Everything we know about Yanfei in Genshin Impact

Genshin Impact Yanfei appears to be a new four-star character, details of whom leaked ahead of the Genshin Impact 1.5 update. Remember for that reason all the below information is subject to change. Yanfei is a legal expert from Liyue who can deal massive Pyro damage thanks to the unique stacking effect her normal attacks trigger.

Yanfei’s banner won’t take place until at least sometime in late April or early May, though it’ll certainly be worth the wait. Meanwhile, you can start farming some of her ascension materials, which I outline below, and work towards what could be the best Genshin Impact Yanfei build.

Genshin Impact Yanfei banner: What we know

Like Genshin Impact Eula, there’s no telling when Yanfei's banner will begin. The 1.4 update began on March 17, and miHoYo usually lets these events run for roughly six weeks. Since Genshin 1.5 has two new characters, it’s possible Yanfei’s banner will run during the event’s second half. 

Whenever it happens, you’ll need to spend Intertwined Fates on Yanfei’s banner. Character event banners have a higher drop rate for their headline characters. Since Yanfei is a four-star character, Genshin’s pity system means you’re guaranteed a four-star character or weapon for every nine unsuccessful pulls.

Overview

Genshin Impact Yanfei: An overview

Yanfei is a legal genius of great renown from Liyue, and a catalyst wielder. She also has the mixed blood of an 'illuminated beast', making Yanfei half-human and potentially half-god, like Ganyu. Yanfei’s attacks are said to come with her custom terms and conditions condemning her enemies to pain and death.

Yanfei’s stats (thanks, Honey Impact) assuming they stay the same between now and 1.5, put her between Lisa and Mona. Yanfei’s attack is 20, just a shade lower than the two five-star catalyst users. Her defense is 49, though, making her a bit weaker than Lisa and Sucrose. Her unique attacks and Elemental powers make putting up with her lower defense worth it, however.

Normal attacks: Seal of Approval

• Normal attack: Shoots fireballs that deal three counts of Pyro damage. Normal attacks generate Scarlet Seals upon hitting enemies. Yanfei can hold up to three Scarlet Seals, and obtaining a new Scarlet Seal increases how long the others remain active. Scarlet Seals decrease Yanfei’s stamina consumption
• Charged attack: Deals AoE Pyro damage by consuming stamina and all active Scarlet Seals. More Scarlet Seals increase the attack’s range and power.
• Plunging attack: Yanfei dives down and deals AoE Pyro damage to all nearby enemies.

Elemental Skill: Signed Edict

Yanfei blisters enemies with an AoE Pyro attack. If the attack connects, it grants Yanfei three Scarlet Seals immediately.

Elemental Burst: Done Deal

Yanfei sends a spurt of flames after nearby enemies, dealing AoE Pyro damage, granting three Scarlet Seals, and applying the Brilliance status to her. Brilliance gives Yanfei a Scarlet Seal at regular intervals and boosts the power of her charged attack.

Passives

• Encyclopaedia Expertise: Shows nearby Liyue resources on the mini-map.
• Proviso: Consuming a Scarlet Seal increases Yanfei’s Pyro damage by 5% for six seconds, though the effect does not stack.
• Xiezhi’s Eye: Critical hits from Yanfei’s charged attack deal extra Pyro AoE damage equal to 80% of Yanfei’s attack, and it counts as charged attack damage.

Constellations

• The Law Knows No Kindness: During a charged attack, each active Scarlet Seal reduces the required stamina by 10% and increases Yanfei’s resistance to interruption.
• Right of Final Interpretation: Increases Yanfei’s charged critical rate by 20% against enemies with less than 50% HP.
• Samadhi Fire-Forged: Increases Signed Edict’s level by three with a maximum level of 15.
• Supreme Amnesty: Using Done Deal creates a shield that absorbs up to damage equal to 75% of Yanfei’s max HP for 15 seconds. The shield absorbs Pyro damage 250% more effectively.
• Legal Cheat Sheet: Increases Done Deal’s level by three with a maximum level of 15.
• Extra Clause: Increases Yanfei’s maximum number of Scarlet Seals by one.

Character Ascension materials

Yanfei character Ascension materials

Yanfei’s character Ascension materials require some effort. You’ll need the usual Pyro materials in the Agnidus Agate series, dropped from Pyro Regisvine, plus Juvenile Jade from Primo Geovishap fights. You can only get items from the Treasure Hoarder family by fighting Treasure Hoarders (surprise), and your best bet of running into them is around Mt. Tianheng in Liyue and east of Luhua Pool, also in Liyue.

Noctilous Jade is a bit different. You can buy it from Shito in Liyue Harbor near the Alchemy stall, or you can mine it from areas around Mingyun Village or around Liyue’s western border.

