Spiral Abyss: A Comprehensive Guide to Achieving 36 Stars

Mastering the Spiral Abyss in Genshin Impact is an end game goal for many players who aim for the difficult 36-star completion.

Unlike the common "poverty speedruns" or relying heavily on RNG, this guide focuses on building two strong teams for consistent success.

Here's a comprehensive strategy to achieve 36 stars in the Abyss with efficiency and reliability.

‍

A Comprehensive Guide to Achieving 36 Stars in Spiral Abyss: Tips and Team Building

Understand Your Account's Context

Character Inventory Assessment

Begin by taking stock of the characters you have, paying special attention to their elemental types, roles (DPS, support, healer), and constellations.

This inventory will form the basis of your team-building strategy.

Remember, the absence of certain meta characters doesn't spell doom; it simply requires a different approach.

‍

Resource Management

Your account's resources extend beyond characters to include Primogems, Artifacts, Talent Books, Ascension Materials, and Mora.

Efficient resource management means prioritizing investments in characters who offer the most versatility and impact for the Spiral Abyss.

This often means focusing on a solid DPS and versatile supports that can fit into multiple team compositions.

‍

Gacha Limitations and Strategy

The gacha system inherently limits access to certain characters, making advice like "just use this five-star character" impractical for many of you.

Instead, develop a wish strategy that targets banners with high-value characters for the Spiral Abyss.

Don't overlook the importance of weapon banners as well, as the right weapon can significantly enhance a character's performance.

‍

Building Around Your Strongest Characters

Identify the strongest characters in your roster and build teams around them.

This doesn't necessarily mean five-star characters; a well-built four-star character with the right support can outperform a poorly supported five-star character.

Understand the strengths and weaknesses of your top characters and complement them with supports that amplify their effectiveness.

‍

Adapting to Meta Shifts

The Genshin Impact meta evolves with new character releases and game updates.

Stay informed about these changes and be ready to adapt your strategies accordingly.

Sometimes, a newly released four-star character or a previously overlooked character can become a game-changer for your Spiral Abyss runs.

‍

The Pitfalls of Relying on Four-Star Characters

Limited Damage Output

Four-star characters, generally speaking, have lower base stats and scaling compared to five-star units.

This can translate to a noticeable difference in damage output, particularly for DPS roles.

In the Spiral Abyss, where DPS checks are strict and time is of the essence, this limitation can be the difference between achieving a full clear with all stars versus falling short.

‍

Elemental Reaction and Team Synergy Constraints

Many four-star characters can effectively trigger elemental reactions, which are crucial for Spiral Abyss success.

However, the frequency of these reactions often pale in comparison to what five-star characters can achieve, either due to their elemental skills/bursts' cooldowns, energy requirements, or simply the raw power of their abilities.

Team compositions built around enhancing and exploiting these reactions may lack the versatility or adaptability provided by certain five-star characters, limiting strategic options.

‍

Constellation Dependency

A significant challenge with four-star characters is their reliance on constellations to unlock their full potential.

While obtaining duplicates for constellation upgrades is statistically easier for four-star characters due to their higher pull rate, this process still relies on the luck of the draw and can require a substantial investment of Primogems over time.

In contrast, many five-star characters are designed to be highly effective even at C0, allowing for immediate impact without the need for constellation upgrades.

‍

Resource Allocation and Opportunity Cost

Investing in four-star characters requires the same resources (Mora, talent books, ascension materials, artifacts) as five-star characters.

Given the finite nature of these resources, especially for free-to-play or low-spending players, every investment must be carefully considered.

Overcommitting resources to four-star characters, particularly those who may not offer long-term viability in your roster, represents an opportunity cost, potentially delaying the development of more impactful characters.

‍

Meta Flexibility

The meta in Genshin Impact evolves with the introduction of new characters and gameplay mechanics.

Four-star characters, while often receiving adjustments or finding new niches, may not adapt as readily to meta shifts as five-star characters, who frequently introduce new elements or strategies to the game.

This can result in a roster that struggles to keep pace with the evolving demands of high-level content, including the Spiral Abyss.

‍

Strategies for Overcoming These Pitfalls

• Focus on building a diverse roster that includes both four-star and five-star characters, prioritizing those with broad utility and scalability into late-game content.
• Experiment with team compositions that maximize the potential of four-star characters through smart elemental reaction setups, ensuring their contributions are meaningful.
• Allocate resources wisely, ensuring that investments in four-star characters are balanced with the needs of your five-star characters and overall team development.
• Stay informed about game updates and meta shifts, being ready to adapt your strategies and roster to maintain competitiveness in the Spiral Abyss.

‍

Investing in Five-Star Characters

Superior Base Stats and Scaling

Five-star characters have higher base stats and scaling compared to their four-star counterparts.

This inherent advantage translates to greater damage output, survivability, and overall effectiveness in combat.

In the context of the Spiral Abyss, where enemies are tough and DPS checks are strict, the enhanced performance of five-star characters can be the difference between securing a victory and falling short.

‍

Unique and Impactful Abilities

Five-star characters are often designed with unique abilities that can significantly influence the battlefield.

