Skirk build guide · GenGuru: Your guru for Genshin Impact

Overview

On-field Cryo damage
Freeze carry

Skirk is a Cryo Sword damage dealer who does not use Energy. Her Elemental Skill puts her into Seven-Phase Flash, a mode where her Normal Attacks become her main damage, and her bursts run on Serpent's Subtlety instead of Energy. Freeze, Superconduct and other Cryo reactions from teammates create Void Rifts that she absorbs for more Subtlety. Her passive also boosts her damage for each Hydro teammate, or Cryo teammate other than herself, who hits enemies, up to three stacks.

Because she always sits at 0 Energy, gear that rewards zero Energy works perfectly on her. Give her an ATK sands, a Cryo goblet and crits, and fill the team with Hydro and Cryo supports so she gets the full damage boost and the team-wide skill level bonus.

Weapons

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

Azurelight ★★★★★
Her signature sword. Using her skill raises ATK, and while she sits at 0 Energy, which is always, it adds more ATK and CRIT DMG on top.
Mistsplitter Reforged ★★★★★
CRIT DMG and a stacking Cryo DMG Bonus. She is always below full Energy and her Normal Attacks deal Cryo DMG, so two stacks stay up with little effort.
Primordial Jade Cutter ★★★★★
High CRIT Rate and extra ATK from HP. A reliable general option.
Calamity of Eshu ★★★★
A strong 4-star when a teammate keeps her shielded, since it raises Normal Attack damage and CRIT Rate under a shield.
Finale of the Deep ★★★★
Craftable at the Blacksmith. It gives her ATK and is the easiest sword to refine.

Artifact sets

Finale of the Deep Galleries 4-piece
Made for her. Its bonus needs 0 Energy, which she always has, and it boosts both Normal Attacks and bursts.
Blizzard Strayer 4-piece
Extra CRIT Rate against Cryo-affected and Frozen enemies. Good in teams that keep enemies Frozen, and lets you lean harder on CRIT DMG.

Main stats and substats

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

Talent priority

Elemental Skill Havoc: Warp
Elemental Burst Havoc: Ruin
Normal Attack Havoc: Sunder

Teams

Skirk Freeze
- Skirk
- Escoffier
- Furina
- Citlali
Escoffier and Citlali lower enemy RES, Furina adds Hydro and a damage buff, and every teammate grants a Death's Crossing stack. Citlali's shield also enables Calamity of Eshu.
Skirk with Shenhe
- Skirk
- Escoffier
- Furina
- Shenhe
Shenhe's Icy Quill adds flat damage to many of Skirk's Normal Attack hits, and her burst lowers Cryo RES.
Budget Freeze
- Skirk
- Xingqiu
- Rosaria
- Diona
Each teammate is Hydro or Cryo, so all three grant a stack and the team gets the skill level bonus. Diona's shield pairs with Calamity of Eshu.

Tips

Level her Elemental Skill first. The Normal Attacks she makes in Seven-Phase Flash take their damage from the skill talent, not the Normal Attack talent.
Keep the whole team Hydro or Cryo. Each such teammate who hits an enemy adds a Death's Crossing stack, and a mixed Hydro and Cryo team raises everyone's Elemental Skill level.
Inside Seven-Phase Flash, use Havoc: Extinction early so your following Normal Attacks are empowered and nearby Void Rifts are absorbed.
Teammates that trigger Freeze or other Cryo reactions create Void Rifts, which give her extra Serpent's Subtlety for her next burst.
Finale of the Deep Galleries switches off its burst bonus for a while after she deals Normal Attack damage, and the other way round, so avoid weaving the two together.

More teams with Skirk

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

Skirk Freeze
- Skirk
- Dahlia
- Furina
- Escoffier
From the Dahlia guide

See every team comp, grouped by reaction.

Base stats at level 90

Base HP: 12417
Base ATK: 359
Base DEF: 806
CRIT DMG: 88.4%

Talents

Normal Attack Havoc: Sunder

Normal Attack Performs up to 5 consecutive attacks. Charged Attack Consumes a certain amount of Stamina to hurl a spinning crystal spear, dealing DMG to opponents ahead. Plunging Attack Plunges from mid-air to strike the ground below, damaging opponents along the path and dealing AoE DMG upon impact.

Elemental Skill Havoc: Warp

Imitates the combat style of "The Foul." Produces different effects depending on whether you Tap or Hold. Tap Skirk gains 45 **Serpent's Subtlety** and switches to **Seven-Phase Flash** mode. Hold Skirk gains 45 Serpent's Subtlety and will continuously move at high speed. Her interruption resistance is increased in this state. During this time, Skirk can control her movement direction and move atop water. She can also use this Skill again to end rapid movement prematurely.

