Unlocking Ganyu’s Full Potential: A Deep Dive into Talent Materials and Builds
You have pulled Ganyu, the Cryo queen. Great job! You have added a strong character to your Genshin Impact team. She can deal high damage with her arrows and area burst. But she needs help to reach her full potential. Talent materials are key. They are crucial for making Ganyu shine.
Genshin Impact’s character progression can seem complex. Ascension materials, artifact sets, and weapons can confuse you. Don’t worry! This guide helps you understand the talent materials Ganyu must have to maximize her damage. We will explore each material needed, why they are important, how to obtain them, and how to manage your resources.
Ganyu’s Talent Materials: The Nitty-Gritty
To enhance Ganyu’s abilities, you must invest in her talents. These include her Normal Attack, Elemental Skill (Trail of the Qilin), and Elemental Burst (Celestial Shower). Leveling them unlocks greater damage potential. Each talent has a max level of 10, with specific materials required for each level. Here’s the list you need.
The Universal Needs: Crown of Insight and Mora
The first material is the Crown of Insight. It is essential for unlocking talent potential. Each talent needs one Crown of Insight to reach Level 10. To max all Ganyu’s talents, you need three Crowns of Insight. These are limited and rare, obtained from events and the Sacred Sakura’s Favor system in Inazuma. Use them carefully.
Then there’s Mora. This is Genshin Impact’s main currency, constantly spent as you level talents and characters. Ganyu’s talent leveling needs a lot of Mora. So, save up those Ley Line Outcrops and treasure chests!
Talent Books: Teachings and Philosophies of Gold
Next, we look at Talent Books. Ganyu, from Liyue, uses the Gold series of talent books. You will need both Teachings of Gold and Philosophies of Gold. Teachings are needed for levels 2, 3, and 4. Philosophies are required for levels 5 to 9. To take one talent from 1 to 10, you’ll need:
- 9 Teachings of Gold
- 18 Philosophies of Gold
Since Ganyu has three talents, you will need three times these amounts to max them all. That’s a lot of gold wisdom! You can farm these books in the Taishan Mansion Domain of Blessing in Liyue on select days. Farm on the right days to lessen grinding later.
Common Enemy Drop: Slime Condensate Series
Now, let’s discuss slimes. These cute blobs are mildly annoying but essential for Ganyu. She needs materials from the Slime Condensate series. This includes Slime Condensate, Slime Secretions, and Slime Concentrate. You get these from defeating slimes.
You start with Slime Condensate at lower talent levels, moving up to Slime Secretions and then Slime Concentrate. To take one talent to level 10, you need:
- 18 Slime Condensate
- 30 Slime Secretions
- 36 Slime Concentrate
Again, multiply these by three for all talents. Time to hunt slimes! They are found in many areas, mainly in Mondstadt and Liyue. You will likely gather a good amount just by playing. If low, check the Adventurer’s Handbook for slime locations.
Weekly Boss Material: Crystalline Cyst Dust
Lastly, we have the weekly boss material. Every character requires a unique material from a weekly boss for talents above level 6. For Ganyu, this material is Crystalline Cyst Dust, which drops from Azhdaha, in his weekly Trounce Domain.
You need 26 Crystalline Cyst Dust to take one talent from level 1 to 10. Multiply that by three for all talents. This leads to a total of 78 Crystalline Cyst Dust. Azhdaha is tough, so come prepared with a strong team. You can claim rewards only once weekly, so plan your runs.
Summary: To fully level all of Ganyu’s talents from level 1 to 10, you need:
- 3 Crowns of Insight
- 27 Teachings of Gold
- 63 Philosophies of Gold
- 54 Slime Condensate
- 90 Slime Secretions
- 108 Slime Concentrate
- 78 Crystalline Cyst Dust
- A lot of Mora (seriously)
Talent Leveling Priority: What to Max First?
You know what materials you need. Now, where should you focus first? Ganyu is a damage dealer. Her damage comes primarily from her Charged Attacks, especially her Frostflake Arrows. Therefore, prioritize leveling her Normal Attack: Liutian Archery. This talent boosts damage output significantly.
