Genshin Impact 5.3 Endgame Guide: Best Characters for Spiral Abyss and Beyond

Version 5.3 dropped on January 1, 2025, and Genshin Impact's meta has shifted dramatically. The arrival of Mavuika, the long-awaited Pyro Archon, has given players one of the most powerful damage dealers the game has ever seen. But raw power alone won't carry you through the Spiral Abyss or help you clear the increasingly demanding Imaginarium Theater. You need the right characters, the right builds, and the right teams.

This guide breaks down everything you need to know about building a roster that can handle Genshin's toughest content. Whether you're a veteran looking to optimize or a newer player trying to figure out where to invest your resources, we've got you covered.

What Counts as Endgame in Genshin Impact

Before diving into character recommendations, it helps to understand what you're actually preparing for. Genshin Impact has two primary endgame challenges that test your roster and reward you with Primogems.

The Spiral Abyss remains the most iconic endgame content. This twelve-floor dungeon resets twice per month, with Floors 9 through 12 offering the real challenge. You'll need two fully built teams to clear it since the content splits into two halves. Each floor has specific enemy types and elemental buffs called Leyline Disorders that favor certain characters. Getting 36 stars requires not just strong characters but smart team building.

Imaginarium Theater arrived in Version 4.8 and has grown significantly more demanding with Version 6.0's updates. Unlike Spiral Abyss, Theater rotates which elements you can use each month and requires between 8 and 32 characters depending on difficulty. The newest Arcanum mode pushes this even further, demanding nearly 70% of all eligible characters in the game. This means roster breadth matters as much as roster depth.

The rewards are substantial. Spiral Abyss offers 600 Primogems per reset for full completion, while Imaginarium Theater provides up to 1,000 monthly Primogems in Arcanum mode. For free-to-play and low-spenders, these are essential income sources, similar to limited-time events in games like NIKKE.

SS-Tier Main DPS Characters

These three characters sit at the absolute top of Genshin's damage hierarchy. Building at least one of them should be a priority for any account.

Mavuika: The Pyro Archon

Mavuika isn't just strong. She's a fundamental shift in how Genshin designs characters. As the current God of War and Pyro Archon, she comes with mechanics that break conventions while delivering absolutely devastating damage.

Her most distinctive feature is the Fighting Spirit mechanic. Unlike every other character in the game, Mavuika's Elemental Burst doesn't consume Energy. Instead, she accumulates Fighting Spirit when nearby characters consume Nightsoul points or when her Normal Attacks connect. Once she hits 200 Fighting Spirit, she can unleash her Burst to enter the Crucible of Death and Life state.

Then there's the Flamestrider. Holding her Elemental Skill summons a flaming motorcycle that she can ride into battle. This isn't just for show. The Flamestrider provides Pyro-infused Normal and Charged Attacks that scale with both her Skill and Burst talents. It can climb mountains, cross water, and even fly for short periods. For open-world exploration, it's genuinely game-changing.

Building Mavuika is relatively straightforward. The 4-piece Obsidian Codex set is her best option for main DPS play, while 4-piece Scroll of the Hero of Cinder City works better if you're using her as a sub-DPS. Her signature weapon, A Thousand Blazing Suns, was tailor-made for her kit with its CRIT Rate ascension stat and ATK bonuses. If you don't have it, Beacon of the Reed Sea serves as a solid alternative.

For teams, Mavuika shines brightest in Melt compositions. Pair her with Citlali for Cryo application and resistance shred, add Xilonen for her ridiculous multi-element support capabilities, and round it out with Bennett for ATK buffs and healing. This squad represents what many consider the strongest team in Version 5.3.

Neuvillette: The Hypercarry King

Neuvillette has dominated the meta since Version 4.1, and nothing has knocked him off his throne. The Chief Justice of Fontaine deals most of his damage through a single mechanic: his Charged Attack beam.

What makes Neuvillette special is self-sufficiency. He constantly loses HP while channeling his beam but heals by absorbing water droplets that spawn during combat. This creates a loop that triggers the 4-piece Marechaussee Hunter bonus almost constantly, giving him 36% bonus CRIT Rate with minimal effort. Combined with his natural Hydro damage scaling and HP bonuses, he outputs staggering numbers without needing perfect artifacts.

For artifacts, 4-piece Marechaussee Hunter is mandatory. The set was essentially designed for him. Aim for 40,000 HP as your baseline, then prioritize CRIT stats. Because the set provides so much CRIT Rate already, you can focus on CRIT Damage in your rolls without worrying about rate balance.

His signature weapon, Tome of the Eternal Flow, provides everything he needs. Budget players can look at Sacrificial Jade or even Prototype Amber as functional alternatives.

