Genshin Impact Update 2.6 is here, and with it comes the arrival of a brand new 5 star hydro sword-user, Kamisato Ayato, Ayaka’s charming older brother.
He creates water clones, he has an AOE burst he leaves behind to do damage and increase your party’s attack speed. Ayato does a lot. And if you want to build him out to support your team as best you can, this is what you’re going to be looking for.
Here are the best Ayato builds in Genshin Impact as of patch 2.6:
Best Ayato Artifacts
Echoes of an Offering – 2 piece - ATK +18%, 4 piece - When Normal Attacks hit opponents, there is a 36% chance that it will trigger Valley Rite, which will increase Normal Attack DMG by 70% of ATK. This effect will be dispelled 0.05s after a Normal Attack deals DMG. If a Normal Attack fails to trigger Valley Rite, the odds of it triggering the next time will increase by 20%. This trigger can occur once every 0.2s.
Heart of Depth – 2 piece - Hydro DMG Bonus +15%, 4 piece - After using Elemental Skill, increases Normal Attack and Charged Attack DMG by 30% for 15s.
Gladiator’s Finale – 2 piece - ATK +18%, 4 piece - If the wielder of this artifact set uses a Sword, Claymore or Polearm, increases their Normal Attack DMG by 35%.
So, as tends to happen sometimes, Ayato is debuting alongside a new area, the Chasm, and that area has a new domain, The Lost Valley, that gives a brand new artifact set that works particularly well with Ayato’s kit. It’s also going to be a great kit for many ATK based champions, so it’s probably worth farming regardless. In a pinch, you can use the more traditional Heart of Depth hydro set, or the Gladiator’s Finale set that everyone has 10 copies lying around of.
Best Ayato Swords
Haran Geppaku Futsu (5 star) - Honed Flow - Obtain 12% All Elemental DMG Bonus. When other nearby party members use Elemental Skills, the character equipping this weapon will gain 1 Wavespike stack. Max 2 stacks. This effect can be triggered once every 0.3s. When the character equipping this weapon uses an Elemental Skill, all stacks of Wavespike will be consumed to gain Rippling Upheaval: each stack of Wavespike consumed will increase Normal Attack DMG by 20% for 8s.
Mistsplitter Reforged (5 star) - Gain a 12% Elemental DMG Bonus for a character's Elemental Type. At stacks 1/2/3, Elemental DMG is further increased by 8/16/28%. Each stack has an individual duration and are gotten through:
• Normal Attacks with Elemental DMG (duration 5s)
• Casting an Elemental Burst (duration 10s)
• Having less than 100% Energy (disappears at full Energy)
Promordial Jade Cutter (5 star) - HP increased by 20%. Additionally, provides an ATK Bonus based on 1.2% of the wielder’s Max HP.
The Black Sword (4 star) - Increases DMG dealt by Normal and Charged Attacks by 20%. Additionally, regenerates 60% of ATK as HP when Normal and Charged Attacks score a CRIT Hit. This effect can occur once every 5s.
As ever, Ayato comes with his own custom 5 star weapon that works for him particularly well, especially given its hydro theme. But if for some reason you are not using Raiden Shogun and have her weapon, that works well also. Besides that, your best 4 star bet is probably going to be The Black Sword with its ATK increases.
In short, get that new set in The Chasm, get his sword if you can, replace it if you can’t. Ayato will be a beast soon enough.
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