by Chillicillin

This guide will briefly go over her skills, mechanics, weapons, and artifacts. The main focus will be doing a deep dive into the various builds possible. Later on, I will expand on the other sections of this guide. 

I will attempt to show you how to build Keqing in the early-midgame (Pre-AR40) and lategame onwards (AR40+). The reason why AR40 is considered the beginning of endgame is because this is when domains have a chance of dropping gold/legendary artifacts.

As always, there is room for flexibility in builds so do not treat every word from this guide as law.  I will offer general guiding principles to follow and try to adequately convey the pros and cons of each build. In addition, I will try to distinguish F2P vs whale tendencies.

I’d like to acknowledge all the theorycrafters in our KeqingMains discord that made this guide possible. Without their constant thirst for thighs knowledge, we wouldn’t be here in the first place. 

Special Note on Elemental Reactions Mechanics

• Elemental reactions have complex mechanics behind them. In order to fully maximise DPS, it is important to understand how they work. Read all about them here.
• In the context of Electro-related reactions, overload deals 0 dmg to Pyroslimes (because it’s pyro dmg) and superconduct deals 0 dmg to Cryoslimes (because it’s cryo dmg). In this manner, Electro is at a heavy disadvantage when against innate pyro and innate cryo. 

How to effectively build Keqing?

Let’s start this out by saying that the builds and recommendations that I offer below are suggestions based on both theorycrafting and applications by the whales in the discord. A lot of math has gone into determining the viability of different builds, but at the end of the day, each build performs best under optimal conditions.

Early-Midgame (Pre-AR40)

First and foremost, whatever gear you’re using at this stage DOES NOT MATTER in the big picture because you will be discarding it in favour of 5* pieces in the endgame anyways. That being said, you still should follow a general set of rules when doing small to moderate investments so that you can comfortably clear early-midgame content such as weekly bosses and character/talent/weapon domains (yes, artifact was left out for a reason. Don’t farm them till AR40). Another reason is to complete tasks from your Adventurer Handbook. 

Before you read onwards, do consider using this resource to generally understand primary lines, substat lines, and what are the possible lines on each artifact. https://genshin-impact.fandom.com/wiki/Artifacts 

Artifact Stat Prioritisation and Investment

My guiding principle for you is this: Pick out the most decent stuff in your trash pile. 

• You will have a lot of random blue (3*), a few purple (4*), and 1-2 yellow (5*) artifacts from normal progression through the questline. 
• DO NOT invest in an artifact just because it’s a higher tier.
  • Maxing out a 5* artifact with %HP primary stat will likely have less of a DPS increase than maxing out a 4* artifact with %atk primary stat
• Upgraded artifacts can be foddered (used as material) into future artifacts at a cost of 20% exp (that is, 80% of the exp will be transferred)
  • This means that it is still worth it to invest in and max 3* artifacts if the primary and substat lines are good.
  • Note that feeding 1 enhanced artifact will be cheaper than feeding a bunch of unenhanced artifacts.
• As a rough rule, if your base attack is below 725, you are likely pre-AR40 and thus, in the early-midgame. 
• Refer to this guide and see what you have available

Desired Primary Stat Lines

• For early-midgame, the rule of thumb is to only use and invest in artifacts that have %atk. The exception is the goblet.
• The flower and feather will always have flat HP and flat Atk respectively. Prioritise those with %atk and flat atk substat lines.
• You will always want to look for %atk on your hourglass (Sands of Eon) and circlet.
• Look for %electrodmg or %physdmg on your goblet. If none are available, use %atk.
• Do not prioritise crit chance or crit dmg early-midgame***. Without getting into the specific math, it is likely that investing in either of those stats over %atk will either reduce your DPS or have less of an increase to your DPS than if you invested into the %atk equivalent. 
  • %atk has more impact and value for your DPS in the early-midgame. 
  • ***If you are intimately familiar with min/max ratios for %atk:ele/phys%:critdmg%, keep those concepts in mind for endgame. 
• Do not prioritise the following primary stats
  • EM (elemental mastery): Most of your elemental reactions should be triggered by your supports. 
  • HP%: If you’re dying to stuff in WL1-3, consider switching to Barbara main.
  • DEF%: useless stat for DPS
  • Energy recharge%: Put it on your supports
  • Healing bonus%: No
  • Crit%/critdmg%: mentioned earlier

Desired Substat Lines 

• This is of very little importance in early-midgame. Your primary deciding factors should be primary stat line and set effects when choosing what pieces to use. 
• In order of importance:
  • %atk
  • Flat attack
  • Crit%
  • Critdmg%

Physical or Electro Keqing?

• In the early-midgame, always go for electro Keqing if your RNG with artifact lines permits it. The reason for this is because electro-related elemental reactions have much higher damage in the early-midgame relative to endgame. 
• Generally, this doesn’t matter in early-midgame because you don’t deal a lot of damage anyway and %atk affects both physical and electro damage. 
• Electro-related elemental reactions only scale with EM and level.
• We will continue this discussion in the Endgame section.

Artifact Set effects

Now that you understand which stats should be prioritised, let’s talk about artifact set effects and what I would recommend for Keqing in the early-midgame. As mentioned above, we want to prioritise %atk until endgame at AR40. 

NOTE: 2 and 4 set bonus effects can look nice on paper, but it can be a common pitfall to fall into

• Prioritise using %atk primary stat line pieces OVER using 2 non-atk% pieces just to complete a set effect
• For example, if you used a 4* Gladiator’s helm with HP% and 4* Gladiator’s goblet with Elemental Mastery over a 3* helm and goblet with 23.1% atk each, this results in a loss of possible DPS
  • 2 set gladiator gives 18% atk
  • The 2 random pieces will give 46.1% atk which is a massive difference in increase to DPS
  • In this case, it’s not worth it to invest the mora and artifact fodder into levelling the gladiator gear.

Sojourner’s, Heart of Bravery, and Gladiator’s are the 3 obtainable sets pre-AR40 that give +18%atk in their 2 set effect. However, there are key disadvantages to keep in mind.

• Gladiator’s can only be obtained from weekly bosses and as rewards from normal progression. They begin to drop from map bosses (eg Anemocube) at AR35.
• You may only obtain Sojourner’s and Heart of Bravery through quest rewards and artifact domains at AR35. 
• In general, these sets should NOT be farmed before AR40
• Only use pieces of these gear if you can fulfill one of these 3 conditions
  • It’s a cup that has %electrodmg or %physdmg
  • It has %atk primary stat
  • It’s a feather or flower

What about crit rate? When should I build it and is it better than %atk?

• There’s a lot of math that goes into determining whether or not crit% or %atk will give you a greater increase in DPS. If you are interested in the math behind it, refer to the Stats/Mechanics section of Robin’s TeamBuilding Resources
• In early-midgame, don’t build crit% and critdmg%. Prioritise %atk. I will further discuss the concept of optimising crit% and critdmg% in the endgame section.

Recommended artifact sets for early-midgame in order of importance:

• This assumes that the goblet/circlet/hourglass have their respective optimal lines
  • Hourglass/Circlet: %atk
  • Goblet: %electrodmg/%physdmg > %atk
  • Feather and flower only have flat atk and flat HP respectively (don’t need to worry about the line)
• If the pieces comprising a set don’t have optimal lines, you’re better off just using random pieces with %atk.
• Follow these steps
  • Start from the top and see if you have any pieces of that set. 
    • If no, then move on to next option
    • If yes, then check to see if those pieces have optimal primary lines
      • If no, then move on to next option
      • If yes, then you may use this set
  • If you are unlucky and can’t build a set with optimal lines, it is better to have no set effect and use gear with optimal lines

• 4 set Martial artist + any 1 piece with optimal primary line
  • 2 set: Increases Normal Attack and Charged Attack DMG by 15%.
  • 4 set: After using Elemental Skill (E), increases Normal Attack and Charged Attack DMG by 25% for 8s.
  • Advantages
    • Keqing has a 7.5s cooldown on her E so you can theoretically have 100% uptime of +40% dmg to normal and charged attacks
    • Each time you cast E, you refresh the buff duration. If you space out the initial cast with the recast, you can extend the duration
  • Disadvantages
    • Incredibly hard to form a 4 set with optimal primary stats. 
    • Does nothing to improve your E and Q damage.
    • DONT FARM FOR THIS SET PLS SAVE YOUR RESIN
• 2 set Sojourner’s / 2 set Gladiator’s / 2 set Bravery + a different 2 set from same category OR any 2 set below OR any other 2 pieces with optimal primary lines
  • 2 set: ATK +18%
  • Advantages
    • If the 2 pieces (3* example) are able to roll for %atk, you can get 46.2% atk for a maximum of 62.2% with the set effect.
    • If you got lucky, you can form this set with a flower and feather, congratulations! You don’t have to worry about rolling the optimal line since flower and feather only have HP and flat atk. 
    • Stronger than 2MA for electro build Keqing. Refer to the theorycrafting library for evidence.
  • Disadvantages: refer to above section
    • You need to be lucky and roll the relevant optimal lines to make use of these sets. Otherwise, you’re better off using any random piece that has %atk
    • Very unlikely that you’re able to build 2 x 2 set in this category for 36% atk bonus
• 4 set Berserker’s + any 1 piece with optimal primary line
  • 2 set: CRIT Rate +12%
  • 4 set: When HP is below 70%, CRIT Rate increases by an additional 24%.
  • Advantages
    • Easy to farm, drops from chests, elite mobs, and bosses. At a certain point, most of your artifacts in your inventory will be Berserker pieces. 
    • Because you’ll have so many pieces, it is highly likely that you will find optimal primary stats for goblet, circlet and hourglass pieces
    • At level 60/60 Keqing, your innate crit dmg should be 69.2%. This means that your optimal crit is 34.6%. The 4 set adds 36% crit rate which fulfils the 1:2 ratio.
  • Disadvantages
    • Refer to earlier section on crit rate
  • Note
    • There can be specific scenarios where using 4 set Berserker results in a small (100-200dmg difference) increase in damage over using 2 sets of 18% atk (36% atk total). 
      • When your playstyle involves constantly keeping your HP below 70%
      • When you’ve begun to upgrade 4* berserker pieces and approach the %atk threshold where crit% becomes more valuable than %atk
• 2 set Martial artist + 2 set from below OR any other 2 pieces with optimal primary lines
  • 2 set: Increases Normal Attack and Charged Attack DMG by 15%.
  • Advantages
    • For both electro and physical builds, Keqing’s optimal combo is normal attack → charged attack
    • %dmg is a separate multiplier in the damage formula so it has a greater impact than %atk as long as total %atk is greater than %dmg (electro/physical, and other bonus sources like Lion’s Roar)
  • Disadvantages
    • 3* and 4* version farmable at AR30, but this is not worth it
    • The few pieces that you will have come from quest rewards and normal progression
    • Will not affect your E and Q damage
• 2 set Berserker’s + any 2 pieces with optimal primary lines
  • 2 set: CRIT Rate +12%
  • Advantages
    • Refer to above section on 4 set berserker
  • Disadvantages
    • Crit % is not a very impactful stat in the early-midgame
    • The set only spawns up to 4*, doesn’t scale into endgame

Endgame

Weapon Selection

• Generally, weapons in the early-midgame do not matter. 
• However, they do play an important role in determining whether you should go for a physical or electro Keqing build. 
• The following statements are backed by evidence from our theorycrafting library. I will not go into detail.
• Here is a list of 1H swords. Please also read this link to educate yourself on how enhancing and refining works
  • Enhancing: levelling up the weapon
  • Refining: combining the weapon with a duplicate to increase the stats of the passive abilities
• Here is our more comprehensive 1H sword database

F2P Selection

If you did no pulls, do not plan on getting the Black Sword from battle pass, or were unlucky in your pulls and never pulled a 4* 1H sword, you have 2 craftable options available. The recipe has a chance to drop from weekly bosses. 

• Prototype Rancour (4*)
  • Passive: On hit, Normal or Charged Attacks increase Base ATK and DEF by 4% for 6s. Max 4 stacks. Can only occur once every 0.3s.
  • Secondary Stat: Physical DMG Bonus
  • Advantages
    • Physdmg% has decent scaling into endgame. 
    • Synergises well with Superconduct (the elemental reaction that gives monsters a -40% phys res debuff)
  • Disadvantages
    • The %atk from the passive becomes more and more irrelevant in the endgame
    • Physdmg% has no effect on elemental damage (purple numbers). It will only affect your white numbers. 
    • When you use your E, you can never recast it because if you do, you convert your damage to electro which doesn’t benefit from %physdmg
  • Conditions for use
    • Aiming to go physical/superconduct build
    • Will also work for electro build, but the physical dmg bonus is not as impactful. 
• Iron Sting (4*)
  • Passive: Dealing Elemental DMG increases all DMG by 6% for 6s. Max 2 stacks. Can only occur once every 1s.
  • Secondary Stat: Elemental Mastery
  • Advantages
    • Allows for fun and interactive gameplay unlike physical builds
    • Keqing deals elemental damage almost all the time, allowing her to keep 2/2 stacks
    • %dmg applies to all numbers (white and purple) and scales well into endgame
  • Disadvantages
    • Elemental mastery is usually not considered good on Keqing because she is rarely the one triggering the reactions and thus the EM used in the calculation is the support’s
    • You have to keep stacks up to maintain the %dmg buff
  • Conditions for use
    • Can be useful when playing Keqing in Quickswap or electrocharged rosters where she will be triggering reactions to benefit from the EM stat
• Blackcliff Sword (4*)
  • Passive: After defeating an enemy, ATK is increased by 12% for 30s. This effect has a maximum of 3 stacks, and the duration of each stack is independent of the others.
  • Secondary Stat: Critical Damage %
  • Advantages
    • Can be obtained via Stardust Glitter
    • When 1-2 stacks can be maintained, it can deal similar DPS to Black Sword 
  • Disadvantages
    • Crit damage% which is something you already gain via Keqing’s ascensions. Crit rate% has double the value of Crit dmg%. A Black Sword can give 27.5% crit rate at 90/90 and a BlackCliff sword gives 37.7% crit damage. Using BC may shoehorn you into requiring crit rate% substats 
    • Substat is %atk conditional on stacks.
    • Substat is ineffective against bosses since usually, there are no mini mobs to kill. 
  • Conditions for use
    • This is a sword that gets more powerful as you become equally/overgeared against enemies. If you’re already struggling to kill enemies <30s, BC will not be very impactful, but if you can easily acquire and maintain 3 stacks, +36%atk can be quite significant
    • There must be enemies that can be killed within 30 seconds or less.
    • AutoKeq with 4BSC
    • ElectroQueen with regular builds

All the other swords (updated 11/19/2020)

• There’s a lot of math that has been done in the theorycrafting library comparing relevant swords
• I’m just going to summarise what you should go for in order of performance.
• I’d like to emphasise that we have new testing by the day and that is why the swords in the top rankings keep floating past one another.
• If you’re going physical/superconductor Keqing (assuming fully refined)
  • BiS (Best in slot): Aquila Favonia
    • %physdmg is huge
  • Flute
    • Can stagger shield opponents from the passive
    • R1-5 Flute will outperform R1 black sword on physical build. Evidence in library.
  • Black Sword
    • Is ranked above Lion’s Roar because the passive is not conditional upon electro-debuff
    • Nice small amount of regen that is especially helpful for Abyss
  • Lion’s Roar
  • Prototype Rancour (F2P)
    • Please note that R5 Rancour beats R1 Black Sword in a physical build
  • Skyward Blade
    • At 90/90, Skyward has only 41 more base attack than a 90/90 Prototype Rancour.
    • The increased dmg is dealt separately. 
    • More info here
  • Royal Longsword***
    • Conditional: assuming you haven’t hit 85% crit rate
  • Blackcliff Longsword (F2P)
    • Main stat is crit damage% which is something you already gain via Keqing’s ascensions. 
    • Substat is %atk conditional on stacks.
    • AutoKeq doesn’t rely too much on abilities so the substat has a significantly lower impact than in electroqueen.
    • Substat is ineffective against bosses
    • Has the potential to synergise well with 4 set bloodstained chivalry if you can kill things fast enough
    • Can be obtained via Stardust glitter
    • Math here
  • Iron Sting (F2P)
  • Descension
  • Sacrificial Sword
• If you’re going electro Keqing,
  • BiS: Black Sword R2 (assuming you only have AF R1)
    • Black Sword R2 > Aquila Favonia R1
    • Aquila R2 > Black Sword R2
    • There’s a lot of testing for BS v AF. I’d advise you to read the testing in the Theorycrafting Library and form your own judgement. 
    • The math seems to indicate that Aquila only outperforms BS in terms of skill (E/Q) damage due to the higher base attack. The normal/charged attack DPS values are about the same.
  • Aquila Favonia
    • Even though electro Keqing doesn’t make use of the %physdmg, she benefits from the raw stats at 90/90
    • The heal requires you to take damage first. 
    • New testing (11/3/2020) suggests Aquila can outperform Black Sword. Testing here.
    • Aquila can flex between Electro and Physical easily. The damage proc is physical only, but can crit and is affected by modifiers.
    • The raw stat advantage over 4* swords means that it will have a bigger impact on damage from all skills/attacks.
  • Black Sword
    • Is ranked above Lion’s Roar because the passive is not conditional upon electro-debuff
    • Nice small amount of regen that is especially helpful for Abyss
    • Please note that R1 Black Sword beats R5 Rancour in electro
    • R1 Black Sword > R1-R4 Flute on electro. Evidence pending submission to library
    • R1 Black Sword < R5 Flute on electro, but only by a small margin. 
    • As of Patch 1.1, we have now confirmed that R2 BS is possible.
  • Lion’s Roar
    • Please note that R3 Roar beats R1 Aquila in electro
    • Please note that R2-5 LR MAY*** beat R1 Black Sword
    • Dmg boost is conditional on electro/pyro status on opponent, suffers the same weaknesses as 4TS. 
  • Skyward Blade
    • At 90/90, Skyward has only 41 more base attack than a 90/90 Prototype Rancour
    • Skyward provides an attack and movement speed boost upon ult usage. 
    • The energy recharge component may be useful if you are struggling to have Keqing Q back up every 12 seconds.
    • Personally, I’d rather get energy recharge from substats or even an hourglass stat. 
    • More info here
  • Blackcliff Sword (F2P)
    • Main stat is crit damage% which is something you already gain via Keqing’s ascensions.
    • Substat is %atk conditional on stacks.
    • Substat is ineffective against bosses since usually, there are no mini mobs to kill. 
    • Can be obtained via Stardust Glitter
    • Math here
  • Flute
    • Can stagger shield opponents from the passive
    • Can be better than above options depending on the number of mobs. Read more here
  • Royal Longsword***
    • Conditional: assuming you haven’t hit 85% crit rate
  • Iron Sting (F2P)
  • Prototype Rancour (F2P)
    • %physdmg is not useful to Electro Keqing
  • Descension
  • Sacrificial Sword

