Xiao
The sole surviving Yaksha is granted an appearance to everyone! Xiao is an adeptus and one of the members of Yaksha. He, among the five Yaksha, was tasked to cleanse Liyue from the plague and curses throughout the nation. Due to the relentless amount of corruption that they obtained during the years of fighting, only he managed to survive and keep his karmic debt under control. Right now, he vowed to protect the Traveler and will appear to him once they summon his name.
If you awake to a knife at your throat, if monsters dig their claws into you, if death comes knocking at your door, call out my name. Adeptus Xiao. I will be here when you call.
Biography Details
- Birthday: April 17th
- Weapon: Polearm
- Vision: Anemo
- Rarity: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Affiliation: Liyue Adeptus
- Special Dish: "Sweet Dream"
- Voice Actor [EN]: Laila Berzins (Instagram: lailab_voiceovers | Tiktok: lailaberzinsvoice)
- Voice Actor [JP]: Matsuoka Yashitsugu
- Voice Actor [KR]: Sim Kyu-hyuk (Instagram: july_lemonade | Twitter: @voicist)
- Voice Actor [CN]: kinsen
Quick Glance Guide
Qingxin Collection Guide
Slime Materials Collection Guide
TO BE UPLOADED SOON
Xiao Farming Schedule Checklist
Companionship Details
Popsicle's Short Review
▲PROS: Xiao is a superb Anemo DPS that deals with massive Anemo DMG and only requires low-level gameplay knowledge to enjoy this character in combat. This makes Xiao one of the beginner-friendly DPS that new players can enjoy. Since he's generally used as a Hypercarry DPS, you can start pairing him with Support that buffs his damage even without heavy investments on them. Not to mention that his Burst allows him to deal massive damage on a large area and low Energy cost.
▼CONS: His playstyle comes with a cost of his HP-draining mechanic that players need to know from the start, requiring you to have a decent healer or shielder on his team from the beginning. Not to mention that being a Hypercarry DPS comes with a heavy investment in his weapon and artifact sets. The former doesn't allow him to have a wide range of weapons that you can use as most of them are locked by pulling for Epitome Invocaton or buying Battle Pass, and the latter requires you to focus more on offensive stats to squeeze out more damage on him. Lastly, his constellation is a bit bummer as his best constellations are only C1 and C6, adding to the immense amount of investment that you need to know if you're planning to get his constellation.
Combat Profile
✦ Normal Attack | Whirlwind Thrust
➤ His Normal Attack allows you to perform 6 consecutive spear strikes, and his Charged Attack consumes a certain amount of Stamina to perform an upward thrust, both dealing Physical DMG. It is Xiao's core talent that you need to prioritize because of its high damage multiplier and fast attack animation, making it the bulk of Xiao's damage.
➤ One of the peculiars on Xiao's kit is that he doesn't take any DMG when performing Plunging Attacks, which makes him the only character that can survive a Plunging Attack from higher places.
✦ Elemental Skill | Lemniscatic Wind Cycling
❝According to the legends of another land, the world will someday be crushed by two great wind wheels. Xiao's mastery over polearms is transcendent, ripping his foes apart like those legendary wind wheels.❠
➤ Xiao's Elemental Skill is straightforward, allowing him to lunge forward and deal Anemo DMG to opponents in his path. At the start, Xiao has two charges, which you can use before activating his Burst. Ensure you are facing the enemy you want to target or pan the camera to the target opponent.
➤ It's important to note that you shouldn't use Xiao's Skill while his Burst is still active. This approach maximizes the damage output and allows you to pre-funnel the remaining particles Xiao needs before using his Burst again. Additionally, his Skill does not generate any particles while in his Burst state.
✦ Elemental Burst | Bane of All Evil
❝Donning the Mask of the Yaksha, Xiao takes the terrifying, demon-conquering form of the Vigilant Yaksha. But this great power has also brought him great suffering. Some call him "The Bane of All Evil."❠
➤ Xiao's Elemental Burst provides him with decent amount of buff to himself.
- It greatly increases Xiao's jumping Ability, allowing him to deal High Pluneg DMG from the get-go.
