Candace

Candace

4★HydroPolearmSupport

TL;DR

Candace's Burst turns your active character's Normal Attacks Hydro for 9 seconds, provided they hold a sword, claymore or polearm. It adds a Normal Attack damage bonus that reads off her Max HP on top. Skill, Burst, swap immediately, then spend the window swinging.

Rotation

  1. Tap Skill (E) for Hydro damage and Energy particles.
  2. Burst (Q).
  3. Swap straight to your melee damage dealer. Their Normal Attacks turn Hydro.
  4. Normal Attack for the 9 seconds it lasts.

Abilities

Skill (E) Tap to rush forward behind the shield for Hydro damage. Hold to raise a barrier scaled off her Max HP that stands until she uses the Skill again, ending in a leaping Hydro strike. Getting hit while holding finishes the charge on the spot.
Burst (Q) 60 Energy. Area Hydro damage based on her Max HP, then 9 seconds of a blessing on your active character: more Normal Attack elemental damage, a wave of water whenever anyone takes the field, plus a Hydro infusion for sword, claymore and polearm users.

The one mechanic to understand

The infusion is for melee weapons only.

Sword, claymore and polearm characters get their Normal Attacks turned Hydro for the 9 seconds. A bow or catalyst character gets the damage bonus and no infusion, which is most of the reason you cast it gone. The bonus grows with her Max HP, half a percent more damage for every 1,000 Max HP she has, so stacking HP on Candace is what makes the buff worth the button.

What actually matters

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

  • Max HP. The Burst's own damage and the bonus it hands out both read off it. Nothing she has scales with Attack.
  • Energy Recharge for a 60 cost Burst. Around 150% keeps it coming every rotation.
  • The window is 9 seconds. Cast and swap in the same breath. C1 stretches it to 12.

Gear

A build that works. KeqingMains lists every other option.

Weapon Energy Recharge, Max HP after that. Favonius Lance covers the first and drops particles towards the next Burst.
Artifacts 4-piece Noblesse Oblige. 20% party Attack for casting the Burst she was casting anyway.
Main stats HP sands, HP goblet, HP circlet. Crit does nothing here.

Works well with

ElectroDendro

Whatever your melee carry reacts with once their weapon is wet. Electro for Electro-Charged, Dendro for Bloom.

Don't bother

  • Holding the Skill for the shield during a rotation. It plants her in place for the seconds you wanted elsewhere.
  • Bringing her for a bow or catalyst carry.
  • Attack or Crit stats.
  • Her own Normal Attacks. The spear is for the walk between fights.

Want the full theorycrafting version? Read Candace on KeqingMains.