Talent Prioritisation

• Up to level 6
  • The prioritisation should be Autoattacks (Yunlai Swordsmanship) > E (Stellar Restoration) > Q (Starward Sword)
  • The basic reasoning is that the damage boost to autoattacks is unconditional since it has no cooldown. A significant amount of damage from Keqing comes from her normal and charged autoattacks.
  • E is prioritised before Q because it is used more often and has a shorter cd. 
  • This prioritisation should be the same for both builds. 
• Level 6 and beyond (requiring Ring of Boreas – weekly boss drop material)
  • Undergoing testing for Quickswap vs Sustained playstyles
  • Tentative recommendations
    • E OR Q raised together with autoattacks
      • Eg. LVL8AA, LVL8Q/E, LVL 6E/Q
• Books (Prosperity) drop on Mondays/Thursdays from Taishan Mansion.

Normal/Charged Attack Combos (WIP)

A basic overview will be discussed here and the complex stuff including her other skills will be in the Combos/Mechanics section when it is finished.

Keqing Normal Attack: Yunlai Swordsmanship

• Tapping M1 (Normal attack) will result in the following

1. Jab (small step forward)
2. Cross slash (small step forward)
3. Wide slash (medium step forward)
4. Cross slash and leg kick upwards into invisibility (2 hits)
5. Do a stab dash forward that passes through smaller opponents, reappearing near the end (large step forward)

• There are a total of 6 hits if you finish the normal attack combo
• Holding M1 (Charged attack) will result in the following

1. Jab (small step forward)
2. Cross slash twice (medium step backwards)

5 Hit Normal (N5)

• Please note that this combo actually has a total of 6 hits (refer to picture above)
• Keqing performs 5 hits relatively quickly, kicking upwards and disappearing on the upwards kick. After a brief delay, she performs a dash attack (6th hit), reappearing near the end of the dash. 
  • The delay between the 5th and 6th hits can be controlled. You have about 0.5s leeway before clicking again to activate the 6th hit. This is useful because sometimes, Keqing will knock up the enemy such that the 6th hit misses entirely when activated too fast.
• In the beta, the “blink” aspect between the 5th and 6th hits could be used as an i-frame. Current testing suggests that this blink no longer acts an i-frame because you can be frozen and damaged while “invisible”. It is also possible that this is due to high ping.
• Use normal attacks only if you have no stamina at all (cryo domain Leylines) or are dealing with enemies that are constantly knocked back.

Normal Attack x 4 → Charged attack (N4C)

• When Keqing disappears after kicking upwards, hold down M1 to convert the last attack into a charged one which will knock enemies back.
• The charged attack hits twice so you get a total of 6 hits.
• Use this combo when you are low on stamina or wanting to conserve stamina 
• Use this combo when you are wanting to constantly reposition to avoid taking damage

Normal Attack x 1 → Charged attack (N1C)

• When people talk about “charged attack spam”, they are really talking about this combo. It isn’t possible to perform a charged attack without the initial normal attack.
• When holding down M1, Keqing will jab forward with 1 x normal attack, followed by a charged attack that hits 2 times while “recoiling” her back about the same distance.
• I will refer to this combo as a cycle because technically it’s not a combo when we’re only really performing charged attacks. The normal attack is just bundled in. 
• Use this cycle against stationary/knockback-resist enemies or when normal enemies are up against terrain/wall.
• This combo is one of the reasons why Physical Keqing is viable. Keqing has one of the highest autoattack speeds in the game. 
• At the cost of 25 stamina, Keqing can output 1 x normal attack and 2 x charged attacks in <1 second. This combo produces the highest DPS possible from autoattacks. 
  • Frame analysis data here
• Tip: You can start the next charged attack combo before the first one completely ends by releasing M1 and holding it down again when you see Keqing’s sword extended to her rear right after the cross slash. 

Electro or Physical Keqing?

Overview

There are currently 2 viable endgame builds for Keqing. AutoKeq (physical) and ElectroQueen. To understand the difference between these 2 builds, you must first fully understand Stellar Restoration. 

• Keqing’s E: Stellar Restoration
  • The first cast can be used to apply electro debuff to multiple enemies
  • If the skill is recast within 5 seconds, it will teleport Keqing to the marked location dealing a single slash of aoe electro damage and converting her normal and charged attacks to electro dmg.
  • Otherwise, performing a charged attack after the first cast will cause the mark to explode and deal 2 slashes of electro dmg. Keqing’s normal and charged attacks are NOT converted to electro.
• Significance
  • If your preferred playstyle involves teleporting and recasting E, then you cannot go physical Keqing. The conversion of attacks to electro dmg causes you to lose any %physdmg bonuses
  • In addition, physical Keqing’s Q mainly serves to buff crit rate and act as an i-frame. The damage is significantly reduced compared to Electro Keqing.
  • However, this does not mean that physical Keqing is necessarily weaker than electro. It simply means that Physical Keqing loses Keqing’s innate mobility.
  • The main difference between both builds boils down to whether or not you can recast E.
  • It is important to note that both builds have their respective conditions where they likely outperform the other build. I will try my best to describe these conditions later.

Now that you understand the crucial difference in both builds, let’s go over the core concepts.

What is the ElectroQueen build?

• This build aims to maximise electro damage from normal and charged autoattacks, E, and Q. 
• As Keqing’s E electro conversion lasts for 5 seconds and the cooldown of the skill is 7.5 seconds from initial cast, there is about a 2-3 second downtime where your autoattacks are not electro-empowered. During this period of time, it is recommended that you switch to a support to setup the next round of elemental reactions.
• Some common combos include
  • Casting E to apply electro > swapping to a support to trigger a reaction > swapping back to Keqing to re-cast E > normal-charged attack combo until electro conversion finishes > Q burst > repeat
    • This combo casts Q after E to maximise cooldowns. However, this means that you do not benefit from the increased energy recharge and crit rate until the next cycle. 
  • With Venti: Venti Q > Keqing E cast above the Venti Q > Recast E to blink above and deal damage to enemies in black hole > M1 to perform a plunge attack with electro dmg > normal-charged attack combo or go straight to Q burst
  • When possible, Q whenever possible to maintain the +15% crit rate buff and energy recharge.
  • We will more comprehensively cover combos later
• Advantages
  • The ElectroQueen build is probably why you wanted to play Keqing in the first place. The high attack speed and high mobility aspects of her kit are highly enjoyable, especially when paired with her 3 second i-frame Q on a 12 second CD. It rewards risky and reckless play and gives you many options to outmanoeuvre enemies. By far, ElectroQueen builds are very flashy and make for great montage videos. 
  • Synergises well with constellations
  • Keqing can maintain 90+% uptime on electro-debuffs to monsters with little effort (except to innate elemental units)
  • Has higher mobility to dodge boss/stage mechanics 
  • Will generally have higher uptime on Q usage for Keqing and supports because of increased particle generation from using skills and triggering more reactions than the physical buidl
  • Generally runs well with any support (except Chongyun cause he converts your attacks to cryo) due to her high rate of application of electro-debuff
  • Performance against mobs vs single stationary target is about the same, more consistent across the board
• Disadvantages
  • Deals 0 electro damage to innate electro enemies (Aleph the Electro Hypostasis, Yellow/Purple Electroslimes)
  • Electro-related elemental reactions do not scale very well into endgame (pyro melt and vaporise do). 
    • ELECTRO-RELATED ELEMENTAL REACTIONS LIKE OVERLOAD, SUPERCONDUCT, AND ELECTRO-CHARGED CANNOT CRIT
    • These reactions are only affected by the EM and level of the triggering character and elemental resistance.
    • In addition, overload deals 0 dmg to Pyroslimes (because it’s pyro dmg) and superconductor deals 0 dmg to Cryoslimes (because it’s cryo dmg)
  • There is currently no 5* weapon that synergises well with ElectroQueen

What is the AutoKeq build?

• This build aims to maximise physical damage from normal and charged autoattacks (white/physical damage) and forego any electro (purple) damage. 
• It should be noted that one of the main reasons that this build is viable is because of the 5* Aquila Favonia providing a passive %physdmg bonus. This build will still do significant damage without Aquila, but it is the weapon with the most synergy for this build.
• This means that you are unable to take advantage of E-recast converting your autoattacks into electro damage. This also means that your Q will deal significantly less damage. Instead, your Q’s main purpose will simply serve to boost your critical rate by 15% (Ascension 4 talent) and to i-frame.
• The ideal electro-related reaction to trigger is Superconduct.
  • Deals AoE Cryo DMG and reduces the target’s PHYS Resistance by 40% for 8-9 seconds
  • If you reduce the defence below 0%, any leftover reduction is halved. For example, if the target has 10% physical defence originally and you trigger superconduct, the target will have -15% physical defence total. 
  • You apply cryo, then switch to Keqing to trigger the Superconduct, then repeatedly cycle charged attacks. 
• It is important to note that when you perform a charged attack, you are really performing 1 x normal attack (hits once) followed by 1 x charged attack (hits twice) for a total of 3 hits. 
• Typically, triggering other elemental reactions aside from Superconduct is not recommended.
• Works best for stationary targets/bosses 
• Advantages
  • Playstyle is straightforward and easy to learn
  • You can trigger massive white numbers due to the nature of Superconduct 
  • Better versus innate elemental slimes
  • Better against Electro Cicin Mage (and any other mob with higher electro resist and lower phys resist)
• Disadvantages
  • High consumption of stamina, may leave none for iframe/dodging
    • The notable exception is if you are using 4 set Bloodstained Chivalry, but we will discuss that later.
  • Currently not ideal for endgame content like Abyss since reactions are required
  • Cannot use E for mobility purposes (down smash, dodging, etc) otherwise you convert your damage to electro and you lose any phys% bonuses
  • Elemental Skill (E) and Burst (Q) do significantly less damage because they do not scale with %physdmg
  • If the target is not stationary, you will lose a lot of DPS constantly trying to walk up to hit
  • Generally less energy recharge potential than ElectroQueen
  • Has little to no synergy with Keqing constellations. If you get high constellations on Keqing, you are basically shoehorned into going ElectroQueen.
  • Cannot maximise reaction damage since AutoKeq spends a lot of time on Keqing

What about elemental mastery support Keqing?

• 4 set Noblesse Oblige???
• This does not please the Queen.

Quickswap Playstyle vs Sustained Playstyle

*** If you are unfamiliar with Carry, Subcarry, Enabler, and Support definitions, please review them here

After viewing and analysing a lot of AR48-50 gameplay videos from our server, we were able to categorise the gameplay styles into Quickswap and Sustained. The type of playstyle is mainly determined by 2 factors

1. Personal preference (what feels fun for the player)
2. Team composition (number of carries, subcarries, enablers, and supports)

Quickswap

• Revolves around fielding a roster with low E and/or Q cooldowns
• Creates cycles of short DPS burst windows and can maximise the number of reactions triggered.
• Can play around mechanics and enemy skills that must be dodged.
• Think of this style as trying to extract the highest DPS possible from each character in the shortest time frame possible before swapping to the next character
• Requires adequate gearing for damage stats and energy recharge on each character for optimal swapping. With a well-equipped Quickswap roster, you can expect to be able to kill most elites (eg Abyss Fatuis), within one complete rotation. 
• Requires good game knowledge of cooldowns. Pre-emptive or delayed swapping will result in DPS loss due to skills being on CD or being used too late.
• Generally, you do not spend more than 5-7 seconds on each character. 
• The increased energy regen from using more skills can translate into higher uptime of Q and increased availability of i-frames to avoid damage.
• Every time you switch to a different character, you simply use E and/or Q, collect energy particles (optional), then switch to the next character.
• At least ¾ characters in the team should have E/Q cooldowns that are ~15 seconds or less so that you can continuously rotate through the roster without hitting a cooldown block.
• The composition of your team can be flexible to suit whatever content you are doing.
• Some examples include:
  • 1 Carry, 2 Subcarries, 1 Support
    • Keqing, XingQiu, Fischl, Venti
  • 3 Subcarries, 1 support
    • XingQiu, Bennett, Xiangling, Venti
  • 3 Carries, 1 Support
    • Keqing, Diluc, Childe, Bennett
  • Obviously the above compositions will not be ideal in every scenario, but sometimes you need to build a specific element-focused composition to tackle certain Abyss stages or bosses.
  • You should always have a good rationale for including each character in the roster you are fielding. Are they there for elemental resonance, to apply elemental aura, pure DPS, party-wide buff, enemy debuff?
• Sample analysis of Fobm4ster’s 12-3 team.
  • Keqing 2TF/2NO (Carry), Bennett (Support/Enabler), Xiangling (Enabler/Subcarry), Kaeya (Support/Enabler)
  • Remember that Floor 12 has
    • Condensed ice debuff (stamina debuff)
    • +75% Pyro DMG
  • Keqing: damage
    • 7.5s E CD
    • 12s Q CD
  • Bennett: cleanse Cryo debuff, provide pyro elemental source, heal and ATK buff
    • 5s E CD (2.5s while inside an active Bennett Q)
    • 15s Q CD (12s duration)
  • Xiangling: provide persistent pyro elemental source
    • 12s E CD (~6s duration)
    • 20s Q CD (10s duration, 14s with C4)
  • Kaeya: mainly for Fatui Hammerboy’s electro armor. 
    • 6s E CD
    • 15s Q CD (8s duration, up to 15s with C2)
  • Gameplay
    • As you can see, he spends <5s on each character before swapping to the next. 
    • He only autoattacks when a skill is on CD or to allow for same-element energy particles to be collected before swapping to the next character. 
    • His goal is to use skills off cooldown as quickly as possible and work towards a Bennett Q (ATK buff) into a Keqing Q. 
    • Kaeya is only swapped in to break the Fatui Hammerboy’s electro shield.

