Mika Quick TL;DR Buffer/Healer Build Guide
Table of Contents
- 1 PSA #1: A Buffer is that friend that hypes you up to stupid things, and when you get hurt they Heal you 🏥
- 2 PSA #2: Mika’s abilities have separate scaling, with his Skill scaling off ATK and Burst off HP. But focus on mainly HP as his buffs don’t scale off anything!
- 3 CONSTELLATIONS AND TALENT LEVEL PRIORITY
- 4 WEAPONS (Recommended for best Buffs & Heals): Engulfing Lightning
- 5 ARTIFACTS (Recommended for best Heals): Ocean-Hued Clam
PSA #1: A Buffer is that friend that hypes you up to stupid things, and when you get hurt they Heal you 🏥
PSA #2: Mika’s abilities have separate scaling, with his Skill scaling off ATK and Burst off HP. But focus on mainly HP as his buffs don’t scale off anything!
Elemental Skill – Starfrost Swirl
Starfrost Swirl is a pretty simple but solid ability that allows Mika to be a decent buffer. While the scaling and Cryo application is fairly poor, the main focus is the ATK Speed buff his E grants.
Here are the general details:
- Has a Tap and Hold variation (will be explained below)
- Scales off ATK
- 15 second CD
- 12 second buff duration
- Generates 4 energy particles on hit
The skill has two firing variations.
Tapping E will make Mika shoot a single Cryo arrow, dealing Cryo DMG to enemies hit in a small AoE.
It does have a very small penetration, so enemies that are closely behind the first enemy hit can have Cryo applied to them as well.
Holding E will enter aiming mode, which will mark the first enemy you hover.
Letting go will shoot a tracking Cryo arrow on the marked target. Upon hit, it will explode and release 3 Rimestar Shards that automatically prioritize up to 3 other enemies nearby.
Think of it like a mini Tighnari’s Charged Shot. However, if there are no enemies nearby the marked one, then the Rimestar Shards will not activate.
If an enemy is hit with either a Tap or Hold shot, Mika will grant nearby allies the Soulwind buff, granting an ATK SPD buff (that scales with level).
At level 8, it grants a 20% ATK SPD buff which is quite considerable for certain main DPS characters.
So let’s break it down real quick. Mika’s E turns him into a very specific buffer that benefits a small, but strong, roster of DPS characters.
Being Cryo, he can synergize very well in a Superconduct team comp for DPS like Eula, Zhongli, Razor, Phys Keq, and Phys Fishcl. However, he can also work for characters who weave in NA combos into their DPS parse.
DPS like the Wanderer who have a limited buff duration to get as many NA/CA in benefit greatly from Mika’s Soulwind buff.
Other DPS examples that work well are:
- Diluc: can benefit from Melt + combo his E > NA > E > NA much more fluidly
- Ayaka: Cryo resonance boosts CRIT% and allows her to NA/CA 2 times more during her sprint Cryo enchantment
- Raiden: her Q form can weave in an additional hit or two based on whether or not you 2NA > CA or just NA spam
As you can see, Mika can work very well in a lot of team comps!
Elemental Burst – Skyfeather Song
Skyfeather Song is Mika’s Q that provides adequate healing. While the ability itself does zero damage, it’s a pretty decent heal that’s low-maintenance and has zero catches.
Here are the general details:
- Scales off Mika’s Max HP
- 18 second CD
- 15 second heal duration
- Costs 70 energy
- Heal ticks every 2.5 seconds
Upon activation, Mika summons a feather from his book that heals for a massive amount based off Mika’s Max HP. The heal from the initial cast heals the whole team.
Do not overlook this heal as it’s quite hefty. For example, let’s assume Mika has 30,000 Max HP (which is easy to stack for Mika’s build) and a level 8 Burst:
- Level 8 has 19.47% of Max HP + 2,197.71 flat heal
- This means it’s (.1947 x 30,000) + 2,197.71
- Total heal amount = 8,038.71 HP
While the amount doesn’t seem like much, keep in mind its instant. There are definitely better 4-star burst healers like Barbara or Bennett, but Mika allows for a similar effect but in a Cryo composition.
