Genshin Impact Yelan best build, Talent and Ascension materials, team, and weapon
Everything you need to know about Yelan in Genshin Impact.
Yelan is a 5-Star Hydro character who was added to Genshin Impact during the 2.7 update.
While Yelan is featured as the boosted 5-Star character in her Discerner of Enigmas Banner in version 4.8, but she will eventually return at some point in the future when the Banner schedule cycles back to her.
Whether you have her, or want to prepare for if you do Wish for her successfully, it's good to know the best Yelan build in Genshin Impact, including her best Artifacts and best team. It's also handy to learn what her Constellations are, and what Yelan Talent materials and Ascension materials are needed to level up Yelan to her full potential.
On this page:
Yelan materials and stats:
Be sure to also check out our beginner's guide with tips and tricks, and Genshin Impact codes page to get free Primogems that can be used towards unlocking Yelan and other characters.
Genshin Impact Yelan Talents, skills, star, element, and weapon
Yelan is a 5-Star Hydro archer with high sub DPS (damage per second) and swift movement speed, who also has the potential to be used in a pure DPS role.
Here's a summary of Yelan's abilities and stats in Genshin Impact:
- Element: Hydro.
- Rarity: 5-Star.
- Weapon: Bow.
- Banner: Discerner of Enigmas.
- Best build: Sub DPS.
- Normal Attack: Stealthy Bowshot.
- Elemental Skill: Lingering Lifeline.
- Elemental Burst: Depth-Clarion Dice.
- Passive one: Adapt With Ease (active characters damage increases over time while the Dice are active).
- Passive two: Turn Control (causes Yelan's Max HP to be increased based on the number of Elemental Types that are present in the party).
- Expedition bonus: Necessary Calculation (gains increased rewards when dispatched on a Liyue Expedition for 20 hours).
Yelan Normal Attack: Stealthy Bowshot
Yelan goes into a Breakthrough state after a short time out of combat, which causes her next charged aimed shot to have decreased charge time. Once charged, she can fire a Breakthrough Barb that will deal AOE (area of effect) Hydro damage.
Yelan Elemental Skill: Lingering Lifeline
Tapping or holding down the skill button allows Yelan to move rapidly, marking opponents along her path. When her rapid movement ends, her Lifeline will explode, dealing Hydro damage to marked targets. Yelan has a chance to reset her Breakthrough state based on the number of opponents marked.
Yelan Elemental Burst: Depth-Clarion Dice
This powerful move causes AOE Hydro damage and creates Wondrous Dice which aids Yelan or any active character in battle. The dice follows the selected character and will initiate a coordinated attack when your active character uses a Normal Attack and when Lifeline explodes and hits opponents.
Genshin Impact Yelan Talent materials
To get the most out of using Yelan, you will have to level her skills up by using Talent materials, which vary from character-to-character.
For Yelan, you'll need to farm a lot of Insignia and Prosperity materials (if you don't already have them) to fully upgrade her capabilities.
As Yelan has three Talents, you will have to spend three times the Talent materials listed below to fully upgrade all of her abilities, which we've also detailed below the table.
Here's what Yelan Talent materials you need to improve one of her abilities:
| Yelan Talent level | Talent materials | Mora cost |
|---|---|---|
| Level 2 | x3 Teachings of Prosperity, x6 Recruit's Insignia | 12,500 |
| Level 3 | x2 Guide to Prosperity, x3 Sergeant's Insignia | 15,500 |
| Level 4 | x4 Guide to Prosperity, x4 Sergeant's Insignia | 25,000 |
| Level 5 | x6 Guide to Prosperity, x6 Sergeant's Insignia | 30,000 |
| Level 6 | x9 Guide to Prosperity, x9 Sergeant's Insignia | 37,500 |
| Level 7 | x4 Philosophies of Prosperity, x4 Lieutenant's Insignia, x1 Gilded Scale | 120,000 |
| Level 8 | x8 Philosophies of Prosperity, x6 Lieutenant's Insignia, x1 Gilded Scale | 260,000 |
| Level 9 | x12 Philosophies of Prosperity, x9 Lieutenant's Insignia, x2 Gilded Scales | 450,000 |
| Level 10 | x16 Philosophies of Prosperity, x12 Lieutenant's Insignia, x2 Gilded Scales, x1 Crown of Insight | 700,000 |
Here's what Talent Materials you'll need to fully upgrade one of Yelan's skills:
- x1 Crown of Insight
- x3 Teachings of Prosperity
- x6 Recruit's Insignia
- x6 Gilded Scale
- x21 Guide to Prosperity
- x22 Sergeant's Insignia
- x31 Lieutenant's Insignia
- x38 Philosophies to Prosperity
- 1,652,500 Mora
To upgrade all three of Yelan's skills, here's all the Talent Materials you'll need:
- x3 Crown of Insight
- x9 Teachings of Prosperity
- x18 Recruit's Insignia
- x18 Gilded Scale
- x63 Guide to Prosperity
- x66 Sergeant's Insignia
- x93 Lieutenant's Insignia
- x114 Philosophies to Prosperity
- 4,957,500 Mora
Genshin Impact Yelan Ascension materials
Just like Talents, you need to use Yelan's Ascension materials to upgrade her health, attack, defence, and critical hit effectiveness.
