Ayaka Quick TL;DR DPS Build Guide!
UPDATED FOR 2.6 😁!
Table of Contents
- 1 PSA #1: A DPS is that one friend that secretly practices dancing, and when you guys get to a party they bust a move and impress all your support friends. That’s your DPS (and basically Ayaka)
- 2 PSA #2: Both Ayaka’s abilities scale off ATK, but honestly it feels like she scales off some next level sh*t cause oh BOY do she slap harder than a buttcheek on a stick
- 3 PSA #1: This is crucial to Ayaka’s overall damage, as it’s basically a free permanent buff
- 4 PSA #2: Ayaka plays A LOT like Keqing in the sense that she’s heavily based around Normal and Charged attack combos
- 5 WEAPON #1 (Recommended for best DPS): Mistsplitter Reforged
- 6 WEAPON #2 (Recommended for good DPS): Blackcliff Longsword
- 7 ARTIFACTS (Recommended for best DPS): Blizzard Strayer
PSA #1: A DPS is that one friend that secretly practices dancing, and when you guys get to a party they bust a move and impress all your support friends. That’s your DPS (and basically Ayaka)
PSA #2: Both Ayaka’s abilities scale off ATK, but honestly it feels like she scales off some next level sh*t cause oh BOY do she slap harder than a buttcheek on a stick
PSA #1: This is crucial to Ayaka’s overall damage, as it’s basically a free permanent buff
Her sprint is essential to her kit, and basically you can abuse the living hell out of it as you can just tap sprint nearby enemies and practically never run out of energy. Here’s some few tips:
- The buff does not stack. Meaning hitting multiple enemies with the Cryo proc does not give more stamina/cryo DMG (e.g.: hitting 2 enemies will not give 20 stamina and 36% Cryo DMG etc…)
- As long as you hit an enemy, with the Cryo proc, you can spam the living hell out of it. Here’s an example of what I mean. Basically you’ll never run out of stamina, as tapping sprint consumes less than 10 stamina, and will provide a free Cryo proc + Cryo buff free of charge (works even better against Hydro enemies!)
- Doesn’t matter if they already have Cryo applied to them. As shown in the video above (click the link), the slimes who already have Cryo applied to them still provide the 10 stamina regen. So more accurately just hitting an enemy with the exiting AoE from sprint is all you need to do (cause technically you’re not “applying” a cryo proc if they already have cryo applied standalone)
This is an extreme strong way to basically generate stamina for yourself, and extremely viable for characters like Ayaka who use Charged attacks quite frequently in her DPS cycle!
IMPORTANT TIP: YOU DON’T EVEN HAVE TO HIT ANYONE WITH IT. YOU LITERALLY ONLY HAVE TO USE IT TO GET THE BUFF… In other words, you get a free 30% buff to your Normal and Charged attacks ever 10 seconds… (technically even lower if you get C1…)
IMPORTANT TIP: Ayaka’s Q can miss very easily, and enemies can often just move sideways even a slight bit to avoid it the full duration of the damage.
The best way to use Ayaka’s Q is sort of like Diluc’s Q: do a small dash away from your target and then Q. That way they’ll get hit by the full duration of the cutting DMG, and also get hit by the bloom DMG — but her Q does not move forward against walls/frozen/petrified enemies, so keep that in mind!
PSA #2: Ayaka plays A LOT like Keqing in the sense that she’s heavily based around Normal and Charged attack combos
The best combos are NA1 (Normal attack x1) > CA > repeat OR NA3 (Normal attack x3) > CA. While her moveset is cool, her 2nd, 4th, and 5th NA are too extended and wastes time (especially her 5th NA)
Here’s the way you typically want to start an encounter: Tap sprint into an enemy > E > NA1 + CA TWO TO THREE TIMES > tap sprint to reapply buffs > repeat until Q comes up (make sure to tap sprint again to re-apply the Cryo DMG buff before you Q!)
You can do a small animation cancel after her CA. After you hear her sheathe her sword and it makes that satisfying “clink” noise, immediately Normal Attack and it’ll cancel the full sheathing animation!