Whether it's Venti's unparalleled crowd control, Zhongli's strong shields and petrification, or Ganyu's devastating AoE Cryo damage, these unique skills offer strategic advantages that can be optimized to overcome the most challenging content, providing flexibility in team composition and strategy.

‍

Elemental Reaction Synergy

The strong abilities of five-star characters not only stand out on their own but also synergize exceptionally well with elemental reactions, a cornerstone of Genshin Impact's combat system.

Characters like Klee, Diluc, and Hu Tao can serve as primary DPS that trigger powerful reactions such as Overload, Melt, or Vaporize, significantly boosting your team's damage output.

Investing in characters that can effectively initiate or complement these reactions is key to mastering the Spiral Abyss.

‍

Long-term Viability

While the meta in Genshin Impact evolves, five-star characters often remain relevant and powerful due to their design and the regular introduction of content that caters to their strengths.

Investing in five-star characters is a long-term strategy that ensures your roster remains competitive and capable of adapting to new challenges, including future updates to the Spiral Abyss and beyond.

‍

Resource Efficiency

Although five-star characters require the same resources for leveling and ascension as four-star characters, their superior performance and versatility mean that your investment grants higher returns.

By focusing on a core roster of five-star characters, you can efficiently use your resources, such as Mora, talent books, and artifacts, to achieve significant power spikes and combat readiness.

‍

Building Your Teams

Identify Core DPS and Elemental Synergies

Main DPS‍

Your team should be built around a powerful DPS character capable of consistent high damage output.

This is often a five-star character with abilities that scale well into late game.

‍

Elemental Reactions‍

Choose characters that can create strong elemental reactions with your DPS.

For example, pairing a Cryo DPS with a Hydro character for Freeze reactions or a Pyro DPS with an Electro character for Overloaded reactions.

Understanding which reactions work best against certain enemy types is key.

‍

Incorporate Essential Support Roles

Healer: Every team needs a reliable source of healing to sustain through prolonged fights or high-damage areas. Characters like Qiqi, Jean, or Bennett not only provide healing but also bring additional utility, such as cleansing or attack buffs.

Shielder/Utility: Characters like Zhongli or Diona can provide shields, further reducing the need for healing and allowing your DPS characters to stay in the fight longer without dodging.

Energy Recharge Support: Characters that can generate energy particles efficiently help ensure that your team's elemental bursts are ready when needed. This role is crucial for maintaining high DPS and utility uptime.

‍

Balance Between Flexibility and Specialization

While specializing teams for certain floors or chambers of the Spiral Abyss can yield excellent results, having a degree of flexibility allows you to adjust to unexpected challenges.

For instance, a character like Venti or Sucrose can offer crowd control across various scenarios, making them valuable in multiple team compositions.

For higher floors, consider creating specialized teams designed to counter specific enemy types or shields.

Understanding the Spiral Abyss's rotation and preparing teams that can handle Cryo, Pyro, Electro, or Hydro enemies effectively will significantly increase your success rate.

‍

Invest in Key Four-Star Characters

While five-star characters often take the spotlight, many four-star characters offer unique abilities that can greatly enhance your team's effectiveness. For instance:

• Xingqiu: Offers Hydro application for Freeze or Vaporize comps and damage reduction.
• Fischl: Provides consistent off-field Electro damage and energy generation.
• Bennett: Delivers significant attack buffs and healing, fitting well into almost any team.

‍

Artifact and Domain Farming Strategies

Prioritize Based on Team Needs

Before diving into artifact farming, evaluate the needs of your primary DPS and support characters.

Determine which stats and set bonuses will most benefit your team's overall performance.

Your DPS characters will benefit the most from artifact upgrades.

Prioritize farming domains that offer artifacts sets enhancing DPS performance, such as Gladiator's Finale, Crimson Witch of Flames, or Blizzard Strayer, depending on your DPS character’s elemental alignment.

‍

Efficient Domain Selection

Rather than sticking to one domain, rotate between domains based on the daily artifact needs of your characters.

This approach helps accumulate a variety of useful artifacts over time.

Identify artifact sets that can be beneficial across multiple characters.

For instance, Noblesse Oblige and Viridescent Venerer sets are versatile and can enhance various team compositions, making their respective domains high-value targets for farming.

‍

Understanding Artifact Stats and Optimization

Main Stats Priority‍

For DPS characters, focus on artifacts with ATK% (Sands), Elemental DMG% (Goblet), and CRIT Rate or CRIT DMG (Circlet) as main stats.

Supports may require different stats like Energy Recharge or Healing Bonus, depending on their role.

‍

Sub-stats Significance‍

Ideal sub-stats include CRIT Rate, CRIT DMG, ATK%, and Energy Recharge.

Prioritize artifacts with these sub-stats, and remember that upgrading artifacts can randomly enhance one of the sub-stats, so choose artifacts with the best initial sub-stats to enhance.

‍

Resource Management for Artifact Leveling

Level up artifacts that have high potential (good main stats and sub-stats) to maximize resource efficiency.

