Nahida, The Dendro Archon

Rarity	(Archon)
Element	Dendro
Weapon	Catalyst
Role	Off-field Support / DPS
Priority	EM > CRIT > ER
Tier	SS (Meta Defining)

Nahida (Lesser Lord Kusanali) is the Dendro Archon and the absolute cornerstone of Dendro reactions. Her ability to apply 1.5U Dendro off-field, link enemies together, and provide massive Elemental Mastery buffs makes her one of the strongest units in the game.

Pros

Best off-field Dendro application in the game.
Links enemies (Tri-Karma), so damage on one hits all.
Massive EM buff to the active character (up to 250 EM).
Extremely flexible (Bloom, Hyperbloom, Spread, Burgeon).
Easy to build (EM Main stats).

Cons

Child model runs slower than taller characters.
Skill application can be interrupted if hit while aiming.
Squishy and offers no defensive utility.
Multi-wave content requires swapping back to re-apply Skill.

Quick Guide (TL;DR)

The Goal: Reach ~1000 EM (total with buffs) to max out her A4 passive.

Best Artifact: 4pc Deepwood Memories (Essential for Dendro DMG).
Alt Artifact: 4pc Gilded Dreams (Only if someone else has Deepwood).
Best Weapon: A Thousand Floating Dreams (Signature).
Alt Weapon: Sacrificial Fragments or Kagura's Verity.
F2P Weapon: Magic Guide (3-Star weapon, incredibly strong).
Main Stats: EM / EM / EM (or Crit Circlet if EM > 1000).
Talent Priority: Elemental Skill > Elemental Burst > Normal Attack.

Pro Tip: Hold E Scan: You don't need to center the camera on enemies. Simply sweep your mouse/camera across the screen while holding E. Any enemy "marked" by the viewfinder will be linked, even if they are far apart.

Ascension & Talent Materials

Category	Material Name	Source
Ascension	Kalpalata Lotus	Sumeru Cliffs
Boss Drop	Quelled Creeper	Dendro Hypostasis
Talents	Teachings of Ingenuity	Steeple of Ignorance (Tue/Fri)
Mob Drop	Fungal Spores	Fungi (Do NOT use Electro/Pyro on them)

Talent Mechanics

Elemental Skill: All Schemes to Know

Tri-Karma Purification: Marks up to 8 enemies. When a reaction is triggered on ONE marked enemy, ALL marked enemies take Dendro DMG based on Nahida's ATK and EM.
ICD: 1.5 Units of Dendro. This "strong" Dendro application is why she sustains Bloom cores so easily.
Tri-Karma Trigger: Triggers every 2.5s normally. This interval can be reduced by her Burst (if Electro is in party).

Elemental Burst: Illusory Heart

Shrine of Maya: Creates a massive dome. It does not deal damage itself; it strictly buffs Nahida's Skill based on party elements:
Pyro (1/2 chars): Increases Tri-Karma DMG by ~20% / ~30%.
Electro (1/2 chars): Decreases proc interval to ~2.1s / ~1.9s.
Hydro (1/2 chars): Increases Burst duration by ~4s / ~6s.

Important Passives

A1: Compassion Illuminated: The active character inside the Burst gains EM equal to 25% of the highest EM party member (Max 250 EM). This usually uses Nahida's EM.
A4: Awakening Elucidated: For every point of Nahida's EM above 200, she gains 0.1% Bonus DMG and 0.03% CRIT Rate for her Skill. (Capped at 80% DMG and 24% CRIT at 1000 EM).

Constellation Value

Constellation	Value	Effect
C1: Seeds of Skandha	Good	Burst calculation adds +1 count to Pyro/Electro/Hydro types. Useful for maxing buffs with flexible teams.
C2: The Root of All Fullness	GAME BREAKING	Bloom/Hyperbloom/Burgeon: Can now CRIT (20% Rate / 100% DMG). Quicken/Aggravate/Spread: Shreds enemy DEF by 30%. This is arguably the strongest C2 in Genshin Impact.
C4: Stem of Manifest Inference	Okay	Increases Nahida's EM by 100-160 based on enemies marked. Makes hitting 1000 EM easier.
C6: The Fruit of Reason's Culmination	Nuke	Turning Nahida into an on-field DPS. Normal attacks after Burst trigger massive Tri-Karma Karmic Oblivion procs.

