Your reading of this article was ordained by fate! For those who want to learn more about Genshin Impact’s one and only Mona Megistus (AKA The Great Astrologist Mona), you’ve come to the right place! Mona is a Hydro Catalyst user that excels in burst damage, crowd control and maneuverability thanks to her unique alternate dash that is useful both in and out of combat. Read this style guide to master the ins and outs of Mona and send them blasting off to the stars..
How to get Mona in Genshin Impact?
Mona is one of the base 5-star characters in the wish system in Genshin Impact, which means that she always has the potential to be used within the wish system using Primogems, assuming you are rolling on the Standard Wish or Character Event banners. While this means there is always the potential chance of rolling her, there is no way to outright guarantee her compared to character event rate ups. Keep rolling over time and eventually she shall grace you with her presence.
Combat Info
→ Ascensions and Stats
| Ascension Phase | Level | Base HP | Base ATK | Base DEF | Special Stat (Energy Recharge) |
| 0✦ | 1/20 | 810 | 22 | 51 | — |
| 20/20 | 2,102 | 58 | 132 | ||
| 1✦ | 20/40 | 2,797 | 77 | 176 | — |
| 40/40 | 4,185 | 115 | 263 | ||
| 2✦ | 40/50 | 4,678 | 129 | 294 | 8.00% |
| 50/50 | 5,383 | 148 | 338 | ||
| 3✦ | 50/60 | 6,041 | 167 | 379 | 16.00% |
| 60/60 | 6,752 | 186 | 424 | ||
| 4✦ | 60/70 | 7,246 | 200 | 455 | 16.00% |
| 70/70 | 7,964 | 220 | 500 | ||
| 5✦ | 70/80 | 8,458 | 233 | 531 | 24.00% |
| 80/80 | 9,184 | 253 | 576 | ||
| 6✦ | 80/90 | 9,677 | 267 | 607 | 32.00% |
| 90/90 | 10,409 | 287 | 653 |
| Mora | Gems | Character Level Up Materials | Materials | Materials | |
| Ascension Cost (0 → 1) | 20,000 | 1 Varunada Lazurite Silver | N/A | 3 Philanemo Mushroom | 3 Whopperflower Nectar |
| Ascension Cost (1 → 2) | 40,000 | 3 Varunada Lazurite Fragment | 2 Cleansing Heart | 10 Philanemo Mushroom | 15 Whopperflower Nectar |
| Ascension Cost (2 → 3) | 60,000 | 6 Varunada Lazurite Fragment | 4 Cleansing Heart | 20 Philanemo Mushroom | 12 Shimmering Nectar |
| Ascension Cost (3 → 4) | 80,000 | 3 Varunada Lazurite Chunk | 8 Cleansing Heart | 30 Philanemo Mushroom | 18 Shimmering Nectar |
| Ascension Cost (4 → 5) | 100,000 | 6 Varunada Lazurite Chunk | 12 Cleansing Heart | 45 Philanemo Mushroom | 12 Energy Nectar |
| Ascension Cost (5 → 6) | 120,000 | 6 Varunada Lazurite Gemstone | 20 Cleansing Heart | 60 Philanemo Mushroom | 24 Energy Nectar |
→ Talents
Ripple of Fate-Normal Attack
Normal Attack
Perform up to 4 water splash attacks that deal Hydro DMG.
| Level | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
| 1-Hit DMG% | 37.6 | 40.42 | 43.24 | 47 | 49.82 | 52.64 | 56.4 | 60.16 | 63.92 | 67.68 | 71.44 |
| 2-Hit DMG% | 36 | 38.7 | 41.4 | 45 | 47.7 | 50.4 | 54 | 57.6 | 61.2 | 64.8 | 68.4 |
| 3-Hit DMG% | 44.8 | 48.16 | 51.52 | 56 | 59.36 | 62.72 | 67.2 | 71.68 | 76.16 | 80.64 | 85.12 |
| 4-Hit DMG% | 56.16 | 60.37 | 64.58 | 70.2 | 74.41 | 78.62 | 84.24 | 89.86 | 95.47 | 101.09 | 106.7 |
Charged Attack
Consumes a certain amount of Stamina to deal AoE Hydro DMG after a short casting time.
