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.
