Tighnari, The Forest Watcher

Rarity	(Standard)
Element	Dendro
Weapon	Bow
Role	Quickswap Spread DPS
Priority	CRIT > EM > ATK%
Tier	T0 (Single Target)

Tighnari is the Chief Officer of the Forest Rangers in the Avidya Forest. As the first standard banner Dendro 5-star, he is surprisingly powerful. He specializes in Quickswap Spread damage, firing homing Clusterbloom Arrows that track enemies, making him excellent for mobile players.

Pros

High single-target Burst damage via Spread.
Auto-targeting arrows make aiming optional.
Low energy cost (40) and short cooldowns.
Very F2P friendly (3-Star weapon is meta).
Artifact strongbox makes him easy to build (Wanderer's).

Cons

Purely single-target focus; struggles in AoE.
Charged attacks can be interrupted (needs shielder).
Standard banner RNG means you can't guarantee him.

Quick Guide (TL;DR)

The Goal: Trigger Spread reactions on his 3 rapid-fire Charged Attacks and Burst.

Best Artifact: 4pc Wanderer's Troupe (Highest CA damage).
Alt Artifact: 4pc Gilded Dreams (Competitive with Wanderer's).
Best Weapon: Hunter's Path (Signature, limited).
F2P God Weapon: Slingshot (3-Star, R5 beats many 4-stars).
Alt Weapon: The First Great Magic or Aqua Simulacra.
Main Stats: EM (or ATK) / Dendro DMG / CRIT.
Talent Priority: Normal Attack > Elemental Burst > Elemental Skill.

Pro Tip: The E-Shot Combo: Tighnari's Skill (E) reduces the charge time of his next 3 shots to virtually zero. ALWAYS cast E before you start shooting. Never manual charge shot without his E buff.

Ascension & Talent Materials

Category	Material Name	Source
Ascension	Nilotpala Lotus	Sumeru Rivers (Night time only)
Boss Drop	Majestic Hooked Beak	Jadeplume Terrorshroom
Talents	Teachings of Admonition	Steeple of Ignorance (Mon/Thu)
Mob Drop	Fungal Spores	Fungi (Do NOT use Electro/Pyro on them)

Talent Mechanics

Normal Attack: Khanda Barrier-Buster

Wreath Arrow: His Level 2 Charged Shot hits an enemy and spawns 4 homing Clusterbloom Arrows.
Spread Trigger: Both the main arrow and the Clusterbloom arrows have separate ICDs, allowing for multiple Spread reactions per shot.

Elemental Skill: Vijnana-Phala Mine

Taunt: Creates a field that taunts enemies (very useful since he is squishy).
Suffusion Effect: Reduces the charging time of the next 3 Wreath Arrows by 2.4s. This makes them instant.
Usage: Cast this, then immediately fire 3 Charged Shots.

Elemental Burst: Fashioner's Tanglevine Shaft

Homing Missiles: Fires 6 Tanglevine Shafts that track enemies. On hit, they create a secondary wave of arrows.
Frontload Damage: Does massive damage in a very short animation window (40 Energy cost).

Important Passives

A4: Scholarly Blade: Tighnari's Charged Attack and Burst DMG is increased by 0.06% for every point of Elemental Mastery (Max 60% DMG bonus at 1000 EM).

Constellation Value

Constellation	Value	Effect
C1: Beginnings Determined at the Roots	Good	Increases Charged Attack CRIT Rate by 15%. Makes building his artifacts much easier.
C2: Origins Known From the Stem	Great	When Skill (E) is active, gain 20% Dendro DMG Bonus. Almost 100% uptime during his rotation.
C4: Wither Glimpsed in the Leaves	Support	Burst usage grants 60 EM to the team (120 EM if a reaction occurs). Good for Yae Miko/Fischl.
C6: Karma Adjudged from the Leaden Fruit	Game Changer	Reduces Charged Attack time significantly (even without E) and creates an extra Clusterbloom arrow. Massive DPS increase.

Verdict: Since he is a Standard banner character, you will likely get constellations over time. C1 and C2 are excellent early stopping points.

Stat Requirements

Stat	Goal
Elemental Mastery	300 - 600 (Ideally use EM Sands)
Energy Recharge	100-115% (Burst is cheap, E generates lots of particles)
Crit Rate	70%+ (Crucial for Slingshot passive and spread)

Artifact Main Stats:

Sands: Elemental Mastery (Priority) or ATK%
Goblet: Dendro DMG Bonus
Circlet: CRIT Rate / CRIT DMG

Artifacts Comparison

Set	Use Case	Reasoning
4pc Wanderer's Troupe	Best General	Offers 80 EM and 35% Charged Attack DMG. Since you can farm this passively via bosses and Strongbox, most players have great pieces.
4pc Gilded Dreams	Competitive	Provides massive EM buffs. Comparable to Wanderer's Troupe if substats are equal.
4pc Deepwood Memories	Solo Dendro	Tighnari loses personal damage wearing this. Ideally, a support (Zhongli/Nahida) holds Deepwood so Tighnari can run WT/Gilded.

Weapon Rankings

Weapon	Rank	Notes
Hunter's Path	S+	Signature. Massive 44% CRIT Rate and buffs Charged Attacks based on EM. Perfect synergy.
The First Great Magic	S	High Crit DMG and CA buffs. Very strong stat stick.
Slingshot (R5)	S-	The F2P God. A 3-star bow. Because Tighnari plays close-range (Spread), the passive is always active. Beats almost every 4-star weapon.
Aqua Simulacra	S-	Great for close range, huge Crit DMG.
Prototype Crescent	A	F2P Craftable. Good if you can hit weak spots, but Slingshot is usually easier.

Teams

Fox & Bird (Spread Premium)

Tighnari (Main DPS)
Yae Miko (Sub-DPS / Spread Trigger)
Nahida (Deepwood Holder / EM Buff)
Zhongli (Shield / Shred)

The synergy between Yae's random turret targeting and Tighnari's homing arrows makes this team incredibly easy to play.

F2P Spread

Tighnari
Fischl (Battery / Sub-DPS)
Collei / Dendro MC (Deepwood Holder)
Kuki Shinobu (Healer / Electro App)

Rotation

Quickswap Loop (12s):
Support Setup > Tighnari E > Tighnari Q > Tighnari 3x Aimed Shots > Swap

Note: Always cast Skill (E) first. You can use Burst (Q) before firing the 3 shots to catch particles, or after. The key is firing the 3 shots while the E buff is active.

FAQ

Is Slingshot actually good?
Yes. The passive requires you to be close to enemies, but Tighnari's Spread playstyle is close-range anyway. At R5, the 60% DMG bonus and 31% Crit Rate is massive.

Can I play him in Bloom/Hyperbloom?
Technically yes, but he applies Dendro too fast and in short bursts, which isn't ideal for Bloom generation compared to Nahida/Alhaitham. He shines in Spread.

Attack Sands or EM Sands?
EM Sands is generally better for reaction damage (Spread), but ATK% is viable if the substats are significantly better. Aim for at least 300 EM total.

Data Source: KQM Standards. Last Updated: December 2025

Tighnari Guide: The Forest Watcher