Tartaglia (Childe), the 11th Fatui Harbinger

Rarity	(5-Star)
Element	Hydro
Weapon	Bow (Melee Stance)
Best Role	On-Field Hydro Enabler
Stat Priority	CRIT > ATK% > EM > ER
Tier	SS (International Team)

Tartaglia (Childe) is the 11th Fatui Harbinger and a master of weaponry. He is unique as a Bow user who switches to melee Hydro daggers. His Riptide mechanic allows him to deal exponential AoE damage in grouped scenarios, making him the best enabler for Xiangling in the game.

Pros

Fastest Hydro Application in the game (Enables Xiangling).
Riptide scales quadratically (insane AoE damage).
Huge Burst Nuke potential (Vaporize).
Passive increases team's Normal Attack level by +1.
Flexible rotation times (can swap out early).

Cons

Cooldown Management: Staying in melee stance too long results in massive cooldowns (up to 45s).
Strict team requirements (Needs Xiangling/Bennett/Kazuha).
Crit-reliant for Riptide activation (Ascension 4 passive).

Quick Guide (TL;DR)

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

Best Artifact: 4pc Nymph's Dream (BiS) or 4pc Heart of Depth.
Alt Artifact: 2pc Hydro / 2pc ATK (Easier to farm).
Best Weapon: Polar Star (Signature).
Alt Weapon: Aqua Simulacra, Thundering Pulse, or Skyward Harp.
F2P Weapon: The Viridescent Hunt (BP - Great Grouping) or Rust.
Main Stats: SANDS: ATK% | GOBLET: Hydro DMG | CIRCLET: CRIT.
Talent Priority: Elemental Skill > Elemental Burst > Normal Attack.
Top Team: Childe + Xiangling + Bennett + Kazuha (International).

Pro Tip: The 9-Second Rule: In the International Team, stay in melee stance for about 9-11 seconds (usually until Pyronado expires). If you stay longer, the cooldown will desync with your teammates, ruining the rotation.

Ascension & Talent Materials

Category	Material Name	Source
Ascension	Starconch	Liyue Beaches (Yaoguang Shoal)
Boss Drop	Cleansing Heart	Oceanid (Liyue)
Talent Books	Teachings of Freedom	Forsaken Rift (Mon/Thu/Sun)
Common Mob	Insignia	Fatui Skirmishers

Talent Breakdown & Mechanics

Elemental Skill: Foul Legacy: Raging Tide

Stance Change: Switches from Ranged (Bow) to Melee (Hydro Daggers).
Riptide Slash: When hitting an enemy affected by Riptide in melee stance, it triggers an AoE Hydro Slash.
- Quadratic Scaling: If enemies are grouped, each enemy triggers a splash that hits all other enemies. 5 enemies = 25 instances of damage.
- No ICD: Riptide Slash has no internal cooldown on application, meaning it applies Hydro constantly.
Cooldown: The longer you stay in melee, the longer the cooldown (6s + Duration). Max 45s.

Elemental Burst: Havoc: Obliteration

Cost: 60 Energy | Cooldown: 15s
Ranged Stance (Flash of Havoc): Fires a Hydro arrow, applies Riptide, and returns 20 Energy. Preferred opener for rotation efficiency.
Melee Stance (Light of Obliteration): Performs a massive slash. Deals higher damage but costs more energy/time. Good for finishing chambers.

Passive: Master of Weaponry

Team Buff: Increases the Normal Attack level of your own party members by 1. Unique and valuable for characters like Ganyu or Xiao.

Talent Priority Order:

Elemental Skill (Level 10) - Melee damage scaling.
Elemental Burst (Level 9) - Nuke damage.
Normal Attack (Level 6) - Only affects Riptide Burst (on death).

Stat Requirements & ER Thresholds

Childe needs to Burst every rotation (Ranged) to apply Riptide and deal damage.

Team Context	Burst Type	ER Requirement
International (Xiangling)	Ranged Burst (Refund)	120% - 130%
International	Melee Burst	160% - 180% (Not recommended)
Mono Hydro / Taser	Ranged Burst	110% - 120%

Substat Priority:

CRIT Rate (Priority #1 to trigger Riptide reliably)
ATK%
CRIT DMG
Elemental Mastery (For Vaporize Burst)

Best Artifacts Comparison

Set Name	Role	Reasoning
4pc Nymph's Dream	BiS	Designed for him. Stacks ATK and Hydro DMG when hitting enemies. Requires specific combo to maintain.
4pc Heart of Depth	Classic	30% Normal/Charged DMG bonus. Only slightly worse than Nymph but much easier to use (no stacking).
2pc Hydro / 2pc ATK	Flexible	Very competitive if substats are good. The 4pc set bonuses are not massive for Childe.

Weapon Rankings

Weapon	Type	Performance	Notes
Polar Star	CRIT Rate	S+	Signature. Skill/Burst DMG buff + ATK stacking. Perfect for his kit.
Aqua Simulacra	CRIT DMG	S	Massive 88% Crit DMG. Passive always active in melee. Very close to Polar Star.
The Viridescent Hunt	CRIT Rate	A (BP)	Battle Pass. Passive groups small enemies, making Riptide Quadratic scaling insane. Best 4-star.
Rust (R5)	ATK%	A-	Good for Normal Attacks, but nerfs Charged Attacks (which are good on Childe). Solid stat stick.

Constellation Value

Childe is famous for having "bait" constellations. He is perfectly fine at C0.

C1: Foul Legacy: Tide Withholder - (QoL) Reduces Skill CD by 20%. Helps if your rotation is messy, but doesn't increase damage per se.
C3: Abyssal Mayhem - (Damage) +3 Levels to Skill. Best damage increase constellation.
C6: Havoc: Annihilation - (Reset) Resets Skill Cooldown after using Melee Burst. Allows for 100% Melee uptime. Warning: This can ruin rotations because your supports (Xiangling) still have cooldowns. Only good for solo/speedrun play.

Verdict: Stay at C0. Spend primos on Kazuha or Polar Star instead.

Top Team Compositions

1. International (The King)

Enabler: Tartaglia
Vape Carry: Xiangling
Buffer: Bennett
Grouper/Buffer: Kazuha

Why it works: Childe applies Hydro so fast that Xiangling can vaporize every hit. Kazuha double swirls both elements. Childe can also nuke (Forward Vape) his burst. This team has no ceiling in AoE content.

2. Intergrassional (Burgeon)

Driver: Tartaglia
Dendro: Nahida
Pyro: Bennett / Thoma
Anemo: Kazuha

Why it works: Childe generates cores rapidly with Nahida. Kazuha/Thoma trigger Burgeon. Childe's hydro application prevents Burning from overtaking the aura. High risk, high reward.

Rotations & Combos

International Rotation:
Childe E (Apply Hydro) > Bennett Q > Kazuha Hold E Plunge (Double Swirl) > Xiangling Q E > Childe Ranged Q > Childe E -> Attack for 9s -> Swap

Tip: ALWAYS swap off Childe when Pyronado has ~2-3 seconds left. This ensures his cooldown aligns with the rest of the team for the next rotation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is he cooldown impact?
Only if you play him wrong. If you stay in melee stance for the full 30s, yes, you will have a 45s cooldown. If you swap after 9s, the cooldown is manageable.

Ayato vs. Childe?
Childe has higher peak damage in Vaporize and better AoE (Quadratic scaling). Ayato is easier to play, has better range, and fits into more teams (Bloom/Taser) flexibly.

Data Source: KQM Standards. Last Updated: December 2025

Tartaglia Guide: The Definitive Build & Analysis