Cyno Quick TL;DR DPS Build Guide

PSA #1: A DPS is a feral dog that hunts down every single enemy until they’re all wiped out. They’re scary yo 😱

PSA #2: Both Cyno’s abilities scale off ATK, but wolf boy over here also loves his EM. Make sure to fit him with both to maximize his output!

The ability itself is fairly straightforward. While in his normal form, it’s main use is to just apply Electro and generate energy. The damage comes in when using E during his burst (Wolf form), as his ascension passives further buff the damage deal (will go into deal when discussing A1 and A4 passives).

Here’s the breakdown of the skill in detail:

Normal Form:

• E dashes through enemies, dealing damage to every enemy hit
• Has a 7.5 second CD
• Generates 3 energy particles (if it hits an enemy)
• Applies Electro to all enemies hit

Wolf Form:

• E slams the ground instead, changing E to an AoE
• Has a 3 second CD
• Generates 1 energy particle (if it hits an enemy)
• Extend Q form duration by 3s (can only trigger 3x)
• Applies Electro to all enemies hit

Cyno’s Q form can only last a max of 18s, so you can only trigger the Q duration extension 3 times (technically more like 2.66 times since you can only extend it by 8s) 

Another important thing to note is that the E CD’s are interlocked with each other between normal and wolf form. So ideally you want to use your Q AFTER your E CD resets.

Lets say you use your E 4s before your Q ends. Then your E will be back up 1s before your Q ends. However, when you return to normal form, your E will still be on CD for 4.5s (7.5s – 3s = 4.5s).

Another way to describe it is it’s a 5-star version of Razor’s Q. Here are the details:

• Changes NA/CA/Plunge from Physical to Electro DMG
• Cannot be overwritten (i.e.: Bennett C6 or Candace Q)
• Gives him 100 EM
• Has a 10s duration that can extend to 18s (via using his E)
• Ends if you swap out

Cyno’s Q is his core ability, as it significantly boosts his damage output as well as centralizes him as a main DPS. I’ll go into further detail at his A4 passive, but Cyno benefits a lot from EM scaling, and the additional 100 EM gained from his Q is quite significant (for both his E and Q DMG output).

You can tell when those intervals, called Endseer, occur, as a giant eye-like symbol will pop up on your screen. Using E when those appear will boost your E DMG and also shoots out 3 lines of damage In front of Cyno.

More specifically, using E during Endseer will:

• Increase E damage by 35%
• Shoots out 3 Duststalker Bolts in a cone in front of Cyno that deal damage scaled to 100% of Cyno’s ATK

Duststalker Bolts also benefit from any Elemental Skill DMG buffs.

So should you use E only when Endseer occurs, or whenever your E comes off CD? It doesn’t really matter as your E CD while in Q form is 3s. Meaning you can spam your E with minimal risk of it being on CD when Endseer intervals occur. Endseer intervals also last quite a bit, so there is a leniency window.

So the run down is that Q’s NA damage is increased by 150% of his EM, and A1 Passive’s Duststalker Bolt damage is increased by 250% of his EM

Most likely, you can easily achieve at least 287 EM on Cyno just from running an EM Sands (186.5 EM) + his Q EM boost (100 EM). So let’s round up to 300 EM for the hypothetical scenario.

That means his Q NA’s gain a 450 flat DMG bonus and Duststalker Bolts gain a 750 flat DMG bonus to their multipliers. Doesn’t seem like much, but in total calculation, it’s a huge boost. It’ why it’s worth considering an EM Sands > ATK Sands for Cyno (as most of his DMG peaks during his Q form). It’s hard to explain damage multipliers in a short guide, so the best reference is here

Talent Leveling Order: Q > E > Normal (E takes priority over NA due to Q form spam)

WEAPON #1 (Recommended for best DPS): Staff of Scarlet Sands

How do I get it D: ? – It’s time to roll boys (gacha)

Staff of the Scarlet Sands is the new polearm introduced in 3.1 alongside Cyno. It’s also his BiS weapon as the weapon aligns well with his stat gearing. While the CRIT% (maxing at 44.1% CRIT at lvl 90/90) is insanely helpful for optimizing stats for your CRIT DMG Circlet, the real bonus comes from the ATK gained from EM. Lets take the 300 EM scenario from earlier (EM Sands + Q EM bonus + some EM Substats). At R1, that means you would gain 156 ATK (300 EM x .52) from the first buff, then an additional 252 ATK ([300 EM x .28] x 3) from hitting E 3 times for a total of 408 ATK bonus. That’s the equivalent of basically running another 4-star weapon. Running Scarlet Sands means you have to run an EM Sands to maximize the output!