The classic Neuvillette hypercarry team runs Neuvillette, Furina, Kazuha, and Xilonen. Furina provides up to 75% damage bonus through her Fanfare stacks while Kazuha offers Viridescent Venerer shred and elemental damage buffs. Xilonen handles resistance reduction and healing. The synergy is ridiculous, and this team clears virtually all content in the game.

Arlecchino: The Bond of Life Specialist

Arlecchino brought something genuinely new to Genshin when she arrived in Version 4.6. Her entire kit revolves around the Bond of Life mechanic, which prevents her from receiving healing while active but dramatically increases her damage output.

This creates interesting team-building constraints. You can't just slap Bennett on an Arlecchino team and call it a day since his healing would be wasted. Instead, she needs teammates who provide shields, buffs, or other utility without stepping on her Bond of Life.

Her 4-piece Fragment of Harmonic Whimsy set provides a near-constant 54% damage increase because her Bond of Life value fluctuates constantly during combat. Nothing else comes close for her artifact choice. Focus on ATK% Sands, Pyro Damage Goblet, and a CRIT Circlet. Avoid HP entirely since her damage scales with ATK and Bond of Life percentages don't benefit from higher HP pools.

For weapons, Crimson Moon's Semblance is her signature and provides everything she wants. The free-to-play option is actually excellent here: White Tassel at R5 punches way above its three-star weight class with 23.4% CRIT Rate and 48% Normal Attack damage bonus.

Her best teams typically run Vaporize. Pair her with Yelan or Xingqiu for consistent Hydro application, add an offensive support like Xilonen or Kazuha, and include a defensive option like Zhongli for shields. Melt teams work too, especially with Citlali providing Cryo application alongside Pyro resistance shred.

Essential Support Characters

Damage dealers mean nothing without the supports to enable them. These five characters appear in the most successful team compositions across all endgame content.

Furina: The Damage Multiplier

Furina changed team building permanently when she released. Her Elemental Burst generates Fanfare stacks whenever nearby party members' HP changes, eventually providing up to 75% bonus damage to the entire team. That's not a typo. Seventy-five percent.

The 4-piece Golden Troupe set is her best option, providing 45% Elemental Skill damage bonus plus an extra 25% when she's off-field. Since her damage comes primarily from her summons, this is perfect. For stats, aim for 40,000 HP to cap her buff scaling, maintain at least 180% Energy Recharge, and push CRIT Rate toward 80% with CRIT Damage around 200%.

Teams with Furina need consistent healing to build Fanfare stacks efficiently. Teamwide healers like Charlotte, Baizhu, and Jean work best. Self-sustaining DPS characters like Neuvillette and Clorinde can stack Fanfare themselves, making healer requirements more flexible in those compositions.

Xilonen: The T0 Support

Xilonen arrived in Version 5.1 and immediately earned the T0 designation that few supports ever achieve. She provides resistance shred for Pyro, Hydro, Electro, and Cryo simultaneously, heals the team, and buffs damage through the 4-piece Scroll of the Hero of Cinder City set. That's an absurd amount of role compression in one character.

Build her with 190% Energy Recharge as your primary target, then add DEF for healing potency. Her resistance shred scales with her Elemental Skill level, so prioritize that talent. The 4-piece Scroll set lets her provide a 40% Elemental Damage bonus to the whole team.

Her signature weapon, Peak Patrol Song, is excellent but not mandatory. Freedom-Sworn works beautifully for its team-wide buffs, and Favonius Sword solves all energy problems if you need a budget option.

Citlali: The Melt Enabler

Citlali released alongside Mavuika in Version 5.3 and immediately became the Pyro Archon's perfect partner. She provides Cryo application through her companions Itzpapa and Citlalin, offers 20% Pyro and Hydro resistance shred, and brings shields to protect your team.

Her entire kit scales with Elemental Mastery, which makes building her refreshingly simple. Stack as much EM as possible, aiming for 800 to 1200 or higher. This affects her shield strength, damage output, and reaction potential all at once. Energy Recharge requirements sit around 150-195% depending on your team.

The 4-piece Scroll of the Hero of Cinder City set gives her the same 40% damage bonus capability as Xilonen. Her signature catalyst, Starcaller's Watch, provides EM and team damage buffs. Thrilling Tales of Dragon Slayers remains a powerful budget alternative for ATK-scaling damage dealers.

Bennett: The Eternal King

Bennett has been meta-defining since Version 1.0, and Version 5.3 hasn't changed that. His Elemental Burst creates a field that provides massive ATK buffs based on his Base ATK while also healing the active character. He applies Pyro consistently, generates energy well, and fits into almost any team that appreciates ATK scaling.

Build him with as much Base ATK as possible through his weapon and levels, then stack Energy Recharge and HP for healing. His recommended artifact set varies by team, but 4-piece Noblesse Oblige provides additional team ATK buffs that stack with his burst.

