Nilou, the Star of the Zubayr Theater

Rarity	(5-Star)
Element	Hydro
Weapon	Sword
Best Role	Bloom Enabler / Tanky Support
Stat Priority	HP% > EM > ER > Flat HP
Tier	SS (In Bloom Teams)

Nilou is the Star of the Zubayr Theater and the architect of the "Bountiful Core" playstyle. By restricting your team to only Hydro and Dendro characters, she transforms standard Dendro Cores into rapid-detonating nukes that deal massive AoE damage. She is the queen of AoE content.

Pros

Unrivaled AoE damage with minimal investment.
Extremely tanky (Stacking HP makes her hard to kill).
Very F2P friendly (Works with Barbara/Collei/Dendro MC).
Bountiful Cores ignore enemy shields effectively.
Easy to play (Skill > Swap).

Cons

Strict Team Restriction: Passive fails if you bring anything other than Hydro/Dendro.
Self-Damage from cores requires a strong healer.
Poor performance in single-target scenarios (Bosses) without C2/Signature.
Weak against Cryo Shields.

Quick Guide (TL;DR)

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

Best Artifact: 2pc Vourukasha + 2pc Tenacity (Max HP).
Alt Artifact: 4pc Flower of Paradise Lost (Only if Nilou owns the blooms, which is rare).
Best Weapon: Key of Khaj-Nisut (Signature - Massive HP & EM Buff).
F2P Weapon: Iron Sting (EM) or Fleuve Cendre Ferryman (ER).
Support Weapon: Sacrificial Sword (Skill Reset) or Favonius Sword.
Main Stats: SANDS: HP% | GOBLET: HP% | CIRCLET: HP%.
Talent Priority: Elemental Skill > Elemental Burst > Normal Attack (Ignore).
Top Team: Nilou + Nahida + Kokomi + Collei (Premium Bloom).

Pro Tip: E-E-E vs E-N-N:
• Use E-E-E (Whirling Steps) to create a water ring that follows you. This applies Hydro off-field. Best for Support Nilou.
• Use E-N-N (Sword Dance) to infuse attacks with Hydro. Only use this if you are driving on-field with Nilou (C6 or specific teams).

Ascension & Talent Materials

Category	Material Name	Source
Ascension	Padisarah	Sumeru City / Vanarana
Boss Drop	Perpetual Caliber	Aeonblight Drake (Sumeru)
Talent Books	Teachings of Praxis	Steeple of Ignorance (Wed/Sat/Sun)
Common Mob	Fungal Spores	Fungi (Do NOT use Pyro/Electro on them to get Spores)

Talent Breakdown & Mechanics

Passive: Court of Dancing Petals

The Restriction: This passive ONLY activates if your party contains Hydro and Dendro characters, and NO other elements.
Bountiful Cores: Dendro Cores created by your team will turn into "Bountiful Cores."
- Explode instantly (no wait time).
- Larger Area of Effect (AoE).
- Cannot be triggered by Electro/Pyro (Hyperbloom/Burgeon impossible).
Golden Chalice: Increases Bountiful Core DMG by 9% for every 1,000 HP Nilou has above 30,000 HP. Capped at 400% (requires ~74,444 HP).

Elemental Skill: Dance of Haftkarsvar

Pirouette: Enters the Pirouette state. The 3rd dance step determines the effect.
Whirling Steps (Skill x3): Creates a Tranquility Aura that follows the active character and applies Wet status to enemies. Use this for off-field Nilou.
Sword Dance (Attack x3): Unleashes a Luminous Illusion. Used for on-field DPS Nilou (C6).

Elemental Burst: Dance of Abzendegi: Distant Dreams

Cost: 70 Energy | Cooldown: 18s
The Nuke: Deals AoE Hydro DMG based on Max HP and applies a Lingering Aeon mark.
Application: Marks explode after a delay, dealing Hydro DMG again. Good for applying Hydro to large groups.

Talent Priority Order:

Elemental Skill (Level 1+) - Only for personal damage (HP scaling is innate).
Elemental Burst (Level 8) - Good nuke.
Normal Attack (Level 1) - Ignore.

