Nina Forneloza 
Xilonen, a new support powerhouse, is bound to be a staple pick in many team lineups, and Genshin Impact players need to know how to build her to maximize her usefulness.
After dropping two top-tier DPS characters including Mualani and Kinich, Natlan’s done it again by releasing another broken unit. Meet Xilonen, a five-star Geo sword character with an incredibly flexible kit. She stands as a perfect fit as either a support for hypercarries from another element or as a damage dealer in a full Geo setup.
The skilled smith from the Nanatzcayan tribe is a true jack of all trades. She can heal, apply buffs and debuffs, and even step up as the main carry. While her versatility and strength have easily pushed her to S-tier status, getting the best out of her requires a solid understanding of her abilities, along with the right artifacts, weapons, and team compositions.
Full Xilonen build guide
How to play Xilonen in Genshin Impact
Xilonen is a Geo Nightsoul-aligned, defense-scaling sword support unit whose main job is lowering enemy resistance and providing a strong source of healing. With her range of game-changing buffs and debuffs, many players have started calling her the “Geo Kazuha.” But how exactly does her kit work?
The Geo support from Natlan starts the battle with three yellow Geo samplers in her Nightsoul’s Blessing state upon casting elemental skill. Each Pyro, Hydro, Electro, or Cryo character on the team will change the samplers to their element’s color. For example, if the team includes two Hydro and one Pyro character, there will be two blue samplers and one red. In contrast, a mono-geo team will keep the samplers in their original yellow state.
Team setup shapes Xilonen’s playstyle and archetype as her A1 passive heavily relies on it. With at least two Pyro, Hydro, Electro, or Cryo characters in the team, she gains 35 Nightsoul Points for each normal and plunging attack on enemies. Hitting 90 points weakens nearby enemies against those elements. If fewer than two characters carry those elements, she boosts her normal and plunging attacks instead. The first composition turns her into a support, while the second lets her take on the main DPS role.
Before hitting C6, Xilonen struggles to keep up in damage with the top DPS characters, so a lot of players lean into a support role for her. Luckily, her buff has the potential for 100% uptime, lasting 15 seconds with a quick seven-second cooldown. To activate it, just cast her elemental skill and land two normal attacks and that’ll push her Nightsoul Points to 90, instantly triggering the samplers.
Moving on to her ultimate ability, Xilonen can double as a healer if there are more than two Pyro, Electro, Hydro, and Cryo units in the team. It’s a defense-scaling healing ability that restores the health of the active character. On the flip side, if there are more than two Geo samplers, her ultimate will shift to deal Nightsoul-infused Geo damage instead.
On top of everything, Xilonen is fun to use for exploring. If walking and climbing is getting boring, skating might be the way to go. When she uses her elemental skill, she switches to her rollerblading gear. In this “blade roller” mode, her movement and climbing speed get a boost. Best of all, it doesn’t consume any stamina.
Best artifacts for a strong Xilonen build
The best artifact set that could bring out Xilonen’s potential are 4-piece Scroll of the Hero of Cinder City and Noblesse Oblige.
4-piece Scroll of the Hero of Cinder City
The Scroll of the Hero of Cinder City is hands down the best artifact set for a support-type Xilonen. It offers a massive 40% damage boost for the whole team, and she can easily meet the requirements. While farming for a full four-piece set can be a bit of a grind, it’s definitely worth it since no other artifact set comes close. Additionally, if Xilonen is in a solo Geo setup, she’ll need a good amount of energy regen, so its 2-piece effect will definitely come in handy.
4-piece Noblesse Oblige
Another great choice for support Xilonen is Noblesse Oblige. However, it’s a bit more restrictive compared to the Scroll of the Hero of Cinder City, which works for a wider range of characters. This artifact set is mainly for ATK-scaling units like Arlecchino and Ayaka.
When Xilonen uses her burst, it boosts the ATK of all team members by 20%. Just remember, this effect doesn’t stack, so if another member has this set equipped, it won’t add as much value.
4-piece Obsidian Codex
If players want to use Xilonen as the main DPS for their team, they should farm for Obsidian Codex instead. Equipping this will give her a damage boost while she’s on the field and in the Nightsoul’s Blessing state. It also adds an impressive +40% crit rate when she consumes her Nightsoul Points.
