Xinyan Genshin Impact Character Guide – Best Build, Weapons, Artifacts, and Teams

TL;DR

Xinyan is a 4-star Pyro Claymore character from Liyue in Genshin Impact.
She can be played as a Physical DPS, Burst Sub-DPS, or Shield Support.
Her best weapons are Redhorn Stonethresher, Wolf’s Gravestone, and Prototype Archaic.
Best artifact combos: 2-piece Pale Flame + 2-piece Bloodstained Chivalry for DPS, or 4-piece Emblem of Severed Fate for burst support.
Her strongest team pairs her with Eula, Fischl, and Bennett.
C2 is her most important constellation — it guarantees a CRIT on her Elemental Burst.
Ascension uses Agnidus Agate, Violetgrass, and Everflame Seeds.

Table of Contents

Who Is Xinyan in Genshin Impact?

Xinyan is a 4-star Pyro character who wields a Claymore. She is from Liyue and is known as the region’s only rock ‘n’ roll musician. Born into a humble background, Xinyan taught herself how to play music, make her own stage costumes, and even build her own stage setups. Her guitar is a custom lyre she modified herself, inspired by a Fontaine rock instrument.

She goes by the title Blazing Riff and belongs to a group called The Red Strings. Her birthday is October 16, and her constellation is Fila Ignium. She stands about 157 cm tall and is around 16 to 17 years old. In combat, she brings fire, energy, and a shield made of her audience’s passion.

If you’re building other Liyue characters or new Snezhnaya arrivals, you may also want to check out guides for characters like Xinyan’s constellation breakdown or the Xinyan ascension and talent materials page for full farming details.

You can play Genshin Impact for free on PC via the official site, Android, iOS, PlayStation, and Epic Games Store. An Xbox version is also available.

Xinyan

Xinyan’s Skills and Abilities

Normal Attack: Dance on Fire

Xinyan performs up to 4 consecutive strikes with her claymore. Her Charged Attack drains Stamina over time to spin continuously before ending with a powerful slash. Her Plunge Attack drops from mid-air to deal AoE damage on impact.

Elemental Skill: Sweeping Fervor

Xinyan swings her instrument and deals Pyro damage to nearby enemies. She then creates a shield that scales based on her DEF stat. The shield level depends on how many enemies she hits:

0–1 enemy hit: Shield Level 1 – Ad Lib (no extra effect)
2 enemies hit: Shield Level 2 – Lead-In (stronger absorption)
3 or more enemies hit: Shield Level 3 – Rave (deals ongoing Pyro DMG to nearby enemies)

When activated, the shield briefly infuses Xinyan with Pyro and has 250% absorption effectiveness against Pyro damage. This makes her an excellent off-field Pyro applier as well as a situational shielder.

Elemental Burst: Riff Revolution

Xinyan launches nearby enemies into the air and deals Physical damage to them. The impact triggers Pyro explosions around her. This burst deals great single-instance Physical damage, especially at C2, where the initial hit always scores a critical hit.

Passive Talents

A1 – “The Show Goes On, Even Without an Audience…”: Reduces the number of enemies needed to trigger each Shield Level by one. This means Xinyan only needs to hit 2 enemies for Shield Level 3 instead of 3.
A4 – “…Now That’s Rock ‘N’ Roll!”: Characters protected by Xinyan’s shield gain a 15% Physical DMG bonus. This single passive is the core reason she fits into Physical DPS teams.
Utility Passive – Rockin’ in a Flaming World: When Xinyan achieves a Perfect Cook on a DEF-boosting dish, she has a 12% chance to get double the result. Useful for saving ingredients.

