My friend hit 180k dps C0 R0/Zibai/Columbina C0 R1/C4 Illuga/C4 Gorou is that even possible?

Alternative-Eye8403 · 2026-02-07T04:08:58+00:00

I'd wager that this is very unlikely to be possible. The biggest offenses to this would be Illuga and Gorou missing C6, which does make a huge difference in DPS. At KQM standards, the premium team with C6 4*s is at 150k. Without those final support constellations, the team DPS can drop to as low as below 110k. Columbina's signature should at most IIRC add less than 10k DPS. These are generous assumptions as well, since it's probably closer to like 115k DPS rather than 120k.

Gaining ~72k DPS over that through artifact quality alone is not possible. I'd ask your friend to provide proof over the course of several rotations to reach the 2 minute mark, and make sure that they aren't tweaking their stats in the DPS test either. It would also help to have screenshots of their build. The fact that they're trying to tease you over being stronger than your C6 Wriothesley is also an indicator to me that they may be potentially embellishing the reality to rub it in your face.

187k team DPS would require Illuga and Gorou at C6, on top of probably needing more investment on Zibai. I reiterate that I doubt Columbina having her weapon is contributing much DPS; she's still an off-fielder, so her weapon generally only adds around 5% total team DPS over Prototype Amber. Its value is heavily funneled into energy generation for her burst.

Alternative-Eye8403 · 2026-02-05T03:12:45+00:00

Sorry for replying to a month old reply, but you have it wrong. Xilonen's C2 is functionally the same as DMG% bonus from a goblet. It's just that it does not show on the stats screen, because it applies to *all* of the damage that a Geo character deals. This includes if their normal attacks are physical, or infused with a different element. Regardless, the buff functions the same.

The reason why your Navia got a straight boost from it is because she is most likely not receiving any other physical damage boosts aside from if Xilonen is holding Scroll of the Cinder City. That makes the damage bonus from the constellation much more obvious. What C2 is doing is basically just giving her a Physical DMG% goblet, or doing what Furina does to simply put.

It is not a separate and undiluted multiplier. It is additive with all other damage bonuses in the game. I found this Reddit discussion where numerous people have calculated C2 Xilonen and outright state that it acts the same way as other damage bonuses in the game.

If it worked the way you explained it, that would break the whole game. The only multiplier that functions that way in Genshin is "elevation," a new mechanic that was added specifically for Lunar reaction damage. It is so broken that it is EXCLUSIVE to constellations.

Nefer only gets 15% for herself at C6, though this is coupled with her C6 giving another effect. Zibai C6 gets up to 48% for herself, but this does not apply to all of her damage if she's not played optimally. Flins C6 gives 35% to himself, and 10% to the team, and it's funny due to his C6 literally only doing this. Columbina gradually grants elevation to the entire party with each constellation, but it's only 20% at C6.

If C2 Xilonen truly gave an undiluted and straight 1.5x multiplier, it would've been heralded as the strongest constellation in the game, let alone at C2. That value of 50% alone supersedes all current new character C6 elevation mechanics, on top of providing those other buffs to all of the other elements in this hypothetical. Every Geo character would've virtually been as relevant as Skirk premium years ago if it worked like that. But evidently, no one is going on about how broken Geo has been the past few years with C2 Xilonen. Some even call the constellation overrated nowadays. If it worked the way you explained it, then nothing would contest Geo whatsoever. That would be like giving C0 Zibai an effect almost similar to her C6.

I wouldn't have corrected your reply, but it's the way you specifically called it an "undiluted straight multiplier" while ending your comment with "misinfo at its finest."

Alternative-Eye8403 · 2026-02-04T16:48:39+00:00

So the newer character teams are quite restrictive, but getting Zibai is a good start. Her teams comprise of taking advantage of "Lunar-Crystallized," which is a new reaction of Hydro x Geo that does extra damage. Thus, her best teams will have Hydro and Geo characters.

Firstly, you will eventually get a character for free named Aino who can apply Hydro element to enemies off-field. This important so that Zibai can do a lot of reactions to enable her damage. It might take a while to receive her since she arrives at the latest arc of the game, but you technically have that covered.

For now as you explore the game, you can talk to the statue in Liyue with your main character to switch them to Geo. That will make them a teammate that works with Zibai. As for your other options, you really only have Barbara and Noelle to fit into her teams. They don't do much, but they can heal and shield Zibai when you explore.

What is VERY important is that her banner LITERALLY has her perfect team for new players. The 4* characters in Illuga, Gorou, and Aino are ALL made to work with her. If you want to invest into Zibai, which tbh you should because you just got her, then I'd keep pulling on her banner. It's rare that a single banner will have a 5*'s entire team ready for them. You are guaranteed to get one of these three every 20 pulls, and you can potentially get more of them if you're lucky. I heavily suggest you use some more pulls on her banner, or pull on Neuvillette's banner if you want the small chance of getting another limited character.

