Yaoyao, the endearing Dendro healer from Liyue, is an instant fan favorite and a go-to support pick for most Genshin Impact team compositions. Whether she’s on field healing duty, placing Dendro for elemental reactions, or just providing general support to your main damage dealer, what weapon you put on her can make or break her performance.
From luxury 5-star polearms to affordable 3-star and craftable ones, below is an all-encompassing overview of the best weapons to take into consideration for Yaoyao, optimized for a range of team compositions and player inputs.
1. Staff of Homa
This is a heavy-hitter polearm, not exclusively for damage dealers like Hu Ta, but it surprisingly works with Yaoyao as well. It raises her HP by 20%, boosting her healing capacity directly. The passives of the weapon also increase ATK as a function of HP, providing a small increase to her damage. That said, its true value is when HP falls below 50%, and that sometimes may not agree with Yaoyao playing the healer role. However, if you do happen to have one lying around, it’s an excellent choice.
2. Staff of the Scarlet Sands
This is less traditional, but a cool pick if you’re creating a more DPS-focused Yaoyao. It provides Crit Rate and turns Elemental Mastery into ATK so that she can help significantly in Dendro-based reactions. It’s cool and distinctive, although not the best option for pure healing or energy support.
3. Favonius Lance
One of the top 4-star picks for support builds. Favonius Lance increases Energy Recharge and creates energy particles on Crit hits—ideal for maintaining Yaoyao’s Elemental Burst constantly. It pairs particularly well in teams that use heavy bursts often.
4. Kitain Cross Spear
This polearm, which can be crafted, is perfect for reaction-focused teams such as Bloom or Hyperbloom. With a decent Elemental Mastery stat and a passive that restores energy upon unleashing Yaoyao’s skill, it’s fantastic for off-field support and helps keep her healing uptime up.
5. Moonpiercer
Another forgeable polearm, Moonpiercer provides Elemental Mastery and drops a Leaf of Revival upon initiating a Dendro reaction. This leaf increases ATK for whichever character claims it, which is a solid support choice in reaction teams. Although the ATK buff might not directly serve every comp, it’s nonetheless a useful, free-to-play-friendly pick.
6. Dragon’s Bane
This 4-star polearm excels in Hydro or Pyro teams due to its high Elemental Mastery and a passive that increases damage against enemies infested with those elements. In Bloom or Burgeon comps, it can assist Yaoyao in dishing out a punch with reactions.
7. The Catch
If you’ve had some experience fishing, The Catch is a reliable Energy Recharge that also boosts Burst damage and Crit Rate. Although generally preferred by burst-dependent DPS units, Yaoyao can still make use of the added burst stability and minor healing bonus. Because you can only get one, consider if she’s the most suitable fit for your team.
8. Black Tassel
Tossing aside its 3-star rating, Black Tassel is a great budget option. It’s the sole polearm with an HP% main stat, making it ideal for optimizing Yaoyao’s healing. Its passive (slime damage bonus) isn’t great, but the generous HP boost is great for newer players or for people who don’t have better-rarity items.
9. Honorable Mentions & Weapon Tips
Weapons such as Prototype Starglitter and other Energy Recharge polearms can get the job done, but are generally surpassed by choices such as Favonius Lance or The Catch.
When picking a weapon for Yaoyao, think about your team’s requirements:
- For healing: aim for HP% or Energy Recharge.
- For reaction builds, aim for Elemental Mastery.
- For hybrid or DPS characters, Crit Rate/DMG or ATK scaling might be involved.
Yaoyao’s strength comes from how flexible she is. As a free-to-play player or veteran with access to multiple 5-star weapons, there’s an excellent polearm to pair her with in your party. The “best” weapon, ultimately, is only based on how you intend to use it, so don’t hesitate to try out different combinations and discover what works best for your playstyle.
After all, a healer who tosses radishes is worthy of nothing less than an item that will allow her to shine.