5-Star
Ice
The Hunt
B Tier
Ice
The HuntThe spirited lieutenant of the Xianzhou Luofu and its most proficient swordsman. Yanqing is a single-target Ice DPS who deals impressive damage through his Soulsteel Sync talent, but only when shielded and uninterrupted. His peak output is high, but maintaining it demands heavy investment and the right team.
Yanqing
Lieutenant of the Luofu / The SwordsmanBest Light Cone
In the Night
Best Relic Set
Scholar Lost in Erudition
Planar Set
Firmament Frontline
Team Rule
Shielder Required
Best Partner
Skills
Basic
Frost Thorn
Deals Ice DMG equal to 100% of Yanqing's ATK to a single enemy. Low priority since using the Skill to maintain Soulsteel Sync is almost always better, but still deals respectable damage when SP is tight.
100%
of ATK
Skill
Darting Ironthorn
Deals Ice DMG equal to 220% of Yanqing's ATK to a single enemy and activates Soulsteel Sync for 1 turn. This is his core ability; every rotation should prioritize spending SP on this Skill to keep Soulsteel Sync active and unlock his Talent bonuses.
220%
of ATK
Ultimate
Amidst the Raining Bliss
Increases Yanqing's CRIT Rate by 60%. When Soulsteel Sync is active, additionally increases CRIT DMG by 50% for 1 turn. Afterwards, deals Ice DMG equal to 350% of ATK to a single enemy. Costs 140 energy, one of the highest in the game. A Tingyun or energy-support is strongly recommended.
350%
of ATK
Talent
One With the Sword
While Soulsteel Sync is active: Yanqing is less likely to be targeted; gains +20% CRIT Rate and +30% CRIT DMG; has a 60% fixed chance to launch a follow-up attack after each attack for 50% ATK Ice DMG with a 65% base chance to Freeze the target for 1 turn. Frozen targets cannot act and take 50% ATK Ice DMG at the start of each turn. Taking any damage (even 1 HP) instantly removes Soulsteel Sync.
60%
follow-up chance
Technique
The One True Sword
After using this Technique, at the start of the next battle, Yanqing deals 30% more DMG for 2 turns to enemies whose current HP is 50% or higher. A useful opener buff to apply at the start of every encounter.
+30%
DMG vs. 50%+ HP
Build Targets
Relic Main Stats
Head
HP (fixed)
Hands
ATK (fixed)
Body
CRIT DMG
preferred over CRIT Rate
Feet
Speed
or ATK%
Planar Sphere
Ice DMG
or ATK%
Link Rope
ATK%
Stat Targets
Substat Priority
01
Speed (breakpoint)
to 134+
02
CRIT Rate (soft cap)
~20% then stop
03
CRIT DMG
primary damage
04
ATK%
scales all hits
Skill Upgrade Order
Skill
1st
Ult
2nd
Talent
3rd
Basic
Last
Skill first as it activates Soulsteel Sync and is his primary attack. Ultimate second for its massive CRIT buffs and damage. Talent third for improved follow-up and CRIT bonuses. Basic ATK sees minimal use at full investment.
Best Light Cones
#1
In the Night (S1)
His signature and best-in-slot. Grants 18% CRIT Rate and boosts Basic ATK and Skill DMG by up to 60% and Ultimate CRIT DMG by up to 120% at 6 stacks (1 stack per 10 SPD over 100). Pairs extremely well with his high base SPD of 109 and SPD substat investment.
#2
Swordplay (S5)
Stellar Warp 4-star. Stacks up to 80% DMG bonus when repeatedly hitting the same target, ideal for single-target Yanqing. Assumes full 5-stack access throughout the fight; performance drops if you swap targets.
#3
Only Silence Remains (S5)
Increases ATK by 32% and adds 24% CRIT Rate when 2 or fewer enemies are on the field. Best in single-target boss scenarios where the condition is always met. Performance drops in multi-enemy phases.
#4
Cruising in the Stellar Sea (S5)
Available from Herta's Store. Best free-to-play option. Provides CRIT Rate plus extra CRIT Rate against enemies below 50% HP and an ATK boost on kills. Used in damage calculations as the baseline non-limited cone.
#5
Sleep Like the Dead (S5)
Grants 50% CRIT DMG and provides 60% CRIT Rate for 1 turn if Basic ATK or Skill does not CRIT. Helps shore up CRIT Rate consistency during Ultimate downtime. Available from Stellar Warp.
