Best Way to Build Tighnari

The recent addition of the Sumeru region in Genshin Impact brought forth not just a new map to explore and enemies to fight head first, but also a bunch of new faces that travelers are bound to fall in love with and spend their Primogems on.

Among them is the first ever 5-star Dendro character that was previously released, Tighnari. He was first available during the Limited Character banner that dropped in Version 3.0, but come Version 3.1 onwards, he was eventually added to the Standard Banner character roster. Dendro reactions are shaking things up Genshin Impact’s meta right now, with various team comps emerging that are far from the traditional ones we’ve seen in the past two years.

That being said, if you’re on 50/50, you might as well hope you’re going to lose it to Tighnari. Now, this guide aims to take you into an in-depth guide to his kit, and how viable he is as the only 5-star Dendro unit in the game thus far (as we all wait for Nahida’s release, right?).

Talents

To start off, Tighnari’s kit and his role either as a Main DPS, Sub DPS, or Dendro applicator scale off Elemental Mastery. Talent priorities should be both his Elemental Burst and Normal Attacks (Charged Attacks, rather), as they are equally important, then Elemental Skill should be last.

Tighnari’s normal attack have 2 Charge Levels based on the energy accumulated – at Charge Level 1, he’s only able to fire Dendro DMG simply; but at Charge Level 2, Wreath Arrows are formed, which creates 4 Clusterbloom Arrows upon hit that automatically tracks down nearby enemies and deal Dendro DMG against them.

Tighnari’s elemental skill, Vijnana-Phala Mine, allows him to throw a Vijnana Stormheart that applies Dendro and deals Dendro DMG to opponents within its AoE. A Vijnana-Khanda Field is thereby formed, creating brief illusions which taunt said opponents within.

This field lasts for 8 seconds, and Tighnari can best use this time to fire Charged Attacks – seeing as he gains the Vijnana Suffussion effect for the duration of his skill, allowing him to cast 3 fully charged Wreath Arrows every 3 seconds. Outside of his elemental skill, a single Wreath Arrow takes 2.7 seconds charging time, but with Vijnana Suffusion, it decreases by 2.4 seconds.

After firing 3 Wreath Arrows or whenever the skill duration ends, should this effect also dissipate.

Tighnari’s elemental burst, Fashioner’s Tanglevine Shaft, allows him to fire 6 Tanglevine Shafts that track down opponents and deal massive Dendro DMG. Upon hit, another batch of 6 Tanglevine Shafts will automatically fire themselves against the same opponents.

Tighnari’s passive talent, Keen Sight, gives him an additional 50 to his Elemental Mastery for 4 seconds after casting a Wreath Arrow.

An increase amounting to 50 may sound small, but for a character whose kit revolves around Elemental Mastery, this is a huge thing.

Dendro reactions are honestly a big hit among players in the community right now, meta slaves or not, and if you would like to understand how they work – we have a full guide over here.

Tighnari’s passive talent, Scholarly Blade, gives both his Charged Attacks and Elemental Burst a massive increase in DMG by an additional 0.06% to every point of his Elemental Mastery.

This way, it’s possible for Tighnari to gain another 60% DMG bonus max. Since both his Charged Attacks and Elemental Burst are the core priorities to his kit, it’ll be a good investment to build him around Elemental Mastery, but also not too over the top, as you may still want to slap some Dendro DMG and Crit Rate/Crit DMG to him. A further explanation for this so you may decide whether of which, will be provided in the Artifacts section of this guide.

Weapons

The best pick for Tighnari’s weapon can be found in a variety of choices, as this character appears to be F2P friendly. That said, Crit Rate/Crit DMG or Elemental Mastery should be the main stat of the weapon you’re going for. Otherwise, those with ATK% or Energy Recharge should be good for him, too!

Crit Rate/Crit DMG Option

Hunter’s Path is no doubt Tighnari’s best in slot weapon, and not just aesthetically, but also really effectively.

With Crit Rate as its main stat, you won’t have to worry about having to balance it with his Crit DMG, as you can always focus on the latter. At Level 90, Hunter’s Path offers a whopping 44.1% Crit Rate.

Moreover, its passive stat, At the End of the Beast-Paths, automatically gives Tighnari a 12% DMG Bonus for all elements. This weapon also allows him to obtain the Tireless Hunt effect, making the most of his Charged Attacks. After hitting an opponent, the DMG from his Charged Attacks are increased by 160% of his overall Elemental Mastery.

