Character stats
Level Stats
Base HP15,185
Base ATK230
Base DEF729
HP28.8%
Sands
Genshin Impact character guide
5-star
Hydro
Sword
Nilou Build and Guide
Best Nilou build, teams, weapons, artifacts, combos, rotations, and gameplay notes for Genshin Impact.
5-starHydroSwordTitleDance of LotuslightConstellationLotos SomnoBirthday12-03OrganizationZubayr TheaterRelease2022-10-14
Last updated: October 21, 2026
Nilou Profile
Skills
Talent text and per-level multipliers, straight from the character data.
Normal Attack
Dance of Samser
Normal Attack
Performs up to 3 consecutive sword strikes.
Charged Attack
Consumes a certain amount of Stamina to perform a twirling slash.
Plunging Attack
Plunges from mid-air to strike the ground below, damaging opponents along the path and dealing AoE DMG upon impact.
Performs up to 3 consecutive sword strikes.
Charged Attack
Consumes a certain amount of Stamina to perform a twirling slash.
Plunging Attack
Plunges from mid-air to strike the ground below, damaging opponents along the path and dealing AoE DMG upon impact.
Full multiplier table
1-Hit DMG99.4%
2-Hit DMG89.8%
3-Hit DMG139.1%
Charged Attack DMG99.3%+107.6%
Charged Attack Stamina Cost20.0
Plunge DMG126.4%
Low/High Plunge DMG253%/316%
Elemental Skill
Dance of Haftkarsvar
Enters the Pirouette state, dealing Hydro DMG to nearby opponents based on Nilou's Max HP.
While she is in the Pirouette state, Nilou's Normal Attacks and Elemental Skill will cause her to enter the Sword Dance and Whirling Steps stances respectively, causing DMG she deals to be converted to Hydro DMG that cannot be overridden and that is considered Elemental Skill DMG.
In these stances, Nilou's third dance step will end Pirouette, and has the following effects based on the type of said dance step:
·Sword Dance: unleashes a Luminous Illusion that deals Hydro DMG to opponents it touches and grants Nilou the Lunar Prayer effect. This effect converts Nilou's Normal Attacks into Sword Dance techniques, and her final hit will unleash a Luminous Illusion.
·Whirling Steps: Nilou unleashes a Whirling Water Wheel that deals AoE Hydro DMG and creates a Tranquility Aura that follows your active character around and applies Wet to opponents within its AoE.
Nilou is unable to perform Charged Attacks when under the effect of Pirouette or Lunar Prayer. These effects will be removed once she leaves the field.
"Daintily her toes touch the water's face, and the light that ripples forth equals even the seven heavens."
While she is in the Pirouette state, Nilou's Normal Attacks and Elemental Skill will cause her to enter the Sword Dance and Whirling Steps stances respectively, causing DMG she deals to be converted to Hydro DMG that cannot be overridden and that is considered Elemental Skill DMG.
In these stances, Nilou's third dance step will end Pirouette, and has the following effects based on the type of said dance step:
·Sword Dance: unleashes a Luminous Illusion that deals Hydro DMG to opponents it touches and grants Nilou the Lunar Prayer effect. This effect converts Nilou's Normal Attacks into Sword Dance techniques, and her final hit will unleash a Luminous Illusion.
·Whirling Steps: Nilou unleashes a Whirling Water Wheel that deals AoE Hydro DMG and creates a Tranquility Aura that follows your active character around and applies Wet to opponents within its AoE.
Nilou is unable to perform Charged Attacks when under the effect of Pirouette or Lunar Prayer. These effects will be removed once she leaves the field.
"Daintily her toes touch the water's face, and the light that ripples forth equals even the seven heavens."
Full multiplier table
Skill DMG6.01% Max HP
Sword Dance/Whirling Steps 1-Hit DMG8.19%/5.87% Max HP
Sword Dance/Whirling Steps 2-Hit DMG9.26%/7.13% Max HP
Luminous Illusion/Water Wheel DMG12.90%/9.11% Max HP
Pirouette Duration10.0s
Lunar Prayer Duration8.0s
Tranquility Aura Duration12.0s
CD18.0s
Elemental Burst
Dance of Abzendegi: Distant Dreams, Listening Spring
Begins the dance of faraway dreams and springs that hear, causing a Lotus of Distant Waters to bloom, dealing AoE Hydro DMG based on Nilou's Max HP and applying the Lingering Aeon effect to all opponents hit.
