
Gaming
PyroClaymoreMain DamageTL;DR
Gaming's Skill throws him into the air and his plunge on the way down becomes a big Pyro hit. His Burst summons a dog that resets the Skill every time it catches up with him, so for twelve seconds the loop is Skill, plunge, Skill, plunge. The catch is that the dog only comes back while he's above half health, so bring a healer.
Rotation
- Burst (Q) to summon the dog and start his 12 second stance. It heals him on the way out.
- Skill (E) to pounce. He launches upward the moment it connects with an enemy or a wall.
- Plunging attack on the way down. The dog runs back to him, meets up and resets the Skill.
- Repeat those two for the rest of the stance, around seven times.
Abilities
| Skill (E) | A forward pounce that launches him high as soon as it touches an enemy or a surface. 6 second cooldown on its own, which is why you want the dog resetting it. After it, his plunge is the enhanced one. |
|---|---|
| Plunging attack | Following the Skill, the plunge is Pyro damage that no other infusion can override. It costs him a fixed chunk of health on landing, which can't take him below 10%. This is the hit the whole build is for. |
| Burst (Q) | 60 Energy, 15 second cooldown. Heals him and briefly puts Pyro on him, then sends the dog in for area Pyro damage. Starts his 12 second stance, which ends early if he leaves the field. |
| The dog | After it hits, it rolls off to one side and then walks back to him. Meeting up resets the Skill cooldown and the dog leaves. While the stance is up, landing the enhanced plunge or finishing the pounce above 50% health summons it again. |
The one mechanic to understand
Above half health the loop feeds itself.
The dog is what resets the Skill. It only comes back if he lands a plunge or finishes a pounce with more than 50% health. Fall under that line and the resets stop, so you're standing there waiting on a 6 second cooldown instead of plunging. His plunge also loses 20% of its damage below the same mark, while every plunge takes health off him on landing. He heals himself a little after each one, enough to slow the slide and not enough to stop it, so a healer in the team is what keeps him looping all the way through the twelve seconds.
What actually matters
The two or three real decisions. Everything else is noise.
- Plunge damage is the build. Attack, Crit and Pyro damage, all of it aimed at one hit. His Normal Attacks and Charged Attacks are what happens when you press the wrong button.
- Where the pounce lands. The Skill only launches him once it hits something. Aim it at open ground and he just runs along the floor, which costs you the plunge and the reset.
- Energy Recharge. The stance is the rotation and the Burst costs 60. Roughly 185% if he's your only Pyro, nearer 155% with another Pyro character alongside him. C4 hands Energy back on plunge hits and takes a large bite out of that.
Gear
A build that works. KeqingMains lists every other option.
| Weapon | Attack and Crit. Tidal Shadow is craftable in Fontaine and its attack bonus fires whenever he gets healed, which on this character is constantly. |
|---|---|
| Artifacts | 4-piece Marechaussee Hunter. Its Crit Rate stacks come from his health moving, which happens on every plunge and every heal. Take 4-piece Crimson Witch of Flames instead if the team is built on Vaporize or Melt, where reaction damage beats the Crit. |
| Main stats | Attack sands, Pyro goblet, Crit circlet. Energy Recharge sands until the Burst comes back every rotation. |
Works well with
Hydro
CryoHydro or Cryo so his plunges Vaporize or Melt. Whatever else you bring, one slot is spoken for by a healer.
Don't bother
- Charged Attacks. It's the same spin every claymore user has and none of his kit touches it.
- Plunging without the Skill first. That's an ordinary plunge with no Pyro and none of the damage.
- A shielder instead of a healer. A shield keeps him alive, it just never gets him back over the 50% line the loop needs.
- His movement speed passive. Pleasant for running around Liyue, switches itself off in domains and the Abyss.
Want the full theorycrafting version? Read Gaming on KeqingMains.