For Diluc, there are only two options when it comes to dealing damage: Melt or Vaporize elemental reactions. The former lets him deal 2x the damage while the latter is 1.5x. Paired with his Dawn (Elemental Burst) and Searing Onslaught (Elemental Skill), Diluc can easily deal hundreds of thousands of damage in a few seconds. In order to achieve this, certain characters are needed.
Updated April 14, 2022, by Scott Vengel: Genshin Impact’s exciting cast of characters continues to expand with each concurrent update. In version 2.5, the game saw the release of Yae Miko, a new Electro DPS character. While this new arrival has changed the status of DPS and Electro characters in Genshin Impact, many in the community are also excited about rumors regarding Kamisato Ayato and Yelan. That said, Diluc remains a major player in the scope of Genshin Impact’s DPS community. With Diluc fans in mind, the article has been updated to include more team compositions and characters for this Pyro user.
With that said, we have to be honest with the players here. Diluc has been power crept by the new characters, and he hasn’t been at the top for a long while now. Still, that doesn’t mean he’s not relevant anymore. Diluc team comps are still competent even in the latest rotation for the Spiral Abyss. That’s provided the Diluc build is complete and the best team for Diluc is observed.
For Melt
To achieve the highest single-instance damage number possible with Diluc, there’s no better option than using the Melt reaction. The characters needed to apply Melt don’t need any artifact stats in particular apart from Energy Recharge or cooldown reduction maybe, but those are optional. They just need to apply Cryo consistently.
Kaeya
Kaeya is by far the best Cryo applicator for Diluc. It’s all thanks to his Elemental Burst that can give Diluc several seconds of Cryo damage on contact. The catch is that Diluc needs to be next to the enemies when using this so make sure to take note of that before firing off Dawn.
Chongyun
Chongyun is another awesome option for Diluc that’s also low-effort and can be more consistent than Kaeya depending on how fast the player can weave in normal attacks. His Elemental Burst deals a blanket of Cryo damage and status and also infuses Diluc’s normal attacks with Cryo. It takes more effort than Kaeya’s and is easy to mess up but it works well enough.
Qiqi
Diluc is a character that arguably always needs a healer. Especially in grassy environments, Diluc can take a lot of damage from burning grass and enemy attacks. Of the large cast of healers in Genshin Impact, Qiqi is one of the best to pair with Diluc because of her high-end healing and the Cryo application associated with her elemental skill.
Diona
Diona is a safe option for those looking for healers for their team as well. Her Elemental Skill has a low cooldown and can quickly apply Cryo status to enemies.
Her charge attack alone deals Cryo damage. She’s definitely better than Qiqi than applying the Cryo status.
Ganyu
Surprised to see her here? Well, it turns out Ganyu is one of the most competent Cryo applicators. Her Elemental Burst Cryo field lasts a long time— enough time for Diluc to procure numerous Melt reactions. Moreover, her Elemental Skill decoy allows for some decent grouping. If placed in a Diluc team with Raiden Shogun in it, Ganyu can pretty much keep her Elemental Burst going forever.
For Vaporize
Melt gives dizzying numbers and all, but when adding up all the damage dealt, Vaporize still wins. That’s because the Hydro status effect is easier to apply in Genshin Impact. This is due to the character abilities having more consistent Hydro application with lower cooldowns and more present effects. So while Vaporize only boosts Diluc’s damage by 1.5x, it boosts it more often compared to Melt’s 2x.
Xingqiu
So hands down the most effective Hydro applicator for Diluc would be Xingqiu. Xingqiu’s Elemental Burst is similar to Kaeya’s but applies Hydro instead of Cryo. It also has a lower cooldown, making it more available for Diluc compared to Kaeya’s Burst. As an added bonus, Xinqiu is also one of the best sub-DPS characters in the game and can even take point if Diluc goes down due to mistakes.
Mona
One other character that could match Xinqiu for applying Hydro for Diluc’s Vaporize is Mona. She’s more expensive and less accessible though, being a 5-star. However, her abilities work well for providing consistent Hydro status for Diluc.
Even something as simple as her normal attacks apply Hydro. If anything, Mona can even switch places with Diluc for main DPS since Vaporize deals 2x damage when triggered by Hydro.
Sangonomiya Kokomi
As far as Vaporize healers go, Kokomi is the best healer to pair with Diluc. Her skill allows for the creation of Bake-Kurage, which both heal passively and apply Hydro status to nearby opponents. This makes for a synergetic team composition when paired Kokomi is paired with Diluc, increasing damage output and healing at the same time.
Healing, Support, & Damage Boost
The first two character slots in the team are dedicated to Diluc and his Hydro/Cryo applicator. The third and fourth slot are either for the healer or the additional damage boost. When it comes to damage boosting, not much can beat the Swirl reaction that’s accompanied by four pieces of Viridescent Venerer. The said 4-piece artifact’s bonus can lower Pyro elemental resistance by 40%. Think of it as a 40% damage boost.