Next, consider leveling her Elemental Burst: Celestial Shower. While Charged Attacks are core, this Burst gives consistent Cryo application and AoE damage. It’s crucial in Freeze teams, and provides a Cryo DMG bonus to allies.
Finally, her Elemental Skill: Trail of the Qilin taunts enemies and applies Cryo but adds less damage overall. Level it eventually, but it is a lower priority than her Normal Attack and Burst. Recommended leveling priority is Normal Attack > Elemental Burst > Elemental Skill.
Ganyu’s Build: Scaling and Stats
Understanding Ganyu’s scaling is crucial for her build and choosing artifacts and weapons. Her damage mainly scales with ATK and Crit Rate/Crit DMG. As noted in a guide, her Charged Shots scale directly with ATK. Her Burst also scales with ATK, becoming more effective against multiple foes.
When building Ganyu, prioritize artifacts that enhance ATK, Crit Rate, and Crit DMG. Ideal Crit Rate to Crit DMG ratio hovers around 1:2. Aim for a Crit Rate between 50-70%. This ensures regular critical hits while maximizing Crit DMG.
Artifact Sets: Wanderer’s Troupe for Charged Attack Mastery
The best artifact set for Ganyu is the 4-piece Wanderer’s Troupe. This set increases Charged Attack DMG greatly, fitting her DPS role perfectly. The 2-piece bonus gives +80 Elemental Mastery, aiding Melt reactions with a Melt team, while the 4-piece bonus boosts Charged Attack DMG by 35% for Bow and Catalyst users. It’s made for Ganyu.
You might try a 2-piece Blizzard Strayer and 2-piece Noblesse Oblige for a Freeze build, or a 2-piece Blizzard Strayer and 2-piece Gladiator’s Finale/Shimenawa’s Reminiscence for a more general build emphasizing Cryo DMG and ATK. Main stats to focus on your artifacts should include:
- Sands:
- ATK%
- Goblet: Cryo DMG Bonus
- Circlet: Crit Rate or Crit DMG (depends on your ratio needs)
Substats should focus on Crit Rate, Crit DMG, ATK%, and Energy Recharge (for Burst usage). Remember to ascend Ganyu. Her materials include Shivada Jade, common Cryo materials from Cryo Regisvines, Hypostases, Childe, and Azhdaha. Total needed:
- 1 Shivada Jade Sliver
- 9 Shivada Jade Fragments
- 9 Shivada Jade Chunks
- 6 Shivada Jade Gemstones
Weapon Choices: Bows Fit for a Queen
Weapon choice is critical for Ganyu. Her best weapon is the Amos’ Bow. This 5-star bow boosts Normal and Charged Attack DMG, enhancing her kit. Guides, like the IGN guide, highlight her connection to Amos’ Bow.
5-star weapons are hard to get. F2P players need good 4-star options. The Prototype Crescent, crafted at the blacksmith, is a notable F2P choice. Its passive boosts ATK and Movement SPD after hitting a Weak Spot with Charged Attacks, aligning well with Ganyu’s playstyle against enemies with weak spots.
The Hamayumi is a strong 4-star craftable option. It significantly boosts ATK and increases Normal and Charged Attack DMG when your Energy is full. Other 5-star bows like Skyward Harp, Aqua Simulacra, Polar Star, and Hunter’s Path are excellent if you have them. They usually outperform 4-star choices due to higher stats and strong passives.
A budget pick like the Sharpshooter’s Oath can be effective in early game due to its Crit DMG substat, but upgrade to a 4-star or 5-star bow soon.
Playstyle and Team Compositions: Freeze and Melt Domination
Ganyu can excel in different team compositions. The main types are Freeze Ganyu and Melt Ganyu.
Freeze Ganyu: The Comfy Crowd Controller
Freeze Ganyu teams offer comfort and crowd control. The main tactic is freezing enemies to stop attacks while Ganyu snipes them with Charged Attacks. This style works well against groups and in Spiral Abyss. Freeze teams are usually comfortable unless facing unfreezable foes.
Key characters for Freeze teams include Hydro users like Mona, Kokomi, or Xingqiu for Hydro application enabling Freeze. An Anemo character like Venti, Sucrose, or Kazuha can help with crowd control. A second Cryo character like Rosaria, Shenhe, or another Ganyu can offer Cryo resonance, boosting Cryo damage.