Talent Leveling Order: Q > Normal > E (her Q does too much damage to not prioritize, even if it’s 80 energy)
WEAPON #1 (Recommended for best DPS): Mistsplitter Reforged
How do I get it D: ? – It’s time to roll boys (gacha)
Mistsplitter has a long description, but it’s really easy to understand. Basically you will always have a 28% Elemental DMG buff as long as you’re Normal attacking with the Cryo enchantment active + don’t have energy for burst (12% from the sword + 16% for having 2 stacks active = 28% at R1). Once you use your burst, then you’ll have the full stacks, granting a total of 40% Elemental DMG buff for the next 10s (drops back down to 28% once the stack from using burst goes away)
This obviously is super broken, as Ayaka basically has 100% uptime on Cryo DMG at all times.
Primordial Jade Cutter is still a great 2nd best, along side Summit Shaper (if you’re running a shielder) as they’re both stat stick weapons — each provide an ample amount of ATK which is great for Ayaka who has a CRIT surplus!
If you have Aquila Favonia, and none of the other 5-star weapons, it’ll still do A LOT better than the 4-star options at low refinement. Albeit the Phys DMG bonus it provides is useless due to Ayaka’s 100% uptime Cryo enchantment!
WEAPON #2 (Recommended for good DPS): Blackcliff Longsword
How do I get it D: ? – Starglitter Exchange (24 Starglitter)
Will be explained more below in the artifacts section, but Ayaka basically has a CRIT% surplus. Due to that reason, the fact Blackcliff provides CRIT DMG + ATK buffs is the sole reason it beats The Black Sword in terms of damage and preference.
The Black Sword is still extremely viable, and if you have it (and not Blackcliff), then feel free to use it as it’ll basically guarantee CRITs for Ayaka + the healing is always nice 🙂
Another option worth considering is The Flute, which is another stat stick that just beefs up ATK by a lot. The weapon skill is also a nice little burst of damage, but not very reliable unless highly refined! If you’re stuck between using the new sword Amenoma Kageuchi vs. The Flute, go with Amenoma. While it’s still not the best thing, it does provide an ample amount of energy at R1 (if you consume all 3 seeds you get 18 energy back after using your burst — basically turns Ayaka burst from 80 energy to a 60 energy cost).
Iron Sting at higher refinement (around R3) feels AMAZING, and if you’re an F2P it’s a great weapon to use! Just make sure to pair with a melt comp to really make it shine, since it does provide a bit of EM. Between Iron Sting vs. Amenoma, I’d stick with Iron Sting especially at higher refinements!
Will keep this section updated as more Inazuma content rolls out!
ARTIFACTS (Recommended for best DPS): Blizzard Strayer
How do I get it D: ? – Peak of Vindagnyr Domain (AR 30 locked, 20 Resin per run)
Here’s the quick rundown: Ayaka’s 4th stat is CRIT DMG + the fact she can freely (and easily) apply Cryo makes this THE best in slot artifact set for her. Paired with someone like Xingqiu, or any freeze comp, you’re looking at a free 40% CRIT%. This means farming artifacts can be a lot easier, as you need less emphasis on CRIT% pieces and can easily stack ATK% and CRIT DMG substats!
Ayaka is also extremely viable as a burst DPS, as long as you bring a battery. In that case, feel free to run 2x Noblesse + 2x Blizzard to get the most kick out from her Q. If you don’t have suitable pieces for either loadouts, then feel free to use 2x Blizzard + 2x Gladiator (or any other +18% ATK sets) as a placeholder!
Shimenawa’s Reminiscence looks great on paper, but Ayaka’s Q is still a strong factor in her DPS output. Even if majority of Ayaka’s cycle is her just spamming NA and CA, having the liberty of high CRIT% + the fact that 2x Blizzard buffs her E and Q damage too is hard to beat.
For early builds, 2x Berserker + 2x Martial Artist works great! If you don’t have any good Martial Artists pieces, then feel free to substitute it for something early like Brave Heart or Sojourner to get that quick +18% ATK
Will keep this section updated as more Inazuma content rolls out!