For Swirl
Venti
Any Anemo character is good here, as the only things the player will need from them are Swirl and Viridescent Venerer effects. However, Venti goes above and beyond. For one, he can group enemies with a vacuum so that Diluc’s Dawn can hit all of them. Moreover, Venti’s energy generation is quite insane and helps a lot when Diluc wants to spam his Dawn over and over again.
Sucrose
Sucrose would be a good alternative for Venti, especially for poorer players. She even comes with an advantage of her own such as being able to produce Swirl with just normal attacks. Apart from that advantage, her abilities are mostly weaker versions of Venti’s.
Jean
Jean occupies an important slot in the team here as she doubles as both Swirl applicator and healer. She’s practically two characters in one. Her Anemo abilities aren’t the best though, at least compared to Venti and Sucrose.
Kazuha
Just as Diluc has been power crept by Hu Tao, Venti was also dethroned by Kazuha as the best Anemo support. This breezy samurai has the best qualities of Sucrose and Venti combined. He can cluster up enemies and also Swirl not just one but two elements with the right rotation. There’ not many reasons to use Venti over Kazuha if the latter is present, especially in a Diluc team.
Other Supports
Bennett
Bennett is just a special character that goes well with Diluc like bread and butter. He gives Diluc a juicy Pyro resonance, which means he provides a 25% attack boost just by being present in the party. More than anything though, it’s Bennett’s Elemental Burst that allows Diluc his maximum potential. It’s a damage boost field that also doubles as a healing spot. Even Jean can’t beat that role.
Zhongli
Zhongli works well with Diluc compositions thanks to his Jade Shield that lowers elemental resistance. It’s a straight-up damage boost as well, and he doesn’t even need the best artifacts for it. He’s optional though and would probably only work well if Jean is in the party and Bennett is absent, freeing up the fourth slot for Zhongli.
Raiden Shogun
Granted, putting any Archon character in any team will make the team deal more damage, but Raiden Shogun is especially well-appreciated in a Diluc team. For one, Diluc can focus on stacking up damage stats instead of slotting in Energy Recharge stats. Raiden will easily top up his Elemental Burst for a near-100 percent uptime.
Moreover, Raiden also gives Overload opportunities though players will have to be careful that it doesn’t ruin the Vaporize reaction. That means only using Raiden’s skill if the Hydro applicator is on cooldown.
Potential Team Compositions
Diluc/Xingqiu/Sucrose/Qiqi: This Diluc team composition focuses on elemental synchrony. Xingqiu and Qiqi create frozen reactions together, Vaporize and Melt individually, all while Sucrose offers crowd support. The downsides here are lack of Pyro/Cryo resonances.
Diluc/Xiangling/Kaeya/Barbara: This is Diluc’s optimal free-to-play team. Xiangling adds Pyro resonance, while Kaeya creates Melt reactions. As downsides, the Cryo and Hydro application is not as strong as other characters.
Diluc/Bennett/Kaeya/Diona: This combination makes for a four-star friendly Diluc team composition. Bennett offers attack resonance and support, while Kaeya and Diona add CRIT increases and Melt damage output. Drawbacks include lack of easy on-character passive applications, like Xingqiu’s elemental skill.
Most Optimal Team: Diluc/Xinqiu/Bennett/Venti
As for the most consistently damaging Diluc composition, nothing can beat the efficiency of the party listed here. It usually plays out by letting Diluc empty out his Elemental Skill at the target(s) to activate the 4-piece Crimson Witch set bonus followed by Venti’s Elemental Burst/Skill. This will produce Swirl and will lower their resistance to Pyro by 40%, thanks to Viridescent Venerer.
After that, lay out Bennett’s Elemental Burst field for maximum damage, then switch to Xinqiu to activate his Elemental Burst to apply the Hydro status. Finally, switch back to Diluc and fire off that Dawn for an awe-inspiring six-digit damage number. All of this must be done within 10 seconds after Diluc’s Elemental Skill. Rinse and repeat, assuming the target is still alive and hasn’t evaporated yet.
Melt Alternative: Diluc/Ganyu Or Kaeya/Kokomi Or Barbara/Raiden Shogun
It’s an expensive team, but players can simply swap out Ganyu for Kaeya if they want something more affordable but has less Cryo range. Kokomi can also be replaced with Barbara. Raiden’s hard to replace due to her energy generation but if players are willing to sacrifice that, then either Beidou or Fischl will do for the Overloaded. In any case, this is a good off-meta team since it gives Diluc access to both Melt/Vaporize and Overloaded.
Usage is simple. Activate Kokomi’s Elemental Skill then activate Ganyu’s Elemental Burst. Enemies will be frozen, time to attack them with Diluc’s Elemental Skill thrice before Bursting them down with the eagle. Once the Hydro and Cryo effects are gone, players can switch to Raiden Shogun for the Burst. This will top up everyone’s energy again and the whole team will be ready to repeat everything from the top.
Genshin Impact is available on mobile, PC, PS4, and PS5. A Switch version is currently in development.
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