How to play Xianyun in Genshin Impact: Explained for beginners

Xianyun, also known as the Cloud Retainer, will finally be a playable unit in the upcoming Genshin Impact 4.4 update. She is one of the most anticipated characters in the game. Further, she may also make the Plunging Attack playstyle more popular as she is a dedicated support for Plunging Attack damage and a party-wide healer. This will also help a couple of old characters to potentially become some of the best damage dealers.

This article is a beginner's guide on how to play Xianyun in Genshin Impact. Travelers will find everything they need to know about her as a proper Plunging Attack support and healer, including her best artifacts and weapons.

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Xianyun gameplay guide for beginners in Genshin Impact

Xianyun Elemental Skill and Elemental Burst

Let's first take a proper look at Xianyun's abilities in Genshin Impact. Her Elemental Burst is the most important part of her kit, also tied to her fourth ascension (A4) passive. Upon casting her Elemental Burst, she initially deals AoE Anemo damage and heals the entire team based on her ATK.

Doing so will also summon a Starwicker, which will provide more healing to the entire party every few seconds. Furthermore, it will enhance the active character's jumping ability, allowing them to leap high while Xianyun's Elemental Burst is active.

At the same time, Cloud Retainer's A4 passive buffs the unit's Plunging Attack damage by 180% of her ATK after using the Burst. Do note that this buff will take effect against only one enemy.

Xianyun's Elemental Skill is a simple one. It allows her to leap high three times (second and third leaps can be done mid-air). This is a nice skill and can be great during exploration, but it is not the takeaway here.

Xianyun's first ascension passive provides up to four Storm Pinion stacks, this depends on the number of enemies hit by the Plunging Attack after her Elemental Skill. Furthermore, the active unit's Plunging Attack CRIT Rate will be increased by 4%/6%/8%/10% depending on the number of stacks.

For this reason, it will usually be ideal to use Xianyun's Elemental Skill before casting her Elemental Burst. This way, she will also pick the particles generated from her Skill, although the entire team rotation will differ depending on the situation.

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Best artifacts for Xianyun in Genshin Impact

Viridescent Venerer will always be Xianyun's best set (Image via HoYoverse)

Moving on to Xianyun's artifacts in Genshin Impact, here are some of her best options:

• 4pc Viridescent Venerer (BiS)
• 4pc Song of Days Past
• Any 2pc ATK% + 2pc ATK%

Here are the stats to prioritize on her artifacts:

Sands	ATK% or ER%
Goblet	ATK%
Circlet	ATK%
Sub-stats	ATK%, ER%

Since Xianyun's healing and Plunging Attack buff are based on her ATK, getting as much ATK as possible on her artifacts and some Energy Recharge (around 150%) for smooth rotation is ideal.

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Best weapons for Xianyun in Genshin Impact

Crane's Echoing Call (Image via HoYoverse)

Fortunately, Xianyun has a lot of good weapon options, which include the following:

• Crane's Echoing Call (5-star BiS)
• Oathsworn Eye (best 4-star)
• Thrilling Tales of Dragon Slayers (3-star)
• Memory of Dust (5-star)
• Skyward Atlas (5-star)
• Favonius Codes (4-star)

Oathsworn Eye is Xianyun's second-best option after her signature, Crane's Echoing Call. However, most players might not have the former as it is an event weapon. Thus, it will be ideal to use the Thrilling Tales of Dragon Slayers as the F2P option if Xianyun has a good ER%.

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Best teams for Xianyun in Genshin Impact

Diluc Dragon Strike team (Image via HoYoverse)

Below are some of the best team comps for Xianyun in Genshin Impact:

• Xiao + Furina + Xianyun + Zhongli
• Xian + Furina + Xianyun + Faruzan
• Diluc + Furina + Xianyun + Zhongli/Bennett
• Gaming + Furina + Xianyun + Bennett

While Diluc's normal playstyle isn't plunging at enemies, he still has the highest Plunging Attack multiplier in the game. With Xianyun providing him with a lot of buffs, he can easily generate a ton of damage. Needless to say, the Cloud Retainer is also very good with Xiao since Plunging Attacks are his main source of damage.