Cryo Sword

Kaeya

Frostwind Swordsman

TierB
RolesSub DPS · Support
Release1.0

The Cavalry Captain of the Knights of Favonius is a simple, flexible Cryo sub-DPS. His Burst summons icicles that orbit the active character and apply Cryo, and his short-cooldown Skill generates plenty of particles, especially against Frozen enemies. He is a solid Cryo enabler for Freeze, Reverse Melt and Mavuika Melt teams, and his C6 makes him even more comfortable.

Build Create a build card
Kaeya

Off-field Cryo sub-DPS

Weapons

Mistsplitter Reforged BiS
5★ · CRIT DMG
Best in slot in Freeze and mono-Cryo teams.
+12% Elemental DMG plus up to +28% DMG for the wielder's element through Mistsplitter's Emblem stacks.
Primordial Jade Cutter
5★ · CRIT Rate
Top choice in Reverse Melt, and a great CRIT Rate stat stick everywhere.
+20% HP and bonus ATK equal to 1.2% of the wielder's Max HP.
Moonweaver's Dawn
4★ · ATK%
Free 4-star and a great fit: his 60-Energy Burst unlocks the extra Burst DMG tier (+36% at R1).
+20% Elemental Burst DMG, raised by a further 16%/28% if the wielder's Energy Capacity is 60/40 or less.
Finale of the Deep
4★ · ATK%
Craftable: needs a healer to clear its Bond of Life for the full ATK bonus.
Craftable: using a Skill grants +12% ATK and a Bond of Life; clearing the Bond adds up to 150 flat ATK.
Favonius Sword
4★ · Energy Recharge
Lowers both his and his teammates' ER needs; can make some teams work at all.
CRIT hits have a 60% chance to generate particles that restore 6 Energy (once every 12s).
Amenoma Kageuchi
4★ · ATK%
Craftable fallback with ATK% and Energy refunds.
Each Elemental Skill grants a Succession Seed (max 3); using a Burst consumes them to restore 6 Energy per seed.

Artifacts

Emblem of Severed Fate ×4
Best generalist set: works in every team and helps with his Energy.
Set effects
2pEnergy Recharge +20%.
4pElemental Burst DMG increased by 25% of Energy Recharge (up to +75%).
Blizzard Strayer ×4
Excellent against freezable enemies in high-ER Freeze teams.
Set effects
2pCryo DMG Bonus +15%.
4pCRIT Rate +20% against enemies affected by Cryo, and another +20% if they are Frozen.
Archaic Petra ×4
Niche but strong with a Geo unit: Cryo shards give the whole party +35% Cryo DMG (used in Mavuika Melt support).
Set effects
2pGeo DMG Bonus +15%.
4pPicking up a Crystallize shard or triggering Lunar-Crystallize gives all party members +35% DMG Bonus for that element for 10s (one element at a time).
Noblesse Oblige ×4
Support option: often the best set for total team damage (+20% party ATK) when nobody else holds it.
Set effects
2pElemental Burst DMG +20%.
4pUsing a Burst grants all party members +20% ATK for 12s (does not stack).

Main stats

Sands of Eon
Energy Recharge / ATK%
Goblet of Eonothem
Cryo DMG Bonus
Circlet of Logos
CRIT Rate / CRIT DMG

Substat priority

1Energy Recharge 2CRIT Rate 3CRIT DMG 4ATK%

Stat targets

  • Energy Recharge: about 145–160% with three Cryo units, up to 230–285% as the only Cryo with a single Skill per rotation
  • Casting his Skill 2–3 times per rotation lowers his needs a lot
  • CRIT Rate:DMG around 1:2

Talent priority

Elemental Burst
Elemental Skill
Normal Attack

Leave his Normal Attack at level 1 if you play him off-field. His Burst is his main damage source.

Teams

Recommended teams

Ayaka Freeze

Kamisato Ayaka
Kaeya
Furina
Escoffier

Kaeya is the particle battery that lets Ayaka invest in offensive stats; Escoffier shreds Cryo and Hydro RES.

Reverse Melt

Kaeya
Rosaria
Emilie
Bennett

Double Cryo with (C6) Bennett's Pyro: Kaeya and Rosaria Melt their hits, and Emilie keeps Burning up, which also makes 4-piece Unfinished Reverie a niche option for Kaeya.

Mavuika Melt support

Mavuika
Kaeya
Bennett
Xilonen

Budget Cryo enabler for Mavuika; with 4-piece Archaic Petra and Xilonen, Cryo shards buff the party.

Guide

How to play

How he works

  • Frostgnaw (Skill, 6s cooldown) blasts enemies in front of him with Cryo. Cold-Blooded Strike heals him for 15% of his ATK on hit, and Glacial Heart makes enemies Frozen by it drop extra particles.
  • Glacial Waltz (Burst, 60 Energy) summons 3 icicles (4 at C6) that follow the active character and deal Cryo DMG to enemies they touch. This is his main source of off-field damage and Cryo application.
  • Most of his value comes from Burst uptime and particle generation for a Cryo or Hydro carry.

Rotation

  1. E → Q (or Q → E) at the start of the rotation, then swap to your main DPS.
  2. In Freeze teams, come back for extra E casts: each one batteries the team and refreshes Cryo.
  3. In Melt support teams, cast Q right before your Pyro carry takes the field so the icicles provide Cryo for Melt.

His icicles follow the active character: melee carries get far more hits out of them than ranged ones.

Strengths

  • Easy to play with strong off-field Cryo application from his Burst
  • Excellent particle generation, especially in Freeze
  • Self-healing on Skill hits
  • Cheap 4-star that fits many Cryo and Melt teams

Weaknesses

  • Very high Energy Recharge needs in teams with few Cryo units
  • Icicles only hit enemies near the active character
  • Outclassed by newer Cryo supports like Citlali or Escoffier

Notable dupes · Constellation

C6
Big upgrade

A fourth icicle and 15 Energy refunded on Burst: more damage, better Cryo coverage and far lower ER needs.

C2
Optional

Burst lasts longer when enemies die: only useful in multi-wave fights.

C1
Optional

CRIT Rate for Normal and Charged Attacks: only for on-field Kaeya.

Community

Player builds for Kaeya

Share my Kaeya build

No shared builds yet. Be the first!

No screenshot? Create a gorgeous build card with our tool.

Share a build Create a build card
Updated September 25, 2026 · Version 7.1
Sources & references
Esc