You need to farm a lot of Starconch and Insignia materials for Yelan (if you don't already have them) to fully upgrade her capabilities.
Unlike Talent materials, you only need to spend the below Ascension materials once to fully raise Yelan to her highest character level. There is also Acquaint Fate rewarded for reaching certain Ascension levels. You can spend this Fate on the standard and beginner Banners to Wish for characters and weapons.
Here's what Yelan Ascension materials you need to upgrade each Ascension level:
| Yelan Ascension level | Ascension materials | Mora cost | Ascension reward |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level 20 | x1 Varunada Lazurite Silver, x3 Starconch, x3 Recruit's Insignia | 20,000 | x1 Acquaint Fate |
| Level 40 | x3 Varunada Lazurite Fragment, x2 Runic Fang, x10 Starconch, x15 Recruit's Insignia | 40,000 | None |
| Level 50 | x6 Varunada Lazurite Fragment, x4 Runic Fang, x20 Starconch, x12 Sergeant's Insignia | 60,000 | x1 Acquaint Fate |
| Level 60 | x3 Varunada Lazurite Chunk, x8 Runic Fang, x30 Starconch, x18 Sergeant's Insignia | 80,000 | None |
| Level 70 | x6 Varunada Lazurite Chunk, x12 Runic Fang, x45 Starconch, x12 Lieutenant's Insignia | 100,000 | x1 Acquaint Fate |
| Level 80 | x6 Varunada Lazurite Gemstone, x20 Runic Fang, x60 Starconch, x24 Lieutenant's Insignia | 120,000 | None |
In total, here's all Yelan Ascension Materials in Genshin Impact:
- x1 Varunada Lazurite Sliver
- x6 Varunada Lazurite Gemstone
- x9 Varunada Lazurite Fragment
- x9 Varunada Lazurite Chunk
- x18 Recruit's Insignia
- x30 Sergeant's Insignia
- x36 Lieutenant's Insignia
- x46 Runic Fang
- x168 Starconch
- 420,000 Mora
Genshin Impact Yelan Constellations
By getting duplicates of Yelan from wishing on Banners, you will receive her Stella Fortuna. This material allows you to unlock Constellation levels, with each upgrade either improving an existing Talent or Passive ability.
Here are all of Yelan's Constellations in Genshin Impact:
- Enter the Plotters (C1): Lingering Lifeline gains one additional charge.
- Taking All Comers (C2): When Exquisite Throw conducts a coordinated attack, it fires an additional water arrow that deals 14% of Yelan's Max HP as Hydro damage. It can trigger once every 1.8 seconds.
- Beware the Trickster's Dice (C3): Increases the Level of Depth-Clarion Dice by three, with a maximum upgrade level of 15.
- Bait-and-Switch (C4): Increases all party members' Max HP by 10% for 25 seconds for every opponent marked by Lifeline when the Lifeline explodes. Up to 40% Max HP can be attained.
- Dealer's Sleight (C5): Increases the Level of Lingering Lifeline by three, with a maximum upgrade level of 15.
- Winner Takes All (C6): After using Depth-Clarion Dice, Yelan gains a Mastermind state, meaning all Yelan's Normal Attacks will be Breakthrough Barbs. The damage dealt will be considered Charged Attack damage, dealing 156% of a normal Breakthrough Barb's damage. Mastermind lasts 20 seconds and will be cleared after Yelan fires five arrows.
