Kinich

Kinich

5★DendroClaymoreMain Damage

TL;DR

Kinich hooks a grapple line onto an enemy and swings round them for about 10 seconds. While he's up there his attacks fill his Nightsoul meter. When it's full his Skill becomes one big Dendro cannon shot. You want to fire that cannon four or five times per swing and the thing that lets you is a Pyro teammate keeping the enemy on fire.

Rotation

  1. Pyro teammate gets the enemies burning. Someone in the team wears 4-piece Deepwood Memories.
  2. Kinich: hold Skill (E) to grapple on.
  3. Normal Attack twice, then tap Skill (E) for the cannon.
  4. Burst (Q) once for the dragon, then keep repeating two attacks and a cannon until the state drops.

Abilities

Skill (E) Hold it to grapple onto a nearby enemy, which starts his 10 second state. Once he's up there, tapping it again fires the cannon, provided the Nightsoul meter is full.
Normal Attacks While grappled these become Dendro shots that circle the target. They fill his Nightsoul meter and they count as Skill damage for artifact purposes.
Burst (Q) Summons a little dragon that keeps breathing Dendro on things and adds just under two seconds to his state. 70 Energy.
His Nightsoul meter Fills on its own while he's grappled, faster from his attacks and fastest from Burning damage on the enemy. The cannon spends all of it.

The one mechanic to understand

Every time you grapple or fire the cannon, a green patch appears on the floor nearby. Swinging through it hands you a chunk of Nightsoul meter for free, a bit more than an attack gives you and it costs no time because you were swinging anyway. You often catch one without trying, but if you can see it, steer through it.

What actually matters

  • He needs Pyro, not for the reaction but for the meter. Burning damage refills his Nightsoul meter faster than anything else he can do. Without a Pyro teammate he fires the cannon once or twice a rotation instead of four or five.
  • Someone has to wear Deepwood Memories. The 4-piece cuts enemy Dendro resistance by 30% and every hit he lands is Dendro, so all of it benefits. Put it on the Pyro support, not on him.
  • He needs a target to grapple. No enemy in range, no state, no cannon. Against a single enemy that dies early you can be left standing on the ground mid-rotation.
  • Skipping the Burst is fine. Casting it every rotation wants a lot of Energy Recharge. Most people cast it when it's there and don't build for it.

Gear

Weapon Crit, then Attack. Earth Shaker is craftable in Natlan and its bonus is live the whole time the enemy is burning, which is the whole rotation.
Artifacts 4-piece Obsidian Codex. A large Crit and damage bonus while he's in his state, which is the only time he does anything.
Sands Goblet Circlet Substats
ATK Dendro DMG Crit Crit / ATK

Energy Recharge only if you've decided you want the Burst every time.

Works well with

PyroHydro

Pyro is mandatory. Hydro as a fourth turns the Burning into Burgeon, which is more damage. A second Dendro character is also fine if you just want the resistance shred somewhere.

Don't bother

  • His ground-level Normal Attacks. You are never using them in a fight.
  • Elemental Mastery. His damage is direct Dendro, not reactions.
  • Bringing a healer who needs you to stand still. He's on a rope, that doesn't work.

Want the full deep dive? Read Kinich on KeqingMains.

Found something wrong? If a rotation is wrong, or a page skips the bit you needed, the contact form lands straight in my inbox.