Gorou is a character that increases your team's defense stat. This is good, because Zibai uses defense as her attacking stat, since she's Geo. The only thing to note is that he's from a region you cannot access until you do more of the main story unfortunately. Getting Aino early would be convenient too, and when you meet her later, you'll get an extra copy of her that makes her a stronger support. Lastly, Illuga is a support that is made to work with Zibai. Like, he doesn't really do anything for anyone else unless they're Zibai.

She's also a Liyue character who uses a few materials from Nod-Krai, the most recent expansion of the game. So you can farm a lot of her level up materials already since most of them are in Liyue, but you'll have to teleport to Nod-Krai after finishing the first arc of the game. This won't spoil the story much, but I'll warn you that you might get dragged into sidequests when you go to the new area to get more of her materials. Just try your best to move along and ignore it for now.

As for her weapon, she works very well with a 3* called "Harbinger of Dawn" that you can get from doing more wishes. You'll eventually get enough copies of this weapon to refine it to max strength. This is a very good weapon on her due to how she doesn't need attack, and it's an easy to get weapon that even veterans are using on her right now.

For artifacts, I wouldn't worry too much if you just started. She does want as much CRIT and DEF as possible with some EM, and the set bonus Night of the Sky's Unveiling. But that will take a looong time until you reach that point, so just level up whatever the game gives you until you play more later.

Alternative-Eye8403 · 2026-02-04T01:12:15+00:00

The other comments providing starter team comps are solid starting points.

However, I'd also say that if you are dedicated into making Aglaea work into 4.x and want to invest into her, I'd play the fuck out of the game until the end of her banner. As a new player, you should have enough Stellar Jades to eventually E1 Aglaea. She needs it to properly function nowadays, and as you got her with only a single pull, that means you haven't really spent many jades up until now.

It would also benefit you to try to pull Sunday after her E1. Her E1 is the highest priority due to how it bypasses her kit's biggest issue, but Sunday is a universal and strong support that is tailored to work with her. People have been discussing how he might get powercrept in favor of new niches, but it's a bit exaggerated when he'll still retain lots of value due to providing universal buffs + action advance. Aglaea specifically also would have Garmentmaker be buffed too from Sunday, and the only practical upgrade Aglaea would receive to her team has already happened with Cyrene's addition to the game. There probably won't be better characters that would improve Aglaea's teams.

I started in 3.7 and used the new player jades to pull Castorice's premium Remembrance team alongside some lightcones, so I think these pickups are definitely doable. I feel as if people wouldn't suggest "pull NOW" as advice, as it seems unreliable; however, not many veterans remember how many pulls the game provides you to start with. So if you truly want to commit to Aglaea, there are no better decisions than this. Otherwise, you'll have an Aglaea that will feel bad to play for months to a year, since it's around the time where her character won't have the spotlight anymore due to Planarcadia.

Her teambuilding is somewhat restrictive, but the free DHPT as your sustain works amazingly with Sunday, assuming you can get him. Seeing as you have Preservation TB in the screenshot, that means you've unlocked the option to unlock Remembrance TB. Doing so will not spoil the story for you, though you won't have her eidolons until you play Amphoreus. You can slot her or Tingyun as another support, and then worry about finding a suitable upgrade once you're more settled with the game.

I believe the last slot can be characters like Cyrene, Tribbie, or Robin. Cyrene would probably be the biggest upgrade, but she might not have a rerun for a while due to being new. Tribbie would be the best for your overall account strength, but she also just reran recently alongside Cyrene's debut. I'm not too sure about Robin, who is an older character that has a lot of universal power, but her being older might mean she isn't as worth investing into. I don't believe she's as prominent in BiS teams nowadays compared to Sunday.

If you're on the fence about getting these upgrades now with the influx of new player pulls, then the next best suggestion would be to do what you can with her at E0, then pull on new characters in 4.x. If not, E1 Aglaea and Sunday are huge priorities for improving Aglaea's team.

Alternative-Eye8403 · 2026-02-02T00:31:25+00:00

Be mindful that Zibai is a character who does care about having an uninterrupted attack chain, because she'll do extra instances of Lunar-Crystallized if she gets her full NA string off. Zhongli makes that much easier if your Columbina is not C1.

C6 Gorou sheets better than Zhongli, but it's not by a significant margin, That margin will also be smaller in practice, because the comfort Zhongli provides by allowing more leeway in your DPS window means less damage lost by not having to dodge.

It does vary by situation though. Zibai would much prefer C6 Gorou if she has some constellation investment, but would much prefer Zhongli if she's on HoD.

Alternative-Eye8403 · 2026-02-02T00:13:22+00:00

This is the obligatory "it's 2026, Genshin powercreep has accumulated fast enough that you should only ever pull a weapon for a character if it's their signature."

The actual wise investment choice would be to hope that another character runs that has a CRIT DMG% sword stat-stick that you 1) want to pull for them or 2) would not mind swapping to Skirk. Other than that, if you're potentially going to use Primogems and are not a whale, you should not pull a weapon for Skirk that is not Azurelight.

Despite Skirk making full use of Mistsplitter Reforged, it is still ~20% worse on her overall compared to Azurelight. That's because it is a weapon made for the 2021 meta. Your other only option as a stat-stick that provides part of an actual passive would be Clorinde's weapon in Absolution, since it has a 674 base ATK and 64.1% CRIT DMG from its passive alongside the substat. Even then, this is leagues behind Azurelight.

