Genshin Impact, a free gacha game by Hoyoverse, has a large and diverse list of playable characters. With so many characters, not everyone has the time to test out every character’s kit and abilities. This guide will go over how to play Kaeya in Genshin Impact, the Calvary Captain of the Knights of Favonius.
Kaeya is a free-to-play 4-star character, available to every Genshin Impact player for no cost. The fact that he’s free-to-play may turn some players off, as free characters tend to be on the weaker end of the spectrum, however Kaeya is a strong Cryo character and is highly underrated in his role as a potential main-DPS or sub-DPS character.
Overview
- Rarity: 4-star
- Element: Cryo
- Weapon: Sword
- Best Role: Main-DPS / Sub-DPS
Talents
Ceremonial Bladework
Kaeya unleashes a string of Normal Attacks, able to perform up to 5 attacks in one string. Like any other character, Kaeya also has a Charged Attack that deals increased damage and a Plunging Attack if he attacks from a certain height. His Normal Attack string is unique as it displaces his location if you use the entire string.
If you are using Kaeya as a sub-DPS, optimally, you wouldn’t use his Normal Attack string. As a main-DPS, it’s recommended to use a mix of Normal Attacks and Charged Attacks. Using the entire Normal Attack string may result in a loss of damage.
Frostgnaw
Kaeya’s Elemental Skill, Frostgnaw, shoots out a blast of frigid air which deals Cryo DMG to anyone in front of Kaeya. The attack can hit multiple enemies at once and generate a number of Energy Particles. This attack deals a fair amount of damage and can help recharge your Kaeya’s Elemental Burst, or the Elemental Burst of other Cryo characters.
His 4th Ascension Passive generates an additional amount of Energy Particles if you use the attack on a Frozen target. Paired with a Favonius Sword, this means Kaeya can generate an absurd amount of Energy Particles for your team, especially in a Freeze team.
Glacial Waltz
Kaeya generates three icicles around his body which rotate around him, dealing AoE Cryo DMG whenever an icicle collides with an enemy. The Elemental Burst will stay with the active character, meaning you can swap out to another character while Glacial Waltz is active.
The attack swirls for about 7 seconds and can hit enemies about 14-15 times. Glacial Waltz can last even longer if you have Kaeya at Constellation 2. This is his main source of damage, either as a main-DPS or sub-DPS character.
Cold-Blooded Strike
When Kaeya uses Frostgnaw, Cold-Blooded Strike will heal Kaeya based on 15% of his total ATK. This heals him for each enemy hit. For example, if you hit three enemies, you’ll receive three instances of healing.
This isn’t a huge part of his kit, but pairing him with Xingqiu (Xingqiu has some healing in his kit + Freeze combo makes you less likely to take damage) can eliminate the need of a healer in your comp.
Glacial Heart
Glacial Heart provides extra Energy Particles if the enemy is Frozen or already Frozen by Frostgnaw. You can see an additional two Energy Particles generated by Frostgnaw in the image above. This provides tons of stable energy regeneration for your team, eliminating the need for a battery in some teams.
Best Artifacts and Weapons for Kaeya
Kaeya has multiple roles in Genshin Impact, so he can take advantage of different weapons and artifacts in the game:
Burst-Support Kaeya
Kaeya as a Burst-Support is focused on using his Burst to deal massive damage. As a result, you should choose between the Emblem of Severed Fates or Noblesse Oblige sets. These two sets increase Burst damage by a substantial amount, making it the best choice for this type of build.
Any 5-star weapon option is likely better than any 4-star option, like the Primordial Jade Cutter or Mistsplitter Reforged. You could consider using Lion’s Roar or Iron Sting for Reverse-Melt teams.
Main-DPS Kaeya
The Blizzard Strayer set allows Kaeya to gain 40% free Crit Rate against enemies who are Frozen. You can get 70% free Crit Rate without your artifacts by bringing another Cryo unit (Cryo resonance provides +15% extra Crit Rate) and having a Constellation 1 Kaeya (another free +15% Crit Rate.) If you don’t have a usable Blizzard Strayer set, it’s recommended that you do NOT run this build until you do.
Weapons that provide Crit Rate have less value, due to the abundance of Crit Rate you’ll receive. Try to stack as much Crit DMG and ATK as possible. The Blackcliff Longsword is his best 4-star option, while the Mistsplitter Reforged is his best 5-star option.
Roles and Teams
Sub-DPS: Kaeya / Rosaria or Shenhe / Xiangling / Bennett
Kaeya directly competes with Rosaria as a 4-star enabler for Reverse Melt teams. As Bennett and Xiangling provide Pyro against enemies, Kaeya uses his Elemental Burst and Elemental Skill to create the Melt reaction. This reaction is one of the highest-damaging reactions in the game.
