How to Train Your Calvary Captain
So you’ve finally seen reason and decided to give Kaeya Alberich the five star treatment he rightfully deserves. By now, Genshin Impact fans have (mostly) grown wise to the untapped potential of Mondstat’s disarmingly charming Cavalry Captain. New players may be quick to write off 4* Cryo sword-wielder Kaeya due to Mihoyo’s generous decision to arm us with this frosty character for free, yet the sometimes-pirate, sometimes-sommelier can be just as surprising as his checkered past.
We understand if Kaeya’s a bit too open-minded for the casual player: but don’t feel overwhelmed by all the roles he’s happy to fill. Here’s an introductory guide on how to build the best Kaeya for you.
5. SUPPORT
Kaeya is an excellent Support character thanks largely in part to his Elemental Burst: Glacial Waltz. At C0, Glacial Waltz hits about 15 times during its 8s duration, with a manageable cooldown of 15s. C2 Kaeya gains an additional 2.5s of Burst duration for every enemy defeated via “Never-Ending Performance”, capped at 15s. Support Kaeya should have his Ult Talent prioritized and Cryo Dmg emphasized.
Artifact Sets:
- Noblesse Oblige – 4 PC Elemental Burst Dmg + 20% & Elemental Burst usage increases all party members’ ATK by 20% for 12s
- Blizzard Strayer – 2 PC 15% Cryo bonus + Noblesse Oblige – 2 PC Elemental Burst Dmg +20%
- Blizzard Strayer – 4 PC 15% Cryo bonus + 20% CRIT Rate on Cryo-affected enemies + another 20% on frozen enemies
Artifact Stats: ATK% or Energy Recharge Sands, CRYO DMG Goblet, CRIT RATE/DMG Circlet (depends on weapon)
- Substat goals: CRIT DMG, CRIT RATE, ATK%, Energy Recharge, Elemental Mastery, ATK [Assuming Kaeya’s supporting role is a quick-swap freeze-machine, Energy Recharge Sands is viable if you don’t have much ER substat representation but not if you choose an ER weapon. EM is appropriate if Kaeya is the one Reverse-Melting.]
Weapons:
FIVE STAR
- Skyward Blade – Energy Recharge bonus, CRIT Rate + 4%, Normal/Charged + 20% for 12s
- Summit Shaper – ATK % bonus, Sheild Strength + 20%, enemy hits = + 4% ATK x 5 stacks, ATK increase effect + 100% while protected by shield
- Primordial Jade Cutter – CRIT Rate bonus, HP + 20%, ATK bonus + 1.2% of HP
- Mistsplitter Reforged – CRIT Dmg bonus, +12% Elemental Dmg bonus, 8%/16%/28% at stack levels 1/2/3 [Chongyun, C6 Bennet]
FOUR STAR
- Festering Desire – Energy Recharge bonus, Elemental Skill Dmg +16% & Elemental CRIT Rate + 6% [currently unavailable to new players]
- The Flute – ATK% bonus, Normal/Charged 100% ATK dmg after 5 N/C hits for 30s
- Favonius Sword – Energy Recharge bonus, Energy Regen
- Sacrificial Sword – Energy Recharge bonus, 40% chance to end skill cooldown
Team Players:
Stick a 4 PC Noblesse set on battery Kaeya and he’ll benefit just about any DPS mentioned above, with a couple fresh faces like Klee and Yanfei.
Kaeya’s field presence as a Support may be brief, but his party slot fill also provides an ice bridge craftsman and Olympic 100m dash champion. His Passive Talent reduces sprint stamina by 20% for your entire Adventure Team – we know Kaeya secretly hates slackers.
4. SUB DPS
If you enjoy Kaeya but already have a lovingly crafted Main DPS, you’re in luck, because Kaeya is a monster Sub DPS. The most effective build for a Sub DPS Kaeya maximizes his Cryo skills, since his enviable burst will continue to punish enemies while he’s taking a break off-field, presumably sipping Death After Noon under a shady tree. If you’ve been saving your Starglitter or practicing black magic to land a C2 Kaeya, give him a pair of Noblesse Oblige artifacts for a beautifully painful Glacial Waltz. Treasure Hoarders, you may have this last dance.
