Xiangling

Xiangling

4★PyroPolearmOff-field Damage

TL;DR

Xiangling's Burst is a ring of fire that stays with whoever is on the field for about 10 seconds, hitting everything nearby and coating it in Pyro. Her Skill drops a little bear that breathes fire and coughs up the Energy she needs to do it again. She's a free 4-star, so most accounts already have her. The catch is that she needs a lot of Energy.

Rotation

  1. Have your Pyro support buff first if you have one, so the buff gets caught by the Burst.
  2. Burst (Q), then Skill (E) for the particles.
  3. Swap to your on-field character and fight. The fire follows them.
  4. Pop back for another Skill (E) when it's off cooldown, purely for Energy.

Abilities

Skill (E) Puts a small fire-breathing bear on the ground for a few seconds. Some damage, but you are really casting it for the energy particles.
Burst (Q) Three spinning fire blades follow your active character around for roughly 10 seconds, hitting everything they pass through. This is where nearly all of her damage comes from.

The one mechanic to understand

The Burst locks in your buffs at the moment you cast it.

Her Burst takes a snapshot of her attack stat when it goes off and keeps that number for the full 10 seconds, even after she leaves the field. So any attack buff needs to already be running before you cast the Burst. A buff applied afterwards does nothing for the fire that's already out. In practice this just means one thing: if you have a Pyro support who buffs attack, use them first, then cast her Burst while standing in it.

What actually matters

  • Energy Recharge, a lot of it. More than almost anyone else in the game. Somewhere between 200% and 250% is normal, higher if she's your only Pyro. Below that her Burst isn't ready when you need it and a Xiangling without her Burst does nothing at all.
  • Placing the bear. It sits still and breathes in one direction. Drop it facing the enemies or you get no particles back from it.

Gear

Weapon Energy Recharge, as much as you can get. The Catch is free from the Inazuma fishing association and adds Burst damage and Burst Crit as well, which is everything she wants in one weapon.
Artifacts 4-piece Emblem of Severed Fate. It gives Energy Recharge on the 2-piece and turns that Energy Recharge into Burst damage on the 4-piece, so it solves her one problem and rewards her for it.
Sands Goblet Circlet Substats
ER / ATK Pyro DMG Crit Crit / ATK

Swap the sands to Attack or Elemental Mastery only once she is comfortably casting her Burst every rotation.

Works well with

HydroPyroAnemo

Pyro is on the list on purpose. A second Pyro character buffs her Attack. Their particles are also worth far more Energy to her than anyone else's, which fixes her one real problem.

Don't bother

  • Her Normal Attacks. She has no reason to ever swing her polearm.
  • Building her for the bear. It's there for the particles.
  • Physical damage builds. All of her damage is Pyro.
  • Levelling her Skill talent early. Burst talent first and by a wide margin.

Want the full deep dive? Read Xiangling on KeqingMains.

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