How Elemental Reactions Work
Every enemy carries an element aura after being hit by Pyro, Hydro, Cryo, Electro, Dendro, or Geo. Applying a second element triggers a reaction. Reactions fall into three categories: Amplifying (multiply damage), Transformative (flat damage based on level and Elemental Mastery), and Bloom (Dendro cores that can be triggered further). Swirl and Crystallize are special Anemo/Geo reactions that spread or protect.
- Aura: the element currently on an enemy (shown by colored glow or icon)
- Gauge: how much element is applied — stronger skills apply more gauge and last longer
- ICD (Internal Cooldown): many skills can only apply their element every few hits or seconds, preventing infinite reaction spam
- Elemental Mastery (EM) scales Transformative and Bloom damage; CRIT stats scale Amplifying reactions
- Some enemies are immune to certain elements or reactions — check enemy types before building
Amplifying Reactions (Vaporize & Melt)
Vaporize (Pyro + Hydro) and Melt (Pyro + Cryo) multiply the triggering attack's damage. The order matters: applying Pyro onto Hydro gives 2× (Vaporize), while Hydro onto Pyro gives 1.5×. Melt works the same — Pyro onto Cryo is 2×, Cryo onto Pyro is 1.5×. Build your main DPS with CRIT Rate, CRIT DMG, and ATK% to maximize these hits.
- Vaporize teams: Xingqiu/Yelan (Hydro) + Hu Tao/Xiangling (Pyro) — one of the strongest reaction types
- Melt teams: Bennett (Pyro aura) + Rosaria/Kaeya (Cryo) + a Pyro DPS like Yanfei or Hu Tao
- Reverse Melt (Cryo DPS triggering Pyro) works for Ganyu with Xiangling — harder to play but huge numbers
- Amplifying reactions can CRIT — prioritize CRIT stats on the character dealing the amplified hit
- Don't mix Pyro and Cryo on the same team unless you know what you're doing — they cancel each other
Transformative Reactions
Overloaded (Pyro + Electro), Electro-Charged (Hydro + Electro), Superconduct (Cryo + Electro), and Shatter (Geo + Cryo) deal flat damage based on your character's level and EM. They're great for overworld clearing and support builds but usually secondary to Amplifying or Bloom in endgame.
- Superconduct: reduces enemy Physical RES by 40% — essential for Physical DPS like Eula or Razor
- Electro-Charged: ticks damage over time in wet environments — strong in grouped Hydro enemies
- Overloaded: knocks small enemies back — can disrupt your rotation if you're not careful
- Swirl (Anemo + any element): spreads the element and deals extra Transformative damage — Kazha/Venti/Sucrose core mechanic
- Crystallize (Geo + any element): creates a shield matching the element absorbed — Zhongli and Geo supports
Dendro & Bloom Reactions
Dendro changed the reaction meta. Bloom (Dendro + Hydro) creates Dendro cores on the ground. Hyperbloom (Electro on cores) and Burgeon (Pyro on cores) explode them for AoE damage. Quicken (Dendro + Electro) enables Aggravate and Spread for bonus Electro/Dendro damage. These scale heavily with EM.
- Hyperbloom: Nahida + Hydro + Electro healer (Kuki) — one of the strongest F2P-friendly teams
- Burgeon: Dendro + Hydro + Pyro — high self-damage risk; bring a healer or shielder
- Aggravate: Quicken aura + Electro hit — great for Fischl, Cyno, Keqing with Dendro support
- Spread: Quicken aura + Dendro hit — Alhaitham and Tighnari excel here
- Only two Bloom cores can exist at once — excess cores auto-detonate after a few seconds
- Nahida's skill applies Dendro to multiple enemies — she enables nearly every Dendro team
Freeze & Shatter
Cryo + Hydro creates Freeze, immobilizing enemies. Frozen enemies can be Shattered with a heavy Geo hit for bonus damage. Freeze teams (Ayaka, Ganyu, Kokomi) dominate Spiral Abyss by locking enemies in place. Be aware: some bosses and elites are freeze-immune.
- Permafreeze: Ayaka + Kokomi/Xingqiu + Anemo (Kazuha/Venti) + flex — top-tier Abyss comp
- Freeze duration depends on the ratio of Cryo to Hydro gauge applied
- Anemo Swirl on frozen enemies spreads Cryo without breaking Freeze in some cases
- Geo Shatter breaks Freeze early — don't run Zhongli in a freeze team unless intentional
- Pyro melts Freeze instantly — keep Bennett away from freeze teams
Energy Management
Every burst costs 40–80 energy. You generate particles by hitting enemies with elemental skills (especially when matching the character's element). Battery characters like Raiden, Fischl, and Kazuha help teammates reach burst faster. Energy Recharge (ER) sands are mandatory on supports until you know your exact requirements.
