What is the best build for Yelan in Genshin Impact?

A strong off-field Hydro DPS.

Image via HoYoverse

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Yelan is a 5-star Hydro character in Genshin Impact who functions as an off-field damage dealer in your team. She’s one of the only Hydro sub-DPS characters in the game and supplies a ton of Hydro application for your team. This makes her potential strength very high, and a good option for any team that relies on Elemental Reactions.

Leading up to Yelan’s release, players were excited for a potential alternative to the powerful 4-star unit, Xingqiu. Both units have an Elemental Burst that provides off-field damage, while also applying the Hydro element on enemies. You can use this Hydro element to create Elemental Reactions, such as Vaporize, Freeze, and Electro-Charged. Here are the best builds for Yelan in Genshin Impact.

Best weapons for Yelan

Yelan has a number of good weapons to use, although many of these weapons are 5-star options. Yelan gains Crit Rate as her passive stat, meaning you should avoid weapons that provide Crit Rate like the Viridescent Hunt. For 5-star options, the Aqua Simulacra is her best option for a damage-focused build. The passive align neatly with her HP scaling, and the weapon provides a flat 20% DMG increase to anyone who wields it. The Elegy of the End is also a solid support option that moves more power into her team rather than Yelan herself.

For 4-star options, her best option is likely an Energy Recharge option such as Sacrificial Bow or Favonius Warbow. Energy Recharge will be an important stat to keep her Elemental Burst up, and you are likely using the Emblem of Severed Fate artifacts with her.

Best artifacts for Yelan

Yelan is a sub-DPS character who holds tons of power in her Elemental Burst. As a result, there are two clear artifact options that you’ll want to consider when considering which artifacts you want to use.

One of the best options you can use is a 4-piece Emblem of Severed Fate set. This will increase her Energy Recharge, allowing her to have an improved uptime on her Elemental Burst, as well as boosting her Elemental Burst damage. Alternatively, you can consider a Noblesse Oblige set to buff your team as well.

Aim for the following substats:

  • Crit DMG: Yelan’s passive stat is Crit Rate, so you only need a little bit to keep her Crit Rate at an acceptable level. Focus on Crit DMG which will boost her overall damage.
  • HP%: The damage from Yelan’s Elemental Burst (a majority of her damage) scales off of her max HP. Therefore, instead of ATK%, you’ll want to boost her HP% instead.
  • Energy Recharge: Keeping her Elemental Burst up is important. Additionally, if you are using the Emblem of Severed Fates set on Yelan, you’ll want a lot of Energy Recharge to keep her burst up.

Best team for Yelan

Yelan thrives as an enabler in teams that rely on Elemental Reactions. Popular pairings place her with Pyro characters such as Hu Tao or Klee. You can slot Yelan in many teams where you would bring a Xingqiu.

  • Yelan, Hu Tao, Zhongli, Albedo: Yelan should out damage Xingqiu in this team, making her a great option in this common Hu Tao composition. This team is a bit expensive, comprising of all 5-stars, but this is likely to be one of the strongest teams in the game.
    • A common replacement for Hu Tao could be Yoimiya, who has a similar team comp that relies on vaporizing her Elemental Skill. Yanfei could be a good main-DPS alternative for players without many 5-stars.