Genshin Impact’s Version 5.0 is now halfway through! That means it’s time for this patch’s next limited character, Kinich, to take the spotlight! Learn more about this stoic Saurian Hunter and how to build him in the guide down below!
Understanding Kinich in Genshin Impact
Kinich is a five-star Dendro Claymore user hailing from the Scions of the Canopy, also known as the Huitztlan tribe. The Huitztlan are mostly known for their proficiency as hunters and explorers. Kinich fully exhibits his tribe’s traits by being one of the best Saurian Hunters in Natlan.
Kinich also bears the Ancient Name “Malipo”, which means “Turnfire”. In-game, Turnfire refers to being able to accurately weigh the cost of actions. Kinich puts this to use not only in his decision-making but also in methodically calculating the price of the jobs that he takes.
Alongside Kinich is his special pixelated companion, Ajaw. Don’t let Ajaw’s appearance fool you though as Ajaw is a genuinely powerful being. In fact, Ajaw has granted Kinich a portion of his power through a special pact they’ve made.
There’s an interesting chemistry between the two of them. Despite Ajaw’s tendency to berate Kinich and Kinich’s indifference to Ajaw’s antics, their abrasive relationship still ends up being entertaining to witness.
Kinich’s Stats
Kinich is an attack scaling on-field Dendro DPS. Most of his damage comes from his Elemental Skill’s Scalespiker Cannon shot. Affecting enemies with Burgeon or Burning will allow Kinich to trigger those shots more often.
| Stat | Level 1 | Level 90 |
|---|---|---|
| Base HP | 1001 | 12858 |
| Base DEF | 62 | 802 |
| Base ATK | 26 | 332 |
| Crit DMG% | 50% | 88.4% |
To ascend to higher levels, Kinich will want Overripe Flamegranates dropped by the Gluttonous Yumkasaur Mountain King boss and Fangs of varying qualities dropped by Saurian enemies throughout Natlan. He will also need Saurian Claw Succulents found in plentiful amounts near the Sulfurous Veins area of northern Natlan.
To level up Kinich’s skills, you will need the Teachings of Kindling found in the Blazing Ruins domain every Tuesday/Friday/Sunday.
Kinich’s Skills
Elemental Skill – Canopy Hunter: Riding High
Kinich’s Elemental Skill has different uses in and out of combat.
Outside of combat, Kinich launches himself into the air using his grappling hook. Kinich can also use his grappling hook for a second time, when inside of Natlan’s borders. The skill’s cooldown is also decreased by 60%.
Furthermore, Kinich can use his skill to interact with the environment similar to how indwelling within a Yumkusaur would. He can cling to Coilgrass Sigils, grab objects, and even shoot Flamegranates!
When in combat, Kinich will attach a grappling hook to his target and enter his Nightsoul’s Blessing state. During Kinich’s Nighsoul’s Blessing, he will move around his hooked target, fire Loop Shots, and gain Nightsoul points. The player can choose the direction that Kinich will loop around, either clockwise or counterclockwise.
Once Kinich has gained 20 Nightsoul points, he can launch a Scalespiker Cannon shot which fires a devastating Nighsoul-aligned Dendro DMG projectile to his hooked target. A Blind Spot zone will then appear randomly around his hooked target.
Kinich gains Nightsoul points in a variety of ways during his Nightsoul’s Blessing state:
- Kinich will automatically generate 2 Nightsoul Points per second.
- Entering a Blind Spot will generate 4 Nightsoul Points.
- Upon unlocking Kinich’s 1st Ascension Passive, having enemies affected by Burning or Burgeon will generate 7 Nightsoul Points every 0.8 seconds.
Upon unlocking his 4th Ascension Passive, Scalespiker Cannon’s damage can also be increased by a maximum of 640% of Kinich’s attack if his allies trigger Nightsoul Burst twice.
Once combat starts, you will want to press his Elemental Skill to latch onto a target and fire Loop Shots. After accumulating enough Nightsoul Points, you can shoot a hard-hitting Scalespiker Cannon. Each use of his skill can result in firing off 3-5 Scalespiker Cannon shots, depending on the amount of Nightsoul Points you’re able to generate within the duration.
Elemental Burst
Kinich’s Elemental Burst has him unleashing Ajaw upon the field. Ajaw takes on his Almighty Dragonlord form and deals Nightsoul-aligned AoE Dendro damage to enemies at fixed intervals.
If Kinich uses his burst while in his Nightsoul’s Blessing state, said state is extended by 1.7 seconds. This essentially refunds the duration of his Nightsoul’s Blessing used to cast his burst.
Although Ajaw deals considerable damage, it’s still less than Kinich’s Scalespiker Cannon shots. Kinich’s burst should be used when available, but it still doesn’t justify building Energy Recharge for him.
Kinich’s Recommended Artifact Sets
Kinich will want an Attack% Sands, a Dendro% Goblet, and a Crit Rate/Damage Circlet, depending on your Crit Ratio. For Substats, Kinich will want Crit Damage, Crit Rate, and Attack%.
Obsidian Codex
A lot of Natlan’s DPS characters will want to equip the Obsidian Codex set. It provides a 15% damage boost and 40% Crit Rate for characters that have access to the Nightsoul’s Blessing state.