Sustained

• Focuses most of the DPS output into a single Carry via buffs, enemy debuffs, and persistent skills (skills that continue to act and deal damage after swapping off the character).
• Longer DPS windows with decreased character swapping frequency compared to Quickswap
• Subcarries/Enablers have persistent skills that allow for significant DPS after leaving the field.
• Supports with persistent party buffs and enemy debuffs to increase DPS on enemies after being swapped off.
• Carry should have relatively low cooldowns. Other characters should have skills that persist for ~>7s.
• Examples of ideal Subcarries in a Sustained playstyle
  • XingQiu
    • 21s CD E (15s duration)
    • 20s CD Q (15s duration)
    • XQ Q swords will attack alongside your Carry, enabling high DPS without needing to be on the field
    • XQ orbital swords allow for knockback resist, DMG reduction, Pyro debuff cleanse, and a small heal on expiration/break. 
    • XQ allows for sustained hydro DMG and hydro elemental source
  • Fischl
    • 25s CD E (10s duration, 12s with C6)
    • 15s CD Q (no CD?)
    • Oz allows for sustained electro DMG and electro elemental source
    • C6 Oz allows for significantly increased electro DPS if you are using a high attack speed carry.
  • Chongyun
    • Note: Good micro and positioning is required if you do not want to convert to Cryo dmg
    • 15s CD E (10s duration)
    • Attackers in the field have +8% ATK speed
    • C2 gives +15% CDR for E and Q party-wide if cast within Chongyun E
• Examples of ideal Supports in a Sustained playstyle
  • Bennett
    • 15s CD Q (12s duration)
    • +ATK% buff if your carry is >70% hp (or unconditional if Bennett C1)
    • Arguably the best AoE healing over time in the game
  • Anemo 4 set Viridescent Venerer holder
    • Swap on to swirl Electro to reduce Electro RES, then swap off
    • Low investment, high impact on Carry damage
• Sample team
  • Keqing 4TS/TF (Carry), XQ 4NO (Subcarry/Enabler), Fischl 4TS (Subcarry/Enabler), Venti 4VV (Support)
  • Please note that in an electro-charged roster, both 4TF and 4TS can function well. 4TF E CDR functions separately from the reaction damage and 4TS is effective because 100% uptime of electro and hydro aura is possible in EC.
  • When to swap?
    • XQ should be pressing E or Q off of cooldown if possible.
    • Swap to Fischl to renew Oz
    • Swap to Venti to swirl hydro and electro auras
    • Swap to Keqing to slap mobs until
      • XQ cooldowns are available
      • Venti Q is up or need to renew VV debuff
      • Fischl Oz runs out and is available for recast
  • With this playstyle, you can expect to spend ~5-7s on Keqing before swapping for one of the reasons listed above. 
  • The sustained playstyle doesn’t require as many character swaps because a lot of the DPS comes from persistent skills/buffs/debuffs

When should I pick Quickswap vs Sustained Playstyle?

• Mobile users may consider the sustained playstyle due to fewer actions required to setup the DPS windows
• Quickswap compositions tend to require more resources. Since you are using your entire roster more often, your DPS will suffer if some carries/subcarries are not as funded as others. You might need to fund adequate damage stats and energy recharge stats before being able to field an effective Quickswap roster. 
• Quickswap generally allows for a higher rate of reactions due to the shorter cooldowns of characters used in such rosters. The increased skill use also gives more energy recharge for higher i-frame uptime to dodge enemy skills/mechanics.
• Sustained compositions allow players to focus/funnel most of their resources into a primary carry and minimally invest in supports/subcarries/enablers. Energy recharge is not as important on non-carry characters because you don’t lose significant DPS from spending more time on your carry. This playstyle is also suited for players that like certain characters’ gameplay mechanics because it allows you to spend more time with the character active. 
• Sustained rosters are generally less flexible because they centre around a single carry. If your carry is countered in a particular scenario, you will suffer from significantly reduced DPS. 
• Sustained rosters are easier to play because it doesn’t require as much cooldown awareness and precise swap timing compared to Quickswap where you may lose significant DPS if you swap too early or too late.
• For general overworld content, you can pick whatever you enjoy more.
• For Abyss content, 
  • I recommend the Quickswap playstyle for 9 star (minmax) because you need to have certain elements and skills available at specific timings to deal with obstacles like Fatui elemental armor, Abyss mage shields, and Leyline debuffs. 
  • I recommend the Sustained playstyle for first clear when you are concentrating on learning the mechanics of that particular floor.

ElectroQueen Build 

TLDR 

In solo overworld content (not Abyss)

• Quickswap 
  • 4 set Thundering Fury
  • (F2P/Casual) 2 set Thundering Fury AND 2 set Noblesse Oblige OR 2 set Gladiator’s
• Sustained
  • 4 set Thundersoother (with Electrocharged/Venerer roster)
  • 4 set Thundering Fury (with Electrocharged roster)
  • 2 set Thundering Fury / 2 set Gladiator’s
  • 4 set Thundering Fury (with non-electrocharged roster)

In Abyss,

• Please note that some stages hard counter 4TF whereas the 2TF/2NO/2G have consistent performance across most stages. This is why 4TF is ranked lower.

• Quickswap
  • (F2P/Casual) 2 set Thundering Fury AND 2 set Noblesse Oblige OR 2 set Gladiator’s
  • 4 set Thundering Fury 
• Sustained
  • 2 set Thundering Fury AND 2 set Noblesse Oblige OR 2 set Gladiator’s
  • 4 set Thundersoother
  • 4 set Thundering Fury

In coop content,

• 4 set Thundering Fury
• (F2P/Casual) 2 set Thundering Fury AND 2 set Noblesse Oblige OR 2 set Gladiator’s

When does this build perform well?

• Enemy is not immune to electro dmg
• There are many non-stationary enemies such that a single charged attack cannot hit everything.
• There are many attacks/mechanics from enemies such that you need to remain mobile to deal damage effectively
• When electro elemental resistance stat is low on the enemy, or the enemy can have their resistance reduced (eg Venerer set)

Artifact Set Selection

Let’s preface this section by acknowledging the fact that similar to how both the AutoKeq and ElectroQueen perform well in different conditions, different artifact sets will also be considered BiS (best in slot) depending on the circumstances. We have done extensive theorycrafting and empirical analysis for the discussed builds.

The following discussion will be a semi-deep dive into each viable set followed by my recommendation for sets with accompanying justifications. Remember that we are always open to feedback and further theorycrafting.

The following are in alphabetical order:

4 set Berserker’s

• Set effects: 
  • +12% crit rate
  • When HP <70%, +24% crit rate (36% total maximum)
• Advantages
  • Gaining 36% crit from set effects can allow you to dedicate more of your gear primary and/or substats to critdmg%
• Disadvantages
  • Berserker’s set does not drop as a 5* piece. This means that the maximum possible stats are always at 25% less than any 5* equivalent.
  • Maintaining <70%HP playstyle can be tricky
• Considerations
  • Generally not recommended late game primarily due to fact it doesn’t exist as a 5* set. 
  • Both the 2 and 4 set pieces can be considered as a transitory set in the early endgame when you have just reached AR-40 and do not have the prerequisite pieces to complete a recommended set.

4 set Bloodstained Chivalry

• Set effects: 
  • Physical DMG +25%
  • After defeating an opponent, increases Charged Attack DMG by 50%, and reduces its Stamina cost to 0 for 10s.
• Advantages
  • Keqing’s optimal attack combo involves spamming charged attacks. The stamina reduction may be beneficial when there are multiple weaker enemies.
• Disadvantages
  • ElectroQueen does not benefit from %physdmg
  • The 4 set effect only affects charged damage, but a large portion of ElectroQueen DPS comes from usage of E and Q
  • Not useful for boss fights because the 4 set effect cannot be activated
• Considerations
  • Generally not recommended for ElectroQueen because the set effects do not synergise well with the optimal playstyle

4 set Gladiator’s Finale

• Set effects:
  • ATK +18%
  • If the wielder of this artifact set uses a Sword, Claymore or Polearm, increases their Normal Attack DMG by 35%.
• Advantages
  • Keqing is a Sword user and she applies normal attacks at an incredibly fast rate. 
  • You get free pieces throughout normal game progression
• Disadvantages
  • %atk is generally less valuable in the endgame because there are so many sources. Other stats such as %dmg, crit%, and critdmg% will generally have a bigger impact on DPS
  • Hard to farm as it is only obtainable from weekly bosses and map bosses (at low rate and high cost of resin)
• Considerations
  • For a more in depth explanation of where I’m pulling the following numbers from, please read the stat optimisation section. Revisiting the earlier topic on %atk being less valuable, let’s do a bit of math. This applies even more for Electro Keqing since the maximum %electrodmg bonus that can be obtained without a Lion’s roar and set effects is 46.6%. In the endgame, the ideal ratio of stats is 1:1:1 for %totalatk : %dmg :  %totalcritdmg. You can easily reach over 70% atk from just 1 primary stat %atk and about 4-5 substats worth of %atk. Therefore, if you can select for either %atk or %electrodmg in a set effect, %electrodmg generally gives a larger increase to DPS. 
  • In addition to this, ElectroQueen playstyle definitely does involve weaving as many charged attacks as possible. Not having the 35% bonus apply to charged attacks means that the 4 set effect becomes largely ineffective. 
  • Generally, this set is not optimal for electro because of the decreased value of %atk in the lategame as well as it’s dmg bonus being restricted to normal attacks.

2 set Gladiator’s/Sojourner/Bravery + 2 set Thundering Fury

• Set effects: 
  • +18% atk
  • +15% electro dmg
• Advantages
  • ElectroQueen wants to stack as much %electrodmg as possible because the majority of your DPS is electro damage (converted autoattacks, Q, and E)
  • Potentially easier to farm than 4 set gladiator’s 
• Disadvantages
  • Refer to the 4 set gladiator’s explanation for why %atk is not an optimal set effect in endgame
  • %electrodmg bonuses are rendered ineffective by innate electro mobs like electroslime and Electro Hypostasis
  • Sojourner’s and Bravery do not exist as 5* sets. Refer to the Berserker explanation.
• Considerations
  • Again, the 18% atk makes this set a less valuable contender for true endgame min/maxing. 
  • This set is also reasonably hard to farm.
    • Gladiator’s not available in domains
    • TF set lower drop rate than TS set at AR40 (rates for AR45+ unknown at this time)
  • I consider this combination to be a transitory set that will carry you through early endgame (AR40-45) as you farm the pieces for other sets
  • While this set doesn’t allow you to min/max as hard, it is a good generalist set across most content.

4 set Martial Artist

• Set effects:
  • Increases Normal Attack and Charged Attack DMG by 15%.
  • After using Elemental Skill, increases Normal Attack and Charged Attack DMG by 25% for 8s.
• Advantages
  • Keqing can theoretically maintain 100% uptime on the 4 set effect
• Disadvantages
  • This set doesn’t drop at 5*
  • This set isn’t easily obtainable in early-midgame and is a waste of resin to obtain in the endgame
  • No effect on Keqing E and Q which comprise a large portion of ElectroQueen DPS
• Considerations
  • If you were incredibly lucky in early-midgame with random martial artist pieces, you can use this as a transitory set before switching into recommended endgame sets
  • Do not try to use this set for true endgame as 5* pieces have 25% more primary star 4* equivalents
  • This set is only listed because there’s a tiny chance that someone might have it from early-midgame. If you don’t already have this set, ignore it completely

2 set Noblesse Oblige + 2 set Thunder Fury

• Set Effects:
  • Elemental Burst DMG +20%
  • Electro DMG Bonus +15%
• Advantages
  • Keqing Q has a wide AOE and is on a relatively short CD of 12 seconds
  • With the optimal team composition or substats, Keqing does not struggle to cast Q every 12 seconds. She already gains +15% energy recharge for 5 seconds after Q.
  • With high electro uptime, the permanent +15% electro DMG bonus has good value
  • Noblesse Oblige and Thundering Fury can be farmed from domains
• Disadvantages
  • The Noblesse set only applies to elemental burst which can only be cast every 12 seconds. If you are struggling with energy recharge, you will benefit less from this set
  • Fails completely against innate electro
• Considerations
  • In lategame, current strategy seems to revolve around character swapping and taking advantage of short windows to burst before switching to the next support E/Q. The 2NO synergises with this playstyle if energy gain is sufficient to cast Q every 12 seconds. 
  • With low E/Q CD supports, you will find yourself autoattacking less on Keqing and relying more on skills, reactions, and buffs to deal damage in bursts.
  • This combination of sets may be recommended in Abyss and coop play.
  • One of the biggest advantages of NO over G is the fact that NO can be farmed much more easily than G for substat minmaxing.

4 set Thundering Fury

• Set Effects:
  • Electro DMG Bonus +15%
  • Increases damage caused by Overloaded, Electro-Charged, and Superconduct DMG by 40%. Triggering such effects decreases Elemental Skill CD by 1s. Can only occur once every 0.8s.
• Advantages
  • If Keqing can trigger reactions, she will be able to gain increased use of her E for a significant increase in electro dps. 
  • %electrodmg is very valuable for the ElectroQueen build since we only normally have 1 source of it through the goblet (and 20% possible from Lion’s Roar)
  • Increased casts of E lead to higher energy regeneration and quicker recharging of Q
• Disadvantages
  • The electro bonus is lost vs innate electro enemies like electroslimes.
  • Keqing’s E skill is about equivalent to a charged attack. 
  • The biggest issue regarding 4TF is Keqing’s ability to reliably trigger reactions. As Keqing has a high rate of inflicting electro on the enemies, we find that supports are the ones triggering reactions. If Keqing does not trigger the reaction, the reactions do not gain the 40% dmg bonus. Evidence.
    • It is important to note that this issue is relatively mitigated in a coop experience where others are constantly adding in elements as well, but in a solo PvE scenario, Keqing is unlikely to trigger reactions frequently.
  • Relatively hard to farm since it’s the rarest set in Midsummer Courtyard
• Considerations
  • A normal rotation in the electro playstyle revolves around using E downtime to switch to supports to setup the next round of elemental reactions. Even though E becomes available quicker, that time window is normally reserved for support swapping, so this may not be optimal. 
  • If Keqing cannot trigger elemental reactions, then she cannot benefit from the cooldown reduction effect either. A double whammy of sorts.
  • With what’s been stated above, a significant portion of the 4 set effect becomes ineffective. This calls into question the benefit of going 4 set TF in the first place.
  • In order for a 4TF to perform well, Keqing must be able to reliably trigger elemental reactions. If this condition is not fulfilled, then there is no point in running 4TF.
  • Please read here to see how 4TF functions in Electrocharged rosters.

4 set Thundersoother

• Set effects:
  • Electro RES increased by 40%
  • Increases DMG against enemies affected by Electro by 35%.
• Advantages
  • In the ElectroQueen build, we have limited sources of %electrodmg. 4TS offers a whopping 35% increase in ALL damage dealt to enemies affected by electro. This stat is considered an additive increase in the general %dmg category. 
  • Flexible: This set can flex in between ElectroQueen and AutoKeq by simply substituting the goblet for the appropriate dmg% bonus in the primary line. Remember that the 4 set effect increases ALL damage instead of just electro damage.
  • Relatively easy to obtain compared to Thundering Fury. At AR40, the drop rate of TS > TF. You are likely to obtain TS pieces with optimal stats before TF equivalent
• Disadvantages
  • You lose the 35% bonus against innate elemental enemies that cannot be debuffed by electro (Anemo Hypostasis, Cryo/Pyro slimes, etc)
  • The 2 set effect doesn’t help you deal any more damage which is important in a DPS role
  • In the ElectroQueen playstyle, you will trigger many reactions with supports. Depending on the strength of the auras and triggers involved, electro aura may be removed from the enemy and you may lose possible DPS in this window. In addition, the first hit/skill that reapplies electro will not have the 35% bonus.
• Considerations
  • The 4TS effect affects ALL damage including Q, E, and autoattacks. 
  • If you are unable to maintain 100% uptime on electro, you will inevitably lose DPS because you will be applying hits that do not have the 35% bonus damage
  • With a pyro support, you will find it difficult to maintain 100% uptime on the electro debuff.
  • With a hydro support, you can maintain 100% uptime on the electro debuff. Explanation.
  • In coop, it may be harder to ensure that the enemy is always electro-debuffed.

Set recommendations, ranked from most recommend to least

In solo overworld content (not Abyss)

• Quickswap 
  • 4 set Thundering Fury
  • 2 set Thundering Fury AND 2 set Noblesse Oblige OR 2 set Gladiator’s
• Sustained
  • 4 set Thundersoother (with Electrocharged/Venerer roster)
  • 4 set Thundering Fury (with Electrocharged roster)
  • 2 set Thundering Fury / 2 set Gladiator’s
  • 4 set Thundering Fury (with non-electrocharged roster)

Explanation

• Quickswap
  • 4TF
    • As long as your roster has multiple elements, you will have little difficulty triggering reactions with Keqing since anytime you swap her on, the enemy will likely have an elemental aura applied by the previous character.
    • It is recommended that if you go 4TF, your roster contains at least 2 character with persistent elemental skills. 
    • Quickswap playtesting reveals that KQ can reliably trigger the 4TF E CDR effect 2-3 times per E cooldown period with most rosters.
    • Increased E CDR translates into 100% uptime of electro-imbued attacks and higher recharge rate of Q
  • 2 TF AND 2 NO OR 2G
    • A good generalist set that works for almost all scenarios. 
    • 2NO will not affect E dmg or autoattack damage
    • 2G gives %ATK which has reduced value in endgame since it is an easily obtainable stat and you may have high enough existing %ATK such that the +18% gives you a relatively small increase in DPS. However, 2G buffs autoattacks, E, and Q
• Sustained
  • 4TS with EC
    • The sustained playstyle focuses most resources on KQ by using hydro and electro subcarries/enablers and an anemo support. 
    • The 4VV anemo holder can reduce electro and hydro resistance
    • The electro and/or hydro subcarries ensure 100% uptime of electro aura for the 4TS DMG bonus.
    • A fun fact is that in a Sustained EC roster (eg KQ, XingQiu, Fischl, Anemo), you can put 4TS on KQ, XQ, and Fischl and they will all benefit from the +35% DMG. Electro-charged allows for us to benefit from reaction damage without any electro aura downtime. 
  • 4TF with EC 
    • Please read here to see why TF works well with EC. It is ranked below 4TS because the nature of EC makes it difficult to ensure KQ is the EC trigger. 
    • You can reliably benefit from E CDR, but not the +40% reaction damage
  • 2TF/2G
    • Good generalist set
    • Noblesse Oblige is not mentioned because you will find yourself using autoattacks and E more often in Sustained compared to Quickswap. The disadvantage of NO only buffing Q is made more apparent.
  • 4TF with non-EC
    • Running 4TF centred around Superconduct is bad because superconduct encourages physical damage and 4TF encourages electro damage
    • Running 4TF centred around Overload is unreliable against enemies that can be knocked back. You spend time chasing these enemies which results in lost DPS. Against stationary enemies, you may find it difficult to trigger 4TF unless you have 2 or more persistent sources of Pyro active (Xiangling Guoba AND Pyronado active together). You won’t have Pyronado available as often as in Quickswap so this is also considered unreliable
    • The key to efficient use of 4TF is reliably triggering reactions with KQ.

