Introduction

Genshin Impact Arlecchino, also known as the Knave, is the Fourth Fatui Harbinger and a formidable 5-star Pyro polearm user who made her playable debut in Version 4.6 of Genshin Impact. Her gameplay revolves around a unique mechanic called Bond of Life, which is central to understanding and maximizing her potential. This guide will delve into her abilities, how to build her, and effective strategies for utilizing her in combat.

Understanding the Core Mechanic: Bond of Life

The Bond of Life is a mechanic that prevents a character from being healed by absorbing incoming healing, represented by a glowing red portion on the HP bar. In general, clearing the Bond of Life can grant certain buffs. However, Arlecchino utilizes this mechanic in a distinct way; for her, the higher the value of her Bond of Life, the more damage she deals with her Normal Attacks and the more healing she receives from her Elemental Burst. Both her Normal Attacks and Elemental Burst consume Bond of Life. Specifically, her Normal Attacks consume a small percentage with each hit, while her Burst consumes the entire current Bond of Life when she heals.

Arlecchino primarily generates Bond of Life through her Elemental Skill, All Is Ash. Using this skill applies a mark called the Blood-Debt Directive to opponents hit. This mark lasts for 30 seconds and deals Pyro damage every 5 seconds, up to two times. The crucial part is that when Arlecchino performs a Charged Attack or uses her Elemental Burst, Balemoon Rising, she absorbs these Blood-Debt Directives, granting her Bond of Life equal to 65% of her Max HP for each mark absorbed, up to a maximum of 145% from a single skill cast. Additionally, if an enemy marked with a Blood-Debt Directive is defeated by Arlecchino, she gains a Bond of Life worth 130% of her Max HP.

Even more significantly, if you wait for 5 seconds after applying the Blood-Debt Directive, it will be upgraded to a Blood-Debt Due. Absorbing a Blood-Debt Due grants an even larger Bond of Life, worth 130% of her Max HP. This makes waiting for the mark to upgrade a useful setup for maximizing her Bond of Life before unleashing her attacks. The cooldown of her Elemental Skill is a considerable 30 seconds, so careful timing is important. Note that a Bond of Life generated this way cannot exceed the initial limit obtained through her Elemental Skill.

Unleashing Her Power: Talents and Skills

Normal Attack: Invitation to a BeheadingElemental Skill: All Is AshElemental Burst: Balemoon Rising

Normal Attack: Invitation to a Beheading

When Arlecchino possesses a Bond of Life equal to or greater than 30% of her Max HP, she enters the Masque of the Red Death state. During this state, her Normal, Charged, and Plunging Attacks are converted to deal Pyro damage, which cannot be overridden. While in this state, her Normal Attacks deal additional damage that scales off her ATK multiplied by a ratio of her current Bond of Life percentage. Each Normal Attack hit consumes 7.5% of her current Bond of Life every 0.03 seconds.

A significant benefit of attacking in this state is that each Normal Attack hit decreases the cooldown of her Elemental Skill, All Is Ash, by 0.8 seconds. Her Charged Attack allows her to enter a unique flying state when held, making her mobile in combat. It’s important to be mindful of her Bond of Life during the Masque of the Red Death state, as her damage will likely decrease as the Bond depletes.

For maximizing damage, certain Normal Attack combos like N3 Dash (three normal attacks followed by a dash cancel) for higher damage but less stamina efficiency, and N5 Dash (five normal attacks followed by a dash cancel) for better stamina management and ease of execution are recommended. The sixth hit of her normal attack string is slow, making dash canceling after the fifth often beneficial.

Elemental Skill: All Is Ash

As discussed earlier, this skill is the primary way Arlecchino applies the Blood-Debt Directive and subsequently gains Bond of Life. Upon use, she deals Pyro damage to nearby opponents and performs a dash-cleave against one of them, dealing AoE Pyro damage. Opponents hit by this attack are marked with the Blood-Debt Directive, which lasts for 30 seconds and deals Pyro damage periodically. Absorbing these marks through a Charged Attack or her Elemental Burst grants her Bond of Life.