The effect of Tireless Hunt will only dissipate either after 10 seconds, or after 12 Charged Attacks are all used up.

Since Tighnari’s Charged Attacks being one of the focal points of his kit, in most cases he’s used as a Dendro Main DPS, and for that sole reason Crit Rate/Crit DMG weapons are really good on him. Equipping such on Tighnari can further boost his overall Dendro DMG, with the right supports and team rotations to back him up.

That’s why 5-star bows like Polar Star and Aqua Simulacra are viable options on him. Not only do they possess high Base ATK, but also their passive stats can be beneficial for him, albeit situationally.

Elemental Mastery Option

Since the game doesn’t have its own 5-star Elemental Mastery weapon yet, 4-stars The Stringless and Windblume Ode are going to take the spotlight.

Both of these weapons offer 165 EM at Level 90, and its passives can further boost Tighnari’s overall DMG as well.

For The Stringless at R5, his elemental skill and burst are going to receive a DMG increase by 36%.

However, Windblume Ode happens to be a one-time only free weapon, available back in Version 1.4 during a Mondstadt event. If you appear to have been playing the game since then and managed to grab a copy of it at R5, then this weapon allows him to have an ATK increase by 16% after the use of an elemental skill.

ATK% Option

Another viable 4-star weapon option for Tighnari would be the Prototype Crescent. This grants him an additional 41.3% to his ATK at Level 90.

This weapon encourages him as a Charged Attack DPS similarly to Ganyu. As long as enemy weak points are hit when casting a Charged Attack, his ATK will be boosted by another 36% and so does his Movement SPD which will increase by 10% for 10 seconds.

Energy Recharge Option

Elegy for the End has established itself to be a really good support weapon, especially fitting for the likes of Venti and Yelan.

For a Dendro support Tighnari, this is your best bet. Not only does it provide 55.1% Energy Recharge at Level 90, but also increases the wielder’s Elemental Mastery by 60 (another win for Tighnari).

Furthermore, whenever he uses an elemental skill or burst and they manage to hit opponents, Tighnari will gain a Sigil of Remembrance that’s stackable to 4.

When 4 Sigils of Remembrance are in possession, all party members will receive an additional Elemental Mastery by 100 and their ATK will increase by 20% that will last for 20 seconds.

Artifacts

Fortunately for Tighnari, there are actually 3 artifact sets that work best on him – Wanderer’s Troupe, Gilded Dreams, and Deepwood Memories – but what should you choose?

Wanderer’s Troupe

Wanderer’s Troupe may be your best in slot if you technically consider the amount of extras you probably have of this particular artifact set (an old set that is farmable through various bosses, yeah, you have a heck ton of these already), which simply means that you don’t have to farm and farm until the perfect pieces decided to show up (which could take months, normally).

The 2-piece set offers an additional 80 to Tighnari’s Elemental Mastery, and if the 4-piece set is equipped on him however, his Charged Attack would gain an additional 35% DMG Bonus. Bear in mind that while he is no Ganyu, Tighnari’s Charged Attacks are one of the focal points of his overall kit.

So if your designated role for him is a Dendro Main DPS, then this is the way to go. The 4-piece set effect greatly benefits him especially in the long run, and you won’t have to suffer an endless grind for another set that behaves similarly, either way.

Gilded Dreams

Gilded Dreams released the same time as Tighnari, so by the book, this set may actually be the best for him.

Like the Wanderer’s Troupe, the 2-piece offers an additional 80 to his Elemental Mastery; while the 4-piece set is sort of reliant to his teammates being all kinds of Vision holders. When an elemental reaction is triggered and this happens, each party member will give Tighnari another 50 to his Elemental Mastery, amounting to 230 EM just by equipping this 4-piece alone.

But when Tighnari is met with another Dendro user in the same party, he will be granted an additional 14% DMG Bonus to his ATK. Both conditions sound great but for Tighnari, the Elemental Mastery effect is the more beneficial.

Deepwood Memories

Deepwood Memories is only recommended to a Dendro Support Tighnari, but if this is his given role in your team, then this may be the best choice for him.

How so? The 2-piece set offers an additional 15% to his Dendro DMG, but also the 4-piece set decreases the opponents’ Dendro RES by 30% for 8 seconds upon the use of an elemental skill or burst.

