Genshin Impact Kaeya

Genshin Impact Kaeya

An in-depth guide on how to build Genshin Impact’s charming Cavalry Captain, Kaeya.

Kaeya is a 4-star Cryo Sword character who all players receive during Genshin Impact’s Prologue. Besides that, he is only available on the Wanderlust Invocation Standard Banner, and occasionally in the Stardust Shop. He is a flexible character, with the potential to act as an Elemental Sub DPS or Physical Main DPS thanks to his access to Melt, Frozen and Superconduct reactions, and his high Normal Attack DMG scaling. Keep reading to find out what materials are needed to Ascend Kaeya, his best builds and an overview of how to use him effectively.

Kaeya Ascension Stat

All characters in Genshin Impact have a particular stat that levels up alongside their base stats. For Kaeya, this extra stat is Energy Recharge. This will allow him to charge his Elemental Burst a little faster, which is key if you’re planning to rely on his Burst for Elemental Reactions.

Kaeya Ascension Materials

Once you have obtained Kaeya and maxed him to Level 20, he can be further levelled up though Ascension. That materials you will need to Ascend Kaeya are as follows:

Level 20

• Shivada Jade Sliver x 1
• Calla Lily x 3
• Treasure Hoarder Insignia x 3

Level 40

• Shivada Jade Fragment x 3
• Hoarfrost Core x 2
• Calla Lily x 10
• Treasure Hoarder Insignia x 15

Level 50

• Shivada Jade Fragment x 6
• Hoarfrost Core x 4
• Calla Lily x 20
• Silver Raven Insignia x 12

Level 60

• Shivada Jade Chunk x 3
• Hoarfrost Core x 8
• Calla Lily x 30
• Silver Raven Insignia x 18

Level 70

• Shivada Jade Chunk x 6
• Hoarfrost Core x 12
• Calla Lily x 45
• Golden Raven Insignia x 12

Level 80

• Shivada Jade Gemstone x 6
• Hoarfrost Core x 20
• Calla Lily x 60
• Golden Raven Insignia x 24

Shivada Jade Slivers, Fragments, Chunks and Gemstones can be obtained by defeating the Cryo Regisvine, located in Mondstadt, and the Cryo Hypostasis, located in Dragonspine.

Hoarfrost Cores can be obtained by defeating the Cryo Regisvine, located in Mondstadt.

Calla Lilies can be found growing near water in Mondstadt. They grow in abundance in Springvale, Dadaupa Gorge and near Dawn Winery.

Treasure Hoarder, Silver Raven and Golden Raven Insignias can be obtained by defeating Treasure Hoarders, which can be found all over Teyvat.

Kaeya Talent Materials

In order to make Kaeya stronger, you’ll need to upgrade his talents. The materials you will need are as follows:

• Treasure Hoarder Insignia
• Silver Raven Insignia
• Golden Raven Insignia
• Teachings of Ballad
• Guide to Ballad
• Philosophies of Ballad
• Spirit Locket of Boreas

The Teachings, Guide and Philosophies of Ballad can be obtained by completing the Domain of Mastery: Realm of Slumber every Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. Meanwhile, the Spirit Locket of Boreas is a potential drop from the Weekly Boss Wolf of the North.

Kaeya Best Weapons

Because Kaeya can be built in a few different ways to fit different team comps, there are many different weapons that can suit his needs. Here are some suggestions depending on what kind of build you’re aiming for.

Cryo Sub DPS / Support

• Primordial Jade Cutter (5*)
• Mistsplitter Reforged (5*)
• Skyward Blade (5*)
• Freedom-Sword (5*)
• Sacrificial Sword (4*)
• Festering Desire (4*)
• Iron Sting (4*)

Physical Main DPS

• Aquila Favonia (5*)
• Primordial Jade Cutter (5*)
• The Black Sword (4*)
• Prototype Rancour (4*)

A Cryo-focused Kaeya has many different weapon options, which makes him very versatile and easy to build. The best weapons for him are easily the 5-star options; Primordial Jade Cutter and Mistsplitter Reforged will massively boost his CRIT Rate / DMG respectfully, which will immensely benefit his Elemental Skill and Burst, whilst Skyward Blade and Freedom-Sworn will benefit a more supportive Kaeya and his Reactions. He also has some great 4-star options with Sacrificial Sword and Festering Desire, which will both increase his Energy Recharge and get his Burst activated quicker – meaning he can pull off more Reactions. The F2P-friendly weapon Iron Sting will give him a large amount of Elemental Mastery, which will increase the DMG of his Reactions, including the high-scaling Melt Reaction.

