Kinich
Natlan's Saurian Hunter from Huitztlan is one of the newest five-star character in Version 5.0! Kinich came from the "Scion of the Canopy" or Huitztlan Tribe. His proximity to the Yumkasaur allows him to inherit their grappling technique when traversring around the region. He is pragmatic, cold and has a utilitarian approach to life, allowing people to discourage becoming friends with him. His Saurian companion, K'uhul Ajaw, the one of a kind Saurian as it has pixelated design. He becomes playable character on September 17, 2024.
"Malipo" Kinich. I don't believe we've met. If you'd like to request my services, please brief me on the job and state what you're willing to pay.
Biography Details
- Birthday: November 11th
- Weapon: Claymore
- Vision: Dendro
- Rarity: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Affiliation: Huitztlan
- Special Dish: Saurian Hunter's Reward
- Voice Actor [EN]:
- Kinich: John Patneaude (Twitter/X: @JohnPatneaude| Instagram:jpat_person)
- K'uhul Ajaw: Abby Espiritu (Twitter/X: @missabbyespirit | Tiktok: missabbyespirit)
- Voice Actor [JP]:
- キィニチ: Sugiyama Noriaki
- クフル・アハウ: Takeuchi Junko
- Voice Actor [KR]:
- 키니치: Kang Seong-woo (Instagram: seongwoo___kang | Twitch: 강강무슨강진주강)
- 쿠훌 아쥬: Park Rin-na
- Voice Actor [CN]:
- 基尼奇: Banma
- 库胡勒阿乔: Mi Yang
Quick Glance Guide
Saurian Claw Succulent Collection Guide
Natlan Saurian Farming Collection Guide
Kinich Farming Schedule Checklist
Popsicle's Short Review
▲PROS: Kinich offers the most unique ability among all Claymore characters in the game. He is the only claymore user who can grapple enemies to launch Loop Shots and is able to aim his Scalespiker Cannon. His Elemental Skill allows him to become the most mobile character among all of the roster in the game, which you can also use when exploring Natlan! Even though Ajaw is a bit annoying, his alternate form allows your team to focus on supporting Kinich by buffing his kit and/or triggering reactions.
▼CONS: Kinich's Passive Ability limits the team composition that he can be part of since he shines excellently on Burgeon and Burning team composition. Due to the innate features of Burgeon and Burning team, a shielder or healer becomes an important part of his team for Kinich to survive the entire combat. Even though you can use him for other Dendro-related reactions outside Burgeon and Burning (like Quickened and Spread), other five-star characters are more suited to this role. Lastly, his grappling mechanic can only hold one opponent, making him a not unsuitable for combatting multiple enemies.
Combat Profile
✦ Normal Attack | Nightsun Style
➤ Kinich's Normal Attack has a unique attack animation, allowing you to rapidly strike the opponents dealing Physical DMG. Even though you won't be using his Elemental Skill, you are going to spam his Normal Attack to launch Loop Shots on his Elemental Skill. It's best not to focus on his Normal Attack Talent Level.
✦ Elemental Skill | Canopy Hunter: Riding High
❝Ajaw: Ten points for agility.❠
➤ Kinich's main kit is located on his Elemental Skill. Unlike Mualani and Kachina, his Nightsoul Points are generating in nature through firing his Loop Shots. Once Kinich gains 20 Nightsoul Points, he can unleash a powerful Scalespiker Cannon, dealing higher Dendro DMG. Be warned that his Elemental Skill can only last for a few seconds, so your plan is to quickly fill up his Nightsoul meter. A pixelated timer will appear to marked the end of his Skill.
➤ Another way to quickly fill up Kinich's Nightsoul Points is sliding to the opponent's Blind Spot (marked on green-conical shaped). Make sure that you are sliding to it since it can squeeze up 1 more Scalespiker Cannon per rotation.