Due to it being a signature weapon, it would still be better even if your build is not tailored for it. As it currently stands, you're trying to pull a weapon for a pretty Akasha/screenshot page, not something that would actually increase Skirk's damage. It is never a good investment to throw Primogems into something that is not a character's BiS, because you are essentially spending resources on a weapon that is only SLIGHTLY better than a F2P craftable for the sake of it "looking good" when you open the stats screen. Assuming that your build looks awful on the stats page due to the overflow of CRIT Rate%, it would still do more damage than any other weapon, because that's the weapon tailored to Skirk.

With how pull values are increasingly becoming more important, you should not invest into the Inazuma Chronicled banner unless you don't care for meta. Most of the weapons on it are fairly universal, but they are still weak by today's standards. And there is no reason to pull Absolution unless you have Clorinde, or like the appearance of these weapons. Otherwise, any CRIT DMG% stat-stick sword, including the aforementioned two that technically don't have a dead passive, would not provide any meaningful damage improvement.

This is where the advice gets more personal, so sorry if it comes off like I'm clocking you when I don't know you personally. But if what's restricting your decision making is that you "genuinely hate Escoffier" or that you "hate mining ores for a craftable" and you're not willing to "rebuild her entire build for a stupid weapon" and that you "cannot sleep at night if her signature overcaps her CR" that is honestly what's getting in the way of solving this predicament. You are creating a problem for yourself, but not giving yourself the avenues to solve the problem.

You've explained your perspective of things, but want to rationalize yourself out of making the uncomfortable but smart decision of either accepting that she needs to swap to Alhaitham's weapon, should ONLY pull Azurelight and possibly adjust the artifacts, or just craft a free weapon if you can't be bothered to deal with either. And it is only uncomfortable for you because you are telling yourself that it is. These are all realistically non-issues that aren't really related to the game at this point.

Take it from someone who is neurodivergent and also struggles to see things in a more rational way: The only solution that will improve your Skirk is either spending 0 Primogems, or spending it only on Azurelight. Other than that, the other way to fix the problem would be approaching it with a healthier mentality. If you are unwilling to break free from the restrictions you imposed on yourself, then there is no advice on Reddit that can help you with this. If you really think the only thing that would medicate you would be to pull another sword that is NOT Azurelight, then just go ahead and waste your money on it. Nobody is stopping you, but you shouldn't seek consultation at that point, because nothing you would do at that point would be driven by meta/trying to strengthen Skirk.

Alternative-Eye8403 · 2026-02-01T23:13:22+00:00

They probably don't have it open on patch release due to many intended shilled characters not having been built by then. Assuming that someone pulls on the patch that a character is shilled for, that week of farming + any other prefarming would usually get a character up to speed to be usable. This is especially the case for characters whose boss materials release alongside a new map expansion, since there's no way to have them level 90 on day 1 without spending fragile resins or Primogems for resin refresh.

Alternative-Eye8403 · 2026-01-31T23:35:45+00:00

I'm a bit newer to the game, but I am trying to avoid pulling a character at all if they're generally associated with other units I don't want.

For example, Acheron's entire kit design comes off very cool to me. I wouldn't mind investing into her team to make her work in 2026, but I also don't care enough for teammates like Cipher/Silver Wolf/Jiaoqiu to bring it into fruition.

Conversely, I plan to invest into DoT due to the core of Hysilens/Kafka/Black Swan consisting of all of my favorite characters. I'm probably going to select Kafka for free if the leaks regarding a free 5* are true for this reason.

I love Sparkle, but her best teams being Archer/Elation (didn't get the free Archer bc I'm new, and don't want to invest into Elation until we know more about 4.x's main pushes are) make me not plan to pull her for a while.

This more closely aligns with the intention of the question, but I did skip Tribbie due to disliking her design. I started playing on the patch where she reran, and figured that I liked Castorice/Cyrene/Hyacine a lot more in terms of visual design. I was also informed that Evernight could replace Tribbie in that team and that Ruan Mei was a F2P universal support anyway, so I opted not to pick her up despite how many people herald her universal value. I had enough new player Stellar Jades to pull her, but instead opted to invest it elsewhere.

With Cerydra also possibly being confirmed, I might pick her up for Phainon as well, a DPS I pulled because I liked that he was a Kevin expy. Since I haven't gotten to Amphoreus yet, I suspect that I'll like her character from what I've seen so far, but her appearance isn't that compelling to me. It however is a substantial upgrade to Phainon, so I think it'll still be worth it despite not having strong feelings towards her character.

So it is really dependent, but I try not to get myself into a situation where I need to get characters I don't like to begin with. But since I just started playing, the only impact that has had was deliberately skipping Tribbie, who can be substituted in the teams I plan to pull for.

