Best Kirara builds in Genshin Impact

Kirara is a 4-star Dendro shielder in Genshin Impact who transforms into a box upon using her Skill. Whether you just want a strong shield or run around as a little cat-box, here are Kirara’s best weapons and artifacts to suit any playstyle!

Best builds for shield support Kirara

Kirara creates a shield with her Skill, and it’s actually quite strong if you build for it. Here’s what you need to make your Kirara a bulky, flexible shield support unit in Genshin Impact.

First, equip any HP or Energy Recharge weapon. Key of Khaj-Nisut has the highest HP stat of any Sword in Genshin Impact, but it’s not worth it to pull a 5-star weapon for Kirara. Instead, I recommend The Dockhand’s Assistant (if you happen to have it) or Favonius Sword. 

As for artifact sets, 2pc Tenacity of the Millelith and 2pc Vourukasha’s Glow will result in the highest HP bonus, and therefore the strongest shield for Kirara. If you don’t want to farm for either of the 2pc sets, you can substitute it with 2pc Emblem of Severed Fate or 2pc Deepwood Memories. 

Kirara’s artifact main stats should be HP/HP/HP for the strongest shield. If you want to use her Burst more often, you can opt for an Energy Recharge sands instead of HP. But in general, if all you care about is Kirara’s shield strength, I recommend HP stats all the way. Your substats should focus on HP%, flat HP, and Energy Recharge. If you’re using Favonius Sword, build some CRIT Rate to help proc its passive effect.

How to play shield support Kirara

Kirara generates a shield when you tap her Skill button, which persists even when Kirara is off-field. Tap Kirara’s Skill, and then switch to your teammates. Her shield absorbs damage and provides interruption resistance for 12 seconds or until it’s broken. You can use her Burst, too, if you have the Energy for it, but Kirara’s Burst is optional.

If you have Kirara’s Constellation 2, you can shield your co-op teammates, too. This takes some field time, but this isn’t an issue in co-op. To shield your co-op teammates, hold Kirara’s Skill, and then run into your teammates. 

Best builds for DPS Kirara

If you don’t want your Kirara to be a pure support, you can choose to build her to deal damage instead. For Spread or Hyperbloom teams, this means building CRIT Rate and CRIT DMG and pair her with an Electro teammate. DPS Kirara isn’t strong, by any means, but it is a fun way to play her.

Kirara can use any weapon that provides CRIT, ATK, Energy Recharge, or Elemental Mastery. If you want to get any damage out of Kirara in Spread teams, I recommend the 5-star Primordial Jade Cutter or any other 5-star CRIT Sword. If you only have 4-star options, try Wolf-Fang or consider a support build instead.

Artifacts should focus on CRIT, ATK, and Energy Recharge. DPS Kirara should equip the 4pc Deepwood Memories artifact set, unless she has a teammate who can equip it instead. If one of her teammates has 4pc Deepwood Memories, then Kirara can use 4pc Gilded Dreams or mix and match sets that provide Dendro DMG, Elemental Mastery, and Energy Recharge.

How to play DPS Kirara

DPS Kirara uses both her Skill and Burst to deal Dendro damage to enemies. Make sure you have an Electro teammate to trigger Quicken on enemies. Then, once enemies are affected by Electro or Quicken, switch to Kirara, use her Burst, then hold down her Skill. Run around and bump into enemies to deal damage to them. Once Kirara’s Skill ends, she’ll transform back into her humanoid form, and you can switch to your teammates to restart your rotation.

Best builds for Kirara with Nilou

For Nilou Bloom teams, Kirara should lean fully into Elemental Mastery. CRIT doesn’t matter for Bloom damage, so you can ignore CRIT Rate and CRIT DMG. HP substats are beneficial, though, since they will help you protect against self-damage from Blooms.

As for weapons, equip any Sword that grants Elemental Mastery. While Freedom-Sworn is the best option for Kirara’s Bloom damage, I actually recommend the more accessible 4-star Iron Sting. It’s a more economical choice that still serves Kirara well.

How to play Kirara in Nilou teams

Kirara in Nilou Bloom teams functions similarly to DPS Kirara in Spread teams. Use Nilou’s Skill to activate her passive, swap through your other teammates, then switch to Kirara. Use Kirara’s Burst, then hold down her Skill button. Bump into enemies to apply Dendro and trigger as many Blooms as possible.

Remember that Kirara cannot use Normal Attacks while in her box form. This means your teammates should not rely on Normal Attacks to proc their effects. This makes Barbara a better option than Yelan for these teams. Xingqiu won’t be able to use his Sword Rain attacks, but his orbitals can still passively apply Hydro as Kirara runs around.