We have released a long series of guides for every new character that gets released, but we realized we couldn’t neglect the ones who were there since the game began. These characters in the ‘standard pool’, like Diluc, have served their time in the ever-changing meta of Genshin Impact, and we thought they deserved a guide of their own. This time, our resident Darknight Hero takes the spotlight, and will protect Mondstadt from evil as he has always done.
Diluc’s character seems like a premonition of his place in the game’s changing meta. He was once a valiant fighter who fought gods of evil, but turned to a quiet lifestyle with a side of crime-fighting. Diluc also used to be the strongest character who can stomp the Spiral Abyss with ease, until he got benched by newer, more powerful characters like Ganyu and Hu Tao. But that doesn’t mean Diluc got weaker–he can still beat all sorts of content without breaking a sweat, and only requires a decent amount of investment to get him going.
Diluc is a 5-star Claymore-wielding Pyro character, specializing in a sustained combo of Pyro damage, with a bit of burst damage when used with the right Elemental reactions. Him being a Claymore user and Pyro means he can deal with almost all kinds of enemy shields in the game, from Dendro and rock shields, to any Abyss Mage shield except for Pyro. He also has the ability to infuse his own attacks with Pyro, which is the sole aspect that enables his amazing DPS. If you happen to have a Diluc lying around, or managed to fail a 50/50 and got Diluc, now’s the chance to build him, especially if you need a good Pyro or Claymore DPS.
Abilities Overview
Diluc’s Elemental Skill is Searing Onslaught. He flips forward with his blade, dealing Pyro damage, and can be repeated 2 additional times within a time period. This is his bread and butter ability for all uses, and is the bulk of his overall DPS. The damage ratios for the skill is good, but it gets amplified much further with proper usage of Elemental Reactions.
Diluc is usually paired with Xingqiu’s Burst, thanks to Xingqiu’s Hydro application on attack. This way, Diluc can Vaporise each Searing Onslaught as long as he does a normal attack before each move, applying Hydro and setting up the reaction.
Diluc’s Elemental Burst is Dawn. Diluc swings his sword which releases a mighty phoenix, knocking back enemies, deal Pyro damage, and infuse his weapon with Pyro for 8 seconds. This burst’s very low cooldown and Energy cost, allows Diluc to consistently infuse his attacks with Pyro, while dealing a huge amount of burst Pyro damage to groups of enemies.
Dawn’s 8-second infusion can be increased to 12 seconds thanks to his second Talent, Blessing of Phoenix, which perfectly matches the burst’s 12-second cooldown. This allows Diluc to have near-permanent uptime on his infusion, with an addition of 20% Pyro damage bonus from his talent.
Best Weapon Build for Diluc
Wolf’s Gravestone – For characters who scale mainly with ATK, this infamous weapon is still the best one around. This weapon specializes in one stat– Attack, and this one has an insane amount of it. Skyward Pride is great, but the Energy Recharge stat is kind of wasted, as Diluc’s very low Burst cost doesn’t warrant it at all. The other 5-star Claymores are also good on Diluc, but they are still inferior to the Gravestone’s massive stat stick.
Serpent Spine – One of the best 4-star weapons in the game. It has the rare Crit Rate substat, and its passive provides a universal damage bonus that even works for characters who don’t scale off of ATK, like Noelle or the upcoming Itto. If you have access to the Battle Pass, this weapon is a must-get, along with all the other 4-star Battle Pass weapons.
Luxurious Sea-Lord – It’s quite ironic that Diluc would be wielding a large tuna as a weapon, not to mention that he’ll be coating it in fire. This weapon is, unfortunately, a limited free 4-star weapon from the Moonchase event. If you have it, it’s an amazing F2P weapon for Diluc, which enhances his ATK and Elemental Burst damage. A good alternative is the craftable Prototype Animus, which is really the baseline weapon for all F2P options.
Best Artifact Build for Diluc
Crimson Witch of Flames (4-piece) – Get ready to gear up your Cryo characters, because you’re going to farm this domain (Hidden Palace of Zhou Formula) a lot. This set is the perfect fit for Diluc’s playstyle: spam a lot of skills, deal big pyro damage, vaporise with 5-digit hits. Crimson Witch can provide up to an insane 37.5% bonus Pyro damage, while also improving the damage of his Elemental Reactions, especially Vaporise.
Mixed Set – If you’re in desperate need of a decent artifact set, while in the process of farming the Crimson Witch, a mixed set might be useful in the meanwhile. A good alternative is a 2-piece Crimson Witch and a 2-piece Gladiator. You can use Flower and Feather pieces for CW, since they have fixed main stats and are easy to find, and then fill the rest with at least two decent Gladiator pieces you have lying around. If you have no good sets at all, try to find at least an ATK% Sands, Pyro DMG bonus Goblet, and Crit Rate/Crit DMG Circlet.
Best Team Compositions for Diluc
Vape Diluc – Recommended Lineup: Diluc, Xingqiu, Bennett, Mona/Fill
As mentioned in the abilities section, Xingqiu is Diluc’s best friend, since Rain Swords are the perfect setup for the Searing Onslaught Vaporise. Bennett is your team’s dedicated healer and buffer, while Mona can set up a massive burst of damage with her Stellaris Phantasm. If you don’t have Mona, then a free character like Xiangling can easily fit in the team, thanks to the abundance of energy from the two other Pyro characters.
Diluc might be a bit outdated, but that doesn’t stop him from delivering high and consistent DPS that’s still relevant in the current version of the game. His flexibility as a Pyro Claymore is still useful not only in combat, but also in exploration. If you got spooked by Diluc in a banner, don’t be afraid–he’s just trying to save the day.
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