✦ Elemental Burst | Hail to the Almighty Dragonlord
❝Shadow of the past, mine to command.❠
➤ Kinich allows Ajaw to unleashed his alternate form, allowing him to deal Dragon Breath DMG every 2.5 seconds (total of 6 Dragon Breaths). In typical combat setting, you need to activate his Burst as soon you got you activated his Nightsoul's Blessing to maximized the extended duration.
Passive Ability
✦ Utility Passive | Swift Envoy
❝Glad to be working with you.❠
◢ While in an area with Phlogiston Mechanics within Natlan, interacting with some harvestable items will increase your own party members' Movement SPD by 15% for 10s. Additionally, the location of nearby resources unique to Natlan will appear on your mini-map.
➤ A decent utility passive that allows your party to increase Movement SPD during your exploration around Natlan. The appearance of nearby resources in Natlan is a good passive.
✦ Night Realm's Gift Passive | Night Realm's Gift: Repaid in Full
❝Stop yapping. Just take it or leave it.❠
◢ When Kinich is in the air following Canopy Hunter: Riding High's mid-air swing, he can consume 10 Phlogiston points to perform another mid-air swing.
While in an area with Phlogiston Mechanics within Natlan, he can use Nightsoul Transmission: Kinich. When the current active character is sprinting, in movement states that result from specific Talents, or in the air, when you switch to Kinich: Kinich will perform one of the following actions depending on the conditions met:
- When facing a Coilgrass Sigil that can be interacted with: He will fire a grappling hook towards it to move;
- When there are nearby opponents and you are in combat: Kinich will use Canopy Hunter: Riding High in the direction of the opponents;
Otherwise, Kinich will fire a grappling hook and swing, prioritizing valid Coilgrass Sigils as grapple targets.
Nightsoul Transmission can be triggered once every 10s by your own party.
When interacting with Coilgrass Sigils and other items that Yumkasaurs can interact with, "Canopy Hunter: Riding High" will be converted to "Yumkasaur Mimesis," which causes interactions with such items to follow rules applicable to Yumkasaurs, and which will not put Canopy Hunter: Riding High on CD.
➤ Similar to Kachina and Mualani, it laid down the groundwork for players on how they can fully maximize Kinich's amazing exploration mechanic with Phlogiston mechanic in the game. Make sure to use it while exploring the nation!
✦ 1st Ascension Passive | The Price of Desolation
❝Glad to be working with you.❠
◢ When Kinich is in Nightsoul's Blessing state, opponents hit by his Elemental Skill will enter the Desolation state, and when affected by Burning or Burgeon reaction DMG, they will restore 7 Nightsoul points to him. Nightsoul points can be gained this way once every 0.8s. The Desolation state will persist until this instance of Kinich's Nightsoul's Blessing state ends.
➤ His A1 Passive allows him to earn more Nightsoul Points to Kinich once you trigger Burning or Burgeon reaction. Make sure that you are taking this to your advantage since it adds up to Kincih's overall personal damage value.
✦ 4th Ascension Passive | Flame Spirit Pact
❝Before I head out, I tighten my head scarf and remind myself to stay calm and alert.❠
◢ After a nearby party member triggers a Nightsoul Burst, Kinich will gain 1 stack of Hunter's Experience that lasts 15s. Max 2 stacks. When Kinich uses Canopy Hunter: Riding High's Scalespiker Cannon, all stacks of Hunter's Experience will be consumed, with each stack consumed increasing the DMG dealt by this Cannon shot by 320% of Kinich's ATK.
➤ His A4 Passive allows him to use his Scalespiker Cannon at increased damage. However, due to the early stages of Natlan character roster in the game, you need to wait a little bit longer in order to maximized his A4 Passive.
Constellations
✦ C1 - Parrot's Beak
➤ A key important part of his C1 is the guaranteed Crit DMG of his Scalespiker Cannon, which is increased by 100%, making his C1 nice to have.
