The best genshin Impact Ayato build, F2P options, and Artifacts
Still waters
The best Genshin Impact Ayato build takes into consideration the head of the Yashiro Commission’s unique blend of Hydro and normal damage.
Ayato is singularly focused on the damage boost his Elemental Skill grants, but that’s no bad thing. Paired with the right weapon and Artifacts, he can deal an impressive amount of damage.
When is the Ayato banner in Genshin Impact?
Ayato’s debut banner began on March 29 with the 2.6 version update and will run for three weeks until April 19. He’s joined by Xiangling, Sucrose, and Yun Jin, and Venti’s first rerun is running alongside it in another Double Wish event. Ayaka, his sister, is set to have her first rerun starting April 19, though there’s no word yet on who else will be up for grabs alongside her.
Is Ayato a DPS character?
Yes, absolutely. Ayato has no support functions whatsoever, and his sole purpose is dealing Hydro damage fast. Ayato’s Skill creates a water illusion similar to Mona’s and grants him an attack buff based on his HP. During this phase, Ayato can only use normal attacks – which deal Hydro damage – but his attack speed is faster.
His Burst creates a large area where Hydro swords rain down. All characters in this area, including Ayato, have their normal attack increased while the field lasts.
What is the best Ayato build?
The best Ayato build maximizes either his elemental damage or his normal damage – or both, depending on what weapons you have.
The best Ayato weapon - Primordial Jade Cutter
Haran is the new sword pictured with Ayato in his promotional materials, but the Primordial Jade Cutter has a slight edge over it. The critical rate boost its secondary stat provides is higher, while the passive skill grants a 20 percent HP boost and increases attack based on the user’s max HP.
If you don’t have that and want to pull for Haran Geppaku Futsu, you’ll get a 12 percent Elemental damage bonus instead, along with the unique Wavespike gimmick. The wielder gets one Wavespike when other party members use an Elemental Skill. If the user uses an Elemental Skill, it consumes the Wavespike stacks and boosts normal attack damage by 20 percent for eight seconds. It’s a significant boost, though naturally requires planned timing with your other party members’ Skills.
The best Ayato Artifacts - Echoes of an Offering
The new Echoes of an Offering set is practically made for Ayato. The set’s two-piece effect raises attack by 18 percent, which is fairly standard. The four-piece effect is much more interesting. When normal attacks hit, they have a 36 percent chance of triggering Valley Rite, which increases normal attack by 70 percent, until a normal attack connects and resets the status. If your hit doesn’t trigger Valley Rite the first time, the likelihood of it happening on the next strike rises by 20 percent.
The point of Ayato’s Skill is unleashing a flurry of normal attacks, as many as you can while it lasts. This set and its blistering-fast effect times almost guarantees that at least some of those hits are going to be superpowered by Valley Rite.
What is the best Ayato F2P build?
Ayato’s F2P build makes a few tweaks to the paid formula, but still revolves around his Skill and normal attack damage.
The best Ayato F2P weapon - Iron Sting
The craftable Iron Sting is a solid free choice for Ayato, albeit one that requires a slight shift in how you build your party. Iron Sting’s secondary stat increases the user’s Elemental Mastery, and the passive skill – which you can max out, since this is a forgeable weapon – increases all damage by 6-12 percent after the wielder uses an Elemental Skill. If you want to get the most from the Elemental Mastery boost, make sure to team Ayato with characters who have long-lasting Elemental attacks, such as Diona, Xiangling, and Raiden Shogun.
The Sacrificial Sword is a handy alternative, one you have a chance of obtaining through Wishes even without spending money. The Sacrificial Sword boosts Energy Recharge, which is a good thing for Ayato, and has a chance of resetting the user’s Elemental Skill cooldown timer, which is even better for Ayato.
The best Ayato F2P Artifacts - Echo of an Offering
This is still the best choice for Ayato’s Artifacts, though if you have Heart of Depth, it’s a good substitute. The two-piece effect increases Hydro damage by 15%, and the four-piece bonus buffs normal and charged damage by 30 percent for 15 seconds after the wielder uses an Elemental Skill.
What is the best Ayato party comp?
Ayato’s skills make him flexible when it comes to teammates. You could, for example, opt for an Elemental party, with characters such as Fischl, Diona, and Zhongli, triggering Elemental Reactions with Ayato’s Skill. There’s also the support party option. Yun Jin’s passive talent increases the party’s normal attack based on the number of different elements in it, while Shenhe’s Elemental Skill can raise either physical or elemental damage for a set time.
If you're not keen on Ayato's prospects, you might want to save your Primogems for one of Genshin Impact's upcoming banners. Yelan, the newly-announecd Hydro character, is coming at some point in the future after the 2.6 update, and Sumeru is set to finally introduce Dendro sometime this summer.
Meanwhile, if you're just getting started on the Chasm area, check out how to unlock Lost Valley and where to find all the Lumenspar.