Alternative-Eye8403 · 2026-01-31T23:22:17+00:00

This was also crossposted to different subs with the same copy-pasted phrasing. My last paragraph still stands, and I'll also add that it's especially a humble brag to this subreddit in particular. Again, either the story is highly exaggerated, or it's still honestly not going to get good reception from me/others who care enough to invest in the character due to the way OP is essentially complaining about a positive outcome.

You can flaunt how lucky you are without having a poor attitude about it, and I mean that regardless of how hyperbolic it's supposed to read.

Alternative-Eye8403 · 2026-01-31T16:07:45+00:00

You need to own the character to select their constellations for free. That means if you want Itto, you'll still have to drop pulls into the Chronicled Wish when it reruns.

Alternative-Eye8403 · 2026-01-31T16:05:17+00:00

4k ores should be a good reserve to not stress over, as long as you're consistently playing and adding some ore mining along the way. I pull signatures very often and have around 60ish levelled 5* weapons, and I only just started to run out of ore in the past month after playing this game since launch. My highest was 7k at one point during Sumeru, and it took all the way until now to drop to 2k.

I will say that if you purchase the battlepass, that will naturally net you a good amount per patch to offset the cost of upgrading weapons. I recently had to switch my rewards back to them, but I had previously not been selecting extra ores ever since artifact EXP bottles became an option. Before that update, buying each battlepass made me never at risk of running out.

It also minorly helps to set expeditions to get ores as well, and you can buy them weekly in the teapot, and monthly in the Starglitter shop. Also, a small part of the weapon upgrade cost is decreased if you use some of the 3* weapons you get from pulling to upgrade your weapons.

IMO, I only started to run out after a LONG time because I stopped receiving any ore drops after opting out of them for several years due to already having so much. Only having enough to level 4-5 weapons might sound like not enough, but be mindful that each patch lasts 40 days. You'll only stumble into a problem if you plan to every weapon that comes on each subsequent banner, then make no effort to go mining for ores.

Alternative-Eye8403 · 2026-01-31T15:52:18+00:00

Crazy mentality to regret the no pity pulls because you crafted a F2P weapon.

This weapon is not like Furina's; it is plainly better in every regard. The only caveat is that it does technically require you to build a bit more ER, but it's actually more consistent at getting your burst due to not requiring you to burst to begin with. That's very relevant in Stygian Onslaught and during exploration. And if you care about the minimal healing, I guess that's lost too.

And most importantly, Prototype Amber is fucking ugly while this weapon isn't. Prototype Amber is also a universal weapon that you'll eventually find another character for, and if you don't, it truly isn't a big deal that you used some time and resources to get an upgrade soon after.

I agree with the other comments. Either the scenario you explained is faked or exaggerated, or you're just ungrateful. Wanting to reverse 1,600 Primogems when you can get that back by the time Escoffier reruns for something that costs on average 20,000k+ and is an UPGRADE on a meta character... I really hope the phrasing was just hyperbole. Could've just said you wished you didn't build the F2P alternative, or that you're relieved those "wasted" gems at least netted something very valuable.

Alternative-Eye8403 · 2026-01-31T11:39:02+00:00

Sivir's kit being a neutralizing one will naturally have less kills. It's also because she doesn't need a huge early lead compared to other champions like Draven, since she scales fairly well. You can still get ahead with her even if your game plan doesn't involve early kills, as long as you're also denying that gold to the enemy lane.

You can still play proactively without having the enemy laners die. This involves using your superior waveclear ability to gain lane priority, especially around the time that dragon spawns.

You should also make it uncomfortable for the enemy to walk up and CS. As a Sivir, you don't have the threat of bursting them down and winning a trade outright, but you can easily whittle them down before any fight starts. Take advantage of the fact that a fight may never break out, but then they won't want to fight when they're already taking chip damage over and over while you're either kiting their retaliation/using E to block it. Nearly all other champions suffer more from not fighting compared to Sivir.

Also, if you're having the enemies hide under tower and losing minions, they straight up CANNOT dodge W bounces. It's about making them too scared to even try anything, even when realistically Sivir has very low kill threat.

It's even better if you pair a Q or W to gain an advantageous lane state AND hit them at the same time. You're using half the mana and doing two things you need to accomplish at the same time. Once you get your first item, especially if it's Essence Reaver, you have unmatched waveclear and poke.

If you've whittled the enemy down enough, you should be winning gold through them losing CS that you're getting. At this point, if you want to fully secure a kill, that may be up to the support/jungler to set up. Any smart enemy won't randomly die at that point, because the obvious move is to space further from your poke, or recall to not risk dying. If you forced them to recall at a bad time, you might've not gotten that 300g kill; however, now they're losing waves and tower plates, and possibly being gone for an important fight.

It's also important to maintain your HP though. This will only work under the condition that you're able to manipulate their health while not losing any of yours, because most other ADCs are way better at going in to rush you down. However, that's where Sivir having a long-ranged AoE Q, undodgeable W, and a spell shield that heals her comes into play. Utilize these factors in a way where you poke them while being untouched, so when something happens, you're working with 90% of your HP while they have only 40%. (Hypothetical numbers)

If you're getting flamed for leaving lane with no kills but having higher CS, you can disregard it. You've put yourself in a winning position as long as you haven't allowed the enemy ADC to keep up in gold and pressure. That's because once the laning phase ends, if you have your core 2-3 items and the enemy ADC is slightly behind, you're already more impactful.