After the initial heal, the Eagleplume state will activate. This is indicated by a smaller version of the feather following the active character.
Whenever the on-field character hit’s an enemy with a NA, it will heal them based off Mika’s Max HP. This heal can only trigger every 2.5s.
So taking from the same example above, that means that at 30,000 Max HP and level 8 Burst:
- Level 8 Eagleplume has 3.89% of Max HP + 438.69 flat heal
- This means it’s (.0389 x 30,000) + 438.69
- Total heal amount per proc = 1,605.69 HP
The duration of Eagleplume is 15s, meaning it can trigger 6 total times – or heal a total of 9,634.14 HP. The only downside is that this heal only affects the on-field character. So to heal other team members, you would swap to them and land NA’s.
Ascension 1 Passive – Suppressive Barrage
A lot of words for a very simple buff. Basically when Mika uses his E and it hits an enemy, it will grant a Detector stack. Detector stacks grant the on-field cha racter a 10% Physical DMG buff, with a max of 3 stacks. That means Mika can grant a whopping 30% Phys DMG buff.
However there are requirements to earning the stacks:
- If E (either Tap or Hold) hits more than 1 enemy, it grants 1 Detector stack
- If Hold E’s Rimestar Shards hit an enemy, it will grant 1 Detector stack – each Rimestar Shard can grant 1 stack each
- Max of 3 Detector stacks
A caveat of the Detector buffs is that if E is used again, the previous stacks will be overridden. So if the first time you get 3 Detector stacks but the second time you only get 2 Detector stacks, it will override the 30% Phys DMG buff with a 20% Phys DMG buff instead.
Ascension 4 Passive – Topographical Mapping
There are two requirements to activating the Ascension 4 Passive:
- Soulwind buff must be active (a.k.a. use your E)
- Eagleplume state must be active (a.k.a. Use your Q and NA)
Once both requirements are met and your active character lands a CRIT hit with any attack, it will grant 1 additional Detector stack when you use E. So essentially it increases the max # of stacks from 3 to 4 – or basically a 40% Phys DMG buff.
This is huge because not only is a 40% Phys DMG buff huge, but it gives more leniency to gaining stacks. Only downside is that this passive is essentially locked behind a 70 cost Burst, and unless your Mika has ample ER% or in a battery team, it will be hard to consistently proc.
CONSTELLATIONS AND TALENT LEVEL PRIORITY
Mika’s constellations are pretty mild but can be very helpful in making his already lazy gameplay even lazier. No real need to acquire his constellations, but if you want to run Mika optimally it will help! I would definitely advise at least C2 minimum, but C6 can make him near Bennett-buff level!
C1 buffs Mika’s healing output by reducing the healing interval CD of Eagleplume. The reduced interval is based off what level Mika’s E is at.
Take for example a level 8 Mika E. It grants a 20% ATK SPD buff, which means that Eagleplume’s heal interval is also reduced by 20%.
So rather than triggering every 2.5s, it will now trigger every 2s – which allows Eagleplume to heal 1 additional time (or 1,605.69 HP more).
C2 makes it easier to generate Detector stacks, allowing a higher chance to maximize all 4 stacks.
Rather than having to hit more than 1 enemy with the initial E cast, now you only have to hit 1 enemy to get a guaranteed Detector stack.
Paired with the Ascension 4 Passive, it now gives Mika 5 different way (as opposed to 3) to gain the full max 4 stacks. Only downside is you are required to have the A1 Passive unlocked – you only need Mika at level 20 lol…
C4 helps alleviate some of Mika’s energy problems by providing direct regen when his Eagleplume heals proc. This effect can proc a max of 5 times within one Q use.
That means a total of 15 energy can be regenerated for Mika for his 70 cost burst – getting 21% of your Burst cost back for basically doing nothing is a big deal.
Only catch is Eagleplume must heal characters other than Mika. So if you waste an Eagleplume heal on Mika by accident, you lose 3 energy.
C6 drives Mika’s Physical DMG buffing ability overdrive, allowing for an additional Detector stack.