Do keep in mind that Kinich will only consume Nightsoul points upon firing a Scalespiker Cannon shot. This means that the 40% Crit Rate boost will only take effect after Kinich fires his first Scalespiker Cannon shot.
Unfinished Reverie
Players may have farmed the Faded Theater previously for other characters. Should they have any good Unfinished Reverie artifacts, they are a good alternative for Kinich. The conditional 50% damage buff synergizes well with him as Kinich will almost always have Burning enemies present around him.
Kinich’s Recommended Weapons
Fang of the Mountain King (741 ATK, 11% Crit Rate at Level 90)
Fang of the Mountain King sports a high base Attack of 741 and a modest 11% Crit Rate max level. Combined with the 40% Crit Rate from the Obsidian Codex set and Kinich’s Crit Damage Ascension stat, Kinich’s Crit Ratio will become very easy to manage.
It also gives a stacking damage buff to its wielder’s Elemental Skill and Burst when they hit enemies with their Elemental Skill. The maximum stacks can be gained even faster when allies trigger Burning or Burgeon reactions. As Kinich already wants Burning and Burgeon reactions, the buff is assured to be active indefinitely.
Earth Shaker (565 ATK, 27.6% ATK at Level 90)
The Earth Shaker is Natlan’s craftable claymore weapon. It provides a buff to Elemental Skill damage when any party member triggers any Pyro-related reaction. At the moment, this is the best weapon for Kinich if you’re not planning to get his signature weapon.
It’s an accessible weapon that holds the possibility of being fully refined. Doing so will give Kinich a significant 32% damage boost to his Elemental Skill when triggering Pyro reactions.
Serpent Spine (510 ATK, 27.6% Crit Rate at Level 90)
Serpent Spine is one of the original Battle Pass weapons and is a competitive weapon for Kinich. Its Crit Rate combined with the Obsidian Codex’s Crit Rate makes it so that Kinich can mainly focus on gaining Crit Damage from his artifacts.
When used properly, Serpent Spine can provide Kinich with a universal damage buff(max 30% at Refinement 1). However, do take note that taking damage(even from Burning reactions) will decrease this buff. So if you were to equip this weapon, ensure that you have an ally that can provide shielding from damage.
Kinich’s Recommended Teams in Genshin Impact
Kinich will mainly want to operate in either Burning or Burgeon teams.
Because of Kinich’s Ascension 1 passive, he will need at least one Pyro teammate to perform Burning or Burgeon. You would also want an ally that can trigger the Deepwood Memories set to lower enemy resistance to Dendro. Allies that can consolidate both Pyro application and the Deepwood set are Pyro units such as Xiangling, Thoma, and Dehya.
Burning Team
Kinich essentially acts as the hypercarry in a Burning team. His teammates will provide both buffs and Pyro application from off-field. Having two Pyro characters also provides the Pyro Resonance buff, increasing Kinich’s attack even more.
An example of a Burning Team is like the one below: Kinich, Benett, Xiangling and a fourth character that’s flexible. For the purposes of this guide, we opted to use Kachina for this particular team.
You can start the team’s rotation by using all of your supports’ ultimates then switching to Kinich and using his Elemental skill. Bennett is a great support here, as Kinich greatly benefits from his Attack buff. Xiangling provides damage and consistent off-field Pyro application to keep Burning reactions going.
The last slot is a flexible slot for any character of your choice. In this example, Kachina can be a placeholder for any Natlan character capable of equipping the Scroll of the Hero of Cinder City set, which can give Kinich a great deal of Elemental Damage Bonus when triggered.
Other choices for the flex slot can also be an Anemo character that can group enemies (such as Sucrose) or a shielder to provide more defenses (such as Kirara). Emelie would be a great sub-DPS choice, but very few players have her due to her limited utility outside of Burning teams.
Burgeon Team
The following team relies on the Burgeon (Dendro + Hydro to create Bloom Fragments, then Pyro to explore them). In this team, we’ll be using Kinich, Bennett, Thoma and Xingqiu, as seen below:
Simply start with Bennett, activate both Thoma and Xingqiu’s Ultimate skills, and then use Kinich’s Elemental Skill. Kinich’s Loop Shots will count as “normal attacks” that trigger both of his allies’ coordinated attacks.
Xinqiu applies Hydro more frequently than Thoma applies Pyro, this leads to the generation of Bloom Cores on the field will be generated on the field that Thoma can then Burgeon. There can also be variations to this team, such as switching out Thoma for Dehya or Xinqiu with Yelan, if you happen to have them.
Should You Get Kinich in Genshin Impact?
While Kinich does have good teams for him at the moment, none of them are “perfect” for him. However, that may be bound to change once more Natlan characters are released.
His Elemental Skill is also a bit divisive for fans as some find it extremely fun, while others may find it quite clunky. It’ll definitely take a bit of getting used to his Elemental Skill, though you have to admit that it’s one of the more unique skills released in a while! If you find his highly mobile playstyle interesting, need a new Dendro DPS, or enjoy his retro arcade aesthetic, Kinich will definitely be a great addition to your roster!
