The Natlan region is the latest to be added to Genshin Impact. While the 5.0 update and concurrent fourth-anniversary event are giving first-time and returning players a lot to do, it’s the new characters that have many excited. One that everyone will become acquainted with is the breakdancing Kachina, a four-star that can be earned for free.
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Kachina is a Geo Polearm character who hails from Natlan. Like others from the region, enhanced traversal is baked into her kit. Her skill summons a drill that she can use to quickly move up cliffs or bounce onto the ground for AoE damage. Everything aside from her normal attacks scales off of her DEF, so you’ll want to build her into a tank. From unlock methods to the ideal Artifacts, here’s everything you need to know about this adorable breakdancer.
Like every character in Genshin Impact, except for the Traveler, you’ll be able to unlock Kachina through banners. She’s currently being promoted in the limited-time event banners and should be added to the standard Wanderlust Invocation banner in the future. Thankfully, you don’t have to rely solely on luck to unlock her.
Playing through the recently added 5.0 Archon quest line will unlock her for free. If you’re a new player or just a little behind on the story, you can also skip ahead to play through these events. The only requirement is completing the Chapter 1 Act 3 Archon Quest first. Then you just need to open the Events Overview menu and scroll down to the “Turbo Twirly!” tab. Confirm that you want a Quick Start and you’ll be able to start the quest.
The primary role for Kachina will be a Sub-DPS, but it’s possible to build her as a Support as well. I’ll be listing the optimal choices for each aspect of her build. Starting it off is choosing the right team.
Noelle and Itto are wonderful characters to fill the primary DPS role, bouncing off Kachina’s attacks with Geo Resonance. Geo can sometimes be a finicky element, which is why it helps to pair them with each other.
Navia is another great option to focus on DPS. Just remember that her kit benefits from the Crystalize reaction, so she should not be included on a mono-Geo team. One of the Artifact Sets I’ll be mentioning later works best with a Rainbow team (one with multiple element types), so consider diversifying your party.
You can also place Kachina with a support and DPS pair that shares the same element. This can provide consistent Crystalize shields, which is nice to have against certain enemies or bosses. Typical pairings include Furina and Neuvillette, Shenhe and Ayaka, or Bennett and Xianling.
The Natlan characters revealed so far do have unique regional mechanics and can shorten their Nightsoul Burst cooldown when multiple are paired on a team together. Mualani is a solid choice for a primary DPS, but Kinich and other Natlan characters coming in the future should work too.
Since her DEF is so crucial for her gameplay, you’ll want to equip her with items that increase that stat. There sadly aren’t many weapons that buff DEF though, so I suggest focusing on DMG or energy regeneration for alternates.
Kachina’s best weapon is one introduced along with their region. Footprint of the Rainbow increases Base ATK and DEF, which is exactly what we want. Additionally, it also has an ability that triggers when an Elemental Skill is used, increasing DEF further for 15 seconds. It practically feels custom-made for her and you can easily craft it after a bit of grinding for materials.
Another solid option is Deathmatch. Its primary effect is to increase CRIT Rate, but it will also increase ATK and DEF when 2+ enemies are nearby, or just ATK when fewer are nearby. The only catch here is that this weapon is only attainable from the battle pass.
It’s a bit different, but Favonius Lance is also a great alternative option. It increases the user’s energy recharge rate and also adds a decent chance for CRIT hits to generate additional energy. The weapon is a default item included on every primary banner. This means it can technically be earned for free, as long as you have some luck.
Both Mualani and Kachina have transformative skills that enhance their combat and make exploring a lot easier. You’ll want the skills to be active far more often than not for either one. Among the talents, here’s the order to focus on:
Your choice of artifacts will depend on the role you want Kachina to fill, as well as who’s on her team. Those that buff DEF are perfect, but there are some other choices to slot in.
My top Artifact suggestion for Kachina is Scroll of the Hero of Cinder City. The two-piece effect regenerates elemental energy as long as a nearby party member triggers a Nightsoul Burst. Its four-piece effect activates once the user triggers an elemental reaction and can provide one or two buffs. The base buff is that nearby party members will receive a 12 percent increase in Elemental DMG for the elements involved in the reaction. If the user is in the Nightsoul’s Blessing state, an additional 28 percent increase will be added as well.
Similar to Mualani and the Obsidian Codex, this artifact set has been introduced along with the Natlan region. It can be earned by completing the Sanctum of Rainbow Spirits Domain of Blessing.
Next in line, and pairing very well, is Husk of Opulent Dreams. This artifact’s two-piece effect increases the DEF stat by an impressive 30 percent. The four-piece effect brings in a unique Curiosity stack mechanic, with one stack added for every Geo attack every 0.3 stacks. A stack will also be added every three seconds when the user is off-field. Each stack provides a six percent increase to DEF and Geo DMG.
Last is the sometimes overlooked Defender’s Will artifact set. Like the above, the two-piece increases DEF by 30 percent. The four-piece meanwhile increases Elemental RES by 30 percent for each element present in the party. Pair Kachina with a rainbow team, and you’ll have a party with multiple resistances and a beefy tank.
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I wouldn’t say Kachina is the best at what she does, no matter what choices are made in building her. That doesn’t change the fact that she’s a solid character and one worth working with, especially as she’s free to every player. I’m certainly enjoying her quicker traversal and Geo playstyle ahead of Genshin Impact’s Xbox release in November.