Gameplay
Expanded Guide on Xiao's Combos, Rotations, and Techniques
Glossary
In this section you will see a lot of abbreviation and terms.ST (single-target): Combat scenarios where there is only one enemy.
MT (multi-target): Combat scenarios where there are multiple enemies.
N(#): Denotes how many Normal Attacks (NA) are in the attack string. Ex: N2 = NA twice.
HP (High Plunge)
LP (Low Plunge)
C or CA (Charged Attack)
J (Jump)
Attack Strings
Xiao is a relatively simple character to play. However, his actual skill ceiling is a bit higher as there are various details you should be aware of to play him optimally.
Optimal Combos
In AoE situations with multiple enemies, you should always spam High Plunges.
In ST situations with one main enemy, you should aim to use Collision Plunge if possible.
If Collision Plunge is possible with High Plunge, spam High Plunge.
If Collision Plunge is possible with only Low Plunge, use N1CJLP.
If Collision Plunge is not possible, use N1CJHP.
N1CJP requires tight input timing. Omitting the CA for standard N1JP combos is also acceptable for easier spamming and performs about equally.
N1 Cancels can be performed during regular Plunge Spam combos for additional damage or faster weapon passive stacking. Read here for more information.
High and Low Plunge
If you open your Talent menu, you will see three different plunge modifiers: High Plunge, Low Plunge and Plunge.
The AoE damage of Xiao’s Burst plunges are scaled off High or Low Plunge modifiers, depending on the height from which Xiao plunges from. In general, anything slightly above Xiao’s height will be considered a High Plunge.
There is only a 1 frame difference between the two, and Plunging too early can cause Xiao to do LP instead. So if you desire to perform High Plunges, it is better to let the jumping animation linger a bit before plunging.
Collision Plunge
Collision Plunge damage is the name given to the third and last Plunge modifier in the Talent menu, separate from Low and High Plunge. This plunge only appears in situations where Xiao’s plunging animation has direct contact with the enemy's model, this additional number will be referred to as Collision Plunge damage.
To perform it, one simply has to hug the enemy and plunge alongside it, making it one of the easiest of Xiao's techniques to learn while also increasing damage in single-target scenarios by a significant amount without any delays.
The video shows an example of Collision Plunge damage, where there’s an initial ~27k-28k Collision Plunge damage when Xiao hits the top of the Ruin Guards, and then a secondary number 55k-70k when Xiao actually hits the ground and unleashes his High Plunge damage.
Additional Information on Collision Plunge
While the technique is simple in execution, its utilization is entirely dependent on the enemy as all enemies have varying height models. As a general rule of thumb:
Tall enemies such as Lawachurls, Primo Geovishap, Ruin Guards, Ruin Graders, etc. can consistently Collision Plunge with High Plunges without issues.
Shorter enemies with high stagger, such as Geovishaps, Fatui Mages, Skirmishers, etc. are too short and move too often to Collision Plunge reliably even with Low Plunges.
There are also enemies whose model height is dependent on their animations; an example is the Perpetual Mechanical Array. In its downed phase, it can only be dealt Collision Plunge damage with Low Plunges.
JET (N1CJP)
N1CJP is an abbreviated form of Normal Attack 1 > Charged Attack > Jump > (High) Plunge. It is also known as JET for ease of naming.
It is a combo that cancels the animation for Xiao's Charged Attack and allows Xiao to plunge enemies that he has knocked up. Currently, it is his highest MV/s combo while he is inside his Burst.
However, it should only be used on single (sometimes duo) target enemies. Otherwise, High Plunge spam is still his highest combo in AoE mob situations.
Normal Attack (NA) Cancel
Xiao's NA cancel can be performed by mashing your Normal Attack and Jump inputs at the same time. It is beneficial for faster weapon passive stacking, activating abilities triggered by Normal Attacks, and additional damage.
How it Works
Xiao’s N1 consists of two hits: a swing, and then a thrust with his spear. The first swing of Xiao's NA has no hitlag, and the animation can be canceled out with a jump while the damage still goes through.
When using NA cancel, be sure to cancel out his N1 after the initial swing and before the thrust, as the full N1 animation has hitlag.
Interaction with Other Units
Certain characters (such as Thoma and Xingqiu) have an input delay when triggering their abilities, Thus, N1 cancels where you mash Normal Attack and Jump at the same time will actually fail to proc their ability. Instead, you have to space out your Normal Attack and Jump inputs, allowing Xiao's N1 to linger just long enough to trigger their abilities.
Caution: If you are not precise with this animation cancelling and allow his full N1 to go out, it can significantly reduce the number of Plunges you are able to fit into his Burst, lowering his DPS. For characters whose abilities have input delay, we recommend only reliabily using them with N1CJP combos.
In contrast, a character like Yelan has no input delay, so Xiao can easily proc her Burst with N1 cancels.
Out of Burst Playstyle
Generally speaking, one should always minimize the amount of time Xiao spends out of his Burst. That being said, in specific scenarios such as Overworld gameplay or when the enemy has little HP left, it may be better to save his Burst. The most optimal combo strings are as follows:
N1C: Xiao’s highest DPS Normal Attack string.
N1CJEP: If your Elemental Skill is up, use N1C > Jump > E > Plunge.
Plunging Effectively
Xiao's AoE
Xiao’s plunge has a surprisingly large AoE radius. In the example below, you can see that Xiao easily plunges all three Cicin Mages continuously, even while knocking them back.
Positioning
While Plunging
Generally, positioning Xiao’s plunges fall into one of two strategies:
Place him in the center of all enemies to hit as many as possible.
