The anti-social Xiao is one of the Liyue Adepti, well known as the “Conqueror of Demons” in Genshin Impact. Xiao is a 5-star Anemo and polearm-wielding character, and he uses a character ascension material (Juvenile Jade) that is acquired from the new world boss introduced in Genshin Impact Version 1.3 (the Geovishap). Xiao is a heavy damage dealer who doesn’t play well with others, but is more than capable of laying down a universe of hurt.
Genshin Impact Xiao Character and Build Breakdown
Below are listed Xiao’s full set of attacks and abilities, his passive talents, constellations, and finally all of his ascension and talent material requirements. Build recommendations, to include both suggested weapons and artifact sets, are in the center of this guide following Xiao’s constellations. If you’d like to see a full list of stats – such as damage numbers, percentages, etc. – check out Honey Hunter World, which was used as a source for this guide. You can find guides for other characters by following the link here to our complete Genshin Impact character list.
Xiao Attacks and Abilities
- Melee: Whirlwind Thrust
- Normal Attack: Perform up to 6 consecutive spear strike.
- Charged Attack: Consumes a certain amount of Stamina to perform an upward thrust.
- Plunging Attack: Plunges from mid-air to strike the ground below, damaging opponents along the path and dealing AoE damage upon impact. Xiao does not take damage from performing Plunging Attacks.
- Elemental Skill: Lemniscatic Wind Cycling
- Xiao lunges forward, dealing Anemo damage to opponents in his path.
- Can be used in mid-air.
- Starts with two charges.
- Elemental Burst: Bane of All Evil
- Xiao dons the Yaksha Mask that set gods and demons trembling millennia ago.
- Greatly increases Xiao’s jumping ability.
- Increases his attack AoE and attack damage.
- Converts attack damage into Anemo damage, which cannot be overridden by any other elemental infusion.
- In this state Xiao will continuously lose HP.
- The effects of this skill end when Xiao leaves the field.
- Xiao dons the Yaksha Mask that set gods and demons trembling millennia ago.
Xiao Passive Talents
- Conqueror of Evil: Tamer of Demons
- While under the effects of Bane of All Evil, all damage dealt by Xiao increases by 5%. Damage increases by a further 5% for every 3s the ability persists. The maximum damage bonus is 25%.
- Dissolution Eon: Heaven Fall
- Using Lemniscatic Wind Cycling increases the damage of subsequent uses of Lemniscatic Wind Cycling by 15%. This effect lasts for 7s, and has a maximum of 3 stacks. Gaining a new stack refreshes the effect’s duration.
- Transcension: Gravity Defier
- Decreases climbing stamina consumption for your own party members by 20%. Not stackable with passive talents that provide the same effect.
Xiao Constellations
- Dissolution Eon: Destroyer of Worlds
- Increases Lemniscatic Wind Cycling’s charges by 1.
- Annihilation Eon: Blossom of Kaleidos
- When in the party and not on the field, Xiao’s energy recharge is increases by 25%.
- Conquer of Evil: Wrath Deity
- Increases the level of Lemniscatic Wing Cycling by 3.
- Maximum upgrade level is 15.
- Transcension: Extinction of Suffering
- When Xiao’s HP falls below 50%, he gains a 100% defense bonus.
- Evolution Eon: Origin of Ignorance
- Increases the level of Bane of All Evil by 3
- Maximum upgrade level is 15
- Conqueror of Evil: Guardian Yaksha
- While under the effects of Bane of All Evil, hitting at least 2 opponents with Xiao’s Plunging Attack will immediately grant him 1 charge of Lemniscatic Wind Cycling, and for the next 1s, he may use Lemniscatic Wind Cycling while ignoring its CD.
Xiao Build Suggestions in Genshin Impact
Xiao is a greedy damage dealer in Genshin Impact, much like Razor. Because he’s an Anemo character it’s best to have him as a primary damage dealer, using other characters to setup potent Swirl elemental reactions. You’ll want to prioritize his Physical damage, since he’s a rapid striker, alongside Crit Hit and Crit Rate. Anemo damage isn’t entirely poor for Xiao, but the longer cooldowns on both his Elemental Skill and Elemental Burst pushes it down the priority list. If you embrace his Anemo damage you’ll want to focus on Energy Recharge, to more easily spam his Burst, Bane of All Evil.
