What is the best Genshin Impact Kaeya build? The Cavalry Captain of the Knights of Favonius, Kaeya is a master strategist and a charismatic, yet mysterious ally. He delights in pushing people’s emotional limits too far, and his knack for lies and deception helped him to become extremely successful at catching thieves and suspicious people, proving him a valuable asset for Mondstadt.
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How Do I Get Kaeya in Genshin?
You will obtain Kaeya after finishing the Prologue Quest “Crash Course”. Kaeya is also obtainable by spending wishes in the Wanderlust Invocation standard banner. Good luck!
What Are the Best Kaeya Builds?
Similar to units like Xiangling or Jean, Kaeya’s Elemental Burst is extremely useful to create Cryo-related Elemental Reactions, which position him as a great Cryo Sub DPS. However, he truly shines on later Constellation levels, so it may take a while to properly build him to reach his maximum potential in battle.
Below are two of the best Kaeya builds right now. You can keep reading to find out the hows and whys of these particular Kaeya builds, but if you've used him before, you'll quickly understand the thought process behind his best weapon and artifact choices.
Role | Best Weapon | Alternative Weapon | Best Artifacts | Alternative Artifacts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Cryo DPS Build | Aquila Favonia | Prototype Rancour | Blizzard Strayer (4 Pieces) | Blizzard Strayer (2 Pieces) & Gladiator's Finale (2 Pieces) |
Cryo Support Build | Skyward Blade | Festering Desire | Noblesse Oblige (4 Pieces) | Noblesse Oblige (2 Pieces) & The Exile (2 Pieces) |
Cryo DPS Build
Both Aquila Favonia and Festering Desire serve their purpose in this setup. However, since Festering Desire is no longer obtainable, Aquila Favonia or the craftable Prototype Rancour should be the alternative choices. In a build focused on Cryo damage, the Blizzard Strayer set is the best option of them all. However, getting this artifact set can be tricky, so you can always replace it with Noblesse Oblige or Bloodstained Chivalry.
Cryo Support Build
Since this build doesn’t rely on offensive power, the Skyward Blade, Favonius Sword, or Prototype Rancour are all equally good. Being a Support setup, Noblesse Oblige is certainly the best option with a boost on Attack to all your teammates. However, if you’re struggling at completing the set, you can always equip The Exile, which is also useful.
What Are the Best Team Comps for Kaeya?
On the battlefield, the “Frostwind Swordsman” develops as a decent DPS unit, making him a great addition to any team, but especially to a team that can trigger good Elemental Reactions. Diluc as Main DPS and Bennett aiding him with a Pyro Resonance and providing Healing are great teammates to Kaeya, and Venti brings great crowd control Tools and Swirl Reactions.
Character | Element |
|---|---|
Diluc | Pyro |
Bennett | Pyro |
Venti | Anemo |
Kaeya | Cryo |
What Are the Best Weapons for Kaeya?
Weapons like the Festering Desire or Skyward Blade and their bonus on Energy Recharge are the only good options for the Support build. If you choose the DPS build you can also find a more suitable and equally good alternative in the form of the Aquila Favonia. Last but not least, if you’re looking for a craftable option, you can obtain the Prototype Rancour if you still don’t have any of the former.
Weapon Name | Stat | Effect | Obtaining Method |
|---|---|---|---|
Aquila Favonia | Physical damage | Falcon's Defiance: Attack is increased by 20%. Triggers on taking damage: the soul of the Falcon of the West awakens, holding the banner of resistance aloft, regenerating HP equal to 100% of Attack and dealing 200% of Attack as damage to surrounding enemies. This effect can only occur once every 15 seconds. | Wishes |
Skyward Blade | Energy Recharge | Sky-Piercing Fang: Critical Rate increased by 4%. Gains Skypiercing Might upon using an Elemental Burst: Increases Movement Speed by 10%, increases Attack Speed by 10%, and increases the damage of Normal and Charged Attack hits by 20% for 12 seconds. | Wishes |
Festering Desire | Energy Recharge | Undying Admiration: Increases Elemental Skill damage by 16% and Elemental Skill Critical Rate by 6%. | Wishes |
Prototype Rancour | Physical Damage | Smashed Stone: On hit, normal and charged attacks increase attack and defense by 4% for six seconds. Stacks four times. | Forge |
- Read More - Genshin Impact Spiral Abyss guide
What Are the Best Artifacts for Kaeya?
Depending on which build you choose to make, you may need the Blizzard Strayer and Gladiator's Finale sets in case you want to use Kaeya as a DPS, or Noblesse Oblige and The Exile for Support purposes. How many of these you choose to equip on him will depend on your gameplay, so it is suggested that you test different builds, how they work as mixed or full sets and you can decide then.
Artifact Name | 2 Piece Bonus | 4 Piece Bonus |
|---|---|---|
Blizzard Strayer | Cryo Damage +15% | Crit rate +20% when attacking enemies afflicted with cryo. Increases a further 20% if the enemy is frozen. |
Gladiator's Finale | Attack +18% | Normal attack +35% for sword, polearm, and claymore wielders |
Noblesse Oblige | Elemental Burst Damage +20% | Using an Elemental Burst increase all party members' Attack by 20% for 12 seconds. This effect cannot stack. |
The Exile | Energy Recharge +20% | Using an Elemental Burst regenerates 2 Energy for all the other party members every 2 seconds, for 6 seconds. This effect cannot stack. |
Kaeya Artifact Stats
Given Kaeya's set of skills, you want to develop Attack as the main stat, and focus on boosting Elemental Mastery as the sub-stat.
