Genshin Impact: Best Lan Yan Builds (Weapons, Artifacts, Team Comps, Stats)

Using the best build for Lan Yan in Genshin Impact can significantly enhance the character’s value as a shielder in team comps and, with it, how well the rest of the party can perform while under her protection. Lan Yan is a 4-star Anemo character who uses a Catalyst in battle. The character is one of the four new playable units added with Version 5.3, though instead of being related to Natlan like the Pyro Traveler, Citlali, or Mavuika in Genshin Impact, Lan Yan hails from the Nation of Liyue.

Lan Yan’s main specialty is creating a shield for her team comp via her Elemental Skill. Its standard form absorbs Anemo DMG with more efficiency, but Lan Yan’s shield can undergo Elemental Absorption if her Skill interacts with Hydro, Pyro, Cryo, or Electro. This, in turn, transforms the shield and allows it to have increased DMG absorption from the corresponding element. If this happens, she will also deal more DMG to opponents. Lan Yan’s Burst can help gather enemies, which makes her not only a shielder but a support and a secondary source of damage in Genshin Impact.

Best Weapons For Lan Yan (Best Catalysts)

There Aren’t Too Many Weapon Options For The Character

Before taking advantage of her abilities, you’ll need to work on her build, starting with finding her a suitable weapon. The best weapon for Lan Yan is Starcaller’s Watch. The 5-star catalyst offers a fairly high base ATK (542 at level 90) and a great Elemental Mastery sub-stat (265 at level 90). Its ability grants an extra 100 Elemental Mastery and offers the Mirror of Night effect within 15 seconds after the user creates a shield. This increases the active party member’s DMG by 28%, an effect that can be obtained once every 14 seconds.

The table below lists the best builds for Lan Yan, including recommended weapons, strongest Artifacts, ideal stats, and more:

Starcaller’s Watch is great for Lan Yan because she will be actively buffing her teammates after she creates a shield, which fits right into her rotation. Seeing that her Elemental Skill’s cooldown is 16 seconds, every time she creates a shield (which only lasts 12.5 seconds), Lan Yan will be able to activate the Mirror of Night effect from the premium catalyst. Starcaller’s Watch is also a great choice because, as a 5-star weapon, it offers a better base ATK stat than most 4-star catalysts – and that is a crucial skill to have in her build.

If you don’t have access to Starcaller’s Watch, the second best weapon for Lan Yan is Sacrificial Fragments. The 4-star catalyst offers a lower base ATK (454 at level 90) compared to the aforementioned 5-star weapon, but a competitive Elemental Mastery sub-stat (221 at level 90). Sacrificial Fragments stands out because after damaging an enemy with a Skill, the weapon has offers the Skill a 40% chance to end its own cooldown, an effect that can be triggered once every 30 seconds. This could be a substantial boon for Lan Yan in Genshin Impact.

This is because Lan Yan’s shield lasts less time than the Skill’s cooldown. Essentially, when the shield expires (if it’s not destroyed before that), your team comp is exposed for 3.5 seconds before she is able to cast her Skill again. As such, Sacrificial Fragments would not serve for her Skill to be spammed sequentially, but to have it ready for usage as soon as the shield expires, fixing the issue of the gap between the shield’s duration and the Skill’s cooldown.

Alternatively, you could use Wandering Evenstar on Lan Yan. The 4-star catalyst offers a better base ATK (510 at level 90) but an inferior Elemental Mastery sub-stat (165 at level 90). With it, every 10 seconds, the user gains 24% of their Elemental Mastery as bonus ATK for 12 seconds, with party members gaining 30% of this buff for the same duration. ATK should always be Lan Yan’s priority, but Elemental Mastery is a valuable sub-stat for her. If you equip this weapon, you’ll need to invest a bit more in EM to make Wandering Evenstar worthwhile in Genshin Impact.

If none of these weapons are available, you could use Thrilling Tales of Dragon Slayers. The 3-star catalyst is a staple for support units, such as Barbara. It offers a low base ATK (401 at level 90) and a high HP sub-stat (35.2% at level 90), though this is dispensable for Lan Yan’s build. The weapon’s benefit lies in its skill: when switching characters, the new character taking the field has their ATK increased by 24% for 10 seconds (at R1), an effect that can be triggered every 20 seconds. At R5, the ATK buff provided to allies is 48%.

Overall, there are not many exceptional weapon options for Lan Yan aside from Starcaller’s Watch and Sacrificial Fragments. When searching for gear, look for a weapon that provides a decent ATK stat and effects that benefit allies to further play into her role as a support.

Best Artifacts & Stats For Lan Yan

ATK Should Be Increased As Much As Possible

The best Artifact set for Lan Yan is Viridiscent Venerer. With the two-piece bonus, Lan Yan gets a 15% Anemo DMG bonus. With its four-piece bonus, Swirl DMG is increased by 60% but, most importantly, it decreases opponents’ Elemental RES to the element infused in the Swirl by 40% for 10 seconds. This not only enhances Lan Yan’s offensive properties but adds to her support role as it should help the main DPS and sub-DPS to deal more Elemental DMG when using Elements in Genshin Impact that interact with Anemo.

Because Lan Yan’s main ability is her Elemental Skill and her shield scales off ATK, this is the stat you should prioritize when farming these Artifacts. Try to get the highest ATK count possible for Lan Yan, as this will make her shield more effective – and, in turn, allow her to deal more damage. Some Energy Recharge is also good so as to trigger her Burst, as well as Elemental Mastery, which could enhance the power of her Swirl reactions.

Best Team Comps For Lan Yan

The Character Assists Pyro, Hydro, Electro, & Cryo Main DPS

Lan Yan is a versatile shielder who can work with nearly every type of team comp, as long as the main DPS is Pyro, Hydro, Electro, or Cryo. This is because these are the elements that interact with Anemo. As such, she could be paired up with characters like Arlecchino, Clorinde, Wriothesley, or Neuvillette, for example. She could even work with some Natlan characters like Mavuika or Mualani in Genshin Impact, though because most of them benefit from allied Nightsoul mechanics or specific non-Swirl reactions, she could put a damper on their potential performance.

The table below lists some team comp suggestions for Lan Yan:

Even though she is capable of contributing with damage, Lan Yan is first and foremost a support and it’s recommended that she is treated as such. She could operate as a main DPS in certain team comps, aided by strong off-field sub-DPS units, but it’s more efficient to have her help allies than the other way around.

Talent Priority For Lan Yan

Her Elemental Skill Is The Most Important Part Of Her

When leveling up Lan Yan, you may have to prioritize some Talents over others and the most important one in her kit is her Elemental Skill. This is the one that grants her team the shield and the one with the most consistent source of damage. After that, you should level up her Burst, which is not vital but still very useful in her rotation. Her Normal Attacks don’t have to be leveled up if you are running her as a support, but they should take priority if you prefer Lan Yan as your main DPS in Genshin Impact.

Lan Yan’s build is a fairly simple one, as you only really need to invest in her ATK. Choosing a decent weapon can be difficult if you don’t have access to the two top-tier ones, but even a 3-star catalyst works on her, so there are ways of making her effective as a support. Lan Yan’s adaptive shield is a strong one when the ATK stat is high, so be sure to take advantage of that and try to fine-tune your team comp’s rotation in Genshin Impact to leave them exposed for the least amount of time possible.