In Abyss,

• Please note that some stages hard counter 4TF whereas the 2TF/2NO/2G have consistent performance across most stages. This is why 4TF is ranked lower.

• Quickswap
  • 2 set Thundering Fury AND 2 set Noblesse Oblige OR 2 set Gladiator’s
  • 4 set Thundering Fury 
• Sustained
  • 2 set Thundering Fury AND 2 set Noblesse Oblige OR 2 set Gladiator’s
  • 4 set Thundersoother
  • 4 set Thundering Fury

Explanation

• Quickswap
  • See above for 2TF/2NO/2G
  • 4TF
    • Against innate elemental enemies (frequent in Abyss), you will never benefit from the +40% reaction damage due to enemies being immune
    • You only benefit from the E CDR which makes the set unreliable in Abyss. It’s good against non-elemental enemies in a Quickswap playstyle
• Sustained
  • See above for 2TF/2NO/2G
  • 4TS
    • Sustained styles generally spend most time on Keqing. If you’re able to maintain electro aura on the enemy, 4TS gives a massive 35% DMG boost to autoattacks, E, and Q
    • Can be hard countered by certain innate elemental enemies like Cryoslimes and Anemo hypostasis
  • 4TF
    • As mentioned before, in a Sustained playstyle, Keqing struggles to trigger reactions because her rate of electro application is high. The only way around this is to use other characters with persistent elemental skills and time your attacks.
    • +40% reaction damage sounds good on paper, until you realise a level 90 KQ with 200 EM (higher than average) and 4TF triggers electrocharged for a whopping ~2900 damage… In late game, this is probably equal to or less than a normal autoattack by KQ.

In coop content,

• 4 set Thundering Fury
• 2 set Thundering Fury AND 2 set Noblesse Oblige OR 2 set Gladiator’s

Explanation

• 4TF
  • Other coop players will ensure that enemies consistently have elemental auras for KQ to react against
• 2TF / 2NO / 2 G
  • See above for generalist statement

Special Note

• For F2P and casual players, our top recommendation is the 2G or 2NO AND 2TF because of how consistently it performs across solo, coop, and abyss content.
• If more comprehensive and competitive coop content is released, then 2G OR 2NO AND 2TF set will probably become the best F2P/casual set by far because it performs equally well in both solo and coop play. This is of course assuming that you would like to take Keqing into both scenarios. Consider the math here
• When deciding between 2G or 2NO, my general recommendation is to pick the one with better stat/substats

How does electro-charged work?

Beware of wall of text. Link here

A special note: 4 set Thundersoother vs 4 set Thundering Fury against Innate Elemental Enemies in Solo Gameplay

There has been some discussion lately concerning the performance of 4TS against 4TF against innate elemental enemies, especially in the context of Abyss. I’d like to specifically address every single elemental matchup with reasonable and logical arguments. Let me preface this by saying that as a result of this discussion, we are now recommending 2G/2TF (2 Gladiator’s, 2 Thundering Fury) for Abyss (F2P/Casual) as it brings the most consistent performance across all floors. That being said, 4TS is by far the best set against non-elemental enemies as you can generally keep a high uptime of electro debuff, especially with electrocharged (but we will see how this changes in 1.1)

TLDR; If you have the resources for both sets, use the appropriate set for each elemental matchup, otherwise use 2G/2TF.

What are each set’s conditions for success?

• 4TF
  • ***Keqing MUST trigger the reaction reliably*** (electro-charged is an exception)
  • The reaction should deal damage to the enemy
  • The enemy is non-electro
• 4TS
  • You must be able to apply electro debuff to the enemy
  • You must be able to maintain electro debuff for a reasonable amount of time to output DPS.
• ***I’m going to put a note here for people who keep linking me to the Dreamy video
  • Yes we have done testing for this concept like 2 weeks ago.
  • Are all the enemies you face going to have a massive hitbox in which the pyronado is always touching like ⅓ of the time? Probably not. 
  • Are you always going to have a long duration, element-applying ultimate available most of the time? Probably not.
  • If you do want to build 4TF around Xiangling support like this, it does work, but you probably will want to avoid EM on xiangling if Keqing is triggering most reactions.
  • Watch this other Dreamy video and read the pinned post. If Keqing isn’t the one triggering most of the time, then I’m not sure if you can benefit from 4TF reliably.

Isn’t 4TS generally worse than 4TF against innate elemental enemies because you cannot apply electro and thus cannot benefit from 4TS set effect?

• The answer will depend on the specific elemental matchup. After some extensive testing, we have concluded that we cannot make a generalised statement about the performance of each set against innate elemental enemies in general. I’d like to give a shoutout to Zalant#0332, who thoroughly dissected this debate and provided me with some great video evidence.

Electro

• It’s disingenuous to dismiss the electro v electro matchup by saying, “Well why would you fight using the same element to which the enemy is immune?”. First, the general argument being considered is which set is better against ALL innate enemies. Therefore, we must consider all elements. 
• Also F2P players don’t always have the luxury of picking the ideal elemental character to use.
• In Abyss, you will have floors that have the same innate elemental enemy on both halves. Floor 9 has electroslimes and Floor 12 has cryoslimes. The average player will have maybe 2 funded DPS including Keqing, so it is reasonable to assume that they will have to tackle an electro stage with Keqing. 
• 4TS wins hands down because of 100% uptime of the 35% dmg bonus and 4TF inability to deal electro dmg or trigger reactions with Keqing. 

Cryo

• Some people have raised the point that “Floor 12 aka Cryoslimes” = endgame so whichever set is better on Floor 12 is better in general. This is not a good argument.
  • This is shortsighted because if floors 9 and 12 were reversed or future floors involve other elements, then the “winners’ would constantly change. 
• TF advantages
  • Can trigger Superconduct to get E cooldown reduction
  • Permanent +15% electrodmg
  • Higher mobility due to higher uptime of E
• TF disadvantages
  • Superconduct +40% dmg is useless since cryoslimes are immune to superconduct’s cryo dmg
  • The inherent cooldown between reactions (1-2 seconds) means that you probably get only 1-3 reductions of E cooldown.
  • Superconduct’s -40% phys resist debuff can’t be taken advantage of because TF always wants to deal electro dmg to make use of the 2 set effect
• TS advantages
  • Versatile: can flex to a physical build by swapping to a %physdmg goblet. A physical cup can get ~13% more physdmg than an electro cup can get for electrodmg. 
  • Can take advantage of Superconduct’s phys resist debuff
• TS disadvantages
  • Loses the +35% DMG bonus
  • Is less mobile due to less uptime of E as compared to 4TF
  • Needs good stamina management since highest DPS attacks involve charged attacks. This may result in reduced DPS if you need to use 4 hits -> charged attack instead of normal 3 hits -> charged attack or charged attack spam.
• Considerations
  • 4TS stamina management doesn’t automatically mean that 4TS deals no damage. It just means that you have to manage your stamina and deal overall lower DPS. But as a result of Superconduct, 4TS users can flex to physical and deal hugely buffed physical damage to cryoslimes.
  • 4TF has the permanent +15% electro dmg, but 4TS can make up for about 13% dmg worth of stat difference due to the maximum goblet stat possible in electrodmg vs phys dmg). 4TF may also have a slight mobility advantage due to having more casts of E available.
  • I reckon it’s a tie because we are essentially comparing the benefits of Superconduct physical damage in 4TS versus the increased electrodmg and E casts in 4TF. But we can give 4TF the benefit of the doubt and say 4TF > 4TS in the cryo matchup
  • 4TF slightly better than 4TS in cryo

Pyro

• It is important to note that pyroslimes ARE NOT PERMANENTLY PYRO.
• Closer analysis seems to show that pyroslimes’ self pyro application is actually one big elemental gauge which depletes over time and with reactions. It’s also possible to light the pyroslime back up on fire with any pyro skill. Video analysis of Floor 9 Chamber 1 seems to indicate the following
  • Overloads triggered by adjacent electroslimes decrease the elemental gauge significantly and after 3-4 overloads, the pyroslime loses its pyro buff.
    • Video
  • Overloads caused by Keqing requires ~6 overloads to clear the pyro buff. However, video evidence seems to suggest that the pyroslime is able to immediately reapply pyro on itself.
    • https://youtu.be/Gvps62_b4FM 
  • Using a hydro user to vaporise the pyroslime ~3 times clears the pyro buff and the pyroslime doesn’t reapply for a variable amount of time
• TF advantages
  • Can trigger Overload to get E cooldown reduction
  • Has permanent +15% electrodmg
  • Higher mobility due to E CDR
• TF disadvantages
  • Triggers overload less often than when against cryoslimes due to pyroslimes not always being pyro
  • Has less E CDR than compared to cryo scenario
  • In order to benefit from E CDR, it requires you to trigger overload and constantly knock away the mob similar to how charged attacks occur.
  • Cannot make effective use of supports. If you’ve funded high EM/levelled supports, using them to trigger reactions will greatly reduce the possibility of triggering a reaction with Keqing to benefit from 4TF.
• TS advantages
  • Can apply electro after clearing the pyro status gauge
  • Can benefit from +35% dmg for a significant duration of time
  • Can make use of single element cast supports (like Kaeya) to wipe the pyro debuff and apply electro after. Building high EM/levels will result in increased damage which is compatible with TS.
• TS disadvantages
  • Downtime on electro debuff, but nothing compared to cryoslimes where you cannot even apply electro debuff
  • You may not always have a hydro user available to remove the pyro buff
• Considerations
  • TF performs more poorly against pyro than against cryo due to its reduced ability to trigger reactions on Keqing. TF has to chase mobs harder if it wants to trigger overload.
  • Conversely, TS performs better due to its 35% dmg effect coming into play. TS also needs to chase mobs, but does not have to trigger overload nearly as often. It just needs to apply electro after a reaction to gain the +35% dmg bonus
  • However, if the team composition doesn’t contain an element that can remove the pyro status or if the scenario is such that the pyro status cannot be removed, 4TS is ineffective.
  • 4TF cannot make effective use of supports for elemental reactions against pyro because Keqing will then not be the reaction trigger.
• Due to how each set struggles under some circumstances against pyroslimes, yet can still benefit under other circumstances, it’s difficult to rank one as more effective against the other in a vacuum. 

Geo

• The Geo Hypostasis is special because when the core exposed you can apply electro or pyro, but not hydro
• 4TS can maintain good uptime on the 35% dmg buff
• 4TF has the perma +15% electrodmg, but suffers from the unreliability of triggering reactions on Keqing.

Anemo

• 4TS can’t apply electro on the hypostasis, but can flex to physical
• 4TF has the perma 15% electrodmg, but cannot trigger electro reactions and benefit from CDR
• I’d consider this a tie since 4TF advantage isn’t from the 4 set, but due to the 2TF. Effectively, both 4 set effects are useless.

So let’s summarise

• 4TS is better against
  • Electro and geo 
  • Pyro if you can clear the pyro gauge to apply electro
• 4TF is better against
  • Cryo (marginally?), Anemo (marginally)? 

Significance

• In a scenario where 4TF’s only advantage is the +15% electro dmg (only the 2TF effect), it’s probably more beneficial to just go 2TF/2G so I would consider those scenarios a tie between 4TF v 4TS. 
• It’s reasonable to say that 2G/2TF is a good generalist set that doesn’t get 100% hard countered on any stage.
• 2G/2TF is now the recommended set for ElectroQueen Abyss for F2P/Casual.
• Dolphins/whales/above are likely going to max out multiple sets so that they can min/max each stage with the appropriate set (ie Floor 9 with 4TS and Floor 12 with ???)
• You can find some demos of thundersoother at the end of this guide. Unfortunately, I haven’t gotten my hands on any good 4TF solo demos cause CN doesn’t rank it very highly and the whales who did farm it in the first week found it quite underwhelming so they’ve swapped to 2G/2TF or 4TS. Pls msg me if you have a good 4TF showcase! Thank you!

Why do you only consider a physical cup swap viable on 4TS and not 4TF?

• At this point in time, it is hard to ascertain whether splitting your damage bonuses into both electro and physdmg is worth it / optimal. For example, Razor Q can have him deal both electro and physical simultaneously so I think having both phys and electrodmg stats is viable. Keqing can’t deal both types of damage at the same time and thus, cannot benefit from both electro and physical bonuses at the same time.
• So for 4TF phys cup cryo scenario, if you choose to swap to physical, my question is: would (+15%electrodmg buff to Q and E and superconduct phys dmg + phys cup buff to autoattacks) outweigh (+15% electrodmg, +46.6% electrodmg buff to Q, E, and autoattacks)?
• To sort of sum it up, the reason why I don’t consider phys cup switch “viable” on 4TF compared to 4TS is because the swap will gimp E and Q damage which is sort of what the 2TF and 4TF effects are looking to buff/enhance in the first place. If one of the rewards of using 4TF is to have more casts of E available, then it seems contradictory to go physical and nerf E damage. 
• 4TS is different in the sense that it’s a raw +35% ALL dmg conditional on electro debuff so buffing autoattacks/Q/E will be affected together instead of separately like in the case of 2/4TF. 
• 4TF bonuses are specific to electrodmg only, which makes me feel like dipping into physical bonuses will fundamentally conflict with the set. On one hand, your Q and E will have +15%edmg and your unconverted autoattacks can benefit from the superconduct debuff, but on the other hand, your Q and E (which have arguably higher uptime on 4TF), deal less damage than they would have if you stayed in edmg. Devising some way to test this would be quite interesting

Combos and Mechanics (WIP)

AutoKeq Build 

TLDR 

• Use 4 set Thundersoother for solo focused overworld content
• Use 4 set Bloodstained Chivalry for general solo and Abyss content where there are multiple mobs that can be killed by charged attacks within 10 seconds.
• Use 4 set Retracing Bolide for coop content if you have a geo party member who can reliably cause Crystallise at least every 10 seconds.
• Use 2 set Bloodstained Chivalry and 2 set Gladiator’s for any scenario not covered above or if you want a jack of all trades set

When does this build perform well?

• A stationary, immobile target
• Periods of time where you can focus on bursting and not have to dodge attacks or mechanics. 
• Enemies are not spread out 
• Dungeon mechanics do not consume stamina

Artifact Set Selection 

4 set Berserker’s

• Set effects: 
  • +12% crit rate
  • When HP <70%, +24% crit rate (36% total maximum)
• Advantages
  • Gaining 36% crit from set effects can allow you to dedicate more of your gear primary and/or substats to critdmg%
• Disadvantages
  • Berserker’s set does not drop as a 5* piece. This means that the maximum possible stats are always at least 25% less than any 5* equivalent.
  • Maintaining  <70% playstyle can be tricky
• Considerations
  • Generally not recommended late game primarily due to fact it doesn’t exist as a 5* set. 
  • Both the 2 and 4 set pieces can be considered as a transitory set in the early endgame when you have just reached AR-40 and do not have the prerequisite pieces to complete a recommended set.

4 set Bloodstained Chivalry

• Set effects: 
  • Physical DMG +25%
  • After defeating an opponent, increases Charged Attack DMG by 50%, and reduces its Stamina cost to 0 for 10s.
• Advantages
  • Keqing’s optimal attack combo involves spamming charged attacks. The stamina reduction may be beneficial when there are multiple weaker enemies that die within 10 seconds so you can spam empowered charged attack for free.
  • AutoKeq benefits from the significant +25%physdmg
• Disadvantages
  • 4 set effect not useful against bosses or enemies that take more than 10 seconds to kill
  • When trying to kill the first enemy, your charged attacks will not be empowered
  • Requires careful enemy selection to optimise and extend the duration of the 4 set effect
  • The holder must land the final blow to trigger the 4 set effect. Research here.
• Considerations
  • Can be a viable set for Abyss and domains where small mobs continuously spawn in addition to big mobs.
  • When battling a mix of weaker/smaller mobs and stronger/larger mobs, you should be weaving some attacks onto the stronger mobs. You should only aim to kill smaller mobs when the 10 second timer on your 4 set effect is about to run out. If you kill all the small mobs first, you will be unable to maintain the effect when dealing with the stronger mobs.
  • Making effective use of the 4 set effect can be moderately difficult and skill dependent.

