Xianyun, previously introduced to players during the Liyue story arc as Cloud Retainer, finally became playable in Genshin Impact's version 4.4 update, promising players the chance to revive the popularity of some older characters with her unique support abilities and bring new gameplay styles to many other favorites. This is because Xianyun is a plunge attack support character, who not only enables inherently plunge attack-oriented characters like Xiao to perform better but can also enable other units to perform plunge attacks, thanks to her Elemental Burst increasing the jumping height of characters.
With this in mind, Xianyun, although she might look quite niche at first, has access to many team composition options, as she synergizes well with plenty of characters. Typically, she can be utilized effectively with characters that benefit from plunge attacks, whether it be due to their damage modifiers, playstyle, or simply because canceling their abilities by jumping is already beneficial. Here are some of the best and diverse team compositions players should try out.
6. Xianyun + Yae Miko + Fischl + Nahida
While Xianyun may be a support unit that can work off-field, especially with higher constellations where she can become a decent carry option as well, even without any constellations, those interested in utilizing Xianyun as an on-field character can benefit from her abilities while also enabling her to be an elemental reaction driver. With that, she synergizes well with characters that have long off-field skills, especially characters like Yae Miko and Fischl, allowing players to enjoy solid Aggravate or Tazer compositions. In this case, with Nahida as the last party member, players will be able to benefit well from high values of Aggravate damage through her Dendro application, while both Yae and Fischl will work greatly to enable solid Electro application in both AoE and single-target scenarios.
Team Roles
- Xianyun: On field carry, driver, healer
- Yae Miko: Sub-DPS, Electro enabler
- Fischl: Sub-DPS, Electro enabler, battery
- Nahida: Sub-DPS, Dendro enabler, buffer
5. Xianyun + Diluc + Ganyu + Bennett
While Diluc may not be a plunge attacker, interestingly, his plunge attack modifiers are among the highest in Genshin Impact's existing roster. With that being the case, Xianyun's ability to enable Diluc to launch plunge attacks, while Ganyu or many other Cryo off-field characters can enable Melt (or Hydro for Vaporize) for his attacks. While Diluc is able to infuse his auto attacks through his own kit, it is important to note that for it to work seamlessly, it is recommended that players activate Bennett's sixth constellation to ensure Diluc can consistently deal Pyro DMG during Bennett's Elemental Burst duration. Interestingly, even Bennett on his own can become the on-field character with the right team composition, as his Elemental Skill has a perfect alignment with plunge attacks he can perform in between its cooldowns thanks to Xianyun.
- Xianyun: Buffer, driver, Healer
- Diluc: Main-DPS
- Ganyu: Sub-DPS, Cryo enabler
- Bennett: Buffer, Healer, Pyro enabler, Battery
4. Xianyun + Wriothesley + Shenhe + Furina
Wriothesley's Freeze compositions can also work well with Xianyun, as he is able to infuse his own attacks due to being a catalyst user, without needing to be infused by any other means. While Wriothesley doesn't entirely benefit from being a plunge attacker like Xiao, it is still a worthy consideration as it can still enhance his rotation, combined with his unique plunge attack animation as a catalyst user, which may make it more fun for some players. Furthermore, both Shenhe and Furina can buff Wriothesley exponentially, making this team composition a solid option to consider, especially if players are looking to find unique ways to play Wriothesley.
- Xianyun: Buffer, Driver, Healer
- Wriothesley: Main-DPS
- Shenhe: Buffer
- Furina: Buffer, Hydro enabler, Sub-DPS, Healer (if necessary)
3. Xianyun + Gaming + Xingqiu + Xiangling
Another character that joins the game's roster in the 4.4 update, Gaming, also focuses on plunge attacks through his own kit. Nevertheless, his plunge attacks are achieved through his Elemental Skill's special plunge attack, in combination with his Elemental Burst further enabling this. However, Xianyun still works quite well with him. Furthermore, all the characters on this team composition are 4-star options, obtainable freely through in-game limited-time events, making it the most F2P option for players who specifically want to use Xianyun with their limited character roster.
Additionally, since all characters in this team composition are Liyue characters, this also enables weapon options like Lithic Blade to be used on Gaming to its most effectiveness, which otherwise typically can take away from other synergetic team compositions. As such, having this team composition can bring a unique gameplay opportunity for players who are looking to utilize new characters while making the most out of their kits while dealing significant Vaporize damage.
- Xianyun: Buffer, Driver, Healer
- Gaming: Main-DPS
- Xingqiu: Hydro enabler, defensive support, battery
- Xiangling: Pyro enabler, Sub-DPS
2. Xianyun + Hu Tao + Yelan + Furina
As one of the best methods of canceling Hu Tao's charged attack animation is jumping, she is also an excellent candidate to use these jumps to deal even more damage, thanks to being able to plunge in between her charged attacks with Xianyun. Additionally, Xianyun benefits the team composition further by enabling a valuable Hydro duo alongside Hu Tao, which previously was not as effective as utilizing mono Hydro team compositions in most instances. This being the case, through this team composition, Hu Tao, Yelan, and Furina all can benefit from the added HP for increasing their damage outputs separately, while also being able to have a healer option for enabling Furina's Fanfare stacks with a character that can also work as a driver and buffer. In such a case, Xianyun becomes even more valuable for players who didn't have a good healer or an Anemo driver option for Hu Tao.
- Xianyun: Buffer, Driver, Healer
- Hu Tao: Main-DPS
- Yelan: Hydro enabler, Sub-DPS
- Furina: Buffer, Hydro enabler, Sub-DPS,
1. Xianyun + Xiao + Faruzan + Zhongli
Unsurprisingly, one of the best team compositions for Xianyun is pairing her with Xiao, who already benefits the most from doing plunge attacks. As such, Xianyun and Xiao have excellent synergy, allowing players to make the most out of Xiao and deal even significantly more damage, even though previously utilizing characters like Jean with her fourth constellation. In addition to this pair, players will benefit well from also utilizing Faruzan in the team, who is a niche support unit for Anemo DPS characters, and in this case can benefit both Xianyun and Xiao.
For the last spot, players do have quite some flexibility depending on their personal choices. However, generally, Zhongli will be one of the best options thanks to being able to work well, especially if players are looking to build a team that doesn't utilize any of the other characters in the aforementioned team compositions since he is a buffer, debuffer, and shielder all in one. Alternatively, Furina, as with other team compositions, is still an excellent option instead of Zhongli. However, her own damage output may suffer significantly if Xianyun's healing is not sufficient to upkeep the HP loss through Furina's and Xiao's own HP drain mechanics.
- Xianyun: Buffer, Driver, Healer
- Xiao: Main-DPS
- Faruzan: Anemo support, driver
- Zhongli: Buffer, debuffer, shielder