Primordial Jade Winged-Spear is a staple stat stick for any polearm DPS, as it provides some CRIT% while also boosting ATK by 22.4% (at R1, max 7 stacks). Not to mention the 12% DMG increase you gain at max stacks as well. It’s a super solid choice that’s only second to Scarlet Sands in terms of total DPS output.

Staff of Homa is also worth mentioning as a placeholder as it provides an insane amount of CRIT DMG and ATK% as well. Cyno’s 4^th stat is CRIT DMG, so at level 90 (with Staff of Homa) your Cyno can achieve a whopping 204.6% CRIT DMG (38.4% from 4^th stat + 66.2% from Homa). It also allows you some leniency with your Circlet, allowing you to run a CRIT% with minimal optimization for substats.

WEAPON #2 (Recommended for 4-star DPS): Missive Windspear

How do I get it D: ? – Of Ballads and Brews Event (3.1)

Missive Windspear is a new 4-star polearm that you can receive and max out from the Ballads and Brews event. It can provide a massive amount of ATK and EM from just simply causing an elemental reaction, which is easily achieved once in Cyno’s Q form. At R5 (which you can max refine from the event), it provides a 24% ATK buff and 96 EM. Considering how Cyno benefits from both (especially the EM for his A4 passive), it’s a two-birds-with-one-stone type deal.

Kitain Cross Spear and Moonpiercer are both craftable polearms that sit neck and neck. Both provide an impressive 110 EM but provide subtle differences. Kitain directly buffs Cyno’s E damage, providing a 12% Elemental Skill DMG buff at R5. This not only improves both his E DMG in normal and wolf form, but also his A1 passive’s Duststalker Bolts damage as well. It also provides a small amount of passive energy generation for his 80 cost burst. Whereas Moonpiercer focuses on EM reactions, where triggering a Dendro-related reaction spawns a seed that can buff Cyno’s ATK by 32% at R5. Only problem being you have to run a Dendro character.

Deathmatch is a strong CRIT% and ATK% stat stick. Not much needs to be said, except it pairs well with Cyno if you have the BP. Since Cyno will innately have a high CRIT DMG due to his 4^th stat, it can pair well for the 1:2 golden CRIT ratio.

Dragon’s Bane and White Tassel are extremely situational as Dragon’s Bane provides insane amount of EM (221) as well as bonus DMG to Hydro/Pyro afflicted enemies. Meaning it’s great for Electro-Charged reaction comps. White Tassel on the other hand is great as it provides CRIT% and an insane amount of NA DMG. Being how Cyno is NA reliant for consistent DPS, it can be a great buff – but falls short to other alternatives as Cyno’s E is a massive part of his DPS output.

ARTIFACTS (Recommended for best DPS): Gilded Dreams

How do I get it D: ? – Spire of Solitary Enlightenment Domain (AR 22 Locked, 20 Resin per run)

Before I start, I put Gilded Dreams as it’s the most optimal set to run IF you have Scarlet Sands. Otherwise, the other builds below are extremely competitive (near neck-and-neck) with Gilded Dreams.

4x Gilded Dreams is a no contest BiS artifact set to run if you have Scarlet Sands. It’s heavily focused on an EM Reaction comp that can fully provide the benefits from Gilded Dreams. The 2x bonus provides 80 EM, and the 4x bonus provides even more EM and ATK. You can automatically tell it’s a great set as Cyno benefits greatly from EM due to his A4 Passive, while the bonus ATK also improves his overall damage. In a typical Electro-Charged reaction comp, you will have 2 Electro, 1 Hydro, and 1 Flex. This means Cyno will receive a 14% ATK buff (from the 1 Electro member) and a 100 EM buff (from 1 Hydro + 1 Flex as long it’s not Electro) the moment a reaction is triggered. So just from the set alone, it’s an additional 180 EM, and if you add his 100 EM from Q + 186.5 EM from Sands, it’s a whopping 466.5 EM for Cyno – that’s also excluding EM substats and buffs from teammates…

However, if you don’t have Scarlet Sands, you can also run another variant of Electro EM comp using 4x Thundering Fury. Thundering Fury not only improves Electro DMG by 15%, but also boosts any Electro-based reaction by 40%. It’s better paired with an Electro + Dendro comp, as the Aggravate bonus is further improved. The best part is Cyno can subsequently spam his E, as the 4x bonus from TF reduces your E CD by 1s for ever reaction triggered.

Otherwise, for newer players (or even veteran), 4x Gladiators is a super solid set to run as well. It boosts Cyno’s ATK% while also boosting his NA DMG by 35%. Considering how often Cyno will be NA during his Q form, it’s quite a considerable buff.

Main stats:

Sands	Goblet	Circlet
ATK% (or EM if you have Scarlet Sands)	Electro DMG%	CRIT% or CRIT DMG

Substats: CRIT% > CRIT DMG > ATK = EM

If you want other characters let me know. Hope this helped. Bye.