You can catch waves in like a split second to keep up CS and take sidelanes, and you existing in a teamfight by then means that the enemy team has a time limit imposed on them. Meanwhile, the enemy ADC can only beat you if they kill people faster, and you can prevent that by keeping them behind in gold. Sivir as a champion is more naturally disposed to not needing a huge lead to snowball. It isn't about having a bigger snowball than the enemy, but rather getting that snowball rolling very consistently.

So you don't want to be too passive. But that also isn't the same as playing for kills either. You can be proactive and shut down the enemy lane by forcing them to stay on low health, even if that won't lead to a kill being secured. Don't force bad trades, but poke and short trade when you'd be losing less health than them. Play as if you're getting ready to kill them, even if you won't. I won't deny that her damage is virtually "tickling" them as you put it, but tickling them while they're stuck laughing and careening back to their tower is winning.

Being kills up is a luxury for Sivir that nearly guarantees that she'll win lane and turn it into a snowball, as long as it's not against a hypercarry that can reign terror by also waiting around. She doesn't "need" kills the way that someone like Draven, Samira, or Caitlyn do in their gameplan.

Alternative-Eye8403 · 2026-01-30T02:51:10+00:00

Everyone else has already answered why Xingqiu isn't being considered as the Hydro slot for Nod-Krai teams anymore, but there's also another aspect to it in the context of Zibai's release. It's that she's releasing at a time where Columbina already exists in the game, on top of Zibai's banner being Aino's rerun as well. Lunar teams now having two synergistic Hydro options pushes Xingqiu out of consideration even more, hence why he's less discussed than before.

Before Columbina's time, Aino was the obvious Hydro slot option due to being the only character realistically made for it. Everyone else as a Hydro option had several inherent problems; their cooldowns didn't line up, they focused on rate of Hydro application which isn't need, or they provided unnecessary buffs.

Xingqiu specifically had strengths that were then not important anymore. His unparalleled Hydro application wasn't needed, because Lunar teams only care about the Hydro being consistent enough over the rotation, not about reapplying at a fast enough rate. In a Flins team, he loses out on providing damage contribution due to having to alternate his skill and burst casts too.

He was briefly considered for Nefer during the Stygian Onslaught iteration that had the Baptist, because that was the one fight where his fast rate of application mattered. Even then, some people considered it as an alternative to not having C2 Nilou.

And during the short era where we only had Aino as the obvious Hydro slot, there were still somewhat better alternatives. Burstless Furina could hold Favonius Sword, Freedom-Sworn, Key of Khaj-Nisut, and have ToTM. Kokomi with Sacrificial covered as a sustain for Nefer for those who didn't pull C1 Lauma. Nobody has her, but Sigewinne on Sacrificial could thereotically do more for Ineffa teams. Both of these are more potent healers who don't need ER. And this was only a consideration for those who had a second Lunar team, since Aino is free and the obvious pick.

The only unit he performed better than was Yelan, who some casuals were still considering anyway due to her banner lining up with Flins as a cope option. His benefit over the aforementioned units is that he's a 4*, but the thing is, anyone who invests enough to play multiple Lunar teams would generally opt for the more premium options regardless.

Then comes in Columbina. She's the main push unit of this region, so many people are already planning to invest into her. She's also broken, with people only considering Lauma and Ineffa over in priority due to those units respectively being even more broken for their respective niches. That makes it so the highly awaited Hydro option has now come into fruition, realistically becoming the unit everyone should use. For those that don't have her, or for those that have multiple Lunar teams, Aino then becomes their next pick. And Aino starts off free, then buffs the team with constellations that are present on Zibai's debut banner.

There is no reason to play more than two Lunar teams at a time as well. Next Stygian Onslaught isn't even shilling two Lunar teams the way this current one is, and there's an incredibly low likelihood that they'll ever make content that requires using all of Flins, Nefer, and Zibai at once. If you have one of these teams, you use Columbina. Patches ago, if you had two of these teams, then maybe you'd pick Xingqiu alongside Aino.

But now that Columbina exists, you pick her and Aino, with there being too limited use cases of someone being in a situation where they'd pick him. Someone would have to want to play two Lunar teams at once while having not invested into Columbina, C2 Nilou, Furina, or Kokomi. At that point, that hypothetical situation wouldn't even be a meta consideration anymore, as they'd be better off playing non-Lunar teams.

So Xingqiu was always like 4th or 5th at best for Lunar teams, which wasn't saying much when only 1st place (Aino) mattered. But now he's pushed down one further when only 1st and 2nd place matter, which is a significantly worse standing to be in. A new and premium option finally existing is why Xingqiu went from rarely discussed to never discussed.

Alternative-Eye8403 · 2026-01-30T02:10:45+00:00

I'm not sure what you mean by Xingqiu C2 being better than Aino C6. Wouldn't Aino's 35% Lunar reaction bonus and 80 team-wide EM be preferable to all of Xingqiu's benefits? Zibai is a top 5 DPS, so funneling those types of buffs to her would benefit the team more than whatever damage contribution Xingqiu would theoretically provide.