What makes the 4-piece great on a Dendro support Tighnari is because its effect can be triggered even when he is not on field, most especially convenient for quick swap teams since Tighnari won’t act as your DPS per se and won’t be needing much on field time at all.

Constellations

Tighnari’s first constellation gives him an additional 15% CRIT Rate to his Charged Attack DMG.

Tighnari’s second constellation gives him an additional 20% Dendro DMG Bonus as long as there are opponents within Vijnana-Khanda Field, the AoE formed after using his elemental skill. This effect will linger by 6 seconds after the field’s duration has ended, or if there are no longer opponents within.

Tighnari’s third constellation gives an increase to his elemental burst, Fashioner’s Tanglevine Shaft, talent level by 3.

Tighnari’s fourth constellation allows him to buff all party members after the use of his elemental burst. They will gain an additional 60 to their Elemental Mastery for 8 seconds, and another 60 if his elemental burst manages to trigger Dendro based elemental reactions – such as Burning, Bloom, Quicken, and Spread (which makes up for a total of 120 EM increase when such conditions are met).

All things considered, this constellation is a really good one because this basically allows you to spam Dendro reactions in your team, and whoever the character that triggers one eventually gains an increase to their DMG.

Tighnari’s fifth constellation gives an increase to his elemental skill, Vijnana-Phale Mine, talent level by 3.

Tighnari’s sixth constellation fully allows him to use his Wreath Arrows more, and conveniently so, since it decreases the charging time by 0.9 seconds. Additionally, for every Wreath Arrow fired, a Clusterbloom Arrow will follow afterwards upon hit. The DMG from it should be based on Tighnari’s ATK by 150%.

Overall, his C6 sounds good on paper as far as his role as Dendro DPS goes; but his support capabilities as a Dendro applicator is further solidified by his C4.

All those out of the way, worry not when you get him or his constellations when you lose those 50/50s or spend those Acquaint Fates in the Standard Banner. Tighnari is a really good Dendro unit and you might want to invest in him, because the time to build him is actually now.

Team Composition

Before we get started on the team comps that should work well with Tighnari, it’s better to familiarize yourself first with the elemental reactions tied to Dendro. We have a full guide about the topic that you can go check out over here.

Moving on, assuming Tighnari is going to be your DPS, he seems to really shine on Quicken teams – as both Spread and Aggravate reactions happen to be powerful ones at that, utilizing both of his DPS and Support capabilities.

That said, here are a few examples of an ideal Tighnari team:

Fischl is a given since not only is she accessible as a 4-star (and assuming most players have her at C6 already), but also can deal massive amounts of Electro DMG, can generate energy particles at a frequent speed, and her passive talent allows Oz to deal Electro DMG equal to 80% of her ATK whenever Electro-related reactions are triggered.

As for Yae Miko, it’s good to pair her with Fischl since both act as off-field Electro Sub DPS that doesn’t just deal DMG on the sides, but they will also ensure that the Quicken status remains active against opponents. Tighnari should now be able to trigger Spread more conveniently, allowing him to fully maximize his DPS potential.

As for Kazuha, although Dendro cannot be fused with Anemo to trigger Swirl, he’s still useful because he can Swirl Electro – buffing mainly your Electro character’s DMG as well as the Aggravate reactions, and can help with crowd control situations.

As for Kokomi and Zhongli, you can pick either of the two or which among them you have in your roster, seeing as they’re only present mainly for survivability (heals and shields). In some scenarios, Kokomi is there to trigger Bloom, but not really advisable.

It’s also good to take note that these two characters can equip the 4-piece set Deepwood Memories to buff your Tighnnari’s DMG further, and with Kokomi having access to the Thrilling Tales of Dragon Slayers catalyst, you’re bound to have a fun experience with this character.

If you don’t have the aforementioned characters, Sucrose and Diona are great alternatives, too!

Summary

To sum it all up, Tighnari does live up to the viability of him being the first 5-star Dendro character. An F2P friendly unit that can work as a Main DPS, Sub DPS, or Dendro support – he works very well in a team that focuses heavily on Dendro elemental reactions.

So if you’re on the fence about losing to him or getting copies of him from the Standard Banner, it’s not really going to be that much of a loss, as evident by the hype Dendro reactions focused teams are getting nowadays.