Use lower-star artifacts or those with unfavorable stats as enhancement fodder.

Initially, aim to level your DPS artifacts to at least level 16, where you get significant stat increases.

Support characters' artifacts can initially be leveled to 12, gradually increasing as you solidify your team composition.

‍

Maximize Farming Efficiency

Participate in co-op domain runs to increase efficiency and manage resin usage better.

Co-op can make challenging domains more manageable and speed up the farming process.

Use Condensed Resin for double rewards to save time.

Keep an eye on events that offer artifact farming opportunities, as these can provide high-quality artifacts without the usual resin cost.

‍

Understanding Spiral Abyss 4.5 Mechanics

Genshin Impact's 4.5 update has refreshed the Spiral Abyss, introducing challenges with familiar opponents like the Terror Shroom, Capellia, Capellas, Shadowy Husks, and the Mech Local Legend.

‍

Floor 11 Strategy

Understanding Floor 11's Unique Mechanics

Geo Damage Bonus

Floor 11 offers a substantial 75% Geo damage bonus, making Geo characters particularly effective.

This bonus incentivizes the use of Geo characters or teams that can capitalize on Geo constructs and reactions, such as crystallize, to both deal increased damage and enhance defense.

‍

The Geo Construct Shockwave

Optimizing the floor’s blessing that activates a shockwave upon creating a Geo construct can significantly boost your damage output.

Characters like Albedo, Ningguang, Chiori, or Noelle not only benefit directly from the Geo damage bonus but can also trigger these beneficial shockwaves, adding an extra layer of AOE damage.

‍

Key Enemies and How to Counter Them

Hydro Phantasms

They are immune to Hydro damage and resistant to freezing.

Pyro characters can exploit vaporize reactions for increased damage, while Electro and Cryo characters can provide alternative reactions to bypass the phantasms' defenses.

‍

Consecrated Beasts and Elemental Aarant

An Anemo character can swirl elemental effects to weaken or even strip away elemental shields from Aarant, making them vulnerable to follow-up attacks.

For efficient shield breaking, bring characters whose elemental attacks directly counter the enemy's shield element.

For Pyro shields, Hydro characters like Barbara or Xingqiu can quickly dismantle the barrier.

‍

Effective Team Composition

First Half: Consider assembling a team that deals AOE damage and can handle Hydro Phantasms efficiently. A Pyro DPS such as Xiangling, supported by Sucrose for crowd control and elemental mastery boosts, Bennett for healing and Pyro resonance, and a flexible slot for a Geo character can form a solid foundation.

Second Half: A team capable of dealing with various elemental shields and the consecrated beasts is crucial. Characters like Fischl or Beidou for Electro damage, Rosaria or Kaeya for Cryo, and a Geo character to take advantage of the floor’s buff can be effective. Adding an Anemo support like Sayu for additional crowd control and shield stripping through swirl reactions can round out the team.

‍

Floor 12 Strategy

Elemental Shields and Geo Dominance

Floor 12 introduces a variety of enemies equipped with elemental shields, including Pyro, Dendro, and a Geo-protected boss in the final chamber.

Adapting your team to efficiently break these shields is key for success.

‍

Hydro and Electro

Hydro and Electro characters are essential for dismantling Pyro and Dendro shields, respectively.

Characters like Xingqiu and Beidou can provide consistent elemental applications to weaken shields.

‍

Strategies for Each Chamber

Chamber 1: Diverse Elemental Needs

Start with a team that includes Hydro for Pyro shields, Electro for Dendro shields, and an Anemo character for crowd control.

Swirling elemental effects with Anemo can make shield breaking trivial and gather enemies for efficient AOE damage.

‍

Chamber 2: Perpetual Mechanical Array

The Perpetual Mechanical Array returns with its Geo shield.

Melee characters capable of plunging attacks are invaluable here, as the gravity reduction zones allow for easy execution of these attacks.

‍

Chamber 3: The Final Showdown

Prepare for the final boss by including a character capable of dealing significant Geo damage to break the boss's shield.

Zhongli stands out as an ideal choice, with his hold skill and burst significantly reducing the shield's health.

‍

Example Team Compositions

‍First Half Team: Incorporate a Hydro character and an Electro character for shield breaking, an Anemo character for crowd control and swirling, and a flexible slot for a Geo character or additional DPS. This setup allows for rapid adaptation to different shield types found on these chambers.‍

Second Half Team: Assemble a team with a strong Geo character to capitalize on the final boss’s vulnerability to Geo attacks. Supplement this with characters that offer support, healing, or additional DPS. Characters like Noelle can provide both Geo damage and healing, while a Claymore user can contribute additional blunt damage.

‍

Final Thoughts on Conquering the Spiral Abyss

Achieving 36 stars in the Spiral Abyss is a hard challenge for any Genshin player.

By focusing on building versatile, powerful teams and making informed decisions about resource allocation, you can conquer the Abyss with consistency and efficiency.

Remember, the journey to 36 stars is as much about the journey as it is about the destination, offering valuable lessons and satisfaction with each floor cleared.