- It increases his attack AoE and attack damage. It functions as an added damage to his Normal, Charged, and Plunging Attacks, which allows Xiao to deal more damage when he uses it; and
- All of his Normal Attacks will be converted into Anemo DMG that cannot be overriden.
➤ Additionally, his HP will continously drain at a constant rate, depending on his Burst's Talent Level. This is why you need ensure Xiao's survivability by having a shielder or a healer (the latter is preferred).
➤ Generally, player consensus recommendes to stop building Xiao's Burst at Level 8 since the bonus multiplier is insignificant and the lfie drain is consistent at 2% of his current HP per second. However, I would argue that even the bonus multiplier is trivial, it adds up to the maximum amount of damage that Xiao can offer, especially to those players who want to flex their damage numbers with their friends.
Passive Ability
✦ Utility Passive | Transcension: Gravity Defier
❝Conquering demons is what I do.❠
➤ Xiao's Utility Passive allows players to climb further thanks to the decreases climbing Stamina that he can offer to this team. This allows you to further climb up on the mountain slopes around Teyvat. It is also useful to new players who are trying to unlock teleport waypoints that are located on a mountain top.
✦ 1st Ascension Passive | Conqueror of Evil: Tamer of Demons
❝This is it? Nothing worth getting excited about.❠
➤ Xiao's A1 Passive increases the damage dealt by him by 5% and further 5% every 3 seconds. You can get the maximum damage bonus by playing him on field for about 15 seconds. This ensures that Xiao must be on field for most of the time.
✦ 4th Ascension Passive | Dissolution Eon: Heaven Fall
❝The limit to one's power is self-destruction. Answer me. Why do you persist?❠
➤ Xiao's A4 Passive increases the damage of the subsequent uses of his Elemental Skill. Although it increases the damage on his second charge (at C0), this passive is usually appreciated when you unlocked his last constellation.
Constellations
✦ C1 - Dissolution Eon: Destroyer of Worlds
➤ Xiao's C1 increases the charge of his Skill by 1. This further increases the total damage that Xiao can dish out against his opponents, while at the same time increases the amount of particles that you can funnel to Xiao. However, it is best that you are going to use two charges on his Skill so you can use the remaining one at the end of your first rotation.
✦ C2 - Annihilation Eon: Blossom of Kaleidos
➤ Xiao's C2 increases his Energy Recharge by 25% whenever he's not on the field. This effect is considered negligible since Xiao requires more on-field time. However, activating his support's kit partially fills up Xiao's energy as your team generates particles.
✦ C3 - Conqueror of Evil: Wrath Deity
➤ It further increases his Elemental Skill's Talent Level to 15.
✦ C4 - Transcension: Extinction of Suffering
➤ Xiao's C4 inreases his DEF Bonus by 100% whenever his HP falls below 50%. Technically, it does improve Xiao's survivibility especiallly it reduces the amount of damage that Xiao takes in combat. However, the effect of this constellation diminishes if you put a decent healer or shielder in his team, like Jean, Bennett, Lan Yan, Zhongli, and Layla.
✦ C5 - Evolution Eon: Origin of Ignorance
➤ It further increases his Elemental Burst's Talent Level to 15.
✦ C6 - Conqueror of Evil: Guardian Yaksha
➤ Xiao's C6 is his best constellation as it allows him to use his Skill up to four times as soon he hits at least 2 opponent. This changes the way you play him from Plunging DPS, to Skill DPS. This also changes the skill prioritization to Skill = Normal Attack > Burst.
About Constellation
➤ Alatus Nemesos = Winged Nemesis
➤ Xiao's Yaksha name means 'winged' in Latin, referencing the Golden Winged Great Peng (Dapeng Jinchi Mingwang). Dapeng Jinchi Mingwang is Buddha's spiritual uncle and a guardian deity in Mahayana Buddhism. He sits at the head of Buddha's throne in the Western Paradise and is known for protecting Mount Sumeru. As one of the eight demigods of Buddhism, his attributes are reflected in Xiao's constellation, highlighting Xiao's agility and speed in combat.