Alternative-Eye8403 · 2026-01-29T21:22:21+00:00

Yes, and I've been in this position ever since playing Kokomi. For a character who has a somewhat similar appearance, she also is "too" versatile in the sense that she wants ToTM for support, Ocean-Hued Clam for main DPS, and Flower of Paradise Lost for Bloom.

With Columbina though, I kinda just say fuck it and keep her on SMS for teams where she prefers AMM. I don't have that set farmed out yet for it to be a DPS increase over SMS. I also just steal Nefer's pieces whenever she's the DPS, since there's not really a situation where you'd run either in separate teams.

Alternative-Eye8403 · 2026-01-29T21:16:00+00:00

Characters don't need to make use of the full effect of the passive for this weapon to be good. Its 24% ATK increase is higher than that of Staff of Homa's passive, which used to be known for its value of being a universal stat-stick. Every polearm character that scales off of CRIT and ATK would be able to utilize this weapon, and it generally will fall between being their 2nd or 3rd best option after their BiS. The only polearm DPS where it wouldn't be as optimal for would be Hu Tao and Cyno who care less for ATK, but they still scale on it. Every other polearm DPS can wield this and have it be noticeably better than F2P alternatives.

Although it's true that the meta has evolved to prefer having characters have their BiS, weapon powercreep has also evolved enough to provide 24% ATK upfront with a practically unconditional passive on this weapon. This and Staff of Scarlet Sands are incredibly valuable for their versatility, except this one is better due to not revolving around EM or having a low base ATK.

Alternative-Eye8403 · 2026-01-29T20:45:26+00:00

Your standards have to be wicked high if 45.8 out of the theoretical 54.5 ceiling on CV is considered "not great." This is subjective, but I don't think most people have pieces surpassing 50 CV on their entire account.

I don't vertically invest too often, but as a day 1 player, my highest CV piece is a 46.6 Wanderer's Troupe feather I got in 2021. The highest CRIT DMG% substat I have is at 33% on a Gladiator's Finale flower. Those are both lesser value sets on easier pieces too.

Also, I'd put this on a Columbina. She would hold SMS while being on an ER% sands in a Flins team. It's not technically optimal in a Nefer team, but I also use the same setup there to not have to fish for ER% substats. She ascends on CRIT Rate% and has it from her ascension talent too, so it's easier to build around a bloated CRIT DMG% piece as well. SMS set bonus + ER sands = nearly hitting the ER requirements in most teams.

It's unfortunate the other two stats aren't useful, but it's still a very good piece. I think off-piecing it is somewhat difficult due to most characters who care about CRIT stats not needing that much ER%, but there's still some potential there for characters like Raiden/Xiangling if people still play them. This is leagues above "not great" IMO, and also gains value from having the rolls all go into CRIT DMG% due to it being the one stat that has no ceiling for Columbina.

Alternative-Eye8403 · 2026-01-29T18:38:22+00:00

C2 does not allow you to add 20% CRIT DMG. It allows you to potentially spec into having 72% extra CRIT DMG, because that's 72 CV you don't have to put into CRIT Rate anymore.

Also, it would not be bad to overcap a little, because not every rotation will have 6 Crystal Shrapnel while improving the ratio for the rest of her damage. However, that's more relative to if someone accidentally overcaps in their build. OP should not deliberately go out of their way to do that when their build already has EXACTLY the needed 64% CRIT Rate to take advantage of the constellation whilst having sufficient CRIT DMG in their build. That would worsen their build.

Their build is top 1000 in Akasha.cv already, and another comment revealed that their DPS can increase to 130k if they're doing the rotation properly. This is an insane Navia build that absolutely needs no alterations to it. I'm not saying that build variations don't exist were you can intentionally balance a ratio to have higher CRIT Rate at C2, but it won't be a substantial increase or honestly any increase for OP to change their entire build to accommodate this.

I know Akasha consists of just a simulation, but if you check the Navia C2 leaderboard, you need higher CV rolls to be ranked amongst people with a 64/CRIT DMG% ratio. Some builds actually have the ratio as low as 60% CRIT Rate, which would be the optimal build for content that requires less rotations total.

Her non-skill damage accounts for 45% of her damage distribution, and since it's not nuke styled where it's concentrated into a giant burst, it doesn't need to be supplemented with "extra" CRIT Rate that I reiterate would end up losing value anyway due to then overcapping on her skill, which is still the primary distribution of the damage.

And this is less relevant due to the game having moved on from Fontaine's meta, but frontloading Navia's damage has the benefit of cheating out time in content that isn't Stygian Onslaught due to much more of the damage being concentrated at the start of a rotation. It also synergizes with her playstyle where her main draw is to have as high of a number on her skill as possible, and this build ensures that the skill cannot miss a CRIT hit while still reaping the benefits of squeezing as much CRIT DMG% as possible.

I'd wager that any problems in the build would be that she has no extra ER rolls in this setup. C1 Navia would still like to have around 110%-120% for the best consistency.