Artifact Sets:
- Blizzard Strayer – 2 PC 15% Cryo bonus + Noblesse Oblige – 2 PC Elemental Burst Damage + 20%
- Blizzard Strayer – 4 PC 15% Cryo bonus + 20% CRIT Rate on Cryo-affected enemies + another 20% on frozen enemies
Artifact Stats: ATK% Sands, CRYO or PHYS DMG Goblet, CRIT RATE/DMG Circlet
- Substat goals: CRIT DMG, CRIT RATE, ATK %, Energy Recharge
Weapons:
See Cryo & Physical builds for options.
Team Players:
- DILUC: Fast Melt reactions with similar short cooldowns/close-combat application
- HU TAO: Continuous Melt reactions with Blood Blossom, Passive Talent boosts party’s CRIT Rate by 12% for 8s post-Skill. C4: Party’s CRIT Rate increased by 12% for 15s after Blood Blossom defeats an enemy
- RAZOR: Superconduct for PHYS DPS
- KEQING: Superconduct support for DPS Keqing
- TARTAGLIA: Permafreeze duo, crowd control esp. with Swirl
- XINGQIU: Permafreeze duo good for Cryo or Sub DPS Kaeya with Noblesse 4 PC
- EULA: Cryo Resonance CRIT boost for PHYS-focused team
- BENNET: Fantastic Voyage ATK% bonus + healing, Pyro Resonance with another support, Snapshots Kaeya’s burst
- AYAKA: Cryo Resonance, constant Permafreeze with Hydro supports
PROS: Best Melt set-up for Pyro DPS
CONS: Burst less powerful than Sub DPS alternatives
Though Cryo Sub DPS is recommended, my favorite aspect of Genshin is the nigh limitless combinations of skills and characters that brilliantly mesh. Perhaps bigger numbers come from Cryo Kaeya, but that doesn’t mean big numbers in general can’t come from Physical Kaeya. If you’re running a physical support team, or have a main DPS with long cooldowns, PHYS Sub DPS Kaeya is an equally worthwhile investment.
3. HYBRID DPS
Kaeya must eventually choose between Mondstat and Khaenri’ah, but thankfully, you don’t have to choose between Cryo and Physical Kaeya. If you want the best of both worlds, Hybrid DPS Kaeya is your man. Scholar’s agree this man could wear just about anything: this could be a Blizzard Strayer 4 PC with a Cryo Goblet and Aquila Favonia, or perhaps a Bloodstained/Pale Flame duo with Chongyun and Mistsplitter. Maybe your C2 Kaeya has a PHYS damage goblet to balance out his Cryo-boosting constellations. Kaeya’s kit is well-rounded enough to go with the flow; don’t be afraid to mix-and-match from the above categories especially while your Kaeya is under construction. You may be surprised to find you already have the ingredients for a first class Kaeya lying around.
Artifact Sets:
- Blizzard Strayer – 2 PC 15% Cryo bonus + Pale Flame/Bloodstained – 2 PC 25% PHYS Dmg
- Blizzard Strayer – 4 PC 15% Cryo bonus + 20% CRIT Rate on Cryo-affected enemies + another 20% on frozen enemies
- Pale Flame – 2 PC 25% PHYS Dmg + Bloodstained Chivalry – 2 PC 25% PHYS Dmg
- Pale Flame/Bloodstained – 2 PC 25% PHYS Dmg + Gladiator’s Finale/Shimenawa’s Reminiscence – 2 PC 18% ATK
Artifact Stats: ATK% Sands, CRYO or PHYS DMG Goblet, CRIT RATE/DMG Circlet
- Substat goals: CRIT DMG, CRIT RATE, ATK %, ATK, Energy Recharge
Weapons:
See Cryo & Physical builds for options.
