Genshin Impact Ayaka guide -- Weapons, artifacts, and talents

Kamisato Ayaka is a new 5-star character who joins Genshin Impact's roster as part of the version 2.0 update. Armed with a sword and the power of Cryo, she stands as the scion of the Yashiro Commission's Kamisato Clan. Here's our Genshin Impact Ayaka guide to help you with her best weapons, artifacts, talents, and build. Note: For more information about the game, check out our Genshin Impact guides and features hub, as well as our overview for the version 2.0 update. Genshin Impact guide: Kamisato Ayaka's best weapons, artifacts, and talents We'll talk about several facets regarding Kamisato Ayaka's build in Genshin Impact. You can refer to the pages below: Best weapons Best artifact sets Talent priorities and constellation Character ascension materials Gameplay tips and character summary Note 1: Ayaka's wish banner, "The Heron's Court," runs from July 21 through August 10. The banner also includes Chongyun, Ningguang, and Yanfei. Note 2: Information about Ayaka has already been leaked and data-mined ahead of release (i.e., you can see this listed via Honey Impact). Still, we'll continue updating this guide once Ayaka's wish banner goes live and we've further assessed her combat capabilities. Genshin Impact: The best weapon for Kamisato Ayaka Let's talk about the best weapon that can be used by Ayaka in Genshin Impact. Mistsplitter Reforged (crit damage) - Mistsplitter Reforged is currently one of the best 5-star weapons for Ayaka. It provides a 12% elemental damage bonus and up to three Mistsplitter's Emblem stacks. The Mistsplitter Emblems can be obtained when your normal attack deals elemental damage, when you use your elemental burst, and whenever your energy is less than 100%. Subsequently, these stacks will give an additional elemental damage bonus. Considering how often Ayaka's attacks are infused with Cryo (i.e., after her special movement ability), you can easily gain stacks that will, in turn, power up your elemental damage bonus. However, since the Mistsplitter Reforged is a new 5-star weapon in Genshin Impact, it can be costly to acquire from "Epitome Invocation" wishes even with the Epitomized Path mechanic. Note: If you plan on getting this weapon, you can take a look at our Ruin Sentinel/Chaos Gear farming guide for the materials. Primordial Jade Cutter (crit rate) - If you don't want to roll for the Mistsplitter Reforged for Ayaka, then another viable 5-star weapon is the Primordial Jade Cutter (assuming that you already have it). You'll get the all-important crit rate sub-stat, as well as an ATK% increase based on Ayaka's maximum HP. This is a flat DPS bonus that's more straightforward than relying on various procs. The Black Sword (crit rate) - The 4-star Black Sword from the Gnostic Hymn Battle Pass remains one of the better gear pieces for main DPS characters like Ayaka. You'll get crit rate and passive HP regeneration when you land crits. Likewise, it increases the damage of normal and charged attacks, including those infused by Cryo. Blackcliff Longsword (crit damage) - If you've already obtained it, then the Blackcliff Longsword from Paimon's Shop is also a great 4-star pick. If Ayaka can kill multiple mobs, you'll have high uptime with the ATK% buff. Iron Sting (elemental mastery) - Iron Sting is okay, especially if you're just looking for a pure free-to-play (F2P) choice since it comes from the blacksmith. Dealing elemental damage will also increase all types of damage, and you can keep those stacks up too. Only the elemental mastery sub-stat seems to be questionable at first glance. Amenoma Kageuchi (ATK%) - The Amenoma Kageuchi (seen in the image below) is a new 4-star weapon introduced in Genshin Impact's 2.0 update. You can obtain the recipe by collecting Old Stone Slates as part of a quest, and the weapon can be forged via the blacksmith. It makes skills generate an Elemental Seed (maximum of three simultaneous seeds) which are subsequently consumed once you cast your burst. Doing this regenerates six energy for each Elemental Seed that's consumed. Again, purely F2P options like the Amenoma Kageuchi are decent on paper, but this can really hamper Ayaka's overall DPS. Harbinger of Dawn (crit damage) - Finally, there's the Harbinger of Dawn which is a 3-star weapon obtained as a random inclusion in wishes. The crit rate bonus when Ayaka's HP is above 90% can be sustained especially if she's part of perma-freeze comps (or when you've got a shieldbot character to support her). Unfortunately, its base attack is ridiculously low. All right, let's move on to the next part of our Genshin Impact Ayaka guide. We'll discuss the best artifact sets for her. Genshin Impact: The best artifact sets for Ayaka - Blizzard Strayer vs. other options So, what can we consider as the best artifact sets for Ayaka? 