How to play Yelan in Genshin Impact
Yelan is a good DPS main, but it's her passive damage output after using her Depth-Clarion Dice Elemental Burst while not on the field that makes Yelan a great sub DPS character.
She's basically another version of Xingqiu in this regard, applying consistent Hydro damage while you're applying another element like Electro, Dendro, Pyro, or Cryo, for a boost in damage. Your priority then should be to activate Yelan's Elemental Burst as often as possible, then switching to another element and applying damage. Yelan is particularly good in Hyperbloom teams, but you might want another Hydro applicator like Xingqiu paired with her if you want consistent Hydro application for your Blooms.
Yelan's Elemental Skill is also good for quickly applying Hydro by tagging enemies, and produces decent attack numbers.
While switching between party members, keep in mind that Yelan will have an increased attack bonus from her charged normal attack after being off the field for at least five seconds. This is great for using on single-target enemies, or for finishing an enemy off.
Best Yelan team comp in Genshin Impact
A sub DPS character is best paired with a high DPS character or another sub DSP, so they can increase your party's damage output even further with Elemental Reactions. Pairing Yelan with Dendro characters like Nahida can create amazing Bloom and Hyperbloom damage, or putting her in a party with Pyro characters like Hu Tao or Xiangling can create just as good Vaporize damage.
With Yelan, you'll also want to have a party member who can help with her costly energy needs like fellow Hydro-user Xingqiu.
If you are lucky enough to have Raiden Shogun, we recommend pairing her with Yelan and using Raiden as your main DPS character. The Shogun will help recharge Yelan's energy, so she can take advantage of the Normal Attack damage boost gained after Yelan activates Depth-Clarion Dice, while Raiden's own Elemental Burst is active. Another Electro user with decent DPS can also work, like Cyno, or Beidou as a 4-Star option. Yelan, Raiden, and a Dendro unit like Nahida make one of the best Hyperbloom teams in the whole game.
As mentioned above, with the introduction of the Dendro element in version 3.0, Yelan has also proven a fantastic sub DPS support for Dendro applicators in Bloom reaction teams. For this reason, we also suggest pairing her with other Dendro characters like Alhaitham, or the Dendro Traveler.
Best Yelan Artifacts and weapons in Genshin Impact
The best Yelan Artifacts in Genshin Impact for a sub DPS build help recharge her energy quickly, so you can use Depth-Clarion Dice as much as possible. Using Artifacts that raise Yelan's Elemental Burst damage is also recommended. For this reason, we think the 4-piece Emblem of Severed Fate set is Yelan's best Artifact.
However, if it's a pure DPS Yelan build you want, you should equip Artifact sets that raise Yelan's health, which actually raises her damage while active on the field. Think of Yelan's health as her damage output instead of her actual attack stats when building for high DPS. Combining the 2-piece Tenacity of the Millelith and 2-piece Heart of Depth is recommend for DPS builds for their increase in HP and Hydro damage.
The Aqua Simulacra bow is Yelan's best weapon, but if you don't want to spend your Fate on Wishing on more character and weapon Banners, then you can repurpose the Elegy For The End if have it, or the Polar Star for more of a DPS build.
For 4-Star options, we recommend either Fading Twilight, The Stringless, or the Favonious Warbow for energy needs.
Version 5.3 with Mavuika and Citlali is nearly here! In the mean time, during version 5.2 we have Zhongli and Neuvillette. So don't forget to redeem new codes for Primogems to help pull them, and check out our regularly updated tier list. You need luck from the Pity and 50/50 systems to Wish with Fate for characters on Banners, and you always need the right Adventure Rank for events. Elsewhere, we have tips and tricks for beginners.
Best Yelan build in Genshin Impact
With all this in mind, if you want to take advantage of her sub DPS capabilities, we have compiled what we think is currently the best Yelan build in Genshin Impact below:
- Best Weapon: Aqua Simulacra
- Best Artifacts: x4 Emblem of Severed Fate
- Best team members: A high DPS character (like Raiden Shogun or Alhaitham), a character to help with energy needs (like Xingqiu), and a good support character (like Kazuha, Kokomi, or Nahida)
Good luck levelling up Yelan in Genshin Impact!