Build Section
On-field DPS
Build Notes
Xiao is a formidable DPS that allows you to deal massive damage especially when you equipped with right artifact sets and weapons. Your goal is to maximize the damage that Xiao can squeeze out by stacking relevant attributes to make him powerful in combat. This is why you need to invest on his ATK, Crit Rate and Crit DMG in order for him to quickly deal his opponents in shortest amount of time possible. As always, you can check her talent prioritization in the Quick Glance section, and his key notes on his talent prioritization at Constellation section.
On-field DPS Weapon Recommendation
Staff of Homa
➤ It is considered to be Xiao's best-in-slot weapon because of the HP-draining mechanic that he has, allowing him to use the weapon's passive ability with ease If you plan to maximize the weapon's passive, it is always recommended to pair him up with a strong shielder or healer with short healing intervals. Not to mention, this weapon has high Base ATK and Crit DMG to have, allowing you to be flexible when building his artifact sets.
Primordial Jade Winged-Spear
➤ Xiao's signature weapon and it is on-par with Staff of Homa in terms of damage output. It holds one of the highest Base ATK among all polearms in the game, with high ATK attribute that Xiao can benefit from on its passive. Although pre-stacking on its passive is not usually recommended, you can mitigate it if you do Normal Attack cancels between your plunges.
Lumidouce Elegy
➤ Although this weapon shines the most on Burning team composiiton, Xiao can take advantage the unconditional ATK increase. With higher Crit Rate than his signature weapon and decent Base ATK, players can also use this weapon on Xiao.
Staff of the Scarlet Sands
➤ Although it offers a bit lower Base ATK and requirement to have Elemental Mastery on Xiao's substat, you can take advantage of this weapon because of its high Crit Rate, the highest Crit Rate among all polearm weapon roster. This eases up the demand of his Crit Rate since you required to have at least 70%.
Calamity Queller
➤ It holds the highest Base ATK that you can get with the 12% All Elemental DMG Bonus that Xiao can enjoy. Although, its ATK substat is on the low side, you will not need to pre-stack on its passive as you are generally going to use his Skill on your rotation.
Crimon Moon's Semblance
➤ One of Xiao's newest weapon that he can use because of the DMG increase that you can use as long you gain Bond of Life. It is generally required to use his Charged Attack after you use his Burst.
Deathmatch
➤ It grants Xiao one of the highest Crit Rate among the four-star polearm rosters in the game, allowing you reach near 60% on his Crit Rate. With ATK and DEF increase on its passive, this is one of the best four-star weapon that you can use for him. Although keep in mind that it has a lower Base ATK, so having Bennett in your team if pretty much a requirement to mitigate it.
Blackcliff Pole
➤ One of the decent weapons from the Paimon's Bargains that you can use for Xiao because of its high Crit DMG substat and decent ATK increase on its passive. Although its passive is a bit inconsistent especially when fighting single opponent.
Lithic Spear
➤ One of the decent weapons that you can get as long you pair Xiao with numerous units from Liyue. However, most of his best supports are non-Liyue native. If you are planning to maximize this weapon's passive, here are the list of Liyue characters that works on him: Zhongli, Yanfei, Xiangling, Xingqiu, Lan Yan, and Qiqi.
Missive Windspear
➤ Assuming that you managed to get this weapon from previous limited event, Xiao can enjoy the massive amount of ATK that this weapon has to offer. However, you need to focus on building Xiao's Crit Rate and Crit DMG.
Prospector's Drill
➤ One of the newest four-star weapons that Xiao can get because of its high Base ATK and decent ATK% substat. It is often recommended not to use his Skill on the first rotation to stack up Unity's Symbol.
White Tassel
➤ Recommended weapon for new players who just got Xiao and don't have access to other polearms mentioned in the guide.
On-field DPS Artifact Recommendation
Marechaussee Hunter
➤ With his HP-draining mechanic, it is one of the key contending artifact sets that you can use because of the Crit Rate it gives to him. It becomes his personal best set if you plan to use him with Bennett and/or Xianyun in his team. Although just be mindful not to overcap the Crit Rate attribute. It is noted that you are recommended to get Crit DMG sets when farming for MH circlet.