✦ C2 - Tiger Beetle's Palm
➤ The Dendro Shredding, which might come rarely, complements well someone who wields Deepwood Memories in his team, further increasing Kinich's personal damage. Additionally, it increases the damage done by his Scalespiker Cannon by 100% on the first shot he takes.
✦ C3 - Protosuchian's Claw
➤ It further increases his Elemental Skill's Talent Level to 15. This can be a decent stopping point if you are investing in him.
✦ C4 - Hummingbird's Feather
➤ While the energy restoration is a nice thing to have, his Burst deals 70% more damage. Combined, you have an option to use his Burst every rotation.
✦ C5 - Howler Monkey's Tail
➤ It further increases his Elemental Burst's Talent Level to 15.
✦ C6 - Auspicious Beast's Shape
➤ Kinich's strongest constellation, allowing him to deal the most damage on his Scalespiker Cannon, and it will now bounce to the opponents once. Since his C2 or A4 Passive are easy to activate, you can easily maximized the buff that Kincih will gain on his C6.
About Constellation
➤ Chimaera Alebrius = Chimera Alebrije
➤ In Mexican culture, alebrije are colorful folk art sculptures of various animals with bright colors with bunch of geometric shapes. The alebrije was invented by cartonero Pedro Linares and became part of the Mexican culture. The term itself also marks its Hollywood debut as it was featured in Disney's Coco. It reminds people not to be afraid to pursue adventure and new experiences in life and focus on seeing the beauty and magic that surrounds us, which is really align to Kinich's daredevil stuns when swinging across Natlan.
Build Section
Dendro On-field DPS
Build Notes
Kinich is an amazing on-field Dendro DPS, allowing you to swiftly move across the combat while continuously dealing multiple damage against the opponents. His build is similar to any Dendro DPS that you will encounter, but your team needs to prioritize triggering Burgeon or Burning to maximize his full potential. As always, you can check his talent prioritization in the Quick Glance section.
Dendro On-field DPS Weapon Recommendation
- Fang of the Mountain King
- Kinich's recommended five-star weapon.
- It is Kinich's signature weapon, allowing him to easily stack Canopy's Favor since his kit primarily focused on Elemental Skill. However, when equipping this weapon, make sure that Kinich is under Burning, Burgeon, or any hybrid reactions that include Burning and Burgeon to take advantage of its Skill and Burst DMG. Take also in mind that this weapon has the lowest Crit Rate among all clayrmore in the game.
- Beacon of the Reed Sea
- Kinich's alternative five-star weapon.
- This weapon serves as an all-rounder for Kinich, especially if you don't want to focus him on Burning and Burgeon teams. Although it provides a higher Crit Rate than his signature weapon and conditional ATK buff that he can easily activate, its Base ATK is lower compared to his signature weapon.
- Verdict
- Kinich's alternative five-star weapon.
- A decent five-star alternative for Kinich, especially when you pair him with Geo characters. It can further increase his Elemental Skill DMG but it is somewhat difficult to utilize it completely since it will disappear once you deal Elemental Skill DMG. If you are planning to use this weapon, make sure that you fill up his Nightsoul Point, get the Elemental Shards, and use your Scalespiker Cannon.
- If you can't utilize fully the weapon's passive, it also provides unconditional ATK buff, a bit higher Base ATK (compared to Beacon of the Reed Sea), and a higher Crit Rate (higher than his signature, but a bit lower than Beacon of the Reed Sea).
- Wolf's Gravestone
- Kinich's alternative five-star weapon.
- A decent alternative to Kinich's five-star weapon options since it provides a sizeable ATK to his attribute.
- Talking Stick
- Kinich's recommended four-star weapon.
- It is one of the best weapons for Kinich on the four-star weapon roster since it gives you an additional Elemental DMG Bonus, further increasing his damage. However, this weapon is locked on Battle Pass. If you manage to get this weapon, you can put it on him.
- Earth Shaker
- Kinich's alternative four-star weapon.
