Dedicated protector Candace is a four-star Hydro Polearm character who can also sometimes wield a shield while in battle. She has quite a powerful skillset for being a four-star character and is certainly one of the best four-star support characters that players can recruit in Genshin Impact.
Candace is utterly devoted to her eternal role as the guardian of Aaru Village. While most people prefer to take a break by engaging in various fun hobbies after working tirelessly, Candace’s favorite pastime is wandering around the village she protects and seeing that everything is at peace. Thus, she sort of never actually takes a break since even when she is taking a break, she is still watching over the village.
Related: Genshin Impact tier list: Best and worst characters ranked
Since she was first unveiled, Candace has been a rather controversial character among the Genshin community. Most players get excited by any new character that arrives in the expansive world of Teyvat, but Candace was divisive. This is due to fans raising their concerns that miHoYo whitewashed Candace since they believe that miHoYo drew inspiration from African and Nubian women in all aspects of creating Candace but then chose to lighten her skin tone.
Candace is an excellent support character but also makes a solid primary or secondary damage dealer. Thus, players should primarily focus on building her for a supporting role because she will function best when built for this role.
Best weapons for Candace in Genshin Impact
Most polearms are built to amplify damage-dealing abilities. It is thus hard to improve Candace’s support aspects through the weapon she is equipped with. Players should instead primarily focus on her damage output since this is generally all they can do when choosing her weapon.
Staff of Homa
One of Genshin’s best polearms is the Staff of Homa and it makes an excellent choice for amplifying Candace’s abilities. The “Reckless Cinnabar” ability of this weapon grants the wielder a 20 percent health point increase.
This polearm also applies an attack bonus that is based on 0.8 percent of the wielder’s maximum health points. When the character that is wielding this weapon drops below 50 percent of their health points, the attack bonus is then further increased by another one percent of their health points.
Engulfing Lightning
Energy recharge is one of the best aspects to focus on when building Candace, and Engulfing Lightning is a weapon that centers around this aspect. Its “Timeless Dream: Eternal Stove” ability increases attack by 28 percent of energy recharge beyond the base 100 percent.
Players can gain up to an 80 percent attack bonus through this ability. This weapon also grants 30 percent energy recharge for 12 seconds following an elemental burst.
Skyward Spine
This weapon’s “Black Wing” ability increases the wielder’s critical rate by eight percent and normal attack speed by 12 percent. Normal and charged attacks that hit opponents also have a 50 percent chance of activating a vacuum blade that then deals 40 percent of attack as damage within a small area of effect. This can only happen once every two seconds.
Favonius Lance
For amplifying Candace’s support abilities, the Favonius Lance is a powerful four-star option. The “Windfall” ability causes all critical hits to have a 60 percent chance of generating some elemental particles that will then regenerate six energy for the character this set is equipped to. This may only occur once every 12 seconds.
The Catch
This four-star polearm has the “Shanty” ability that increases elemental burst damage by 16 percent and elemental burst critical rate by six percent. It is also easily obtainable for any Genshin player through trading in fish with the Inazuma Fishing Association.
Best artifacts for Candace in Genshin Impact
The best artifacts for Candace depend on the role that you most want her to function in. Thus, it can be a good idea to put her on the team you want her to battle within and change her artifacts around until you find a solid build that functions in a manner that suits both her and her teammates.
Emblem of Severed Fate
One of the best sets for Candace, both in the full four-piece set version or only the two-piece alongside another set, is Emblem of Severed Fate. The two-piece set increases energy recharge by 20 percent.
Equipping the full four-piece set increases elemental burst damage by 25 percent of energy recharge. Up to 75 percent bonus damage can be attained through this means.
Noblesse Oblige
The bulk of the damage that Candace can deal comes from her elemental abilities. Thus, equipping a set like Noblesse Oblige is a great idea for increasing her damage output. The two-piece set increases elemental burst damage by 20 percent.
The full four-piece set increases all party members’ attack by 20 percent for 12 seconds after an elemental burst has been used. This ability will not stack.
Heart of Depth
Players who are looking to increase Candace’s Hydro abilities may like the Heart of Depth set in either the two-piece or full four-piece set varieties. The two-piece set grants a simple but effective 15 percent Hydro damage bonus.
