Genshin Impact Ganyu Build Guide: Weapons, Artifact Sets, Roles, Talents, Constellations, and more
Ganyu is a playable 5-star Cryo character in Genshin Impact. Graceful and quiet by nature, she has human and illuminated beast blood.
She is an Adeptus under contract with the Geo Archon. She also works as a general secretary for the Liyue Qixing, a committee comprised of merchants and business leaders who govern Liyue.
This guide will discuss Ganyu‘s talents, constellations, recommended roles, best weapons, artifact sets, and more! So, if you want to add this character to your team, read on.
Ganyu’s Talents and Priority
Ganyu can potentially deal massive damage whether you focus on her Charged Attack or her Elemental Burst.
Her Charged Attack has two stages; the first one simply deals with single-target Cryo DMG while the second deals AoE Cryo DMG. On the other hand, her Burst deals continuous Cryo DMG in a huge AoE, making her an excellent Cryo applicator without necessarily staying on the field.
Therefore, depending on how you build her, we recommend that you prioritize her Talents in the following order:
| As Main DPS | As Sub-DPS | |
| 1st priority | Normal Attack | Elemental Burst |
| 2nd priority | Elemental Burst | Normal Attack |
| 3rd priority | Elemental Skill | Elemental Skill |
For more details about her Talents, check out the table below:
| Normal Attack – Liutian Archery | Normal Attack Perform up to 6 consecutive shots with a bow. Charged Attack Perform a more precise Aimed Shot with increased DMG. While aiming, an icy aura will accumulate on the arrowhead before the arrow is fired. Has different effects based on how long the energy has been charged: – Charge Level 1: Fires off an icy arrow that deals Cryo DMG. – Charge Level 2: Fires off a Frostflake Arrow that deals Cryo DMG. The Frostflake Arrow blooms after hitting its target, dealing AoE Cryo DMG. Plunging Attack Fires off a shower of arrows in mid-air before falling and striking the ground, dealing AoE DMG upon impact. |
| Elemental Skill – Trail of the Qilin | Leaving a single Ice Lotus behind, Ganyu dashes backward, shunning all impurity and dealing AoE Cryo DMG. Ice Lotus Continuously taunts surrounding opponents, attracting them to attack it. Endurance scales based on Ganyu’s Max HP. Blooms profusely when destroyed or once its duration ends, dealing AoE Cryo DMG. |
| Elemental Burst – Celestial Shower | Coalesces atmospheric frost and snow to summon a Sacred Cryo Pearl that exorcises evil. During its ability duration, the Sacred Cryo Pearl will continuously rain down shards of ice, striking opponents within an AoE and dealing Cryo DMG. |
| 1st Ascension Passive – Undivided Heart | After firing a Frostflake Arrow, the CRIT Rate of subsequent Frostflake Arrows and their resulting bloom effects is increased by 20% for 5s. |
| 4th Ascension Passive – Harmony between Heaven and Earth | Celestial Shower grants a 20% Cryo DMG Bonus to active members in the AoE. |
| Utility Passive – Preserved for the Hunt | Refunds 15% of the ores used when Forging Bow-type weapons. |
Constellation and Effects
Ganyu has amazing upgrades from her Constellations. However, the most notable ones are C1 and C4, as both Constellations enhance her overall damage potential.
If you’re new to the game, Constellations are acquired when you get another character copy.
| LEVEL | NAME | EFFECT |
| 1 | Dew-Drinker | Taking DMG from a Charge Level 2 Frostflake Arrow or Frostflake Arrow Bloom decreases opponents’ Cryo RES by 15% for 6s. A hit regenerates 2 Energy for Ganyu. This effect can only occur once per Charge Level 2 Frostflake Arrow, regardless if Frostflake Arrow itself or its Bloom hit the target. |
| 2 | The Auspicious | Trail of the Qilin gains 1 additional charge. |
| 3 | Cloud-Strider | Increases the Level of Celestial Shower by 3. Maximum upgrade level is 15. |
| 4 | Westward Sojourn | Opponents standing within the AoE of Celestial Shower take increased DMG. This effect strengthens over time. Increased DMG taken begins at 5% and increases by 5% every 3s, up to a maximum of 25%. The effect lingers for 3s after the opponent leaves the AoE. |
| 5 | The Merciful | Increases the Level of Trail of the Qilin by 3. Maximum upgrade level is 15. |
| 6 | The Clement | Using Trail of the Qilin causes the next Frostflake Arrow shot within 30s to not require charging. |
Recommended Roles and Teams for Ganyu
Since Ganyu‘s Charged Attack has two stages, you can maximize her damage potential using the second one (Frostflake Arrow) and have her stay on the battlefield most of the time. With this, you can rely on making her your team’s Main DPS.
