The best builds for Cyno in Genshin Impact

The best Genshin Impact Cyno build is all about buffing the General Mahamatra’s Electro damage, making him an absolute terror on the battlefield⁠—kind of what you’d expect from the Akademiya’s chief enforcer and a guy who goes around wearing a jackal on his head. 

Cyno is a bit like if you crossed Xiao with Razor, combining the former’s speedy dashes with an Electro super-state that lets him slash away at enemies with Electro claws like the latter. But Cyno is a lot stronger than Razor. Once he unlocks his Featherfall Judgement passive, he can activate his skill at specific intervals during the burst to create powerful Electro AoEs and fire off Duststalker Bolts at enemies.

Going even further, his Authority Over the Nine Bows passive grants him a Raiden Shogun-esque effect whereby his elemental mastery buffs his normal attack damage and those Duststalker Bolts. It’s a whole lot of powerful effects stacked on top of each other. In this Genshin Impact Cyno build guide, I’ll run through some of your options for building him, as well as providing info on his abilities, ascension materials, and how to get him.

Builds

The best Genshin Impact Cyno build

Cyno is an Electro damage-dealer who can dash with his Chasmic Soulfarer elemental skill, and enters a super-state with his burst where he attacks with claws infused with Electro. Once you unlock his Featherfall Judgement and Authority Over the Nine Bows passives, his elemental skill will gain a special damage effect when in that state, and he’ll get increased damage based on his elemental mastery. 

As such, it’s important to build Cyno’s Electro damage capabilities and elemental mastery. 

Weapon: Staff of the Scarlet Sands or Primordial Jade-Winged Spear

Similar to Engulfing Lightning for the Raiden Shogun, Cyno’s five-star weapon, Staff of the Scarlet Sands, is basically a secondary version of the effect that he already gets from his Authority Over the Nine Bows passive. The weapon buffs crit rate, and converts 52% of a character’s elemental mastery into bonus attack. When Cyno lands his elemental skill, the Dream of the Scarlet Sands effect adds a further 28% of elemental mastery as attack for ten seconds, stacking up to three times.

Considering you’ll be using Cyno’s elemental skill at intervals during his burst to activate the powerful Judgement effect, this stacking buff will be extremely strong. Another option is the five-star Primordial Jade-Winged Spear. This weapon also boosts crit rate, and increases attack by 3.2% when you hit, stacking up to six times. When you get full stacks, damage is increased by 12%. This should provide a lot of utility for Cyno, who’ll be hitting fast most of the time.

In terms of four-star options, Deathmatch is a pretty good substitute, buffing crit rate and increasing attack or defense based on the number of nearby enemies. A three-star option could even be White Tassel, since it also increases crit rate and normal attack damage; two things which are useful for Cyno.

Artifacts: (4) Thundering Fury or (4) Gladiator’s Finale

Since Cyno’s Pactsworn Pathclearer burst state infuses his attacks with Electro and lets him use his elemental skill to deal big Electro damage, you’ll understandably want to buff his Electro output. Two pieces of Thundering Fury increase Electro damage by 15%, while four-pieces boosts the damage caused by Electro elemental reactions.

When these reactions are triggered, elemental skill cooldown is decreased by one second. Considering you’re going to be building Cyno with elemental mastery for that passive damage buff he gets, this is a great way of also strengthening any reactions you cause, and letting Cyno use his skill more.

That said, if you want to focus purely on attack, you can also do that with Gladiator’s Finale, buffing attack by 18% for two-pieces, and normal attack damage by 35%. You could also mix and match between the two. For stats, you’ll want an artifact with an Electro damage bonus substat, then elemental mastery, attack, and crit damage to take advantage of your weapon’s crit rate increase when you’re not causing reactions.

How to unlock

How to get Cyno in Genshin Impact

You can wish for Cyno through his banner, Twilight Arbiter. This released on September 28 alongside Venti‘s rerun banner, and will run for about three weeks until October 17, when Nilou will take his place. Cyno’s banner features the new character Candace as a featured four-star, as well as Kuki Shinobu and Sayu. 

Abilities

Cyno’s abilities 

Here are Cyno’s abilities, passives, and constellations:

Ascension materials

(Image credit: miHoYo)

Cyno’s Ascension materials 

Character

Both Thunderclap Fruitcores and Vajrada Amethysts are dropped by Electro Regisvines, though the latter is also rewarded when defeating the Electro Hypostases and Thunder Manifestation. You’ll also need: 

ScarabsDivining/Sealed/Forbidden Curse Scrolls

You can find Scarabs all across the new desert region of Sumeru, but particularly around the Mausoleum of King Deshet. Scroll items, on the other hand, are a potential drop for defeating Samachurl enemies.

Talents

You’ll need the following items to level up Cyno’s talents:

Divining/Sealed/Forbidden Curse ScrollsAdmonition scrollsMudra of the Malefic GeneralCrown of Insight

As mentioned above the Divining, Sealed, and Forbidden Curse Scrolls are dropped by Samachurls while Admonition scrolls are rewarded for completing the Steeple of Ignorance domain on Mondays, Thursdays, and Sundays.

Meanwhile, Mudra of the Malefic General is a possible reward from the Guardian of Eternity weekly boss and the Crown of Insight is a seasonal event reward. The latter also comes from upgrading the Frostbearing Tree in Dragonspine, the Sacred Sakura in Inazuma, or the Lumenstone Adjuvant in The Chasm. 

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