4 set Gladiator’s Finale

• Set effects:
  • ATK +18%
  • If the wielder of this artifact set uses a Sword, Claymore or Polearm, increases their Normal Attack DMG by 35%.
• Advantages
  • Keqing is a Sword user and she applies normal attacks at an incredibly fast rate. 
  • You get free pieces throughout normal game progression
• Disadvantages
  • AutoKeq emphasises repeated charged attacks. Only the initial normal attack in each cycle of charged attacks will benefit from the 35% dmg. A significant portion of your attacks will not receive the 35% bonus.
  • Hard to farm as it is only obtainable from weekly bosses and map bosses (at low rate and high cost of resin)
• Considerations
  • Refer to ElectroQueen section on %atk being less valuable in endgame
  • Generally, this set is not optimal for AutoKeq because of the decreased value of %atk in the lategame as well as it’s dmg bonus being restricted to normal attacks.

2 set Gladiator’s Finale + 2 set Bloodstained Chivalry

• Set effects:
  • ATK +18%
  • Physical DMG +25%
• Advantages
  • %physdmg bonus scales well and directly buffs autoattacks which are the main form of damage for AutoKeq
• Disadvantages
  • Read earlier sections on %atk scaling in endgame
• Considerations
  • This is a reliable set that gives you everything you want in a physical build without any extra conditions to fulfill

4 set Martial Artist

• Set effects:
  • Increases Normal Attack and Charged Attack DMG by 15%.
  • After using Elemental Skill, increases Normal Attack and Charged Attack DMG by 25% for 8s.
• Advantages
  • Keqing can theoretically maintain 100% uptime on the 4 set effect because her E cd is 7.5s (starting when it’s first cast)
  • AutoKeq is focused on normal and charged attacks and this set empowers both
• Disadvantages
  • This set doesn’t drop at 5*
  • This set isn’t easily obtainable in early-midgame and is a waste of resin to obtain in the endgame
• Considerations
  • If you were incredibly lucky in early-midgame with random martial artist pieces, you can use this as a transitory set before switching into recommended endgame sets
  • Do not try to use this set for true endgame as 5* pieces have 25% more primary star 4* equivalents
  • This set is only listed because there’s a tiny chance that someone might have it from early-midgame. If you don’t already have this set, ignore it completely

4 set Thundersoother

• Set effects:
  • Electro RES increased by 40%
  • Increases DMG against enemies affected by Electro by 35%.
• Advantages
  • 4TS effect gives +35% bonus damage to electro-debuffed enemies and this includes physical damage
  • Flexible: This set can flex in between ElectroQueen and AutoKeq by simply substituting the goblet for the appropriate dmg% bonus in the primary line. Remember that the 4 set effect increases ALL damage instead of just electro damage.
  • Relatively easy to obtain compared to Thundering Fury. At AR40, the drop rate of TS > TF. You are likely to obtain TS pieces with optimal stats before TF equivalent
  • Whereas ElectroQueen suffers against electroslimes and can only alleviate the issue by switching their goblet to %physdmg, AutoKeq is always dealing maximum damage to any innate electro enemy. 
• Disadvantages
  • You lose the 35% bonus against innate elemental enemies that cannot be debuffed by electro (Anemo Hypostasis, Cryo/Pyro slimes, etc)
  • The 2 set effect doesn’t help you deal any more damage which is important in a DPS role
• Considerations
  • Maintaining electro-debuff uptime during a burst is not hard because electro applied from Keqing has a relatively high elemental status gauge and thus electro will persist close to the duration of superconduct. 
  • If you accidentally recast E and convert your autoattacks into electro, you still gain the increased damage from 4 set effect, although you will lose your %physdmg bonuses
  • This set is easier to farm than 4TF.
  • Although AutoKeq focuses on autoattacks, you will still make use of Q and E to i-frame and trigger superconduct. The 4 set effect applies to both Q and E.
  • In coop, it may be harder to ensure that the enemy is always electro-debuffed.

4 set Retracing Bolide

• Set effects:
  • Increases the effectiveness of shields by 35%
  • Gain an additional 40% Normal and Charged Attack DMG while under the protection of a shield.
• Advantages
  • Everyone has a Noelle and will be able to activate the 4 set effect even if F2P
  • AutoKeq likes to stand and spam charged attacks. The +35% shield strength and 40% dmg to autoattacks synergises well with this playstyle
• Disadvantages
  • If you take too much damage, the shield will break and bonuses will be lost
  • If you cannot reliably maintain a shield, then the damage bonus becomes unreliable and outclassed by other sets
• Considerations
  • A solid set with geo supports that either have shields or can reliably cause Crystallise.
  • Will not affect skill damage 
  • Prevents you from being staggered while outputting damage

So which set should I use???

Similar to ElectroQueen, we have theoretical and empirical data to make certain claims about each set in different scenarios

In solo bosses without smaller mob spawns, ranked from most recommended to least

• 4 set Thundersoother
• 2 set Gladiator’s + 2 set Bloodstained Chivalry
• 4 set Retracing Bolide
• 4 set Gladiator’s
• 4 set Bloodstained Chivalry
• Explanation
  • 4TS is the superior option as long as the electro debuff can be reliably applied to a boss. In addition, 4TS boosts all outgoing damage including E and Q which is frequently used for triggering superconduct and increasing crit rate respectively.
  • 2G + 2BSC is a reliable set for AutoKeq because there are no conditions for the bonuses unlike 4TS, 4BSC, and 4G. You will always have the 18% atk and 25% bonus physical dmg unless you accidentally recast E and convert to electro dmg
  • 4RB is ranked above 4G because 4G does not affect charged attacks. With almost any geo user, you should be able to easily resummon a shield every 10 seconds to maintain the damage bonus
  • 4G is ranked as such because ⅔ of Keqing’s optimal attack combo is not affected by the 35% bonus. 
  • 4BSC is not recommended in this scenario because you cannot trigger the 4BSC effect.

In solo content with mobs that you can kill within 10 seconds, ranked from most recommended to least

• 4 set Bloodstained Chivalry
• 2 set Gladiator’s + 2 set Bloodstained Chivalry
• 4 set Thundersoother
• 4 set Retracing Bolide
• 4 set Gladiator’s
• Explanation
  • 4BSC effect is unrivalled if there are mobs available for you to continuously trigger the charged attack bonus and stamina consumption negation. You always have the +25% physdmg bonus and can maintain a 35% charged dmg bonus
  • 2G + 2BSC is a reliable set for AutoKeq because there are no conditions for the bonuses unlike 4TS, 4BSC, and 4G. You will always have the 18% atk and 25% bonus physical dmg unless you accidentally recast E and convert to electro dmg
  • 4TS ranks below 2G + 2BSC because it’s harder to keep electro debuff status applied on many enemies at once. In addition, you may find yourself running low on stamina from spamming charged attacks and then dashing to catch up to enemies that were knocked back. However, Q and E are still affected by 4TS and can be used to deal decent AoE electro damage while reapplying electro to all mobs around you.
  • 4G ranks below 4TS because its bonus only applies to normal attacks and not charged attacks.

In coop bosses without smaller mob spawns, ranked from most recommended to least,

• 2 set Gladiator’s + 2 set Bloodstained Chivalry
• 4 set Gladiator’s
• 4 set Retracing Bolide
• 4 set Bloodstained Chivalry
• 4 set Thundersoother
• Explanation
  • 2G + 2BSC is a reliable set for AutoKeq because there are no conditions for the bonuses unlike 4TS, 4BSC, and 4G. You will always have the 18% atk and 25% bonus physical dmg unless you accidentally recast E and convert to electro dmg
  • 4G ranks below 2G + 2BSC because its bonus only applies to normal attacks and not charged attacks.
  • 4RB is ranked above 4BSC because it can be hard to land the final blow in coop. Should there be a geo user, it should be relatively easy to maintain a shield and the RB dmg bonus.
  • 4BSC is ranked below 4G because you can’t trigger the 4 set effect.
  • 4TS is ranked last because you cannot reliably apply the electro debuff with 3 other players triggering reactions. The exception is if you have a 4 electro or electro/anemo team. 4BSC is ranked higher because although you cannot trigger the 4 set effect, the 2 set effect gives a permanent 25% bonus physical dmg

In coop bosses with smaller mob spawns, ranked from most recommended to least,

• 2 set Gladiator’s + 2 set Bloodstained Chivalry
• 4 set Retracing Bolide
• 4 set Bloodstained Chivalry
• 4 set Gladiator’s
• 4 set Thundersoother
• Explanation
  • 2G + 2BSC is a reliable set for AutoKeq because there are no conditions for the bonuses unlike 4TS, 4BSC, and 4G. You will always have the 18% atk and 25% bonus physical dmg unless you accidentally recast E and convert to electro dmg
  • 4RB is great, but can only be used if there is a geo user in the party who can continuously cause crystals to drop.
  • 4BSC effect is unrivalled if there are mobs available for you to continuously trigger the charged attack bonus and stamina consumption negation. You always have the +25% physdmg bonus and can maintain a 35% charged dmg bonus. However, testing shows that you must land the final blow in order to benefit. 
  • 4G ranks below 2G + 2BSC because its bonus only applies to normal attacks and not charged attacks.
  • 4TS is ranked last because you cannot reliably apply the electro debuff with 3 other players triggering reactions. The exception is if you have a 4 electro or electro/anemo team. 2G + 2BSC is ranked higher because you get an unconditional 25% bonus physical dmg and 18% atk. 

Combos and Mechanics (WIP)

Teambuilding 

Teambuilding is an extremely difficult section to write by nature of the endless possibilities available to us in the form of artifact set effects, elemental resonance, character constellations, and more. As the game grows, more and more combinations will be discovered. I hope that you can use this section to understand the general principles of teambuilding and not treat the sample teams described as absolute law. 

Definitions

There will be certain terms used in the teambuilding section that are important to understand. Characters can effectively fill more than one role depending on the context in which they are used. 

Carry

• The main source of DPS (damage per second) in your team. This character often has low cooldowns and the ability to consistently deal damage over time. In any team, the Carry should be funded the most and be active on the field the majority of the time.
• Example: Keqing has one of the highest autoattack speeds in the game. Her Stiletto Restoration (E) is on a 7.5s CD that can be further reduced with certain set effects. Her Starward Sword (Q) is on a 12s CD that simultaneously deals damage and makes her temporarily invincible.

Subcarry

• These characters may also provide significant DPS, but are typically gated by medium-high cooldown skills. These types of characters will typically be swapped in briefly to execute their abilities, then swapped off during the cooldown period. 
• Note that many subcarries can function as enablers as well.
• Example: XingQiu’s E can deal significant damage, but is on a 21 second CD. The persistent orbital swords apply hydro source to surrounding enemies every ~2.2s. 

Enabler

• Elemental reactions can be key to certain compositions. Enablers will either apply their respective element (aura character) or trigger the reaction (trigger character). These characters either have elemental skills that persist after being swapped off, or have low cooldown single cast skills.
• Enablers also function as armor/shield breakers for Fatui or Abyss Mages.
• Example: Kaeya’s Frostgnaw (E) is a 6s CD single AoE application of ice. Qiqi’s Herald of Frost is a persistent orbital skill that periodically applies cryo over 15 seconds. 

Support

• The support role encompasses a wide range of utility. It may include healing, debuffing the enemy’s elemental resistance, buffing your team’s damage/skills, and applying crowd control (stuns/vacuums/slows/etc) to enemies.
• Example: Venti’s Wind’s Grand Ode (Q) is a 15 second vacuum that sucks and holds enemies together in a wide radius. At constellation 6 or with the Viridescent Venerer’s set, Venti gains the ability to reduce an enemy’s elemental resistance which can increase elemental damage and elemental reaction damage dealt to enemies.

Elemental Resonance

• When you go into “Party Setup” in your settings, clicking the top right button will show you what bonuses are possible when you have 2 characters of the same elemental type in a team. 
• For example, having 2 electro characters will enable the “High Voltage” elemental resonance. This effect gives the following effects
  • Affected by Hydro status for 40% less time
  • Superconduct, Overload, and Electro-Charged have a 100% chance to generate an Electro Elemental Particle (CD: 5s)

Elemental Resistance

• All enemies may have a certain degree of elemental resistance meaning that they take less damage from certain element types.
• Example: Fatui Electro Cicin Mages have 50% electro resistance meaning that they take half the normal damage compared to a unit with 0% electro resistance.
• This stat may be reduced by effects such as Viridescent Venerer. It is important to note that any reduction below 0% will have its effects halved. For example: If a Ruin Guard has 10% electro resistance and you apply a debuff that reduces its electro resistance by 40%, it’s total electro resistance will be –15%, not -30%.

Physical Resistance

• The same concept as Elemental Resistance, but for white numbers (physical damage) only
• Example: Superconduct reduces Physical Resistance by 40%

Aura Character

• An aura character is one that often applies the first element onto an enemy to set up an elemental reaction. These characters usually have a high uptime on skills/attacks that apply elements.
• Example: Keqing is generally considered an electro aura character because she can temporarily convert all her autoattacks to electro dmg and has low CD on her E and Q which both apply electro.

Trigger Character

• A trigger character is one that provides the second element required for an elemental reaction. These characters usually have a low to medium uptime on skills/attacks that apply elements. They may also have persistent skills that periodically apply an element.
• Example: Xiangling’s Guoba is a persistent skill that periodically applies pyro. Due to the short interval in between each fire breath, Guoba generally triggers a reaction instead of applying the element. Thus, Xiangling can be considered a trigger character.

Overworld

• Overworld refers to general activities that you perform in solo play. These usually involve daily commissions, elite boss/mob farming, exploration, resource gathering, and more. 
• It should be noted that Overworld is separate from Abyss because Abyss requires a different team setup based on floor.

Subcarry/Enabler/Support Compatibility with Keqing

In this list, we will attempt to analyse how each character can synergise with Keqing when she is the Carry in the team. I will emphasise that a character can fulfill multiple roles according to different circumstances. Certain constellation effects may not be taken into account if I am not familiar enough with their mechanics. I am always open to suggestions and ideas regarding this section.

Artifact recommendations for Teambuilding are WIP: I need to organise the recommendations according to role.

Amber

Subcarry

• Adv
  • Amber’s Q is relatively low CD at 12s. It provides a small AoE burst of pyro damage
  • Her E can deal AoE pyro damage at a decent multiplier
• Disadv
  • Amber’s current strengths seem to revolve around building around Melt/Vaporise triggers which are hard to work into a team with Keqing Carry
  • E damage is not instantaneous unless you have the manual trigger constellation
  • Q damage can be avoided by enemies if they are mobile.

Enabler

• Adv
  • She can apply pyro with her charged shot, E, and Q
  • Effective at removing elemental armor from Fatui Cryogunner
• Disadv
  • Q and E are not persistent long enough to be significant
  • Charged shot can take too long or render you immobile, also requires you to aim

Support

• Adv
  • E can be a taunt to lure enemies close together or draw aggro
  • C4 can give you 2 charges of E
  • C6 Q can buff party MS and base ATK by 15% for 10 seconds
  • Can destroy Fatui Cryogunner shield in 2 charged shots

• Disadv
  • Aiming and throwing E can take valuable seconds

Weapon recommendations

• The Viridescent Hunt
• Stringless Bow

Artifact recommendations

• 2 Scholar: Energy Recharge +20%
• 4 Instructor: After causing an elemental reaction, increases all party members’ Elemental Mastery by 120 for 8s.
• 4 Noblesse Oblige: Elemental Burst DMG +20% and +20% ATK to party for 12s
• 2 Wanderer’s Troupe: Elemental Mastery +80

Considerations

• Amber is likely to be a trigger character.
• Most F2P will only have Amber (or Xiangling after completing Abyss 3-3) available as a source of pyro in their team. 
• Amber can deplete Cryogunner’s elemental armour with 2 charged shots (regardless of level)
• Amber is recommended mainly as an Enabler

Barbara

Subcarry

• Barbara lacks short cooldown abilities to function as an Subcarry as her E is on a 32s CD and provides no damage
• Barbara generally lacks offensive power

Enabler

• E can provide a source of persistent hydro aura for 15s and up to 20s with A4
• Her normal autos all apply hydro and her charged attack deals AoE hydro
• Her E and autoattacks will effectively break pyro shields/armor 

Support

• E is a great source of persistent healing, but it will continuously apply hydro onto your own character (bad for cryo domains). With the ascension passive, it will also reduce stamina consumption by 12%
• Her Q is a potent party-wide instant heal. Although expensive at 80 energy, her constellations combined with %energy recharge stats can mitigate the cost.
• A good TTDS (Thrilling Tales of Dragon Slayers) holder 

Weapon recommendations

• Thrilling Tales of Dragon Slayers R5
• Prototype Malice

Artifact recommendations

• 2 Maiden’s Beloved / 2 Scholar
• 4 Noblesse Oblige
• 4 Maiden Beloved : Using an Elemental Skill or Burst increases healing received by all party members by 20% for 10s.
• 4 Thundering Fury : Increases damage caused by Overloaded, Electro-Charged, and Superconduct DMG by 40%. Triggering such effects decreases Elemental Skill CD by 1s. Can only occur once every 0.8s.
• Wanderer’s Troupe : Increases Charged Attack DMG by 35% if the character uses a Catalyst or Bow.