If you’re using another Main DPS, you can make Ganyu your Sub-DPS and focus more on her Burst and off-field Cryo application.
For team compositions, she’s great in both Freeze Teams and Melt Teams. In a team that focuses on the new Dendro reactions, Ganyu can work as a Cryo Sub-DPS, provided that your Main DPS works well with Dendro and Cryo.
Below are our recommended team compositions. Note that these are only recommendations. You are always free to decide which characters you want to place on your team.
FREEZE TEAM
- Since Ganyu uses the bow and deals damage from a distance, off-field Hydro applicators that would work well with her are Mona and Kokomi (can also heal).
- For Cryo Elemental Resonance, you might consider Diona in the team. Apart from the resonance, Diona provides healing and shields.
- Lastly, you can have an Anemo character in the team for Swirl reactions. Venti would do great in this spot. But if you don’t have him, our free-to-play option is Sucrose.
MELT TEAM
- Ganyu can take advantage of the Melt reaction when partnered up with Xiangling‘s off-field Pyro application.
- In this team, you can add Bennett for ATK buff and healing. Moreover, with him and Xiangling around, you can trigger the Pyro Elemental Resonance, which increases ATK by 25%.
- Lastly, you can have shield support like Zhongli. If you don’t have him, our free-to-play option is Diona. While her shield is paper thin compared to C0 Zhongli‘s, she can provide decent healing at C0 and trigger the Cryo Elemental Resonance.
DENDRO FRIDGE TEAM
- In a Dendro Reaction-focused team, Ganyu can work as a Sub-DPS and apply Cryo using her Elemental Skill and Burst while off-field.
- Ganyu won’t be able to trigger a reaction with Dendro in this team composition. Her main purpose is to trigger Frozen with a Hydro Main DPS like Kokomi (with healing) or Ayato. This Hydro Main DPS will also be able to trigger Bloom with your Dendro character.
- As for the off-field Dendro applicator, you can have the Traveler or Collei.
- The last spot can be another Dendro character to unlock the Dendro Elemental Resonance or, for more devastating damage, an off-field Electro applicator to trigger Hyperbloom. If you have Ayato as the Main DPS, your Electro options with healing are Shinobu and Dori.
Recommended Weapons for Ganyu
Below are the weapons that we recommend for Ganyu. These include 5-star weapons and 4-star weapons. So, if you’re free to play, we have provided options for you, too! For more information, check out our insights for each weapon below the table.
| WEAPON | DETAILS |
| Aqua Simulacra (5 stars) | Base ATK (Lv 1 -90): 44 – 542 Base Bonus Stat (Lv 1 -90): CRIT DMG 19.2% – 88.2% Base Skill Effect: HP is increased by 16%. When there are opponents nearby, the DMG dealt by the wielder of this weapon is increased by 20%. This will take effect whether the character is on-field or not. |
| Amos’ Bow (5 Stars) | Base ATK (Lv 1 -90): 46 – 608 Base Bonus Stat (Lv 1 -90): ATK 10.8% – 49.6% Base Skill Effect: Increases Normal Attack and Charged Attack DMG by 12%. After a Normal or Charged Attack is fired, DMG dealt increases by a further 8% every 0.1 seconds the arrow is in the air for up to 5 times. |
| Hunter’s Path (5 Stars) | Base ATK (Lv 1 -90): 44 – 542 Base Bonus Stat (Lv 1 -90): Crit Rate 9.6% – 44.1% Base Skill Effect: Gain 12% All Elemental DMG Bonus. Obtain the Tireless Hunt effect after hitting an opponent with a Charged Attack. This effect increases Charged Attack DMG by 160% of Elemental Mastery. This effect will be removed after 12 Charged Attacks or 10s. Only 1 instance of Tireless Hunt can be gained every 12s. |
| Prototype Crescent (4 Stars) | Base ATK (Lv 1 -90): 42 – 510 Base Bonus Stat (Lv 1 -90): ATK 9% – 41.3% Base Skill Effect: Charged Attack hits on weak points increase Movement SPD by 10% and ATK by 63% for 10s. |
| Hamayumi (4 Stars) | Base ATK (Lv 1 -90): 41 – 454 Base Bonus Stat (Lv 1 -90): ATK 12% – 55.1% Base Skill Effect: Increases Normal Attack DMG by 16% and Charged Attack DMG by 12%. When the equipping character’s Energy reaches 100%, this effect is increased by 100%. |
Aqua Simulacra
If you place Ganyu in a Freeze Team, the Cryo Elemental Resonance and Blizzard Strayer artifact set (assuming you’re using this set) will give her enough CRIT Rate to deal CRIT DMG most of the time. With Aqua Simulacra‘s whopping CRIT DMG bonus stat, the damage dealt this way will be massive. She can also take advantage of this bow’s damage bonus even when not on the field, making it a great option for Main DPS or Sub DPS Ganyu.