Utilizing the 5-second wait to convert the Directive to a Due yields a larger initial Bond of Life. Her skill has a considerable range, allowing her to close the distance to enemies quickly. The range for absorbing the marks is also quite large, often not requiring a direct hit with her Charged Attack.

Elemental Burst: Balemoon Rising

Arlecchino’s Elemental Burst deals AoE Pyro damage and clears the cooldown of her Elemental Skill. Crucially, it also heals her based on the amount of Bond of Life she currently has, as well as her ATK.

While this provides her with self-sustain, her A1 passive, The Balemoon Alone May Know, dictates that Arlecchino can only be healed by her own Elemental Burst while in combat, aside from Abyss Buffs. This limitation means that traditional healers in your team will not be able to directly heal her. Her A1 passive also grants her a significant 40% Pyro damage bonus.

Because her Burst consumes her entire Bond of Life when healing, using it might result in a temporary dip in her Normal Attack damage until she can rebuild her Bond of Life. In many DPS-focused builds, using her Burst solely for healing might be a DPS loss if healing isn’t immediately necessary. However, in situations where survivability is a concern, especially without a shielder, using her Burst for healing is crucial. With weapons like Staff of Homa, skipping the burst to maintain low HP for its passive might be considered by experienced players who can consistently avoid damage, but survivability should always be prioritized.

Passive Talents

  • The Balemoon Alone May Know (A1): Grants a 40% Pyro DMG Bonus and restricts healing to only her own Elemental Burst during combat.
  • Agony Alone May Be Repaid (A2): When an opponent Arlecchino has marked with a Blood-Debt Directive is defeated, she gains a Bond of Life worth 130% of her Max HP. If the Directive is upgraded to a Blood-Debt Due after 5 seconds and then absorbed, she also gains a Bond of Life worth 130% of her Max HP. The Bond of Life gained this way cannot exceed the initial limit from her Elemental Skill.
  • Strength Alone Can Defend (A4): For every 100 ATK Arlecchino has in excess of 1,000, she gains 1% All Elemental and Physical RES, up to a maximum of 20% resistance for each.

Prioritizing Talents and Stats

CategoryPriority / RecommendationTalent Priority1. Normal Attack (🔺Top Priority) 2. Elemental Skill 3. Elemental BurstMain StatsSands: ATK% Goblet: Pyro DMG Bonus or ATK% (team-dependent) Circlet: Crit Rate / Crit DMGSub-statsCrit Rate / Crit DMG > ATK% > Elemental Mastery (for reactions) > Energy RechargeNotes– Aim for ~3K ATK to trigger her resistance passive efficiently. – Pyro Goblet is default, but ATK% may outperform it if ATK buffs are abundant. – HP has minimal damage value—focus on survivability, not DPS.

For maximizing Arlecchino’s damage, the Normal Attack talent should be your top priority, as it is her primary source of damage during the Masque of the Red Death state. Her Elemental Skill and Burst should be leveled based on the remaining resources.

In terms of stats, ATK is crucial for boosting her damage and utilizing her resistance passive. You’ll also want to focus on standard DPS stats like Crit Rate and Crit DMG to increase her damage potential. A Pyro DMG Bonus Goblet is generally recommended to further enhance her Pyro damage. However, depending on your team composition and available ATK buffs from teammates or artifacts, an ATK Goblet might be more beneficial to fully utilize her resistance passive and healing, especially if your ATK already exceeds 3000 significantly. Ultimately, testing different setups is advisable to determine the optimal choice for your specific situation.

For sub-stats, prioritize ATK, Crit Rate/DMG, and Elemental Mastery if you plan to use her in reaction-based teams like Vaporize or Melt. Energy Recharge (ER) can be beneficial for consistent Burst uptime, though it’s not always a primary focus, especially in teams with good energy generation. Initially, one might think HP would be crucial due to the Bond of Life scaling based on Max HP, but the damage multipliers are percentage-based, and the consumption rate of Bond of Life remains constant regardless of her total HP. Therefore, additional HP mainly benefits her survivability rather than directly increasing her damage.