Stat Requirements

Stat	Goal
Elemental Mastery	800 - 1000 (Soft cap at 1000 for A4 Passive)
Energy Recharge	120% (On-field) / 140%+ (Off-field)
CRIT Rate	30-40% (A4 Passive adds +24% CRIT Rate to Skill)

Artifact Main Stats:

Sands: Elemental Mastery
Goblet: Elemental Mastery OR Dendro DMG (if EM > 900)
Circlet: Elemental Mastery OR CRIT (if EM > 900)

Artifacts Comparison

Set	Use Case	Reasoning
4pc Deepwood Memories	Best in Slot	Dendro damage relies heavily on RES Shred. Deepwood provides a 30% Dendro RES shred that works off-field. Since Nahida marks all enemies, she keeps this debuff active permanently.
4pc Gilded Dreams	Personal DMG	Use this ONLY if another character in the party (like Zhongli, Kuki, or Kokomi) is already wearing 4pc Deepwood. Gilded gives higher personal numbers but lower team damage if Deepwood is missing.
2pc EM / 2pc Deepwood	Transitional	Better substats can beat set bonuses, but try to force 4pc Deepwood eventually.

Weapon Rankings

Weapon	Rank	Notes
A Thousand Floating Dreams	S+	Signature. High EM (265) and buffs team mastery. Simplest to build.
Kagura's Verity	S	High CRIT DMG. Beats Signature in raw personal damage if you have enough EM from artifacts, but harder to build.
Sacrificial Fragments	S-	High EM (221). The passive reset is useful in multi-wave content to re-apply the mark without waiting for CD.
Magic Guide (R5)	A+	The F2P King. A 3-star weapon that beats most 4-stars. High EM (187) and DMG bonus against Hydro/Electro affected enemies.
The Widsith	A (RNG)	Can be S tier or B tier depending on the random song. Inconsistent but high ceiling.

Teams

Hyperbloom (The Meta)

Nahida (Deepwood)
Xingqiu / Yelan (Hydro App)
Kuki Shinobu / Raiden (Full EM Electro trigger)
Flex (Zhongli, Alhaitham, etc.)

Nilou Bloom

Nahida (On-field Driver)
Nilou (HP stacker)
Kokomi / Barbara (Healer)
Dendro Traveler / Collei

Rotation & Combo

Standard Opener:
Nahida Hold E (Scan) > Nahida Q > Swap to Supports

Detailed Flow (Hyperbloom):

Nahida: Hold E to mark everyone > Burst (Q).
Hydro (Xingqiu/Yelan): Use Skill and Burst to start generating Hydro aura.
Electro (Kuki/Raiden): Activate off-field Electro skill.
Driver: Normal Attack to trigger Xingqiu/Yelan rainswords, creating cores that Kuki detonates.

Note on Waves: Unlike other supports, Nahida's mark disappears when an enemy dies. If a new wave spawns, you MUST swap back to Nahida and Hold E again, or your reaction damage will plummet.

FAQ

Is C2 worth it?
Yes. It allows Burning/Bloom/Hyperbloom/Burgeon to Crit (fixed 20% rate / 100% dmg) and shreds 30% DEF for Quicken. It is one of the strongest constellations in the game.

Magic Guide vs Mappa Mare?
Magic Guide is generally better due to higher EM substat and passive uptime in Hydro/Electro teams, despite being 3-star.

How much EM is too much?
Aim for 1000 EM (after buffs). Going beyond 1000 gives diminishing returns as the A4 passive caps there. At that point, prioritize CRIT or Dendro DMG%.

Data Source: KQM Standards. Last Updated: December 2025

Nahida Guide: The Dendro Archon