Cloud Retainer is no stranger toGenshin Impactplayers who have done the Archon Quest in the Land of Contract, Liyue. She first appears in her crane form as one of the Adepti that eventually stop Liyue from falling into destruction. Of course, consideringCloud Retainer’s beautiful craneform, it’s no surprise that HoYoverse eventually designed a human form so that she could be a playable character. Under the name Xianyun, Cloud Retainer now walks among mortals and blends in like a normal human being.
Xianyun debuted in version 4.4, and her first banner comes along with the Dendro Archon, Nahida. Considering Nahida is an obvious must-have, players may be wondering if they should focus more on getting Nahida or have fun with Xianyun’s new mechanics.
Xianyun Or Nahida In Genshin Impact
Both Xianyun and Nahida areCatalyst characters inGenshin Impact, and they also have similar roles in battles. However, despite both units being a support, they have completely different uses, mechanics, builds, and teams. Therefore, before choosing between the two, it’s crucial for you to know what you’re signing up for with each character.
Role
Xianyun and Nahida primarily work as a support with some sub-DPS hits, but Nahida is generally better at dealing damage compared to Xianyun. Xianyun’s damage-dealing is limited to when she uses her Plunge Attack after using her Elemental Skill, while Nahida can take the role of an on-field Dendro enabler, especially in teams that play aroundBloom reactions inGenshin Impact. However, despite being worse on the offensive field, Xianyun has more defensive capability as she comes with a healing ability.
Both units can buff the team, where Nahida buffs Elemental Mastery while Xianyun enhances Plunge Attack and enables Plunging even for units that don’t work around the special jump attack. This means Xianyun is more flexible compared to Nahida as the Dendro Archon doesn’t work with Elements that don’t react with Dendro.
In conclusion,Nahida is better at buffing Dendro-related reactions and offense, whileXianyun is better at buffing Plunge Attack and healing.
Build
Nahida and Xianyun have a completely different build inGenshin Impact. To start, Nahida’s artifact would either revolve around Dendro or Elemental Mastery, whereas Xianyun’s equipment should involve healing, ATK, or buffing. Here’s a list of artifacts that each character uses:
Nahida’s Artifact:
Xianyun’s Artifact:
Nahida’s best-in-slot weapon isA Thousand Floating Dreams, and she also works with Elemental Mastery and Critical Catalyst. Although she still benefits from ATK, the scaling is lower compared to Elemental Mastery, which means it’s best to steer clear of ATK weapons if possible.
Meanwhile, Xianyun is the opposite. Her buffs and healing scales with ATK, so you should stack up on this offensive stat. Unlike Nahida who benefits from Crit since she has a top-tier offense, players can ditch Crit for Xianyun and stack more beneficial stuff like Energy Recharge instead. For that, other than Xianyun’s best-in-slot item,Crane’s Echoing Call, players can also useOathsworn Eye,Favonius Codex,Hakushin Ring, andSkyward Atlas.
In conclusion,there’s no similarity between Xianyun’s and Nahida’s build.Nahida works around Elemental Mastery and Critical, whileXianyun benefits more from ATK and Energy Recharge.
Team
There aren’t manycharacters inGenshin Impactthat can perform Plunging Attack, but with Xianyun, anyone can now be a Plunge Attacker. However, despite enabling everyone for the role, players still need to determine which unit benefits most from this feature, especially in terms of their scalings. For instance,Diluchas a massive Plunge Attack multiplier, while units likeHu Taocan have a unique combo with Plunge, especially for those who only have her at C0.
Meanwhile,Nahida’s team inGenshin Impactis basically restricted to only Dendro reactions. Of course, there’s a vast option for a Dendro-related team, so this is no issue, but it’s important to note that Nahida simply enhances a team’s gameplay but brings no new mechanics to the table.
In conclusion,Xianyun can enable almost everyone to be a Plunge DPS, but players should still carefully choose who can fit the role. Meanwhile,Nahida doesn’t give new mechanics but is immensely powerful when Dendro reactions are involved.
Xianyun or Nahida Constellations
Those who already own Nahida C0 may be wondering if they should invest more in the Dendro Archon or get a new character instead. To put it briefly,Nahida is worth it if you may afford to get her C2. Nahida C1 is also amazing, but it’s not significant enough compared to an entirely new character.
Xianyun VS Nahida In Genshin Impact
To keep it brief, players should pull for Xianyun if they:
Meanwhile, Nahida is the obvious choice if players:
