Albedo, Chief Alchemist of the Knights of Favonius

Rarity	(5-Star)
Element	Geo
Weapon	Sword
Best Role	Off-Field Sub-DPS / EM Buffer
Stat Priority	DEF > CRIT > ATK
Tier	A (Geo Staple)

Albedo is the Chief Alchemist of the Knights of Favonius. He specializes in low-maintenance off-field damage via his "Solar Isotoma" flower. While simpler than newer Geo units, he remains a staple for Mono Geo teams and a valuable EM buffer for reaction teams like Hu Tao Double Geo.

Pros

Extremely easy to build (Scales on DEF).
Low field time required (E -> Switch).
Provides 125 Elemental Mastery to the team (Burst).
Best F2P weapon is a 3-star (Harbinger of Dawn).
Generates consistent Geo particles for Itto/Noelle.

Cons

Construct Fragility: His flower breaks instantly against bosses.
Split Scaling: Skill uses DEF, Burst uses ATK (fixed at C2).
Best weapon (Cinnabar Spindle) is unobtainable for new players.
Lower damage ceiling than Chiori.

Quick Guide (TL;DR)

If you don't have time for the math, here is the cheat sheet.

Best Artifact: 4pc Golden Troupe (BiS - 70% Skill DMG).
Alt Artifact: 4pc Husk of Opulent Dreams (Classic DEF stacker).
Best Weapon: Cinnabar Spindle (Event Exclusive - BiS).
Alt Weapon: Uraku Misugiri (Chiori's Sword - Stat Stick).
F2P Weapon: Harbinger of Dawn (3⭐ God Weapon - R5).
Main Stats: SANDS: DEF% | GOBLET: Geo DMG | CIRCLET: CRIT.
Talent Priority: Elemental Skill > Elemental Burst > Normal Attack.
Top Team: Albedo + Itto + Gorou + Zhongli (Mono Geo).

Pro Tip: Harbinger of Dawn gives massive Crit Rate/DMG but requires Albedo to stay above 90% HP. Since he is an off-field unit, this is very easy to maintain. Just don't switch to him when taking big damage!

Ascension & Talent Materials

Category	Material Name	Source
Ascension	Cecilia	Starsnatch Cliff (Mondstadt)
Boss Drop	Basalt Pillar	Geo Hypostasis (Liyue)
Talent Books	Teachings of Ballad	Forsaken Rift (Wed/Sat/Sun)

Talent Breakdown & Mechanics

Elemental Skill: Abiogenesis: Solar Isotoma

The Flower: Creates a Geo construct (Solar Isotoma).
Transient Blossoms: When enemies in the field take damage, the flower blooms, dealing AoE Geo DMG. This occurs once every 2s.
DEF Scaling: The damage of these blossoms scales entirely off DEF. This is 90% of Albedo's damage contribution.
Elevator: Standing on the flower lifts you up. Useful for exploration or plunge attacks (Dragonstrike).

Elemental Burst: Rite of Progeniture: Tectonic Tide

Cost: 40 Energy | Cooldown: 12s
Split Scaling: Deals AoE Geo DMG. However, unlike his skill, this damage scales off ATK.
Fatal Blossoms: If a Solar Isotoma is on the field, the burst triggers 7 explosions. These also scale off ATK.
Utility vs Damage: Because you build Albedo with DEF for his Skill, his Burst deals very little damage (unless C2). You use it mainly for the team buff or i-frames.

Passive: Homuncular Nature

The Buff: Using Elemental Burst increases the Elemental Mastery of nearby party members by 125 for 10s. This is why he is good in Hu Tao or Vaporize teams.

Talent Priority Order:

Elemental Skill (Level 10) - The source of all his damage.
Elemental Burst (Level 6) - Utility/Buff primarily.
Normal Attack (Level 1) - Ignore.

Stat Requirements & ER Thresholds

Albedo's energy cost is low (40), and his damage comes from his Skill (DEF). He rarely needs ER unless you desperately need the EM buff.

Build Type	Construct Count	ER Requirement
Standard Sub-DPS (No Burst)	N/A	0% (Base)
Burst Support (EM Buff)	Mono Geo	120% - 130%
Burst Support (EM Buff)	Solo Geo	140% - 150%

Substat Priority:

DEF% (Primary scaling for Skill)
CRIT Rate / CRIT DMG (Target 60/120+)
Flat DEF
ATK% (Low priority, only helps Burst)

Best Artifacts Comparison

Set Name	Role	Reasoning
4pc Golden Troupe	BiS	Increases Elemental Skill DMG by 70%. Since Albedo is purely an off-field Skill bot, this set beats everything else by a significant margin.
4pc Husk of Opulent Dreams	Alternative	His previous BiS. Provides 54% DEF and 24% Geo DMG. Still very strong, but Golden Troupe pulls ahead for pure skill damage.
4pc Tenacity of the Millelith	Pure Support	Sacrifices personal damage to buff Team ATK by 20%. Useful if you want him to just be a buff bot for a hypercarry.

Weapon Rankings

Weapon	Type	Performance	Notes
Cinnabar Spindle	DEF%	S+ (Unobtainable)	Event exclusive from 2.3. The passive adds damage based on DEF. Perfect synergy. If you don't have it, you can never get it.
Harbinger of Dawn (R5)	CRIT DMG	S (F2P God)	3-Star Weapon. Provides 46.9% Crit DMG and 28% Crit Rate (if HP > 90%). Since Albedo is off-field, keeping HP high is easy (unless facing Rifthounds/Furina drain). Beats most 5-stars.
Uraku Misugiri	CRIT DMG	S	Chiori's sword. 88% Crit DMG and buffs Skill DMG. Better than Harbinger if you struggle with HP management, but expensive.
Primordial Jade Cutter	CRIT Rate	A	Good stat stick (44% Crit Rate), but passive HP scaling adds little to his damage compared to DEF options.

Constellation Value

Albedo is perfectly fine at C0. His constellations fix his split scaling issues.

C2: Opening of Phanerozoic - (Fix) Transient Blossoms grant stacks that increase Burst DMG based on Albedo's DEF. This finally makes his Burst deal decent damage even on a DEF build.
C4: Descent of Divinity - (Niche) Increases Plunging Attack DMG by 30% for characters in the Skill field. Specifically designed for Xiao (and now Xianyun teams).
C6: Dust of Purification - (Buff) Active characters protected by a Crystallize shield gain 17% DMG Bonus. A nice universal buff for Geo teams.

Verdict: C0 is great. C2 makes his kit cohesive, but isn't required.

Top Team Compositions

1. Mono Geo (Itto)

Main DPS: Arataki Itto / Noelle
Sub-DPS: Albedo
Buffer: Gorou
Shield: Zhongli

Why it works: Gorou buffs DEF and Geo DMG, which Albedo snapshots. Albedo provides energy particles for Itto. Zhongli shreds Geo RES.

2. Double Geo (Hu Tao)

Main DPS: Hu Tao
Hydro: Xingqiu / Yelan
Sub-DPS: Albedo
Shield: Zhongli

Why it works: Albedo provides 125 EM to Hu Tao for stronger Vapes, adds off-field damage, and benefits from Geo Resonance (shield strength + DMG bonus). Note: Yelan/Xingqiu Double Hydro is generally stronger now, but this is still comfy.

Rotations & Combos

Standard Sub-DPS:
Albedo E > (Optional) Albedo Q if buff needed > Swap

Tip: Albedo's flower snapshots stats. If you are using Gorou, make sure to cast Gorou's flag/buff *before* placing Albedo's flower.

Frequently Asked Questions

Albedo vs. Chiori?
Chiori deals significantly more damage (almost double in some cases) and her dolls don't break against bosses. Albedo provides the 125 EM buff which Chiori lacks. Chiori is generally the better investment now.

Is Harbinger of Dawn usable with Furina?
No. Furina drains team HP to 50%. Harbinger requires >90% HP. If you play Albedo with Furina, use Cinnabar Spindle (if you have it) or a different stat stick like Jade Cutter/Wolf-Fang.

Data Source: KQM Standards. Last Updated: December 2025

Albedo Guide: The Definitive Build & Analysis