This effectively allows Mika to enhance a character’s Phys DMG by 50% (5 stacks max). Not only that, but the buffed character also receives an additional 60% Physical CRIT DMG buff…
So if your Eula has lets say 150% CRIT DMG, then it’ll effectively be boosted to 210%… Plus the 50% Phys DMG bonus from Detector stacks would be an extremely strong buff for any Phys DPS…
Talent Leveling Order: Q = E > NA (No need to level NA)
WEAPONS (Recommended for best Buffs & Heals): Engulfing Lightning
How do I get it D: ? – It’s time to roll boys (gacha)
Engulfing Lightning is arguably the best in slot for Mika due to the abundant ER% it can provide him. At level 90/90, it can provide a whopping 85.1% ER – this effectively allows Mika to prioritize an HP% Sands for better heals, while optimizing for ER substats instead. Remember that after using Burst, Engulfing grants an additional 30% ER (hence why it’s 85.1% total). While the ATK% granted is nice, it’s not really a factor for Mika since 1) his E damage isn’t worth the mention and 2) Mika isn’t maximizing ER%, only getting just enough to sustain himself, so he can’t fully utilize the ER scaling for the ATK bonus granted by Engulfing.
Among the 5-star Polearms, Engulfing is the only viable option. You can run Skyward Spine if you really want, but there are much better 4-star options for ER%.
For 4-stars, the best option is the undisputed king: Favonius Lance. Not only does it provide an ample 30.6% ER, Favonius’ real benefit comes from the guaranteed 6 energy whenever Mika CRITs. Optimizing your substats to prioritize CRIT% isn’t difficult, and Mika has 4 (more if you can weave in 1 or 2 NA’s) chances to proc a CRIT. This can proc every 6s, which will always be ready by the time Mika’s 15s E CD is over.
The Catch is a close 2nd option for Mika as it provides 45.9% ER at level 90/90. Although you can’t benefit from the Burst DMG and CRIT% bonus, since Mika’s Q does no damage…, the ER% alone is worth taking. If you have a Favonius Lance that not at least R4 or R5, then take the R5 Catch – otherwise an R4/R5 Favonius will still generate more regen.
For F2P players who don’t want to necessarily fish to get the R5 Catch, then you can go for the craftable Prototype Starglitter. While the weapon effect of buffing NA/CA DMG on Mika is wasted, the 45.9% ER it can provide is more than enough reason to take it. It’s a cheap and easy alternative for quick ER%, since you don’t need to refine it at all.
ARTIFACTS (Recommended for best Heals): Ocean-Hued Clam
How do I get it D: ? – Slumbering Court Domain (AR 30 Locked, 20 Resin per run)
4x Ocean-Hued Clam is the best artifact set for Mika if you are focused on a heal-centered build. The 2x bonus provides a 15% Healing bonus, which directly improves Mika’s Q and Eagleplume heals. The 4x bonus provides a decent chunk of damage, as it dishes out 90% of the accumulated damage as Physical DMG. The max accumulated DMG is 30,000, meaning it will deal 27,000 Phys DMG if the max potential is reached – keep in mind that this DMG is not amplified by Mika’s Detector buff. Unfortunately, due to the Eagleplume proc intervals and low scaling, Mika will never been able to max that 30,000 HP proc.
If you think Mika’s heal is decent enough, and want to prioritize a buff playstyle, then 4x Noblesse Oblige will be perfectly fine. While Mika can’t benefit from the 2x bonus (yet again, since his Burst does zero damage…), the 20% ATK buff he provides his team is pretty solid. Due to his long Burst CD, he’ll be able to proc the 4x Noblesse effect every other rotation.
For early players, running 4x Exile for the ER% and particle generation will do just fine.
Main stats:
| Sands | Goblet | Circlet |
|---|---|---|
| HP% (ER% if needed) | HP% | Healing Bonus% (HP% work too) |
Substats: ER > CRIT% (if running Favonius) > HP% (flat HP) > EM
If you want other characters let me know. Hope this helped. Bye.
