Beidou, Uncrowned Lord of the Ocean

Rarity	(4-Star)
Element	Electro
Weapon	Claymore
Best Role	Off-Field DPS / Shielder
Stat Priority	ER > CRIT > ATK%
Tier	A (S in Multi-Target)

Beidou is the Captain of the Crux Fleet, a legendary figure in Liyue who slew the leviathan Haishan without a Vision. She is a powerhouse Off-Field DPS who excels in scenarios with 2 or more enemies. Her unique Counter mechanic provides high skill expression, while her Burst offers significant damage reduction and shield utility.

Pros

Highest scaling Off-Field DPS against 2 targets.
Provides Damage Reduction (30%+) and Interruption Resistance.
Unique "Perfect Counter" mechanic deals massive damage.
Synergizes perfectly with "Taser" (Electro-Charged) teams.
C1 provides a shield, consolidating defense.

Cons

Energy Hungry: Needs 160-180% ER without a battery (Fischl).
Performance drops significantly in single-target (Bosses).
Burst does not trigger on Raiden Shogun's attacks.
Perfect Counters require enemy aggression/timing.

Quick Guide (TL;DR)

Beidou is built to use her Burst off-cooldown to shred groups of enemies with chain lightning.

Best Artifact: 4pc Emblem of Severed Fate (Solves ER & buffs Burst).
Alt Artifact: 2pc Thundering Fury / 2pc Noblesse / 2pc ATK.
Best Weapon: Wolf's Gravestone or Serpent Spine (Battle Pass).
Best 4-Star Weapon: Akuoumaru or Luxurious Sea-Lord (Fish).
F2P Weapon: Prototype Archaic (Craftable) or Favonius Greatsword (Utility).
Main Stats: SANDS: ER% or ATK% | GOBLET: Electro DMG | CIRCLET: CRIT.
Talent Priority: Elemental Burst > Elemental Skill > Normal Attack (Ignore).
Top Team: Sucrose + Xingqiu + Beidou + Fischl (Classic Taser).

Pro Tip: The Perfect Counter: You don't always have to hold her Skill. Tap E exactly when an enemy attack hits you to trigger a Max Damage Counter immediately. This generates the most particles and damage instantly.

Ascension & Talent Materials

Category	Material Name	Source
Ascension	Noctilucent Jade	Liyue (Caves / Mingyun Village)
Boss Drop	Lightning Prism	Electro Hypostasis (Mondstadt)
Talent Books	Teachings of Gold	Taishan Mansion (Wed/Sat/Sun)
Common Mob	Treasure Hoarder Insignias	Treasure Hoarders
Weekly Boss	Dvalin's Sigh	Stormterror (Trounce Domain)

Talent Breakdown & Mechanics

Elemental Skill: Tidecaller

Press: Simple electro slash. Generates fewer particles.
Hold (Counter): Raises her claymore as a shield. Absorbs DMG based on Max HP. Upon release (or shield break), she slashes.
Damage Bonus: DMG increases if she is hit 1 or 2 times during the hold.
Perfect Counter (A1 Passive): If you use Tidecaller at the exact moment you are hit, you instantly deal Max Damage (as if hit twice). This is her signature mechanic.

Elemental Burst: Stormbreaker

Mechanic: Creates a Thunderbeast's Targe around the character. Normal and Charged attacks trigger chain lightning (1s cooldown).
Chain Lightning: The lightning jumps between enemies. At C2, it can jump to up to 4 targets total per proc.
Defensive Utility: Provides ~30%+ Damage Reduction (stacks with Xingqiu) and resistance to interruption.
Snapshot: The damage snapshots stats on cast. Stand in Bennett's circle before casting!

Talent Priority Order:

Elemental Burst (Level 10) - The majority of her damage.
Elemental Skill (Level 8+) - High burst damage on counters.
Normal Attack (Level 1) - Ignore unless playing Main DPS Beidou (rare).

Stat Requirements & ER Thresholds

Beidou's 80 Energy Cost is her biggest weakness. Perfect Counters generate more energy (4 particles) than simple taps (2 particles).

Team Context	With Fischl?	ER Requirement
Solo Electro	No	180% - 220% (Very High)
Double Electro	Yes (Fischl)	130% - 150% (Manageable)
Triple Electro	Yes	110% - 130%

Substat Priority:

Energy Recharge (Until requirement met)
CRIT Rate / CRIT DMG (Standard 1:2 Ratio)
ATK% (Scales all damage)
Elemental Mastery (Useful only in Taser/Aggravate)

Best Artifacts Comparison

Set Name	Role	Reasoning
4pc Emblem of Severed Fate	BiS General	Solves her ER issues and converts that ER into massive Burst DMG. Perfect synergy.
4pc Noblesse Oblige	Support	Use this if no one else in the team has it. Sacrifices personal damage for team ATK buff.
2pc TF / 2pc Noblesse	Mixed	Classic DPS build. Good if you already have high ER substats and don't need Emblem's passive.

Weapon Rankings

Weapon	Type	Performance	Notes
Serpent Spine	CRIT Rate	S+ (R5)	Battle Pass weapon. At R5, it rivals or beats 5-stars due to the DMG% passive, since Beidou is off-field and doesn't lose stacks.
Wolf's Gravestone	ATK%	S	Massive ATK stat stick. Passive buffs the whole team against low HP enemies.
Akuoumaru	ATK%	A+	Gacha 4-star. Passive boosts Burst DMG based on team's energy capacity. Great for high cost teams (Raiden/Beidou).
Prototype Archaic	ATK%	B (F2P)	Standard craftable. Decent performance if you have nothing else. Favonius Greatsword is often better for smooth rotations.

Constellation Value

Beidou's C2 is one of the most powerful constellations in the game for AoE scenarios.

C1: Sea Beast's Scourge - (Shield) Creates a shield (16% HP) when using Stormbreaker. Adds defensive comfort and interrupt resistance.
C2: Upon the Turbulent Sea - (Massive DMG) The chain lightning jumps to 2 additional targets. This is a ~40-60% damage increase in multi-target fights. Mandatory for optimization.
C6: Bane of the Evil - (RES Shred) During Burst, decreases Electro RES of surrounding enemies by 15%. Great for boosting her own and Fischl's damage.

Top Team Compositions

1. Classic Taser

Driver: Sucrose / Heizou / Ayato
Sub-DPS 1: Beidou
Sub-DPS 2: Fischl (Essential Battery)
Hydro: Xingqiu / Yelan

Why it works: Electro-Charged allows both Electro and Hydro auras to coexist. Sucrose swirls both for massive reaction damage. Beidou + Xingqiu creates an impenetrable shield of damage reduction (~80%).

2. Eula Physical

Main DPS: Eula
Sub-DPS: Beidou
Battery: Raiden Shogun / Fischl
Sustain: Diona / Zhongli

Why it works: Beidou applies off-field Electro for Superconduct (Phys Shred) without messing up Cryo resonance too much. She adds AoE damage which Eula sometimes lacks outside of her nuke.

Rotations & Combos

The Taser Rotation:
Fischl E > Xingqiu Q E E > Beidou E Q > Sucrose N1 E N1 E Q...

Tip: Always try to catch particles with Beidou. If you switch off her too fast after using E, she won't get the energy particles, increasing her ER needs. Use E, wait a split second to see the orbs fly into her, then swap.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Raiden Shogun work with Beidou?
NO. This is a famous anti-synergy. Beidou's Burst requires "Normal Attack hit" to trigger. Raiden's Burst attacks count as "Elemental Burst DMG," so they do not trigger Beidou's lightning. Do not run them together unless you know exactly what you are doing.

Serpent Spine vs. Wolf's Gravestone?
In a vacuum, WGS gives more ATK. However, Serpent Spine allows easier crit balancing and the DMG% passive is extremely valuable. Serpent Spine R5 often beats WGS R1 in optimized teams (especially with Bennett buffing ATK).

Data Source: KQM Standards. Last Updated: December 2025

Beidou Guide: The Definitive Build & Analysis