After an interval, opponents affected by Lingering Aeon will take Hydro DMG.
"We have never witnessed that distant dream, but this dance can bring it to life."
After an interval, opponents affected by Lingering Aeon will take Hydro DMG.
"We have never witnessed that distant dream, but this dance can bring it to life."
Full multiplier table
Skill DMG33.2% Max HP
Lingering Aeon DMG40.6% Max HP
CD18.0s
Energy Cost70
Passive Talents
Passive talents are shown in full as kit cards.
White Jade Lotus
When Perfect Cooking is achieved on Food with Adventure-related effects, there is a 12% chance to obtain double the product.
Court of Dancing Petals
When all characters in the party are all Dendro or Hydro, and there are at least one Dendro character and one Hydro character:
The completion of the third dance step of Nilou's Dance of Haftkarsvar will grant all nearby characters the Golden Chalice's Bounty for 30s.
Characters under the effect of Golden Chalice's Bounty will increase the Elemental Mastery of all nearby characters by 100 for 10s whenever they are hit by Dendro attacks. Also, triggering the Bloom or Lunar-Bloom reaction will create Bountiful Cores instead of Dendro Cores.
Such Cores will burst very quickly after being created, and they have larger AoEs.
Bountiful Cores cannot trigger Hyperbloom or Burgeon, and they share an upper numerical limit with Dendro Cores. Bountiful Core DMG is considered DMG dealt by Dendro Cores produced by Bloom.
Should the party not meet the conditions for this Ascension Talent, any existing Golden Chalice's Bounty effects will be canceled.
The completion of the third dance step of Nilou's Dance of Haftkarsvar will grant all nearby characters the Golden Chalice's Bounty for 30s.
Characters under the effect of Golden Chalice's Bounty will increase the Elemental Mastery of all nearby characters by 100 for 10s whenever they are hit by Dendro attacks. Also, triggering the Bloom or Lunar-Bloom reaction will create Bountiful Cores instead of Dendro Cores.
Such Cores will burst very quickly after being created, and they have larger AoEs.
Bountiful Cores cannot trigger Hyperbloom or Burgeon, and they share an upper numerical limit with Dendro Cores. Bountiful Core DMG is considered DMG dealt by Dendro Cores produced by Bloom.
Should the party not meet the conditions for this Ascension Talent, any existing Golden Chalice's Bounty effects will be canceled.
Dreamy Dance of Aeons
Every 1,000 points of Nilou's Max HP above 30,000 will cause the DMG dealt by Bountiful Cores created by characters affected by Golden Chalice's Bounty to increase by 9%.
The maximum increase in Bountiful Core DMG that can be achieved this way is 400%.
The maximum increase in Bountiful Core DMG that can be achieved this way is 400%.
Constellations
All constellation names and descriptions in full for quick reference.
C1
Dance of the Waning Moon
Dance of Haftkarsvar will be enhanced as follows:
·Luminous Illusion DMG is increased by 65%.
·The Tranquility Aura's duration is extended by 6s.
·Luminous Illusion DMG is increased by 65%.
·The Tranquility Aura's duration is extended by 6s.
C2
The Starry Skies Their Flowers Rain
After characters affected by the Golden Chalice's Bounty deal Hydro DMG to an opponent, that opponent's Hydro RES will be decreased by 35% for 10s. After dealing Bloom or Lunar-Bloom DMG to opponents, their Dendro RES will be decreased by 35% for 10s.
You must first unlock the Ascension Talent "Court of Dancing Petals."
You must first unlock the Ascension Talent "Court of Dancing Petals."
C3
Beguiling Shadowstep
Increases the Level of Dance of Abzendegi: Distant Dreams, Listening Spring by 3.
Maximum upgrade level is 15.
Maximum upgrade level is 15.