The best 5-star for Xiao in Genshin Impact is the Primordial Jade Winged-Spear, a weapon seemingly designed with him in mind. It straight-up bolsters Attack with each hit up, only growing more powerful once you reach max stacks. The available 4-star weapons in Genshin Impact currently don’t click well with Xiao, though the Prototype Starglitter will work in a pinch. The 3-star Halberd is actually a decent weapon for Xiao (and it’s easier to refine it up to Rank 5), so if you have one try it out over the Prototype Starglitter.
- Primordial Jade Winged-Spear: On hit, increases Attack by 3.2% (up to 6%) for 6s. Max 7 stacks. This effect can only occur once every 0.3s. While in possession of the maximum possible stacks, damage dealt is increased by 12% (up to 24%). Secondary: Crit Rate.
- Prototype Starglitter: After using an Elemental Skill, increases Normal and Charged Attack damage by 8% (up to 16%) for 12s. Max 2 stacks. Secondary: Energy Recharge.
- Halberd: Normal Attacks deal an additional 160% (up to 320%) damage. Can only occur once every 10s. Secondary: Attack.
Xiao benefits best from the Gladiator’s Finale set in Genshin Impact, though you can build him with half that and half the Bloodstained Chivalry artifact set. Both boost Xiao’s damage, though the four-piece bonus to polearm damage from Gladiator’s Finale is applied to his attacks after his Elemental Burst converts his damage to Anemo. Go for full Gladiator’s Finale, using Bloodstained Chivalry as a filler set until then.
- Gladiator’s Finale (Elite Bosses and Weekly Bosses at World Level 2+)
- (2) ATK +18%.
- (4) If the wielder of this artifact set uses a Sword, Claymore or Polearm, increases their Normal Attack DMG by 35%.
- Bloodstained Chivalry (Clear Pool and Mountain Cavern)
- (2) Physical DMG +25%.
Xiao Character Ascension Materials
- Level 20
- 1x Vayuda Turquoise Sliver, 3x Qingxin, 3x Slime Condensate, 20000 Mora
- Level 40
- 3x Vayuda Turquoise Fragment, 2x Juvenile Jade, 10x Qingxin, 15x Slime Condensate, 40000 Mora
- Level 50
- 6x Vayuda Turquoise Fragment, 4x Juvenile Jade, 20x Qingxin, 12x Slime Secretions, 60000 Mora
- Level 60
- 3x Vayuda Turquoise Chunk, 8x Juvenile Jade, 30x Qingxin, 18x Slime Secretions, 80000 Mora
- Level 70
- 6x Vayuda Turquoise Chunk, 12x Juvenile Jade, 45x Qingxin, 12x Slime Concentrate, 100000 Mora
- Level 80
- 6x Vayuda Turquoise Gemstone, 20x Juvenile Jade, 60x Qingxin, 24x Slime Concentrate, 120000 Mora
Xiao Talent Level-Up Materials
- Level 2
- 3x Teachings of Prosperity, 6x Slime Condensate, 12500 Mora
- Level 3
- 2x Guide to Prosperity, 3x Slime Secretions, 17500 Mora
- Level 4
- 4x Guide to Prosperity, 4x Slime Secretions, 25000 Mora
- Level 5
- 6x Guide to Prosperity, 6x Slime Secretions, 30000 Mora
- Level 6
- 9x Guide to Prosperity, 9x Slime Secretions, 35000 Mora
- Level 7
- 4x Philosophies of Prosperity, 4x Slime Concentrate, 1x Shadow of the Warrior, 120000 Mora
- Level 8
- 6x Philosophies of Prosperity, 6x Slime Concentrate, 1x Shadow of the Warrior, 260000 Mora
- Level 9
- 12x Philosophies of Prosperity, 9x Slime Concentrate, 2x Shadow of the Warrior, 450000 Mora
- Level 10
- 16x Philosophies of Prosperity, 12x Slime Concentrate, 2x Shadow of the Warrior, 1x Crown of Insight, 700000 Mora
