Kazuha or Neuvillette? Who to Pull For in Genshin Impact 4.5 Phase 2

It’s that time again: Genshin Impact is getting a new set of character banners, and they are downright stacked. One of the best DPS units in the game and the best non-healer support are both on offer, but do you pull for the powerful Neuvillete or the unparalleled multitool in Genshin Impact 4.5 phase 2?

Should You Pull for Kazuha in Genshin Impact 4.5 Phase 2

Kaedehara Kazuha, or just Kazuha for short, is one of the most versatile units in all of Genshin Impact. Check every tier list and he’ll be at or near the top. He fits into almost any team and adding him usually makes them instantly more effective. He’s relatively easy to build and there are few situations where he can’t make a fight easier and more comfortable to complete.

The only “weakness” Kazuha has is his distinct lack of personal damage output. He’ll never be the main or even sub-DPS of any team he’s in, but that’s not why you would pull for him. You pull for Kazuha because you have one or two DPS characters or teams in need of additional utility and damage augmentation. And boy, does he provide both.

Kazuha’s Skills

Kazuha’s kit is relatively unique in that both his Elemental Skill and Burst have specific use cases, accomplish relatively different tasks, and still provide the standard Anemo Swirl Reaction that’s so useful in any part of Genshin combat.

His Elemental Skill is primarily for pulling in large groups of enemies, allowing you damage characters easy access to everyone on the field rather than needing to spend additional resources dealing with enemies who like to fight at range. It also deals Anemo damage and improves Kazuha’s plunging attack. If you’ve ever watched a team with Kazuha fight in the Spiral Abyss, you’ll see this move used a lot.

Kazuha’s Elemental Burst generates a huge whirlwind that not only deals continuous Anemo damage but also absorbs one of the elements inside it, dealing additional damage of that type as well. In other words, you can group enemies together with his Skill, then his Burst, then swap to a DPS like Kamisato Ayaka and add additional Cryo damage for far longer than her abilities would otherwise allow. Add in a Hydro character to apply the Freeze Reaction, and you’ve got an opportunity for busted damage.

Should You Pull for Neuvillette in Genshin Impact 4.5 Phase 2?

Even if you have some really well-built DPS characters and teams in Genshin Impact and wonder if adding Neuvillete as your next damage dealing, ask yourself this: can your other DPS units solo the entire Spiral Abyss with almost no effort at all? Because Neuvillete can, and he did it so easily that it became a giant community meme when he was first released in 4.1.

Here’s the thing: Neuvillette’s kit is almost entirely self-sustaining so long as you invest in his gear. His Elemental Skill and Burst create ways for him to heal, his charged attack (the core of his setup) can obliterate even the strongest enemies, and his other stats aren’t anything to sneeze at either.

Neuvilette’s Skills

Both Neuvillete’s Elemental Skill and Burst exist primarily to enable him to use his charged attack, a giant stream of concentrated water, and keep himself alive while doing so. They both do AoE Hydro damage with some additional damage output after use, but their more important purpose is to generate Sourcewater Droplets: three for the Skill and Six for the Burst.

Sourcewater Droplets do two things. First, they heal Neuvillete by a set amount. Second, they decrease the charge time of his charged attack from several seconds to almost instantly if he’s collected enough Droplets. Using his charged attack while over 50% of his health will cause Neuvillette’s HP to drop and decrease, so you need to have enough Sourcewater Droplets floating about to keep his potential DPS and health high.

It sounds tricky, but with good Energy regeneration and proper cooldown maintenance, you can easily have more than a dozen Sourcewater Droplets available for use at any one time.

Neuvillette’s one “weakness” is, before you receive his first Constellation (a second instance of pulling him during his event banner), he’s easy for enemies to knock out of the air as he floats about during his Charged Attack. Of course, if you’ve grouped your foes properly, they’ll be too staggered or far enough away to do anything to the Fontainian Iudex. That, or they’ll be dead long before they get a chance even to try.

How Good Are the 4-Star Characters in Genshin Impact 4.5 Phase 2?

The other thing you need to consider when pulling for either Neuvillette or Kazuha is the 4-star characters on offer. There are three, as usual, and the selection is something of a mixed bag.

• Barbara is actually a solid healing support unit and Hydro applicator for Dendro Hyperbloom teams, but there are tons of characters who either heal or apply Hydro more effectively than she does. Also, collecting her Ascension materials is a massive pain.
• Yanfei was actually the first DPS character I used, and she got me through most of Genshin Impact, well into Sumeru, before I had anyone else to fill the role. No, she isn’t the best Pyro DPS in the game, but her playstyle is unique and fun to play, and it has a lot of utility outside of combat as well.
• Xingqiu is the real prize 4-star during 4.5 phase 2. One of the first characters introduced to Genshin Impact, he remains at or near the top of Hydro sub-DPS characters, outpacing even the 5-star Yelan in some respects. He can heal and apply copious amounts of hydro, is simple to build, and is just a fantastic character. If you don’t already have him at C6, I’d almost recommend pulling for Kazuha or Neuvillete just to get more Xingiu constellations.

So, while I can’t answer the question of whether you should pull for Kazuha or Neuvillette in Genshin Impact 4.5 Phase 2, I can say that I’ll be looking to add Kazua to my team. I have a few DPS characters that I’d rather continue building, and as good as Neuvillette is (and he’s quite literally a god), my support squad needs extra…support. The character you choose will depend on what your setup needs more or, more accurately, which character you think is cooler.

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