Ever sinceGenshin Impactstarted having two character banners available at one time, players started to take more strict measures with saving their Primogems. Occasionally, when the banners feature two strong DPS like Xiao and Alhaitham at the same time, it may cause difficult choices to be made, especially if fans want both units to join theirGenshin Impact’s roster.
In this situation, many points should be taken into consideration when choosing between Alhaitham and Xiao since knowing the positives and negatives of each unit can greatly help when choosing.
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Xiao And Alhaitham In Genshin Impact
Both Xiao and Alhaitham are consideredDPS characters inGenshin Impactthat can carry their team’s DMG. To compare which unit to pull for, players have to evaluate:
Weapons
While Xiao’s best weapon isPrimordial Jade Winged-Spear, Alhaitham has his own best-in-slot, which isLight of Foliar Incision. Both weapons are 5-star weapons that can be obtained via wishing from weapon banners. However, Primordial Jade is in the standard banner too, so players can pull it at any time via weapon or standard banners.
As for both characters’ flexibility when wielding different weapons,Genshin ImpactXiao demands ATKand CRIT stats for his Polearms. So weapons likeStaff of Homa,Deathmatch, orBlackcliff Poleare necessary. On the other hand, Alhaitham is more flexible, having his DMG scaling with multiple stats. Players can opt for CRIT, Elemental Mastery, or even ATK% and it will all work. Additionally, he still can greatly perform with F2P weapons, such asIron StingorToukabou Shigure.
Artifacts
For artifacts, Xiao has his own set of artifacts that nobody but him can utilize.Vermillion Hereaftercontinuously buffs Xiao’s ATK% as long as he’s losing HP when he activates his Elemental Burst, which is exactly what Xiao goes through. That makes Vermillion pointless to farm unless players are trying to get Echoes of an Offering for other characters. Fortunately, Xiao also works with other sets like2pc Anemo DMG +15% + 2pc ATK+18%or2pc Viridescent Venerer + 2pc Desert Pavilion Chronicle.
Alhaitham’s flexibility also plays a big role whenchoosing his artifacts inGenshin Impact. Players can useDeepwood Memoriesto shred enemies’ resistance to Dendro. If there was another unit with Deepwood, thenGilded Dreamsis the best choice. Both Deepwood and Gilded are easier to have since many other characters need them.
Roles
In terms of gameplay, both Alhaitham and Xiao are demanding to some degree in their playstyles.Xiao is a selfish main DPSwho needs at least 15 seconds of field time to fulfill his role.Alhaitham is a more forgiving DPSsince players can utilize his Burst, Skill, Plunge, and Charged Attack to gain Dendro Infusion.
However, while Alhaitham has more sources of Dendro Infusion, his playstyle is way harder than Xiao. Players need to know when to use each of his abilities to gain the Chisel Mirror he needs to deal Dendro DMG. Theoretically, Alhaitham should be able to maintain three stacks of Chisel Mirror for a decent duration, but this requires full attention to pull off.
To summarize, players shouldpull for Xiaoif they:
Meanwhile, players shouldpull for Alhaithamif they:
Genshin Impactis now available on Mobile, PC, PS4, and PS5. A Switch version is in development.