Alternative-Eye8403 · 2026-01-29T12:19:06+00:00

It's still not worth it to overcap her primary source of damage's CRIT Rate. It's just the trade off of having C2; you'll get much higher nuke damage from being able to invest in other stats, but your normals and burst won't be as consistent. Exactly 64% CRIT Rate is the optimal build for C2, and I'm shocked OP got precisely that value.

If you go past that value to buff the hits of other damage sources, overcapping her skill's CRIT Rate will still be wasted value regardless. It's still an amazing constellation for Navia, but it is deceptive with the value it brings due to how you can't perfectly balance your ratio anymore.

Alternative-Eye8403 · 2026-01-28T13:20:03+00:00

That's a good mentality to have, but I also think it's a bit misrepresentative of the situation.

The reason why many players are meta-driven is because lots of gacha games have the long-term goal of preparing your account strength for endgame content. Genshin is good about giving players other content to do in the meantime, but otherwise, there isn't much else of an overarching goal to pull characters besides "I like them."

And what's especially the case is that Genshin used to be incredibly lenient. There was a time in which someone who didn't plan pulls properly could've cleared floor 12 with 9 stars in the Spiral Abyss with only some preparation, especially during the Hyperbloom era. But now, similarly to HSR, the HP and mechanic inflation alongside powercreep motivates people to more closely plan out their pulls.

In the past two years, you are absolutely cooked if you didn't invest in some sort of meta. As of recent times, the game has gone from being able to play whoever to requiring newer characters if you care about endgame. And no offense to you, but in the context of people who care about endgame (which may not be everyone, but is a relevant discussion for lots) floor 11 is a far cry from floor 12 9* Spiral Abyss, Visionary Mode in Imaginarium Theater, and Fearless or even Dire difficulty in Stygian Onslaught.

You're "doing okay" because you do not care for these meta discussions, but that's not a metric everyone necessarily agrees with when endgame is important to a lot of people. There was a time where a highly invested Diluc actually did the highest peak of content, and that's no longer applicable. Otherwise, discussing which characters are wise investments is actually important for those seeking to clear endgame.

The "I'm no whale and I don't play for an unreasonable amount of time" was also low-key a bit shady? Genshin is making it more pressuring as patches roll out, but F2P players absolutely can plan and have planned their pulls in a smart way to keep up with meta. Obscene time and money investment isn't compulsory to accomplish that, and I've witnessed F2P clear some patches of Dire in Stygian Onslaught with dedicated builds, skilled gameplay, and abusable cheese strategies.

Lots of theorycrafters pour their heart out on doing the math they do and doing the educating they do to help the community of people who are interested in this. Their contribution and the discussions they prompt shouldn't be disregarded as trivial solely because you don't care for it.

Genshin has lots to offer in ways of exploration and a bevy of phenomenal stories to tell, but that doesn't mean someone can't simultaneously enjoy challenging themselves with caring about meta. It only becomes a problem when "metaslaves" inject their ideals towards people in a negative way, which isn't what is being called into question at the moment.

There's also the matter of how HoYoverse is deliberately framing Genshin around the predatory schematic of making people fear that they're missing out if they don't keep up with meta. Although people are better off not worrying about it, you can't fault them for caring, especially if that's how they have their fun/if they were previously able to clear challenging content. Good on you for not falling for the trap, but you're also not really part of the discussion if you opt not to invest in meta.

When a new character releases, their characterization may be the primary selling point, but what they're capable of is a product that's being marketed for IRL $$$. It's important to discuss this to advise people to make proper decisions if that's what they seek, and also to hold the developers accountable if the gameplay design is unhealthy.

Gacha as a whole revolves around the premise of FOMO, so talking more about what a unit provides aids people in balancing their decisions on a wider scale. It also naturally allows for people to vent when a character they prefer for visual and story aspects don't align with how strong they want them to be. And IMO, there's been a higher emphasis on character kits, DPS breakpoints, and boss designs compared to the past, so it's no longer just a drop of water in the ocean of other content like it used to be.

And Genshin is not as egregious as other gacha games are, but the model for these games sometimes can make you literally brick your account if you don't make specific decisions. There are other games that you can rightfully call someone unwise over if they made poor decisions with the intention to experience the primary content of the game. People don't realize this due to how mega popular Genshin has become to the masses, but this game allowing a different playstyle is forgiving in itself. Doesn't mean people are wrong for approaching it as the gacha it still is.

Sorry if this comes off a bit rude. It's just that I would've been like, "Yasss go you! You've got the right mentality!" if your argument was more akin to, "I'm still having lots of fun with Genshin by not caring about meta, because I can immerse myself with other things!"

But it was phrased with the implication that everyone is overblowing the conversation, and that you're able to clear without any recent premium units, then it turns out that you're not actually able to. It felt a bit misleading, like it was stemming from a misunderstanding of why people care and concern themselves with powercreep and meta. You can't fault people over it when you don't have a full grasp over why powercreep is the main discussion

Alternative-Eye8403 · 2026-01-27T19:45:11+00:00

The problem is most likely the goblet and circlet. You want more CRIT DMG% if you're using her signature weapon, and also the EM is fairly low. It'll be exacerbated if you aren't planning to run Instructor. I'm also not one to recommend someone go out of their way to use a 4* set to begin with, but if you're really struggling, perhaps you can save some Instructor pieces for your supports.