Main stats:
| Sands | Goblet | Circlet |
|---|---|---|
| ATK% | Cryo DMG% | CRIT DMG |
Substats: CRIT DMG > ATK% > EM > ER (or CRIT% if you’re not able to hit 50-60% range easily)
If you want other characters let me know. Hope this helped. Bye.
I have Aquila R1 and Black sword R3, which one should I give to my Ayaka? With black sword, I get (with artifact stats, ofc) 99% rate / 200% DMG. Are those enough or I should go get Blackcliff in the shop?
I would go with Aquila just due to the raw ATK stat. You seem to have an overkill of CRIT%, and sitting around 70%+ is more than enough as well!
If you want to invest in Blackcliff, or rather have enough currency, then go for it! Having more CRIT DMG never hurts — albeit I think you’re good at where you are now!
So is the new katana no good? to my understanding it gives atk like the flute no? plus a little energy recharge. I have bilets for a max refinement sword, which should i use? Iron or the katana? I am tempted to just use the katana for looks but i am not sure.
I actually forgot to mention the new sword LOL, but to answer your question: yes. It’s basically like the Flute. I still think Iron Sting is much better than it, as Kageuchi doesn’t really buff anything other than providing some ER regen.
Here’s how I rate it: Iron Sting > Amenoma Kageuchi > Flute
I would strongly recommend you rewrite that section to mention the best weapons first (Iron Sting in this case).
I only briefly scrolled through and after reading “the only other option worth considering is The Flute” my brain turned off so I upgraded it and only on my second read-through I noticed that actually there are two better options.
Apart from that great guide, thank you 😀
Ah good point. After re-reading a third time, I can see how that’s confusing. Thanks for the catch!
I’m sitting out this weapon banner, so no Mistsplitter, and I used all of my starglitter to get Ayaka in the first place, so I won’t be able to get Blackcliff. Would the new Amenoma Kageuchi be better than Aquila Favonia for her? Since it’s forgeable, I can work it up to r5 pretty quickly (starting with like 4 billets I never used, so that’s already most of the refinement done as soon as I can get all the mats), and I like the way it looks on her a lot better than Aquila Favonia, and that’s my only other good weapon for her.
In terms of raw damage, Aquila will still provide a lot more value stat wise. While I do agree that the Amenoma looks aesthetically better, Aquila will provide more damage from the insane base ATK 5-star weapons have alone. Hold onto your billets for now!
Don’t forget to tap dash before using her burst!
Good catch, will edti!
Currently pulling for mist but no luck yet. Would you choose skyward over blackcliff? Currently running sky for the ER as i do not own blackcliff and im torn if i should get it… cause there is the chances i can pull mistsplitter (plz mihoyo) would the crit dmg on blackcliff outweight the ER on skyward. Currently running ayaka with diona as battery. also freeze comp for the 40% c rate from blizzard (thou the def artifacts are killing me)
If you have enough Starglitter, it’s a great option. I wouldn’t even worry about refining it too much either, so it can be a relatively “cheap” alternative!
I’m thinking of getting the black cliff sword from the shop, but on a pure aesthetic stand point the flute and amenoma looks a lot better on her. Would you recommend r1 blackcliff, r3 the flute, or r1 amenoma for her?
R1 Blackcliff. CRIT DMG paired with 4x Blizzard is too much damage to pass by.
Would R2 black sword be better then R1 blaclclif? Her crit rate with black sword is 39 (not including blizzard Buffs) and crit damage 174 at lvl 70 still working on getting up maxed lvl.
So with the 4x Blizzard in play (assuming you can get a freeze comp to work, you’ll be around 52% CRIT% WITHOUT Black Sword, so Blackcliff would be better at this point on.
I got aquila and skyward, which one would work best on her?
I have a R1 Lvl 90 Blackcliff sword… and a R1 Aquila I can get to lvl 90 pretty quickly.
With Ayaka was a main dps, in a team with Kazuha, which weapon would you recommend for her?
