Best Nilou Genshin Impact Build: Artifacts, Weapons, More

Nilou is a talented 5-star Hydro unit who performs as a dancer at the Zubayr Theater in Genshin Impact.

Nilou consistently excels as a sub-DPS for a team and remains at the top of Genshin Impact’s tier list for that role. She was first introduced in version 3.1 and is among the numerous characters that players will encounter in the Sumeru region.

During battles, Nilou possesses the skill to convert Dendro Cores into Bountiful Cores, which boast a larger blast radius compared to their regular form. However, the explosions caused by Bountiful Cores necessitate the presence of a team healer to mitigate the damage.

If you are interested in constructing Nilou, continue reading for our suggested Artifacts, weapons, and other necessary items.

Nilou’s Abilities in Genshin Impact

Nilou dancing in Genshin Impact — HoYoverse

Normal Attack: Dance of Samser

Execute a maximum of 3 consecutive strikes with a normal attack.
A Charged Attack requires a specific amount of stamina to execute a spinning slash.
The Plunging Attack involves diving from the air and striking the ground, causing damage to enemies in its path and dealing area of effect damage upon impact.

Elemental Skill: Dance of Kaftkarsvar

When Nilou enters the Pirouette state, she deals Hydro DMG to nearby opponents based on her Max HP. While in this state, her normal attacks and elemental attacks trigger the sword dance and whirling steps stances, respectively, converting her DMG to Hydro DMG that cannot be overwritten. This DMG is considered elemental skill DMG.

During these stances, Nilou’s third dance step will signal the end of the Pirouette and result in the following effects:

The Sword Dance skill summons a Luminous Illusion that inflicts Hydro damage on any enemies it comes into contact with. Additionally, it grants Nilou the Lunar Prayer effect, which transforms her regular attacks into sword dance techniques. The last strike of her attack sequence will then release a Luminous Illusion.
Nilou utilizes the Whirling Steps technique, releasing a Whirling Water Wheel that inflicts Hydro damage to multiple enemies and generates a Tranquility Aura that trails the current character and inflicts Wet status on foes within its range.

While under the influence of Pirouette or Lunar Prayer, Nilou is incapable of executing charged attacks. However, she can regain this ability by leaving the field or exiting these states.

Elemental Burst: Dance of Abzendegi: Distant Dreams, Listening Spring

Initiates the enchanting performance of distant dreams and echoing springs, summoning forth a Lotus of Distant Waters to burst into bloom. This unleashes a wave of Hydro DMG based on Nilou’s Max HP and inflicts the Lingering Aeon effect on all those struck. As time passes, opponents affected by Lingering Aeon will continue to suffer from Hydro DMG.

Nilou Constellations in Genshin Impact

Nilou's Constellations in Genshin Impact

In the fortunate event that you obtain multiple copies of Nilou, you will receive the following buffs from her Constellations:

Level One – Dance of the Waning Moon: The Dance of Haftkarsvar will receive the following enhancements: a 65% increase in Luminous Illusion damage and a 6-second extension of the Tranquility Aura’s duration.
Level Two – The Starry Skies Their Flowers Rain: Upon dealing Hydro DMG to an opponent, characters affected by the Golden Chalice’s Bounty will cause a 35% decrease in that opponent’s Hydro RES for 10 seconds. Additionally, triggering a Bloom reaction will result in a 35% decrease in opponents’ Dendro RES for 10 seconds. This effect requires the “Court of Dancing Petals” Talent to be unlocked.
Beguiling Shadowstep: Increases the Dance of Abzendegi: Distant Dreams, Listening Spring skill level by 3, up to a maximum level of 15. This effect is available at Level Three.
Level Four – Fricative Pulse: Upon hitting opponents with the third dance step of the Dance of Haftkarsvar’s Pirouette, Nilou will gain 15 Elemental Energy. Additionally, for a duration of 8 seconds, her Dance of Abzendegi: Distant Dreams, Listening Spring will see a 50% increase in DMG.
Twirling Light – Level Five: Enhances Haftkarsvar’s Dance Level by 3, with a maximum upgrade level of 15.
For every 1,000 points of Max HP, Nilou’s CRIT Rate and CRIT DMG will increase by 0.6% and 1.2% respectively under Level Six of Frostbreaker’s Melody. The maximum possible increase through this method is 30% for CRIT Rate and 60% for CRIT DMG.

