Cyno Genshin Impact Guide for Artifacts, Weapons, and Skills

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For those who cannot get enough of Genshin Impact’s story, they would be pleased to know that HoYoverse actually published a manga on their official site. This story mainly revolved around the story of Collei, but fans were also treated to a sneak peek of interesting characters that hailed from Sumeru. With compelling character designs and personalities, people anticipated that they’d become playable in the near future.

2 years after the manga was finished, the Sumeru update was finally launched, and players were finally introduced to the hooded Anubis. Cyno is the General Mahamatra, the one that leads the Matras — the disciplinary officers of the Sumeru Akademiya. With an Electro vision in hand, he strikes fear into the hearts of wrongdoers in Sumeru as its purveyor of justice. In spite of his reputation as a stoic and steadfast matra for the Akademiya, he has an affinity for Genius Invocation TCG (a reference to Yu-gi-oh! Trading Card Game) and constantly cracks unfunny jokes every now and then.

Cyno is an Electro Hyper-carry DPS that would bring swift judgment to anyone who dares stand in the way of his pursuit of justice. In this Cyno Genshin Impact Guide, we will uncover his full potential and unleash his inner Anubis, becoming its real incarnation in the Great Desert of Sumeru.

Best Artifact Set for Cyno

Cyno is an Electro DPS Hyper-carry that scales both on ATK and Elemental Mastery. This makes him great for triggering Elemental Reactions, and for that, we have the best artifacts he can use listed below.

Gilded Dreams

The Gilded Dreams artifact set grants the following effects:

• 2-Piece Set: EM increased by 80
• 4-Piece Set: Within 8s of triggering an Elemental Reaction, the character equipping this will obtain buffs based on the Elemental Type of the other party members. ATK is increased by 14% for each member whose Elemental Type is the same as the equipping character, and EM is increased by 50 for every member with a different Elemental Type. Each of the buffs will count up to 3 characters. This effect can be triggered once every 8s and even when not on the field.

This is an artifact set almost dedicated to his kit, granting both huge amounts of ATK and Elemental Mastery for more damage output. Assuming that you would be running him in a team with Dendro characters, farming for this artifact will be quite efficient since the Spire of Solitary Enlightenment domain also drops the Deepwood set.

Thundering Fury

The Thundering Fury artifact set grants the following effects:

• 2-Piece Set: Electro DMG +15%
• 4-Piece Set: Increases DMG caused by Overload, Electro-Charged, Superconduct, and Hyperbloom by +40%. and the DMG bonus conferred by Aggravate is increased by 20%/ When Quicken or the aforementioned Elemental Reactions are triggered, Elemental Skill CD is decreased by 1s. Can only occur once every 0.8s.

This is a classic 4-piece set for Electro characters. It decreases skill cooldowns and increases Electro-based reactions, which is perfect since Cyno is a DPS that utilizes Elemental Mastery for reactions and damage.

Artifact Stats to Prioritize

The General Mahamatra stat priority is as follows:

1. Electro DMG Bonus (Goblet)
2. CRIT Rate or CRIT DMG (Circlet or substats)
3. Elemental Mastery/ATK% (Sands or substats) 
4. Energy Recharge (substats)

Unlike any other Electro DPS characters, Cyno’s kit is built for being the driver of Elemental Reactions as some of his talents’ damage scale with Elemental Mastery. Prioritizing between ATK% and Elemental Mastery would depend on the weapon you use, such as using Elemental Mastery sands if Cyno is wielding an ATK% weapon and vice versa. At the very least, you should aim to have around 200 Elemental Mastery and 1300 ATK.

Electro DMG Bonus is a must-have for Electro DPS characters. Regarding CRIT ratio, the standard is 1:2, but get at least a 60% CRIT Rate for optimal damage since you will be using his Normal Attack a lot. Fortunately, CRIT DMG wouldn’t be too much of a problem as Cyno’s ascension stat is already a high CRIT DMG, and it would be easier to acquire the optimal ratio. In your substats, Cyno would also love to have Energy Recharge since his kit revolves around his Elemental Burst.

Best Weapons for Cyno

Genshin Impact has an armory full of fantastic polearm weapons. The following are some of Cyno’s best weapons.

• Staff of the Scarlet Sands (CRIT Rate) – The equipping character gains 52% of their Elemental Mastery as bonus ATK. When an Elemental Skill hits opponents, the Dream of the Scarlet Sands effect will be gained for 10s: The equipping character will gain 28% of their Elemental Mastery as bonus ATK. Max 3 stacks.

It wouldn’t be his signature weapon if it weren’t tailor-made for him. It converts Elemental Mastery into ATK stats and has CRIT Rate as its secondary stat. Cyno is a Hyper-carry that utilizes elemental reactions and, most of the time, would prefer Elemental Mastery than ATK%, so this weapon definitely balances out Cyno’s all of lacking stats and allows him to best use his skill set.

• Primordial Jade Winged-Spear (CRIT Rate) – On hit, increases ATK by 3.2% for 6s. Max 7 stacks. This effect can only occur once every 0.3s. While in possession of the maximum possible stacks, DMG dealt is increased by 12%.

For those who were not lucky enough to get his signature weapon, this is the second best 5-Star weapon, especially for a Normal Attacker DPS like Cyno. It has CRIT Rate as its secondary stat, a passive that improves his Normal Attacks, and a high base ATK stat. It’s more readily available, too, as it could be obtained from the Standard Banner.