Team Players:
See Cryo & Physical builds for options.
PROS: Versatility, jack-of-all-trades for enemies with either freeze resistance or physical resistance
CONS: Can’t min/max Kaeya’s full potential as Cryo or Phys DPS
2. PHYSICAL DPS
Physical DPS Kaeya is a great starter build for a number of reasons: he doesn’t need any constellations to be extremely effective at his hack-and-slash job, he can stand his ground on the field for a long time via self-healing and suspicious teleportation dodge, and his Talent leveling is slightly easier with a primary focus. He’s a Cryo character, therefore Superconduct can easily give him a huge physical advantage coupled with his already high Normal/Charged attack percentages. Don’t underestimate a Kaeya who doesn’t rely on his icy Vision – he was a capable knight before he ever saw it.
Artifact Sets:
- Pale Flame – 2 PC 25% PHYS Dmg + Bloodstained Chivalry – 2 PC 25% PHYS Dmg
- Pale Flame/Bloodstained – 2 PC 25% PHYS Dmg + Gladiator’s Finale/Shimenawa’s Reminiscence – 2 PC 18% ATK
- Blizzard Strayer – 4 PC – Surprisingly, this is still the best set for PHYS Kaeya! Kaeya’s quick ER makes his burst easily spammable, hacking up eternally frozen enemies who won’t be flung & prompting Superconduct
- Retracing Bolide – 4 PC – This is a niche build for shield support teams but works really well on PHYS Kaeya: + 35% Shield Strength & + 40% Normal/Charged ATK Dmg for shielded characters
Artifact Stats: ATK% Sands, PHYS DMG Goblet, CRIT RATE/DMG Circlet (depends on weapon)
- Substat goals: CRIT DMG, CRIT RATE, ATK %, ATK [You don’t need ELEMENTAL MASTERY at all on this build. ENERGY RECHARGE is fine after those substats.]
Weapons:
Despite having a somewhat redundant bonus, Skyward Blade has performed as BiS for Kaeya in Yoda of Soda’s “Mathematically Correct” testing (Check it out here!). Aquila Favonia is perhaps the most obvious choice – if you’re fortunate enough to snag both, try them out in your unique team comp. to determine which one works best for you.
FIVE STAR
- Skyward Blade – Energy Recharge bonus, CRIT Rate + 4%, Normal/Charged + 20% for 12s
- Aquila Favonia – PHYS Dmg bonus, ATK + 20%, HP Regen + 200% ATK Dmg upon taking damage
- Summit Shaper – ATK % bonus, Shield Strength + 20%, enemy hits = + 4% ATK x 5 stacks, ATK increase effect +100% while protected by shield
- Primordial Jade Cutter – CRIT Rate bonus, HP + 20%, ATK bonus + 1.2% of HP
FOUR STAR
- Blackcliff Longsword – CRIT Dmg bonus, ATK + 12% upon enemy defeat for 30s, 3 stacks
- Prototype Rancour – PHYS Dmg bonus, Normal/Charged attack hits increase ATK/DEF by 4% for 6s x 4 stacks
- The Black Sword – CRIT Rate bonus, Normal/Charged attacks + 20% dmg
- The Flute – ATK% bonus, Normal/Charged 100% ATK Dmg after 5 N/C hits for 30s
- Lion’s Roar – ATK% bonus, 20% damage increase against Pyro/Electro effected enemies [Pyro Resonance or Superconduct support team, C6 Bennet]
Team Players:
Superconduct: Elemental Reaction triggered by applying Electro to Cryo or vice-versa. Deals AoE Cryo Dmg, reducing PHYS Res. of AoE enemies by 40% for 12s.
- FISCHL: Superconduct, proc multiple times with Oz. Passive Talent deals Electro Dmg equal to 80% of Fischl’s ATK when Electro-related reaction instigated. C6: Oz performs with active character.
- BEIDOU: Superconduct, shield.