Slot | Main Stat | Sub Stats |
|---|---|---|
Feather | Attack | Critical Damage, Critical Rate, Attack%, Elemental Mastery |
Flower | HP | Critical Damage, Critical Rate, Attack%, Elemental Mastery |
Hourglass | Attack% | Critical Damage, Critical Rate, Attack, Elemental Mastery |
Goblet | Cryo Damage Bonus% | Critical Damage, Critical Rate, Attack%, Elemental Mastery |
Headpiece | Critical Damage / Critical Rate | Critical Damage/Critical Rate, Attack%, Elemental Mastery, Attack |
What Are Kaeya's Skills and Talents?
Kaeya's skills are good in combat due to their short cooldowns and persistent damage output, which only becomes even better when pairing with units that can trigger Elemental Reactions. He's also great for exploration since he can freeze bodies of water, allowing you to reach otherwise unreachable places.
Attack | Effect |
|---|---|
Normal Attack | Performs up to 5 consecutive strikes. |
Charged Attack | Consumes a certain amount of Stamina to unleash 2 rapid sword strikes. |
Plunging Attack | Plunges from mid-air to strike the ground below, damaging enemies along the path and dealing AoE Damage upon impact. |
Elemental Skill - Frostgnaw | Deals Cryo Damage to enemies in front of Kaeya. |
Elemental Burst - Glacial Waltz | Coalescing the frost in the air, Kaeya summons 3 icicles that revolve around him. These icicles will follow the character around and deal Cryo DMG to enemies in their path for so long as they persist. |
Talent#1 - Cold-Blooded Strike | Every hit with Frostgnaw regenerates HP for Kaeya equal to 15% of Attack. |
Talent#2 - Glacial Heart | Enemies Frozen by Frostgnaw will drop additional Elemental Particles. Frostgnaw may only produce a maximum of 2 additional Elemental Particles per use. |
Talent#3 - Hidden Strength | Decreases all party members‘ sprinting Stamina consumption by 20%. |
What Are Kaeya's Constellations?
If you get to pull Kaeya multiple times, you will eventually reach a level of the constellation that will turn him into an excellent and versatile unit, with improvements on all his Skills and their respective cooldowns, making Kaeya a great tool to support your party.
Constellation | Effect |
|---|---|
Excellent Blood | The Critical Rate of Normal Attack and Charged Attack DMG against enemies affected by the Cold or Frozen status effects is increased by 15%. |
Never-Ending Performance | Every time Glacial Waltz defeats an enemy, its duration is increased by 2.5s, up to a maximum of 15 seconds. |
Dance of Frost | Increases the Level of Frostgnaw by 3, up to a maximum level of 15. |
Frozen Kiss | Triggers automatically when Kaeya's HP falls below 20%. Creates a shield that absorbs damage equal to 30% of Kaeya's Max HP. This shield absorbs Cryo DMG with 250% efficiency and lasts for 20 seconds. Can only occur once every 60 seconds. |
Frostbiting Embrace | Increase the Level of Glacial Waltz by 3, up to a maximum level of 15. |
Glacial Whirlwind | Glacial Waltz will generate 1 additional icicle and will regenerate 15 Energy when cast. |
What Are Kaeya's Ascension Materials?
Ascending Kaeya boosts his Energy Recharge and HP stats more than anything else, a welcomed improvement that makes him a great Support unit. Farming the Cryo Regisvine can take a bit, but for improving a unit as helpful as Kaeya is for your team it's worth the effort.
Ascension Rank | Required Level | Required Materials |
|---|---|---|
1 | 20 | 20000 Mora, Shivada Jade Sliver x1, Calla Lily x3, Treasure Hoarder Insignia x3 |
2 | 50 | 40000 Mora, Shivada Jade Fragment x3, Hoarfrost Core x2, Calla Lily x10, Treasure Hoarder Insignia x15 |
3 | 60 | 60000 Mora, Shivada Jade Fragment x6, Hoarfrost Core x4, Calla Lily x20, Silver Raven Insignia x12 |
4 | 70 | 80000 Mora, Shivada Jade Chunk x3, Hoarfrost Core x8, Calla Lily x30, Silver Raven Insignia x18 |
5 | 80 | 100000 Mora, Shivada Jade Chunk x6, Hoarfrost Core x12, Calla Lily x45, Golden Raven Insignia x12 |
6 | 90 | 120000 Mora, Shivada Jade Gemstone x6, Hoarfrost Core x20, Calla Lily x60, Golden Raven Insignia x24 |
What Are Kaeya's Talent Level Up Materials?
An important part of building Kaeya is remembering to level up his talents and abilities. The order in which you go about this will change slightly depending on the role you expect him to play in your team, but here's the most common Kaeya talent upgrade order:
- Elemental Skill
- Elemental Burst
- Normal Attack
Daily Drops | Enemy Drops | Weekly Drops |
|---|---|---|
Teachings/Guide/Philosophies of Ballad | Treasure Hoarder/ Silver/ Golden Insignia | Spirit Locket of Boreas |
And that's everything you need to know about Genshin Impact Kaeya! You now have all the info you need to make the most of the Cavalry Captain in combat. Good luck!