Considerations 

• Barbara can simultaneously function as an Enabler and Support due to the persistent nature of her E
• Barbara is a great F2P option since most people will have a copy if they reached AR20 before patch 1.1
• Low investment character – all you need is HP and energy recharge
• Beware of Cryo domains: if you cast E, your active character will be periodically frozen (E will add an instance of Wet every tick)
• Barbara is highly recommended as a Support

Beidou (WIP)

Bennett (Savage#9999)

Overview

So you want to support Keqing with the best support in the game Benney Boi?

Bennett fulfills a role as fire enabler (overload for GEO shields with Keqing), an attack buff with his elemental burst, the highest HPS regeneration field in the game, a ice shield breaking machine at C4 with 3 pyro hits on charge 1 elemental skill with no knockback, and 2 elemental orbs on a 5s CD so you might as well call him Battery Boi with how much he is going to recharge your Keqing’s Elemental Burst. If you have Bennett on your team you basically have a burst/enabler/support in one package.

Subcarry

• Mainly use bennett as an enabler/support in your team with another party member such as Mona as the real burst
• Bennet’s skill scalings lead to high burst damage on use with his elemental burst having 233% damage. In comparison the final attack of Keqing’s elemental burst is only 189% at level 1
• At C4 use charge level 1 with a normal hit after to proc 3 hits of pyro on enemy cryo shields or enemies with low pyro RES to eat through them

Enabler

• On demand pyro on a 5 second cooldown outside of his elemental burst which generates 2 elemental orbs per use. Charging his elemental skill generates more, however you usually want to tap as an enabler and to proc overload for geo shields and damage (if you are building Bennet with EM hourglass over ER for overload procs)
• As an enabler only ever tap his elemental skill to enable the most elemental orbs and overload proc’s with keqing. Charge level 1 at c4 should be used only to break cryo shields

Support

• At level 1 his elemental burst provides 6% max HP + 577 regeneration (currently highest in the game) which means you can face tank cicin mage’s electric storm attack with no problems and still be 70%+ hp at the end of it
• His elemental burst provides self afflicted pyro to all party members to counter cryo ley line effects (e.g. Abyss level 12) and remove wet vs Wet/Cryo freeze enemy patterns
• 56% attack bonus of Bennet’s base attack to the party member standing inside his elemental burst means you want to combo bennet’s burst with your elemental burst of Keqing or your burst carry for highest damage possible. This isn’t including noblesse which will provide more attack%. 

DPS (Abyss Team)

• Ascension 4 grants CD reduction on E by 50% which turns his E tap cooldown into 2.5s inside his burst and turns him into a DPS machine. Get C6 and congratulations you have the best carry for floor 12.
• Prioritise physical damage and lavawalker; tap his elemental skill and use elemental burst on cooldown. Try to work enemies from the outside in to ensure that they stay inside the field. 
• Note that at C6 Bennet’s auto attacks inside his elemental burst turn to pyro so consider this when going all in on a goblet selection.

Weapon Recommendations (BiS)

• Aquila Favonia
  • Highest base attack damage sword in the game (Bennet’s Elemental Burst only scales attack on his Base attack)
  • Bennet’s main DPS output is physical (even with elemental skill) so the Physical% is very useful and this allows him to flex as main DPS for abyss. Note that this is not applicable at C6 during his elemental burst.
• Skyward Blade
  • Energy Recharge main stat allows his Elemental Burst to be basically used off cooldown
  • Weapon ability synergises well with bennet dps as majority of his damage rotation is his physical auto attacks
  • 5 star weapon means base will be stronger than any 4 star for his elemental burst attack scaling

Artifact Recommendations

• Enabler/Support: Noblesse Oblige 5 set. For full support/solo heal consider hp% artifacts for higher HPS (but it really isn’t necessary), Energy Recharge% prioritised if you do not use Skyward Blade to ensure burst can be used on cooldown. You may consider Maiden’s Beloved for extra heals as well.
• DPS Carry (For Abyss): Lavawalker 4 set, Physical Damage Goblet.

Considerations

• Bennett is likely to be a trigger character (aura if C6)
• His Q will act as a cleanse for cryo and hydro debuffs from Leyline disorders
• His E is effective at removing cryo shields/armor
• He is an extremely potent healer.
• Bennett can simultaneously function as an Subcarry (if funded well), Enabler, and Support
• Bennett is highly recommended as a Support

Childe (WIP)

Chongyun (shdwbld#8103)

Subcarry

• Advantages
  • Chongyun’s Q has a short cooldown of 15 seconds as well as 40 energy cost making it extremely spammable.
  • It deals Cryo damage and 142% damage at level 1 for 1 blade which is amazing. This means that Chongyun benefits from running elemental damage and energy recharge.
  • You could essentially recharge your elemental burst with one elemental skill, pop your elemental skill and rotate to Keqing as Chongyun’s cooldown for both skills are around 15 seconds. 
• Disadvantages
  • Requires Chongyun to use elemental skill to gain energy particles creating anti synergy just for him to pop his burst
  • No Cryo artifact sets so he wouldn’t be best in the slot for Cryo burst role.

Enabler

• Advantages
  • Applies Cryo for superconduct
  • Chongyun’s elemental skill deals a small AOE cryo damage meaning more enemies are affected
  • With E and Q, he can remove hydro shield (Abyss Mage) and electro armor (Fatui)
• Disadvantages
  • Probably the reason why you shouldn’t run Chongyun which is converting physical damage to elemental (cryo) damage. This prevents Keqing from benefiting from superconduct unless you can micro in and out of the circle with good E placement
  • Elemental Skill last for 10 seconds meaning 10 seconds of cryo damage for Keqing

Support

• Advantages
  • Passive 1 increase attack speed by 8%
  • Passive 2 applies cryo damage at the end of elemental skill duration which could be useful as cryo-field is gone and you can use superconduct
  • C4: Helps with energy recharge issues in terms of following elemental skill with another basic attack: (Chongyun regenerates 1 Energy every time he hits an enemy affected by Cold or Frozen status effects. This effect can only occur once every 2s.)
  • C6 Increase damage of elemental skills, burst and basic attacks by 15%. Additional oomf to his hits.
  • Claymore user that can shield-break or geo-break
• Disadvantages 
  • C1 applies cryo at the end of the normal attack combo. Could be used as an alternative instead of elemental skill because of anti synergy, however, basic attack combo takes longer compared to Kaeya’s elemental skill
  • Passive 2 Cryo resistance drop by 10% is not really helpful because you will be dealing mostly physical damage with superconduct Keqing

Weapons:

• Skyward Pride (best)
• Sacrificial Greatsword
• Favonious Greatsword
• Wolf’s Gravestone (buff transferable to party)
• Prototype Aminus

Artifacts:

• 4 Piece Noblesse Oblige (best if ER is sufficient) 
• 4 Piece Instructor
• 2 Exile / 2 Scholar 
• 4 Exile (allow for Keqing burst spam)

Note: I have yet to get my hands on Keqing which is why I can’t really go in depth with Chongyun + Keqing. Please feel free to add additional information or reorder the necessary advantages and disadvantages. When I do get a hold of Keqing I plan on adding more information.

Considerations

• Chongyun is generally not recommended with Keqing as proper positioning and micro is a must. For mobile players especially, it can be a lot of work to setup and play a Chongyun/Keqing team optimally
• Chongyun is a great Cryo enabler, but will convert Keqing’s electro into cryo which removes any electro bonuses from sets/gears as well
• Chongyun is recommended as an Enabler

Diluc 

Subcarry

• Low CD E and Q paired with 5* stats and scaling make Diluc a great Subcarry
• His constellations greatly enhance the damage he can do with E before swapping back to Keqing

Enabler

• E can be cast multiple times before it goes on a 10 second CD
• Q can also continuously apply pyro for a short period of time. Switching back to Diluc within 8 seconds of casting Q allows pyro application via his Q-enhanced autoattacks
• He is effective at breaking cryo shields/armor and geo armor

Support

• Diluc has no support-relevant skills or uses

Weapon

• Wolf’s gravestone buff will transfer to party members

Artifact

• 4 Crimson Witch
• 4 Lavawalker
• 4 Noblesse Oblige

Considerations

• Diluc can be used as a primary carry on a secondary team in Abyss
• He should be used to break cryo shields/armor and geo armor
• He can simultaneously function as an Subcarry and Enabler.
• Diluc is generally recommended as an Subcarry

Diona (WIP)

Fischl (Lix-#3417) 

Subcarry

• Adv
  • Fischl’s Q is relatively low CD at 15s and has a low energy cost with only 60. It can deal electro dmg to enemies she comes into contact with, and it has a big AOE. After she’s using the skill, Oz will remain on the battlefield. 
  • Fischl’s E can summon Oz which it can shoot a single target enemy and dealing Electro Dmg, it can remains on the field for 10s (12s for constellation 6)
  • Fischl’s E can deal burst dmg when summoning Oz and deal high AOE Electro Dmg (C2 bigger aoe and higher dmg) 
  • Fischl’s E can easily be repositioned. 
  • Many damage bonuses apply to Oz damage even when Fischl is off-field. Refer to the library for findings.
• Disadv 
  • Fischl’s E has a really long CD which is at 25s (15s after Oz summon duration) .
  • Fischl’s E has a small AOE when summoning Oz, unless you have her constellation 2 which is increased aoe by 50%. 
  • Needs significant investment 

Enabler

• Adv
  • She can apply Electro with her charged shot, E, and Q
  • Fischl’s E has a long attack range
  • Fischl’s E can still remain when the character is on off field
  • Fischl’s E rarely miss and always deal electro dmg
  • She is a mild counter to Fatui hydrogunner armor and Pyro/Cryo/Hydro abyss mage shields (12 reactions required to break)
• Disadv 
  • single target only unless triggering electrocharge

Support

• Adv
  • Ascension 4 : If a character triggers an Electro-related Elemental Reaction when Oz is on the field, the enemy shall be stricken with Thundering Retribution, dealing Electro DMG equal to 80% of Fischl’s ATK.
  • C6 : Oz attacks with the current character when present, dealing 30% of Fischl’s ATK as Electro DMG.
  • Electro resonance buff
• Disadv 
  • Oz has to be In the field to activate the passives of Ascension 4 and C6
  • When paired with keqing,for gaining advantage of Ascension 4 you need at least one support for doing electro reactions

Weapon recommendations

• Stringless Bow (Bis for support) 
• Sacrificial Bow
• The Viridescent Hunt (Bis for both support and dps) 
• Skyward Harp (recommended for support or dps) 
• Amos bow
• Rust bow (Bis for dps) 

Artifact recommendations 

• 2 Thundering Fury : Electro DMG Bonus +15%
• 4 Thundering Fury : Increases damage caused by Overloaded, Electro-Charged, and Superconduct DMG by 40%. Triggering such effects decreases Elemental Skill CD by 1s. Can only occur once every 0.8s.
• 4 Thundersoother’s: Increases DMG against enemies affected by Electro by 35%.
• 2 Gambler : Elemental Skill DMG increased by 20%
• 4 Gambler : Defeating an enemy has 100% chance to remove Elemental Skill CD. Can only occur once every 15s.
• 2 Gladiator/brave/Sojourer : ATK +18%
• 2 Wanderer’s troupe/instructor : Increases Elemental Mastery by 80.

Considerations 

• Fischl can be both a great trigger and aura character due to the persistent nature of Oz (trigger at <C6 and aura at C6)
• a good Dps at C1 or C6
• Fischl can use EM build or Atk build, but the best build for her is Ele dmg%. Both ATK% and Electro DMG% affect Oz’s damage
• With adequate funding, Fischl can function as an effective Subcarry due to Oz’s scaling with her stats
• Recommended mainly as an Enabler
• When Paired with Keqing, it activates Electro resonance and gives more energy recharge, so keqing can easily fill her Q

Jean 

Subcarry

• E has a relatively low CD of 6s and can hit in an AoE

Enabler

• Jean is generally unable to setup reactions or break shields unless she is imbued with another element
• She can however use one enemy’s element to swirl it into another enemy for shield/armor breaking purposes.

Support

• Q can burst heal, give a HoT, and launch enemies into the air
• E can vacuum characters before launching them
• Passive 1 gives normal attacks a 50% chance to heal all party members for 15% of Jean’s base attack 
• Her E and Q can swirl enemies and apply resistance reduction if she is using 4 Viridescent Venerer. 
• C2 can increase MS and AS by 15%
• C6 gives +35% damage reduction inside Q’s area of effect

Weapon Recommendations

• Aquila Favonia
  • High Base ATK coupled with innate ATK% Bonus improves healing procced by the Wind Companion Talent and ‘Q’ ability. More valuable with higher refinement for larger ATK% Bonus. Allows Jean to also ‘hold their own’ due to built 15second burst + self heal.
• Prototype Rancour
  • Easier and obtainable sword for F2P since it can be crafted. The ability affects overall healing when swapping to jean and auto attacking to heal up the rest of the party. Since the stacks persist after character swap, will need to verify if after getting full stacks and popping Jean’s ult will the atk bonus persist in the ult beyond 6 seconds or only 6 seconds of that ult when sitting in it with another character

Artifact Combinations (No Particular Order) 

*Note for goblet, circlet, and sand you will want Atk% main stat usually. Anemo% and Healing%  depends.

• 4 Piece Maiden Beloved
  • Focused for healing builds. Gives significant overall healing to the team, especially due to low CD of E (6 seconds).
• 4 Piece Viridescent Venerer
  • Possibly BiS. I am still trying to get a full 4 Piece to try out how significant that 40% Res drop is. Theoretically should be a nice increase in DPS considering an ElectroKeq build combined with jeans 6second CD ‘E’ skill for proccing swirls allows for maintaining the 4 set effect near indefinitely as enemies allow. However I do not know if ‘Infused Swirl’ correlates to elemental absorption since Jean has none and can only trigger swirls. If this is the case then the 4 piece becomes completely unusable. Will verify or research when i can.
• 2x 2 Piece 18% ATK sets (Sojourner, Gladiator, Brave Heart)
  • Extra 36% ATK bonus to increase Healing amount on Talent and Q. Very easy to put together. 
• 2 Piece 18% ATK set / 2 Piece 20% Energy Recharge set OR 2x 2 Piece 20% Energy Recharge set.
  • Same as above except for those that are having difficulty swapping her mid battle and getting enough energy to use her as a main healer. Jean definitely takes a while to charge her Ult unless you are swapping to her every time you can to spam her E to proc energy balls. Went from running 2x 2-set 20% energy recharge to a 2-set 20% energy recharge and 2-set 18% Atk as i got more comfortable. You can also go with a full 4 piece Exile for a more energy supportive build.