Choosing the Right Artifacts

Harmonious Symphony PreludeAncient Sea’s Nocturnal MusingThe Grand Jape of the Turning of FateIchor Shower RhapsodyA rhyton fired with copper

Arlecchino’s best artifact set is Fragment of Harmonic Whimsy, which provides an ATK bonus and increases DMG when the value of a Bond of Life increases or decreases. This set synergizes perfectly with her kit, making it the ideal goal for end-game builds.

However, while farming for her BiS set, several other options can be effective:

Gladiator’s NostalgiaGladiator’s LongingGladiator’s DestinyGladiator’s TriumphusGladiator’s Intoxication
  • Gladiator’s Finale: Provides an ATK bonus and increases Normal Attack DMG, making it a strong and readily available alternative, especially since it can be obtained through the Strongbox system.
Summer Night’s BloomSummer Night’s FinaleSummer Night’s MomentSummer Night’s WaterballoonSummer Night’s Mask
  • Retracing Bolide: Increases Shield Strength and provides a significant Normal and Charged Attack DMG bonus while protected by a shield, making it viable in teams with a reliable shielder.
2-Piece ATK2-Piece ATK2-Piece Pyro DMG Bonus2-Piece Pyro DMG Bonus2-Piece Pyro DMG Bonus
  • 2-Piece ATK + 2-Piece Pyro DMG Bonus (e.g., Crimson Witch of Flames): A solid combination to boost both her base ATK and Pyro damage.
Moment of JudgmentForgotten VesselVeteran’s Visage2-Piece ATK2-Piece ATK
  • 2-Piece ATK + 2-Piece Marechaussee Hunter: Can be a temporary option while farming for her BiS set, providing a good mix of ATK and Normal/Charged Attack damage bonus.

Other sets like Shimenawa’s Reminiscence, Echoes of an Offering, and Gilded Dreams can be considered depending on your specific team composition and playstyle, but they generally fall behind the aforementioned options.

Selecting the Best Weapons

Arlecchino’s Weapon Options

WeaponRarityMain StatEffect Summary
Crimson Moon’s Semblance⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5★)Crit DMGBiS; boosts Bond of Life via Charged Attacks, +DMG when BoL > 30%.
Primordial Jade Winged-Spear⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5★)Crit RateHigh base ATK, grants stacking ATK buffs on hit.
Staff of the Scarlet Sands⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5★)Crit RateConverts EM to ATK; good for reaction-focused builds.
Staff of Homa⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5★)Crit DMGBoosts ATK, extra bonus below 50% HP—risky due to limited healing.
Deathmatch⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4★)Crit RateBattle Pass; boosts ATK/DEF based on nearby enemies.
White Tassel⭐⭐⭐ (3★)Crit RateFound in Liyue; boosts Normal Attack DMG—great F2P-friendly pick.

Arlecchino has several viable weapon options, with her signature weapon, Crimson Moon’s Semblance, being the absolute best choice. Its passive grants additional Bond of Life upon using a Charged Attack and provides a significant DMG bonus as long as her Bond of Life is above 30%, perfectly complementing her kit.

Other excellent weapon choices include:

  • Primordial Jade Winged-Spear: A 5-star weapon with high base ATK and Crit Rate, its passive also increases ATK upon hitting enemies.
  • Staff of the Scarlet Sands: Provides Crit Rate and scales ATK based on Elemental Mastery, suitable for reaction-focused builds.
  • Staff of Homa: Offers a significant ATK boost, with an even greater bonus when the wielder’s HP is below 50%. However, given Arlecchino’s self-healing limitations, maintaining this low HP state requires careful play.
  • Deathmatch: A 4-star weapon obtainable from the Battle Pass, offering a substantial Crit Rate sub-stat and an ATK or DEF boost based on the number of nearby enemies.
  • White Tassel: A surprisingly strong 3-star option obtainable from Liyue chests, providing a Crit Rate sub-stat and increasing Normal Attack DMG, which is highly beneficial for Arlecchino.

Other 4-star and 5-star polearms can also be used depending on their stats and passives, but the ones listed above generally provide the best synergy with Arlecchino’s abilities.

