The wealthiest man in all of Mondstadt is also the most impressive as Diluc is a true Pyro powerhouse in Genshin Impact. Diluc is one of only three five-star Claymore characters, who are the best damage dealers in all of Genshin Impact thanks to the massive weapon they wield, and his mighty skillset helps him reign supreme as one of Genshin’s best characters.
Other five-stars can be dragged down due to complex mechanics, but Diluc is able to always deliver damage effortlessly. He is dependable, powerful, and an all-around unstoppable Pyro force. Thus, in spite of the fact that Diluc was one of the first five-star characters released in Genshin, he remains one of the best.
The five-star Pyro Claymore character presents himself as a perfect, noble, and wealthy man. Many even view him as the ideal example of perfection, but underneath that facade is a fiery passion and sworn oath to protect Mondstadt at all costs.
Diluc wants to do what’s right no matter what, but this also means he might be willing to break a rule or two to get there. Kaeya, whom Diluc has a uniquely complex relationship with, has described them both as “anti-heroes with attitude problems.”
Related: Genshin Impact tier list: Best and worst characters, ranked
Diluc and Kaeya grew up as adoptive brothers after Diluc’s father took in Kaeya. The duo is extremely alike, and although their methods may be different, their end goals are almost always identical.
Although the duo was very close when they were younger, the pair have since fallen out and have a rather bitter and tense relationship when Genshin players meet them. Why exactly they no longer get along is a bit unclear, but seems to be related to the passing of their father and the manner in which he passed.
Although he is the owner of the highly successful Dawn Winery in Mondstadt and a dominant tycoon in the business, Diluc himself is ironically not a fan of alcohol. He finds that it clouds his overall judgment and isn’t fond of its taste.
The one factor that drags Diluc down in the eyes of many Genshin players is his lack of versatility. While many of the other best primary damage dealers in Genshin can also function in other roles, Diluc solely functions as a primary damage dealer.
However, he excels at this role and thus should not be overlooked as he is still one of the most capable forces in all of Genshin Impact.
Weapons
The weapon that players select for Diluc should be one that is built to amplify damage output. A powerful claymore will help Diluc’s Pyro skillset vanquish enemies easily while a weak one will barely get a spark going on the battlefield. Luckily, Genshin has lots of great options for him in both five-star and four-star varieties.
Wolf’s Gravestone
The best weapon for Diluc is the five-star Wolf’s Gravestone claymore. Its “Wolfish Tracker” ability increases attack by 20 percent.
Upon hitting an enemy, this effect also causes attacks against enemies who have less than 30 percent health to then grant a 40 percent increase to the entire party’s attack for 12 seconds. This ability may only occur once every 30 seconds.
Skyward Pride
This five-star claymore is a suitable option for Diluc because it will amplify his attack and damage abilities. The “Sky-ripping Dragon Spine” ability of this weapon increases all damage by eight percent.
After a normal attack, a charged attack, or an elemental burst, this weapon will also create a special vacuum blade that deals 80 percent of attack as damage to all foes it comes into contact with. This ability will last for either eight vacuum blades or 20 seconds, whichever of the two occurs first.
Serpent Spine
Players who have a healer on their team or ample amounts of food to spare may like the four-star Serpent Spine claymore. The “Wavesplitter” ability of this weapon lets the character that it is equipped to deal six percent more damage at the cost of taking three percent more damage for every four seconds that said character is on the battlefield.
This can stack up to five times and won’t reset when the character leaves the battlefield. Instead, it is reduced by one stack when the character is inflicted with damage. As this weapon is ascended, the percentages also shift in favor of the player as the damage dealt increases while the damage taken decreases.
Prototype Archaic
The craftable four-star Prototype Archaic claymore is another solid weapon players can equip Diluc with and an easy one that any player can attain with a bit of work. The “Crush” effect of this claymore grants a 50 percent chance for normal attacks and charged attacks that hit an enemy to deal 240 percent attack damage to all enemies within the nearby area of effect. This can occur once every 15 seconds.
Artifacts
Unlike most Genshin characters who can function well with nearly any Artifact Set, Diluc’s singular ability to function as the damage dealer requires precision in all aspects of his build. This means when it comes to choosing his artifacts, there are only a handful of truly suitable options.
Crimson Witch of Flames
The best Artifact Set for Diluc is the full four-piece Crimson Witch of Flames set. The two-piece set will grant him a 15 percent Pyro damage bonus.
