Xiao

Xiao

5★AnemoPolearmMain Damage

TL;DR

Xiao's Burst puts a mask on for 15 seconds. Everything he does turns into Anemo damage, his swings get bigger and he bleeds health the whole time. In that window you jump and slam into the ground over and over. His Skill goes in before the Burst, not during it. Then it ends and he does very little until the next one. He's one of the few characters who wants nothing to do with elemental reactions.

Rotation

  1. Let your supports set up and buff first.
  2. Skill (E) twice. The particles land on him and pay for the next Burst.
  3. Burst (Q) to put the mask on.
  4. Jump, then Plunging Attack into the ground. That's your damage, on repeat. The mask gives him the jump height on its own.

Abilities

Skill (E) A forward dash that damages whatever it goes through. Two charges on a 10 second cooldown and it works in mid-air. It makes no particles while the mask is on, so both charges go in just before the Burst. Each use makes the next ones hit harder for about 7 seconds.
Burst (Q) Costs 70 Energy, back in 18 seconds, lasts 15. Wider attack range, more damage and everything he does becomes Anemo with no way to overwrite it. It drains his health the whole time and ends the instant he leaves the field.
Plunging Attack Jump and slam down. This is his real damage button inside the Burst and he takes no fall damage doing it.

The one mechanic to understand

A passive gives him 5% more damage the moment the mask goes on and another 5% every 3 seconds after that, up to 25%. The back half of the window hits harder than the front, so casting the Burst, doing two plunges and swapping off is the worst way to play him. He also can't swap off partway: swapping characters ends the mask on the spot and you don't get the rest of it back. Cast it, commit to the 15 seconds and accept that he'll come out of it well down on health.

What actually matters

  • Plunges, not sword swings. Normal Attacks are filler while you get back in the air. Jump, plunge, jump, plunge.
  • Energy Recharge. 70 Energy every 18 seconds and he's the one on the field spending it. Somewhere around 140% to 160% if he's your only Anemo, less with a second one.
  • He wants healing or a shield, not reactions. His damage is Anemo and it can't be overwritten, so a team assembled for reactions does nothing for him. What he needs is Anemo damage buffs, plus either healing to undo the drain or a shield so that nothing else finishes him off while he's low.

Gear

Weapon Crit, then Attack. Favonius Lance from the standard banner has Energy Recharge and makes particles for the whole team. His Burst coming back on time is worth more than a little extra Attack.
Artifacts 4-piece Long Night's Oath. Its bonus stacks off his plunges, which is all he does inside the Burst. 4-piece Vermillion Hereafter does a similar job by stacking Attack while the Burst runs, so a well rolled set you already own doesn't need replacing.
Sands Goblet Circlet Substats
ATK Anemo DMG Crit Crit / ATK

Works well with

AnemoGeo

Anemo for the damage bonuses and shared Energy, Geo for a shield to sit behind while his own Burst eats his health. The drain goes straight through a shield, so a healer of any element is the other way to survive it.

Don't bother

  • Elemental Mastery. His damage is plain Anemo hits and the odd Swirl adds almost nothing.
  • Fighting between Bursts. His off-burst damage is small and the plan is to charge the next one.
  • Using the Skill inside the Burst. It makes no particles while the mask is on and the jump already gets him high enough.

Want the full deep dive? Read Xiao on KeqingMains.

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