Best weapons for Xiao in Genshin Impact

The powerful five-star Anemo polearm character Xiao is among the most reran characters in Genshin Impact. Many within the community frequently make jokes about him because many other characters have yet to even receive a second banner run while Xiao already has four.

Because of how frequently the Anemo character has been available, many players have likely required the powerful adeptus for their teams. Xiao is an impressive damage-dealing force that players will see great success with when he is equipped with a weapon that matches his skillset.

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The five-star Anemo character is one of Genshin’s oldest characters but remains a favorite among the community due to his unique story and fun playstyle. Xiao certainly remains an impressive asset capable of dishing out massive amounts of damage but only when he has the right build to match his skillset with the weapon that he wields being perhaps the most critical component.

What’s the best weapon for Xiao in Genshin Impact?

While some Genshin characters have a wide variety of weapons that suit their skillset, Xiao only shines with a select few polearms. The best weapon for the Anemo character is one that centers around increasing his overall damage output.

There are a few really great polearms for Xiao while the rest are suitable placeholders until players are able to get their hands on one of the better weapons.

Best five-star polearms for Xiao in Genshin Impact

A five-star Genshin character will always shine brighter when they are given a five-star weapon that matches their skillset. It won’t be easy to attain a five-star weapon just as it is not easy to obtain featured five-star characters, but all players should steadily work toward equipping their five-star characters with a weapon of the same rating for the most powerful results possible.

Primordial Jade Winged-Spear

The best possible weapon that players can equip Xiao with is the Primordial Jade Winged-Spear. This weapon not only matches Xiao’s aesthetic perfectly but was also crafted specifically with the Anemo characters’ skillset in mind. The Primordial Jade Winged-Spear is thus Xiao’s signature weapon and the best polearm that he can wield.

The “Eagle Spear of Justice” ability of this polearm increases attack by 3.2 percent for six seconds after the wielder has hit an opponent. This ability can stack up to seven times but may only occur once every 0.3 seconds.

When players have obtained the maximum of seven stacks, the damage dealt is increased by 12 percent. The Primordial Jade Winged-Spear also comes with critical rate as its secondary buildable statistic which is one of the best statistics to build for Xiao. Because Xiao is a primary damage-dealing force, a weapon that is built entirely around increasing how much damage he can deal is the perfect one to accompany him into battle.

Staff Of Homa

Another excellent weapon for Xiao is the five-star Pyro Polearm character Hu Tao’s signature weapon Staff of Homa. While this weapon was created with Hu Tao’s skillset in mind instead of Xiao’s, the two Liyue characters have quite a lot in common in regards to their skillsets which makes the Staff of Homa the second best option for Xiao.

Both Xiao and Hu Tao have complex health-draining abilities which makes the 20 percent health point increase granted by this weapon’s “Reckless Cinnabar” effect an immense asset. The Staff of Homa incentives higher health points by granting an attack bonus based on 0.8 percent of the wielder’s maximum health points.

The “Reckless Cinnabar” ability plays well with Xiao’s health-draining abilities by raising the aforementioned attack bonus an additional one percent of the maximum health points when the wielder’s health drops below 50 percent. This will likely happen often with Xiao since his elemental burst continuously drains his health points.

The Staff of Homa is equipped with the secondary statistic of critical damage. This statistic and critical rate are two of the most important ones to build on any primary damage dealer which makes this weapon an excellent choice for Xiao.

Vortex Vanquisher

The Vortex Vanquisher polearm is a great option for Xiao when he has a shielding character like Zhongli, Diona, or Layla joining him in battle. Its abilities are, however, quite lackluster if players do not have a shielding character which means that any player seeking to utilize this polearm will need to construct Xiao’s team composition carefully and ensure they have a powerful shielder alongside him.

The “Golden Majesty” ability of this weapon increases shield strength by 20 percent. This is a powerful buff for Xiao since it will keep him better protected from foes especially when he has just experienced the health-draining abilities of his elemental burst.

“Golden Majesty” also increases attack by four percent for eight seconds after a hit has landed on an enemy. This can stack up to five times but can only occur once every 0.3 seconds. When the wielder of this weapon is protected by a shield, the attack increase effect of this weapon is increased by 100 percent.

The Vortex Vanquisher has buildable attack as its secondary statistic which will thus help increase how much damage Xiao dishes out against enemies.

Skyward Spine

Another solid five-star option is the Skyward Spine polearm. The “Black Wing” ability of this weapon increases critical rate by eight percent and normal attack speed by 12 percent. It also causes normal and charged attack hits on enemies to have a 50 percent chance of activating a special vacuum blade that will deal 40 percent of attack as damage within a small surrounding area of effect. This special effect can only occur once every two seconds.

While the overall abilities of this polearm are great for Xiao, the buildable statistic of this weapon is energy recharge. This is not quite as important for Xiao as other statistics like critical rate, attack, and critical damage which means that this weapon won’t be quite as effective as other polearms that do have any of those statistics.

Best four-star polearms for Xiao in Genshin Impact

No four-star weapon will fully maximize Xiao’s potential but a number of them are solid placeholders until players are able to attain a more powerful five-star polearm to replace it.

Deathmatch

The Deathmatch polearm is the best possible four-star option for Xiao. Deathmatch’s “Gladiator” ability increases attack and defense by 16 percent when there are two or more opponents nearby. If there are fewer than two foes nearby then attack will instead be raised by 24 percent and defense will remain unchanged.

This polearm comes with critical rate as its secondary buildable static which makes it a strong choice for Xiao because it will help increase his overall damage-dealing skillset.

Lithic Spear

The Lithic Spear can be a great choice for Xiao but does require players to carefully consider the team that they construct around him. The “Lithic Axiom – Unity” ability grants a seven percent attack increase and a three percent critical rate increase for every character on Xiao’s team that hails from Liyue.

The effects of this weapon can stack up to four times for each of the possible four team members. This means that players can enjoy the full benefits of this weapon by having an entire team of Liyue natives. Xiao himself is from Liyue which means that players only need to fill the three remaining slots with other playable characters from Liyue to ensure that Xiao gains the maximum buff of this polearm.

This polearm has buildable attack as its statistic which is one of the best secondary statistics that a polearm for Xiao can have.

Blackcliff Pole

The “Press the Advantage” ability of this polearm increases attack by 12 percent for 30 seconds after an enemy has been vanquished. Blackcliff Pole’s effects can stack up to three times but the duration of each stack is calculated independently of the other stacks.

This polearm features buildable critical damage which is a key statistic for ensuring that Xiao can dish out massive amounts of damage.

The five-star Anemo Polearm character will be available as a recruitable unit on his featured “Invitation to Mundane Life” banner from Jan. 18 to around Feb. 8. Xiao will be receiving his fourth rerun alongside the official debut of the five-star Dendro Sword character Alhaitham when the Version 3.4 update of Genshin launches.

Both Xiao and Alhaitham are immensely powerful damage-dealing forces which means that most Genshin players will have to face the difficult task of choosing which of the two five-star characters to pull for. Once both banners come to an end on Feb. 8 they will be replaced by two reruns of the five-star Pyro Polearm character Hu Tao and the five-star Hydro Bow character Yelan for the second half of the Version 3l.4 update. Thus, any player hoping to add Xiao to their team should be sure to wish on him before he becomes unattainable once again.