Yelan is an extremely powerful 5-star Hydro character in Genshin Impact. If you’re looking to build her, check out our recommended Artifacts, weapons, and more.
Yelan is a mysterious individual who allegedly works for the Ministry of Civil Affairs. However, she also claims she works for Liyue’s Yanshang Teahouse.
Yelan has consistently scored high on Genshin Impact’s tier list for sub-DPS units. This character’s Elemental Burst can improve the DMG of active units, but the ability does have a high energy cost. She can also become a main DPS depending on Constellations.
Keep reading to learn everything you need to know about effectively building Yelan in Genshin Impact.
Best Yelan build in Genshin Impact
| Weapon | Artifacts | Stats | Team Comp |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aqua Simulacra | Emblem of Severed Fate | Circlet: Crit Rate or Crit DamageGoblet: Hydro DMG BonusSands: HP% or Energy RechargeSubstats: Crit Rate, Crit DMG, HP%, Energy Recharge | Hu Tao, Yelan, Xingqiu, Zhongli |
Best Yelan Artifacts
We recommend placing the 4-piece Emblem of Severed Fate set on Yelan if you wish to use her as a sub-DPS. These Artifacts will increase her Energy Recharge by 20% and then improve her Elemental Burst DMG by 25% of her Energy Recharge.
If you want to run Yelan as a Main DPS, we suggest using the 2-piece Tenacity of the Millelith alongside the 2-piece Heart of Depth. This combination will not only boost Yelan’s HP by 20%, but will also improve her Hydro DMG Bonus by 15%.
| Artifact | Set Bonuses |
| Emblem of Severed Fate | 2-piece: Energy Recharge +20%4-piece: Increases Elemental Burst DMG by 25% of Energy Recharge. A maximum of 75% bonus DMG can be obtained in this way. |
| Tenacity of the Millelith | 2-piece: HP +20%4-piece: When an Elemental Skill hits an opponent, the ATK of all nearby party members is increased by 20% and their Shield Strength is increased by 30% for 3s. This effect can be triggered once every 0.5s. This effect can still be triggered even when the character who is using this artifact set is not on the field. |
| Heart of Depth | 2-piece: Hydro DMG Bonus +15%4-piece: After using Elemental Skill, increases Normal Attack and Charged Attack DMG by 30% for 15s. |
Best Yelan weapons
The best weapon choice for Yelan is the 5-star Aqua Simulacra due to the Bow increasing her HP by 16%. Yelan will need this effect, considering almost all of her attacks scale with her HP percentage. Aqua Simulacra will also improve Yelan’s DMG by 20% if there are opponents nearby, even if Yelan isn’t on the field.
Another option is running the 5-star Polar Star to increase Yelan’s Elemental Skill and Elemental Burst DMG by 12%. This weapon will also trigger the Ashen Nightstar effect to convert stacks into ATK boosts.
If you don’t have either 5-star option, we suggest going with The Stringless to improve your Elemental Skill and Elemental Burst DMG by 24%.
| Weapon | Details |
| Aqua Simulacra | HP is increased by 16%. When there are opponents nearby, the DMG dealt by the wielder of this weapon is increased by 20%. This will take effect whether the character is on-field or not. |
| Polar Star | Elemental Skill and Elemental Burst DMG increased by 12%. After a Normal Attack, Charged Attack, Elemental Skill or Elemental Burst hits an opponent, 1 stack of Ashen Nightstar will be gained for 12s. When 1/2/3/4 stacks of Ashen Nightstar are present, ATK is increased by 10/20/30/48%. The stack of Ashen Nightstar created by the Normal Attack, Charged Attack, Elemental Skill or Elemental Burst will be counted independently of the others. |
| The Stringless | Increases Elemental Skill and Elemental Burst DMG by 24% |
Yelan Talent Level-up and Ascension Materials
Talent level-up materials
Yelan’s talents in Genshin Impact need Teachings of Prosperity and its upgrades, Recruit’s Insignia and its upgrades, and Gilden Scale. The exact number of materials you need for Yelan’s talents are as follows:
| Talent level-up materials | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Talent level-up materials | Teachings of Prosperity x9 | Guide to Prosperity x63 | Philosophies of Prosperity x114 |
| Common Ascension Materials | Recruit’s Insignia x18 | Sergeant’s Insignia x66 | Lieutenant’s Insignia x93 |
| Weekly Boss Material | Gilded Scale x18 |
Where to farm Yelan’s talent level-up materials
Teachings of Prosperity and its upgrades
Teachings of Prosperity and its upgrades can be farmed from Taishan Mansion in Liyue. The said materials are available on Monday, Tuesday, and Sunday. Taishan Mansion is located near Jueyun Karst.
Recruit’s Insignia and its upgrades
Recruit’s Insignia and its upgrades are dropped by Fatui enemies in Genshin Impact. You can locate them through the Adventurer’s Handbook. All you need to do is open the menu, look for Adventurer’s Handbook, go to enemies, click on the one you want and the game will guide you automatically.
Gilded Scale
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Gilded Scale is dropped by the Azdaha weekly boss in Genshin Impact. This boss is unlocked as part of Zhongli’s questline in the game.