The full four-piece set increases the damage dealt by the Overloaded, Burning, and Burgeon elemental reactions by 40 percent. It also increases the damage dealt by the Melt and Vaporize elemental reactions by 15 percent.
Lastly, the character that this set is equipped to will also gain a 50 percent bonus of the starting value of the two-piece set for 10 seconds when they have the full four-piece set equipped and utilize an elemental skill. This effect can stack up to three times.
Gladiator’s Finale
Another great option for Diluc either as a full four-piece set or as a two-piece alongside the Crimson Witch of Flames two-piece set is the Gladiator’s Finale Artifact Set. The two-piece set grants an 18 percent attack bonus.
The four-piece set increases normal attack damage by 35 percent, as long as the character the set is equipped to wields a claymore, sword, or polearm. Players looking to improve upon Diluc’s basic attack will find this suits their needs perfectly.
Ascension Materials
Because Diluc was released when Genshin first launched, all of his Ascension Materials are quite easy to attain. Players will need to routinely gather lots of Small Lamp Grass, a Mondstadt local specialty, from areas around the Anemo region. This resource is especially abundant in the Whispering Woods.
Taking on the Pyro Regisvine, which is a boss that players will need to regularly face for the required amount of Everflame Seed, should be quite easy for any Genshin player with a bit of experience playing the game.
Gathering the various levels of Insignia from Fatui Skirmishers, Fatui Cicin Mages, and Fatui Pyro Agents is also fairly easy since this foe can be found all across Teyvat.
In total, players will need 420,000 Mora, 46 Everflame Seed, one Agnidus Agate Sliver, nine Agnidus Agate Fragment, nine Agnidus Agate Chunk, six Agnidus Agate Gemstone, 168 Small Lamp Grass, 18 Recruit’s Insignia, 30 Sergeant’s Insignia, and 36 Lieutenant’s Insignia to fully ascend Diluc to the highest level possible.
Gathering all of these materials at once will be impossible as resources must respawn, but luckily players can take their time and break down the process across each individual Ascension level.
- Ascension to level one requires 20,000 Mora, one Agnidus Agate Sliver, three Small Lamp Grass, and three Recruit’s Insignia.
- Ascension to level two requires 40,000 Mora, three Agnidus Agate Fragment, two Everflame Seed, 10 Small Lamp Grass, and 15 Recruit’s Insignia.
- Ascension to level three requires 60,000 Mora, six Agnidus Agate Fragment, four Everflame Seed, 20 Small Lamp Grass, and 12 Sergeant’s Insignia.
- Ascension to level four requires 80,000 Mora, three Agnidus Agate Chunk, eight Everflame Seed, 30 Small Lamp Grass, and 18 Sergeant’s Insignia.
- Ascension to level five requires 100,000 Mora, six Agnidus Agate Chunk, 12 Everflame Seed, 45 Small Lamp Grass, and 12 Lieutenant’s Insignia.
- Ascension to level six requires 120,000 Mora, six Agnidus Agate Gemstone, 20 Everflame Seed, 60 Small Lamp Grass, and 24 Lieutenant’s Insignia.
Talent Materials
Diluc’s required Talent Materials are also quite easy to come by. All levels of Teachings of Resistance can be obtained from the Forsaken Rift Domain on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Fridays.
The most difficult aspect of raising Diluc’s talents will be taking on Dvalin, also known as Stormterror, in the “Confront Stormterror” Trounce Domain challenge for the required amount of Dvalin’s Plume. This is the first big boss players face in Genshin, and while it is formidable on the first try, the later foes of Genshin make Dvalin look quite weak. Thus, players shouldn’t have too hard of a time taking him on, as long as they’ve been playing for a bit and had time to build a solid team.
Players will need to gather 1,652,500 Mora, six Recruit’s Insignia, 22 Sergeant’s Insignia, 31 Lieutenant’s Insignia, three Teachings of Resistance, 21 Guide to Resistance, 38 Philosophies of Resistance, six Dvalin’s Plume, and one Crown of Insight to fully level up all of Diluc’s talents.
Diluc is a permanent five-star character available on the Standard Wish “Wanderlust Invocation” banner as well as any special Character Event Wish banner that occurs.
Thus, he is one of the easier five-star characters to attain and players will likely receive him at some point when they lose a 50/50 trying to attain the special featured five-star character.
