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Portrait of Kaeya

★★★★CryoSword

Kaeya

Frostwind Swordsman

An accomplished swordsman and a strategic thinker in the Knights of Favonius, rumored to hail from beyond Mondstadt.

Region
Mondstadt
Released
Version 1.0
GenGuru tier
C Sub-DPS

Overview

  • Cryo sub-DPS
  • Freeze enabler
  • Energy battery

Kaeya is a flexible 4-star who brings steady Cryo to the field. His Elemental Skill is a short-cooldown blast that generates plenty of Energy and heals him a little, and his Elemental Burst summons icicles that circle the active character and keep applying Cryo after he swaps out. He is free to every player, which makes him a reliable early-game Cryo option.

Build him with ATK, Cryo damage and crits, plus Energy Recharge so the burst comes back each rotation. He works best paired with Hydro for Freeze or with Pyro damage dealers who want Cryo for Melt.

Weapons

Best first. Every sword on this list links to its page.

  1. Mistsplitter Reforged ★★★★★

    A big Cryo damage bonus and CRIT DMG. Worth it only if you have no stronger Cryo damage dealer to give it to.

  2. Sacrificial Sword ★★★★

    A chance to reset his skill means more Cryo, more particles and more healing. Its Energy Recharge also helps his burst.

  3. Amenoma Kageuchi ★★★★

    Craftable at the Blacksmith. High ATK, and his frequent skill casts build up seeds that turn into Energy after each burst.

  4. Favonius Sword ★★★★

    Turns his frequent skill hits into extra particles for the team. Good when he plays as a battery.

  5. Cool Steel ★★★

    A 3-star that adds damage against Hydro or Cryo-affected enemies, which is most of what he hits in Freeze teams.

Artifact sets

  1. Blizzard Strayer 4-piece

    Best in Freeze teams. The CRIT Rate bonus against Cryo and Frozen enemies is easy to keep active.

  2. Emblem of Severed Fate 4-piece

    Raises his burst damage based on Energy Recharge, and the Energy Recharge itself keeps the burst online.

  3. Blizzard Strayer + Noblesse Oblige 2-piece each

    A stopgap mix of Cryo damage and burst damage while you farm a full set.

Main stats and substats

Sands
ATK% or Energy Recharge
Goblet
Cryo DMG Bonus or ATK%
Circlet
CRIT Rate or CRIT DMG
Substats
Energy Recharge > CRIT Rate > CRIT DMG > ATK%

Talent priority

  1. Elemental Burst Glacial Waltz
  2. Elemental Skill Frostgnaw

Teams

  • Budget Freeze

    Xingqiu's rain swords and Kaeya's icicles keep enemies Frozen. Sucrose groups them and Diona shields and heals. Every member is a 4-star.

  • Ayaka Freeze

    Kaeya fills the second Cryo slot, adding Cryo application and Energy for Ayaka's burst.

  • Diluc Melt

    Kaeya's icicles keep Cryo on enemies so Diluc's Pyro hits can Melt. Bennett heals and buffs ATK.

Tips

  • His icicles follow whoever is on the field, so swap to a character who stays close to enemies after you cast the burst.
  • His skill heals him on every hit, which helps him survive early content without a dedicated healer.
  • Freezing enemies with his skill makes them drop extra particles, so use it on wet enemies when you can.
  • If the burst is often not ready, add Energy Recharge before more damage stats.

Other character guides recommend Kaeya as a teammate in these teams.

See every team comp, grouped by reaction.

Base stats at level 90

Base HP
11636
Base ATK
223
Base DEF
792
Energy Recharge
26.7%

Talents

Normal Attack Ceremonial Bladework
Normal Attack Performs up to 5 rapid strikes. Charged Attack Consumes a certain amount of Stamina to unleash 2 rapid sword strikes. Plunging Attack Plunges from mid-air to strike the ground below, damaging opponents along the path and dealing AoE DMG upon impact.
Elemental Skill Frostgnaw
Unleashes a frigid blast, dealing Cryo DMG to opponents in front of Kaeya.
Elemental Burst Glacial Waltz
Coalescing the frost in the air, Kaeya summons 3 icicles that revolve around him. These icicles will follow the character around and deal Cryo DMG to opponents in their path for the ability's duration.
Passive talent Cold-Blooded Strike
Every hit with Frostgnaw regenerates HP for Kaeya equal to 15% of his ATK.
Passive talent Glacial Heart
Opponents Frozen by Frostgnaw will drop additional Elemental Particles. Frostgnaw may only produce a maximum of 2 additional Elemental Particles per use.
Passive talent Hidden Strength
Decreases sprinting Stamina consumption for your own party members by 20%. Not stackable with Passive Talents that provide the exact same effects.

Constellations

C1 Excellent Blood
The CRIT Rate of Kaeya's Normal and Charge Attacks against opponents affected by Cryo is increased by 15%.
C2 Never-Ending Performance
While Glacial Waltz is in effect, for each opponent defeated, its duration is increased by 2.5s, up to a maximum of 15s.
C3 Dance of Frost
Increases the Level of Frostgnaw by 3. Maximum upgrade level is 15.
C4 Frozen Kiss
Triggers automatically when Kaeya's HP falls below 20%: Creates a shield that absorbs damage equal to 30% of Kaeya's Max HP. Lasts for 20s. This shield absorbs Cryo DMG with 250% efficiency. Can only occur once every 60s.
C5 Frostbiting Embrace
Increases the Level of Glacial Waltz by 3. Maximum upgrade level is 15.
C6 Glacial Whirlwind
Glacial Waltz will generate 1 additional icicle, and will regenerate 15 Energy when cast.