Best Relics
Cavern Sets
1
Scholar Lost in Erudition (4pc)
Best-in-slot cavern set. The 2-piece gives +8% CRIT Rate. The 4-piece boosts Skill and Ultimate DMG by 20%, and using the Ultimate further boosts the next Skill by an additional 25%. This synergizes directly with Yanqing's Skill-first playstyle and frequent Ultimate usage.
2
Hunter of Glacial Forest (4pc)
The classic Ice DPS set. 2-piece gives +10% Ice DMG. 4-piece boosts CRIT DMG by 25% for 2 turns after using the Ultimate. Slightly behind Scholar but strong if you have well-rolled Hunter pieces.
3
⊕
Scholar (2pc) + Flex (2pc)
Mix and match 2-piece bonuses from: Hunter of Glacial Forest, Pioneer Diver of Dead Waters, Musketeer of Wild Wheat, Prisoner in Deep Confinement, or The Wind-Soaring Valorous. A good option while farming for a full 4-piece.
Planar Ornament Sets
1
Firmament Frontline: Glamoth
Best planar set. Provides +12% ATK and an additional 12% DMG when SPD is 135 or 18% DMG at 160 SPD. Yanqing's high base SPD of 109 makes hitting 135 very accessible with SPD substats, rewarding the SPD investment directly.
2
Rutilant Arena
Provides +8% CRIT Rate and 20% Basic ATK and Skill DMG when CRIT Rate reaches 70% or higher. With Yanqing's substantial innate CRIT Rate from his Talent and Ultimate, reaching 70% is realistic. A strong option if you are not hitting the SPD threshold for Glamoth.
3
Space Sealing Station
Budget option. Provides +12% ATK, scaling to +24% when SPD reaches 120. A straightforward ATK-focused option if you do not yet have Glamoth or Rutilant Arena pieces with good substats.
Best Teams for Yanqing
Yanqing requires a shielder to function in endgame content. Any damage dealt directly to his HP bar removes Soulsteel Sync. Shields prevent this. Aventurine is the best option due to consistent uptime; Gepard works but can struggle with energy in some scenarios.
01 · Premium
Best-in-slot composition
Aventurine provides consistent shields that keep Soulsteel Sync active. Tingyun resolves Yanqing's 140-energy cost and buffs his ATK. Sunday offers action advance to maximize turn count. The premier composition for Yanqing in Memory of Chaos.
02 · Bronya Variant
-1 Speed setup with cleanse utility
03 · Gepard Variant
Alternative shielder option
Gepard provides the shields Yanqing needs but can fall behind in shield uptime due to his lengthy energy ramp. In longer fights or phases with heavy AoE, Gepard shields may lapse, exposing Yanqing to Soulsteel Sync loss. Aventurine is preferred when available.
04 · F2P · Budget
Accessible characters only
ZERO ADS · ZERO MARKUP
You did the research.
Now make the pull happen.
Now make the pull happen.
This site doesn't run banner ads, pop-up ads, or paid placements that compromise the rankings. The only way we earn anything is if you top up through our LDshop link: same price as the in-game shop, instant delivery, and it directly supports every tier list update going forward.
Top Up Oneiric Shards on LDshop
Instant delivery · Trusted platform · Every purchase supports HSRTIERLIST.COM
Eidolons
E
1
Svelte Saber
When Yanqing attacks a Frozen enemy, he deals Additional Ice DMG equal to 60% of his ATK. Since his Talent already has a 65% chance to Freeze targets, this E1 rewards consistent Freeze application with meaningful extra hits at no additional cost.
Freeze Synergy
E
2
Supine Serenade
When Soulsteel Sync is active, Energy Regeneration Rate increases by an extra 10%. A helpful quality-of-life improvement that partially eases the burden of his costly 140-energy Ultimate, especially when Tingyun is not available.
Energy Relief
E
3
Sword Savant
Skill Lv. +2 (up to max 15). Basic ATK Lv. +1 (up to max 10). The Skill level increase provides a meaningful scaling bump to Yanqing's primary damage ability and the Soulsteel Sync activation hit.
Skill Upgrade
E
4
Searing Sting
When Yanqing's current HP percentage is 80% or higher, Ice RES PEN increases by 12%. This essentially provides free RES penetration when shielded effectively, which is the exact condition Yanqing's team is designed to maintain. A very efficient passive given correct play.