Elemental Burst Havoc: Ruin

Skirk's Elemental Burst is not reliant on Elemental Energy but instead on **Serpent's Subtlety**. When Skirk has at least 50 Serpent's Subtlety, she can expend all her Serpent's Subtlety to unleash her Elemental Burst, ripping the space before her apart and using rapid consecutive slashes that deal AoE Cryo DMG. At the same time, the DMG dealt by an instance of this Elemental Burst will be increased by every point of Serpent's Subtlety over 50 when it is unleashed. Up to 12 points can be counted for this purpose. When Skirk is in **Seven-Phase Flash** mode, Havoc: Ruin will be replaced by Havoc: Extinction. Havoc: Extinction A special Elemental Burst that can be used even without consuming Serpent's Subtlety. After using it, Skirk will gain the "All Shall Wither" effect, which will last until Seven-Phase Flash ends. After unlocking the Ascension Talent **Reason Beyond Reason**, she can also absorb nearby Void Rifts. While "All Shall Wither" is active, every 0.1s, after Skirk's Normal Attack hits an opponent, that Normal Attack will deal increased DMG. If she absorbed any Void Rifts while using Havoc: Extinction, this Normal Attack's DMG will be further increased based on the number of Rifts absorbed. This effect will be canceled when it has triggered 10 times.

Passive talent Reason Beyond Reason

When nearby party members trigger Frozen, Superconduct, Stellar-Conduct, Cryo Swirl, Stellar Swirl, or Cryo Crystallize reactions against opponents, a Void Rift will be created near this opponent. This effect can be triggered once every 2.5s. 3 Void Rifts created by Skirk herself can exist on the field at once. Skirk can use the following methods to absorb nearby Void Rifts: · When she hits an opponent with a Charged Attack in her **Seven-Phase Flash** mode. · When she uses the special Elemental Burst Havoc: Extinction while in Seven-Phase Flash mode. · When she Holds her Elemental Skill Havoc: Warp to engage in rapid movement. Each Rift absorbed will grant her 8 **Serpent's Subtlety** points.

Passive talent Return to Oblivion

When nearby Hydro party members' Hydro attacks hit opponents, or when nearby Cryo party members apart from Skirk hit opponents with Cryo attacks, Skirk will gain the "Death's Crossing" effect for 20s. Max 3 stacks, each stack's duration is counted independently. Each character can grant Skirk at most 1 "Death's Crossing" stack by this means. Each "Death's Crossing" stack increases the Normal Attack DMG dealt by Skirk in **Seven-Phase Flash** mode to 110%/120%/170% of its original DMG and the DMG dealt when using her Elemental Burst Havoc: Ruin to 105%/115%/160% of its original DMG.

Passive talent Mutual Weapons Mentorship

When all party members are either Hydro or Cryo, and if there is at least 1 Hydro and 1 Cryo character, your own party members' Elemental Skill Level is increased by 1.

Constellations

C1 Far to Fall

Enhances the effects of the Ascension Talent **Reason Beyond Reason**: Every Void Rift absorbed will summon a crystal blade to attack nearby opponents, dealing 500% of Skirk's ATK as Cryo DMG. This DMG is considered Charged Attack DMG. You must first unlock the Ascension Talent Reason Beyond Reason.

C2 Into the Abyss

After unleashing her Elemental Skill Havoc: Warp, Skirk will gain 10 additional **Serpent's Subtlety** points. When using her Elemental Burst Havoc: Ruin, the DMG of this Elemental Burst instance will be increased by taking up to 10 more Serpent's Subtlety points into account. Additionally, within 12.5s after Skirk unleashes the special Elemental Burst Havoc: Extinction while in her **Seven-Phase Flash** mode, her ATK is increased by 70%. This effect will be canceled when she leaves the Seven-Phase Flash mode.

C3 Serendipitous Sin

Increases the Level of **Havoc: Ruin** by 3. Maximum upgrade level is 15.

C4 Fractured Flow

Enhances the effects of the Ascension Talent **Return to Oblivion**: Each Death's Crossing stack also increases Skirk's ATK by 10%/20%/40%. You must first unlock the Ascension Talent Return to Oblivion.

C5 End of Wishes

Increases the Level of **Havoc: Warp** by 3. Maximum upgrade level is 15.

C6 To the Source

Each Void Rift Skirk absorbs via the effects of the Ascension Talent **Reason Beyond Reason** will grant her 1 Havoc: Sever stack. She can consume such stacks to initiate coordinated attacks and decrease the DMG she takes while in **Seven-Phase Flash** mode. These stacks last for 15s, and each stack's duration is counted independently (max 3 stacks). You must first unlock the Ascension Talent "Reason Beyond Reason." Havoc: Sever · When Skirk uses the Elemental Burst Havoc: Ruin, she will consume all Havoc: Sever stacks to initiate a coordinated attack in which each Havoc: Sever stack will deal 750% of Skirk's ATK as Cryo DMG. This DMG is considered Elemental Burst DMG. · When she uses Normal Attacks while in Seven-Phase Flash mode, 1 Havoc: Sever stack will be consumed when her third or fifth sequenced attacks hit an opponent to launch 3 coordinated attacks. Each coordinated attack deals 180% of Skirk's ATK as Cryo DMG. This damage is considered Normal Attack DMG. · When Skirk takes DMG while in Seven-Phase Flash mode, 1 Havoc: Sever stack will be consumed to decrease this DMG instance by 80% and attack nearby opponents 3 times, with each attack dealing 180% of Skirk's ATK as Cryo DMG. This DMG is considered Charged Attack DMG.