Ultimate Ayaka Guide: Mastering the Cryo Princess

Welcome to the comprehensive guide on Ayaka, Genshin Impact's elegant Cryo swordswoman.

This guide goes into Ayaka's best builds, playstyles, team compositions, and essential tactics to unleash her full potential.

Whether you're exploring freeze or non-freeze teams, this guide has you covered.

Let's dive in!

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Complete Ayaka Guide in Genshin Impact: Best Builds and Team Compositions

Ayaka's Talents and Passives

Elemental Burst: Kamisato Art Soumetsu

Ayaka's Elemental Burst is her main damage-dealing tool.

It unleashes a snowstorm that strikes enemies multiple times.

The burst moves forward, slowing when hitting an enemy, and dealing 20 hits, with the last hit dealing increased damage.

For optimal effect, it's crucial to group enemies together, especially in freeze compositions, ensuring all hits land.

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Elemental Skill: Kamisato Art Hyouka

This skill performs a sweeping AOE cryo attack around Ayaka.

The skill has a 10-second cooldown with decent damage scaling.

Post-use, it boosts Ayaka's normal and charged attack damage by 30% for 6 seconds, enhancing her melee combat efficiency.

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Unique Dash: Kamisato Art Senho

Similar to Mona, Ayaka’s dash allows her to move swiftly and infuse her subsequent attacks with Cryo.

On hitting an enemy after emerging from her dash, Ayaka gains a Cryo damage bonus and replenishes stamina.

This dash is not only useful for exploration but also crucial in combat for initiating attacks and maintaining Cryo application.

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Talent Prioritization

As the core of Ayaka's damage output, prioritize upgrading her Elemental Burst first.

Next, enhance her normal attacks to capitalize on the increased damage post Elemental Skill use.

Upgrade her Elemental Skill last, as its primary function is more utility-oriented than damage-focused.

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Best Artifacts

Blizzard Strayer Set

Ideal for freeze compositions, this set provides up to 40% crit rate when freezing enemies and 15% Cryo damage bonus.

Even outside freeze teams, this set offers a 20% crit rate boost against Cryo-affected enemies, making it versatile.

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Alternative Artifact Combinations

Two-Piece Sets

Pairing two different two-piece sets like Gladiator's Finale and Shimenawa's Reminiscence can be effective, especially in non-freeze setups.

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Emblem of Severed Fate‍

Suitable for burst-focused Ayaka, enhancing Energy Recharge and burst damage.

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Choosing the Right Artifact Stats

• Sands: ATK% is the most recommended main stat.
• Goblet: Cryo damage bonus to amplify her elemental damage.
• Circlet: Generally, crit damage is preferred, but if crit rate is lacking, especially outside freeze teams, a crit rate circlet can balance her stats.
• Sub-Stats Priority: Focus on crit rate/damage (depending on set bonuses), ATK%, and Energy Recharge.

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Weapon Selection

Best-in-Slot Weapons

Mistsplitter Reforged: Offers high base attack, critical damage, and a passive that boosts elemental damage.

Amenoma Kageuchi: A top-tier free-to-play option providing excellent energy recharge and additional attack bonuses.

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Other Five-Star Weapons

Skyward Blade: Beneficial for its Energy Recharge, catering to a more burst-focused playstyle.

Aquila Favonia: Despite its physical bonus, its high base attack makes it viable.

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Four-Star Alternatives

Blackcliff Longsword: Offers critical damage, suitable for players with high crit rate from artifacts.

Prototype Rancour: Provides a balanced attack boost.

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Specialized Weapon Considerations

Primordial Jade Cutter: Can be effective, particularly in teams where Ayaka's crit rate from the Blizzard Strayer set isn't fully utilized.

Light of Foliar Incision: An alternative option providing critical damage, though less optimal than Mistsplitter.

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Ayaka's Team Compositions and Synergies

Freeze Team Composition

Pair Ayaka with a Hydro character to trigger consistent freeze reactions, added by another Cryo character for Cryo resonance and an Anemo character for crowd control and elemental resistance reduction.

• ‍Hydro Support: Characters like Xingqiu, Mona, or Kokomi are ideal for their reliable Hydro application.
• ‍Cryo Partner: Another Cryo character (e.g., Ganyu, Rosaria, Diona) enhances Ayaka's Cryo damage through resonance.
• ‍Anemo Enabler: Kazuha, Venti, or Sucrose can group enemies and reduce their resistance with the Viridescent Venerer set.