4-piece Blizzard Strayer - Chief among these artifact options for Ayaka is the Blizzard Strayer set which you can acquire from the Peak of Vindagnyr domain. It's ideal due to the perks: 2-piece set bonus: +15% Cryo damage bonus. 4-piece set bonus: +20% crit rate when your character attacks an opponent affected by Cryo. If the opponent is frozen, the crit rate is increased by an additional 20%. 2-piece Blizzard Strayer + 2-piece Gladiator's Finale - If you already have the ideal crit rate stat from your weapon/artifacts, then you can simply stick to the Blizzard Strayer's Cryo damage bonus and the +18% ATK bonus from another set like Gladiator's Finale. This is the "cookie-cutter" option for most DPS-type characters anyway. To a lesser extent and assuming you still need better 5-star rolls, you can just slap on the Resolution of Sojourner or Brave Heart for the ATK bonus. 2-piece Blizzard Strayer + 2-piece Noblesse Oblige - This combo is also viable since you'll get the +15% Cryo bonus from Blizzard Strayer, as well as the +20% elemental burst damage bonus from Noblesse Oblige. Note: To clarify, there are two new artifact sets from Inazuma's Momoji-Dyed Court domain (Shimenawa's Reminisce and Emblem of Severed Fate). Sadly, we're still uncertain about the viability of these artifact sets when used by Ayaka. Artifact stats Considering that Ayaka will likely have a main DPS role in your squad, here are the ideal artifact rolls: Main stats - Cryo damage for the goblet and ATK% for the sands. For the circlet, choose either crit rate or crit damage depending on what you're lacking. If you're using the 4-piece Blizzard Strayer artifact set, then your crit rate can be slightly lower than 50% due to the procs (you'll be better off stacking crit damage instead). Sub-stats - Crit rate/crit damage and ATK%. Let's go ahead and discuss talent priorities and constellations in the next part of our Genshin Impact Ayaka guide. Ayaka's talent priorities Let's discuss Ayaka's capabilities and talent priorities. Kamisato Art: Kabuki - This denotes Ayaka's normal, charging, and plunging attacks. You'll want to level this up after maxing out her burst. Kamisato Art: Hyouka - Ayaka spawns a glowing rune around her which will launch enemies and deal AoE Cryo damage. This has a 10-second cooldown. Her elemental skill should be last in the prioritization list as it's mostly used to generate energy or proc buffs, not something that you'll rely on for DPS. Kamisato Art: Soumetsu - Ayaka's burst/ult spawns a "Frostflake Seki no To," a cyclone that moves forward and repeatedly slashes every enemy that's within its field. Cryo damage will be unleashed in each slash (over a dozen times), as well as the subsequent explosion once the effect ends. This ult has a five-second duration and 20-second cooldown. You'll want to prioritize Ayaka's burst talent to the multiple damaging hits that will occur, making it her top method of pouring out her DPS. Kamisato Art: Senho - This is Ayaka's special movement ability. She'll dash and cloak herself, allowing her to move quickly while on water. Once Ayaka reappears, there's an AoE field that applies Cryo on nearby hostiles. Likewise, her regular attacks become infused with Cryo for five seconds. This talent cannot be upgraded. Still, the dash move is an effective means of freezing hostiles due to the aura and Cryo-infused attacks. Note: Ayaka's talents require the Handguard materials and Teachings of Elegance booklets. The Handguard items are dropped by Nobushi samurai, and the booklets come from the new Violet Court domain. Higher levels of these talents also require the Bloodjade Branch dropped by Azhdaha. Passive talents: Amatsumi Kunitsumi Sanctification - After using her elemental skill, Ayaka's normal and charged attacks deal 30% extra damage for six seconds. Kanten Senmyou Blessing - When the Cryo application at the end of Ayaka's Senho movement ability hits an enemy, she restores 10 stamina and gains an 18% Cryo damage bonus for 10 seconds. Fruits of Shinsha - Ayaka has a 10% chance to receive double the weapon ascension materials that she creates. Constellations Mind you, trying to unlock Constellations on 5-star Genshin Impact characters like Ayaka will be very expensive. Still, you can get some pretty powerful boons especially at C2 and C4. C2, in particular, turns her burst into a "shotgun" of sorts, technically providing a 40% increased damage. C1: Snowswept Sakura - Normal and charged attacks have a 50% chance to decrease the elemental skill's cooldown by 0.3 seconds. C2: Blizzard Blade Seki no To - Ayaka's burst spawns two Frostflake Seki no To mini-storms that deal 20% of the main whirlwind's damage. C3: Frostbloom Kamifubuki - +3 levels for your