Genshin Impact: How to Build Nilou

Nilou is the latest addition to the Genshin Impact Hydro character family. And for once, Nilou is not a healer! However, like most healer characters, his HP is used to scale other stats. Instead, Nilou's attack aspects scale with her Max HP.

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However, Nilou has major restrictions on your team composition. It won't work as well if you go outside of these restrictions. You can use it however you want, but if you don't have a Hydro-Dendro team, you'll miss some cool effects.

As Genshin Impact introduces more Dendro and Hydro (Hydro Claymore when) characters, Nilou will become a bit more flexible. That being said, Nilou can be added to an F2P team with good results – just make sure to use Barbara.

Best Position - Under DPS

For now, it's easier to use Nilou as an off-field sub-DPS than as a main-field DPS. However, if you built Barbara and used her elemental skill before letting Nilou take over, you can use Nilou as your primary DPS.

The off-screen Sub-DPS version is easier to use, especially if you're not good at combat timing. Nilou's greatest talent is creating Bountiful Cores. Abundant Cores are just Dendro Cores pumped up to 11. Essentially, Abundant Cores affect greater AoE, deal more damage, and explode faster than Dendro Cores. Nilou does not need to be in the field to generate Bountiful Cores. She only needs to be on a Hydro-Dendro team.

Currently, the best strategy is to include the Dendro Traveler in your Nilou team. Dendro Traveler is fantastic, but they also have a long Elemental Burst that constantly applies Dendro to the field. Nilou can trigger the traveler's mushroom to bloom.

Both the Main DPS and Sub-DPS builds use the same Artifact stats, so you can switch between the two very easily and pick whichever you prefer.

Best Weapons

5 Star – Key of Khaj-Nisut

It seems Genshin Impact is upgrading its signature weapons. The Key of Khaj-Nisut is Nilou's signature weapon and her best weapon overall. The sword increases the wearer's HP by a percentage. His skill effect adds another bonus HP%, plus a few more.

When an elemental skill hits an opponent, the wearer gains the Great Anthem effect for 20 seconds. Great Anthem increases Elemental Mastery by 0,12% of the wearer's Max HP. This can be triggered once every 0,3 seconds and has a maximum of 3 stacks.

At 3 stacks, or when the duration of the third stack resets, all nearby party members will have their Elemental Mastery increased by 0,2% of the wearer's max HP for 20 seconds.

An honorable mention goes to Sworn liberty.

4 Star – Sacrificial Sword

If you want more EM or HP stats in your Artifacts, the Sacrificial Sword will reduce your reliance on Energy Refill. The Sacrificial Sword increases the wearer's energy recharge by a percentage. However, the best aspect of the Sacrificial Sword is the ability to end the wielder's elemental skill CD early.

After hitting an opponent with an elemental skill, the skill has a chance to end its own CD. It starts with a 40% chance and will increase with weapon refinement. So, the higher the refinement, the higher the chance of completing the skill CD. At refinement 1, this can happen once every 30 seconds. Time is reduced with each refinement.

Since Nilou has a three-part elemental skill, completing her skill's CD quickly will allow you to consistently apply Hydro. This can reduce your need for another Hydro character. If you want to build Nilou as your primary DPS, use the Sacrificial Sword on her.

Honorable mentions go to iron dart et The moonlight of Xiphos.

3 Star – Skyrider Sword

Like the Sacrificial Sword, the Skyrider Sword increases the wielder's energy recharge by a percentage. When using an Elemental Burst, the wearer receives increased ATK and Movement Speed for 15 seconds. If possible, use Nilou's Burst before activating his skill. This will give you the Skyrider buffs while Nilou performs her skill. Again, it's all about applying Hydro and increasing Nilou's skill damage.

An honorable mention goes to Dark Iron Sword.

Best Artifact Sets

yes we have another one Queen of main stats HP %! Give Nilou all of your HP% Main Stat Artifacts, especially after his 4th Ascension Passive Talent starts. A lot of Nilou's damage and buffs scale with her max HP, so increasing her HP will increase her damage.

Focus on Elemental Mastery, HP, and Energy Recharge sub-stats. Abundant Cores don't do CRIT, so Elemental Mastery will help you far more than any CRIT stat.

2CP Tenacity of Milileth + 2CP Golden Memories

This is probably the best and easiest combination to equip Nilou. At 2 pieces, Tenacity of the Milileth increases HP by 20%. 2 Pieces of Golden Memories will increase Elemental Mastery by 80.

The HP increase will help increase the damage of Nilou's Elemental Burst and, once Nilou passes his 4th Ascend, Bountiful Cores. The Elemental Mastery boost will help increase the damage of Bountiful Cores as they are considered part of the Bloom Reaction.

If you don't have any decent Gilded Memories parts, you can use Wanderer's Troupe for the EM boost.

2CP Tenacity + 2CP Heart of Depth

Instead of getting the EM boost, 2 pieces of the Heart of Depth set grants 15% Hydro DMG bonus. The main difference is that the Hydro DMG bonus directly increases Nilou's Hydro DMG. Elemental Mastery affects elemental reactions, which will increase the damage dealt by Bountiful Cores.

The Hydro DMG bonus would be better for the main DPS version since Nilou's elemental skill converts his normal attacks into Hydro DMG. But if you plan to rely on damage from Bountiful Cores, then the Elemental Mastery boost would be better.

4PC Golden Memories

You should only use this set if you have at least two Dendro characters in Nilou's team.

At 4 pieces, the Gilded Memories set adds buffs to its equipped character based on the items of other party members. Within 8 seconds of triggering an elemental reaction, Gilded Memories will grant its characters buffs based on your team composition. For any character with the same elemental type as the wearer, the wearer gains a 14% ATK buff. For any character with a different elemental type, the wearer instead gains 50 elemental mastery points. Each buff can stack up to 3 times and can be triggered once every 8 seconds. The carrier does not need to be in the field.

Having two Dendro characters on Nilou's team will increase Nilou's Elemental Mastery by 100 points. In all, Gilded can add 180 elemental mastery points to Nilou. Most likely, your Nilou team will have two Hydro characters and two Dendro characters, so Nilou will receive 100 EM and 14% ATK from Gilded.

Best Team - Bloom's Reaction

Nilou's number one flaw right now is his limited squad composition. To take full advantage of Nilou's talents, you need at least one Hydro character and one Dendro character on the team. Currently, there are only three Dendro characters: Traveler, Tighnari, and Collei. Expect Nilou to become more flexible over time as we get more Hydro and Dendro characters. But for now, you'll still need an all-Dendro and Hydro team for Nilou.

For now, the Traveler is an essential character for the Nilou team. Traveller's Elemental Burst has a high AoE and long duration - perfect for Nilou or any other Hydro character to trigger the Bloom Reaction. When you trigger the Bloom Reaction on Traveller's Burst, the mushroom grows in size and constantly produces Dendro Cores. Dendro's cores are essential in a Nilou team because his talents increase their damage.

Usually you want a healer on Nilou's team since you won't be able to rely on Shields. As such, Barbara or Kokomi should also be on your team. From there, it's up to preference. If Traveller's Burst is Dendro enough for you, then use another Hydro character. If you want more Dendro and Barbara's skill is wet enough for you, use Collei.