Xinyan Constellations

Xinyan’s constellations gradually shift her from a simple off-field support into a much stronger character. Here is a breakdown:

C1 – Fatal Acceleration: On a CRIT Hit, Xinyan’s Normal and Charged Attack speed increases by 12% for 5 seconds. Can trigger once every 5 seconds.
C2 – Impromptu Opening: Riff Revolution’s Physical damage always scores a CRIT hit. It also forms a Level 3 shield when the burst is cast. This is her most important constellation and a huge quality-of-life upgrade.
C3 – Double Time: Increases Sweeping Fervor’s skill level by 3.
C4 – Wildfire Rhythm: Sweeping Fervor’s swing reduces enemies’ Physical RES by 15% for 12 seconds. This is excellent for Physical DPS teams.
C5 – Screamin’ for an Encore: Increases Riff Revolution’s burst level by 3.
C6 – Rockin’ Forever: Reduces Charged Attack Stamina consumption by 30%. Charged Attacks also gain an ATK bonus equal to 50% of Xinyan’s DEF, making her viable as a spin-to-win DPS at full constellation.

Recommended constellation to aim for: C2 is the most impactful stop. It improves both her burst damage and her shielding consistency. C4 is worth getting if you want to use her in a Physical DPS team.

Best Weapons for Xinyan in Genshin Impact

Xinyan’s weapon choice depends on what role you want her to play. Here are the best options across different tiers:

Top Picks for Physical DPS

Redhorn Stonethresher (5-star): This is her best weapon overall. It raises DEF, and boosts Normal and Charged Attack damage based on a percentage of DEF. Perfect for a build that uses both ATK and DEF.
Wolf’s Gravestone (5-star): Massive ATK boost with a passive that further raises ATK for the whole team. Great for a pure ATK-focused burst build.
Song of Broken Pines (5-star): Provides Physical DMG bonus and increases ATK SPD. Strong for an on-field DPS build.
Serpent’s Spine (4-star, Battle Pass): Stacks CRIT Rate and deals more damage the longer Xinyan stays on the field. A solid option if you have the Battle Pass.

Best Free-to-Play Options

Prototype Archaic (4-star, Craftable): One of the best F2P choices. Its passive deals AoE ATK damage on hit, and the ATK substat is very useful.
Snow-Tombed Starsilver (4-star, Craftable): Provides Physical DMG bonus and is easy to craft. A reliable pick for Physical Xinyan builds.

Best Weapon for Burst Support

Sacrificial Greatsword (4-star): Helps with Energy Recharge and has a chance to reset Xinyan’s skill cooldown, which gives more consistent shield uptime before C2.
Skyward Pride (5-star): Provides Energy Recharge and a passive that deals vacuum DMG after using burst. Works well in a Burst Support role.

For a detailed weapon breakdown, check out the best weapons for Xinyan guide on GamingProMax.

Best Artifacts for Xinyan in Genshin Impact

Physical DPS Build

The best artifact setup for Xinyan as a Physical DPS is the 2-piece Pale Flame + 2-piece Bloodstained Chivalry combo. Each set gives 25% Physical DMG Bonus, totaling 50% when combined. This is her most efficient artifact setup for raw damage.

On-Field DPS with Furina

If you pair Xinyan with Furina, you can run a 4-piece Marechaussee Hunter set. Furina’s ability to drain HP activates this set’s stacks passively, raising Xinyan’s CRIT Rate significantly.

Burst Support Build

For a burst-focused support role, the 4-piece Emblem of Severed Fate is the best choice. It increases Energy Recharge and boosts Elemental Burst DMG based on ER. This makes her burst hit harder and keeps it available more often.

Shield Support Build

If you want to focus purely on shielding, run 4-piece Tenacity of the Millelith. When her Elemental Skill hits enemies, it increases the ATK of all party members by 20% and boosts shield strength. This only works well when you can hit at least one enemy consistently.