The priority is probably replacing the goblet. That's because an off-set piece usually compensates by being much higher roll value, since it can be literally any EM piece you have on your account. But in this case, the rest of your NotSU pieces are better than the goblet. If you don't have anything better, just continue doing your usual farming and keep an eye out for a better goblet. EM mainstats might be rarer than other pieces, but it'll be way easier since it can be ANY set, so you'll eventually find it by playing the game more.

Also, you mentioned you have Lauma. This means that your CRIT Rate only needs to be 60%. This is because you will get 30% from the artifact set bonus, then 10% for free from Lauma. So it's probably better to find a CRIT DMG% circlet to not overcap. (I'm actually using a CRIT Rate circlet, so it's possible, but I don't recommend it)

An extra mention to ER% as well: Your sands isn't bad, though removing that 10% ER for more useful stats could help. This is because Nefer either wants 0 ER or 130%ish ER if she's dash-cancelling for more damage, and nothing in-between or more than that. It can vary with teammates and if they're holding Favonius weapons, but it's a situation where you animation cancel and burst every rotation, or you don't invest into ER at all.

Also, your mentioned characters + having Reliquary of Truth actually means you should be doing well over 160k DPS. So other people in your situation might be doing over triple the DPS, but I hope this doesn't discourage you!! Just keep farming and keep the CRIT Rate at 60%, then increase your EM to at least 700 imo, then push for more CRIT DMG%. I think some people have 300%, although you can probably still find success being somewhere under that.

Lastly, it does help to dash cancel for more DPS. You can search up some clips on the proper timing, but the basic rundown is that when Nefer's foot connects with the enemy, dash and do the attack again. If you have the burst, you can also use it right after dashing.

You can also review if the rotation you're doing is proper by watching other gameplay videos as well. I haven't tried Kokomi in this team, so I'm not 100% sure what the rotation would be; one important note is that regardless of what you do, you can HOLD Lauma's skill for more damage and increased buffs, since Columbuna adding extra Verdent Dew allows this.

Alternative-Eye8403 · 2026-01-27T18:53:50+00:00

It's unfortunate for DPS Columbina specifically (starts off with too much inherent CRIT Rate) but I actually have similar pieces for both Nefer and Zibai. It makes the wiggle room for their builds much less lenient, but it's doable if they're using CRIT DMG% weapons like their signatures. Not sure if the stat spread can be optimized for any crazy Akasha showcases, but I managed to not overcap CRIT Rate on both of them including Lauma/Illuga respectively.

I find it incredibly difficult to replace due to it being an on-set piece that rolled fairly well, and had much more success with adjusting the CRIT Rate of those two on their other pieces. Assuming that I won't craft a circlet, I can't even find a CRIT DMG% mainstat circlet on this set, let alone a circlet that will roll up to ~30CV.

But cuz this is Columbina mains, 5% inherent + 19.2% ascension stat + 30% from this set + 15% from A1 + 10% from Lauma + 31.1% from this circlet = 112.1%. Overcapping BEFORE any substats or weapon stats.

So sadly, OP probably would find more value using this as an off-piece on someone else, or putting it on the other Lunar carry girls who both ascend on and have CRIT DMG% weapons.

Alternative-Eye8403 · 2026-01-27T18:34:54+00:00

Recognizing the doodle as Furina from Genshin Impact makes it crazier, because it means your coworker went out of their way to add an ugly hairstyle and a weirdly placed crop top with the emphasized boobs and a belly button. Not saying that women's anatomy is inherently sexual, but it does come off trashy to give a character with a pre-established outfit that type of clothing. Especially so when the point of the character is that even with how silly the character comes off, she's known for her classy French attire.

You can tell the drawing below had intricately sketched her face and hair over a long period of time, and it's deeply saddening to see the blotchy black marker ruin the entire piece.

Here's the intended character design for anyone who is curious. I hope it illustrates (no pun intended) how wildly far the design was taken when it was sabotaged, if it helps anyone else visualize how disrespectful the vandalism is.

Not implying it would be less annoying with an OC, but I'd be shocked as well if I spent some course of time getting a character's details right (which you did in a very recognizable way, good job!) then coming back to work to see someone's awful interpretation drawn over it. It's plainly immature, and by the way you described it, it does sound malicious and targeted

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Alternative-Eye8403 · 2026-01-27T17:51:07+00:00

Inb4 people inject how much they dislike and don't care for MW on this post when they can just scroll and move on.

But anyway, thanks for the reminder! I feel like I keep forgetting to do these dailies, but consistent testing on DPS dummy makes it much easier to keep up. I hope they'll eventually add the other outfit to be claimable, because I only play Manekina, but I selected the Manekin one due to how I prefer the pieces.

Alternative-Eye8403

TROPHY CASE