Physical Kaeya has more niche options, but they serve him well: Aquila Favonia will massively increase his Physical DMG, and Primordial Jade Cutter will give him almost all the CRIT Rate he needs as a Main DPS. The Black Sword is a great option if you can get it, since although it won’t boost his CRIT Rate as much as the Primordial Jade Cutter, it will still help greatly. Prototype Rancour is a great F2P weapon, which is basically a 4* Aquila Favonia with its Physical DMG substat.

Kaeya Best Artifacts

Again, depending on what kind of build you’re aiming for, Kaeya has a few different Artifact options. For a Cryo Sub DPS / Support Kaeya, 4-Piece Blizzard Strayer is easily his best set. Not only will it increase his Cryo DMG by 15%, but also increase his CRIT Rate against enemies affected by Cryo significantly. For a Physical Main DPS, you have a bit more flexibility: 2-Piece Bloodstained Chivalry and 2-Piece Pale Flame will increase his Physical DMG by a whopping 50%. Alternatively, 4-Piece Pale Flame can work very well on him, as can 2-Piece Bloodstained Chivalry / Pale Flame and 2-Piece Blizzard Strayer if you still want to get some power out of his Cryo attacks.

For low-level players, 2-Piece Berserker and 2-Piece Martial Artist work well until you’re able to get higher level Artifacts.

For your Artifact main stats, you will want to run:

• ATK% Sands
• Cryo / Physical DMG Bonus Goblet
• CRIT DMG/Rate Circlet

In terms of Artifact substats, you’ll want to focus on ATK%, Energy Recharge and both CRIT DMG and CRIT Rate. Additionally, for a Cryo Sub DPS / Support Kaeya, you’ll also need Elemental Mastery for his Reactions.

How to Use Kaeya

Kaeya’s Elemental Skill, Frostgnaw, deals Cryo DMG to enemies in front of him. It has a low CD of 6 seconds, meaning you can spam this quite regularly.

His Elemental Burst, Glacial Waltz, creates 3 icicles that revolve around him in a small AOE, dealing Cryo DMG to enemies in their path. The icicles will persist even after you switch Kaeya off-field, meaning his Burst is great at setting up Elemental Reactions.

Cryo Kaeya works best in teams where he can pull off Melt or Frozen reactions, since Melt has a high DMG multiplier and Freeze teams can essentially render your enemies powerless. For Melt reactions, he works well paired with Pyro DPS characters such as Hu Tao, Diluc and Xiangling. The other two slots are relatively flexible; you could use Bennett as a Support / Healer (and to create Pyro Resonance,) and an Anemo character such as Sucrose, Venti or Kazuha to gather enemies together. For a Freeze team, pairing Kaeya with Qingqiu, Kokomi or Mona is a must. Once again, an Anemo character will work well here to spread Cryo, and another Cryo character such as Diona or Shenhe will help create Cryo Resonance. Shenhe will also boost Kaeya’s Cryo DMG. On both these teams, you’ll mainly be switching in Kaeya to deal Cryo DMG with his Skill and Burst, rather than have him on-field for long periods of time or dealing Normal Attacks.

Physical Kaeya benefits from being paired with an Electro Sub DPS like Fischl or Raiden Shogun, whose Skills both have off-field application, meaning you quickly switch them in for their Skill, then switch to Kaeya who can use his Skill or Burst to create a Superconduct Reaction. The reason Superconduct is so beneficial to Physical characters is that it decreases your enemies’ Physical Res by 40%, meaning you will do more DMG to those affected. It’s recommended you have another Cryo character on the team such as Diona to create Cryo Resonance, as well as provide shields and heals, with your fourth slot being flexible. In this team composition you’ll mainly be spamming Kaeya’s Charged Attacks, using his Skill and Burst when they are ready, and briefly switching in your Electro character to activate their Skill or Burst before switching back to Kaeya, rinse and repeat!

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