Nicole

Nicole

5★PyroCatalystSupport

TL;DR

Nicole's Skill hands the whole party a flat Attack bonus and a shield, both for about 20 seconds. Her Burst then makes your on-field character's hits summon little projections that pile in alongside them, in that character's element and off that character's Attack. Press both, swap out and spend the 20 seconds. Build her for Attack, because the buff she gives away is a slice of her own.

Rotation

  1. Skill (E) for the buff and the shield.
  2. Burst (Q), or skip it if the Energy isn't there.
  3. Swap to your damage dealer and spend the 20 seconds.

Abilities

Skill (E) An Attack bonus for everyone nearby plus a shield, both about 20 seconds, with some Pyro damage on the way out. The shield is especially strong against Pyro. About a 16 second cooldown.
Burst (Q) Costs 60 Energy. For about 20 seconds, whenever the character you're playing hits something, a projection joins in with a free hit in their element that scales off their Attack and counts as their damage. Four of those per cast, roughly one every 3 seconds.

The one mechanic to understand

What your team gets is a flat Attack number worked out from Nicole's own Attack at the instant you press the Skill. It stops growing once she's at about 4,000 Attack, which is worth roughly 600 to everyone else. So her own gear is the buff. Every Attack substat on her is going to your damage dealer. Your damage dealer's copy of the buff also grows on its own once they've been on the field a few seconds, which needs nothing from you.

What actually matters

  • Attack in every slot. Sands, goblet, circlet, substats, weapon. The buff and the shield are both percentages of it and nothing else on her sheet does anything.
  • Energy Recharge only if you want the Burst. Around 160% to 180% if she's your only Pyro character. If reaching that is eating all her Attack, drop the Burst and cast the Skill on its own, which is the half that matters.
  • Her Pyro application is real. Both her buttons put Pyro on the enemy. That's free reactions in some teams and it melts a Freeze in others, so know that before you slot her into a Cryo team.

Gear

Weapon The highest Attack you can find, with Energy Recharge second. Flowing Purity is craftable and is mostly Attack.
Artifacts 4-piece Celestial Gift, which is built for her. 4-piece Noblesse Oblige is the easy stand-in and stacks another 20% party Attack on top of what she already gives.
Sands Goblet Circlet Substats
ATK / ER ATK ATK ATK / ER

Energy Recharge on the sands instead if the Burst won't come back without it.

Works well with

CryoHydroElectro

The Attack bonus doesn't care what element anyone is, so she can work in a lot of teams. Those three are just the reactions her Pyro sets up while she's standing there.

Don't bother

  • Crit stats. Her own damage doesn't matter.
  • Levelling her Normal Attacks.
  • Forcing the Burst into every rotation when the Skill is up anyway. Uptime on the buff beats an extra four projections.

Want the full deep dive? Read Nicole on KeqingMains.

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