Childe, Tartaglia, tortellini or tortilla. While Snezhnaya's dashing five-star Hydro bow user goes by many community-proclaimed nicknames, one thing is certain: he's more than just a walking Mora machine for Zhongli's personal use. And since Childe goes through many identities, his gameplay is also two-sided. He's a Hydro bow user in theory, but a dual sword wielder in practice. Either way, Childe is a fun and satisfying character to play, as long as he's built correctly.
Gameplay
Childe's kit revolves around two key areas: applying the Riptide effect and switching stances with his elemental skill. First, Riptide is a status effect that periodically deals AoE hydraulic damage to affected enemies. Monsters affected by Riptide are marked with a Foul Legacy symbol. This can be activated in three ways:
- Hit an enemy with a charged attack while in ranged stance
- Land a critical hit on an enemy in melee stance using normal or charged attacks (Ascension level 4 and up)
- Using Childe's Elementary Burst
Meanwhile, Childe's elemental skill changes his ranged stance to melee and turns all of his attacks into hydraulic attacks. You can consistently combo with three consecutive normal attacks, followed by a charged attack. Childe's elemental burst also changes depending on his position.
Related: How to Use the Enhancement Progress Calculator for Genshin Impact
Elemental Skill Cooldowns
The biggest downside to Childe's gameplay is his elemental skill cooldown, which needs to be timed correctly to avoid a 45 second downtime:
| Time spent in scrum position | Charging time |
|---|---|
| Less than two seconds | Seven seconds |
| five to seven seconds | Time spent in melee stance + five seconds |
| Eight to 29 seconds | Time spent in melee stance + six seconds |
| 30 seconds (automatically returns to remote position) | 45 seconds |
For example, if Childe was in melee stance for six seconds before switching back to ranged characters or switching characters, his elemental skill cooldown will be six seconds plus five seconds, for a total of 11 seconds.
Poor
Childe's best weapons would be the five-star Thundering Pulse or Polar Star. The Skyward Harp is also a great alternative with almost negligible damage difference compared to the Polestar. Other five-star picks like the Amos' Bow also perform decently.
Four-star weapons like Moon of Mouun and Prototype Crescent are good four-star alternatives. For niche builds, consider Viridescent Hunt for its cyclone-generating passive, which can cluster enemies and amplify Riptide's effect.
Related: How to Farm All Weapon Ascension Materials in Genshin Impact
Artifacts
The four-piece Heart of Depth is Childe's best artifact set, as his passive matches his kit perfectly. You can take advantage of the four piece bonus by making sure Childe still gets 15 seconds of field time after going into melee.
- Two Piece: Hydraulic Damage Bonus +15%
- Four Pieces: After using an elemental skill, increases normal attack and charged attack damage by 30% for 15 seconds.
For Artifact stats, a Goblet of Hydraulic Damage is a must to maximize Childe's Hydraulic output. Go for a Crit Rate or Crit Damage Circlet depending on what your weapon lacks, and strike a good balance between Attack, Crit Rate, and Crit Damage for the rest of its artifacts. If you're planning on building Childe as a Burst DPS, consider stacking an Energy Refill as well.
Best team for Childe
Childe is best known for being a key member of the international team, which consists of Xiangling, Kazuha and Bennett. It also has a place on Freeze teams, as Riptide constantly applies Wet status to enemies.
Since Childe's elemental skill hits enemies very quickly, it pairs surprisingly well with off-screen supports whose skills are triggered by normal attack frequency, like Raiden Shogun and Xingqiu. But while Childe can be slotted into many teams, it's important that there's a sub-DPS to fill in the gaps during his elemental skill downtime.
For more help on building Genshin Impact Marios, check out our guides on Best Diluc Build in Genshin Impact - Weapons, Artifacts and More! and Best Arataki Itto Build at Genshin Impact.
