Vesna

Vesna

5★AnemoSwordMain Damage

TL;DR

Vesna stands on the field with a sword. Her Skill puts her into a 15 second mode where the Skill button turns into a different attack that levels up every time you press it. The third level is where the damage is and she gets to fire it three times before the mode ends. All of that only hits properly when the enemies are carrying Cryo, so bring a Cryo teammate who applies it from off the field.

Rotation

  1. Cryo teammate first. Their Skill or Burst on the enemies, then swap to Vesna.
  2. Skill (E). She draws a spirit sword and her swings turn Anemo.
  3. Skill (E) twice more. Each press is a bigger version of the last.
  4. Burst (Q) if it is ready. Several spirit swords at once and it refills a charge.
  5. Normal Attack until the Skill lights up again, then Skill (E). Repeat that. The mode ends on its own after the third top-level shot.

Abilities

Normal Attacks A six-hit string. Inside her mode the swings turn Anemo and a little gust flies out alongside each one. That gust is what refills her Skill charges, so the swings are how you pay for the next press.
Skill (E) The first press is an Anemo hit that starts her mode for 15 seconds, on an 18 second cooldown. Inside the mode the same button becomes a charged strike that spends one charge and comes back a level higher each time, from 1 to 3. Levels 2 and 3 summon a spirit sword, which is the hit that counts. The third level 3 shot ends the mode.
Burst (Q) 60 Energy, 15 second cooldown. Summons several spirit swords at once for a big Anemo hit and hands her one charge. It fits neatly between Skill presses.
Her charges Starting the mode gives her two, the Burst gives one, the gusts from her swings top them up. Every Skill press inside the mode spends one. Whatever is left when the mode ends is gone.

The one mechanic to understand

Her swords only count while enemies are carrying Cryo.

With Vesna in the party, any Swirl of Cryo becomes Stellar Swirl, which hits far harder than the ordinary version. Her spirit swords are dealt as Stellar Swirl damage too, but only during an 8 second window that opens each time one goes off nearby. Her own Anemo swings swirl whatever Cryo is on the enemy, so as long as something keeps putting Cryo there the window renews itself and you never think about it. Take the Cryo away and the swords fall back to plain Anemo hits, which is roughly a third of the character. She does the converting herself, so no other Snezhnaya character is needed for it.

What actually matters

The two or three decisions that actually change how you play.

  • A Cryo teammate who applies it from off the field. Not optional. She has to swirl Cryo constantly and she cannot apply it herself. A Cryo character whose Skill or Burst keeps working after they swap out is the whole requirement.
  • Attack and Crit. Her passive turns her Attack into more Stellar Swirl damage for the whole party and every Cryo or Anemo teammate adds 6% Attack on top. Elemental Mastery helps, but a long way behind those two.
  • Get to level 3 quickly. The first two presses are setup and the three level 3 shots are the payload. The mode is 15 seconds, so swing only as long as it takes for the button to light up and then press it.

Gear

A build that works. KeqingMains lists every other option.

Weapon Crit first, then Attack. Emberwell is craftable in Snezhnaya and built for exactly this: an Attack bonus whenever she reacts and extra Stellar Swirl damage. If you would rather have Crit on the weapon itself, Blackcliff Longsword turns up in Paimon's shop for Starglitter.
Artifacts 4-piece Scarlet Proof. Triggering a Stellar Swirl gives her Crit Rate and more of that damage for 10 seconds, which she does every few swings. If she is the only Anemo in the party, 4-piece Viridescent Venerer instead: it strips Anemo and Cryo resistance off the enemy for everyone.
Sands Goblet Circlet Substats
ATK ATK Crit Crit / ATK

An Anemo damage goblet does nothing for the sword hits, which are most of her damage. Around 120% Energy Recharge is plenty, since the Burst is a bonus rather than the rotation.

Works well with

CryoAnemo

Cryo is compulsory and off-field is best. A second Anemo adds Attack through her passive and can wear Viridescent Venerer so she doesn't have to. Anyone else still hands her a little Elemental Mastery.

Don't bother

  • Counting her stacks. Every Skill press and Burst adds one and each makes the swords a bit bigger. They build from the presses you were making anyway and reset when you start the next mode.
  • Fighting from the hover. Holding jump out of combat makes her float. It is for getting around Snezhnaya, not for combat.
  • Building Elemental Mastery over Attack. It helps a reaction character on paper, but Attack does the same job here and feeds her passive as well.
  • Running her without Cryo because the Anemo swings look handy. That is the version with a third of the damage.

Want the full deep dive? Read Vesna on KeqingMains.