Kinich is a Main DPS from Natlan that deals powerful Dendro DMG with Elemental Skill. He uses Burning or Burgeon reaction to quicken the charge of his Nightsoul allowing you to deal powerful damage frequently. Outside being an excellent DPS, he also excels in exploration especially with Constellation 1.
I. Kinich Strengths and Weaknesses
- Strengths
- Scalespiker Cannon's damage scales massively, giving Kinich great frontloaded damage potential.
- Elemental Skill lets Kinich evade enemy attacks without sacrificing DPS.
- Elemental Burst is a good source of off-field AoE Dendro Damage that is flexible in its use, and also extends the duration of his Nightsoul Blessing during his skill.
- Elemental Skill latches onto opponents and automatically targets them, eliminating any nuances when it comes to ranged opponents.
- Weaknesses
- Scalespiker Cannon during his Elemental Skill can be shot 3 to 4 times per rotation, but the timing is strict and performs slower on teams that are not focused on Burning or Burgeon.
- Movement during his Elemental Skill requires mastery for the foresight on where to go, especially when going to the glowing Blind Spot.
- Is a single-target unit for the most part, requiring teammates or effective use of Scalespiker Cannon and Elemental Burst to deal AoE damage.
II. Kinich Best Builds
Kinich is a unit that utilizes his Elemental Skill to deal frontloaded Dendro DMG to opponents, and thus needs a good amount of CRIT stats to make use of Scalespiker Cannon's scalings.
With that in mind, opt to build as much CRIT DMG and ATK% as possible, getting enough CRIT Rate as needed depending on which build you choose.
1. Kinich DPS Builds
In his best teams on Burning or Burgeon, Kinich uses Obsidian Codex as his best build for the massive CRIT Rate bonus every time he uses Nightsoul Points during his Elemental Skill. It also allows him to build CRIT easier building, letting him sit comfortably at +40% CRIT Rate alone.
An alternative to this is 4-pc. Unfinished Reverie for the 50% DMG increase only against Burning opponents, and Kinich will usually be running in teams that utilize Burn anyway, making this a solid option.
Burning or Burgeon Dendro DPS
2. Dendro Quicken DPS
If you are opting to run Kinich as a standard Dendro DPS, you can opt for something like 4-pc. Gilded Dreams or other Elemental Mastery-centric Artifact Sets and run him in standard Dendro DPS comps like Spread and Hyperbloom.
Kinich fills the role of being the on-field Dendro Applicator to either deal Spread damage or generate bloom cores for the Electro unit to trigger, all while supplementing the team with his respectable damage.
3. Kinich Talent Priority
1st (Elemental Skill) > 2nd (Elemental Burst) > 3rd (Normal Attack)
Kinich's main talent priority is his Elemental Skill as that increases the damage of his Loopshots and Scalespiker Cannon, both of which make up the core damage foundation of his kit.
Next up, you can level his Elemental Burst for K'uhul Ajaw to be able to deal more Off-Field damage while Kinich is focused on one target. His Normal Attacks can be saved for last.
III. Kinich Best Artifacts
Obsidian Codex is Kinich's best 4-pc. option due to the free 15% DMG increase and essentially free 40% CRIT Rate given to him whenever he uses his Elemental Skill.
Alternatives include 4-pc. Unfinished Reverie specifically for Burning teams, and a mix of 2-pc. Deepwood Memories and 2-pc. Golden Troupe to boost his damage while you farm for 4-pc. Obsidian Codex.
Kinich Artifact Rankings
1st (Obsidian Codex):
- 2-PC: While the equipping character is in Nightsoul's Blessing and is on the field, their DMG dealt is increased by 15%.
- 4-PC: After the equipping character consumes 1 Nightsoul point while on the field, CRIT Rate increases by 40% for 6s. This effect can trigger once every second.
2nd (Unfinished Reverie):
- 2-PC: ATK+18%
- 4-PC: After leaving combat for 3s, DMG dealt increases by 50%. In combat, if no Burning opponents are nearby for more than 6s, this DMG Bonus will decrease by 10% per second until it reaches 0%. When a Burning opponent exists, it will increase by 10% instead until it reaches 50%. This effect still triggers if the equipping character is off-field.