Artifact Main Stats to Aim For

Sands: ATK% (for DPS) or DEF% (for shields)
Goblet: Physical DMG Bonus%
Circlet: CRIT Rate% or CRIT DMG%
Sub-stats to prioritize: CRIT Rate, CRIT DMG, ATK%, Energy Recharge

Best Teams for Xinyan in Genshin Impact

Best Team: Eula Physical Team

This is Xinyan’s strongest team by a significant margin. The lineup looks like this:

Eula – Main Physical DPS
Xinyan – Shield support with Physical DMG buff
Fischl or Raiden Shogun – Off-field Electro for Superconduct
Bennett – Healing, ATK buff, and Pyro Resonance with Xinyan

Superconduct is the key reaction here. When Cryo (from Eula) and Electro (from Fischl or Raiden) meet, they trigger Superconduct, which lowers enemy Physical resistance by 40% for 12 seconds. Combined with Xinyan’s A4 passive giving a 15% Physical DMG buff, Eula’s burst numbers get very high. Bennett keeps everyone healthy and his burst zone adds even more ATK. Check the full Xinyan team comp guide for more lineup options.

Budget Team: Razor Physical Team

Not everyone has Eula. Razor is an excellent and accessible substitute. Here’s the team:

Razor – Main DPS, deals heavy Physical damage
Xinyan – Shield support and Physical DMG buff
Kaeya or Rosaria – Cryo application for Superconduct
Bennett or Diona – Healing and utility

Razor benefits greatly from Superconduct and Xinyan’s passive buff. This team is fully free-to-play friendly and can handle most content in the game.

Pyro Resonance Support Team

Xinyan can also slot into Pyro-centric teams where she contributes Pyro Resonance, which raises the whole party’s ATK by 25%. This works well with:

Hu Tao – Xinyan provides defensive support so Hu Tao can stay below 50% HP safely for her damage boost
Lyney – Benefits from having only Pyro party members; Xinyan and Bennett round out the team
Xiangling – A classic off-field Pyro DPS that benefits from Xinyan’s shielding and Pyro Resonance

You can also pair Xinyan with other strong units. She works alongside Bennett in almost any Pyro team. If you’re building a reaction-based lineup, consider reviewing how she synergizes with Fischl or Beidou for off-field Electro coverage.

Xinyan Ascension Materials

To fully ascend Xinyan to Level 90, you will need the following materials:

Boss Drop

Everflame Seeds – Dropped by the Pyro Regisvine boss in Liyue. You spend 40 Original Resin per run to collect these.

Gem Type

Agnidus Agate Sliver, Fragment, Chunk, and Gemstone – The Pyro gem used for her ascension. Can drop from Pyro bosses and weekly bosses.

Local Specialty

Violetgrass (168 total needed) – A purple flower that grows on cliffsides across Liyue. You can also buy 5 at a time every 3 days from Verr Goldet at Wangshu Inn or Herbalist Gui at Bubu Pharmacy in Liyue Harbor. Each costs 1,000 Mora. They can also be grown in the Serenitea Pot.

Enemy Drops

Treasure Hoarder Insignia
Silver Raven Insignia
Golden Raven Insignia

All three are dropped by Treasure Hoarder enemies found throughout Liyue and other regions.

Ascension Stat

Starting from her second ascension, Xinyan gains ATK% as her bonus stat. At full ascension, she receives a total of 24% bonus ATK from her ascension stat alone.

Xinyan Talent Materials

To level up Xinyan’s talents, you will need the following:

Gold Talent Books: Teachings, Guide, and Philosophies of Gold – farmed from the Taishan Mansion domain on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays
Treasure Hoarder Insignias (all three tiers) – enemy drops
Dvalin’s Sigh – weekly boss material from the Stormterror Dvalin challenge
Crown of Insight – required to max a talent to Level 10 (limited resource)

Talent Priority

Elemental Burst first – Riff Revolution is her most important talent for burst-focused builds
Normal Attack second – If running her as an on-field Physical DPS
Elemental Skill third – Leveling this improves shield strength and Pyro damage ticks

Xinyan’s Playstyle Tips

Xinyan works differently depending on her role. Here are some practical tips to get the most out of her:

Hit 3 enemies with her skill to get Shield Level 3. With A1 unlocked, you only need to hit 2 enemies. This is key because Level 3 deals continuous Pyro DMG to nearby foes and gives the best shield absorption.
Use her as a quickswap character if you are running her as support. Swap in, use her skill to apply Pyro and put up the shield, then swap back to your DPS.
At C2, her burst always crits. This means you should always use her burst before swapping to your main DPS in Physical teams to get the damage spike and the guaranteed shield.
Keep Energy Recharge in check. Xinyan needs a fair amount of ER to keep her burst available, especially in teams where she is not on the field long. Around 160–180% ER is a good target for support builds.
Pair her with Bennett whenever possible. He activates Pyro Resonance with her, boosts team ATK, and heals everyone inside his burst zone.

Xinyan Lore and Background

Xinyan grew up in a poor family in Liyue. From a young age, she was drawn to singing and music. She did not show natural talent in the activities traditionally expected of girls in Liyue, but over time she taught herself to cook, sew, embroider, do woodwork, and much more. Everything she needed for her performances — the music, the stage, the costumes — she made herself.

Rock ‘n’ roll came to Liyue from Fontaine, and Xinyan fell in love with the sound immediately. She is the only rock musician in all of Liyue Harbor and she earns her audience slowly but surely. Many locals find her music too loud or unconventional, but she keeps performing anyway, believing rock ‘n’ roll has the power to move people’s hearts.

Her Vision came to her during one of these early performances. She had begun experimenting with fire and explosions in her shows to connect emotionally with the crowd, and a Pyro Vision appeared — as if the gods themselves believed in her new art form. She dashed down the mountain and held her very first real rock ‘n’ roll concert in Liyue Harbor that same night.

Xinyan is close friends with Xiangling and Yun Jin, who once visited her for her birthday. She is loyal, energetic, and fiercely independent. She does not care about fitting in — she only cares about the music and the people it reaches.

How to Get Xinyan

Xinyan is available on the Standard Wish banner, Wanderlust Invocation, permanently. She is not a limited character, so you can pull her on any Standard or Event Wish at any time. She has appeared on multiple rate-up event banners over the years, including Lantern Rite and Mualani’s banner in Version 5.0.

She can also sometimes be obtained through special events that reward free 4-star characters. Keep an eye on limited-time events if you want to grab her without spending Primogems.

Is Xinyan Worth Building in 2025?

Xinyan is one of the more underrated 4-star characters in Genshin Impact. She is not a top-tier meta pick, but she has a clear role and does it reasonably well. Her A4 passive — the 15% Physical DMG buff — is genuinely useful for Physical DPS teams, especially alongside Eula or Razor.

Her biggest limitation is split-scaling. Her shield strength scales with DEF, but her burst and normal attacks scale with ATK. This makes it hard to maximize both at the same time. You have to choose one focus for your build. For most players, the ATK-focused burst build at C2 is the sweet spot.

If you do not have a strong shielder yet and need Pyro for resonance, Xinyan is a solid option. She is especially easy to constellation since she is on the Standard banner. Getting her to C2 or C4 turns her from a modest support into a genuinely useful team member.

For players exploring Snezhnaya content and new characters, do not miss guides for Alyosha, Odette, and related materials like the Alyosha ascension and talent materials and Odette ascension and talent materials to keep your roster growing.

Quick Summary – Xinyan at a Glance

Rarity: 4-Star
Element: Pyro
Weapon: Claymore
Region: Liyue
Role: Physical DPS / Burst Sub-DPS / Shield Support
Best Weapon: Redhorn Stonethresher
Best Artifacts: 2pc Pale Flame + 2pc Bloodstained Chivalry
Best Team: Eula, Fischl/Raiden, Bennett
Key Constellation: C2 – Impromptu Opening
Ascension Material: Violetgrass, Everflame Seeds, Agnidus Agate
Talent Books: Gold series (Taishan Mansion)