Lan Yan has emerged as one of Genshin Impact's most adaptable 4-star characters in the current meta. This Anemo catalyst user, who wields a uniquely designed chakram, brings a powerful combination of shielding capabilities and reaction support that makes her invaluable across numerous team compositions. Her dual functionality allows players to customize her build according to their specific team needs without sacrificing overall performance.
Understanding Lan Yan's Kit
Lan Yan's Elemental Skill, Swallow-Wisp Pinion Dance, is the cornerstone of her versatility. When activated, she dashes forward and leaps into the air upon contacting an enemy, with the ability to adjust direction by holding the button. This maneuver generates a shield based on her ATK stat. While airborne, using her Skill again or performing a Normal Attack causes her to throw chakrams that bounce between nearby opponents, dealing Anemo DMG before returning to her.
What makes this ability particularly special is its elemental absorption mechanic. If Lan Yan's shield interacts with Hydro, Pyro, Cryo, or Electro during her dash, it absorbs that element, gaining increased resistance against that damage type. Additionally, her chakrams become infused with the absorbed element for her mid-air attack, enabling powerful Swirl reactions.
Her Elemental Burst, Lustrous Moonrise, complements her kit by pulling enemies together and dealing Anemo DMG. Both her Skill and Burst scale with Elemental Mastery, making this stat crucial regardless of how you plan to build her.
Constellation Benefits
Lan Yan's Constellations significantly enhance her capabilities:
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C1: Adds additional attacks to her Skill when elemental absorption occurs
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C2: Allows party members' Normal Attacks to restore shield strength
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C4: Increases the whole party's Elemental Mastery after using her Burst
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C6: Enables an additional use of her Skill before cooldown
The C2 and C4 constellations are particularly valuable, as they boost her team support capabilities substantially.
Optimal Weapon Choices
Lan Yan can be built in two primary ways: as a shielder or as a Swirl support. Your weapon choice should align with your preferred role.
For Swirl-focused builds:
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Starcaller's Watch (5★) - Offers massive Elemental Mastery and a shield-related party buff
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A Thousand Floating Dreams (5★) - Excellent EM stats with team elemental damage bonuses
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Mappa Mare (4★) - Accessible F2P option with good EM stats
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Sacrificial Fragments (4★) - Provides EM and chance for skill reset
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Wandering Evenstar (4★) - Balanced option with EM and ATK benefits
For Shield-focused builds:
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Memory of Dust (5★) - Provides substantial ATK and shield strength
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Skyward Atlas (5★) - High base ATK for stronger shields
Artifact Optimization
Unlike some characters who require different artifact sets for different roles, Lan Yan performs best with the Viridescent Venerer set regardless of build focus. This 4-piece set increases Swirl DMG by 60% and reduces enemies' elemental RES to the element infused in the Swirl by 40% for 10 seconds.
The main stat priorities differ based on your build focus:
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Shield Build: Prioritize ATK% on Sands, Goblet, and Circlet
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Swirl Build: Focus on Elemental Mastery for Sands, Goblet, and Circlet
For both builds, aim for these substats:
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ATK% and Elemental Mastery (prioritize according to your build)
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Energy Recharge (aim for ~160-180%)
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Flat ATK
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HP%
Team Compositions
Lan Yan's versatility allows her to fit into numerous team compositions. Here are two particularly effective examples:
Natlan Pyro Team
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Mavuika (Main DPS)
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Lan Yan (Support/Shielder)
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Bennett (Healer/Buffer)
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Flex slot (often another Pyro or an off-field sub-DPS)
In this composition, Lan Yan provides crucial crowd control, element resistance shredding through Viridescent Venerer, and protective shields. She serves as an excellent budget alternative to the limited 5-star Citlali.
Liyue Vaporize Team
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Hu Tao (Main DPS)
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Yelan (Off-field Hydro application)
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Xingqiu (Off-field Hydro application)
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Lan Yan (Shielder/Swirl support)
This team showcases Lan Yan's synergy with HP-based characters like Hu Tao. Her shields allow Hu Tao to safely maintain low HP for damage bonuses, while her crowd control and resistance shredding capabilities amplify the team's overall damage output.
Ascension and Talent Materials
To fully ascend Lan Yan to level 90, you'll need:
| Material Type | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Vayuda Turquoise Sliver | 1 |
| Vayuda Turquoise Fragment | 9 |
| Vayuda Turquoise Chunk | 9 |
| Vayuda Turquoise Gemstone | 6 |
| Whopperflower Nectar | 18 |
| Shimmering Nectar | 30 |
| Energy Nectar | 36 |
| Clearwater Jade | 168 |
| Gold-Inscribed Secret Source Code | 46 |
| Mora | 2,092,530 |
For her talent upgrades to level 10 (each), you'll need:
| Material Type | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Whopperflower Nectar | 18 |
| Shimmering Nectar | 66 |
| Energy Nectar | 93 |
| Teachings of Diligence | 9 |
| Guide to Diligence | 63 |
| Philosophies of Diligence | 114 |
| Eroded Sunfire | 18 |
| Crown of Insight | 3 |
| Mora | 4,957,500 |
The farming locations are as follows:
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Vayuda Turquoise: Any Anemo boss
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Gold-Inscribed Secret Source Code: Secret Source Automaton in Natlan
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Nectar materials: Whopperflowers throughout Teyvat
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Clearwater Jade: Chenyu Vale
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Diligence books: Taishan Mansion (Tuesday, Friday, Sunday)
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Eroded Sunfire: Lord of Eroded Primal Fire weekly boss in Natlan
FAQ
Q: Is Lan Yan worth building if I already have Zhongli?
A: Absolutely. While Zhongli provides stronger shields, Lan Yan offers additional utility through Swirl reactions and resistance shredding that Zhongli cannot provide. They serve different purposes in team compositions.
Q: Should I prioritize ATK% or EM for a balanced build?
A: For a balanced build, focus on EM main stats for Sands, Goblet, and Circlet, but try to get ATK% substats. EM provides more overall value for both her damage and support capabilities, while ATK primarily benefits her shield strength.
Q: How does Lan Yan compare to other 4-star Anemo supports like Sucrose?
A: Lan Yan trades some of Sucrose's EM sharing and grouping power for shield utility. She's generally better in teams that need protection and moderate crowd control, while Sucrose excels in pure reaction-based teams. They're complementary rather than competitive options.
Q: Is C6 necessary for Lan Yan to be viable?
A: Not at all. Even at C0, Lan Yan provides valuable shielding and Swirl support. Constellations enhance her capabilities but aren't required for her to fulfill her core functions effectively.
Q: Which talent should I prioritize leveling first?
A: Focus on her Elemental Skill first, as it provides both her shield and a significant portion of her damage potential. Her Burst can be leveled second, followed by Normal Attacks if you have extra resources.
Key findings are referenced from Polygon, a leading source for gaming culture and in-depth reporting. Polygon's coverage of Genshin Impact frequently explores the evolving meta and the introduction of versatile characters like Lan Yan, emphasizing how their unique kits and flexible builds can reshape team strategies and player engagement across various updates.