C4
Fricative Pulse
After the third dance step of Dance of Haftkarsvar's Pirouette hits opponents, Nilou will gain 15 Elemental Energy, and DMG from her Dance of Abzendegi: Distant Dreams, Listening Spring will be increased by 50% for 8s.
C5
Twirling Light
Increases the Level of Dance of Haftkarsvar by 3.
Maximum upgrade level is 15.
Maximum upgrade level is 15.
C6
Frostbreaker's Melody
For every 1,000 points of Max HP, Nilou's CRIT Rate and CRIT DMG will increase by 0.6% and 1.2% respectively.
The maximum increase in CRIT Rate and CRIT DMG via this method is 30% and 60% respectively.
The maximum increase in CRIT Rate and CRIT DMG via this method is 30% and 60% respectively.
Images
Nilou Review
Pros
Great in AoE
Good vertical investment
Cons
Lack of AoE Content
Supportive capabilities are mostly locked behind signature and C2
Review
Short Kit Explanation
Nilou is a 5-star Hydro Sword character who is most commonly played as a support for Bloom teams.
Most of her value in this regard comes from her first Ascension Passive, which - as long as there are only Hydro and Dendro characters on the team - allow her to grant the team “Golden Chalice’s Bounty” for 30 seconds after fully casting her Elemental Skill. This causes Dendro Cores to be converted into “Bountiful Cores” when generated that burst almost instantly with increased AoE. Furthermore, thanks to her second Ascension Passive, their damage is massively buffed: increasing by 9% for every 1000 HP Nilou has above 30000, reaching its maximum of 400% at 74444 HP. To top it all off, Golden Chalice’s Bounty also increases the team’s Elemental Mastery by 100 when they are hit by Dendro Attacks, including the damage from the team’s own Bountiful Cores.
These Passives are why Nilou is so effective when facing multiple targets - more enemies allows the team to generate more Bountiful Cores, which thanks to the improvements to their damage and AoE can then each hit multiple opponents. Note, however, that each enemy can take a maximum of 2 instances of Bloom damage per source - though this can be circumvented by having multiple characters on the team triggering the reaction.
Nilou’s Elemental Skill has a lot of bells and whistles, but primarily just serves as a means to activate her Passives and apply Hydro. It has three “steps” - meaning that after the initial Skill cast, it then requires three more inputs to be “fully” cast, which can each be either a Normal Attack or another use of her Skill. The first and second step is irrelevant, but the input used for the third step determines the Skill’s effects: using a Skill creates a “Tranquility Aura” for 12 seconds that applies Hydro to enemies near the active character every 2 seconds, while using a Normal Attack infuses Nilou’s Normal Attacks with Hydro for 8 seconds and additionally causes her to launch an extra blade on her third Normal Attack. Typically, she opts for creating a Tranquility Aura due to her on-field presence being lackluster.
Nilou’s Burst is often of marginal value as she does not build offensive stats for it, though it does apply Hydro twice which can make it worth using on some teams to trigger more Blooms.
Finally, thanks to the 7.1 selector as well as the “Temper Thyself” mechanic, Nilou has relatively easier access to her C1 and her C2 compared to most 5-star characters. Her C1 is mediocre, extending the duration of her Tranquility Aura by 6 seconds or causing her extra blades from her Hydro-infused Normal Attacks to deal increased damage. Her C2, however, is more noteworthy; allowing her to provide 35% Hydro RES Shred for characters affected by her first Ascension Passive, and 35% Dendro RES Shred when dealing Bloom or Lunar-Bloom DMG. This is both a great increase to her own teams, but also extends her supportive presence for Lunar-Bloom DPS characters.
How to Play
(Mechanics & Gameplay Loop)
Nilou’s primary goal in most of her teams is to set up the Tranquility Aura from her Elemental Skill, providing consistent off-field Hydro application and activating her Ascension Passives. This, alongside other niche variations, will be discussed in her combos.
In AoE, Nilou usually requires a strong sustain on the team to keep the on-field character alive due to the large amount of Bloom self-damage.
How to Play
Combos
The notation used to refer to combat inputs in this section will be as follows:
N Normal AttackE Elemental Skill
E N2 E
Almost always her best option, setting up her Tranquility Aura with the least amount of field time possible.
