Challenge #1: It’s Haiku Time – The basics of the Hyakunin Ikki event
Each challenge in the Hyakunin Ikki event in Genshin Impact has multiple enemies that spawn in a small arena.
For instance, in “It’s Haiku Time,” you’ll do battle against sets of Treasure Hoarders and elite Nobushi called Kairagi. The fodder mobs provide you with a measly amount of points. But, those with exclamation marks known as nemeses give more points.
The goal here is to clear as many sets of enemies within a time limit (i.e., three minutes). The more you defeat, the higher the score you’ll obtain. Also, you could increase the difficulty from normal to extreme to gain a 4x multiplier to all the points that you earn.
Note: For this particular challenge, your entire party deals +30% physical damage.
Choosing your team combinations
The Hyakunin Ikki event in Genshin Impact is unique in that you have to form six teams with two characters each. You’ll alternate among these teams in order as the battle progresses.
Given that most team comps in Genshin Impact rely on four characters, it might be a little tough to get used to duos. I know I had some mishaps when pressing “4” to switch to my fourth character only to realize that I only had two.
Anyway, you can choose from any of the characters in your roster. Likewise, you’ll notice several “Trial Characters,” including Xiao, Childe, Ganyu, Yanfei, Ningguang, and Fischl. They’re all level 80, and you could try them out if you don’t have better options.
Garyuu Arts skills
Furthermore, each duo can have up to two Garyuu Arts. These are special buffs that are quite useful. You may select the same Garyuu Art only once, so don’t expect to equip similar options across all squads:
- Accidental Intent – +50% attack speed; resistance to interruption; heal 10% HP from normal attacks (can be triggered once every five seconds).
- Lightcleaver Blade – -50% stamina consumption when using charge attacks; +75% charge attack damage; resistance to interruption; +50% attack speed for those who are using claymores.
- Moonshadow Fall – Increased jumping ability and +100% plunging attack damage.
- Restitution – Particles generated by elemental skills restore 24 energy (can be triggered once every eight seconds).
- Celebrations Beyond Count – +150% elemental burst damage and -30% cooldown.
- Radical Dispersal – Characters protected by a shield unleash a shockwave (can occur once every two seconds).
- Pruning – Lightning strikes five random enemies when a character heals HP (can occur once every two seconds; active characters lose 1% HP per second.
- We’re on Fire – Greatly increases Fervor accumulation. Fervor is a mechanic that gradually increases as you defeat more enemies and swap between teams.
- Phantom Eye – +250 bonus elemental mastery.
- Fiery Banishment – +100% Pyro damage bonus.
- Frigid Regimen – +100% Cryo damage bonus.
- Light Across the Fields – +100% Electro damage bonus.
- Shrine of Stone – +100% Geo damage bonus.
- Cacophonic Showers – +100% Hydro damage bonus.
- Scything Winds – +100% Anemo damage bonus.
- Way of Tatara – +100% Physical damage bonus.
- Clean Cut, True Sight – +100% crit damage.
- Unique Life – +100% ATK.
Note: All Garyuu Arts effects last for 25 seconds after a team has entered the field/swapped in.
Garyuu Arts tips
Naturally, you’ll want to select Garyuu Arts skills that complement your duos, and you need to be mindful since you can’t apply the same one to a different group. For instance, if you have someone like Ganyu, then you’ll want Frigid Regimen, as well as either Lightcleaver Blade or Clean Cut True Sight. Of course, characters like Ayaka and Aloy would want that Cryo damage bonus, too.
There are also some obvious picks, such as Xiao having Moonshadow Fall and/or Celebrations Beyond Count, Kazuha/Venti getting Phantom Eye, and Albedo/Zhongli using Shrine of Stone and Radical Dispersal. Meanwhile, a main DPS supported by a healer like Qiqi or Barbara could gain additional benefits from the Pruning Garyuu Art skill (their HP gets drained, but they’re also getting healed which means lightning strikes will occur often).
You’ve also got the Fiery Banishment option for characters like Klee and Hu Tao, and Way of Tatara for a Physical-based Eula. Lastly, if you have the Raiden Shogun or Kujou Sara, the Electro boost from Light Across the Fields is decent.
Anyway, let’s discuss how the challenge progresses, as well as the rewards we can receive, in the next part of our Genshin Impact Hyakunin Ikki guide.