elemental skill; maximum level is 15. C4: Ebb and Flow - Reduces enemy defense by 30% for six seconds when they're hit by your elemental burst. C5: Blossom Cloud Irutsuki - +3 levels for your elemental burst; maximum level is 15. C6: Dance of Suigetsu - Every 10 seconds, Ayaka gains the "Usurahi Batou" effect which increases her charged attack's damage by a whopping 298%. This effect will expire when a charge attack hits a hostile, and the 10-second timer will restart anew. All right, let's go to the next part of our Genshin Impact Ayaka guide to talk about her character ascension materials. Character ascension materials Ayaka's character ascension materials can be found all over Teyvat. Here they are: Handguards - Dropped by Nobushi, the samurai that have turned to banditry. Take a look at our Nobushi/Handguard farming guide to learn about dozens of locations. Shivada Jade - Dropped by the Cryo Regisvine, Cryo Hypostasis, and Andrius; purchased from Souvenir Shop; higher-tier versions can be crafted by an alchemist NPC. Perpetual Heart - Dropped by the Perpetual Mechanical Array. Sakura Bloom - Found all over Narukami Island in Inazuma. You can refer to our Sakura Bloom farming guide for its locations. Note: Ayaka gains extra crit damage from certain ascension/leveling thresholds. Anyway, let's talk about what you can expect when Ayaka is in your Genshin Impact team. Gameplay tips and character summary We've discussed Kamisato Ayaka's weapons, artifacts, and talent priorities in an in-depth manner already, but is she actually viable in your Genshin Impact comps? Let's put it this way: Ayaka absolutely shreds. The key reason for this is because of her Soumetsu burst which has great scaling and pure sustained damage. Ideally, you'll want to be at close range/next to an enemy so that the Frostflake Seki no To hits and latches onto them. The whirlwind itself will stay in the same location where the first enemy was hit. Assuming you have gatherer/crowd-control characters like Venti or Kazuha, then having enemies clumped together will ensure that they'll all get annihilated by over a dozen devastating slashes. Additionally, if you decided to splurge, then Ayaka at C2 will have what can only be described as a 40% damage increase when she uses her "shotgun-like" burst (since two mini-storms will be created too). Moreover, Ayaka has all the right tools as a main DPS character, including a movement ability that can affect her foes with Cryo. With this quirk, she can also use her AoE-based elemental skill and Cryo-infused normal/charged attacks to rip apart her targets. A decent rule of thumb is to begin your setup with a buffer (i.e., Bennett) or a perma-freeze starter (i.e., any Hydro character). Next, switch to Ayaka and do a quick dash move (+18% Cryo damage from her passive) before popping her burst. While her burst is active, use her elemental skill (+30% normal/charged attack damage). Then, do her attack sequence (i.e., three normal hits followed by charged slashes). With Ayaka equipping a weapon such as Mistsplitter Reforged, the Black Sword, or Blackcliff Longsword, her crit stats will be easier to manage. Moreover, you can also expect lots of crits to land from the Blizzard Strayer set because her opponents are either affected by Cryo or they're completely frozen. So, is Ayaka the strongest Cryo DPS character in Genshin Impact? We know that the spot is already occupied by the unparalleled Ganyu, and it's going to be hard to knock her off her perch. Then again, it will often come down to positioning, timing, and mob gathering. In Ganyu's case, her charged shot blooms and burst have a wide AoE radius. Unfortunately, she'll suffer in encounters with lots of enemies that are erratically moving around. Conversely, Ayaka's strikes emphasize sheer precision, combined with a burst that can demolish bosses with ease. However, her burst is also costly (80 energy vs. 60 energy for Ganyu). Since you're heavily reliant on it, you might want a Cryo battery/Cryo support character for the energy orbs. Oh, and if mobs are further apart, then you won't be able to get the most out of her DPS capabilities. Still, Ayaka is a worthwhile addition to your Genshin Impact roster. If Ganyu is already part of your "Morgana" squad (i.e., Mona/Ganyu/Diona), then Ayaka can easily fill a spot in your other Spiral Abyss team. Genshin Impact is available via its official website. For more information, check out our guides and features hub.

Genshin Impact Ayaka guide — Weapons, artifacts, and talents

Genshin Impact guide: Kamisato Ayaka’s best weapons, artifacts, and talents

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Genshin Impact guide: Kamisato Ayaka’s best weapons, artifacts, and talents

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