Considerations

• In specific conditions, Jean can act as an Enabler
• Jean is generally recommended as a Support with 4VV

Kaeya

Subcarry

• Adv
  • At C2, defeating enemies with his Q will extend the ability duration up to 15s
  • At C6, he gains more DPS on his Q and receives 15 energy after it ends
• Disadv
  • His E and Q are on a short cooldown and as a result have lower damage ratios 
  • Cryo can only melt at a 1.5x ratio and freeze off of hydro, making it more suited to setting up other elements
  • There aren’t any great cryo artifact sets currently, equivalent to crimson witch/lavawalker/TF/TS/venerer

Enabler

• Adv
  • Kayea’s E is a 6 sec cooldown AoE application of cryo useful for quickly reapplying the superconduct debuff for an AutoKeq build
  • His Q is on a 15 sec cooldown and is persistent when switched out, allowing for a constant application of cryo to enemies
• Disadv
  • The AoE radius of his E is both not very wide nor extends very far, and requires him to be close up
  • His Q also requires you to be in melee range of enemies, which may be an issue in certain domains or abyss floors

Support

• Adv
  • His second passive talent “Heart of the Abyss” allows him to regenerate more elemental particles from his E, resulting in a slight increase in energy recharge for the whole team
  • His third passive “Hidden Strength” reduces stamina consumption from sprinting by 20%
  • When combined with hydro, his Q and E provide on demand frozen CC
  • Unlike chongyun his abilities do not convert your team’s attacks to cryo, making him a better pair with a physical damage build
  • He can easily break electro fatui and hydro abyss mage shields due to his low cooldown E
• Disadv
  • Both of his abilities require close range to be useful

Weapon Recommendations

• Skyrider Sword Refinement 5
  • If you are using him as an enabler and keeping him underleveled, this weapon is great for increasing his movement speed and survivability

Artifact Recommendations

• 4 Noblesse Oblige synergizes well with his low cooldown elemental burst, but the 4pc effect does not stack, so take that into consideration when gearing your team
• 4 Scholar allows him to recharge your bow and catalyst users elemental bursts when he regenerates energy, great for pairing with sucrose or venti

Considerations

• As a free character, he works great as a cryo enabler for comps that need one, and needs very little investment to be useful
• Best paired with a physical damage build

Klee (ZΛNTO#4984)

ROLE EVALUATION

Subcarry (8/10 – AoE Pyro Damage)

• Pros
  • Jumpty Dumpties [E] are a fast and easy “place and forget tool” that will linger for 15 seconds
  • Charged attack is fast and cancellable, on top of having ludicrous damage scaling with a Spark
  • C4: Tactical nuke dealing Aoe Pyro Damage
  • C6: While Klee is out dealing damage with [Q], she will regenerate energy for all party members
• Cons
  • Sparks n Splash [Q] requires Klee to stay out to get full mileage (without C4), coupled with a rather lengthy animation to execute
  • Charge Attacks while great, require a Spark to use fully, otherwise dealing about the same damage as a Keqing Charged Attack while consuming double the stamina
  • [E] has a wide AoE but are stationary
  • Waiting for 2 charges of [E] takes 40 seconds

Enabler (5/10 – Frustratingly Inconsistent) 

• Pros
  • [E] lasts 15 seconds and has 2 charges, giving plenty of potential Pyro applications
  • Overall large AoE on all attacks, spreading Pyro like a forest fire
• Cons
  • Overload procs can generally be hit or miss, as the knockback can result in missed hits
  • Aside from the initial bounces of [E], mines are stationary and offer little to no control on whether or not they’ll be proc’d
  • [Q] does not persist after switching, making sustained Pyro applications not very consistent

Support (3.5/10 – Low/Situational value in comparison to other Catalyst users in combat)

• Pros
  • Overall very high knockback on Charged Attack and [E], same with Overload
  • Charged Attacks CRITS generate 2 energy for the entire party
  • C2: [E] will reduce enemy DEF by 23%
  • Killing stuff is the best support :)
  • Attacks can break physical shields, Geo shields, and ore. Can also find treasure!
• Cons
  • Overall very high knockback on Charged Attack and [E], same with Overload
  • Incapable of healing outside of Prototype Malice as a weapon
  • Incapable of shielding
  • C2 will only benefit AutoKeq
  • Needs to stay on the field to kill stuff :(

WEAPONS

• Burst
  • Widsith: great buffs that last for 10 seconds, which is perfect since you likely won’t stay on for longer than that. Cooldown of 30 seconds more or less aligns with [E] cooldown
  • Eye of Perception: additional AoE damage is appreciated, but with a cooldown of 12 – 8 seconds, encourages more proactive switches which may or may not always have an [E] available
  • Favonius Codex: energy recharge is always great, and CRIT is something Klee should be building anyways. However, due to the nature of [Q], not the best idea to build around it, but still an option
  • Skyward Atlas: great base stats and elemental damage, with a long lasting and high damaging passive that has a cooldown perfect for Klee
  • Solar Pearl: requires just 1 normal to get the bonus to [Q] and [E], and the damage bonus should persist even after switch
• Enabler
  • Same as Burst
• Support
  • Prototype Malice: the only way for Klee to get healing. Can use it relatively well due to innate energy gain, but a 60 energy cost means it’ll be less effective than the likes of Ningguang
  • Thrilling Tales: always a nice option, with a 30 second cooldown that aligns with Klee. 
  • Any of the other options work as well

ARTIFACTS

• Burst, Enabler, Support
  • 4 Crimson (Crit%/CDMG + ATK%/Energy% + Pyro%): since Klee has 2 charges of [E] initially, she can maintain 2 stacks when she switches in. However, unless another element is already applied, she won’t really feel the benefits of the extra reaction damage
  • 2 Crimson + 2 Gambler (Crit%/CDMG + ATK%/Energy% + Pyro%): Essentially 35% damage increase on her [E], her main Burst and Enabling skill. If you do go for this, try to get Gambler on your Flower or Timepiece to minimize the loss of stats because it’s a 4 star.
  • 4 Gambler (Crit%/CDMG + ATK%/Energy% + Pyro%): 20% extra damage with the added bonus of a reset on [E]. In practice, [E] won’t always be killing things, so this is mostly a gamble. Also not available at 5 stars.
  • 4 Lavawalker (Crit%/CDMG + ATK%/Energy% + Pyro%): Also essentially a 35% damage increase, but more conditional. Note that the first bounce of [E] won’t benefit from this. Otherwise, with the abundance of Pyro in her kit, this can be practically unconditional and possibly the most damaging set. 
  • The only “viable” artifacts for a Support Klee (heaven forbid) would be Maiden’s beloved with Malice, or exile/scholar for more energy recharge (capped at 4 star).

CONSIDERATIONS

• Be warned that Klee is intended to be a Main DPS like Keqing – an especially selfish one at that – so putting both on the same team will be splitting the spotlight between the two
• Overload is generally not a favorable reaction for Keqing because, despite the high damage, the knockback can be frustrating and cause you to miss damage or waste stamina chasing things around
• Her artifacts are pretty expensive as she builds like a DPS regardless of role. If you are investing so much resin into Klee that she has 5 star artifacts and perfect substats, you are severely limiting her potential by putting her as a Burst, Enabler, or Support. Unlike Anemo characters, Pyro units do not get access to a strong 4 piece regardless of stats in the form of Viridescent
• Overall not the worst character to pair with Keqing for when you’re forced to run both in Abyss, but treat her as a secondary DPS/Geo Cryo shieldbreaker. Be careful when comboing them together, as it can lead to some less than favorable result

Lisa (WIP)

Mona (WIP)

Ningguang (WIP)

Noelle (WIP)

Qiqi (WIP)

Razor (WIP)

Sucrose (Cola#4314)

Subcarry

• Adv
  • Loves Elemental Mastery – has the possibility to deal more Swirl damage late game compared to Venti given enough investment (theoretically speaking; need maths to prove this point. However, since Swirl is a transformative reaction, it scales with Level and EM only)
  • Due to high EM and sharing EM to the party, capable of increasing Melt/Vaporize to insane amounts of damage late game. Transformative reactions, such as electro-charged and overload benefits as well 
  • Require lower investment compared to Venti due to 4* being easier to C6 than 5*  
• Disadv
  • Long cooldown on E. Requires C1 and/or Sacrificial Fragment 
  • High energy cost on Q

Enabler

• Adv
  • Synergizes well with units like Klee: Sucrose E and Q sucks in Klee’s mines
  • Easiest unit to proc Swirl: her autoattacks are anemo damage by default
  • Q persistent effect allows for more reactions 
• Disadv
  • Q procs thrice during the duration only, compared to Venti’s more frequent application 

Support 

• Adv
  • Suspends enemies in the air with E, similar to Venti which allows Keqing to safely deal damage to enemies
  • Sucrose Q does not launch enemies too high up in the air, which allows Keqing to perform normal & charged combos with ease
  • Catalyst Conversion enables EM sharing if the swirled element matches the party member
  • C6 gives a party-wide 20% elemental DMG bonus matching the element infused into Q
  • Possibility to perform a secondary healing role with Prototype Malice
  • Possibility to increase DPS damage with Thrilling Tales of Dragon Slayer 
  • Can hold VV for elemental resistance reduction
• Disadv
  • Long cooldown on E. Requires C1 and/or Sacrificial Fragment 
  • High energy cost on Q

Weapon recommendations

• Prioritize Elemental Mastery as secondary stat 
• Weapons
  • Sacrificial Fragments
    • BiS for E resets
    • Combined with Constellation 1, long E cooldowns become less problematic
  • Thrilling Tales of Dragon Slayer
    • Best F2P option
    • Almost doubles the damage of your DPS in the early game 
  • Mappa Mare
    • Another great F2P option
    • Increases the damage of your elemental dmg 
  • Widsith
    • Early game isn’t that good but late game with full investment, allows for stronger e, q and swirl reactions. 
    • Better given to Mona, if you have Mona. 
  • Prototype Malice: 
    • Secondary healing and energy recharge for yourself and allies 
    • Do not rely on Sucrose/Malice as your only source of healing; her Q takes a lot of time to recharge 

Artifacts recommendations

• Prioritize Energy Recharge as a main stat
  • Aim for around 200-250%
• Elemental Mastery is another good stat to invest on
• If unlucky, ATK% is a decent option until you get access to ER, EM stats, due to Sucrose’s high dmg modifiers on E and Q 
• Sets 
  • Instructor
    • Early-Mid Game option
  • Viridescent Venerer
    • Late Game option
  • Noblesse Oblige
    • Late Game option
  • Maiden’s Beloved + Scholar/Exile:
    • Not BiS but is complementary to Prototype Malice
    • More of a meme set due to how infrequent Sucrose can trigger Malice effect 

Considerations

• She is still an inferior pick to Venti, however in the late game she stands as her own unique niche in that she allows for massive EM bonuses for your team, something that Venti doesn’t provide. 
• She can be quite underwhelming for players used to Venti due to Sucrose’s far longer cooldown/energy costs at constellation 0. Higher constellations somewhat solve these issues. 

Traveler (Anemo)

Traveler (Geo)

Venti

Subcarry

• Skyward Sonnet (E) – boasts high damage (278% at talent lv1) on a low cooldown (6s) combined with the fact that it (E) procs Swirl, it makes for a braindead combo for high DPS. Skill (E) can also be used to CC medium-small mobs.
• Wind’s Grand Ode (Q) – With a relatively low cost (60 energy), top tier CC, and its Elemental Absorption, it is an easy to use combo with any number of characters.
  • At Ascension 4, Wind’s Grand Ode will regenerate 15 energy for Venti, as well as any characters of the absorbed element.
• C2 and C4 greatly increase the Anemo damage dealt by Venti’s abilities
• (WIP) Link to Venti numbers sheet in TCL

Enabler

• As an Anemo character, Venti can only trigger Swirls which can extend an elemental aura’s duration on an enemy. 
• If an element is infused into his Q, it can act as a highly effective elemental aura since each tick of the ult has a unique ICD.

Support 

• Venti is a great VV holder. In combination with his Q, Venti can keep non-shielded or non-heavy enemies stunned in a vacuum for 8 seconds and apply elemental resistance reduction.
• Keep in mind that VV effect will only trigger (and continue to trigger) only if Venti is active on the field. 
• C6 is similar to the VV effect. If an element is infused into his Q, enemies affected will receive 20% decrease in the corresponding elemental resistance

Weapon recommendations

• The Stringless 
  • BiS due to 24% buff to elemental skill and burst damage and added EM which will make your swirls more powerful.
• Skyward Harp
  • BiS for DPS Venti. It’s the best bow in the game, what else is there to say?

Artifacts recommendations

• 4 Viridescent Venerer : Increases Swirl DMG by 60%. Decreases opponent’s Elemental RES to the element infused in the Swirl by 40% for 10s.
• 4 Noblesse Oblige : Using an Elemental Burst increases all party members’ ATK by 20% for 12s. This effect cannot stack.
• 2 Noblesse Oblige + 2 Viridescent Venerer : 15% increases Anemo dmg + 20% elemental burst dmg

Considerations

• Venti can fulfill Subcarry, Enabler, and Support roles effectively.
• It is recommended that you always use 4 Set VV on him.

Xiangling (WIP)

XingQiu by IonFox#8887

Subcarry

• Pros
  • Skill has a very high base multiplier and good for adding some burst damage before swapping away.
  • Applies 2 hits of Hydro; First can trigger a reaction while the second applies a hydro aura for the next character to use, further increasing burst.
• Cons
  • Skill has a relatively long cooldown of 21s.

Enabler

• Pros
  • Both his skill and ult apply multiple sources of hydro simultaneously, ensuring that Keqing will always have a hydro afflicted enemy to trigger Electro-charged.
  • Specifically for his ult, each wave has at least 2 Hydro swords, where the first will react with any existing element on the enemy and remove it if able by triggering a reaction, while the remainder apply fresh hydro auras.
• Cons
  • Is generally limited to a single target per set of swords.

Support

• Pros
  • Orbiting rain swords provide substantial damage reduction while they exist and moderate healing when they shatter/expire
  • His ult adds a large amount of extra offscreen DPS as Keqing attacks
• Cons
  • Rain swords cannot shatter while his ult is active, and thus will not heal for the whole duration, but will shatter and heal at the end
  • Healing is limited compared to other options (Barbara, Qiqi, Bennet, etc)
  • Ult damage is once again limited to a single target

Weapon Recommendations

• Any 4* or 5* Recharge Sword (Sacrificial Sword preferred)
• Lion’s Roar (to take advantage of electro status with Keqing)
• Harbinger of Dawn if you have insanely optimised artifact substats

Artifacts

• 4 Instructor: EM +80, After causing an elemental reaction, increases all party members’ Elemental Mastery by 120 for 8s.
• 2 Exile / 2 Scholar: Recharge +20%
• 2 Noblesse: Elemental Burst Damage +20%
• 4 Noblesse: Using Elemental Burst increases all party members’ attack by 20% for 12s. This effect does not stack. (BiS)

Considerations:

• Is an excellent all-round, highly synergistic member for a Keqing team, as an enabler and support with a little burst
• Will ensure Keqing triggers EC after every set of summoned swords. XQ himself may also be a trigger if Keqing attacks fast enough.
• XQ is good even at C0, but requires significant investment in terms of levels (Ascension 4), weapon, talents and even artifacts.

Zhongli (WIP)

Artifact/General Stat Optimisation 

Let’s preface this by first stating that every character will prioritise stat differently and even individuals building the same character will prioritise differently due to weapons, artifact set effects, and artifact stats/substats. What I will attempt to do is give you some general guiding principles so you can open up your stats page and correctly identify which stat should be invested in. 

I will NOT go into detail about optimising substats because this requires introducing the concept of a gear score which is above the level of this guide.

For a very well written deep dive guide behind the fundamental mechanics of stat optimisation, I recommend Robin’s Team Building Resources. Specifically, the “Stats/Mechanics” tab will honestly teach you EVERYTHING you need to know about stat prioritisation. I’m here to make it a little simpler and give guidance in the context of Keqing stat optimisation. I will provide you with examples of AR40+ KeqingMain players’ setups and give analysis to show you how to do the same for yourself. 

Definitions

You must first understand basic definitions before we talk about optimisation. You may find that other guides define some of these terms differently. I will not go super in depth. If you do not understand a concept, please go to Robin’s guide for clarification. 

• Base attack
  • The white number shown in your stat screen when you go to Attributes > Details
  • Weapon base attack + Character base attack
• Bonus attack
  • The green number shown in your stat screen
  • Consists of all the attack you gain from %atk multipliers, feather flat attack, and artifact flat attack substat
• %ATK
  • Multiplies your BASE attack (white number) to contribute to your BONUS attack (green number)
  • This includes sources from weapon passives like Lion’s Roar and Aquila Favonia.
  • This does not include flat attack sources such as your feather and artifact substats
  • Obtain by adding up all values of %ATK from your weapon, artifacts’ stat/substats, set effects, and pyro resonance if applicable
• %TotalATK
  • Since %ATK does not take into account the feather and artifact substats, we create a new value that takes everything into account.
  • A measure of how much your BASE attack has increased from all sources of attack in artifact stats/substats, artifact set effects, and weapons.
  • Obtain by dividing the green BONUS attack number by the white BASE attack number
    • %TotalATK =(Bonus Attack)(Base Attack)
• %DMG
  • If an effect has wording along the lines of increases damage then it belongs in this multiplier category
  • Examples include 4 Thundersoother set, Lion’s Roar, Aquila passive, elemental % damage in goblets, etc.
  • All sources of %DMG are additive meaning that in calculations, you will ADD them together
  • For example, if you had R1 Lion’s Roar and 4 Thundersoother set, you will receive a conditional 55%DMG bonus to electro debuffed units (20 from Roar added to 35 from 4TS)
• %CR (Crit Rate)
  • A chance to deal bonus dmg based on your %CD (crit damage)
  • There is no soft cap for CR. You can reach 100%. Refer here for evidence.
• %CD (Crit DMG)
  • Determines the amount of bonus dmg you deal when you crit
• %TotalCD
  • When you are calculating damage with regards to CR and CD, you have to consider 2 factors
    • Bonus damage from when you successfully crit
    • Normal damage from when you do not crit
  • To calculate the average damage dealt, simply multiple CR by CD
    • %TotalCD = %CR*%CD
  • %TotalCD is a more reliable measurement of how much you will increase your DPS compared to viewing %CR or %CD individually

The Fundamentals of Stat Optimisation or “MinMaxing”

All right, you might have actually read that wall of text. What is significant about those terms? When we are optimising or “minmaxing”, what we are really trying to do is answer this question.

• Which stat will increase my DPS by the greatest degree when upgraded? 

