Genshin Impact's tiniest Shuumatsuban member, Sayu, recently received a role in Inazuma's Irodori Festival event, where players got the chance to interact with this sleep-deprived, tanuki-costumed ninja. Completing missions for Ayato is far from Sayu's only purpose, though, as she is also one of Genshin Impact's most inventive and fun characters to play as.
Sayu is a four-star character who wields an Anemo Vision alongside a claymore that probably weighs twice as much as she does. Her signature technique involves rolling around the battlefield like a certain blue hedgehog might, and this ability can be useful for both taking down enemies and exploring Teyvat quickly. Read on to find out how to effectively build this small, sleepy, spinning support.
Updated May 6, 2022, by Kyle Gorges: Since her release, Sayu has cemented herself as a member of some of Genshin Impact's most innovative and efficient teams. Whether she's rolling over enemies in a Beyblade-esque composition, or simply being used to traverse Genshin Impact's vast landscape, Sayu has certainly carved out a niche for herself among the game's roster. This guide has been updated so that Sayu's momentum never stops.
Best Weapons for Sayu
| Weapon Name | Base ATK | Secondary Stat | Passive Ability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Favonius Greatsword | 41 | Energy Recharge | Sayu's Critical Hits have a 60% chance to generate Elemental Particles, which will regenerate 6 Energy for the character that receives them. This effect can occur once every 12s. |
| Rainslasher | 42 | Elemental Mastery | Sayu's DMG against opponents affected by Hydro or Electro is increased by 20%. |
| Katsuragikiri Nagamasa | 42 | Energy Recharge | Sayu's Elemental Skill DMG is increased by 6%. When her Skill hits an opponent, Sayu loses 3 Energy but regenerates 3 Energy every 2s for the next 6s. This effect can occur once every 10s, even when Sayu is off the field. |
| Wolf's Gravestone | 46 | ATK | Sayu's ATK is increased by 20%. When she hits an opponent with less than 30% HP, all party members' ATK is increased by 40% for 12s. This effect can occur once every 30s. |
Sayu is generally the only Anemo character on her teams, which means that she needs a lot of Energy Recharge to use her Burst frequently. Favonius Greatsword helps tremendously with this, helping Sayu refill her Burst via the weapon's ER secondary stat and its passive ability. At high Refinements, the passive effect becomes even more consistent.
Rainslasher is often mocked for being an underwhelming weapon, but Sayu can make more use of it than most characters. The Elemental Mastery provided by this weapon will increase Sayu's Swirl damage and healing ability, especially when you pair her with Hydro or Electro teammates. If this claymore has been collecting dust in your inventory, try it out on Sayu.
Katsuragikiri Nagamasa has a name and passive ability that are both mouthfuls, but the result for Sayu is quite simple: lots of Energy Recharge. This weapon helps Sayu recharge her Elemental Burst quickly, which is great during fights where you need some extra healing.
Five-star weapons are usually reserved for DPS characters, but if you happen to have a spare one lying around, you can equip it on Sayu. Wolf's Gravestone is the best of these for her, since its impressive ATK stat will also improve Sayu's healing potential, and the team-wide buff will enhance the overall damage output of your team.
Best Artifacts for Sayu
| Artifact Set Name | Two-Piece Set Bonus | Four-Piece Set Bonus |
|---|---|---|
| Viridescent Venerer | Anemo DMG Bonus +15% | Sayu's Swirl DMG is increased by 60%, and the opponent's Elemental RES to the element infused in the Swirl is reduced by 40% for 10s. |
Artifact Set Analysis
The Viridescent Venerer Artifact set is simply too powerful to earnestly recommend anything else for Sayu.
If you're planning on using Sayu offensively, you'll be using her Skill to roll between opponents and constantly Swirl any elements affecting them. This Artifact set increases her Swirl DMG significantly, and thanks to her Skill's long duration, you can trigger Swirls multiple times for multiple elements, thereby greatly reducing your opponents' overall defenses as well.
The Viridescent Venerer set is generally considered one of the most potent Artifact sets in the game, and Sayu is an excellent user of its effects. You don't need to look any further for an Artifact set that suits her better.
Artifact Stats
Sayu's abilities scale off of a few different stats, which can make building her Artifacts confusing. In general, EM Sands, EM Goblets, and EM Circlets will maximize her offensive potential by increasing her Swirl damage, and the extra Elemental Mastery will marginally increase her healing ability.
If you're struggling to recharge her Burst, it's fine to use an ER Sands instead of Elemental Mastery. Similarly, if you want Sayu's healing to be stronger, you can opt for a Healing Bonus Circlet. This choice is largely dependent on how you'd like to utilize Sayu in your own teams.
Sayu's optimal Artifact sub-stats are Elemental Mastery and Energy Recharge, for the same reasons discussed above. ATK% is also useful on her, since this will increase her damage and her Burst's healing at the same time.
Sayu's Talents And Constellations
Sayu's Talents
If you plan on using Sayu solely as a quick-swap healer, then you only need to worry about leveling up her Burst. If you want to utilize her aggressively as an on-field attacker, then leveling up her Skill should be a priority as well.
In either case, Sayu generally doesn't use her Normal Attacks, so those don't need to be leveled up unless you have extra resources to burn.
Sayu's Constellations
Sayu has quite a few Constellations that can improve her usability and power.
Her C1 is similar to Bennett's C1, removing the HP limitation on her Burst and allowing it to attack and heal simultaneously. This Constellation is excellent.
Sayu's second Constellation is also outstanding, ramping up the damage of her Skill by up to 66 percent. Since Sayu's Skill is her primary offensive tool, this Constellation can be a stellar asset.
Sayu's C3 and C5 will raise the levels of her Burst and Skill, respectively, by three. There's nothing flashy about these Constellations, but you'll definitely notice the increased power that comes with them.
The Shuumatsuban scout's C4 allows her to regenerate a small amount of Energy each time she triggers a Swirl reaction. The Energy amount isn't huge, but Sayu can trigger this effect multiple times over the course of her Skill. This can be incredibly handy for Sayu, who can often struggle to generate enough Energy on her own, especially when she's the only Anemo member on her team.
Sayu's C6 lets her Burst scale with her Elemental Mastery stat. The higher Sayu's Elemental Mastery, the more her Burst will heal your characters, and the more damage it will deal to enemies. Since you're building Elemental Mastery on Sayu anyway, this Constellation provides a notable boost to both aspects of Sayu's Burst.
If you really enjoy Sayu but still want to be conservative with your Primogems, consider stopping after you get her second Constellation. Sayu's C1 and C2 are very impactful, giving you a lot of bang for your buck. While her later Constellations are nice, the first two are definitely the ones you will notice the most.
