The only way to ascend hydro characters currently in Genshin Impact is by defeating a boss known as the Oceanid. The Oceanid can be found near Stone Gate and Wu Wang Hill, where it waits to crush players' hopes in dreams inside of a large arena.
The arena is surrounded by water, and Rhodeia does everything they can to ensure that the player doesn't get out of the fight unscathed. In fact, Mihoyo has even released an edition of the Teyvat Times that had a Traveler death count for the boss.
For players looking to ascend their hydro team, the tips below can help make the Rhodeia of the Loch fight much easier.
The Oceanid Problem
The Oceanid is counted by many players as the toughest boss in the game. This is because the fight is much different than the other elemental beings, mainly due to its unpredictable nature.
- Players must learn to deal with the hydro creatures that Rhodeia summons, and the ones players get during each fight are left up to RNG.
This makes each fight just a bit different than the last, which can be frustrating for newer players who just got their first win against the boss and now have to rethink their strategy.
The fight also takes much longer since it's divided up into parts, which can be frustrating to deal with multiple times in a row. Players have been asking Mihoyo to nerf or restructure the Rhodeia fight because of this since the game's launch. So far they've only made it harder, although thankfully this is just during the Wishful Drops event!
How To Damage Rhodeia
The Oceanid fight requires players to fight hydro creatures, instead of Rhodeia. This means that you can't just hurl arrows as Rhodeia moves around the arena and expect their health to fall. However, a bow character is still useful, so don't put Diona on the bench just yet.
Instead, each set of animals will take out a chunk of Rhodeia's health when the player defeats them. Since there are usually multiple animals, it can take a while to group them all together, especially if you aren't in co-op.
Handling The Hydro Animals
The main way the Oceanids do battle is by releasing hydro animals or creatures onto the field. Each creature has a different way of attacking, and depending on which ones get summoned together, it can be a deadly group. There are a few rules to keep in mind before going into the Oceanid battle:
- Always have a bow user on hand
- Never use hydro attacks, everything is immune to them
- You can't freeze all the animals at once
- Don't take too long
- Use Cryo, Electro, and Pyro characters
The Oceanid can summon Raptors during the match that will swoop down on the player, causing a significant amount of damage. They come in groups of three and can't be hit by any close-ranged attacks, making claymore, polearm, and sword users useless. Since Catalyst also needs to get a bit closer to hit them, it isn't recommended.
- Using a bow-user like Amber, Diona, or Ganyu can help to take them out from afar.
When you place a bow user in your team, go ahead and remove all hydro users. Hydro attacks are ineffective against all Oceanid summons and can even heal some of them. The only helpful hydro character that can be used during the fight is Barbara, and players will find her healing abilities heavily limited.
- If you want to use a healer go with Jean, Diona, or Qiqi when possible.
Players already know it's easy to freeze hydro enemies, but it shouldn't be completely relied on. Freezing can be used for controlling the field but won't be able to affect a huge amount of creatures unless the player has a character like Ganyu who can unleash a massive cryo AoE attack. With that being said, freezing is great against boars as they attack by charging the player and raptors to keep them from swooping. Prioritize these when freezing targets.
Freezing can also help hold crabs in place as they attack by constantly moving and shooting a bubble beam. It will also stop squirrels from using their close-range attacks, and stop mallards from walking towards them. Crane's can also be managed, especially with cryo arrows, as they won't be able to shoot water towards the player or heal another summoned enemy.
- More aggressive enemies like the finch, frog, and squirrel are best quickly wiped out.
Finch's jump in the air and drop down to do heavy AoE damage, as do frogs. Hitting them with cryo in the air can cause them to get frozen there, which is where Diona or Ganyu come in. However, these are often best handled quickly using a claymore user or another heavy hitter.
Use Pyro, electro, and cryo characters to make quick work of these enemies. Having a character combination like Fischl, who can cause off-field electro damage, and Diluc, who can do massive pyro DPS damage, is a great combination to cause reactions. For those without a range of five stars, Bennett is also strong here, thanks to his pyro abilities and self-heal.
Multiplayer Strategies
Taking on the Oceanid in multiplayer can make the fight ten times easier. Players should coordinate to use reactive elements in order to ensure a fast battle.
By causing reactions and helping each other control the field, even a two-person party can cut the time it takes to kill the Oceanid by more than half.