Effective Team Compositions

Due to her unique healing restriction, Arlecchino’s team compositions often prioritize characters who can provide buffs, shields, or off-field damage without relying on direct healing for her. While Bennett’s powerful ATK buffs are highly valuable, his healing circle won’t directly benefit Arlecchino. Similarly, while Chevreuse provides significant Pyro and Electro buffs in Overload teams, her healing from C6 and her passive’s ATK buff still trigger and work on Arlecchino despite her inability to be healed by other characters.

Here are some effective team archetypes for Arlecchino:

YelanXingqiuKazuhaSucroseThomaZhongli
  • Vaporize Teams: Utilizing Hydro applicators like Yelan and Xingqiu to trigger Vaporize reactions with Arlecchino’s consistent Pyro application is a strong strategy. Anemo supports like Kazuha or Sucrose can further enhance damage through Swirl and by grouping enemies. A shielder like Thoma or Zhongli provides much-needed interruption resistance. Focusing on vaporizing her initial hits after setting up Hydro can significantly increase her damage output.
RosariaCitlaliBennett
  • Melt Teams: Pairing Arlecchino with reliable Cryo applicators such as Rosaria or the new character Citlali can enable Melt reactions. Bennett often serves as a crucial ATK buffer in these compositions.
FischlChevreuseThomaDehyaBeidou
  • Overload Teams: In teams focused on Overload reactions, pairing Arlecchino with Fischl for Electro application and Chevreuse for her Electro and Pyro buffs and resistance shred can be very effective. It’s crucial to keep the team limited to Pyro and Electro characters to maximize Chevreuse’s passive skills. Shielders like Thoma, Dehya, or Beidou can provide survivability.
XianglingXilonenMavuikaKazuhaBennettZhongli
  • Mono Pyro Teams: Focusing on raw Pyro damage can also be viable, utilizing off-field Pyro DPS characters like Xiangling, Xilonen, or Mavuika, alongside an Anemo character like Kazuha for Pyro Swirl and resistance shred, and a buffer like Bennett or a shielder like Zhongli for additional support. Ensuring that Pyro off-field DPS can snapshot Bennett’s buffs is important for maximizing their damage. Starting the rotation with Arlecchino’s skill in Mono Pyro teams can ensure her subsequent attacks benefit from the buffed version of her skill.
ChioriZhongliYelan
  • Double Geo Teams: Teams utilizing the Geo Resonance with characters like Chiori and Zhongli alongside a Hydro off-field DPS like Yelan can provide consistent off-field damage and additional shielding for Arlecchino.

Advanced Tips and Tricks

  • Mastering Arlecchino’s Normal Attack combos, such as N3 Dash for higher damage and N5 Dash for better stamina management, will optimize her damage output during the Masque of the Red Death state.
  • Utilize the range of her Elemental Skill to quickly engage enemies and the surprising range at which she can absorb Blood-Debt Directives, even without directly hitting enemies with her Charged Attack.
  • While traditional healers don’t directly heal Arlecchino, buffs or set effects that require healing to activate, such as Chevreuse’s C6, the Song of Days Past artifact set, or the Ocean-Hued Clam set, will still trigger and provide their benefits.
  • In teams with Anemo characters, particularly Kazuha, aim for a double swirl to maximize elemental damage amplification. If using other Anemo characters like Sucrose, prioritize at least swirling Pyro.
  • In teams with Zhongli, consider using the Archaic Petra artifact set on him. Start the rotation with Arlecchino’s skill to apply Pyro, then use Zhongli’s skill and pick up the Pyro shard to grant an Elemental DMG bonus to the team. Be mindful of enemy elemental infusions that might interfere with this.
  • While the animation of Arlecchino’s Elemental Burst is visually appealing, experienced players in optimized rotations might consider skipping it in certain situations to maintain DPS, especially if healing is not immediately required. However, survivability should always be the primary concern.

By understanding Arlecchino’s unique mechanics, prioritizing the right talents and stats, equipping her with suitable artifacts and weapons, and building effective team compositions, you can harness the full power of the Knave and dominate your Genshin Impact adventures. Remember to experiment and adapt your strategies based on the challenges you face and the resources available to you.