| Level | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
| Charged Attack DMG% | 149.72 | 160.95 | 172.18 | 187.15 | 198.38 | 209.61 | 224.58 | 239.55 | 254.52 | 269.5 | 285.07 |
| Charged Attack Stamina Cost | 50 |
Plunging Attack
Gathering the might of Hydro, Mona plunges towards the ground from mid-air, damaging all opponents in her path. Deals AoE Hydro DMG upon impact with the ground.
| Level | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
| Plunge DMG% | 56.83 | 61.45 | 66.08 | 72.69 | 77.31 | 82.6 | 89.87 | 97.14 | 104.41 | 112.34 | 120.27 |
| Low Plunge DMG% | 113.63 | 122.88 | 132.13 | 145.35 | 154.59 | 165.17 | 179.7 | 194.23 | 208.77 | 224.62 | 240.48 |
| High Plunge DMG% | 141.93 | 153.49 | 165.04 | 181.54 | 193.1 | 206.3 | 224.45 | 242.61 | 260.76 | 280.57 | 300.37 |
Mirror Reflection of Doom (Elemental Skill)
Creates an illusory Phantom of Fate from coalesced waterspouts.
The Phantom has the following special properties:
- Continuously taunts nearby opponents, attracting their fire.
- Continuously deals Hydro DMG to nearby opponents.
- When its duration expires, the Phantom explodes, dealing AoE Hydro DMG.
Hold
Utilizes water currents to move backwards swiftly before conjuring a Phantom.
Only one Phantom created by Mirror Reflection of Doom can exist at any time.
| Level | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 |
| DoT% | 32 | 34.4 | 36.8 | 40 | 42.4 | 44.8 | 48 | 51.2 | 54.4 | 57.6 | 60.8 | 64 | 68 |
| Explosion DMG% | 132.8 | 142.76 | 152.72 | 166 | 175.96 | 185.92 | 199.2 | 212.48 | 225.76 | 239.04 | 252.32 | 265.6 | 282.2 |
| CD | 12s |
Stellaris Phantasm (Elemental Burst)
Mona summons the sparkling waves and creates a reflection of the starry sky, applying the Illusory Bubble status to opponents in a large AoE.
Illusory Bubble
Traps opponents inside a pocket of destiny and also makes them Wet.
Renders weaker opponents immobile.
When an opponent affected by Illusory Bubble sustains DMG, it has the following effects:
- Applies an Omen to the opponent which gives a DMG Bonus while also increasing the DMG of the attack that causes it.
- Removes the Illusory Bubble, dealing Hydro DMG in the process.
Omen
During its duration, increases DMG taken by opponents.
Illusory Torrent-Alternate Sprint
Alternate Sprint
Mona cloaks herself within the water's flow, consuming stamina to move rapidly.
When under the effect of Illusory Torrent, Mona can move at high speed on water.
Applies the Wet status to nearby opponents when she reappears.
Come 'n' Get Me, Hag!-1st Ascension Passive
After she has used Illusory Torrent for 2s, if there are any opponents nearby, Mona will automatically create a Phantom.
A Phantom created in this manner lasts for 2s and its explosion DMG is equal to 50% of Mirror Reflection of Doom.
Waterborne Destiny-4th Ascension Passive
Increases Mona's Hydro DMG Bonus by a degree equivalent to 20% of her Energy Recharge rate.
Principium of Astrology- Utility Passive
When Mona crafts Weapon Ascension Materials, she has a 25% chance to refund one count of one material out of all the crafting materials used.