E E E E
Takes a minor amount more field time than the above, but achieves the same effect and is almost impossible to misinput.
E N2
An option on highly invested Nefer teams for Nilou when using her signature weapon, allowing her to max out its stacks with minimal field time.
E NA Spam
Allows Nilou to stay on-field, which can be useful for certain Bloom teams or niche Vape Nilou variants.
Nilou Build
Weapons
Nilou Weapon Ranking
WeaponNotes
Key of Khaj-NisutR1By far Nilou’s best option, providing a massive amount of HP to meet her steep requirements while also providing a large teamwide Elemental Mastery buff.
Serenity's CallR5An F2P option primarily used for its Passive, which provides Nilou with a large dose of HP; especially strong when Nilou is used on DPS Columbina teams due to the Ascendent Gleam effect. The ER can also be helpful if Nilou wants to use her Burst.
The Dockhand's AssistantR1Primarily a HP% stat stick, outdoing Serenity’s Call when the team does not have Ascendent Gleam. Also provides a minor amount of Energy and EM.
Sapwood BladeR5Nilou’s best option on Nefer teams, due to Nefer disabling Dendro Core/Bountiful Core generation and thus rendering Nilou’s stats irrelevant. Allows her to provide an Elemental Mastery buff to a teammate every 20s.
Xiphos' MoonlightR1A niche option on Nilou teams where her teammates require the ER%; note that Nilou does not go out of her way to build Elemental Mastery to maximize the Passive. Favonius Sword can also be considered if desperate for energy, but also requires Nilou to build CRIT Rate which is usually not worthwhile.Artifact Sets
Nilou Artifact Ranking
ArtifactNotes
2PC HP% CombinationsUsed to max Nilou’s steep HP% requirement on her second Ascension Passive as well as her signature’s Elemental Mastery buff.
Silken Moon's SerenadeA good option in Nilou teams with Nascent Gleam/Ascendant Gleam, provided there are no better holders available.
InstructorAn option on Nefer teams thanks to the teamwide Elemental Mastery buff, as Nilou’s stats become irrelevant.Main Stats
Artifact main stats
Sands
Goblet
CircletInvestment
Nilou Investment Priority
Stats
HP%HP
EMElemental Mastery is generally worse than HP if Nilou is below 74444 HP, but is a decent option after that due to improving the value of Blooms triggered by Nilou.
Talents
LevelGetting Nilou to Level 90 improves her Base HP and increases the damage of Blooms she triggers, and should be prioritized. Investment beyond this has almost no returns, as Talent Levels merely improve their damage multipliers.
Constellations
Nilou Constellations
ConstellationInfo
C0
—
C1
Extends the duration of her Tranquility Aura by 6 seconds or causes her extra blades from her Hydro-infused Normal Attacks to deal increased damage. The former effect is a minor increase, while the latter is typically useless, making for a relatively mediocre Constellation.
C2
Allows her to provide 35% Hydro RES Shred for characters affected by her first Ascension Passive, and 35% Dendro RES Shred when dealing Bloom or Lunar-Bloom DMG. This is both a great increase to her own teams, but also extends her supportive presence for Lunar-Bloom DPS characters.
C3
—
C4
Allows Nilou to Burst more often for a very minor increase, provided it was advisable to use her Burst when available in the first place. The DMG Bonus is typically irrelevant before C6.
C5
—
C6
Grants Nilou a massive amount of CRIT based on her HP. This is a minimal improvement to her Bloom teams, but enables Vaporize playstyles with Nilou as the main DPS - especially in conjunction with her C4.
Nilou Statistics
Usage statistics
Observed Nilou Profile Data
Usage rates are gathered from player profiles connected to Enka and refreshed periodically. They describe what people are running, not what performs best.
Last statistics update: 03/November/2026
Based on Enka-connected profiles matching this character. Usage rate describes observed profile popularity, not optimality. Characters may have multiple viable builds, and guide recommendations can differ from popularity.