From your post I get the sense it would be Aquila for the base ATK … but then Blackcliff’s crite dmg % …
any response is appreciated – thank you!
I guess I should clarify on it a bit more. In the usual sense, high base ATK does typically go a long way with most cases where 5-star weapons and their insanely high base ATK just completely break a character.
However if you have a good CRIT ratio (1 CRIT% : 2 CRIT DMG), and your CRIT% is high or decent, then running some more CRIT DMG can make the difference between that 109 base ATK difference between the two at level 90. So if your CRIT% is around 50% (55-60 pref), and your CRIT DMG can reach 100+ CRIT DMG with Blackcliff, go Blackcliff. Otherwise Aquila will outperform since it also provides a 20% ATK buff!
That explains everything – thank you!
My weapons are all dogshit. Only have r1 flute OMEGALUL aint rollin for weapon either cuz next 3 banners are all good
I just got Ayaka today and was thinking which is better. Aquila or Skyward? These are the only 5 star weapons I currently have. Or should I just craft the new sword for now?
Aquila. Skyward may seem like it fits for Ayaka cause of the ATK Spd and NA/CA buff, but Aquila still provides much higher bATK and it gives you a 20% ATK buff!
I’m planning of having Bennet with Ayaka. Right now I have an R5 Sacrificial sword and R1 Aquila. Should I stick with Aquila on Ayaka and give Sac sword to Bennet, or give Bennet Aquila and get an R5 Blackcliff to Ayaka? Thanks.
R1 Aquila. Give Bennett the R5 Sac, since he needs the ER% still!
Hey, how many crit rate should i have? I run 4 set BS, mona in my team composition.
My current stat is 2.1k attack, 253% crit dmg, 31%crit rate, 109% ER. I’m thinking to add some crit rate dan ER.
Is that with 4x Blizzard? 253% CRIT DMG is amazing, but you would be at an amazing place if you can get that CRIT% around 45% minimum
The golden ratio is always a good baseline. So you want 1:2 (CRIT% : CRIT DMG) — or at least somewhere near there. Since you’re running 4x BS, you have 20% minimum, so you want to at least try to sit around 45-50% to really utilize max CRIT DMG.
So something ideal would be like 50% CRIT% (which you can easily get with 4x bonus if you proc freeze) and 100% CRIT DMG. You can even forfeit a little bit of % for DMG if you want (like 40% CRIT from 4x BS, and 120%+ CRIT DMG)
Thank you for the explanation! will work on that crit rate till i get 1:2 crit rate crit damage ratio. Have a nice day!
What is better Fillet Blade or Cool Steel?
Cool Steel is a lot better!
Ok, thank you very much!
i am currently running amenoma with 4 pc bliz stray with 20 crit rate and 160 crit dmg in a freeze comp with diona ,xingqiu and mona are my stat ratios okay or will i be better of with r5 harbinger of dawn
What you have is currently good!
Thx
Hey 2board, I have skyward r1 and the flute r5. Should I stick to skyward or would the flute outperform it at lv90 because of the atk% substat?
Skyward!
Hey 2board! Ik freedom sworn is not a popular choice, but would you say freedom sworn or blackcliff sword for more damage? Appreciate your guides btw 🙂
team comp is ayaka, chongyun(sub dps for ER), xiangling, and barbara(for freeze and I feel bad no one uses her)^^
Blackcliff at R2 I think outperforms Freedom Sworn. The EM + the effect is nice from Freedom Sworn, but having a CD on it is pretty lackluster. If you’re running a heavy EM comp (which you should be with melt), then it’s comparable in damage, but you would still need to amass enough EM to really get it to work out.
Whereas with Blackcliff it provides CRIT DMG + the effect goes active just by killing something
For a freeze team: R4 Amenoma vs. um…keep it brief…
R1 Aquila, R2 The Black Sword, R5 Iron Sting, R5 Flute
Team comp is Ayaka, Ayato, Kazuha, Diona
Black Sword works but Amenoma will allowed you to spam just a bit more if you don’t have good ER. The rest is not really good.