Heizou Genshin Impact Guide for Artifacts, Weapons, and Skills

We independently assess all our recommendations. Purchases through our links may earn us a commission.

Genshin Impact successfully concluded its Inazuma Arc a few patches ago, rounding out its diverse ensemble of Inazuman characters with the addition of one Shikanoin Heizou. Keen-eyed fans of the game may have already encountered subtle hints about his existence, from the subtle references in character voice lines and NPC dialogues—a fitting nod towards the detective. His debut represented a significant milestone in Genshin Impact as he became the first playable male catalyst user and, notably, the first melee catalyst at that.

Shikanoin Heizou, commonly called Heizou, is a brilliant young detective within the Tenryou Commission, which forms a vital part of Inazuma’s Tri-Commission. Despite his involvement with the Tenryou Commission, most of Heizou’s investigations are brought on by his personal principles unrelated to governmental duty. While Heizou’s preferred approach involves dismantling his adversaries’ defenses through sharp intellect and astute reasoning, he’s also more than capable of unleashing the might of Anemo to quell wrongdoers when the situation demands it.

If you want to see this master detective in action, check this Heizou Genshin Impact guide for a thorough investigation of his best gear and ideal team setups.

The Best Artifacts for Heizou

Viridescent Venerer

• 2 Piece Bonus – Anemo DMG Bonus +15%
• 4 Piece Bonus – Increases Swirl DMG by 60%. Decreases opponent’s Elemental RES to the element infused in the Swirl by 40% for 10s.

To this day, the Viridescent Venerer set remains king and is the number one choice for Anemo characters, regardless of whether they’re a DPS or Support. Its Anemo DMG bonus is nothing special compared to other artifacts that boost their respective element’s damage, but it’s the 4-piece bonus Elemental Resistance shred that is the highlight of this set. It can be applied to multiple enemies at once, thanks to Anemo’s fantastic crowd control, and it can be used to empower just about any element that can react with Anemo.

Desert Pavilion Chronicle

• 2 Piece Bonus – Anemo DMG Bonus +15%.
• 4 Piece Bonus – When Charged Attacks hit opponents, the equipping character’s Normal Attack SPD will increase by 10% while Normal, Charged, and Plunging Attack DMG will increase by 40% for 15s.

Heizou is the first melee catalyst and is quite light on his feet. His punches are already swift as the wind, but equipping the Desert Pavilion Chronicle set makes him even swifter. It shares the same 2-piece bonus as Viridescent Venerer with the Elemental DMG boost, but the 4-piece effect improves his Normal Attack SPD and damage upon delivering a Charged Attack. This is perfect for Heizou as he can easily weave in his Charge Attacks in his normal attacks to activate the effect as well as charge his Declension stacks.

Artifact Stats to Prioritize

This detective has two distinct playstyles to choose from: a quick swap sub-DPS or an Anemo driver. His preferred stats do change slightly between the two styles, but in general, Heizou’s most important stats are as follows:

1. Anemo DMG Bonus (Goblet)
2. CRIT Rate / CRIT DMG (Circlet)
3. ATK% (Timepiece)
4. Elemental Mastery (Substats)
5. Energy Recharge (Substats)

Since Heizou is a catalyst, all of his attacks will be dealing Anemo DMG; thus, using an Anemo DMG goblet on him is one of the easiest ways to bump up his damage output. Unlike other Anemo characters that rely on elemental reactions, you’ll get much more out of Heizou by investing in his ability to hit critical strikes. His weapon type does have its benefits, but it doesn’t exactly come with the greatest of ATK stats, so using an ATK% timepiece on him is advised.

He can constantly proc the Swirl reaction, but he would rather leave his Elemental Mastery for his substats. Energy Recharge is great to have as it would let him have quicker access to his Elemental Burst, but it’s not completely necessary as running him with an Anemo support can cut down his energy needs just as well.

Best Weapons for Heizou

There are plenty of premium catalysts to choose from, so we’ve narrowed down a list of the ones that work best for this detective. Some weapons may be better with certain team compositions, so you can pick and choose which one fits the situation best.

• Skyward Atlas (ATK%) – Increases Elemental DMG Bonus by 12%. Normal Attack hits have a 50% chance to earn the favor of the clouds, which actively seek out nearby opponents to attack for 15s, dealing 160% ATK DMG. This can only occur once every 30s.

The Skyward Atlas is an offensive-based catalyst that is available in the Standard Wishing banner at any time. What makes this a worthwhile pick for him is mostly due to the Elemental DMG Bonus tied to it. The secondary weapon effect is not the greatest, but it’s good chip damage to have, nonetheless.

By the way!

Did you know we’re launching a Kickstarter campaign? In the next few months, our campaign for ‘Gentle Jack: The Party Game for Bad Friends‘ goes live! Visit the official website or follow the Kickstarter page to stay in the loop.

Learn more

• Tulaytullah’s Remembrance (CRIT DMG) – Normal Attack SPD is increased by 10%. After the wielder unleashes an Elemental Skill, Normal Attack DMG will increase by 4.8% every second for 14s. After this character hits an opponent with a Normal Attack during this duration, Normal Attack DMG will be increased by 9.6%. This increase can be triggered once every 0.3s. The maximum Normal Attack DMG increase per single duration of the overall effect is 48%. The effect will be removed when the wielder leaves the field, and using the Elemental Skill again will reset all DMG buffs.

While Tulaytullah’s Remembrance is the Wanderer’s best-in-slot, Heizou does gain a lot of benefits from it as well. It’s got a high base ATK for a catalyst weapon as well as a desirable secondary stat of CRIT DMG. This weapon does work better for his DPS play style over the Quickswap since he’ll need some floor time to get the most out of its effects.

