Beidou

Beidou

4★ElectroClaymoreOff-field Damage

TL;DR

Beidou's Burst is the whole character. Cast it and your active character's Normal Attacks throw off a bolt of lightning about once a second for the next 15 seconds. They take less damage while it runs too. Tap Skill for particles, Burst, then swap to whoever spends the fight swinging.

Rotation

  1. Tap Skill (E) for a quick Electro swing and some Energy particles.
  2. Burst (Q). Lightning wraps around whoever is on the field.
  3. Swap to your Normal Attack damage dealer for the 15 seconds it runs.
  4. Come back for the next Burst in 20 seconds.

Abilities

Skill (E) 7.5 second cooldown. Tap for a forward Electro swing. Hold to raise the claymore as a shield that soaks damage based on her Max HP, then release for a hit that grows with how many times she was struck while holding. Two hits is the cap.
Burst (Q) 80 Energy, back in 20 seconds. Runs 15 seconds. Your active character's normal and Charged Attack hits set off a lightning discharge that jumps between enemies, at most once a second. They also take less damage and get harder to knock about.

The one mechanic to understand

The Burst attacks with your carry, not with her.

Everything worth having is spent on somebody else's turn on the field. The discharge fires off the active character's normal and Charged Attacks, so it wants a character who stands there hitting things rather than one who casts and leaves. The once a second cap means a very fast attacker gets no more out of it than a steady one. The damage itself is hers, read off her Attack, Crit and Electro damage bonus, so she still needs building even though the hits happen while she's away.

What actually matters

The two or three real decisions. Everything else is noise.

  • Energy Recharge. 80 Energy on the Burst that is the entire reason she's in the party. Around 200% if she's your only Electro character. Her Skill's 7.5 second cooldown means you can tap it twice a rotation for particles.
  • The lightning reads off her stats. Attack, Crit and Electro damage on Beidou all show up in numbers your carry appears to be dealing.
  • She needs a Normal Attack carry. A character who presses two buttons and swaps out leaves most of the Burst unspent.

Gear

A build that works. KeqingMains lists every other option.

Weapon Energy Recharge first. Favonius Greatsword carries it and drops extra particles when she crits.
Artifacts 4-piece Emblem of Severed Fate. Energy Recharge on the two-piece, then Burst damage scaled off however much of it she ends up with.
Main stats Energy Recharge sands, Electro damage goblet, Crit circlet.

Works well with

HydroCryo

Hydro for Electro-Charged, since the discharge jumps between wet enemies anyway. Cryo if your carry is dealing Physical damage.

Don't bother

  • The hold counter during a rotation. It's a parry with a shield attached, paid for in seconds your carry wanted.
  • Physical builds. The Burst is Electro from end to end.
  • Her own attack strings. She casts and leaves.
  • Chasing the exact Energy Recharge number. Get the Burst out every rotation and stop reading.

Want the full theorycrafting version? Read Beidou on KeqingMains.