• Staff of Homa (CRIT DMG) – HP increased by 20%. Additionally, provides an ATK Bonus based on 0.8% of the wielder’s Max HP. When the wielder’s HP is less than 50%, this ATK Bonus is increased by an additional 1% of Max HP.

As a Hyper-carry, Cyno would most likely take up all of the floor time that he outlasts his shields or tank too much damage. Staff of Homa offers a good amount of HP increase while also increasing his ATK stat based on his base HP and current HP levels. If anything else, it’s a good CRIT DMG stat stick to slap on him.

Budget Alternatives

For those who were unfortunate to not have any 5-Star weapons, worry not, for the General Mahamatra has a surprisingly easily obtainable weapon that he could work well with. Below are some of the best budget weapons.

• Ballad of the Fjords (CRIT Rate) – When there are at least 3 different Elemental Types in your party, Elemental Mastery will be increased by 120.

While we do consider it as a budget weapon compared to the 5-Stars, this does involve swiping a little bit as it is one of the new weapons locked in the revamped Battle Pass. Ballad of the Fjords will give Cyno a boost in Elemental Mastery and CRIT Rate, which is exactly what his kit needs. 

• Kitain Cross Spear – Increases Elemental Skill DMG by 6%. After Elemental Skill hits an opponent, the character loses 3 Energy but regenerates 3 Energy every 2s for the next 6s. This effect can occur once every 10s. It can be triggered even when the character is not on the field.

For Free to Play players, this is the easiest obtainable weapon since this is a craftable weapon from the Inazuma series. It increases your Elemental Skill damage and keeps Cyno’s Energy charged up. Its secondary stat is a good Elemental Mastery stat stick for his kit.

• White Tassel (CRIT Rate) – Increases Normal Attack DMG by 24%

Don’t sleep on this 3-star weapon. It is still a CRIT Rate weapon, and its weapon effect can give Cyno a 48% increase in his Normal Attack DMG at maximum refinements. Considering it is a 3-Star weapon, you will easily get its maximum benefits in no time.

Cyno’s Talent Priorities

Cyno is a DPS-Hyper carry that focuses on clawing out big damage with his Normal Attacks that are empowered with his Burst. What makes him different from other Electro carries is that playing him optimally requires you to learn his skill combo and timing. Below are his talents and what you should prioritize first; then, we’ll leave some tips on maximizing his combo damage.

1. Sacred Rite: Wolf’s Swiftness (Elemental Burst) – As your main source of DPS, this should be maxed first. Cyno’s Normal, Charged, and Plunging attacks will be converted into Electro DMG while also increasing Elemental Mastery, resistance to interruptions, and immunity to Electro-Charged DMG for 18 seconds. The Burst will end once you’ve switched to another character.

2. Secret Rite: Chasmic Soulfarer (Elemental Skill) – Cyno will dash forward, dealing Electro DMG on enemies hit. When this skill is activated during Cyno’s Burst, Cyno will slam the ground, dealing even more Electro DMG with a larger AOE and lesser cooldown.  

3. Invoker’s Spear (Normal Attack) – Cyno will perform 4 consecutive attacks that deal Physical DMG. During their charge attack, Cyno will dash forward, consuming some stamina and dealing more Physical DMG. It is advisable to have this at least priority since while his Burst buffs his normal attacks, the scaling for his Elemental Burst is different, and leveling this up won’t improve the Burst damage. 

Cyno’s playstyle revolves around his Elemental Burst and Skill combo. During Cyno’s Burst, there will be an “Eye” symbol appearing on the screen, which is his passive. It is advised that you cast his Skill every time the “Eye” symbol comes up. This increases his skill damage and allows him to perform three additional slashes that deal more Electro DMG that includes bonus damage that scales heavily on his Elemental Mastery. Mastering this combo will maximize his damage output during the duration of his Burst.

Cyno Team Comp

Since he utilizes Elemental Mastery, Cyno has become a popular pick as an Electro driver for many Electro reaction-based teams such as the Aggravate Team, Hyperbloom Team, and Taser Teams. His kit demands a lot of floor time, so off-field supports are the way to go so that he can make every second of his Burst count. Here’s a list of characters that Cyno can synergize with very well:

• Dori (Budget-friendly Electro resonance, battery, and life support)
• Fischl (Electro sub-DPS and Battery)
• Nahida (Best consistent Dendro applier)
• Dendro Traveler (Budget-friendly Dendro applier)
• Yelan (sub-DPS Hydro support that is also a damage amplifier for Hyper-carries)
• Xingqiu (sub-DPS Hydro support for elemental reactions and gives interruption resistance)
• Barbara (Budget-friendly Hydro applier and healer)
• Zhongli (Resistance shred and best shield in the game)
• Baizhu (3-in-1 support. Shielder, healer, and Dendro applier)

In most cases, Cyno would outlast most of his support’s abilities and end up with just him mauling enemies with his raw prowess. This makes Electro batteries crucial for his team, so even if he ends his burst early so that his allies can cast their abilities, Cyno will have it back up by the time it’s his turn to take the field again. With that, Cyno should be able to dominate the battlefield with his relentless desire to bring his enemies to justice.