- Rule of thumb: supports need 180–220% ER; main DPS often needs 120–140% unless they generate their own energy
- Tap skill (E) vs hold skill (E): hold usually generates more particles but has longer cooldown
- Funneling: swap to the character who needs energy right before particles arrive so they pick them up
- Raiden burst converts party ER into personal burst damage and restores energy to teammates on hit
- Bennett and Xingqiu at high ER (200%+) with Favonius weapons solve most National Team energy issues
- Don't burst on cooldown if your next wave isn't ready — save energy for the actual fight
Breaking Enemy Shields
Many enemies — especially Abyss Heralds, Mages, and Slimes — deploy elemental shields. Shields must be broken with the counter element before you deal meaningful damage. Shield HP scales with World Level, so the same tactic works but takes longer at higher WL.
- Pyro shield → Hydro (fastest), Cryo also works slowly
- Hydro shield → Electro (fastest), Cryo freezes then shatters
- Cryo shield → Pyro (fastest), Electro and Geo work slowly
- Electro shield → Cryo (fastest), Pyro and Geo work slowly
- Geo shield → Geo (Claymore/plunging also deal bonus damage to Geo constructs)
- Dendro shields (some Fontaine/Sumeru enemies) → Pyro or Electro
- Catalyst and Bow characters apply elements from range — safer for breaking shields on dangerous enemies
Team Rotation Basics
A rotation is the order you use skills and bursts to maximize uptime on buffs, debuffs, and reactions. General pattern: apply buffs/debuffs → apply elements → swap to main DPS → attack during buff window → repeat. Most buffs (Bennett burst, Noblesse 4pc) last 8–12 seconds.
Browse team comps with sample rotations
- 1. Shield/buff setup (Zhongli skill, Bennett burst, Kazuha skill+burst)
- 2. Sub-DPS bursts (Xiangling, Xingqiu, Fischl — off-field damage starts here)
- 3. Main DPS burst + on-field time (Hu Tao, Ayaka, Raiden — your damage window)
- 4. Reapply elements and refresh when buffs expire
- Animation canceling: jump or dash after a skill to skip recovery frames — advanced but saves time
- Don't greed extra hits when buffs expire — swap back to supports and restart the cycle
Overworld Combat Tips
Open-world fights reward exploration and flexibility. You don't need perfect rotations — focus on breaking shields, healing when needed, and using food buffs for tough world bosses.
- Cook meals before fighting weekly bosses — CRIT food and defense food stack with team buffs
- Use the environment: drop attacks, Ameno updrafts, and water for Electro-Charged
- Scout enemy camps with Elemental Sight before engaging — plan your element counters
- Keep a healer or shielder in your overworld team to avoid teleporting to statues constantly
- Invest in one strong exploration team first — you'll use it for 80% of content
Spiral Abyss Tactics
Abyss floors have time limits and two chambers per floor requiring different teams. Read the chamber buffs and enemy lineup before committing. Floor 12 expects optimized teams with proper artifact sets and talent levels.
- Chamber buffs often favor specific elements — build at least one team around the weekly buff
- Split your investment: two teams with one strong DPS each beats one god team and three underleveled supports
- Bring shield breakers for Herald/Lawachurl floors — check the enemy list on HoYoLAB or community resources
- First half and second half are independent — plan element coverage for both sides
- 12-3 is a DPS check: prioritize CRIT stats and reaction consistency over fancy team comps
- Practice rotations in the overworld on elite enemies before spending attempts on Abyss
Common Combat Mistakes
These habits hold players back from AR 35 to AR 50. Fixing even one or two will noticeably improve your clear times.
- Only using the main DPS on-field — supports deal huge off-field damage (Xiangling, Xingqiu, Fischl)
- Ignoring ER on supports — bursts never come back up without proper Energy Recharge
- Applying the wrong element first for Vaporize/Melt — you lose 33% damage on the weaker reaction
- Running Bennett C6 in freeze or melt teams — Pyro infusion on auto-attacks ruins reactions
- Face-tanking instead of dodging — i-frames during dash and sprint are free damage avoidance
- Not using food buffs on Abyss — they're free stats and the game expects you to use them