Role: On-Field Hydro DPS / Hydro Driver
Best For: Players who want consistent Hydro damage, fast Normal Attack gameplay, and a flexible DPS who can work in many reaction teams.
1. Recommended Artifacts
4-Piece Heart of Depth — A reliable general-purpose set for Ayato. Using his Elemental Skill activates the set’s Normal Attack damage bonus, which directly benefits the rapid Hydro attacks that make up most of his on-field damage.
Alternative: 4-Piece Gladiator’s Finale or 4-Piece Echoes of an Offering — Gladiator’s Finale is particularly convenient if you already have strong pieces. Echoes of an Offering can also perform very well, although its effectiveness can be affected by higher latency.
2. Recommended Weapons
Premium: Haran Geppaku Futsu
Alternatives: Primordial Jade Cutter, Mistsplitter Reforged, The Black Sword
F2P: Kagotsurube Isshin
Haran Geppaku Futsu is Ayato’s signature weapon and provides CRIT Rate, Elemental DMG, and a Normal Attack bonus that fits his Elemental Skill playstyle. Kagotsurube Isshin is a useful F2P option obtained through Kazuha’s Story Quest and provides ATK without requiring Wishes.
3. Recommended Teams
Hypercarry: Ayato + Furina + Kazuha + Bennett
Hyperbloom: Ayato + Nahida + Kuki Shinobu + Fischl
Electro-Charged: Ayato + Fischl + Beidou + Kazuha
Ayato is unusually flexible because he provides frequent Hydro application while dealing his own on-field damage. He can work in Hyperbloom, Electro-Charged, Vaporize, Freeze, Mono Hydro, and several other team archetypes depending on the characters available.
4. Main Stats / Substats
Sands: ATK%
Goblet: Hydro DMG Bonus
Circlet: CRIT Rate or CRIT DMG
Substats: CRIT Rate / CRIT DMG > ATK% > Energy Recharge as needed > HP%
Ayato primarily wants the usual offensive combination of ATK, Hydro DMG, and CRIT. Energy Recharge becomes more important when you want to use his Burst every rotation, so its exact priority depends on the team and whether another Hydro character is helping generate Energy.
5. Playstyle
Use Ayato’s Elemental Burst when available, activate his Elemental Skill, and then hold or repeatedly press Normal Attack to unleash his rapid Shunsuiken Hydro strikes. His Elemental Skill is the main focus of his on-field DPS playstyle.
Once the Skill window ends, switch to your supports and prepare the next rotation rather than keeping Ayato on-field unnecessarily. His Burst can continue applying Hydro over a large area while Ayato is off-field, giving him additional utility beyond his personal damage.
6. F2P
Ayato works well without a 5-star weapon. Kagotsurube Isshin is permanently obtainable through Kazuha’s Story Quest and provides useful ATK for his standard on-field build.
He also has many accessible team options because Hydro interacts with so many elements. Instead of chasing his signature weapon first, focus on a strong artifact set, balanced CRIT stats, and teammates that can continue dealing damage or enabling reactions during his Skill window.
StoryBillion Tip: Ayato’s Elemental Skill window is short, so prepare your teammates’ buffs and off-field abilities before switching to him. Once everything is active, use his Skill and spend that window continuously attacking instead of interrupting it with unnecessary character swaps.