→ Talent Upgrade
| Talent Level | Required Ascension Level | Mora | Common Materials | Talent Level Up Materials | ||
| 1 → 2 | 2* | 12,500 | 6 Whopperflower Nectar | 3 Teachings of Resistance | ||
| 2 → 3 | 3* | 17,500 | 3 Shimmering Nectar | 2 Guide to Resistance | ||
| 3 → 4 | 3* | 25,000 | 4 Shimmering Nectar | 4 Guide to Resistance | ||
| 4 → 5 | 4* | 30,000 | 6 Shimmering Nectar | 6 Guide to Resistance | ||
| 5 → 6 | 4* | 37,500 | 9 Shimmering Nectar | 9 Guide to Resistance | ||
| 6 → 7 | 5* | 120,000 | 4 Energy Nectar | 4 Philosophies to Resistance | 1 Ring of Boreas | |
| 7 → 8 | 5* | 260,000 | 6 Energy Nectar | 6 Philosophies to Resistance | 1 Ring of Boreas | |
| 8 → 9 | 5* | 450,000 | 9 Energy Nectar | 12 Philosophies to Resistance | 2 Ring of Boreas | |
| 9 → 10 | 5* | 700,000 | 12 Energy Nectar | 16 Philosophies to Resistance | 2 Ring of Boreas | 1 Crown of Insight |
→ Constellation
2. Availability
→ Paimon's Bargains
N/A
→ Event Wishes
Mona has yet to appear as a boosted rate-up character. However, she is always able to potentially be wished for due to her nature of being in the base 5 star item pool where 5 star characters can be pulled. This includes
- Standard Wish Wanderlust Invocation (Indefinite)
- Beginners' Wish (Indefinite until all 20 wishes have been made)
- All Character Event Wishes
3. Personality
Mona’s defining traits are her immense pride in her skills as an astrologist as well as her comical financial illiteracy. Her talents are genuine and clearly deserving of her borderline haughty and obsessive nature, but she is unwilling to leverage those talents for her own personal gain and immediately uses whatever funds she does manage to get her hands on for astrology related equipment, even before considering paying rent or food. Thus she must restore to cost cutting measures like foraging for food ingredients (Explaining why one of her Ascension materials is Philanemo Mushrooms!) or relying on friends for free meals.
4. Appearance
Mona wears a striking purple witch hat adorned with a compass ornament (That can also be found attached to her right thigh) and gold star decals. She wears a single star earring on her left ear and wears her long black hair in pigtails with compass ornaments at the base and tied together with two black ribbons, one tucked away underneath her hat. She has a curvy figure accentuated by her purple and black leotard with gold trim, brown star patterned leggings, and exposed upper back, as well as her compass necklace and short cloak. Her Hydro Vision can be found just under the nape of her neck
5. Character Stories
→ Character Details
Teyvat is a place where people of all sorts go about their business. Merchants move product, knights patrol, and farmers till the land.But if one were to ask Mona — the enigmatic and prideful astrologist — what she busies herself with, she will reply by saying that she is servicing a debt known as "life."
She will, however, vigorously deny being "poor," giving the following explanation: "Beautiful veneers may obscure simple truths. Exquisite food may mask its nutritional value. One lives simply, all the better to expose this world's truths."A frugal lifestyle, therefore, is a form of training to access the truth... Or so Mona will insist.
Teyvat is a place where people of all sorts go about their business, and even an enigmatic astrologist must look to hers.
—That said, it seems like bards might be the exception to this rule.
→ Character Story 1
Recently, Mona's teacher, an old but highly skilled female astrologist, has entrusted a very important task to her. Her teacher has an erstwhile rival-friend in Mondstadt, and she wanted Mona to retrieve a highly confidential box from that person's successor.
"If you dare look inside that box... Well, you'll see."That was the warning Mona received before departing.To Mona's surprise, this successor was none other than the Spark Knight, Klee.
The box was still extant, but due to Klee's actions and a series of accidents... Mona unwittingly unraveled the enigma behind the box."I-I'm done for. The thing inside this was the dark history of her youth... she will kill me if I go back like this..."
Mona was thus forced to stay in Mondstadt, beginning a bitterly frugal but bountifully fulfilling existence.
→ Character Story 2
Mona's astrology utilizes hydromancy and she once explained the underlying principles thusly: "It is people's fate that shines in the night sky, and though its reflection in water is but an illusion, it reveals the truth nonetheless."
No one else can quite comprehend this principle but Mona's ability convinces people to believe in it anyway. Albeit, sometimes grudgingly...
Her astrological readings are exceptionally precise and she will neither lie nor hold anything back when revealing the results of her readings.
"Your son says that he's made it. That's a lie."
"You've got no chance with him. In fact he will soon leave you."
The cold, hard truth is laid bare before people's eyes, complete with all the grisly details that they would rather remain buried. Mona will make no exceptions to this and as such she can seem completely lacking in human emotion.
But sometimes, on a clear night, she can be seen on a high mountain slope. There, Mona gazes up at the stars in the sky — so close, she feels, that she could almost reach out and touch them — with gentle eyes while humming an unknown tune to herself.
