Shikanoin Heizou Quick TL;DR DPS Build Guide

UPDATED FOR 3.2 😁!

PSA #1: A DPS is someone who fixes everything through one method: throwing hands 👊

PSA #2: Both Heizou’s abilities scale off ATK, but he’s also extremely viable with an EM focused build. Details for both builds will be listed below!

Heizou’s E can be Tapped or Held. Holding it provides additional bonuses:

• Holding E grants Declension stacks
• Each stack provides additional DMG to E when released. Max 4 stacks
• At max stacks, you gain Conviction bonus which grants even more DMG

Declension stacks last a long 60 seconds, and stay even when swapped out.

Use E when at max stacks, as the Conviction DMG bonus adds on top of the Declension DMG bonus. For example, at level 1, an E with max stacks would do 227.5% + 227.6% (56.9 x 4) + 113.8% of Heizou’s ATK.

So if you had a hypothetical 1,500 ATK, then your E would do 8533.5 DMG (3412.5 + 3414 + 1707) at level 1 PRIOR to CRIT and Elemental DMG calculations. It’s insanely strong.

Also E is a 10 second CD, and energy particle generation is based on how many Declension stacks you have:

• 0-1 stacks = 2 particles
• 2-3 stacks = 2.5 particles
• 4 stacks = 3 particles

Heizou’s A1 passive is extremely strong as it guarantees MAX damage for his E, as well as max energy generation. Within the 10s CD downtime of his E, you will have enough time to proc Swirl via your Normal Attacks.

The A4 passive makes Heizou also a viable sub-DPS/buffer alternative if you don’t want to run him main DPS. It’s basically a 100% uptime 80 EM buff, as the duration is the same as his E’s CD.

Heizou’s Q is a 40 cost, 12 second CD burst that has insane AoE and DMG multipliers. It’s a great way to mass trigger Swirl reactions – imagine Kazuha’s Hold E as a burst.

Windmuster Iris is a secondary proc that occurs if enemies proc a Swirl reaction from Q. However, it can only affect 4 enemies and are exclusive to their afflicted elements.

Lets say you use Q on four Hilichurls, each afflicted by Hydro, Pyro, Cryo, or Electro. That means each Hilichurl will be hit by Windmuster Iris of their respective element – i.e.: the Hydro afflicted Hilichurl will be hit by a Hydro-infused Windmuster Iris.

HOWEVER, the Hydro-infused Windmuster Iris will not hurt the Pyro/Cryo/Electro afflicted Hilichurl.

Talent Leveling Order: E > Q = NA (if used as buffer/sub-DPS, then Q > NA)

WEAPON #1 (Recommended for best DPS): Skyward Atlas

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

Skyward Atlas is an extremely strong option for main DPS Heizou. For a CRIT/Swirl build, the 33.1% ATK boost plus the 12% Elemental DMG bonus amps up Heizous DPS output. Since Heizou’s kit involves him NA frequently to stack Delusion, the weapon effect provides an additional burst of damage every 30s.

Alternatively, Kagura’s Verity is a viable option as the weapon effect provides a huge boost to Heizou’s E DMG. A 36% E DMG buff + the 12% Elemental DMG bonus allows Heizou to capitalize on his E’s nuke potential. Along with the 66.2% CRIT DMG provided from Kagura can help you hit some crazy numbers.

Lost Prayer is a good placeholder as it can be a stopgap for increasing CRIT%. While the 40% Elemental DMG bonus (at max stacks) is strong, it’s removed when swapped out and takes too long to stack again (a whole 16s).

WEAPON #2 (Recommended for 4-star): The Widsith

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

The Widsith is the BiS for Heizou if run for the Swirl DPS build. Keep in mind Swirl damage is only increased by EM, which the Widsith can provide an insane amount of with the Interlude buff. At R5, that’s a whopping 480 EM for 10s. Even without Interlude, Widsith provides the best of both worlds as it can also buff ATK/Elemental DMG + CRIT DMG in general – i.e. even with the Swirl build you can pump out insane CRIT DMG.

Mappa Mare is a strong F2P option as the weapon provides much needed EM. The weapon effect of providing an Elemental DMG bonus is easy to stack, and practically a 100% uptime since Heizou will naturally proc reactions all the time.

ARTIFACTS (Recommended for best DPS): Viridescent Venerer

How do I get it D: ? – Valley of Remembrance Domain (AR 25 locked, 20 Resin per run)

4x Viridescent Venerer is the BiS set for both CRIT/Swirl and Swirl DPS builds. Not only does the set provide a 15% Anemo DMG bonus, but also boosts Swirl DMG by 60%. Keep in mind that the Elemental RES reduction is for the infused element, NOT for Anemo. You’re practically running the set mainly for the 60% Swirl boost, as not many weapons/artifact sets give an elemental reaction buff. Heizou’s consistent DPS is contributed by his ability to proc reactions frequently.

4x Echoes of an Offering is up for debate as buffing Heizou’s Normal Attack damage isn’t a huge priority. While it is true that he constantly weaves NA in his playstyle, the purpose is to proc Swirl to gain Declension stacks from his A1 passive. While boosting the damage of an NA every few hits sounds appealing (given how frequently he NA’s), it does not compete to the raw DMG provided from 4x Viridescent.

For early builds, 4x Instructor set is perfect until you can farm for Viridescent Venerer. The 4x set provides an insane 200 EM (80 from 2x + 120 from 4x), which is incredibly high for early phases of the game. It’ll be more than enough to help boost Heizou’s DPS output.

Main stats (CRIT/Swirl DPS):

Sands	Goblet	Circlet
ATK%	Anemo DMG%	CRIT% or CRIT DMG

Substats: CRIT Values > ATK (ATK% if not main stat) > EM

Main stats (Swirl DPS):

Sands	Goblet	Circlet
EM	EM	EM

Substats: EM > CRIT Values > ATK% > ER%

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