Stat Requirements & ER Thresholds

Your goal is 74,444 HP to max out her passive buff. Burst is secondary.

Team Context	Role	ER Requirement
Double Hydro (Standard)	Off-Field	140% - 160%
Triple Hydro (Kokomi/Yelan)	Off-Field	120% - 130%
Any	No Burst (Pure E Bot)	0%

Substat Priority:

HP% (Priority #1, #2, and #3)
Flat HP
Elemental Mastery (Sometimes she steals ownership of blooms)
Energy Recharge (If you want to burst)

Best Artifacts Comparison

Set Name	Role	Reasoning
2pc Vourukasha / 2pc Tenacity	BiS	Provides +40% HP total. This is the absolute best setup to reach the 74,444 HP cap for maximum bloom damage.
4pc Flower of Paradise Lost	Trigger Nilou	Only useful if you run a team where Nilou herself triggers the blooms (e.g., 3 Hydro 1 Dendro). Rare and harder to build HP.
4pc Deepwood Memories	Support	If no one else in the team holds Deepwood, Nilou can carry it to shred Dendro RES, but she loses HP% from the 2pc sets.

Weapon Rankings

Weapon	Type	Performance	Notes
Key of Khaj-Nisut	HP%	S+	Signature. Massive 86% HP. Converts HP to EM for the entire team. Essential for hitting the HP cap and buffing reactions.
Dockhand's Assistant	HP%	S (4-Star)	The only 4-star HP sword. Provides decent HP and EM. Gacha only.
Sacrificial Sword	ER%	A (Utility)	Resets skill cooldown, useful if you mess up the E-E-E rotation or need more particles.
Iron Sting / Xiphos	EM	B	EM stat sticks. Better than nothing, but HP% is far more valuable.

Constellation Value

Nilou is fully functional at C0. C2 is her biggest team damage spike.

C1: Dance of the Waning Moon - (QoL) Enhances Luminous Illusion DMG by 65% and extends Tranquility Aura by 6s. Great for 100% Hydro uptime.
C2: The Starry Skies Their Flowers Rain - (Shred) Dealing Hydro DMG shreds Hydro RES by 35%. Dealing Bloom DMG shreds Dendro RES by 35%. Massive team DPS increase.
C6: Frostbreaker's Melody - (Main DPS) Converts HP to Crit Rate (Max 30%) and Crit DMG (Max 60%). Allows you to play On-Field DPS Nilou with Vape or Mono Hydro.

Verdict: C0 is enough for Bloom. C2 is the whale target.

Top Team Compositions

1. Premium Bloom

Hydro: Nilou
Hydro: Kokomi (Driver/Healer)
Dendro: Nahida
Dendro/Hydro: Collei / Baizhu / Yelan

Why it works: Kokomi drives the reaction while healing through the massive self-damage of Bountiful Cores. Nahida provides Dendro app and EM share.

2. F2P Bloom

Hydro: Nilou
Hydro: Barbara (Healer)
Dendro: Dendro Traveler
Dendro: Collei

Why it works: Uses all free characters. Barbara heals. Collei and DMC provide Dendro application. Still clears Abyss 12 easily due to high floor of Bloom damage.

Rotations & Combos

Standard Bloom Rotation:
Nilou E E E (Aura) > Nahida E Q > Collei E Q > Kokomi E -> Normal Attacks

Tip: You must complete the 3-step E dance with Nilou to activate the Bountiful Core passive for 30s. If you swap early, the passive does not activate.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I run Kazuha/Venti?
No. Including Anemo breaks her passive, reverting Bountiful Cores to normal Dendro Cores, reducing damage and AoE significantly. You must stick to Hydro/Dendro only.

Do I need her signature weapon?
It is a huge upgrade (approx 20% team DPS increase) because HP swords are rare. However, the team is so strong at baseline that you can easily clear Abyss with Iron Sting or Favonius.

Data Source: KQM Standards. Last Updated: December 2025

Nilou Guide: The Definitive Build & Analysis