Video Guide:
Mualani - The Surfing Hydro Catalyst of Genshin Impact:
Welcome, Travelers! This comprehensive guide introduces Mualani, the 5-star Hydro Catalyst character who made a splash in Genshin Impact's patch 5.0. Mualani brings a unique playstyle to the game, combining powerful water-based attacks with the exhilarating mechanic of surfing on a shark. Whether you're a new player or a seasoned veteran, this guide will help you master Mualani's abilities and maximize her potential on the battlefield.
Character Overview - Strengths:
Powerful Sharky's Bites nukes: Mualani's signature move deals impressive damage, often resulting in huge numbers. Excellent scaling with investment: The more you invest in Mualani, the more powerful she becomes, making her a great character to build. Strong A.O.E. damage: Mualani excels in situations with multiple enemies, making her valuable in domains and spiral abyss floors with grouped opponents. Useful for overworld exploration: Her unique surfing mechanic isn't just for combat; it's also a fun and efficient way to traverse the open world of Teyvat.
Playstyle:
Mualani shines as an on-field D.P.S., utilizing the Nightsoul mechanic unique to Natlan characters. Her gameplay revolves around a dynamic cycle:
One: Activate her elemental skill to enter the surfing state. Two: While surfing, collide with enemies to gain damage-boosting stacks. This not only deals damage but also sets up for her powerful nuke. Three: Once you've accumulated stacks, unleash a massive Sharky's Surging Bite nuke with her Normal Attack. Four: Repeat the cycle, weaving in her elemental burst when available for additional damage and hydro application.
This playstyle encourages active engagement with enemies and rewards skillful navigation of the battlefield. Mastering the timing of when to build stacks and when to release your nuke is key to maximizing Mualani's damage output.
Building Mualani - Talent Leveling Priority:
Understanding Mualani's talent priority is crucial for efficient resource allocation.
One - Character Level: Aim for level 90. Mualani's H.P. scaling makes leveling her to 90 more impactful than for many other characters. Two - Elemental Skill: This is your primary source of damage and the key to Mualani's unique playstyle. Prioritize this talent for maximum impact. Three - Elemental Burst: While not as critical as her skill, her burst provides good damage and should be leveled after her skill. Four - Normal Attack: Interestingly, there's no need to level this talent. Despite Sharky's Bite being considered Normal Attack damage, it scales with her Skill Talent, making Normal Attack leveling unnecessary.
Artifacts - Main Stats:
Choosing the right artifacts is crucial for unleashing Mualani's full potential. Here's a detailed breakdown:
Sands: H.P. percent or Elemental Mastery. H.P. percent provides consistent damage increase. Elemental Mastery can be stronger in vaporize teams but is more situational.
Goblet: Hydro Damage Bonus. This provides the best damage increase for Mualani's hydro attacks.
Circlet: critical damage. With Mualani's innate critical Rate and potential artifact set bonuses, critical damage often provides better returns.
Artifacts - Substat Priority:
One - critical damage: This is your primary damage-increasing stat. Two - critical rate: aim for a 1:2 ratio with critical damage, but be mindful of potential critical rate from other sources. Three - H.P. percent: Due to Mualani's H.P. scaling, this is more valuable than attack percent. Four - Elemental Mastery: Useful for vaporize reactions, but less consistent than the above stats.
Why it's best: This set is tailor-made for Mualani. The 2-piece effect boosts all her damage during her skill state, while the 4-piece effect provides a massive critical rate boost that synergizes perfectly with her playstyle.
Artifact Optimization Tips:
Mualani's critical rate ascension stat, combined with the 4 piece Obsidian Codex's 40 percent critical rate buff, makes it easy to overcap on critical rate. This increases the relative value of stats like H.P. percent and Elemental Mastery.
An H.P. percent circlet can sometimes perform similarly to a critical damage circlet, especially if Mualani is equipped with a weapon that has a critical secondary stat.
Similarly, a goblet with an H.P. percent main stat often performs close to one with hydro damage bonus. Don't be afraid to use an H.P. percent goblet with excellent stats over a mediocre Hydro damage Bonus Goblet.
Why it's best: This weapon is perfectly tailored to Mualani's kit. It provides everything she needs: H.P. percent for scaling, a hefty critical damage boost, and a substantial Normal Attack damage bonus that synergizes with her playstyle.
Weapon Choice Considerations:
If you're using Surf's Up or another weapon with a critical rate secondary stat, you may want to adjust your artifact choices to avoid overcapping on critical rate stats.
The choice between critical damage and H.P. percent weapons can depend on your artifact substats. If you have plenty of critical damage from artifacts, an H.P. percent weapon might provide better overall damage.
Remember that weapon passives that boost attack percent are less valuable for Mualani due to her H.P. scaling.
Team Building - Key Teammates:
Her off-field Pyro application from Guoba and Pyronado allows Mualani to trigger Vaporize reactions consistently. Xiangling's energy needs are also less of an issue in Mualani teams due to the slower Hydro application.
His slower Pyro application actually works well with Mualani's limited Hydro application. As a bonus, he provides shields for added survivability.
Best Team Compositions:
Gameplay Tips:
Focus on Forward Vaporize reactions: Mualani's kit is designed to take advantage of Forward Vaporize, which can significantly increase her damage output.
Use her Elemental Burst when available: While you shouldn't prioritize Energy Recharge in your builds, make sure to use her burst when it's ready for additional damage and Hydro application.
Master the surfing mechanic: Practice using Mualani's unique surfing ability both in and out of combat. It's not just for damage; it's also a great exploration tool.
Balance stack building and nuking: Learn when to build stacks by colliding with enemies and when to unleash your powerful Sharky's Bite nuke.
Consider running a shielder or healer. Mualani lacks self-sustain, so having a teammate who can keep her healthy is valuable.
Be mindful of enemy positions: Mualani's surfing ability allows her to reposition quickly. Use this to your advantage to group enemies together for A.O.E. damage.
Utilize her Charged Attack: While her Normal Attack nuke is her primary source of damage, don't forget that her Charged Attack can be useful for applying Hydro to multiple enemies quickly.
Best Constellation Stopping Point:
While Mualani is strong at constellation 0, her constellation 1 can provide a significant power boost.
Constellation 1 - The Leisurely Meztli: Effect: Significantly increases the damage of Mualani's first surging bite every rotation. Mualani's Nightsoul Blessing state now consumes 30 percent less Nightsoul and Phlogiston.
Analysis: This is a substantial damage increase for Mualani's main source of damage. The reduced Nightsoul and Phlogiston consumption also improves her quality of life, especially for overworld exploration. This is a good stopping point for low-spenders.