If you don't like Hydro, you probably shouldn't play with Childe. Just like Ayaka's Cryo, or Keqing's Electro, the charismatic eleventh harbinger of the Fatui in Genshin Impact is kind of inseparable from his element, in large part because his swords are literally made of water.
His Hydro-infused blades may limit his physical damage potential, but with the right build that doesn't even matter. If you’re thinking of pulling for Childe now that Version 2.2 is out, you should know his true strength lies in his hybrid weapon stances. That allows him to apply Riptide status to enemies with his bow, then follow up in melee, activating Hydro AoE damage, and spreading the effect to further opponents.
This duality is what makes Childe so unique, even among the newer Genshin Impact characters. His satisfying and straightforward playstyle is easy to rinse-and-repeat: you apply Riptide in ranged stance, then switch to a quick bout of melee to defeat enemies and spread it further. We'll walk you through the best weapons and artifacts to make the most of this Hydro harbinger.
The Best Childe Build in Genshin Impact
Childe is a versatile Hydro damage-dealer, able to pepper enemies with aimed shots from his bow. Use his Raging Tides elemental skill to switch to melee and completely change his moveset. Childe's primary drawback is his lengthy elemental skill cooldown, especially if you don't have his first constellation, which reduces that duration by 20 percent.
Essentially, the longer you stay in melee, the longer you have to wait before you can use it again. This can be somewhat mitigated by having two Anemo characters in the party, which reduces skill cooldown by five percent due to elemental resonance. Unfortunately, you can't really use the Sacrificial Bow's cooldown-ending ability, either, since Childe's skill isn't a one-time activation, but more of a switch toggling between his melee and ranged stance.
However, if you want to run a powerful Genshin Impact Childe build, here are some options:
- Weapon: Polar Star or Thundering Pulse
- Artifact: (4) Heart of Depth
Polar Star is the new five-star bow released alongside Childe's banner rerun in Version 2.2. It boosts burst damage by 12 percent, as well as stacking up to four Ashen Nightstars when you land a normal attack, charged attack, an elemental burst, or a skill. These stacks incrementally increase attack by 10 percent with the fourth stack reaching 48 percent, so doing anything in combat basically boosts Childe's damage output.
Thundering Pulse is a good five-star alternative if you already have it, since it increases attack by 20 percent and stacks three Thunder Emblems in a very similar way to Polar Star, increasing normal attack damage by up to 40 percent.
In terms of artifacts, Heart of Depth is a fairly standard pick for Hydro damage-dealers. A two-piece grants a Hydro damage bonus of 15 percent, while four-pieces increase normal and charged attack damage by 30 percent for 15 seconds when you use an elemental skill, which fits perfectly with the switch to Childe's damage-dealing melee stance.
The only way to get either Polar Star or Thundering Pulse is by wishing. However, you can earn the Heart of Depth artifact set in the Peak of Vindagnyr domain at the top of Dragonspine. To unlock this domain you'll have to complete the 'In the Mountains' quest which you get in the adventurer's camp right outside the region.
Genshin Impact Childe F2P Build
We don't all have every five-star weapon, though, especially if you're a no-spend player. This Genshin Impact Childe build is a little easier to run, and shouldn't require you to sink a load of wishes into a weapon banner.
- Weapon: The Stringless or Rust
- Artifact: Gambler or Martial Artist
Both The Stringless and Rust are good four-star bows for Childe. The former boosts elemental skill and burst damage by 24 percent, while Rust boosts normal attack damage by 40 percent but decreases charged by 10 percent. This means The Stringless is better if you want to focus on using Childe's powerful ranged or melee burst, while Rust offers more general attack utility. Both bows are available through wishes, and Rust is a featured four-star on the current weapon banner.
The Gambler can be quite a useful artifact set for Childe, since a four-piece ends elemental skill cooldown when you defeat an enemy once every 15 seconds. Admittedly, this ability is useless while the skill is active, but provided Childe stays in melee for those 15 seconds after beating his first opponent, he can then use his bow to defeat an enemy and refresh the skill. The set also increases his elemental skill damage by 20 percent. You can find the Gambler in the Clear Pool & Mountain Cave Domain in Liyue.
Martial Artist is another artifact option, since its four-piece effect is very similar to Heart of Depth, increasing normal and charged attack damage by 25 percent for eight seconds when you use an elemental skill. It also increases normal and charged attack damage by 15 percent. You can get the Martial Artist set from the Hidden Palace of Zhou Formula and the Ridge Watch domains in Liyue.