• Lost Prayer to the Sacred Winds (CRIT Rate) – Increases Movement SPD by 10%. When in battle, gain an 8% Elemental DMG Bonus every 4s. Max 4 stacks. Lasts until the character falls or leaves combat.

Lost Prayer to the Sacred Winds combines the best effects from the previously mentioned catalysts. Like Tulaytullah’s Remembrance, it can be used to boost Heizou’s critical strikes by improving his CRIT Rate. It does have a similar Elemental DMG bonus granted to its user, like Skyward Atlas’ effect, and it’s also available on the Standard Wish banner.

Budget Alternatives

The Limited Weapon Banner is often regarded as a scam by Genshin Impact players, so unless you’ve gotten really lucky so far, the ones we’ve mentioned thus far might not be an option for you. Still, we wouldn’t say you’re settling for something sub-par because these budget alternatives have great effects that, upon higher refinement, can stand toe to toe with the premium ones.

• The Widsith (CRIT DMG) – When a character takes the field, they will gain a random theme song for 10s. This can only occur once every 30s. Recitative: ATK is increased by 60. Aria: Increases all Elemental DMG by 48. Interlude: Elemental Mastery is increased by 240.

The Widsith grants its user one random buff from these three effects: an ATK boost, an Elemental DMG increase, or an Elemental Mastery increase. The randomness of these buffs may be frustrating for other catalyst users who prefer one over the other, but in Heizou’s case, all of them are good that he doesn’t mind whichever one he gets. Pair that with its CRIT DMG secondary stat, and you’ve got a great budget weapon that is easy to get max refinements on.

• Solar Pearl (CRIT Rate) – Normal Attack hits increase Elemental Skill and Elemental Burst DMG by 20% for 6s. Likewise, Elemental Skill or Elemental Burst hits increase Normal Attack DMG by 20% for 6s.

The Solar Pearl weapon is one of the weapons available in Genshin Impact’s battle pass. This weapon synergizes very well with Heizou as it would let him empower his Elemental Skill and Burst damage by scoring hits with his Normal Attacks and vice versa.

• Blackcliff Agate (CRIT DMG) – After defeating an opponent, ATK is increased by 12% for 30s. This effect has a maximum of 3 stacks, and the duration of each stack is independent of the others.

Another semi-budget alternative is the Blackcliff Agate. It has a decent base ATK and comes with CRIT DMG as its secondary stat. Having CRIT DMG on his weapon allows you to tailor his artifacts to focus on achieving as much CRIT Rate to balance the necessary ratio out. This catalyst can be purchased in Paimon’s Bargain shop in exchange for Starglitter.

Skill Priorities for Heizou

A detective’s work can involve going head-first into dangerous situations, all for the sake of pursuing a lead. You’ll have to keep his skills as sharp as his wits by using the talent books of Transience to level them up.

1. Heartstopper Strike (Elemental Skill) – This skill is the detective’s ace in the hole. Channels the tempest into a single blow that deals Anemo DMG. Holding this skill down charges Declension stacks, which increases the power of the next Heartstopper Strike. Upon achieving 4 Declension stacks, the Conviction effect will be produced, causing the Heartstopper Strike to be even stronger and have a larger attack radius.

2. Windmuster Kick (Elemental Burst) – Heizou leaps into the air, uses the Fudou Style Vacuum Slugger, and kicks his opponent. This attack explodes upon impact and creates an Arresting Windtunnel that pulls in nearby objects and opponents, dealing AoE Anemo DMG. Swirling an element with Vacuum Slugger afflicts enemies with Windmuster Iris, which explodes after a moment and deals AoE DMG of the swirled elemental type. A maximum of 4 opponents can be afflicted with the Windmuster Iris at a time and cannot be under the effect of Windmuster Irises of different elements at the same time.

3. Fudou Style Martial Arts (Normal Attack) – Heizou performs five strikes empowered by mighty winds, dealing Anemo DMG. Upon consuming a certain amount of stamina, Heizou delivers a sweeping kick that deals greater Anemo DMG.

Heizou’s Elemental Skill is undoubtedly his strongest ability, thanks to the remarkable potential of his Declension stacking. While it can be charged by holding down the skill, this can be time-consuming. Players can optimize their gameplay by leveraging his passive ability, which grants Declension stacks through triggering Swirl reactions, significantly expediting the stacking process. His Elemental Burst, aside from its damage-dealing capabilities, can also provide crowd control to some extent. However, it’s important to note that it falls short in comparison to other Anemo characters like Venti or Sucrose in this regard.

Heizou Team Comp

Shikanoin Heizou excels as a team’s primary DPS, but his Anemo element gives him quite a lot of versatility, which allows him to slot into various team compositions as an Anemo flex. You can even assemble a team reminiscent of the four traditional elements seen in Avatar: The Last Airbender. If there’s one thing we know, it’s that every detective needs a good helper, and here’s our short list of recommendations.

• Faruzan (Best Anemo support for an Anemo DPS)
• Bennett (Healer that can apply Pyro and buff ATK)
• Thoma (A Pyro shielder with fantastic off-field application)
• Rosaria (Cryo sub-DPS whose Burst provides off-field Cryo and bonuses to CRIT Rate)
• Yelan (One of the best Hydro supports in terms of off-field application and damage)
• Kuki Shinobu (Electro healer that can also apply Electro on enemies)
• Beidou (Electro sub-DPS that gives interruption resistance and DMG decrease)
• Zhongli (Can provide sturdy shields to protect Heizou)

Due to the way his Declension stacks work, Heizou will want allies that can easily apply their elements even when they’re off the field to allow Heizou as much floor time as possible. Like many DPS characters, Heizou can be rather frail and susceptible to damage, so unless you are really skilled in dodging and utilizing immunity frames, running him with a defensive option like a shielder or healer would be wise.