The Best Yelan DPS Build in Genshin Impact: Weapons, Artifacts, and Talents

Making Yelan the best DPS that she can be in Genshin Impact requires the right build. And though there are numerous options available, what is optimal can be boiled down to a few selections of artifact sets and weapons. Before her current-day release following the announcement for the 2.7 patch update, the 5-star hydro bow user’s reputation preceded her due to the similarities that she shares with Xingqiu, a character kit built with the capability of afflicting hydro and doing considerable off-field damage numbers. This guide will cover the ways to make her a force to be reckoned with.

Weapons to pick from for a Yelan DPS Build in Genshin

The first thing of note is that Yelan’s Elemental Skill and Burst only scales with HP%, so bows that boost or scale with attack percentage won’t help to bolster her damage on or off the field. This is a double-edged sword in nature due to limiting the selection of weapons that she can efficiently employ. A potential list of bows that can be considered is as follows:

5-Star Bows

• Aqua Simulacra: Provides crit damage as a secondary stat while offering HP% and damage increase as a passive. A bow that few characters outside of Yelan can utilize well due to strengthening all of her desired attributes. On the other hand, it might be difficult to acquire it from the event weapon banner.
• Skyward Harp: A good stat stick that offers both crit rate and crit damage. A fair option if players can cover the other stats that Yelan wants as a character, namely HP% and Energy Recharge.
• Elegy for the End: This limited banner weapon provides energy recharge as a secondary stat, meaning Yelan can get her Elemental Burst back more often. Alongside the Elemental Mastery provided by the Weapon Passive, this makes it an acceptable option to consider for players looking to run Yelan in a more supporting capacity in Elemental Reaction teams.

4-Star Bows

• Favonius Warbow: The energy recharge secondary stat combined with the energy regenerating weapon passive means that players won’t have to worry about Yelan getting her Elemental Burst back as soon as it is off cooldown. This bow does not boost damage and requires the player to crit.
• Sacrificial Bow: Similar to the Favonius Warbow in that it is a bow that helps energy recovery, the extra cast of skill means that Yelan can use her Elemental skills more, helping with getting her more energy particles.
• Stringless: This Elemental Mastery Bow is good for boosting damage in general, but fails to address the HP% and energy recharge that Yelan might require.

Artifact sets and stats to consider

Due to her character kit not scaling with attack percentage, the amount of stats wanted by Yelan lessens somewhat. As a character whose bread and butter relies on her Elemental Burst having coverage and doing as much damage as possible, the stat that she wants includes HP%, Crit Rate, Crit Damage, Hydro Damage Bonus, and Energy Recharge. As for artifact set bonuses to consider, some of the main ones to consider include:

4-piece Emblem of Severed Fate

• Good in terms of providing Yelan with energy recharge and giving her Elemental Burst more damage. Making the most out of the 4-piece effect requires the player to stack energy recharge on Yelan, which isn’t a bad thing due to wanting consistent coverage from her Burst. This might seem unnecessary in a team with multiple hydro characters, however.

A mix and match between 2-piece Heart of Depth, 2-piece Emblem of Severed Fate, and 2-piece Noblesse Oblige

• Good strictly from a numeral standpoint, as all of the 2-piece effects would help to provide her with stats that would be desirable, with the above three giving either Hydro Damage Bonus, Energy Recharge, or Elemental Burst Damage.

4-piece Heart of Depth

• The set to consider for players who want Yelan to take on the role of a hybrid damage dealer that can choose to stay on the field. The 4-piece effect will give her Breakthrough Barbs extra damage, supplementing the usage of her Elemental Skill and Elemental Burst. This set becomes truly devasting when a constellation 6 Yelan is at play, but an unlikely phenomenon for a player who isn’t Gacha heavy.

Talent Priorities

It is generally advisable to level up Yelan’s Elemental Burst, followed by Elemental Skill and then her Normal/Charged Attack. This leveling order is determined by how frequently you would use those aspects of her mechanics, and the parts of her kit that you want to squeeze the most damage out of. Due to the off-field nature of Yelan’s Elemental Burst, prioritizing that would lead to her providing substantial firepower and being a vital part of quick-switch teams.

The above should cover all of the details surrounding Yelan and how to build her to dish out good DPS in Genshin Impact. And to those who have just gotten her, here is an article outlining all the required materials for ascending and leveling up the character.

Genshin Impact is available now on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Android, and iOS.