Foreword
With more and more Hydro characters joining the game, we have more and more premium choices in finding Hydro type DPS and support for our party. But until now, people still have trouble trying to wrap their head around their strength. As a result, let's take a deep dive into the analysis of various OP Hydro type characters.
✦Index✦
[Character Analysis]: A brief analysis on character's role and skills
[Character Comparison]: A detailed analysis and comparison between characters by their DMG/Support, Actions, Build, Team Comp, and Recommendation Priority.
✦Characters✦
1.Hydro Main Carry
[Character Comparison]
On DMG:
When having the same Constellation, these three perform similarly in terms of damage dealing. But Neuvillette's special charged attack meta allows him to deliver damage faster and more effectively than Childe and Kamisato Ayato. His Elemental Skill and Elemental Burst can both respectively and independently provide Droplets, allowing him to quickly deliver charged attack. In terms of the continuity of the skills, Neuvillette stands on the top among them for having higher total DPS; As for Childe, his difference with Kamisato Ayato is that he focuses on both the sustainability and the burstability, which allow his elemental skills to constantly be effective on the battlefield, or he can make use of the elemental burst to deliver high AoE damage. For Kamisato Ayato, he relies on the Elemental Skill and continue normal attack to deliver AoE damage.
On Survivability:
Firstly, Neuvillette's 1st Const. can prevent his attack being interrupted, thus reducing his need for a shield support. In addition, his substantial base Max HP also allows him to take more damage. Furthermore, Neuvillette can absorb Droplets to heal himself, so that he doesn't need much either for a healing support. Sadly for Childe and Kamisato Ayato, neither of them can do well without a good support. In summary, Neuvillette outshines Childe and Kamisato Ayato in terms of survivability. To make sure that Childe and Kamisato Ayato can survive longer, the player must focus on a flawless performance and come up with a shielder or healer based on the situation.
On Control Difficulty:
It's fairly easy to control Neuvillette and Kamisato Ayato, the former relies on charged attack to deal constant damage while the latter relies on normal attacks to deliver multi-hit damage. As for Childe, because his Riptide meta and "Childe International" are hard to control, it takes a lot of skill to control Childe well. So consider if you want to use Childe at your own discretion of your understanding of his skill and control meta.
On Build Difficulty:
Neuvillette's Character Ascension provides additional CRIT DMG, thus reducing the need to boost his CRIT DMG. In addition, Neuvillette's damage is based on his Max HP. So if you don't have Hydro Goblet, you can go for HP% Goblet as a transition. Therefore, it's easier for him to complete the build of Artifact comparing to the other two. His Artifact should be "Marechaussee Hunter". Since it is the latest Artifact in the version, you can also try using "Heart of Depth" and "Wanderer's Troupe" as transitional artifacts; For weapon, go for "The Widsith". The overall difficulty to build him to the max is still fairly easier.
Like Neuvillette, Kamisato Ayato's Character Ascension also provides additional CRIT DMG, so no need to worry about building that stats. His Artifact choice should be the 4pc set of "Echoes of an Offering", which is fairly normal difficulty to acquire. You can use the free "Amenoma Kageuchi" as his weapon. His overall build difficulty is a bit higher than Neuvillette.
Tartaglia's Character Ascension is Hydro damage, so you must focus more on completing his hydro stats. His Artifact should be the regular 4pcs set of "Heart of Depth", a pretty standard build to get. Most of his compatible weapon should be acquried through gacha. In summary, Tartaglia is the most difficult one to complete the build among the three.
On Team Comps:
Kamisato Ayato:
His team comp is very versatile. You can match him with Dendro characters to be a Hyperbloom team. Or you can go for regular Team Hydro DMG or Team Vaporize.
Recommended Comps: Kamisato Ayato + Zhongli + Nahida + Kuki Shinobu/Kamisato Ayato + Kazuha + Barbara + Yun Jin/Kamisato Ayato + Thoma + Candace + Bennett
Tartaglia:
Because he came out in the early version, so his DPS meta still relies on vaporize. So the best team comp for him is still "Childe International". For other scenarios, you can try improving his fellow party member's normal attack tier based on his talent.