In these Reverse Melt teams, Xiangling is an essential part of the team as she provides an absurd amount of Pyro application. This means that Kaeya will always be able to trigger the Melt reaction when he attacks. Notice how Kaeya deals over 37,000 damage in one Elemental Skill.
Shenhe can provide a damage boost to Kaeya’s Elemental Skill and Elemental Burst, but Rosaria provides an extra source of Cryo to ensure that there’s always a source of Melt damage. (Another advantage Rosaria has over Shenhe is the ease of access, as Rosaria is a 4-star while Shenhe is a limited 5-star.)
Main-DPS: Kaeya / Kazuha / Xingqiu / Chongyun
One of Kaeya’s most common play-styles is as a main-DPS in certain Freeze teams. A popular composition for Kaeya pairs him with Kazuha, Xingqiu, and Chongyun. This team is even more effective if you have Constellation 1 for Kaeya, as it increases his Crit Rate against Frozen enemies.
In this team, you have the damage buff from Kazuha, the Hydro application to apply Freeze from Xingqiu, and a Cryo infusion from Chongyun. This allows you keep enemies permanently frozen and deal high damage with Kaeya’s Elemental Burst, Elemental Skill, and Normal Attacks. However, other characters in this team all deal heavy damage, particularly Chongyun.
For a cheaper version of the team, you can swap out Kazuha for Sucrose. This creates a viable 4-star only-team which is accessible to players who do not own Kazuha. Sucrose also allows you to bring the Thrilling Tales of Dragon Slayer weapon to the team, which allows you to buff the damage of Kaeya after swapping to him. You can also swap in Venti in the Anemo slot for superior Crowd Control and high Swirl damage.
Superconduct Kaeya
Kaeya applies tons of Cryo, meaning he can be a viable Superconduct applier for Physical teams. Superconduct is an Elemental Reaction that lowers physical resistance, meaning enemies will take more Physical DMG. He’s less viable for Eula teams, as she’s Cryo and can apply Superconduct herself.
However, Physical Keqing and Razor could feasibly use Kaeya as a Superconduct applier. Diona tends to be better, as she also provides survivability, but Kaeya can fit into a team of this nature.
Constellations
Ironically, free-to-play characters have some of the most elusive Constellations to obtain in the game. This is because free-to-play characters never receive a rate-up on Limited Character Banners. In fact, you cannot pull Kaeya, Amber, or Lisa on Limited Banners. You can only obtain Kaeya constellations from the Standard Banner or the Starglitter Shop.
Here’s an overview of all of Kaeya’s constellations:
| Constellation 1: Excellent Blood | The Crit Rate of Kaeya’s Normal and Charged Attacks against opponents affected by Cryo is increased by 15%. | The value of this Constellation improves based on how you want to use Kaeya. For sub-DPS Kaeya, this Constellation is useless as you don’t take advantage of his Normal or Charged Attacks. For main-DPS Kaeya, this is an extremely valuable Constellation, as it provides a considerable amount of free Crit Rate. It’s recommended to buy this Constellation from the Starglitter Shop if you’re interested in main-DPS Kaeya. |
| Constellation 2: Never-Ending Performance | Every time Glacial Waltz defeats an opponent during its duration, its duration is increased by 2.5 seconds, up to a maximum of 15 seconds. | This is another Constellation that increases or decreases in value depending on the situation. It’s useless against single bosses, such as the Golden Wolflord or Maguu Kenki, as you cannot extend its duration. However, against mob fights in the Abyss or in the Overworld, this is an incredibly valuable Constellation to have as it extends the main source of his damage by a substantial amount. |
| Constellation 3: Dance of Frost | Increases the level of Frostgnaw by 3. Maximum upgrade level is 15. | This will provide a free damage increase for Frostgnaw, although it’s not an essential Constellation. |
| Constellation 4: Frozen Kiss | Triggers automatically when Kaeya’s HP falls below 20%: Creates a shield that absorbs damage equal to 30% of Kaeya’s Max HP. Lasts for 20s. This shield absorbs Cryo DMG with 250% efficiency. Can only occur once every 60s. | It’s a fun Constellation, but deceptively worthless. You’ll often be killed from any source of damage at 20% HP anyways, and the shield does not trigger on a hit that will kill Kaeya. The shield is likely weak anyways, as Kaeya does not stack up HP for his stats. Additionally, the cooldown is very long. |
| Constellation 5: Frostbiting Embrace | Increases the Level of Glacial Waltz by 3. Maximum upgrade level is 15. | Glacial Waltz is Kaeya’s main source of damage, so this is a high value Constellation to have. |
| Constellation 6: Glacial Whirlwind | Glacial Waltz will generate 1 additional icicle, and will regenerate 15 Energy when cast. | This is Kaeya’s best Constellation. It provides more damage, more energy, and more Cryo application. |
That’s all you need to know about how to play Kaeya in Genshin Impact. Be sure to follow this guide to create the strongest possible builds for your Kaeya!