- If you don't have any five-star weapon or the Talkin Stick, this new craftable weapon becomes Kinich's best weapon since it provides a decent Base ATK and a great ATK% substat. Its passive works well on Kinich's kit since it buffs up your Skill DMG, further increasing the damage done by your Scalespiker Cannon. Best if you can manage to increase the weapon's refinement rank to 5. Works best when Kinich is under Burgeon or Burning team composition.
- Tidal Shadow
- Kinich's alternative four-star weapon.
- If you haven't gotten to Natlan yet, this craftable weapon is also a decent option for Kinich because of its high ATK% buff in his attribute. Although, a healer is a requirement to maximize the weapon's passive.
- Serpent Spine
- Kinich's alternative four-star weapon.
- Another decent option for Kinich if you already managed to get this weapon. It has a higher Crit Rate and can further increase the damage that Kinich is dealing. Recommend if you put Kinich outside Burgeon or Burning team composition.
- Katsuragikiri Nagamasa
- Kinich's alternative four-star weapon.
- Another decent option for Kinich because of the Skill DMG increase from its passive. However, you will have less time to activate his Elemental Burst.
- Mailed Flower
- Kinich's alternative four-star weapon.
- A decent limited weapon option for Kinich to further increase his ATK and Elemental Mastery attribute. It is recommended that Kincih will be the one who will trigger Burning/Burgeon.
- Lithic Blade
- Kinich's alternative four-star weapon.
- When Kinich is placed in any team composition that hails from Liyue, you can use this weapon to further increase the ATK% and Crit Rate attributes.
- Debate Club
- Kinich's beginner weapon.
- A decent beginner weapon for Kinich, especially for new players who just recently got him due to his high ATK% substat.
Dendro On-field DPS Artifact Recommendation
- Obsidian Codex
- Kinich's default artifact set
- The default artifact to further increase Kinich's damage. However, since he will consume Nightsoul Points whenever he uses his Scalespiker Cannon, the Crit Rate buff will only apply whenever you are using your ScalesSpiker Cannon.
- Deepwood Memories
- Kinich's alternative artifact set
- Another default set for Kinich since it provides an additional Dendro DMG Bonus and Dendro RES, which becomes excellent to have whenever you unlock C2. However, it is usually recommended to put on Kinich whenever no one is holding this artifact set.
- Unfinished Reverie
- Kinich's alternative artifact set
- A Burning-centric set that Kinich can use since it can further increase his damage over time. It is recommended to have a continuous Burning reaction throughout the combat.
- Golden Troupe
- Kinich's alternative artifact set
- Another decent set that allows Kinich to further increase the damage done by his Elemental Skill up to 45%.
- Deepwood Memories / Golden Troupe
- Kinich's alternative artifact set
- A good transitional set for players who want to balance the Dendro DMG Bonus and Elemental Skill DMG increase. It is usually used as a temporary set wanting to focus on Golden Troupe or Deepwood Memories.
- Golden Troupe / +18% ATK set
- Kinich's alternative artifact set
- Another good transitional set if you want to balance out increasing Elemental Skill DMG and ATK attribute.
Team Recommendation
➤ Here are some team compositions you may use for Kinich.
➤ If you can use these characters when building his team composition. It will differ depending on your character availability and preferred playstyle
Synergy
Here are the various characters that works well on Kinich. You can formulate your own team composition that would work on your preferred playstyle.
Party Rotation
It provides a general rotation outlook for the most popular team composition, according to internet data.
It can be changed depending on the weapons and artifact sets that each unit is equipped with.
Community Consensus
Conclusion
Kinich provies the most unique way to play claymore and Dendro in general. His quick movement provides one of the best way to dodge enemies and his grappling hook allow us to traverse Natlan in most exciting way. His core kit requires you to be quick and agile when combatting opponent and deliver a powerful strike whenever your Nightsoul Points are filled up to the brim. All players may take time to adjust on Kinich's distinctive combat and exploration mechanic. If you managed to work around to his flaws and limitation, I would confirm that you will have a great time using Kinich everywhere!
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