Recommended Comps: Tartaglia + Kaedehara Kazuha + Xiangling + Bennett/Tartaglia + Raiden Shogun + Xiangling + Bennett
Neuvillette:
As a new character from the Fontaine Update, his DPS effect is mostly related to the reduction and increase of his HP like many other Fontaine characters, so there are less suitable party members for him. So his team comps can be the Team "Hydro DMG + Four Elements" or Team "Furina with 1 Const. + Three DPS".
Recommended Comps: Neuvillette + Kaedehara Kazuha + Zhongli + Fischl/Neuvillette + Furina + Kazuha + Baizhu
On Gacha:
Childe is the classic main carry since version 1.6. Given his special gameplay, he is still frequently used even after the Fontaine update. His 1st Const. reduces the CD of Elemental Skills; His 2nd Const., boost his recharge ability; His 4th Const. increases the trigger frequency of Riptide; On his 6th Const., his ultimate can reset the CD of his elemental skill. Overall, he is already at his perfect build when on 0 const., which means he is more cost effective to get. But if you want to go for a higher DPS and an easier cycle, we strongly recommend that you go for one with higher constellation.
Kamisato Ayato is also already at his perfect build at 0 const. just like Childe, making him popular among average players who don't want to spend too much. His Elemental Skill on 1st Const. allows him to boost DMG when having half HP or less. His 2nd Const. increases the damage of Shunsuiken; His 4th Const. can boost up the speed of the party; His 6th Const. provides two instances of substantial burst damage. Kamisato Ayato's Constellation doesn't really improve his DPS ability much. So you can just settle with 0 constellation. Go for higher constellation at your own discretion if you want them real bad.
Neuvillette can already deliver a substantial amount of damage at 0 constellation. His 1st const. can even make him harder to interrupted, making him more versatile to match with others in the party. His later constellation even provide more stats to the charged attack. Given the significant boost from his constellation, we strongly recommend that you get Neuvillette of higher constellation.
Acquisition Priority:
2.Hydro Support/Sub Carry
★★★★★：
★★★★：
[Character Comparison]
On Support:
Furina at 0 Const. is already a perfect form. She has high coordinated attack damage and DMG boost, which further increases the party's DPS cap. When she is at her max const., she can even be the onfield main carry and healer at the same time. Now that's what I call an impeccable tier 0 support.
Yelan at lower constellation can still act as a tier 0 off field DMG boost support, since her DMG boost has no demand to be met, so she can significantly boost the team's DPS cap. When she is at max constellation, Yelan can even be an onfield main carry with high DPS.
Nilou is the core of Team Bloom of Hydro and Dendro, for her amazing stats. When she is matched with good party members, the party can deliver an ideal amount of damage.
Compared to Yelan, Mona's support lies in her ultimate that boosts a substantial amount of attack damage, while her normal support skill lacks variety.
Sangonomiya Kokomi and Barbara are both healers who can be on field or off field. Their high healing and ideal hydro element application allow them to play key roles in dendro team and Team Permafrost;
Before Yelan was introduced, Xingqiu's high rates of hydro application, interruption resistance boost, and good healing once made him the first tier hydro applier in Team Vaporize. Even after Yelan was introduced, although he can't offer the high DMG Boost like Yelan does, he can still team up with Team "Raiden National" or Dendro Team to do his old job — applying hydro!
Candace's hydro infusion buff is suitable for normal attack DMG boost, making her an ideal candidate for Kamisato Ayato's party in the current version.
On Survivability:
As a DPS support, Furina's party needs to worry about when the entire party is taking damage. Although Furina is pretty tanky, you still need to worry about the survivability of a party with her inside.
Yelan and Candace come with high base Max HP and their Ascension come with Max HP bonus, so there is no need to worry about their survivability.
Nilou already has a substantial amount of Max HP, but the Dendro Core she gives off from Bloom can still deal significant damage to teammate, so one must be wary of her party's survivability.
Barbara and Sangonomiya Kokomi don't need to worry about survivability since they are healers who can heal quite regularly.