→ Character Story 3
Having never studied the art of finance, the astrologist Mona is always hovering around the poverty line. In order to save on food expenses, she once ate mushrooms for an entire month straight. If not for some relief funds coming from time to time, she would have had trouble making a living.
Mona does in fact have some money set aside. Even though she will eventually run dry without an income, she can slow the bleeding from scrimping in the food department. So where does the rest of the Mora go? Well, if you've ever had a look inside her lab, then you know that the big pile of astrology-related apparatus and tools in there didn't come out of thin air.
In fact, all of them come with a hefty price tag—books from Liyue, an astrolabe from Sumeru... The shipping fees alone are impressive. Therefore the fact that Mona should be in abject poverty comes, therefore, as no surprise.
In order to support herself, Mona eventually took up a commercial contract—her contributions to a column about constellations in The Steambird have become her most stable income source.
Now having a monthly income, Mona could have left her life of poverty. But how could an astrologist's pursuit of knowledge end here? Whenever she gets paid, Mona will immediately shell out on more astrology-related resources, returning to a state of destitution once more.
This process plays out every month.
Today, too, is another day Mona worries over Mora.
→ Character Story 4
Mona will sometimes meet up with Klee and Albedo, her primary reason being to eat a free meal. Secondary to that is to exchange pointers with Albedo.
Since they are both people who seek to unveil the principles of the world, and are both students of famed masters, aligning themselves with one another and working together is perfectly normal.
Mona strenuously defends her teacher's image in front of Albedo. However, she also often complains about "that old hag." "You speak of your illustrious lineage, yet you also refer to your master as a "hag" and a "stubborn dimwit." Which of these descriptions is accurate?"
Albedo could not help but ask this question — and when he did, Mona promptly realized that she had never given it much thought herself.
Stroking her chin, she considered this deeply for a moment.
"Hmph. The techniques passed down to me are exceptional, of course, but my teacher is not my equal. Does she know the market rates for eggs, butter or wheat? In this regard, I have already far surpassed her."
→ Character Story 5
During her apprenticeship, Mona found that the subtle abstractions of her master's teachings could explain the laws that governed the existence of all things. Human hearts were guided by these laws and if one had great enough powers of calculation, all the mysteries of the world could be understood.
Mona once believed this to be true.
But when she had to strike out on her own and live day-to-day, she found herself doubting. However, not everyone lived wealthy and comfortable lives as some neither had food nor warm clothes, living no differently from beggars.
And it was just such an adventurer who, when meeting Mona while she was out looking for fruits and vegetables to fill her stomach, shared half their food with her.
"Out here, we've gotta have each other's backs."
This was not something inscribed on these so-called principles of the world. And many other such things she encountered on her journey—the honesty of a thief, a robber's change of heart, a coward's courage, the good deeds of a wicked person...
Mona began to have some doubts but she also felt like she finally had her feet on solid ground.
When she was again alone with her thoughts under the stars, she marveled that her research had been so full of holes. Perhaps she would have to continue researching the world's principles for the rest of her life.
→ All Things Astrological
The Court of Fontaine's mainline newspaper, The Steambird, has a featured section that contains all sorts of news and gossip drawn from every corner of the seven nations.
The section Mona contributes to is known as "All Things Astrological," and it is a column specifically targeted at hobbyists and professionals. That she had this opportunity at all was pure chance.
When the previous contributing author was traveling the world, he heard the story of a strange astrologist, and his hobbyist's curiosity compelled him to seek her out. Their correspondence left him deeply impressed.
As it happened, he was also looking to retire, and seeing that Mona was strapped for Mora, reached out to help her by recommending her to the editor-in-chief of The Steambird.
When Mona released her first column, "An Introduction to Astrology", the column, heretofore known for being easy reading, experienced a massive shift in tone.
Most of each issue was dedicated to discussing the movement of celestial bodies and other difficult (and obscure) topics. Academic quotations, dense footnotes and even the occasional hand-drawn star maps abounded in these writings.
The editor-in-chief could not help but feel worried that this approach was too academic. Would it find acceptance with long-time readers? As it turned out, there was no need to fret as the publishing house received a great many letters that read something like this:
"Wow, this is amazing. I don't really get it, but this is super interesting. Consider me a fan of Astrologist Mona Megistus."