Melt Ganyu: High-Risk, High-Reward Pyro Synergy
Melt Ganyu teams aim for Melt reactions using Pyro for massive damage. This method is harder than Freeze Ganyu, needing good rotations and positioning, but yields high damage against single targets and bosses. Melt Ganyu can deal impressive damage if played correctly.
Essential for Melt teams are Pyro applicators like Bennett, Xiangling, or Klee. Bennett offers required ATK buffs and healing. Xiangling applies off-field Pyro with her Pyronado. You may need a shielder like Zhongli or Diona to protect Ganyu, as she’s more vulnerable in Melt setups due to needing closeness to enemies for Pyro.
Constellations: To C0 or Beyond?
Ganyu is strong at C0 (Constellation 0), making her accessible to many players. Her constellations add nice buffs but are not necessary for her potential. Many guides agree, C0 Ganyu is perfect, and constellations aren’t essential.
C1 (Dew-Drinker): Regenerates Energy and boosts Cryo DMG for Charged Attack Level 2 hits. A decent boost but not essential.
C2 (The Auspicious): Adds one more charge to Trail of the Qilin, improving Elemental Skill uptime and Cryo application. A welcome upgrade, yet not vital.
C4 (Westward Sojourn): In Celestial Shower’s AoE, enemies take increased damage, plus Ganyu deals more damage to them for a damage boost shared with the team. C4 enhances the team’s damage in her Burst area.
C6 (The Clement): After using Trail of the Qilin, Ganyu’s next Frostflake Arrow fires without charging. This alters her playstyle for rapid Frostflake Arrows. C6 is a huge DPS gain for committed Ganyu players.
Most players find C0 Ganyu sufficient. While constellations enhance her further, they aren’t needed for enjoying her damage output. If you are a whale or a die-hard Ganyu fan, C4 and C6 enhance power significantly but aren’t necessary for clearing content.
Leveling to 90: Is it Worth the Investment?
The constant question: should you level characters to 90? For Ganyu, perhaps. Leveling from 80 to 90 gives minor stat increases, mainly HP, ATK, and DEF. Damage gains are usually less significant than leveling talents or upgrading artifacts.
However, for DPS like Ganyu who rely on ATK scaling, the slight boost from level 90 aids noticeable damage improvement in Charged Attacks and Melt reactions. Leveling to 90 also slightly enhances survivability, which helps given her low HP and DEF.
Ultimately, leveling Ganyu to 90 is a luxury, not a need. Prioritize leveling her talents and optimizing gear first. If you have extra resources and want to maximize damage output, leveling to 90 yields a small gain. But if low on resources, focus on talents and gear first for better returns.
Passive Talents: Hidden Gems
Ganyu’s passive talents boost her utility and damage.
Orogenic Eruption: Refunds 15% ores when crafting Bow weapons, saving resources long term.
Undivided Heart: After firing a Frostflake Arrow, the CRIT Rate of subsequent Frostflake Arrows increases by 20% for 5 seconds. This improves Crit Rate consistency significantly, allowing a stronger focus on Crit DMG in your build.
Harmony between Heaven and Earth: Celestial Shower gives a 20% Cryo DMG Bonus to active party members in its AoE. This turns her Burst into a team-wide Cryo DMG buff, enhancing her role as both DPS and support in Cryo teams.
Ganyu: The Adeptus Secretary with a Secret Sweet Tooth
Beyond combat skills, Ganyu is an intriguing character with a rich backstory. As a half-human, half-qilin Adeptus, she has lived over 3000 years serving as General Secretary for Liyue Qixing. Despite her age and responsibilities, she has relatable fears about weight gain and maintaining admiration from others.
Her work dedication is legendary; she endures long sleep sessions to recover. Her sleepiness is a distinct part of her character, adding charm to her overall appeal. Ganyu is not just a Cryo DPS; she is a complex character balancing ancient wisdom with modern anxieties.
This completes the guide to Ganyu’s materials, builds, and playstyles. With the right investment, you can unlock the full potential of this Cryo queen to freeze and melt your enemies into oblivion. Now gather materials and unleash Ganyu’s frosty power upon Teyvat!