Xingqiu comes with healing and interruption resistance, so he doesn't need to worry about survival.
Mona lacks the means to protect herself, so her survivability is pretty problematic.
On Control Difficulty:
As hydro supports and sub carrys, these characters mostly stay off-field as supports, so you don't need to worry about their positioning. Just remember to catch the perfect timing to help the party member cast elemental skills and elemental burst. In terms of control difficulty, they are not difficult to control at all, just remember to use them more often to support the main carry.
On Build Difficulty:
Furina's DPS and DMG Boost effect is based on her HP. So just make sure that she has sufficient stats on HP. Her Artifact can be "Golden Troupe" or "Marechaussee Hunter". For Affixes, go for CRIT Rate, CRIT DMG, and HP. In terms of her weapon, go for the easily acquirable "Favonius Sword". The difficulty and cost to complete her build is relatively lower.
Since she is a support, it doesn't take much to build Yelan. Firstly, her DPS ability is linked with her Max HP. So just stack up her Max HP so that you can make sure she has a stable DPS. Secondly, Yelan's core meta is all about that Elemental Burst, so make sure to grab artifacts for her Max HP and some essential recharge. You can go for the 4-pcs set of "Severed Fate" as her Artifacts; In terms of her weapon, there is not much to worry about, Favonius Sword or Sacrificial Bow can do the trick, since both are easy to come by.
Nilou's DMG is based on her HP stats, so her meta is pretty limited. She should focus on bloom, so she doesn't have a huge demand for the artifacts. You can go for a simple "2 + 2"; Her weapon can be the easily acquirable "Sacrificial Sword". So her overall build difficulty is pretty low.
Mona's key role in the team is Elemental Burst. And the DMG boost of Elemental Burst is affected by recharge. So try to stack up enough Energy Regeneration for her to ensure that her ultimate's usage and cycle. Her artifacts can be the 4-pcs set of "Severed Fate", "Noblesse Oblige", and "Tenacity of the Millelith"; For her weapon, we recommend "Prototype Amber", "The Widsith", and "Thrilling Tales of Dragon Slayers", etc.. It's not difficult to build her at all.
Sangonomiya Kokomi and Barbara only need to rack up their Max HP and healing effect since they are healers. When they have enough main affixes, they can make sure that the party survive long enough. We recommend the 4-pcs set of "Ocean-Hued Clam" or "Maiden Beloved". They also don't need much about the weapon, just go for "Prototype Amber" or "Thrilling Tales of Dragon Slayers". So it's pretty easy to build them.
As a 4-Star character, Xingqiu can pick a variety of artifacts, it can be the 4-pcs set of "Noblesse Oblige" or "Severed Fate", or the 2-pcs set of "Noblesse Oblige" and "Heart of Depth"; For his weapon? Of course, the easily acquirable "Sacrificial Sword" it is! In terms of building difficulty, his is way easier than the three aforementioned characters. But it's still pretty important to get a high constellation. So try to meet his need for the constellation.
On Team Comps:
Furina:
Ever an all-around DPS and support, Furina can play a key role whether you make her a DPS or a support. So she is suitable in most popular team comps.
Recommended Comps: Furina + Raiden Shogun + Yelan + Jean/Furina + Kaedehara Kazuha + Xiangling + Bennett
Yelan:
Since she is very useful and easy to trigger DMG Boost while off-field, so you can put her in the major team comps such as Team Vaporize, Team Hydro DMG, Team Seed, etc..
Recommended Comps: Yelan + Zhongli + Hu Tao + Xingqiu/Yelan +Kamisato Ayato + Kaedehara Kazuha + Xingqiu/Yelan + Nilou + Sangonomiya Kokomi + Nahida
Nilou:
Nilou's special meta makes her more suitable for Team Bloom, but she can still do welll in Team Vaporize.
Recommended Comps: Nilou + Yelan + Nahida + Baizhu/Nilou + Mona + Kaedehara Kazuha + Bennett
Mona:
Mona's DMG Boost relies on her ultimate, so she is suitable for most team that needs more flat DMG Boost.
Recommended Comps: Mona + Ganyu + Venti + Diona
Sangonomiya Kokomi/Barbara:
A healer's main role is to heal and use Elemental Skill to apply Hydro, so they can work as Hydro Applier and Healer in Team Permafrost or Team Seed.
Recommended Comps: Sangonomiya Kokomi/Barbara + Kamisato Ayaka + Kaedehara Kazuha + Shenhe/Sangonomiya Kokomi/Barbara + Nilou + Nahida + Traveler (Dendro)
Xingqiu:
As a highly functional 4-Star support, Xingqiu can play as a Hydro applier and Interruption Resister in most teams.
Recommended Comps: Xingqiu + Chongyun + Xiangling + Bennett
Candace:
Candace's hydro infusion buff is suitable for normal attack DMG boost, making her an ideal candidate for Kamisato Ayato's party.
Recommended Comps: Candace + Zhongli + Kamisato Ayato + Barbara
On Gacha:
Furina already offers a comfortable experience when she is at 0 constellation; Her 1st Const. improves the DMG Boost from Elemental Burst; 2nd Const. provides substantial DMG Boost and Max HP bonus; 4th Const. provides Recharge effect; 6th Const. provides DPS effect and additional healing ability. Each constellation's boost comes with an ideal boost. When she is at her max constellation, she can even play as a main carry instead of being a sub carry. So we strongly recommend getting her in Gacha.
Yelan is simply a Tier 0 character as a support or an onfielder DPS when at max constellation. That's what I call an OP card. Her 1st Const. increases the usage of Elemental Skills; 2nd Const. provides additional coodinated attack damage; 4th Const. increases the Max HP in combat; 6th Const. adds 5 more shots of special Breakthrough Barbs. So it is the ultimate constellation that changes Yelan from an offielder to an onfield DPS. Overall, each constellation of Yelan provides a stable boost. So we recommend that you acquire them all.
Nilou is the core of Team Bloom. At 0 constellation, she already comes with a complete gameplay. Her 1st const. increases the damage of "Luminous Illusion" and the duration of "The Tranquility Aura", which is not so useful for a Team Duo-Hydro; Her 2nd const. reduces the enemy's Dendro resistance, which is a significant boost to the damage caused by a bloom reaction. That means this constellation is Nilou's game changer; Her 4th const. increases the damage of Elemental Burst; Her 6th const. boosts both CRIT Rate and CRIT DMG. We suggest that you should at least aim for her 2nd constellation.
Since Mona is a character from the Permanent Regular Wish, so it's hard to acquire her. And it is not worth it to specifically go for her in Permanent Regular Wish or Event Limited Wish. Since there is no guarantee, we don't recommend that you spend too much on getting her.
Sangonomiya Kokomi comes with a perfect healing ability, so she can already be put to good use as a healer at 0 constellation. But her skill provides a stable area of effect for healing, and she is mostly off field in combat, so she can't do much in gamemode like The Abyss. Her 1st Const. provides additional damage to Elemental Burst; 2nd Const. improves the healing effect, but note that this effect is easily wasted; Her 4thConst. increases attack speed and recharge; 6th Const. improves the DPS ability, but her DPS abiltiy at this stage is still not on par with what the first tier main carrys can offer. In summary, her constellation doesn't really offer much. We only suggest that you get her if you want to do Team Permafrost or some specific Team Seeds.
As 4-Star characters, Barbara, Xingqiu, and Candace are very cost effective when they are at max constellation, and it's not that difficult to acquire them. There are many methods to acquire them, you can get them from Limited Card Event Wish, Permanent Regular Wish, and some other Limited Events. If you need them so badly, just try it when Xingqiu is in the UP pool or wait for an event to get him as rewards.
Acquisition Priority:
Summary
Different types of Hydro Characters provide different types of combat effect. So please make good use of the information we have provided and get them based on your own need for your gameplay. If you have a different idea or other suggestions, feel free to leave your comments! If you find this guide useful, don't forget to like and favorite it! Remember to subscribe to us for more content in the future!
Version： Chinese（CHT） Korean Japanese