Sample: 307,865Weapons
Top Weapons
Key of Khaj-Nisut38.6%
Iron Sting12.6%Serenity's Call3.7%Artifacts
Most Used Artifact Sets
Vourukasha's Glow [2PC] + Rainbow4.0%
Sands
Main Stat Usage
Goblet
Main Stat Usage
Circlet
Main Stat Usage
Constellation ownership
Ownership by Constellation Level
C051.2%C128.6%C216.0%C31.2%C40.4%C50.1%C62.5%Nilou Teams & Synergies
Team Rules
Nilou requires the team to consist solely of Hydro and Dendro characters in order to enable her first Ascension Passive, which is often a large portion of her value. Beyond this, she also prefers characters with good elemental application to maximize Bloom triggers - though this can be outweighed by the utility or DPS of a given teammate.
Major Synergies and Teammates
Lauma
Dendro SupportMoonsignLauma is a massive upgrade for Bloom teams: providing valuable RES Shred, potent quills, and even allowing Blooms to CRIT if the team is at Nascent Gleam. If using a Lunar-Bloom DPS, Lauma is nigh mandatory to support them.
- 14% Lunar-Bloom Base DMG
- 25% Dendro and Hydro RES Shred
- Additional DMG (Quills) for Bloom-related Reactions
- Nascent Gleam: Allows Bloom, Hyperbloom, and Burgeon to CRIT with 15% CR and 100% CDMG
- Ascendant Gleam: 10% CRIT Rate, 20% CRIT DMG for Lunar-Bloom DMG
Artifacts
While Columbina can function as a simple Hydro applier and sub-DPS for Nilou Bloom teams, her much better use case with Nilou is alongside Lauma as a Main DPS. Nilou is one of the better options to support Columbina in this role even at C0, and further excels if she has access to her Constellations or signature weapon.
- 40 Lunar Reaction DMG%
- Up to 7 Lunar Reaction Base DMG%
- Extra Verdant Dew Generation
- Good Main/Sub-DPS
Nahida has fantastic Dendro application with minimal field time, making her a great pairing for Lauma and the premier off-field Dendro option if Lauma is not available.
- 250 Elemental Mastery to the active character
NeferDendro Main DPSMoonsignThe premier Lunar-Bloom DPS; Nilou is suboptimal for Nefer before C2. Nilou’s 100 EM buff from her first Ascension Passive will only reliably be active for the first rotation on Nefer teams due to Nefer disabling Bountiful Core production after using her Skill.
- Great Main DPS
- Up to 14% Lunar-Bloom Base DMG
Kokomi has good Hydro application to trigger Blooms and excellent healing, especially when using her Burst and taking field time; in fact, her healing is strong enough that she typically opts to build Elemental Mastery on Nilou teams.
- Great healing
- Good reaction DPS
Barbara can outperform Kokomi as an on-fielder when multiple enemies can fit in the range of her ring; however, her relatively weak sustain means she almost always opts for a healing build to keep the team alive.
- Decent healing
- Good reaction DPS in AoE
Weapons
Artifacts
Hydro/Dendro Characters
Nilou can often get good mileage in AoE out of any character with good Hydro or Dendro application, whether on- or off- field. Alhaitham, Kaveh, and Xingqiu are especially notable due to their application rate, lack of better teams, and - for the latter two - defensive utility.
Teams
Relative team damage chart. Best listed team is treated as 100%.
Lunar-Bloom TeamsNo DPS ComparisonsNilou's job is to buff the Lunar carries with her Ascension Passive and C2 RES Shred. She can also activate Ascendant Gleam to further increase Reaction DMG. For Nefer teams she is only viable at C2 as her Bountiful Core gimmick is removed.
Gear Information + Rotation18s
100 ER215 ER
150 ER100 ERPremium Variant RotationLauma Q hE, Bina QE, Nilou EEE, Nefer E 3CAD E 2CAD CAQ*, Bina CA
LaumaBurst
LaumaHold Skill
ColumbinaBurst
ColumbinaSkill
NilouSkill x3
NeferSkill
NeferCAD x3
NeferSkill
NeferCAD x2
NeferCAQ*
ColumbinaCharged Attack
Nefer bursts every other rotation.
Bountiful Bloom TeamsNo DPS ComparisonsThe traditional Nilou playstyle revolves around Nilou's Bountiful Bloom enabling, with the rest of the teammates being chosen for Elemental application and useful buffs to further empower Bloom damage.