KEY CONSIDERATIONS

• GENERAL ORDER OF PRIORITY FOR ALL EQUIPS
  • PRIMARY STAT > ARTIFACT SET EFFECTS > SUBSTATS
• Just like in early-midgame prioritisation, you are likely to benefit more from artifacts with optimal primary stat (%ATK, %DMG, %CR, %CD) vs no set effect than a set effect with fewer or no optimal primary stats
  • There are a few exceptions like Viridescent Venerer.
• Worry about trying to match the ideal ratios described below when you actually have choices to pick from, not when you start farming artifacts at AR45. 
• You are gated by RNG
  • When you first hit AR45 and begin artifact farming, it is still reasonable to equip random 5* pieces with
    • Good primary stat
    • Mediocre or no substats
    • No set effects
  • It is a waste of resources and time to tunnel vision onto building up one character. You will benefit more by doing basic, guaranteed upgrades for the rest of your team (such as farming a 4 set Viridescent Venerer or levelling experience/weapons) over repeatedly rolling the dice for better substats.
  • Recommendation: 
    • Use the artifact-rater bot in the Discord to evaluate your pieces.
    • Use “-rate lvl=0” to check artifacts at level 0 (non-upgraded)
    • Any pieces rated >50% are useable for F2P/Casual and I suggest you be content with it and work on other gear. If you roll a better piece in the future, you can use the original piece as fodder while only losing 20% of the total exp.

If we ignore elemental mastery/reactions, these are the 3 stats that are directly used when calculating total damage done.

• %TotalATK
• %DMG
• %TotalCD

How did we arrive at this conclusion? Let’s look at the formula for damage calculation:

• Damage = (base attack * %ATK buffs + artifact flat ATK including feather) * skill damage multiplier * crit damage multiplier * (external bonus damage sources + %elemental/physical damage)
• %TotalATK is the purple component
• %DMG is the blue component
• %TotalCD is the red component
• The only other component is skill damage multiplier which is not modifiable with artifacts/weapons/set effects at the moment.
• As you can see, when we look at the big picture, there are 3 stats that we should focus on when determining which stat should be invested in.
• All 3 multipliers are equal***.
  • For example, if you have 0 in each stat, adding 10% into %TotalATK will give you the same DPS increase as adding 10% into %DMG.
  • ***However, when you have unequal amounts of each stat, adding 10% into one stat may give you a different DPS increase than if 10% was added into another stat. We will elaborate on this further. 

A Special Note on %DMG

• %DMG includes anything under (external bonus damage sources + %elemental/physical damage)
• Any multiplier in this category will stack ADDITIVELY
• Examples include, but are not limited to,
  • Lion’s Roar effect
  • Black Sword effect
  • Martial Artist set effects
  • Gladiator’s set effects
  • Food buffs
  • Thundersoothing set effects
  • Geo resonance
  • Elemental lotions
• For example,
  • If I am using a Lion’s Roar (+20% to enemies affected by pyro/electro with 2 set Martial Artist (+15% to normal and charged attacks), then my %DMG stat is increased by 35% (for normal/charged attacks).

The Concept of Diminishing Returns

Let me give you an adjusted dictionary definition, then show you how it relates to stat optimisation, and conclude by giving you an example.

• Definition in the context of damage calculation
  • If one stat in the damage formula is increased while all other stats are held fixed, a point will eventually be reached at which additions of that stat will yield progressively smaller, or diminishing, increases in DPS.
• Simple English
  • If you keep increasing only one of %TotalATK, %DMG or %TotalCD, you will reach a point where it results in relatively smaller increases to DPS.
• Example using a normal autoattack
  • You have 0% of every stat and have 100 base attack.
    • Original damage = 100 damage
  • You add 10%TotalATK
    • New Damage = (Base attack)(1+%TotalATK)(1+%DMG)(1+%TotalCD)
    • = (100)(1+0.10)(1 + 0)(1+0)
    • = (100)(1.10)(1)(1)
    • = 110 damage
  • So what’s your degree of DPS increase?
    • DPS increase =New Damage – Original DamageOriginal Damage* 100%
    • =110 – 100100 *100%
    • =10% increase in DPS
  • Now let’s pretend that you already have 100%TotalATK and choose to add another 10% into %TotalATK. What is your DPS increase? We calculate the damage done with 110%TotalATK and at 100%TotalATK and see the difference.
    • At 100%TotalATK,
      • Damage = (Base attack)(1+%TotalATK)
      • = 100*2.00
      • = 200 damage
    • At 110%TotalATK,
      • Damage = (Base attack)(1+%TotalATK)
      • = 100*2.10
      • = 210 damage
    • How much did DPS increase by?
      • DPS increase =New Damage – Original DamageOriginal Damage* 100%
      • =210 – 200200 *100%
      • =5% increase in DPS
  • So at 0%TotalATK, adding 10% gives a 10% increase in DPS, but at 100%TotalATK, we only get a 5% increase. 
  • But what if we took that 10% and invested it into %DMG instead?
    • At 100%TotalATK and 10%DMG
      • Damage = (Base attack)(1+%TotalATK)(1+%DMG)
      • =100*2.00*1.1
      • =220 damage
      • This is a 10% increase in DPS
    • Investing that 10% into %DMG allowed us to get a 10% increase instead of 5% if we put it into %TotalATK
  • Therefore, as you keep only increasing %TotalATK, you will have diminishing returns on increase to DPS.
• So what does that all mean???
  • It means that you need to invest in each stat equally and periodically re-examine the current state of your stats.

Let’s go back to the original optimisation question:

• Which stat will increase my DPS by the greatest degree when upgraded? 

To answer this question, you must calculate and compare the ratio of %TotalATK : %DMG : %TotalCD 

• The ideal ratio is %TotalATK : %DMG : %TotalCD = 1:1:1
• General Rule
  • If one of your stats is lower than the other 2, invest in that stat if possible.

But how do I invest in %TotalCD when it’s made up of %CD and %CR?

• I will not explain the math, but the ideal ratio is
  • %CR : %CD = 1:2
• Therefore, if you want to increase %TotalCD, increase whichever stat such that the end result gets you closer to 1:2.
  • However, once you reach 100% crit rate, this 1:2 ratio no longer applies because additional crit rate does nothing. Invest into crit damage.
  • Keqing is special because her Q gives +15%CR. We will discuss the ramifications of this later.

Special Considerations

• You are gated by RNG
  • When you first hit AR45 and begin artifact farming, it is still reasonable to equip random 5* pieces with
    • Good primary stat
    • Mediocre or no substats
    • No set effects
  • It is a waste of resources and time to tunnel vision onto building up one character. You will benefit more by doing basic, guaranteed upgrades for the rest of your team (such as farming a 4 set Viridescent Venerer or levelling experience/weapons) over repeatedly rolling the dice for better substats.
  • Recommendation: 
    • Use the artifact-rater bot in the Discord to evaluate your pieces.
    • Use “-rate lvl=0” to check artifacts at level 0 (non-upgraded)
    • Any pieces rated >50% are great for F2P/Casual and I suggest you use it and work on other gear. If you roll a better piece in the future, you can use the original piece as fodder while only losing 20% of the total exp.
• Elemental/physical resistance
  • Not all enemies take the same amount of damage from certain skills.
  • For example, the Electro Cicin Mage has 50% Electro resistance but only 10% resistance against other elements.
  • This means that if you have %electrodmg, a portion of your %DMG stat becomes less effective and the 1:1:1 ratio falls apart. 
• Scarcity of stats
  • Not all stats can be rolled on each artifact. Refer to this link.
  • For example,
    • Only the circlet can roll %CD or %CR primary line
    • Only the goblet can roll %electro/physdmg primary line
    • But %ATK primary stat can be rolled on circlet, goblet, and hourglass
  • CONSIDER RESERVING YOUR GOBLET SLOT TO BE YOUR “JOKER” PIECE
    • By this, I mean to build your set effects using your flower, feather, hourglass, and circlet.
    • Why? Because getting the correct line (%electrodmg or physdmg) is way harder on a goblet due to the bigger pool of possible stats.
  • This means that you must consider which stats to prioritise on certain artifacts. If you invest in a %ATK circlet, you are effectively locking yourself out of a significant source of %CD or %CR
  • %ATK is generally not hard to obtain which is why we start to invest into other stats in endgame.
• Keqing %CR and Q
  • Starting from Ascension 4, Keqing unlocks a talent where casting Q will increase your %CR by 15% for 8 seconds.
  • This is significant because Keqing doesn’t actually need to invest in %CR all the way to 100%.
  • Without food buffs, Keqing can stop investing in %CR at 85% and still have 100%CR most of the time.
  • You can gain a maximum of 20%CR from food. This means that Keqing could theoretically stop at 65%CR
  • This is insanely valuable because it opens up investment in %TotalATK, %DMG, and %CD. Your Q essentially acts as free stat allowing you to further optimise the rest of your stats.
• Keqing’s innate %CD growth (WIP)
  • Every character has a unique stat that is automatically upgraded at certain ascensions. Keqing gains %CD (list numbers here later)
  • This is significant because it means that Keqing is able to invest less stat into %CD in late endgame at 90/90. 
• Elemental Mastery
  • Elemental mastery is currently an unreliable stat for Keqing. Current testing shows that in solo play, EM may be better suited on supports who are actually triggering elemental reactions (and thus dmg calculations use support EM). 
  • Keqing doesn’t often trigger elemental reactions in solo play due to her high rate of application of electro debuff onto enemies. 
  • EM is more suitable for Vaporise/Melt carries like Diluc and Klee

How do I calculate and optimise my stats?

In the above sections, I’ve shown you everything that affects your total damage calculation in a vacuum without considering anything else. We currently have no dedicated testing dummy either to include more variables in a controlled manner. 

Follow these steps to calculate your own ratio for %TotalATK : %DMG : %TotalCD

You may choose to take screenshots of your gear for easier reference.

1. Ensure that you have no food buffs or Elemental resonance effects active or that you remember to take them into account in the calculation.
2. For %TotalATK
   1. Divide your BONUS (green number) attack by your BASE (white number) attack
   2. %TotalATK=Bonus (green)Base (white)*100%
   3. As a special note, %ATK passives from weapons such as Lion’s Roar or Aquila are already calculated into the BONUS attack so you do not add these
3. For %DMG
   1. Add up all sources of external bonus damage, %elemental/electrodmg OR %physicaldmg from all your gear and set effects.
   2. DO NOT ADD BOTH YOUR %ELE and %PHYS together 
      1. ELE and PHYS dmg are separate because there are no skills for Keqing that make sure of both at the same time. If you are dealing electro dmg, you do not get phys dmg bonuses and vice versa. (However, someone like Razor does benefit)
   3. Bonuses like 2 set martial artist (increased dmg for normal and charged attacks) are also added, but will only have an impact on those types of attacks
   4. Refer to the Special Note on %DMG section above for more examples
4. For %TotalCD
   1. Multiply %CR by %CD and divide by 100
   2. %TotalCD=%CR*%CD100

OK I have my ratio now what do I do about it???

Before you read this following section, you must understand that every player’s situation is different. You might be an outlier in which this information does not apply. However, I am confident that this advice is relevant to 90+% of players who are trying to build Keqing

• Check which number is the lowest. That is the stat from which you will have the most relative gain in DPS. 
• My %ATK is too low!
  • Although there is a low chance this happens in endgame, it may mean that you don’t have any artifacts or weapons or bonuses adding to your %ATK.
  • It is generally recommended that the hourglass is used for %ATK because it doesn’t have any special stats in the primary line that can’t be rolled on other pieces
  • If you already have %ATK on your hourglass, you may need to find different Flowers or Feathers with more %ATK substat.
  • Consider that Constellation 4 Keqing gains +25%ATK upon triggering a reaction (easy in coop, harder in solo)
• My %DMG is too low!
  • First, please check if you have correctly added up ALL sources of bonus dmg so refer to the section above and DOUBLE CHECK. It wouldn’t be good to make adjustments to your gear based on an INCORRECT ratio
  • Does your 5* goblet already have maxed %eledmg or %physdmg?
    • No: then max it out or switch to an appropriate goblet that has the right primary stat
    • Yes: The only other sources are set effects and weapon effects. 
      • A Keqing using R1 Lion’s Roar (20%), electro goblet (46.6%), and 4TS (35%) will max out at 121.6%DMG. It is not possible to get more than this unless you have Constellation 6 
• My %TotalCD is too low!
  • There are 2 possible issues
    • You just don’t have enough %CR or %CD in general.
    • You are “crit split”, meaning that your ratio of %CR : %CD is far from 1:2
  • How do I know what to add?
    • I present to you Maygi’s Circlet Optimiser
  • Please consider that although you can get %CD or %CR substat on other artifact pieces, the only piece that you can obtain primary stat %CD or %CR from is the circlet.
• Therefore, MOST OF THE TIME, these are the appropriate primary stats for each piece
  • Hourglass: %ATK
  • Goblet: %ele/physDMG
  • Circlet: %CD or %CR
• NOTE: This advice is not guaranteed depending on your substat rolls.
  • For example, my 5* feather got a really lucky roll and I have ~35% crit damage from its substats. 
  • When I calculate my ratio in later stages of endgame, I actually may be able to replace my circlet with a stat that is not %CD or %CR if I can maintain 65-85% CR and my Keqing ascensions give me enough innate growth of %CD

Sample Optimisation of an AR44 AutoKeq Build

The following stats are from Cenpi running all 5* pieces and current “endgame” gear. We will dissect his stats, calculate his ratio, and see what he needs to do to improve his gear.

Stats

• Base ATK: 734
• Total ATK: 1579
• %ATK: 61.2
• %TotalATK: 115.12
• %DMG: 113.3
• %CR: 59.3
• %CD: 164.3
• %TotalCD: 97.4

His ratio is

• %TotalATK : %DMG : %TotalCD = 115% : 113.3% : 97.4%

Significance

• This means that Cenpi would benefit more from investing in %TotalCD over %TotalATK and %DMG
• Generally, Cenpi is close to dealing the maximum amount of damage possible with the stat that they have (if we ignore the discrepancy in %CR:%CD).
• There were concerns raised by people over the possible “overinvestment” of stat into the %DMG category for the 4TS build. This sample build shows that even though the %physdmg goblet adds 58.3% into %DMG as opposed to %electrodmg goblet adding 46.6% into %DMG, it’s still within optimal ratio range and lower than %TotalATK.

Sample Optimisation of an AR41 AutoKeq Build

Stats

• Base ATK: 875
• Total ATK: 2233
• %ATK: 113.2
• %TotalATK: 155.14
• %DMG: 72.2
• %CR: 24.8
• %CD: 188.4
• %TotalCD: 46.72

His ratio is

• %TotalATK : %DMG : %TotalCD = 155.14% : 72.2% : 46.7%

Significance

• This player has uneven ratios which means that if he continues adding stat into %TotalATK and %DMG, he will not get as much of a DPS increase than if he invested into %TotalCD.
• This player is using a 62.2%CD circlet. What if they replaced it with the equivalent in %CR? The maximum %CR on a circlet is 31.1%CR. 
• The new values would be 55.9%CR and 126.2%CD. Let’s see how this changes %TotalCD
  • New %TotalCD = 70.5%
  • Old %TotalCD = 46.72%
  • If we compare hypothetical damage, we must use (1 + 0.705) and (1 + 0.4672). 
  • 1.705/1.4672 = 16.2% hypothetical increase in damage
• Just by changing his circlet, he will have increased his theoretical DPS by 16.2% 
• This shows the importance of knowing stat ratios and how they affect your damage.

Sample Optimisation of an AR43 ElectroQueen Build

Stats

• Base ATK: 875
• Total ATK: 2147
• %ATK: 106.8
• %TotalATK: 145.37
• %DMG: 61.6 (note, we do not include phys% because this is an electro build)
• %CR: 43.9
• %CD: 176
• %TotalCD: 77.26

His ratio is

• %TotalATK : %DMG : %TotalCD = 145.37% : 64.6% : 77.26%

Significance

• Let’s talk about the lowest value first: %DMG. 
  • In a 2G/2TF set, the maximum %electrodmg you can obtain is 64.6% unless you get a weapon that gives you additional dmg bonuses that apply to electro (ie Lion’s Roar)
• Currently, this means that our player literally CANNOT invest in the stat that gives him the biggest return in DPS. There is no other piece that can roll %electrodmg and it is not available as a substat
• Our player is currently transitioning to 4TS where he will  have a net gain +20%dmg (subtracting 4TS 35%dmg from 2TF 15%) for a new maximum of 84.6%dmg.
• This is a classic example of why 2G/2TF does not scale as well into late game. 2G/2TF can function well as a transitory set.
• Our player is also “crit-split” since his ratio of %CR to %CD is 1:4 right now. His DPS will increase if he reinvests the %CD stat into %CR such that it is closer to 1:2. Once he does Ascension 5 at AR50, he will gain free %CD on Keqing so it is even more value from him to take out %CD and give it to %CR

AutoKeq Showcase

LVL80 (WL5) Wolf

LVL80 (WL6) Dvalin

AR45 Midsummer Domain with Thundersoother

Abyss 9-1 Thundersoother 

ElectroQueen Showcase

Abyss 12-3-1 2TF/2G Showcase 

Abyss 12-3 2TF/2NO Showcase

LVL80 (WL5) Dvalin

Abyss 7 Thundersoother