The four-piece set increases normal and charged attack damage by 30 percent for 15 seconds after an elemental skill has been used. Generally, it is a better idea to only equip the two-piece version of this set alongside another one to best maximize Candace’s potential.
Tenacity of the Millelith
A strong choice for Candace is equipping the two-piece version of Tenacity of the Millelith alongside another set, especially the two-piece Heart of Depth or the two-piece Emblem of Severed Fate. Combining artifacts from different sets can be a great way to build a character to precisely suit your needs for them within the team you are building them for.
The two-piece version of this set grants a 20 percent health point increase that is a strong choice for improving Candace’s support abilities. The full four-piece version of Tenacity of the Millelith should not be equipped to Candace as it will be nowhere near as effective as any other artifacts previously mentioned.
All Ascension Materials for Candace in Genshin Impact
Players will need to regularly take on a group of Sumeru foes to obtain a plethora of Faded Red Satin, Trimmed Red Silk, and Rich Red Brocade for Candace. Candace’s required Redcrest can only be found across the desert region of Sumeru.
Perhaps the most difficult part of ascending Candace will be taking on the Algorithm of Semi-Intransient Matrix of Overseer Network for Light Guiding Tetrahedron. The formidable foe within this challenge, found in the desert region of Sumeru, drops the necessary Light Guiding Tetrahedron.
Across all of Candace’s Ascension levels, players will need to gather 420,000 Mora, 46 Light Guiding Tetrahedron, one Varunada Lazurite Sliver, nine Varunada Lazurite Fragment, nine Varunada Lazurite Chunk, six Varunada Lazurite Gemstone, 168 Redcrest, 18 Faded Red Satin, 30 Trimmed Red Silk, and 36 Rich Red Brocade.
- Ascension to level one requires 20,000 Mora, one Varunada Lazurite Sliver, three Redcrest, and three Faded Red Satin.
- Ascension to level two requires 40,000 Mora, three Varunada Lazurite Fragment, two Light Guiding Tetrahedron, 10 Redcrest, and 15 Faded Red Satin.
- Ascension to level three requires 60,000 Mora, six Varunada Lazurite Fragment, four Light Guiding Tetrahedron, 20 Redcrest, and 12 Trimmed Red Silk.
- Ascension to level four requires 80,000 Mora, three Varunada Lazurite Chunk, eight Light Guiding Tetrahedron, 30 Redcrest, and 18 Trimmed Red Silk.
- Ascension to level five requires 100,000 Mora, six Varunada Lazurite Chunk, 12 Light Guiding Tetrahedron, 45 Redcrest, and 12 Rich Red Silk.
- Ascension to level six requires 120,000 Mora, six Varunada Lazurite Gemstone, 20 Light Guiding Tetrahedron, 60 Redcrest, and 24 Rich Red Silk.
All Talent Materials for Candace in Genshin Impact
As is always the case with every Genshin character, Candace also asks players to receive a plethora of one resource type for both her Ascension and Talent Materials. This material is all various levels of Faded Red Satin.
All required levels of Teachings of Admonition can be obtained from the Steeple of Ignorance Domain on Sundays, Mondays, and Thursdays. Players will also need to take on the Raiden Shogun in the End of the Oneiric Euthymia Trounce Domain for the needed Tears of the Calamitous God.
To fully raise all of Candace’s talents, players will need 1,652,500 Mora, six Faded Red Satin, 22 Trimmed Red Silk, 31 Rich Red Brocade, three Teachings of Admonition, 21 Guide to Admonition, 38 Philosophies of Admonition, six tears of the Calamitous God, and one Crown of Insight.
Candace is available as a four-star with an increased drop rate on the five-star Electro Polearm character Cyno’s “Twilight Arbiter” banner and on the five-star Anemo Bow character Venti’s rerun “Ballad in Goblets” banner. Both banners will run from Sept. 28 to Oct. 14.
The Hydro Poelarm character will be very easy to obtain during this time due to her increased drop rate and the guarantee to receive a four-star asset every 10 wishes. Once both banners come to an end, she will move to the massive pool of four-star characters and be quite difficult to obtain since she will be within a pool of almost 30 characters.