Vermillion Hereafter
➤ One of the best artifact sets that you can use and it is considered to be Xiao's best-in-slot set as it gives you ATK boost that wil last throughout Xiao's Burst duration, making it a solid choice for him.
Desert Pavilion Chronicle
➤ One of the niche sets that you can use for Xiao but it requires you to use his Charged Attack at the start of his Burst. Works in tandem if you have Crimson Moon's Semblance. It is also conditional if you're planning to use Xiao to fight single opponents in the Spiral Abyss. Although, player consensus recommends not to farm for this set specifically for Xiao.
Viridescent Venerer
➤ Previously, the four-piece set is usually the go-to artifact set for Xiao due to lack of options. However, it is usually used to increase Xiao's Anemo DMG Bonus attribute and it is paired with 2-pc +18% ATK set or with 2-pc Emblem of Severed Fate.
Emblem of Severed Fate
➤ Although the four-piece set is not suitable for Xiao, its 2-pc set however, is generally appreciate as it eases up Xiao's energy management. You can paired it up with 2-pc +18% ATK set or with 2-pc Viridescent Venerer.
Gladiator Finale (and other 2-pc +18% ATK)
➤ Any 2-pc set of +18% ATK is suitable for Xiao as your temporary artifact set. If you're planning to have a full-set of Vermillion Hereafter, pairing it with another 2-pc +18% ATK set would be make it usable in combat.
Synergy
The synergy section provides a detailed guide on how much synergistic that character is to Xiao. Please adhere to the legends inside the infographics.
- High Synergy refers to the character that can definitely use in your team without any restrictions. You don't need investments in their constellation to make be synergizes with the featured character on this guide.
- Conditional Synergy refers to the character that you can use with some caveats, unlocking constellation, utilizing one of their passive, or requires high investment to their kit. It is often used as an alternative if you don't have any characters that are synergistic with the featured character on this guide.
- Low/No Synergy refers to the character that don't synergize well to the featured character on this guide.
- To Be Determine refers to the characters that isn't playable yet but it is already confirmed to be playable within the version.
Reason for Conditional Synergy:
- Thoma is a bit energy-hungry. It is best if you unlocked his C4 and pair him up with Bennett.
- Yanfei could pair up with Xiao if you managed to unlocked her C4.
- Xiangling can be paired up with Xiao but she has a high energy recharge requirement. Make sure that you plan your team's energy management if you plan to use Xiangling in Xiao's team comp.
Reason for Conditional Synergy:
- Lisa can utilize her A4 Passive, allowing Xiao's oppoenent's DEF to shred. But, it is recommended to group them together or fight a single opponnet due to the AoE constriction of her Burst, plus she has a high energy cost.
Reason for Conditional Synergy:
- Mika can be designated as Xiao's healer, but that's pretty much it.
Team Building
Here are some team compositions you may use for Xiao. If you can use these characters when building her team composition. It will differ depending on your character availability and preferred playstyle. Please in mind that you can use the Synergy section to help you decide your preferred team composition with her.
Rotation Tips
When playing him on combat, its first rotation (assuming you're playing him in Spiral Abyss), make sure that you are setting up his support's kit before using his Burst. Then, on the second rotation (or assuming that Xiao's Burst is not lit yet), you can spam his Skill first before activating his Burst. And then, depending on the number of enemies, you can use either 11x High PA > 2 Low PA (for multiple enemies) or 8x (NA - CA - Jump - High PA) (for single enemies).
You can play with various Normal Attack combinations that are dependent to the artifact set/weapon that you've equipped on Xiao or your desired playstyle.
Community Insight
Conclusion
Although times are changing in the game and legacy DPS characters like Xiao seem to be falling out of favor with current metas, he is still remains a capable DPS. He can deal high damage values using combat mechanics that are less common these days and he has a fun combat mechanic that you can try. However, it's important to note that Xiao has already peaked, as all his supports and artifact sets are readily available that maximizing his potential damage output. While he may not be perfect, mastering Xiao will provide a rewarding experience as you take down monsters that both you and Xiao despise.
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