Level 20

• 1 Agnidus Agate Sliver
• 3 Noctilous Jade
• 3 Treasure Hoarder Insignia
• 20,000 Mora

Level 40

• 3 Agnidus Agate Fragment
• 2 Juvenile Jade
• 10 Noctilous Jade
• 15 Treasure Hoarder Insignia
• 40,000 Mora

Level 50

• 6 Agnidus Agate Fragment
• 4 Juvenile Jade
• 20 Noctilous Jade
• 12 Silver Raven Insignia
• 60,000 Mora

Level 60

• 3 Agnidus Agate Chunk
• 8 Juvenile Jade
• 30 Noctilous Jade
• 18 Silver Raven Insignia
• 80,000 Mora

Level 70

• 6 Agnidus Agate Chunk
• 12 Juvenile Jade
• 45 Noctilous Jade
• 12 Golden Raven Insignia
• 100,000 Mora

Level 80

• 6 Agnidus Agate Gemstone
• 20 Juvenile Jade
• 60 Noctilous Jade
• 24 Golden Raven Insignia
• 120,000 Mora

Talent Ascension materials

Yanfei Talent Ascension materials

You’ll need Treasure Hoarder items for Yanfei’s talent Ascension materials too, along with Teachings of Gold-series items obtainable in Taishan Mansion on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Taishan Mansion is near Jueyun Karst in Liyue. Like Eula, Yanfei’s other talent ascension material is a drop from an as-yet unknown boss.

Level 2

• 3 Teachings of Gold
• 6 Treasure Hoarder Insignia
• 12,500 Mora

Level 3

• 2 Guide to Gold
• 3 Silver Raven Insignia
• 17,500 Mora

Level 4

• 4 Guide to Gold
• 4 Silver Raven Insignia
• 25,000 Mora

Level 5

• 6 Guide to Gold
• 6 Silver Raven Insignia
• 30,000 Mora

Level 6

• 9 Guide to Gold
• 9 Silver Raven Insignia
• 37,500 Mora

Level 7

• 4 Philosophies of Gold
• 4 Golden Raven Insignia
• 1 Bloodjade Branch
• 120,000 Mora

Level 8

• 6 Philosophies of Gold
• 6 Golden Raven Insignia
• 1 Bloodjade Branch
• 260,000 Mora

Level 9

• 12 Philosophies of Gold
• 9 Golden Raven Insignia
• 2 Bloodjade Branch
• 450,000 Mora

Level 10

• 16 Philosophies of Gold
• 12 Golden Raven Insignia
• 2 Bloodjade Branch
• 1 Crown of Insight

The best Genshin Impact Yanfei build

Yanfei is a DPS character who draws the most of her strength from charged attacks which, in turn, build on her normal attacks. Any of Yanfei’s best builds will build on these to maximize her damage output.

Build 1

Weapon: Solar Pearl

Solar Pearl is a four-star catalyst, but one you can obtain outside Genshin’s gacha system. Leveling up Genshin’s battle pass to 30 lets you choose a weapon from the BP Bounty, and Solar Pearl is one of them.

Solar Pearl’s secondary stat increases the user’s critical rate by 6-27%, but the passive ability is the special part. Using normal or charged attacks with Solar Pearl increases Elemental Skill and Burst power by 20-40% for six seconds, and using Elemental Skill or Burst increases normal and charged power by the same amount for six seconds.

Amber Catalyst, a three-star catalyst, has a similar function where normal attacks increase all Elemental damage by 6-12% for six seconds, and the effect stacks twice.

Artifacts: Martial Artist 

Martial Artist from the Hidden Palace of Zhou Formula is the ideal choice for this Yanfei build. Normal and charged attack increase by 15% with the two-piece bonus. With the four-piece bonus, using an Elemental Skill increases the attack power of both by 25% for eight seconds. Martial Artist Artifacts are drops in the Hidden Palace of Zhou Formula Domain.

If you can’t get four Martial Artist Artifacts, try combining two of them with two Brave Heart Artifacts. Brave Heart’s two-piece bonus increases the user’s attack by 18%.

Build 2

Weapon: Royal Grimoire

Royal Grimoire is a four-star catalyst you can obtain from Paimon’s Bargains as part of the Royal weapon series. Paimon’s weapons rotate each month, though the Royal series is typically available every second month. Royal Grimoire’s secondary is a standard attack boost of 6-27%, but the passive increases the user’s critical rate by 8-16% with every successful attack and stacks up to five times. It’s not as hefty a build as the first one. You’ll be using Yanfei’s normal and charged attacks frequently, though, so augmenting their critical rate makes sense.

There’s no comparable three-star catalyst for this build. However, the Emerald Orb increases Yanfei’s Elemental Mastery and boosts attack by 20-40% for 12 seconds every time she lands an Elemental Reaction.

Artifacts: Crimson Witch of Flames

Crimson Witch of Flames, also from the Hidden Palace of Zhou Formula, works particularly well with these two weapons by increasing Yanfei’s Pyro damage. The two-piece bonus increases Pyro damage by 15%. The four-piece bonus raises Overload and Burning damage by 40% and Vaporize and Melt damage by 15%. If you use an Elemental Skill, it raises Pyro damage by a further 50% for ten seconds and stacks three times.