Ascension materials
Yelan in Genshin Impact needs Varunada Lazurite Silver, Runic Fang, Recruit’s Insignia, and Starconch. The exact number of materials she needs has been listed below:
| Ascension Level | Mora | Materials | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20000 | Varunada Lazurite Silver x1 | Recruit’s Insignia x3 | Starconch x3 | |
| 2 | 40000 | Varunada Lazurite Fragment x3 | Runic Fang x2 | Recruit’s Insignia x15 | Starconch x10 |
| 3 | 60000 | Varunada Lazurite Fragment x6 | Runic Fang x4 | Sergeant’s Insignia x12 | Starconch x20 |
| 4 | 80000 | Varunada Lazurite Chunk x3 | Runic Fang x8 | Sergeant’s Insignia x18 | Starconch x30 |
| 5 | 100000 | Varunada Lazurite Chunk x6 | Runic Fang x12 | Lieutenant’s Insignia x12 | Starconch x45 |
| 6 | 120000 | Varunada Lazurite Gemstone x6 | Runic Fang x20 | Lieutenant’s Insignia x24 | Starconch x60 |
Where to farm Yelan Ascension materials
Varunada Lazurite Silver and its upgrades
Varunada Lazurite Silver and its upgrades can be farmed from the Hydro Hypostasis in Genshin Impact. You can locate it very close to Sangonomiya Shrine in Watatsumi Island in Inazuma.
Runic Fang
Runic Fang is dropped by the Runic Serpent in Liyue. You can find it in the lower depths of the Chasm.
Starconch
Starconch is a local specialty of Liyue that can be found spread all over the region. The areas where it can be found in abundance are Guyun Stone Forest and Yaoguang Shoal.
Best Yelan team comp
We suggest running Yelan on a team focused on the Hyperbloom Elemental Reaction. Therefore, we suggest using Yelan alongside Kokomi, Nahida, and Ayato. This team composition would take advantage of off-field element application while Kokomi continues to provide heals for the party.
Alternatively, you could place Yelan on a Vaporize team with party members like Hu Tao, Xingqiu, and Zhongli. You won’t need a healer on this team, considering Zhongli’s shield and the way Hu Tao’s kit works.
Finally, Yelan also works quite well with Yoimiya, YunJin, and Bennett. Yoimiya is the only character who can make the most out of Yelan’s 50% bonus damage.
Yelan abilities in Genshin Impact
Normal Attack: Stealthy Bowshot
| Ability Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Normal Attack | Performs up to 4 consecutive shots with a bow |
| Charged Attack | Aimed Shot with increased damage: deals Hydro damage when fully charged |
| Plunging Attack | A “shower of arrows” dealing AoE damage |
| Breakthrough | After spending 5s out of combat, Yelan enters “Breakthrough” state in which her next Charged Aimed Shot cooldown is reduced by 80%, and it fires a “Breakthrough Barb” dealing AoE Hydro damage based on her Max HP |
Elemental Skill
| Ability Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Lingering Lifeline | Fires a “Lifeline” that marks opponents in its path. Yelan can move rapidly forward, after which the Lifeline explodes and deals Hydro damage to marked opponents based on her Max HP. |
Elemental Burst
| Ability Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Depth-Clarion Dice | Yelan’s Elemental Burst deals AoE Hydro damage and creates an “Exquisite Throw,” which deals Hydro damage based on Yelan’s Max HP:Once every second when the active character uses a Normal AttackWhen Yelan’s Lifeline explodes and hits opponents |
Passives
| Ability Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Necessary Calculation | Gains 25% more rewards when dispatched on a Liyue Expedition for 20 hours. |
| Turn Control | When the party has 1/2/3/4 Elemental Types, Yelan’s Max HP is increased by 6%/12%/18%/30%. |
| Adapt with Ease | So long as an Exquisite Throw is in play, your own active character deals 1% more DMG. This increases by a further 3.5% DMG every second. The maximum increase to DMG dealt is 50%.The pre-existing effect will be dispelled if Depth-Clarion Dice is recast during its duration. |
Yelan Constellations in Genshin Impact
Lucky enough to pull multiple copies of Yelan? Here are the buffs you’ll receive from her Constellations:
- Level One – Enter the Plotters: +1 Lingering Lifeline charge.
- Level Two – Taking All Comers: Exquisite Throw attacks fire +1 water arrow dealing 14% of Yelan’s Max HP as Hydro damage, once every 1.8 seconds.
- Level Three – Beware the Trickster’s Dice: +3 Depth-Clarion Dice Level. Maximum upgrade level is 15.
- Level Four – Bait-and-Switch: For every opponent marked by Lifeline when it explodes, +10% to all party members’ Max HP for 25 seconds up to a maximum of 40% Max HP.
- Level Five – Dealer’s Sleight: +3 Lingering Lifeline Level. Maximum upgrade level is 15.
- Level Six – Winner Takes All: Yelan enters the Mastermind state after using Depth-Clarion Dice. Yelan’s Normal Attacks become enhanced Breakthrough Barbs that deal 130% of a regular Breakthrough Barb’s damage as Charged Attack damage. The state lasts 20 seconds and expires after 6 arrows are fired.
Yelan pros and cons
While Yelan is one of the best units in the game, she has a few disadvantages:
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Damage buffs through ultimate | High investment unit |
| High personal damage | Energy requirements are very high |
| Functions with a wide range of units |
Yelan trailer
In May 2022, HoYoverse posted a character demo of Yelan on its official YouTube channel. You can check it out below:
For more on Genshin Impact, check out our guides on banners and codes. You can also check out our character guides for Raiden Shogun, Neuvillette, and Furina.