Yelan released in patch 2.7 and I remember people being uncertain about her at first. She looked like Xingqiu but different, and Xingqiu was already so strong that it wasn’t obvious whether another Hydro off-field DPS was necessary. Then people started actually using her and discovered that she doesn’t just replace Xingqiu — running both in the same team is one of the strongest things you can do in the game.
This guide explains what makes Yelan strong, how to build her, and who she pairs well with. If you’re deciding whether to pull for her or wondering why your Yelan doesn’t feel as impactful as you expected, this should answer your questions.
What She Actually Does
Yelan’s off-field damage comes from her Elemental Burst, Depth-Clarion Dice. It launches Hydro attacks at enemies whenever the on-field character hits them, similar in concept to Xingqiu’s rainswords but with different mechanics and timing. The Hydro dice proc fairly frequently and deal meaningful damage that scales with her Max HP.
The part people sometimes miss is her Burst’s secondary effect — it increases the on-field character’s DMG by up to 50% over 15 seconds, ramping up from around 1% at the start to 50% at the end. This DMG bonus is one of the strongest personal buffs in the game and it’s why Yelan isn’t just “another Xingqiu.” She’s doing off-field Hydro damage AND significantly amplifying your carry’s output simultaneously.
Her Elemental Skill is also her mobility skill — she dashes rapidly in a direction while marking enemies, then detonates for HP-scaling Hydro damage. In teams where mobility matters, this is genuinely useful. But mostly you just press it for the damage and the energy.
Building Her — HP Is Everything
Like Neuvillette, Yelan scales entirely with HP rather than ATK. Her Skill damage, her Burst damage, and the DMG% bonus she provides all relate to HP in some way. Sands is always HP%, no discussion needed.
For the artifact set, Emblem of Severed Fate 4-piece is standard. She needs around 160-180% Energy Recharge to Burst consistently, and Emblem converts ER into Burst DMG Bonus (up to 75%), making it the obvious choice. Goblet is Hydro DMG Bonus, Circlet is Crit Rate or Crit DMG.
Substats: Crit Rate and Crit DMG matter for her personal damage, ER matters for Burst uptime, HP% improves Skill damage and Burst scaling. You’re balancing between these — prioritize reaching your ER threshold first, then invest in Crit.
Weapons
Aqua Simulacra is her signature and gives a massive HP% bonus plus a flat 20% DMG bonus when enemies are nearby. It’s very strong on her. But unlike some signature weapons that are mandatory, Yelan functions well without it.
Favonius Warbow is the most practical choice for most teams because energy generation is her biggest pain point. Getting her Burst up every rotation is crucial, and Favonius helps the whole team. Sacrificial Bow gives extra Skill uses for more Hydro application and HP damage. Recurve Bow at R5 is a 3-star with HP% substat that works fine if you have nothing better.
Yelan and Xingqiu Together
This is the important part. Running Yelan and Xingqiu in the same team gives you what the community calls “double Hydro.” Two off-field characters are constantly applying Hydro to enemies, which means your Pyro carry like Hu Tao or Yoimiya is triggering Vaporize on virtually every single attack.
You also get Hydro resonance for 25% additional Max HP, which increases both characters’ damage. The combination is used in some form in virtually every top Spiral Abyss clear that involves Pyro carries.
They don’t feel redundant because they do different things — Xingqiu provides interruption resistance and damage reduction through his rain swords, while Yelan provides the DMG% ramp-up buff. Together they make your carry unkillable and massively buffed.
Who She Works Best With
Hu Tao is probably her best partner. Vaporize reactions, the DMG% ramp synergizes perfectly with Hu Tao’s window of operation, and the Hydro application means consistent procs. Yoimiya is another strong pair for similar reasons — Yoimiya attacks rapidly which makes full use of the Exquisite Throw procs. Any Pyro or Cryo carry benefits from reliable off-field Hydro.
She also works in Neuvillette teams for Hydro resonance, though Neuvillette doesn’t strictly need her since he provides his own Hydro. Still a valid choice if you want extra Hydro DMG in the team.