RES Pen Bonus
E
5
Surging Strife
Ultimate Lv. +2 (up to max 15). Talent Lv. +2 (up to max 15). Incremental upgrades to both his biggest damage ability and his core talent mechanic. Appreciated but not transformative in isolation.
Incremental
E
6
Swift Swoop
If the Ultimate's buffs are still in effect when an enemy is defeated, their duration is extended by 1 turn. This can carry Yanqing's CRIT Rate and CRIT DMG bonuses into the next wave or enemy phase. More impactful than many other E6s proportionally, though still does not resolve his fundamental kit fragility.
Buff Extension
Major Traces
Icing on the Kick
Ascension 2
When Yanqing attacks, deals Additional Ice DMG equal to 30% of his ATK to targets with Ice Weakness. A flat damage bonus that rewards facing Ice-weak enemies, common in many endgame encounters and particularly strong in Ice-weak boss fights.
Frost Favors the Brave
Ascension 4
When Soulsteel Sync is active, Effect RES increases by 20%. Helps Yanqing resist crowd control effects that would skip his turn and expire Soulsteel Sync. Prioritized slightly lower than A2 and A6 in terms of raw damage impact, but valuable for survivability.
Gentle Blade
Ascension 6
When a CRIT Hit is triggered, increases SPD by 10% for 2 turns. With Yanqing's high CRIT Rate during Soulsteel Sync and his Ultimate, this bonus is nearly permanent and compounds well with his base SPD of 109, enabling more turns and additional follow-up attacks.
+14.4%
Ice DMG
+28%
ATK
+10%
Max HP
Upgrade Materials
Thief's Instinct / Usurper's Scheme / Conqueror's Will
Character Ascension
Arrow of the Beast Hunter
Trace Material
Gelid Chitin
Boss Drop
Guardian's Lament
Weekly Boss Drop
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, absolutely. In any endgame content, enemies frequently use AoE abilities that will hit Yanqing even with his reduced targeting chance. Any direct HP damage removes Soulsteel Sync immediately, even 1 point of damage. A shielder like Aventurine or Gepard is mandatory. Without one, Yanqing's damage output becomes inconsistent and far below expectations.
Yanqing's kit provides enormous innate CRIT Rate: 20% from his Talent (Soulsteel Sync) and 60% from his Ultimate buff, totaling 80% before any relic stats. This makes CRIT Rate overcapping nearly unavoidable. The recommended approach is to accept the overcapping, prioritize CRIT DMG heavily on relics and the Body piece, and push SPD instead of more CRIT Rate after a soft cap of around 20% from gear. Rutilant Arena requires 70% total which is also easily achievable.
The recommended endgame target is 134+ SPD. This activates Firmament Frontline: Glamoth's 12% DMG bonus and increases turn frequency. At 135 SPD, Yanqing also gains maximum benefit from In the Night's stacking mechanic. If running a Hyperspeed Sparkle or Bronya setup, use Base Speed instead and rely on action advance for additional turns. The A6 Gentle Blade trace also provides a near-permanent +10% SPD when CRIT Hits are landing consistently.
Yanqing's 140-energy cost is among the highest in the game. Tingyun is the best solution, providing both energy regeneration and an ATK buff simultaneously. E2 also adds 10% Energy Regeneration Rate while Soulsteel Sync is active. In the Night as the Light Cone does not directly address energy but provides enough damage that fewer Ultimate cycles are needed to hit damage benchmarks. Plan your team with at least one energy-support slot dedicated to resolving this weakness.
Yes. His A2 trace (Icing on the Kick) adds 30% ATK as bonus Ice DMG on every attack against Ice-weak targets, which is a free and consistent damage increase in those matchups. Combined with his Talent's Freeze chance and follow-up attacks that also deal Ice DMG, Yanqing destroys Ice-weak enemies in a shielded environment. His performance is significantly higher in these specific matchups than his general tier rating would suggest.
Yanqing's eidolons are meaningful but do not resolve his core kit fragility. E1 adds damage against Frozen targets which synergizes with his kit naturally. E4 provides 12% Ice RES PEN when HP is above 80%, which is essentially free when shielded properly. However, as a standard banner 5-star, his eidolons can appear unexpectedly from losing 50/50s. Unlike limited characters, spending resources specifically to pull his eidolons is not generally recommended given how competitive the limited banner pool is.