- ROSARIA: Cryo Resonance + party gains 15% of Rosaria’s CRIT Rate for 10s per Rites of Termination. C5: Rites of Termination + 3. C6: Opponent’s PHYS Res. decreased by 20%.
- XINGYAN: Shielded characters = + 15% PHYS Dmg. C4: - 15% PHYS Res. for 12s. She’d be super helpful on a Retracing Bolide Kaeya team. Pyro Resonance with another support
- DIONA: Retracing Bolide enabler + Cryo Resonance, healing
- BENNET: Fantastic Voyage ATK% bonus + healing, Pyro Resonance with another support, Snapshots Kaeya’s burst
- VENTI: Swirl assist for Permafreeze & crowd control. C2: PHYS Res. – 12% for 10s
- TARTAGLIA: Permafreeze, increases Normal/Charged Talent level by 1
- SUCROSE: Swirl assist for Permafreeze, crowd control, & Superconduct AoE
- XIANGLING: Freeze, Melt, Vaporize carousel with Pyronado + Glacial Waltz. Great for Lion’s Roar Kaeya with another Pyro support & Pyro Resonance
- BARBARA: F2P healer with Permafreeze bonus
PROS: Don’t need constellations, more flexibility with team options, F2P friendly
CONS: Recent increase of world enemies’ PHYS Res., not the optimal build for reaction teams, not ideal for Spiral Abyss
1. CRYO DPS
The most popular build for Kaeya fans is Cryo DPS. Genshin loves 5* Cryo heavy hitters such as Ganyu, Eula, and the much-anticipated Ayaka – but these Event Banner characters aren’t easy to come by. Kaeya is a free character and his constellations, while challenging to obtain, are technically always available on the Standard Banner. It’s implied Kaeya will assume a much bigger role in Genshin’s future storyline, so investing in his growth from low-key Mondstat actor to Tsaritsa-level powerhouse may pay off from a canon perspective for those who enjoy narrative verisimilitude. Plus, he’s just fun to play.
Artifact Sets:
- Blizzard Strayer - 4 PC 15% Cryo bonus + 20% CRIT Rate on Cryo-affected enemies + another 20% on frozen enemies
- Blizzard Strayer - 2 PC 15% Cryo bonus + Gladiator’s Finale – 2 PC 18% ATK bonus
- Blizzard Strayer – 2 PC 15% Cryo bonus + Shimenawa’s Reminiscence – 2 PC 18% ATK bonus (new farmable Glad-alternative in Inazuma)
Artifact Stats: ATK% Sands, CRYO DMG Goblet, CRIT RATE/DMG Circlet (depending on set & weapon)
- Substat goals: CRIT DMG, CRIT RATE, ATK %, ATK [ENERGY RECHARGE is an optional investment; Kaeya has strong physical attacks to complement very short Elemental Skill & Burst cooldowns. ELEMENTAL MASTERY does contribute to Melt/Reverse-Melt damage, but these reactions rely on ATK % & CRIT Dmg first. Around 100 – 300 EM is fine for Kaeya, especially with Supports like Sucrose or Albedo. Permafreeze team doesn’t need EM.]
Weapons:
Cryo DPS Kaeya should ultimately be running 4 PC Blizzard Strayer – if you’ve finished farming this full set for him, a CRIT Rate weapon is overkill. However, I’ll still include them in this list for those who have amazing Gladiator pieces they don’t want to give up or Blizzard sets still in progress.
