Now that the release of Genshin Impact Version 2.6 is live, the game's newest 5-Star Hydro character is available, and the best Kamisato Ayato build is being refined by the community through countless hours of exploration, study, and a slew of spreadsheets. While the undisputed best overall build will change depending on a user's team composition, roster needs, and available items, the best Kamisato Ayato DPS build is at least pretty straightforward.
Kamisato Ayato is a 5-Star Hydro sword user that first released in Genshin Impact 2.6. He's the older brother of the 5-Star Cryo character Kamisato Ayaka, and is the head of the Kamisato clan in Inazuma. Ayato's Elemental Skill is Kamisato Art: Kyouka, which creates a water illusion while he uses his Shunsuiken to attack in anime-style flourishes that see his movement speed so quick he disappears on screen momentarily with each stroke. Ayato's Elemental Burst is Kamisato Art: Suiyuu, which creates a wide space that rains down Bloomwater Blades that deal Hydro DMG to enemies as AoE while characters within the Burst get a bonus to Normal Attack DMG as well.
Ayato's kit is well-rounded, and the number of Kamisato Ayato builds should be both varied and viable. While he can be played as a sub-DPS, however, many players will want to keep him on-field as a main DPS to enjoy his incredible attack animations and style. For those who want to center their team around the Hydro 5-Star sword wielder, here's the best Kamisato Ayato DPS build in Genshin Impact.
Best Kamisato Ayato DPS Weapon - Haran Geppaku Futsu or Primordial Jade Cutter
As is often the case with 5-Star characters, Kamisato Ayato's best weapon is the one that released alongside him in the Genshin Impact weapon banner - the Haran Geppaku Futsu. It's a 5-star sword designed almost explicitly for Ayato, with a passive 12% Elemental DMG bonus and a near-constant trigger that boosts the user's Normal Attack by 20% for 8 seconds. Both of those traits work perfectly in Kamisato Ayato's kit, which makes the Haran Geppaku Futsu ideal.
However, another 5-star sword is just as viable in most Kamisato Ayato DPS builds. The Primordial Jade Cutter increases HP by 20% passively while also giving the user an ATK bonus of 1.2% of their max HP. Ayato's Elemental Skill scales with his current Max HP, which means the Primordial Jade Cutter gives a passive bonus to his most important DPS skill in Kamisato Art: Kyouka. The Primordial Jade Cutter gives Ayato 11% more Crit Rate than the Haran Geppaku Futsu at max ascension, which also makes his Artifact set requirements a little more lax.
For those without access to 5-Star weapons, The Black Sword is a 4-star option that is a serviceable choice with plenty of stat bonuses relevant to his damage output. The difference in optimization between The Black Sword and Kamisato Ayato's best DPS weapons is noticeable, but won't suddenly make him a less effective main DPS on a Genshin Impact team - he's just that good.
Best Kamisato Ayato DPS Artifact Set - Echoes of an Offering or Heart of Depth
For the best Kamisato Ayato DPS build, there are two Artifact options that stand above the rest. The Echoes of an Offering set provides an 18% ATK 2-piece bonus and has a convoluted 4-piece bonus that essentially means Ayato can, with some consistency, trigger a Normal ATK that receives a bonus of 70% of his ATK stat. Given the frequency with which he attacks during his Elemental Skill, he's able to proc this ability frequently (although, frustratingly, without guarantees).
That said, Echoes of an Offering has RNG elements in the kit, which might be too much for users who are completing Spiral Abyss and want more consistency. The Heart of Depth Artifact set provides a 2-piece bonus of 15% Hydro DMG bonus, and a 4-piece bonus that increased Normal Attack and Charged Attack DMG by 30% for 15 seconds after using an Elemental Skill. That's obviously synergistic with the best Kamisato Ayato DPS rotations, and has no random element to the amount of damage scaling that's on offer. The ceiling on the best Kamisato Ayato DPS build involving Echoes of an Offering is higher, but not by so much that it's blatantly wrong to choose Heart of Depth instead.
Other Artifact sets like Gladiator's Nostalgia can be swapped in by players who have good pieces already, but they're marginally less optimal than the two best-in-slots for Kamisato Ayato's best DPS build.
Once players have decided on which Artifact set to farm for, they'll also be looking for specific stats on their pieces. Here's the best Kamisato Ayato DPS Artifact stats:
- Sands of Eon - ATK %
- Goblet of Eonothem - Hydro DMG %
- Circlet of Logos - Crit Rate/Crit DMG %
For the Circlet of Logos specifically, players will want to find the piece that best enables them to have a 2:1 ratio between Crit DMG and Crit Rate. Both of Ayato's best weapons give bonuses to Crit Rate, which is often the hardest stat to build out, so Ayato's requirements are generally a little easier to meet than other Genshin Impact DPS mains without access to a good Crit Rate or Crit DMG weapon.
As far as Kamisato Ayato's best Artifact substats go, they're extremely straightforward, though with one caveat that will be explained after:
- 1: Crit Rate/Crit DMG % (until roughly 80% Crit Rate and 160% Crit DMG)
- 2: ATK % (this is straightforward damage scaling)
- 3: Elemental Mastery/HP % (the differences here are marginal and much less impactful than the above two, and are more important for min-maxing the best Kamisato Ayato DPS build)
Finally, players will need to have Energy Recharge at roughly 150-160% for Kamisato Ayato, depending on the team and how many batteries are available for him. It's not a priority stat on any one piece, but he'll need it across his Artifact set to ensure he's functioning optimally.
Genshin Impact is available now on PlayStation 4, PC, and Android and iOS mobile devices.