The best builds for Ayato in Genshin Impact
Genshin Impact Ayato build guide: Cut down foes with this Hydro swordsman.
Looking for a decent Genshin Impact Ayato build? Ayaka's big brother, and head of the Kamisato Clan, Ayato Kamisato, has finally arrived in Teyvat, and he seems pretty darn powerful. His speedy Shunsuiken normal attacks let him slash away foes while gaining increased damage from his Namisen effect and his burst. Throw Yun Jin's normal attack boost into the mix, too, and he'll likely be terrifying.
But with the Ruin Serpent boss, and a whole new underground region to explode, perhaps having a powerful character is no bad thing. Venti's banner is also back for a while before Ayaka returns in the second half of the version, which is presumably when the Irodori Festival will also kick off.
Still, if you're looking for a Genshin Impact Ayato build, I'll walk you through a top tier setup that makes the most of his Shunsuiken attacks. I'll also cover his abilities, passives, constellations, and what materials to gather to get him ascended.
Builds
The best Genshin Impact Ayato build
Ayato's main strengths are his fast-hitting Shunsuiken normal attacks, as well as his Namisen stacks based on his HP, and his Suiyuu burst. In this sense, a good Ayato build focuses on HP and crits, to maximize the damage of those quick attacks, and energy recharge, so he can use his burst buff frequently.
Shunsuiken DPS
- Weapon: Haran Geppaku Futsu
The new five-star sword, Haran Geppaku Futsu, is the ideal choice for Ayato. It boosts crit rate, elemental damage, and adds a stackable called Wavespikes. When nearby party members use elemental skills, the wielder will gain one out of a maximum of two stacks. Then when Ayato uses his elemental skill, each stack will be consumed to buff his normal attack damage by 20% for eight seconds.
As you'd imagine, this grants a great buff to Ayato's Shunsuiken attacks when he enters his skill state. Another five-star alternative is the Primordial Jade Cutter. This sword also boosts crit rate, HP, and provides an attack bonus based on 1.2% of the wielder's max HP. This synergises very well with the Namisen effect, which also scales damage from max HP.
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- Artifact: (4) Echoes of an Offering
The new Echoes of an Offering set that you can get in the Chasm's Lost Valley domain is made for Ayato. For the two-piece, it buffs attack by 18%, and the four-piece adds the Valley Rite effect. Every time you hit an opponent with a normal attack, which Ayato does a lot, there is a 36% chance this will trigger, increasing attack damage for that instance by 70% of attack. If it doesn't trigger, it has a 20% increased chance of happening on the next attack. Considering how fast Ayato hits, this set is well suited for him
For stats, you'll want to prioritise HP, crit rate, crit damage, attack, and also a little energy recharge. Ayato's passive Michiyuku Hagestu means that when he's off the field, he'll regenerate two energy every second if he has below 40. But even with this talent, he has an expensive burst, so if you want to use its buff, you should definitely throw some energy recharge in there. A Hydro damage bonus artifact would also be great if you're lucky enough to land one.
How to unlock
How to get Ayato in Genshin Impact
Ayato is currently available as part of Genshin Impact 2.6's first set of banners. He'll be around for the next few weeks, until about April 20, when the Ayaka banner will take over. So, if you want to wish for him, be sure to do it before then. The featured four-star characters on his banner are Yun Jin, Sucrose, and Xiangling.
Abilities
Ayato's abilities
Here are Ayato's abilities, constellations, and passive talents:
Normal attack | Perform up to five rapid strikes. |
Charged attack | Consumes a certain amount of stamina to dash forward and perform an iai. |
Plunging attack | Plunges to the ground to perform AoE damage on impact. |
Kamisator Art - Kyouka | Ayato enters his Takimeguri Kanka state, leaving a watery illusion that explodes after a short duration, dealing Hydro AoE damage. |
Takimeguri Kanka | Ayato's normal attacks are converted to AoE Hydro Shunsuiken slashes. After a Shunsuiken attack hits an opponent, it grants Ayato the Namisen effect, increasing its damage based on Ayato's max HP. The max number of Namisen stacks is four, and this effect is dispelled when the state ends or is ended by the player. Charged and plunging attacks are no longer possible in this state, but Ayato's resistance to interruption is boosted. |
Kamisato Art - Suiyuu | Ayato creates an AoE where Bloomwater Blades rain down to attack opponents, dealing Hydro damage. Characters in this AoE also receive increased normal attack damage. |
Kamisato Art - Daily Cooking | When Ayato cooks a dish perfectly, he has an 18% chance to receive an additional "Suspicious" dish of the same type. |
Kamisato Art - Mine Wo Matoishi Kiyotaki | After Kyouka is used, Ayato will gain two Namisen stacks. When the water illusion it creates explodes, Ayato will gain a Namisen effect equal to max stacks. |
Kamisato Art - Michiyuku Migetsu | If Ayato is not on the field and his energy is below 40, he will regenerate 2 energy every second. |
Kyouka Fuushi | Shunsuiken damage is increased by 40% against opponents with 50% HP or less. |
World Source | Namisen's maximum stack count is increased by five. When Kamisato Ayato has at least three Namisen stacks, his max HP is increased by 50%. |
To Admire the Flowers | Increases the level of Kyouka by three. Maximum upgrade level is 15. |
Endless Flow | After using Suiyuu, all nearby members have 15% increased normal attack speed for 15 seconds. |
Bansui Ichiro | Increases the level of Suiyuu by three. Max upgrade level is 15. |
Boundless Origin | After using Kyouka, Ayato's next Shunsuiken attack creates two extra Shunsuiken attacks, each one dealing 450% of Ayato's attack as damage. Both of these Shunsuiken attacks are not affected by Namisen. |
Ascension Materials
Ayato's Ascension materials
Character
To level up Ayato, you're going to need Varunada Lazurite and Dews of Repudiation, both of which you can get from the Hydro Hypostasis boss on Watatsumi Island. You'll also need two items from the world:
- Sakura Blooms
- Handguard materials
Sakura Blooms can be gathered across Narukami Island and Mt. Yougou using Electro characters. Handguard materials are dropped by Nobushi enemies of different world levels across Inazuma.
Talent
There are four talent ascension materials you'll need for Ayato:
- Handguard materials
- Elegance scrolls
- Mudra of the Malefic General
- Crown of Insight
As mentioned, Handguard materials come from Nobushi enemies in Inazuma. Elegance Scrolls are available from the Violet Court domain on Tuesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. Mudra of the Malefic General is a possible reward from the Guardian of Eternity weekly boss. Finally, the Crown of Insight is a seasonal event reward, or comes from upgrading the Sacred Sakura in Inazuma, the Frostbearing Tree in Dragonspine, or the new Lumenstone Adjuvant in The Chasm.
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Sean's first PC games were Full Throttle and Total Annihilation and his taste has stayed much the same since. When not scouring games for secrets or bashing his head against puzzles, you'll find him revisiting old Total War campaigns, agonizing over his Destiny 2 fit, or still trying to finish the Horus Heresy. Sean has also written for EDGE, Eurogamer, PCGamesN, Wireframe, EGMNOW, and Inverse.