The best Genshin Impact Layla build

The best Genshin Impact Layla build focuses on boosting her HP so she can create a stronger shield with her skill and deal more damage with her Shooting Star projectiles. There aren't many decent shielders in Genshin, but they are some of the best characters in the game⁠—merely having Zhongli in your party dropping a shield every now and then can completely negate the damage you take in a battle.

But in no-spend terms, Diona is the only good shielder who's available to those who don't want to wish on five-star characters. Enter Layla. This four-star sword user is set to be a powerful support, with shields that scale on her max HP, as well as Cryo projectiles that fire at enemies when you collect enough Night Stars.

Considering these are granted every few seconds, and when a character with the shield uses an elemental skill, this makes her a good support for damage-dealers, especially if you want to cause Cryo reactions. She isn't out just yet, but here's our best theory-crafted Genshin Impact Layla build, as well as what ascension materials you'll need.

The best Genshin Impact Layla build

Layla is best used as a support character, creating a Curtain of Slumber Cryo shield with her skill with damage absorption that scales from her max HP. This shield creates a Night Star every 1.5 seconds, or two when a character protected by it uses their elemental skill. When you reach four, Shooting Stars will fire out and home on enemies, dealing Cryo damage.

Once you unlock her 'Sweet Slumber Undisturbed' passive, Shooting Stars gain damage based on 1.5% of Layla's max HP. Her 'Like Nascent Light' passive also grants 6% increased shield strength whenever a Night Star is gained, stacking up to four times. As you'd expect, this makes building HP important for Layla if you want to make the most of her Shooting Stars and shields.

• Weapon: Key of Khaj-Nisjut, Freedom Sworn, or Sacrificial Sword

The best weapon for Layla is the five-star Key of Khaj-Nisjut sword. This weapon grants bonus HP as a substat, as well as a 20% HP increase. When you hit an enemy with an elemental skill, you gain the Grand Hymn effect for 20 seconds, boosting elemental mastery by 0.12% of the wielder's max HP, stacking up to three times. At three stacks, party members' elemental mastery is also buffed by 0.2% of the wielder's max HP for 20 seconds.

This allows Layla to cause stronger elemental reactions, while also buffing reactions for her party. It also grants her a hefty increase in HP, which helps to strengthen her shields and the damage dealt by her Shooting Stars. Another five-star alternative is Freedom Sworn. This sword buffs elemental mastery, damage, and causes a character to gain a Sigil of Rebellion when they trigger a reaction. Once you have two, all party members will gain 12% increased normal, charged, and plunging attack damage, as well as 20% increased attack for 12 seconds. This lets Layla support the rest of her party in dealing damage.

In terms of no-spend options, Sacrificial Sword would offer energy recharge and a potential immediate skill reset, letting Layla gather max Night Stars quicker, and Amenoma Kageuchi could help her recharge her burst faster by using her elemental skill and gaining succession seeds.

• Artifact: (2) Tenacity of the Milileth (2) Blizzard Strayer

Tenacity of the Millelith is a decent set for Layla. Two-pieces increase max HP by 20%, and so too the strength of her shields and Shooting Stars. You could go with more of the same, since four-pieces buff shield strength by 30% and party members' attack by 20% for three seconds when you use an elemental skill. Either that, or you might add two pieces of Blizzard Strayer, buffing Cryo damage by 15%, which would strengthen Layla's Shooting Stars even more.

For stats, you'll want to prioritise HP, but then also elemental mastery, energy recharge, and attack. You'll also want a Cryo damage bonus artifact if you can get one. Whether you build crit rate and crit damage is up to you, but if you're using Layla primarily for shields and Shooting Stars, then HP is the most important stat.

Genshin Impact Layla banner

While Layla doesn't have her own dedicated banner⁠—since she's a four-star⁠—you can find her on Tartaglia's Farewell to Snezhnaya banner, or Yae Miko's Everbloom Violet, both of which release on November 18. Layla is a featured four-star on both banners, alongside Thoma and Heizou. If you don't manage to grab her, she should be added to the Wanderlust  Invocation pool in the next version, though your chances of getting her there are far slimmer due to its number of characters. 

Genshin Impact Layla ascension materials

Character

Here's what you'll need in order to ascend Layla to max level: 

• Shivada Jade (One sliver, nine fragments, nine chunks, six gemstones)
• 46 Perpetual Caliber
• 168 Nilotpala Lotus
• Samachurl scrolls (18 divining, 30 sealed, 36 forbidden)
• 420,000 mora

You can get Shivada Jade from all Cryo bosses, but in this case you should fight the Aeonblight Drake boss in Sumeru, since it also gives you the Perpetual Caliber materials that you need. The Nilotpala Lotus is found in water sources across Sumeru, but particularly around Sumeru City. 

Samachurl scrolls are dropped by Samachurls of different world levels, who you may know as the Hilichurl enemies that wield staffs and chant. Finally, you'll need a lot of mora. If you're short on money, you can always farm the Blossoms of Wealth in every region, though I recommend using Condensed Resin to double the rewards if you do. 

Talent 

To ascend one of Layla's talents you'll need:

• Ingenuity scrolls (3 teachings, 21 guides, 38 philosophies)
• Samachurl scrolls (6 divining, 22 sealed, 31 forbidden)
• Six Mirror of Mushin
• One Crown of Insight
• 1,653,000 mora

Ingenuity scrolls come from the Steeple of Ignorance domain on Tuesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. As mentioned above, Samachurl scrolls are dropped by the staff-wielding hilichurls of various world levels. The Mirror of Mushin is a new material from the weekly Shouki no Kami boss in the trounce domain, though it can be crafted using any of its others and Dream Solvent.

Finally, the Crown of Insight is a rare material that comes from select seasonal events, but you can also get a limited number by upgrading the Frostbearing Tree in Dragonspine, the Lumenstone Adjuvant gadget in the Chasm, the Sacred Sakura in Inazuma, or the Tree of Dreams in Sumeru. The best way to get lots of mora is to farm Blossoms of Wealth.