Looking for an early Genshin Impact Soutine build? It makes sense to speculate early in case you need to do some artifact farming. Soutine is expected to be one of the first characters to make an appearance in Fontaine, Potentially being the Hydro archon, there's a lot to dig into despite official details being thin.
Genshin Impact is in its third year now. We're experiencing the story of Sumeru right now, but we'll soon be moving onto the fourth major locale. Developer Hoyoverse has already started teasing Fontaine to us through story quests and events. It won't be long before we're exploring it for ourselves.
Information about Soutine’s kit is not available yet so a lot of the information presented here is based on speculation, in-game teasers, and leaks. Until more concrete information is available, check out the Genshin Impact codes you'll want to stack for the gems you'll need to pull this new character.
Genshin Impact Soutine release date and character overview
All we know so far from leaks is that Soutine is a Vaporize reaction unit. At least that's where their Hydro focus seems to place them.
Childe deals massive Vaporize burst damage with his burst, but most other subsequent Hydro characters follow a support / sub-DPS role for Pyro characters. Soutine might finally break the trend.
Leaks place the potential Hydro archon as a 4.0 launch character. This would be a first for an Archon, though, so a 4.1 or 4.2 release seems more grounded in reality as it stands. Either way, that puts the Soutine release date somewhere in the second half of 2023.
Genshin Impact Soutine build - Best artifacts, weapons, and team comps
Genshin Impact Soutine artifact set
A new artifact set for Hydro characters just dropped - and it could be Soutine’s best-in-slot option.
It's by far one of the most flexible artifact sets we have. You only need to get three stacks to max out the damage. And with five ways to do that, the versatility will open up a lot of viable strategies.
- 2-piece bonus: Hydro Damage Bonus +15%
- 4-piece bonus: When Normal, Charged, or Plunging Attacks, Elemental Skills, or Elemental Bursts hit an opponent each attack type can provide 1 stack of Nymph’s Croix for 8 seconds. Maximum 5 stacks.
- Each stack’s duration is counted independently. While 1,2, or 3, or more Nymph’s Croix stacks are in effect, ATK is increased by 7%/16%/25% and Hydro DMG is increased by 4%/9%/15%.
The set offers a flat amount of Hydro damage bonus and you can push it even further by using attacks, skills, and bursts. It's not only a great artifact set for Soutine, but it should also be great for Childe and other older Hydro characters who can max out the stacks of the set.
Genshin Impact Soutine weapons
We don't know Soutine's weapon type for certain, but many are speculating a Claymore character - which would be the first for the Hydro archetype.
She should arrive with her own best-in-slot weapon on the weapon banner, so if you want to max out her damage, you may want to pick her weapon up. But do be warned, the weapon banner can be very expensive in terms of Primogems or Genesis crystals.
Even with the Epitomized Path, you may have to spend around 200 wishes to get her weapon so you may want to plan what you want to do ahead of time.
Once we know her more about her abilities and effects, we'll be able to theorize other viable weapons you may already have leveled up. But her potential Hydro/Claymore spread might make that difficult.
Genshin Impact Soutine team comps
If Soutine is played as a main DPS, the best team for her could look like this:
- Soutine (on-field)
- Kazuha / Venti / Sucrose (Grouping and Resistance Shred)
- Bennett (Damage buff)
- Xiangling (Off-field Pyro Application / Sub-DPS)
Anemo Grouper
Venti, Kazuha, and Sucrose are top-tier units in that offer a lot of value for a Vaporize burst.
Even if you struggle to perfectly group enemies, they can still offer you buffs and can use the powerful Viridescent Venerer set. Venti can offer Soutine free energy, Kazuha can offer an elemental damage bonus and Sucrose can offer Elemental Mastery and an elemental damage bonus while also being a candidate for Thrilling Tales of Dragon Slayers for some Attack Buffs.
Having an Anemo grouper is strongly recommended. If you feel like you do not need grouping, you can even run someone like Sayu or Jean. Or a different sub-DPS entirely.
Bennett
Bennett is a great option for not just his attack buff and healing but also the synergy with Kazuha.
If you cast Kazuha’s elemental burst while standing on Bennett’s ultimate, you infuse yourself with Pyro and are guaranteed to infuse the burst with Pyro. This can enable consistent Vaporize reactions for Soutine, which can boost your damage. If you are using Kazuha in your team, Bennett is a must-have option in Vaporize comps.
Xiangling
If you have been playing Genshin for a while, you already know how busted Xiangling’s damage can be. She is one of the best off-field DPS in the game and can outperform several five-star characters.
Best of all, she's largely free to get by clearing a few early Spiral Abyss chambers. She can be a great Vaporize carry and also allow Soutine to Vaporize her Hydro damage. It's a match made in heaven.
Other team options
Dendro has opened up a number of teambuilding options. Uf you have Nahida, Collie, or other Dendro characters, you might want to consider building a Bloom team with Soutine. Most Hydro characters work well with Dendro, so you can expect a lot of burst damage this way.
Electrocharged or Hyperbloom teams can also be a lot of fun. You can mindlessly spam skills and bursts and watch a flurry of numbers on your screen. There are high expectations for Soutine and she is from one of the strongest elements in the game so we can expect her to fit a variety of great teams.
Is Soutine Focalors? - Soutine lore
There are many who speculated that Soutine is actually Focalors but there are no leaks from reliable sources backing it up. Soutine is associated with a female character leaked earlier this year and that is all we know about her design.
Right now, it's a toss-up between reliable leakers. Some suggest Focalors is like an alias, whereas others say the nickname actually belongs to a whole other character. It's a wait-and-see situation right now.
For more Genshin Impact content you can check out our character guides for Hu Tao and Alhaitham. If you are looking for free primogems check out our list of Genshin Impact codes.