FIVE STAR
- Skyward Blade – Energy Recharge bonus, CRIT Rate + 4%, Normal/Charged + 20% for 12s
- Aquila Favonia – PHYS Dmg bonus, ATK + 20%, HP Regen + 200% ATK Dmg upon taking damage
- Summit Shaper – ATK % bonus, Shield Strength + 20%, enemy hits = + 4% ATK x 5 stacks, ATK increase effect + 100% while protected by shield
- Primordial Jade Cutter – CRIT Rate bonus, HP + 20%, ATK bonus + 1.2% of HP
- Mistsplitter Reforged – CRIT Dmg bonus, +12% Elemental Dmg bonus, 8%/16%/28% at stack levels 1/2/3 [Chongyun team or if you couldn’t take the exclamation point anymore & C6’d your Bennet]
FOUR STAR
- Blackcliff Longsword – CRIT Dmg bonus, ATK + 12% upon enemy defeat for 30s, 3 stacks
- Festering Desire – Energy Recharge bonus, Elemental Skill Dmg + 16% & Elemental CRIT Rate + 6% [currently unavailable to new players]
- The Black Sword – CRIT Rate bonus, Normal/Charged attacks + 20% Dmg
- The Flute – ATK% bonus, Normal/Charged 100% ATK Dmg after 5 auto hits for 30s
Team Players:
Cryo Resonance: Increases CRIT Rate against frozen or Cryo-affected enemies by 15% (affected by Electro for 40% less time).
Melt (Pyro to Cryo): Deals 2x Dmg
Reverse-Melt (Cryo to Pyro): Deals 1.5x Dmg
*Melt and Vaporize are the only reactions that can CRIT
- CHONGYUN: Cryo Resonance + Sacrificial Greatsword for faster recharge; his Elemental Skill transforms auto-attacks into Cryo inside AoE. Extra Cryo particles for low ER
- XINGQIU: Rain Swords = best Permafreeze enablers; further support with 4 PC Noblesse
- ROSARIA: Cryo Resonance Buff + Passive Talent CRIT Rate buff. Extra Cryo particles
- TARTAGLIA: Massive Permafreeze Hydro application; CRIT Rate talent would fit CRIT-focused Kaeya/Rosaria party
- BENNET: Fantastic Voyage ATK% bonus + healing, + 25% ATK from Pyro Resonance with another Pyro support like Xiangling, Snapshots Kaeya’s burst
- XIANGLING: Freeze/Melt/Vaporize carousel with Gouba/Pyronado + Glacial Waltz, optional Hydro support
- MONA: AoE Hydro for Permafreeze, 4 PC Noblesse support. C1: + 15% Hydro-Swirl Dmg for Anemo support freeze team. C4: + 15% CRIT Rate to party member attacking Omen-affected enemy
- GANYU: Bold move to delegate Ganyu to Sub DPS, but her Celestial Shower grants a 20% Cryo bonus. C1: Enemy Cryo Res. – 15%
- QIQI: Cryo Resonance, healing. C2 Qiqi deals + 15% Normal/Charged ATK damage to opponents affected by Cryo
- DIONA: Cryo Resonance, healing, shield, AoE Cryo for Permafreeze. C6: 200 EM boost for pary in Burst AoE for Melt team
- SUCROSE: Permafreeze assistance via Hydro spread, crowd control, Passive boosts EM. C6: Swirled Elemental DMG + 20% for entire party during Burst. Viridescent Venerer 4 PC on Sucrose = - 40% Elemental Res. on Swirled enemies
- KAZUHA: Swirl application for Melt/Freeze/Vaporize, Talent boosts Elemental Dmg of Swirled element. C2: Burst + 200 EM to party in AoE
PROS: Excellent energy recharge, self-healing with Frostgnaw, Permafreeze King
CONS: Small burst AoE, elusive constellations, some enemies are freeze-resistant
Cryo has slightly better overall damage output than Physical, especially at C1-C2. The difference is small, so play whatever style is most fun for you. Starting with a Physical Kaeya as a F2P player is a great option: you may be lucky enough to snag a few more of his constellations as your AR rises and evolve him into Teyvat’s fiercest slushy machine.
Hopefully this article has convinced you to drag your Kaeya out of the Angel’s Share and into the sunny hillsides of Teyvat where he belongs. If you’ve been a die-hard Kaeya stan from day one like me, your next Death After Noon is on the house. Happy building!
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Kaeya building sources:
