Source: HoYoverse
Ready to grapple your way across the blazing nation of Natlan with Kinich? Here’s how you build him.
Kinich is a well-known and well-respected Saurian Hunter from the Scions of the Canopy tribe, and is one of seven warriors tasked to finally take down the Night Kingdom once and for all. But besides being one of the destined few to save Natlan, Kinich is a formidable warrior who can take on any challenge with his lightning-quick attacks. We’ll throw a bone in for his “Dragonlord” Ajaw too.
Kinich is a 5-star character that wields the Dendro element and uses a claymore as his weapon, but don’t be fooled by the obvious heavy weapon choice – Kinich is one of the quickest attackers in Genshin Impact thanks to his skill Canopy Hunter: Riding High.
Upon unleashing this skill, Kinich will move quickly or attack. If there's an opponent or object nearby, Kinich will attach a grappling hook and enter the Nightsoul's Blessing State with 0 points. If not, he shoots the hook forward and swings, with a 60% cooldown and the ability to shoot out a grappling hook a second time while consuming Phlogiston. Holding the skill lets Kinich aim the hook before releasing it.
Upon entering his Nightsoul’s Blessing State, Kinich will generate 2 Nightsoul Points every second and will hook onto a nearby opponent to attack in two ways:
- Normal Attack: Kinich will fire Loop Shots around his targeted opponent based on his movement, dealing Dendro DMG and generating 3 Nightsoul Points in the process. Loop Shots are then considered as Elemental Skill DMG,
- And when Nightsoul Points are full, Kinich will be able to unleash the “Scalespiker Cannon”, which consumes all collected Points to deal Nightsoul-aligned Dendro DMG. Holding this skill allows Kinich to aim, and after firing, try to grapple the target.
While in the Nightsoul's Blessing State, after grappling an opponent or firing "Scalespiker Cannon," a Blind Spot appears next to the opponent. Entering it makes the Blind Spot disappear and gives Kinich 4 additional Nightsoul points. If the grapple breaks due to distance or after being interrupted, using a Normal Attack will allow Kinnich to reconnect to a nearby opponent and continue firing his Loop Shots.
Kinnich’s burst on the other hand, Hail To The Almighty Dragonlord, will give his Saurian “companion” Ku’hul Ajaw the chance to shine on a “limited, conditional, restricted, contractual, partial, temporary” basis. Allowing this pixelated bundle of ego to deal Nightsoul-aligned AoE Dendro DMG, afterwhich dealing Dragon Breath AoE Dendro DMG at intervals.
If Kinich is in Nightsoul’s Blessing when his burst is unleashed, the Blessing’s duration is extended by a further 1.7 seconds.
In this regard, talent ascension priority for Kinich should be: Skill, Burst, Normal Attacks. You can opt to retain Normal Attacks at lower levels since Kinich’s DMG does not rely on NAs.
Kinich’s Night Realm’s Gift Passive on the other hand, will allow him to redeploy his grappling hook while in the air, consuming 10 Phlogiston points in the process. While his Nightsoul Transmission is as follows:
Within Natlan, when the current active Natlan character is sprinting, in special movement states, or in the air, switching to Kinich triggers one of these actions:
- If facing a Coilgrass Sigil: He fires a grappling hook to move.
- If near enemies in combat: He uses Canopy Hunter: Riding High towards them.
- Otherwise: He swings, prioritising Coilgrass Sigils.
Nightsoul Transmission can be triggered every 10 seconds by your party. When interacting with Coilgrass Sigils or Yumkasaurs' items, Kinich’s skill changes to Yumkasaur Mimesis, following Yumkasaur rules without using the skill’s cooldown.
Thanks to Kinich’s A1 passive, The Price of Desolation, he works well in teams that prioritise the Burning or Burgeon reaction. When Kinich is in his Nightsoul’s Blessing State, opponents that are affected by his skill will enter the Desolation state, and when affected by Burning or Burgeon DMG, will restore 7 Nightsoul Points for Kinich once every 0.8 seconds. The Desolation state will last until Kinich’s Nightsoul Blessing State ends.
Kinich's best gear and teams
Thanks to his A1 passive, Kinich’s gear should be tailored towards providing maximum effect for the Burning and Burgeon reaction.
For weapons, your best bet is obviously his signature 5-star claymore Fang of the Mountain King, but you can also go for these alternatives:
- Beacon of the Reed Sea (gacha) - If you pulled for Dehya and her weapon, then you’re pretty lucky! This rare 5-star claymore that has yet to see the light of day after its first run is your next best option for Kinich. Beacon of the Reed Sea ascends with Crit Rate and focuses on buffing an equipping character’s Elemental Skill and ATK.
- Serpent Spine (battlepass) - if you’re a veteran Genshin Impact player, we’re pretty sure you have Serpent Spine at max refinement already. This claymore ascends with Crit Rate and increases your DMG, but with a catch. You will be able to deal 6% more DMG, but in turn will be susceptible to taking 3% more DMG. The effect has a maximum of 5 stacks and will not reset even if the equipping character leaves the field. You will however, lose a stack when the equipping character takes DMG.
- Earth Shaker (Natlan craftable) - this 4 star weapon ascends with ATK and is tailored to providing a 16% Elemental Skill DMG increase for 8s when a Pyro-related reaction is triggered by any of your party members. Additionally, the increase can be activated even when the triggering party member is not active on the field.
For Artifacts, you should go for:
- Obsidian Codex- an artifact set designed for Natlan characters. The Obsidian Codex set at 2pc will increase DMG dealt by 15% while the equipping character is in the Nightsoul’s Blessing State, while the 4-pc set will increase Crit Rate by 40% for 6s when the equipping character consumes 1 nightsoul point. This effect can trigger once every second.
- Unfinished Reverie - more focused on Kinich’s DMG capability, Unfinished Reverie will provide an 18% ATK increase at 2-piece, and at 4-piece will: increase DMG by 50% after being out of combat for 3s. In combat, if no Burning enemies are nearby for over 6 seconds, the damage bonus decreases by 10% per second until it reaches 0%. If there is a Burning enemy, the bonus increases by 10% per second, up to 50%. This effect works even if the character is off-field.
Main stats to gun for are: ATK Sands, Dendro DMG Goblet, and Crit Rate/Crit DMG Circlet. For substats, gun for ATK, ATK%, Crit Rate, Crit DMG, and ER.
For teams, your best option is to slot Kinich in with characters who can work best with Burning or Burgeon. This will include a secondary Dendro Support like Nahida, Emilie, Baizhu, or Yao Yao, and a Pyro off-field applicator and support like Dehya, Bennett, or Xiangling. If you’re gunning for Burgeon, you will need a Hydro unit like Yelan or Xingqiu in your party.