal attack because that will be your main source of damage. Her elemental burst will also be helpful because of its ability to power up her Cryo DMG with her ascension 4 skill. The elemental skill is optional as it doesn’t deal a lot of damage, but can be used to taunt the enemies into her AoE field.
For her recommended weapon, I recommend either the Amos’ Bow or the Prototype Crescent because they both will increase Ganyu’s ATK. The Amos’ Bow is a 5-star weapon that will increase the power of her normal and aimed attack. It will also increase the damage dealt for every .5 seconds the arrow is in flight, up to 5 times. If an arrow travels for 2.5 seconds, that increase is 40% at refinement level 1! The shots also don’t need to be accurate as Ganyu’s Frostflake Arrow will trigger an AoE field once it hits something. Since the Amos’ Bow might not be obtainable for everyone, the Prototype Crescent makes a nice substitute and is a craftable 4-star weapon. The Prototype Crescent will increase the power of aimed shots if it hits a weak point. It will also give her a boost in her movement speed once a weak point is hit, allowing Ganyu to easily dash across the battlefield. The major disadvantage of this weapon is that you have to accurately hit the weak point for the effect to activate.
Other 5 star weapons will work for Ganyu. The Thundering Pulse boosts Crit DMG and increases her normal attack based on the number of stacks she has. The Polar Star increases Crit Rate and ATK, with a buff to Ganyu’s burst and skill damage as well.
The Skyward Harp is another 5-star weapon that will boost Ganyu’s Crit Rate. Its secondary effect will increase her CRIT DMG and can trigger a small AoE attack on the enemy.
The Viridescent Hunt is another weapon you can use that will increase Ganyu’s Crit Rate to better her odds of landing a critical hit. This weapon will also generate a cyclone that will deal damage to the enemy and gather nearby enemies together. This weapon is from the battle pass and is not F2P friendly.
The Royal Bow can be bought from the Starglitter Exchange and will increase Ganyu’s ATK. This weapon will also increase the Crit Rate of her attacks every time she damages an enemy. This effect can stack up to 5 times and will reset after she lands a critical hit. The Blackcliff Warbow is another weapon from the Starglitter Exchange and will increase Ganyu’s CRIT DMG. Her ATK will also be increased after damaging an enemy. Lastly, the Hamayumi is craftable and boosts her ATK and normal attack damage.
In the early game, the Sharpshooter’s Oath or the Messenger are good weapons to use. They will increase Ganyu’s CRIT DMG and increase the damage of her aimed shot.
For her artifact set, the Wanderer’s Troupe is the best set to use because its 4-piece bonus will boost the power of her charged shot and the AoE blast. The boost to her elemental mastery will also be nice to improve the damage from her elemental reactions. This artifact can be obtained through fighting world bosses or from the adventure rank rewards. The main stats you should focus on are Crit DMG, Crit Rate, and Cyro DMG to maximize her damage output. ATK% and ATK will also be nice to increase the power of her aimed shots.
A 4-piece Blizzard Strayer can also be used to increase her CRIT Rate and boost her Cryo DMG. This artifact set will allow you to safely ignore Crit Rate on her artifacts because it can boost it up to 40% if the enemy is frozen. This pairs nicely with the Cryo team bonus and her ascension 1 talent to boost it up an additional 35%, totaling it to 75%. This will allow Ganyu to fully focus on Crit DMG to maximize the damage out of her critical hits. A 2-piece Blizzard Strayer and Gladiator’s Finale will also work to increase her Cryo DMG and ATK.
- Sands: ATK%
- Goblet: Cryo% DMG Bonus%
- Circlet: Crit DMG
Read more about the Blizzard Strayer set: Artifacts Explained: Blizzard Strayer & Heart of Depth
Burst Build
This build focuses on Ganyu’s powerful AoE burst. Like her other build, she can provide support for a variety of characters and can work well in a lot of teams. This team is built around Tartaglia unleashing his melee stance as the icicles rain down on enemies while Bennett provides support with his elemental burst. Xiangling is there to provide the pyro bonus to increase the attack of the team along with the power to trigger pyro reactions. Ganyu can also work well with a Cryo DPS character like Chongyun or Kaeya. Chongyun also has the ability to convert melee attacks into Cryo attacks, allowing other characters the chance to power-up in Ganyu’s burst. The skills you will want to focus on are her burst as you will switch in and out of Ganyu to deal damage with her main DPS. You can also build up her normal attack if you plan on attacking with her. Ganyu’s elemental skill is optional, but will mainly be used to dash away from enemies and taunt them.
For her recommended weapon, the Skyward Harp or The Stringless would work well with this build. The Skyward Harp is a 5-star weapon that will increase Ganyu’s CRIT Rate. Its secondary effect will increase her Crit DMG and can deal a small AoE blast every 4 seconds. The Stringless is a 4-star weapon that will increase Ganyu’s elemental mastery to improve her reaction power. This weapon is ideal if you plan on using just Ganyu’s burst. Its secondary effect will increase the power of both her elemental skill and burst.
The Amos’ Bow is only recommended if you plan to use Ganyu to attack enemies instead of switching out.
For the early game, the Sharpshooter’s Oath or the Messenger would suffice until you get a better weapon. They both increase Ganyu’s CRIT DMG.
The Favonius Warbow is another decent 4-star weapon that will recharge her burst faster and create more energy particles whenever she lands a critical hit. Blackcliff Warbow will also work to increase her CRIT DMG and overall ATK after defeating an enemy.
For her recommended artifact set, you can build her as a full support with a 4-piece Noblesse Oblige or as a burst unit with a 2-piece Noblesse Oblige and Blizzard Strayer. This set will increase the power of her burst and overall Cryo DMG.
The stats you should mainly focus on are Crit DMG and Crit Rate. Her icicles can land critical hits, so you will want to maximize the damage through a Crit Dmg or Crit Rate Circlet. A Cryo DMG% Goblet is also recommended. ATK% and Energy Recharge are decent stats to aim for in the sub-stats. You can also aim for elemental mastery to improve the power of her reactions.
Recommended Party Members
Kaeya is mainly there for the Cryo team bonus. However, he can be a powerful DPS unit with the Blizzard Strayer set.
Bennett can boost the power of Ganyu’s aimed shot. He can also heal with his elemental burst.
Xingqiu or Barbara can apply the wet status on enemies that Ganyu can then freeze with her arrows
Xiangling and Bennett will give the team an attack buff. She can also be used to provide pyro reactions with both her skill and burst.
Tartaglia is a power DPS character that pairs well with Ganyu’s AoE field that can freeze the enemy.
Chongyun’s elemental skill can turn melee attacks into Cryo attacks that will get a boost in Ganyu’s burst.
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|
| Powerful charged attacks that can make an AoE field | Low health |
| Can work as a powerful DPS or support character | First passive talent doesn’t provide any benefits besides ores |
| Crit DMG Bonus based on ascension rank | Charged attack takes time to build up |
Recommended Domains: Cecilia Garden, Midsummer Courtyard, Valley Of Remembrance, Stormterror, Taishan Mountain, Hidden Palace Of Zhou Formula, Stormterror
Conclusion
Ganyu is a powerful 5-star Cryo character that can build in a lot of ways. She has the ability to taunt the enemy while keeping a distance and firing attacks from afar. Her main gimmick is her level 2 charged shot that will trigger an AoE Cryo blast regardless if it hits the enemy or not. Ganyu’s elemental burst is also be a powerful field attack that will deal massive damage to the multiple groups of enemies. Overall, Ganyu can play a lot of roles on a team, but should be kept far away from enemy fire due to her low health.
What do you think of Ganyu? 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 