After getting approval to continue submitting manuscripts, Mona could finally heave a sigh of relief. Now, how best to celebrate... Ah yes. Perhaps she should use her first paycheck to purchase that latest-edition planetarium she'd had her eye on for a while now...
→ Vision
To Mona, that her Vision was sent to her from the gods doesn't mean a great deal. This is not to say that possessing an external focus for elemental power is not useful.
Having power is always a good thing, but when compared to lofty "truth," "martial prowess" is such a pathetically small concept.
The gods, too, are bound by the rules of this world. Mona seeks the final truth of the world, hidden amidst the sea of stars.
As such, she does not have any reverence for her Vision, which the people of this world consider to be a sign of divine favor and the source of all power.
Nonetheless, this item that serves no practical use in her hands is something that she treasures greatly.
It was gifted to her by her teacher as a teaching aid, and it is the only evidence of their time together as master and pupil.
She preserves these distant memories with great care. This exquisitely-made teaching aid thus accompanied her everywhere, like an accessory worn by any other maiden.
Until one day, when a Vision of her very own would quietly indwell this old teaching aid...
6. Namecard
HOW TO OBTAIN: Reward for reach Friendship level 10 with Mona
Description: A girl gazes down at the stars' reflection on the water, pondering the joys and sorrows of life.
7. Constellation
Astrolabos- Latin for “Astrolabe”
8. Quests and Events
→ Archon Quests
N/A
→ Story Quests
Astrolabos Chapter (Mona's personal questline)
→ Events
- Unreconciled Stars (WARNING:This event has passed as of November 30th, 2020 and it is unclear if it will return in the future)
- Act I: The Crisis Deepens
- Act II: What the Skies Conceal, the Water Reveals
- Act III: Where Ancient Stars Align
9. Character Interactions
Mona mentions the following characters in her voiceover profile:
-Jean
-Albedo
-Klee
-Diluc
-Kaeya
-Lisa
-Venti
Mona herself is mentioned in the following character’s voiceover profiles:
-Diluc
-Fischl
-Klee
-Lisa
-Venti
10. Trivia
-In one of her Idle animations , Mona will randomly view the constellations of other characters. Currently she cycles through three characters’ constellations, Amber, Lisa, and Jean!
-Mona was the first 5 star catalyst user on Genshin Impact’s release
-If you use her normal attacks or skills in front of NPCs, they will give you a round of applause rather than cower in fear with other characters. Other Catalyst Users like Barbara also garner this kind of reactions
11. Explainer Video
12. FAQs
What is the best artifact set to use for Mona?
This mainly depends on how you plan to use her. The most flexible of her item sets would be 2 Noblesse Oblige (20% Elemental Burst Damage) and 2PC Heart of Depth (15% Hydro Damage) able to cover the most general base cases for using her. If you want to lean more towards her supportive side for your party, consider 4PC Noblesse Oblige (20% Elemental Burst Damage and 20% ATK for the entire party) if you don’t already have a user in your party.
If she’s being used more for on field DPS, consider 4PC Heart of Depth (15% Hydro DMG, 30% Normal/Charged DMG after using Elemental Skill) to maximize her Normal/Charged Attacks. If you wanna go for maximum burst damage AND uptime, 4PC Emblem of Severed Fate (20% Energy Recharge, Elemental Burst DMG increased by 25% of Energy Recharge up to 75%) is another potential avenue.
What is Mona’s best weapon?
Surprisingly, one of her optimal weapons is a 4 Star weapon that can be acquired through rolling on banners called The Widsith. Even with it’s RNG nature of the 3 massive buffs it can apply to %Atk, Elemental DMG, or Elemental Mastery, Mona uses all 3 quite well, and the crit damage substat is greatly valuable to juicing her burst damage even further. It is also considerably easier (and cheaper) to refine over time compared to its 5 Star counterparts. In a purely utility role, Thrilling Tales of Dragon Slayers is also a viable alternative
13. Final Thoughts
Mona is a powerful addition to anyone’s roster, being a part of some of the strongest team compositions in the game for clearing challenging, demanding endgame content like the Abyss or limited time events. She’s also just enjoyable to use in general, seeing big blue numbers pop off on the screen or just cruising along the land and seas of Teyvat. From F2P players to hardcore high spenders, everyone can find an effective use for Mona!