3rd (Deepwood Memories):
- Gives DMG Boost and Dendro Res Shred.
- Better to be used by supports or sub-DPS than Kinich himself.
4th (2pc. ATK):
- Increases Skill DMG and ATK which is the main source of DMG by Kinich.
- Great set while you are still farming for 4pc. Sets.
IV. Kinich Best Weapons
Fang of the Mountain King is Kinich's Best-in-Slot and Signature Weapon due to the damage buffs he gets to his Elemental Skill and Burst whenever he hits opponents with his Elemental Skill.
Other weapons include Beacon of the Reed Sea for the ATK% buff, Serpent Spine for the overall damage buff, and the Free-to-Play Earth Shaker for the Elemental Skill damage increase.
Kinich Weapon Rankings
1st (Fang of the Mountain King):
- Base ATK: 741
- Bonus Stat: CRIT Rate 11.0%
- Skill Effect: Gain 1 stack of Canopy's Favor after hitting an opponent with an Elemental Skill. This can be triggered once every 0.5s. After a nearby party member triggers a Burning or Burgeon reaction, the equipping character will gain 3 stacks. This effect can be triggered once every 2s and can be triggered even when the triggering party member is off-field. Canopy's Favor: Elemental Skill and Burst DMG is increased by 10% for 6s. Max 6 stacks. Each stack is counted independently.
2nd (Beacon of the Reed Sea):
- Base ATK: 608
- Bonus Stat: CRIT Rate 33.1%
- Skill Effect: After the character's Elemental Skill hits an opponent, their ATK will be increased by 20% for 8s. After the character takes DMG, their ATK will be increased by 20% for 8s. The 2 aforementioned effects can be triggered even when the character is not on the field. Additionally, when not protected by a shield, the character's Max HP will be increased by 32%.
3rd (Serpent Spine):
- Base ATK: 510
- Bonus Stat: CRIT Rate 27.6%
- Skill Effect: Every 4s a character is on the field, they will deal 6% more DMG and take 3% more DMG. This effect has a maximum of 5 stacks and will not be reset if the character leaves the field, but will be reduced by 1 stack when the character takes DMG.
V. Kinich Best Team Comps
Kinich works exceptionally well in Burning or Burgeon teams due to his A1 Passive giving him more Nightsoul Points against opponents hit by Burning or Burgeon.
This passive alone lets him shoot one more Scalespiker Cannon during his rotations, which is a sizable addition to his already impressive damage.
1. Kinich Burning Teams
Burning teams are one half of Kinich's intended team comps as his kit wants him to attack enemies who are currently in the Burning (or Burgeon) state to gain more Nightsoul points, while also benefitting allies like Emilie who both synergize well for this particular niche.
You may opt on using any off-field Pyro like Xiangling, Thoma, or Dehya as long as the Burning Aura doesn't fall off. Emilie is not required for Burning teams, so you may also use other Dendro supports like Nahida, Baizhu, or Collei for the Deepwood Memories effect coverage.
2. Kinich Burgeon Teams
Burgeon teams are the other half of Kinich's intended team composition to accumulate Nightsoul points, utilizing at least one Hydro and Pyro. Thoma or Dehya are the best Pyro off-field characters you can use, as they provide slow off-field application as well as shields to protect you against the Burgeon explosions.
3. Kinich Quicken Teams
You may also use Kinich on Quicken teams with an Electro character just as fine as a Dendro carry, but do note that Kinich gains less Nighstoul points from not having a Burning or Burgeon reaction occur in the field, which leads to him shooting less Scalespiker Cannons for lesser damage overall.
4. Kinich Quickbloom Teams
Kinich can also function in a Quickbloom team as the Dendro applicator, allowing him to generate bloom cores for use by the Electro trigger.
One thing to keep track of is that his Elemental Skill puts him at range against an opponent, and sometimes an Electro trigger like Shinobu needs to be close to trigger bloom cores, and cannot do so if Kinich is sliding too much away from the source.
VI. Kinich's Ascension and Talent Material Summary