Top Nilou Artifacts in Genshin Impact

For Nilou, we highly recommend using a combination of 2-piece Tenacity of the Millelith and 2-piece Vourukasha’s Glow as the best artifact set. This is because the double HP +20% set bonus is essential to focus on when building Nilou.

Instead, you have the option of utilizing the 4-piece Vourukasha’s Glow set to retain Nilou as the primary DPS. This set bonus increases Nilou’s Elemental Skill and Elemental Burst damage by 10%, even when they are not currently active on the field.

Artifact	Set Bonuses
Tenacity of the Millelith	2-piece: HP +20%4-piece: When an Elemental Skill hits an opponent, the ATK of all nearby party members is increased by 20% and their Shield Strength is increased by 30% for 3s. This effect can be triggered once every 0.5s. This effect can still be triggered even when the character who is using this artifact set is not on the field.
Vourukasha’s Glow	2-piece: HP +20%4-piece: Elemental Skill and Elemental Burst DMG will be increased by 10%. After the equipping character takes DMG, the aforementioned DMG Bonus is increased by 80% for 5s. This effect increase can have 5 stacks. The duration of each stack is counted independently. These effects can be triggered even when the equipping character is not on the field.

Best Nilou weapons in Genshin Impact

Thanks to its HP bonus effect and the 20% increase in HP from its skill, The Key of Khaj-Nisut is undoubtedly the most effective weapon for Nilou. When using an Elemental Skill, this weapon can stack up to three times and improve Nilou’s Elemental Mastery by 0.12% of her Max HP with each hit.

Another potential sword for Nilou is the Freedom-Sworn, which not only boosts her own DMG by 10%, but also enhances her teammates’ ATK. When an Elemental Reaction occurs, the Freedom-Sworn will additionally raise the Normal, Charged, and Plunging Attack of all characters by 16% for a duration of 12 seconds.

If you don’t possess any 5-star weapons, it is advised to use The Dockhand’s Assistant to enhance Nilou’s Elemental Mastery and replenish her energy.

Weapon	Details
Key of Khaj-Nisut	HP increased by 20%. When an Elemental Skill hits opponents, you gain the Grand Hymn effect for 20s. This effect increases the equipping character’s Elemental Mastery by 0.12% of their Max HP. This effect can trigger once every 0.3s. Max 3 stacks. When this effect gains 3 stacks, or when the third stack’s duration is refreshed, the Elemental Mastery of all nearby party members will be increased by 0.2% of the equipping character’s max HP for 20s.
Freedom-Sworn	Increases DMG by 10%. When characters with Freedom-Sworn trigger Elemental Reactions, they gain a Sigil of Rebellion (once every 0.5s). This triggers even if they aren’t on the field. When you reach 2 Sigils, they will be consumed which grants nearby party members 20% ATK and 16% Normal, Charged, and Plunging Attack DMG for 12s. Once triggered, you gain no Sigils for 20s. The same buffs from the Millennial Movement series does not stack.
The Dockhand’s Assistant	When the wielder is healed or heals others, they will gain a Stoic’s Symbol for 30s, max 3 Symbols. Upon Elemental Skill or Burst usage, consume all Symbols to get the Roused effect for 10s. For each Symbol consumed, gain 40 Elemental Mastery, and after 2s, restore 2 Energy per Symbol. The Roused effect can be triggered once every 15s, and Symbols can be gained even when the character is off-field.

Talent Level-up and Ascension Materials for Nilou

Talent level-up materials

In order to fully utilize Nilou’s skills in Genshin Impact, it is necessary to obtain Teachings of Praxis, Fungal Spores, and Tears of the Calamitous God. The required quantities of these materials are as follows:

Nilou Talent level-up materials
Talent level-up materials	Teachings of Praxis x9	Guide to Praxis x63	Philosophies of Praxis x114
Common Ascension Materials	Fungal Spores x18	Luminescent Pollen x66	Crystalline Cyst Dust x93
Weekly Boss Material	Tears of the Calamitous God x18

Where to Obtain Materials for Nilou’s Talent Level-Up

The teachings of Praxis and the enhancements it offers

A screenshot from the game Genshin Impact — HoYoverse

Steeple of Ignorance is the domain required to farm Nilou’s talent materials

The Steeple of Ignorance domain in Genshin Impact no longer contains Teachings of Praxis. It can now be located in Sumeru, specifically near Chatrakam Cave.

