Venti

Venti

5★AnemoBowSupport

TL;DR

Venti's Burst is a tornado that hoovers everything on the ground into one spot and holds it there for about 8 seconds. If a Pyro, Hydro, Cryo or Electro attack touches it, the tornado picks that element up and starts dealing that damage as well. His Skill is a launch that also makes particles. You press E, press Q, and get off the field.

Rotation

  1. Tap Skill (E) for particles.
  2. Burst (Q) into the middle of the group.
  3. Swap to whoever you want the tornado to absorb from, then to your damage dealer.
  4. Come back when the burst is up, about every 15 seconds.

Abilities

Skill (E) Tap for a gust at the enemy that launches them, on a 6 second cooldown. Hold for a bigger one centred on him that also throws him into the sky and leaves an updraft behind for 20 seconds, on a 15 second cooldown. Tapping is what you want in a fight.
Burst (Q) Costs 60 Energy, back in about 15 seconds. A tornado that drags enemies in and keeps them there for about 8 seconds while it ticks Anemo damage. It absorbs one element on contact, once per cast.

The one mechanic to understand

Whoever touches the tornado first decides what it becomes.

The absorption happens once and then it's locked for that cast, so the order you swap in matters. Send the character whose element you want in first, and the tornado spends the rest of its life dealing that damage on top of the Anemo. There's a second payoff at the end: when the tornado runs out Venti gets 15 Energy back, and every character in the party who shares the absorbed element gets 15 too. Absorbing the element of the teammate with the expensive burst is a free chunk off their next one.

What actually matters

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

  • The grouping is the point. A pile of enemies means every area attack after it hits all of them instead of one. That's why the tornado goes down before your damage dealer starts, not after.
  • Big enemies don't move. Bosses and anything heavy just stand in the tornado taking damage. You still get the swirls, you just don't get the pile, so don't plan a fight around grouping a boss.
  • Energy Recharge. 60 Energy on a 15 second cooldown and he's off the field for most of it, so he isn't picking up many particles. Roughly 180% if he's your only Anemo.
  • 4-piece Viridescent Venerer is doing half the work. Every swirl drops the enemy's resistance to the swirled element by 40%, which is a damage buff for whoever is actually hitting them.

Gear

A build that works. KeqingMains lists every other option.

Weapon Elemental Mastery, with enough Energy Recharge to cast the burst. The Stringless is the standard-banner 4-star to look for, since Elemental Mastery is its stat and it boosts skill and burst damage. Favonius Warbow instead if your team is starved for energy.
Artifacts 4-piece Viridescent Venerer. Nothing else is close for him.
Main stats Elemental Mastery or Energy Recharge sands, Elemental Mastery or Anemo goblet, Elemental Mastery circlet. Crit is close to pointless on someone who's on the field for two button presses.

Works well with

PyroHydroElectroCryo

Anything that swirls, which is all four of those. The tornado only takes one of them per cast, so pick the one you want and swap in that order.

Don't bother

  • Aimed shots. His charged shot does fine Anemo damage and he's never on the field long enough for it to add up.
  • Attack and crit stats.
  • Holding the skill in combat. It costs more cooldown, gives fewer particles, and launches him into the air when you wanted to swap.
  • Casting the burst before your team is in position. Half of it goes by while you're still walking over.

Want the full theorycrafting version? Read Venti on KeqingMains.