This is useful if the goal is to hit as many enemies as possible. However some enemies possess high knockback, which means after a couple of plunges they may be pushed out of Xiao’s Plunge range.
Place him in line with enemies so that they are knocked back in the same direction.
This strategy is more beneficial for enemies with high knockback. You will slowly push them in the same direction, ideally towards a wall to reliably group them. You will be able to move forward while plunging to adjust Xiao’s position.
For enemies with knockback, you can lure them towards the Spiral Abyss walls first before casting Xiao’s Burst. Then, you can use Xiao’s plunges to pin enemies against a wall.
While using Elemental Skill
Xiao's Elemental Skill, when it fails to target a specific enemy, will send you dashing towards where Xiao's Character Model is facing. Be mindful of when you use his Skill, and repositioning your camera and/or where Xiao's facing with the movement inputs.
In Air Maneuverability
Mobility while Jump-Plunging
Holding the directional key as Xiao Jump-Plunges will permit him to move in the direction your camera is facing. This can help him keep up with enemy knockback.
Delayed Plunge
Another trick that can be useful is avoiding damage by hanging or gliding in the air while enemies are attacking or damaging structures (e.g., ice cages & rock waves) are beneath you. Gliding can also help you reposition Xiao more dramatically than just holding a directional key while jumping.
Energy Management
With contributions from: 3.14#2780, Poiyo#3488, ioncy#5314How to Battery Xiao
Xiao’s DPS is heavily reliant on his Elemental Burst. Therefore, it is crucial to understand Energy management and keep Xiao’s Elemental Burst active as much as possible.
Energy Management for Xiao comes with two basic techniques:
Funneling: Catching the particles generated by another character’s Elemental Skill or Favonius Weapon by quickly swapping to Xiao after you use their Skill.
Pre-funneling: Using up to two of Xiao’s Elemental Skills and then quickly activating his Elemental Burst, allowing Xiao to refill his Energy with his own self-generated particles. This technique is important for giving Xiao enough Energy for his next Burst rotation.
It is also important to understand the basic mechanics of how Energy works in this game:
On-field characters get more energy from Energy Particles/Orbs than off-field characters. This is why you should always swap back to Xiao to catch any generated particles when possible.
Characters get more Energy from same-element Energy Particles/Orbs. This is why Anemo batteries are generally preferred.
Additional Pre-funneling Tips
It is advised to not jump before using two of Xiao’s Elemental Skills to pre-funnel. This will result in the energy particles reaching Xiao before he can cast his Elemental Burst.
For those with C1: Xiao cannot pre-funnel the particles of 3 Elemental Skill charges.
Pre-funneling is not just limited to Xiao’s Elemental Skill. In fact, you can actually pre-funnel three Skills worth of energy particles into Xiao’s Burst:
Sucrose's Elemental Skill animation is quick enough for her particles to be pre-funneled alongside Xiao’s Elemental Skill particles. Sucrose E > Xiao EE Q
If you chose to dash cancel Sucrose's Skill in a standard rotation, you will not be able to swap to Xiao due to the character swap cooldown. It is advised to N2 with Sucrose before the E cancel to make up for the time.
Faruzan's particles from her vortex are generated after a slight delay, allowing Xiao to pre-funnel her particles with his own. Faruzan E CA > Xiao EE Q
It is also possible to pre-funnel two of Sucrose’s Elemental Skill particles, by dash canceling both of Sucrose’s E Skills to get all 8 particles. However this technique can be a bit more difficult to utilize while providing less Energy, so we recommend using Sucrose E > Xiao EE Q when possible.
See the images below to compare how much of Xiao's Burst is filled after pre-funneling with different combos.
If you are lacking Energy for your next Burst, we recommend using your battery’s Elemental Skill to funnel Xiao’s Burst back and then restart the rotation. Doing the rotation while your Burst isn’t full will result in wasted particles.
Rotation Management
With contributions from: 3.14#2780General Team Rotation Guidance
Xiao's long Elemental Burst duration means that there are always some general and unchanging rules when building rotations for his teams:
Prioritize the party member with the longest duration ability first.
If you have any off-field DPS with non-conditional damaging abilities, always rotate them first.
If you have buffers with low-uptime, place them as close to Xiao's Burst to optimize the uptime of their buffs.
Any battery with particles that can be pre-funneled to Xiao should be placed right before him.
Xiao is always rotated last.
Managing Your Next Rotation(s)
After Xiao's first Burst ends, you will likely face yourself in a situation where you do not have enough energy to repeat the rotation. There are two ways to face this problem:
Go through your rotation like normal, but simply utilize your battery's abilities to get Xiao's Burst back up and then pre-funnel Xiao's two Elemental Skills and cast Burst. (Video Example Below)
Instead of restarting your rotation immediately, use your battery (and/or other units with short CDs) to get your Xiao's Burst back up and then go through with the rotation once more.
This should be the last resort for when you are certain that the first method wouldn't generate enough energy for Xiao's Burst.
You should avoid using Xiao's Elemental Skill during his Burst; this ensures both charges are up to pre-funnel the particles for when you cast his Burst.
If you own C1, you may insert the third charge of Xiao's Elemental Skill right after Xiao's Burst ends to lessen the Energy needs of the next Burst.
Managing Your Energy in the Spiral Abyss
If you are in a situation where the enemy only has a bit of HP left, we suggest ending Xiao's Burst early to get his Burst back up for the next chamber. This is easier to do when you have a secondary source of damage in your team.