All the best weapons for Xilonen in Genshin Impact
Xilonen’s best sword weapons are Peak Patrol Song, Flute Ezpitzal, and Favonius Sword. Xilonen’s signature weapon is the Peak Patrol Song and, because of that, stands as the best option for a fully optimized build. Players who don’t want to burn through their Primogems can still find some solid, more affordable options.
Peak Patrol Song (5-star)
With Peak Patrol Song as her signature weapon, it’s no shocker that it’s also her best-in-slot. When equipped, the team gets up to a 25.6% elemental damage boost based on her DEF, plus a 10% self-buff. To really maximize this weapon, it’s all about farming for artifacts with solid rolls since it needs 3,200 defense. Luckily, this sword has the highest DEF stats, so players shouldn’t run into too much trouble.
Flute of Ezpitzal (4-star)
Stacking up defense becomes a lot easier with the forgeable weapon Flute of Ezpitzal. She receives up to 69% DEF this way and an additional 16-32% DEF for 15 seconds upon using her elemental skill. Being free makes it a compelling choice compared to other 4-star options if the player plans to achieve higher DEF stats, as refining it to R5 is a lot easier, although it will cost some materials.
Favonius Sword (4-star)
In solo Geo comps, Xilonen’s energy regen requirements are a bit higher. Thankfully, equipping the Favonius Sword helps out. It offers a solid amount of energy recharge, and if she lands crit hits, the team gets energy back too. After all, Xilonen is an easy unit to build since she only requires DEF and some ER, so a bit of investment in her crit rate won’t take much effort.
Best Genshin Impact team compositions for Xilonen
Xilonen offers fantastic versatility, easily fitting into just about any elemental or mono-geo team, whether players want her as a support or a DPS. While she can’t be paired with everyone, with the right build, Xilonen has excellent synergy with some of the best hypercarries in Genshin Impact.
Neuvillette Hypercarry team – Neuvillette, Kazuha, Furina, Xilonen
Neuvillette is definitely up there as the top DPS in the game, and with Xilonen joining the roster, the Chief Justice of Fontaine might just have found another fantastic support to team up with.
In a Neuvillette hypercarry team, all he needs are supports who can do their job off-field, or at least without much field time. Xilonen fits the bill perfectly. Besides her, Kazuha can join in to shred enemy resistance, give a damage bonus, and apply crowd control. Meanwhile, Furina acts as the off-field sub-DPS, chipping in some of her own damage while providing extra buffs through her elemental burst and Fanfare mechanic.
While teamwide healers are preferred for maximizing the uptime of her Fanfare buff, Xilonen compensates by providing a greater damage boost.
Arlecchino Hypercarry Team – Arlecchino, Xilonen, Yelan, Bennett
Fearsome DPS Arlecchino and Neuvillette are on the same level in terms of damage, and just like Neuvillette, the Knave needs a solid support like Xilonen.
Players can build a hypercarry team for Arlecchino with Xilonen, Yelan, and Bennett. With Xilonen and Bennett around, Arlecchino gets a bunch of buffs and debuffs. Bennett has always been a staple to every ATK-scaling comps since the early days, as his elemental burst adds more flat ATK, nearly doubling their damage dealt. Yelan’s presence means the team can take advantage of the vaporize reaction.
This glass cannon team takes the place of Arlecchino’s current best vape team, which has Zhongli instead of Xilonen. If players decide to swap out Zhongli for a more buff-focused unit, they need to watch Arlecchino’s health bar to make sure she doesn’t go down, since her only healing comes from her burst.
Xilonen DPS Team – Xilonen, Yelan, Zhongli, Gorou
Thanks to her A1 passive, Xilonen can take on a main DPS role. If there are no more than two Pyro, Electro, Hydro, and Cryo characters in the team, she gets a boost to her normal and plunging attacks, and her elemental burst will deal Geo damage instead, though she’ll lose her healing ability.
To help increase her damage, players can include Yelan, Zhongli, and Gorou. Yelan will offer off-field damage and some damage buff through her A4 passive, and Zhongli will serve as the shielder. Gorou on the other hand fills in as Xilonen’s DEF buffer.
Due to the team having three Geo members in this team, Xilonen also receives increased interruption resistance and Geo damage bonus as well from Gorou’s elemental skill. Plus, with a geo team, everyone deals more damage when they’re protected by a shield, thanks to the Geo resonance effect.