Provided she has enough CRIT Rate from artifacts, this bow will also work well in a Melt Team. However, this weapon can only be acquired via limited-time weapon banners.
Amos’ Bow
With its high ATK and DMG bonus (the highest in this list), Amos’ Bow is undeniably a great weapon for Ganyu. That is, if you let her take most of the field time (as Main DPS) and use her Normal and Charged Attacks. If you’re using her as Sub-DPS, however, you may be unable to maximize this bow’s potential.
Hunter’s Path
Hunter’s Path is another great option for Ganyu. However, note that this bow only works for her if she’s in a Melt Team. This is because Hunter’s Path focuses on Elemental Mastery, which you won’t be able to take advantage of in Freeze Teams. Moreover, the CRIT Rate from Hunter’s Path might result in more than a 100% CRIT Rate in Freeze Teams (considering the Cryo Elemental Resonance and Blizzard Strayer artifact). The bow’s bonus stat will go to waste if this becomes the case. But then again, if you place Ganyu in a Melt Team, this is easily one, if not her best option.
Prototype Crescent
This bow is the easiest one to acquire in this list (through forging). It has a decent Base ATK and bonus ATK stat. However, to maximize its potential, you will have to hit enemies’ weak points using Ganyu‘s Charged Attacks.
Hamayumi
While this bow has the lowest Base ATK in this list, its bonus stat and skill make up for it. If you use Ganyu as the Main DPS, she will greatly benefit from this bow’s Normal and Charged ATK bonus. Moreover, with enough Energy Recharge, this DMG bonus can be taken to new heights! In case you’re wondering, this bow can be forged. However, you will have to acquire the blueprint from Takashi‘s chests in Inazuma after giving him three Mysterious Conches for seven days.
Recommended Artifact Sets and Stat Priority for Ganyu
Below are Ganyu‘s recommended artifact sets:
| ARTIFACT SET | EFFECTS |
| Blizzard Strayer (For Freeze Team) | – Cryo DMG Bonus +15% – When a character attacks an opponent affected by Cryo, their CRIT Rate is increased by 20%. If the opponent is Frozen, CRIT Rate is increased by an additional 20%. |
| Wanderer’s Troupe (For Melt Team) | – Elemental Mastery +80 – Increases Charged Attack DMG by 35% if the character uses a Catalyst or a Bow. |
If Ganyu is in a Freeze Team, definitely go for a 4-piece Blizzard Strayer artifact set. The CRIT Rate is significantly increased with this set. Moreover, the Cryo Elemental Resonance from having another Cryo character in the team gives another CRIT Rate bonus.
On the other hand, the Elemental Mastery from Wanderer’s Troupe is a great option in a Melt Team. Equipping four (4) pieces of this artifact will also further enhance Ganyu‘s Charged Attacks.
As for her artifact stat priority, we recommend the following:
- Sands – ATK%
- Goblet – Cryo DMG Bonus
- Circlet – CRIT Damage or CRIT Rate depending on which one you need
Artifact substats should focus on ATK%, CRIT DMG, CRIT Rate, and Energy Recharge (Note: ER is important for a Sub-DPS Ganyu).
That’s everything you need to know about building Ganyu! We hope that our recommendations will help you along the way.
Genshin Impact is an action role-playing game developed by miHoyo, also known as HoYoverse. The game is available on PC, PS4, PS5, iOS, and Android, while a release on Nintendo Switch is currently in the works.