Kazuha: The Elemental Amplifier

Kazuha provides three things that make him irreplaceable in reaction teams. First, his crowd control groups enemies together for efficient damage. Second, his Viridescent Venerer 4-piece set reduces enemy resistance to swirled elements by 40%. Third, his passive talent provides Elemental Damage bonus to teammates based on his Elemental Mastery.

Stack EM on everything. EM Sands, EM Goblet, EM Circlet. This maximizes his damage bonus sharing, which often provides more team DPS than building him for personal damage. Energy Recharge requirements hover around 160-180% depending on particle generation.

Best Team Compositions for Endgame

Knowing strong characters means little without understanding how to combine them. These four teams represent the current meta's strongest options.

Mavuika Melt

Mavuika, Citlali, Xilonen, Bennett. This squad outputs the highest damage numbers in Version 5.3 according to community testing.

The rotation starts with Mavuika tapping her Elemental Skill to deploy the Ring of Searing Radiance. Xilonen uses her Skill and performs two Normal Attacks to generate Samplers. Bennett casts his Burst and Skill for ATK buffs and energy. Citlali drops her Elemental Skill and Burst for Cryo application and resistance shred. Finally, Mavuika unleashes her Burst with full Fighting Spirit and goes to town with Melt-amplified motorcycle attacks.

Neuvillette Hypercarry

Neuvillette, Furina, Kazuha, Xilonen. The composition that dominated Version 5.0 onwards remains at the top.

Furina opens with her Burst to begin stacking Fanfare. Xilonen provides resistance shred and healing to accelerate Fanfare generation. Kazuha swirls Hydro for VV shred and elemental damage bonus. Neuvillette then charges his beam and watches health bars evaporate.

National Team (F2P King)

Xiangling, Xingqiu, Bennett, Sucrose. Every character is obtainable without spending, and the team still clears 36-star Spiral Abyss.

Bennett provides ATK buffs and pyro particles. Xingqiu applies Hydro through his Burst's rain swords. Xiangling's Pyronado snapshots Bennett's buff and triggers Vaporize reactions for massive damage. Sucrose groups enemies and provides Viridescent Venerer shred plus Elemental Mastery sharing.

The team's been viable since Version 1.0 and shows no signs of falling off.

Hyperbloom (Budget Meta)

Kuki Shinobu, Xingqiu, Nahida, Collei. Low investment requirements with meta-level performance.

Xingqiu and Nahida apply Hydro and Dendro to create Bloom seeds. Kuki Shinobu triggers Hyperbloom with her Electro damage, and because Hyperbloom scales only with EM and character level, she doesn't need CRIT artifacts at all. Stack EM to 800 or higher and watch the reactions carry you.

F2P Recommendations

Not everyone has Mavuika or Neuvillette. Fortunately, some of Genshin's strongest characters don't require gacha luck, and some newer games like Duet Night Abyss have removed character gacha entirely.

Xiangling is obtainable for free by clearing Spiral Abyss Floor 3-3. She's arguably the best Pyro damage dealer in the game when played off-field, with her Pyronado dealing incredible sustained damage. Build her with 4-piece Emblem of Severed Fate, stack Energy Recharge until comfortable, then focus on CRIT and ATK. The Catch polearm from fishing is her best free weapon.

Bennett appears on rate-up banners frequently and sits in the Starglitter shop rotation. He's worth the 34 Starglitter if you haven't gotten him through pulls. His value in team building cannot be overstated.

Kuki Shinobu transforms Hyperbloom teams from good to great. She appears on many banners and costs nothing special to build since she only needs EM artifacts and levels.

For five-stars worth saving, prioritize Furina and Kazuha above all others. These two supports slot into more teams than any other limited characters and will serve your account for years. Neuvillette comes next if you need a hypercarry. Mavuika and Xilonen round out the priority list for different team archetypes.

Building Characters for Success

Strong characters need proper investment. Here's what to prioritize.

Talent levels matter more than most players realize. Main DPS characters should have their primary damage talent at 8 minimum, preferably 9 or 10 if you're pushing endgame. Supports can often sit at 6/8/8, but characters like Furina and Xilonen benefit significantly from crowned skills.

Energy Recharge breakpoints vary by team but generally fall between 160-200% for burst-reliant characters. Not meeting these breakpoints means delayed rotations and lost damage. Use an ER calculator to find your specific needs.

Artifact farming should target strongbox-available sets when possible since you can recycle bad pieces. Emblem of Severed Fate, Noblesse Oblige, and Viridescent Venerer are all strongbox options. For newer sets like Fragment of Harmonic Whimsy or Scroll of the Hero of Cinder City, you'll need to farm domains directly.

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