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Strategic Play

‍Use the Anemo character to gather enemies, apply Hydro for freeze, and then unleash Ayaka's burst and skill for maximum damage.

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Mono-Cryo Team

Ayaka with two Cryo characters for resonance and an Anemo or utility character.

Effective against bosses where freeze isn’t viable.

Provides increased Cryo damage through resonance.

Diona for shields and healing, Ganyu or Rosaria for additional Cryo damage.

Anemo characters like Kazuha or Jean can provide additional utility.

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Other Team Builds

Pair Ayaka with Pyro characters like Xiangling or Bennett to trigger melt reactions.

This team is less common but can be effective in certain situations.

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Hydro-Electro-Cryo (Hyperbloom) Team‍

A newer team composition involving Dendro reactions.

Ayaka serves as the Cryo element provider to enable Hyperbloom reactions.

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Burst Support Role‍

In teams where Ayaka’s role is more supportive, focusing on her burst damage can be effective.

Pair her with characters who can benefit from her Cryo application like Hu Tao or Diluc for melt reactions.

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Advanced Tips and Constellations

Mastering Combos and Tactics

Dash Cancelling for Fluid Attacks

Ayaka's dash is not only for mobility but also for setting up attacks.

After emerging from her dash, her attacks are infused with Cryo, which is essential for triggering reactions.

Dash cancelling is crucial.

It allows Ayaka to seamlessly transition between attacks, reducing downtime and maintaining constant pressure on enemies.

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Combining Elemental Skill and Burst

Use Ayaka's Elemental Skill before her Burst.

This provides an initial burst of Cryo damage and helps generate energy particles, ensuring her Burst is available more frequently.

Ayaka's Burst is her most potent attack.

Aligning her Elemental Skill before unleashing the Burst maximizes the Cryo damage inflicted on gathered enemies.

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Charge Attack Optimization

After using her Elemental Skill, Ayaka's normal and charged attacks get a damage boost.

Engage in charged attacks during this window to maximize damage output.

With her C6, Ayaka can perform a powerful charged attack without stamina cost.

Even without C6, cautious use of charged attacks is key, as her passive provides stamina regeneration.

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Elemental Burst Snapshotting

Ayaka's Burst snapshots the character's stats at the moment of casting.

This means any active buffs on Ayaka will enhance her Burst for its entire duration.

Before casting her Burst, ensure Ayaka receives all possible buffs from teammates or artifacts like Blizzard Strayer.

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Constellations Breakdown

C1: Snowswept Sakura

Decreases the cooldown of Kamisato Art: Hyouka (Elemental Skill) by 0.3 seconds every time a Normal or Charged Attack hits an enemy.

This constellation provides a fair improvement in Ayaka's skill uptime, allowing for more frequent use of her AOE Cryo damage.

It's particularly beneficial in rotations where Ayaka uses a mix of normal/charged attacks and skills.

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C2: Blizzard Blade Seki no To

When casting Kamisato Art: Soumetsu (Elemental Burst), Ayaka creates a smaller Frostflake Seki no To that deals 20% of the original burst's damage.

A significant DPS boost, especially in crowd situations where the additional Frostflake can hit multiple enemies.

This constellation enhances Ayaka's burst-centric playstyle and is highly valuable in maximizing her damage output.

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C4: Ebb and Flow

Opponents damaged by Kamisato Art: Soumetsu have their DEF decreased by 30% for 6 seconds.

This constellation enhances Ayaka's utility by weakening enemies, making them more vulnerable to all sources of damage.

It's particularly effective in team compositions where Ayaka is paired with other heavy hitters, amplifying the team's overall damage.

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C6: Dance of Suigetsu

Ayaka gains Usurahi Butou every 10 seconds, increasing the damage of her next charged attack by 298%.

The buff is cleared when the charged attack hits an enemy, and the attack will not consume stamina.

This constellation turns Ayaka's charged attacks into powerful bursts of damage.

While not as game-changing as some other character's C6 constellations, it still offers a significant boost, especially in rotations where charged attacks are used frequently.

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Ayaka Final Thoughts

Ayaka excels as a Cryo DPS, especially in freeze team compositions.

Her ability to control the battlefield and deal substantial damage makes her a top-tier character in Genshin Impact.

This guide provides the tools to optimize Ayaka for various scenarios, ensuring she can adapt and thrive in any challenge thrown her way.