Fungal spores are microscopic reproductive units released by fungi for dispersal and reproduction.

Fungus is a key enemy to hunt for Nilou

Fungal Spores are obtained by defeating the Fungus enemy in Genshin Impact. It is important to note that Electro or Pyro attacks should not be used when fighting these enemies in order to obtain Fungal Spores.

The title of the book is “Tears of the Calamitous God.”

Raiden Shogun Weekly Boss Fight — HoYoverse

Raiden Shogun boss fight drops a material for Nilou

The Raiden Shogun boss fight in Inazuma drops this item. It can be obtained by completing Raiden Shogun’s second story quest.

Ascension Materials

In order to ascend Nilou, you will need the following materials: Varunada Lazurite Silver, Perpetual Caliber, Fungal Sports, and Padisarah. The specific quantities required are as follows:

Ascension Level	Must	Materials
1	20000	Varunada Lazurite Silver x1	Fungal Spores x3	x3
2	40000	Varunada Lazurite Fragment x3	Perpetual Caliber x2	Fungal Spores x15	Padisarah x10
3	60000	Varunada Lazurite Fragment x6	Perpetual Caliber x4	Luminescent Pollen x12	Padisarah x20
4	80000	Varunada Lazurite Chunk x3	Perpetual Caliber x8	Luminescent Pollen x18	Padisarah x30
5	100000	Varunada Lazurite Chunk x6	Perpetual Caliber x12	Crystalline Cyst Dust x12	Padisarah x45
6	120000	Varunada Lazurite Gemstone x6	Perpetual Caliber x20	Crystalline Cyst Dust x24	Padisarah x60

Where to Farm Nilou Ascension Materials

The upgrades for Varunada Lazurite Silver

Hydro Hypostasis is an enemy required for Nilou

The Hydro Hypostasis boss in Genshin Impact drops these items, which can be found near the Sangonomiya Shrine on Watatsumi Island in Inazuma.

Perpetual Caliber remains unchanged.

Aeonblight Drake is located in Ardravi Valley

Aeonblight Drake in Sumeru is the source of Perpetual Caliber. It can be found near the Devantaka Mountain in Ardravi Valley.

Padisarah

Padisarah is a local specialty of Sumeru.

This specialty dish is unique to Sumeru and is readily available in the surrounding areas of Vanarana, Sumeru City, and the Palace of Alcazarzaray.

Genshin Impact: Nilou’s Stats and Talent Priority

In this section, our focus will be on the essential stats and talents required for the construction of Nilou. These include:

Talent Priority

Elemental Burst
Elemental Skill

The concept behind Nilou is that excessive leveling is not necessary since her damage is derived from Bountiful Cores. However, boosting her skills does result in a slight increase in her personal damage.

Stat priority

The key statistics to concentrate on while constructing Nilou are:

Main stat	Substat
Goblet: HP%	HP%
Circlet: HP%	Flat HP
Sands: HP%	Energy Recharge
Elemental Mastery

The Pros and Cons of Using Nilou in Genshin Impact

The advantages and disadvantages of Nilou are as follows:

Pros	Cons
High Damage potential	Very restrictive playstyle
Easy to use	Must have a healer in the team
Easy to build

Should You Pull for Nilou in Genshin Impact?

This is a complex dilemma because Nilou functions as a dual entity. On one side, she inflicts considerable damage with the help of the Bountiful Cores and Bloom reaction. She is effortless to construct, requiring only the stacking of HP%. Furthermore, she is also very straightforward to use.

Despite being a part of Bloom, Nilou does not work with any other team. Her passive skill limits her versatility, making her suitable for only one team in the entire game. This lack of flexibility may deter many players from using her.

In summary, Nilou is a great choice for new players, but she truly shines for experienced players seeking specialized units.

Optimal Team Composition for Nilou in Genshin Impact

An image of Xingqiu in Genshin Impact. — HoYoverse

Xingqiu makes a great sub DPS.

It is strongly advised to include Nilou in a team with other Hydro characters and a single Dendro user. In this setup, Nilou will serve as the sub-DPS while Nahida takes on the role of Main DPS, Xingqiu acts as an additional sub-DPS, and Kokomi serves as the team’s healer. If preferred, Yelan can be substituted for Xingqiu.

In addition, you have the option to form a team with two Hydro and two Dendro characters, should you prefer to utilize Yaoyao or Collei over Yelan or Xingqiu.