Genshin Impact Skirk Build Guide: Kits, best Team comps, weapons and artifacts explained
Story Highlights
- Skirk is the new 5-Star Cryo Sword unit in Genshin Impact!
- Skirk is designed to be an on-field carry and a strong synergy with Freeze teams!
- Skirk is a definite must-pull as she’s currently the best Cryo DPS in the game!
Skirk is a high-rated Cryo Sword character introduced in the first phase banner of Genshin Impact Version 5.7, and she specializes in carrying characters on the battlefield. Her unique abilities revolve around two main mechanisms: her Serpent Subtlety energy system and an effective partnership with Freeze teams.
In this walkthrough for Genshin Impact’s character Skirk, we delve into her abilities, discover ideal artifact sets and builds for her, and much more!
Skirk: Star of Nothingness, Guidance for Sinners and Fools #GenshinImpact #Skirk
The stars twinkle high up in their shrouded heavens above us.
The Abyss lurks deep beneath us in its dark depths.
No one knows what lies hidden beyond the starlit peaks, just as no one can see what resides within the darkness…— Genshin Impact (@GenshinImpact) May 13, 2025
Genshin Impact Skirk Guide: Kit Explained
Skirk’s equipment revolves around controlling the resource known as Serpent Subtlety, which powers both her continuous damage and her explosive attacks. Her Elemental Skill comes in two forms: a quick press activates Seven-Phase Flash, transforming her into a Cryo-enhanced attacker on the field who slices rapidly, gradually depleting the Subtlety resource over time.
As a gamer, I find myself holding onto my dash ability, using it to swiftly move across the battlefield without launching an attack. This tactic either boosts my Subtlety or ensures my safe repositioning. The crux of the matter lies in whether to keep this resource at maximum level for maintaining high Cryo DPS on the field, or save it up for my Elemental Burst – a powerful AoE Cryo slash that deals immense damage when I’ve accumulated at least 50 points, but consumes all of my Subtlety if available.
The strategy of keeping your team composition fixed receives significant benefits, as Skirk deals more damage based on the number of genuine Cryo or Hydro characters in the squad (infused characters do not contribute). Notably, there are substantial enhancements when there are three Hydro or Cryo allies present.
Her responses, akin to those seen in either “Frozen” or “Superconduction,” create “Void Rifts,” which replenish her Subtlety and prolong her active time. Frequent reactions are crucial for optimizing her performance, as without them, her rotation becomes less effective. Additionally, she enhances all party members’ Elemental Skill levels by 1 in full Freeze teams, adding further worth to cryo/hydro-centric team configurations.
Genshin Impact Skirk Build Guide: Constellations
| C1 | In terms of pure personal damage gain, it’s a very solid early constellation. So, while C1 is one of the stronger early constellations in terms of boosting personal damage, its actual team-wide impact is more moderate. |
| C2 | If you’re running Skirk primarily as a burst unit, C2 becomes a very appealing breakpoint since it meaningfully enhances her rotation ceiling. It’s less critical for NA-focused playstyles, though it still adds value. |
| C3 | C3 boosts her Burst talent level and is straightforwardly good, especially since the burst scaling is already so high. For those already investing in C2, it makes sense to go for C3 as well to maximize that scaling window. |
| C4 | C4 gives Skirk a 40% ATK buff in Freeze teams. However, at this point in the constellations, the returns are a bit more diminishing. Still, it’s another boost for Burst mode in particular. But compared to the earlier constellations, it’s not a game-changer. |
| C5 | C5 is a skill talent level boost. It’s a good-to-have more than a must-have. |
| C6 | C6 is where everything ties together. It’s one of those constellations that simply makes everything stronger. It pushes her numbers significantly higher. If you’re looking to crown her as your primary carry and want to go all-in, C6 is a very solid investment that doesn’t come with weird conditions. |
To sum it up, the optimal pauses in your gameplay of Skirk are at locations C1 and C2. The choice between these two spots depends on your preferred strategy.
Genshin Impact Skirk Guide: Best in-slot weapon
| Azurelight (5*) | Her signature weapon is by far the best. It’s tailor-made for her and gives her a whopping 48% ATK and 40% Crit DMG when she has 0 energy, basically always, because her burst cost is zero. The stat stick value here is amazing. If you look at it purely from a raw stat perspective, it blows most other five-stars out of the water. Think of it like a Homa situation, but for a sword DPS: pure stat steroids, not utility, just damage. |
| Finale of the Deep (4*) | Now, surprisingly, despite how cracked her signature is, her free-to-play options are excellent, especially Finale of the Deep. Finale gives you an effective over 50% ATK worth of value when you include its flat ATK boost scaling off HP. If you’re not going for Azurelight, Finale is the best craftable and only around 10–15% worse than her signature. |
| Calamity of Eshu (4*) | Even better than Finale, if you have it, is Calamity of Eshu. The event sword from an older version. It gives even more value than Finale in normal and charged attack-focused playstyles, making it arguably her best free-to-play option. It can match 5-star weapons like Mistsplitter when shielded, but that shield uptime is the catch. If your shield breaks, you lose the entire passive. So this weapon is high risk, high reward. But when it works. |
| Summit Shaper (5*) | Among 5-star gacha weapons, Summit Shaper is surprisingly solid if you’re shielded. It’s generally not worth pulling for, but if you already own it, it competes pretty evenly with the better five-star stat sticks when shielded. Without a shield, though, it’s just okay and similar to free-to-play options. |
| Mistsplitter Reforged/Haran Geppaku Futsu/Primordial Jade CutterSword (5*) | Mistsplitter, Haran, and Jade Cutter are all solid picks, too. |
| Wolf-Fang (4*) | Wolf-Fang (the Battle Pass sword) is okay if you’re focusing on Skirk’s burst mode, but it needs refines to be better than Finale. Without those, it’s just not worth prioritizing. |
Genshin Impact Skirk Build Guide: Artifacts to use
| Marechaussee Hunter (BiS) | The Marechaussee Hunter is currently her generic best-in-slot if you’re running her with HP-consuming setups. The 36% CRIT Rate from the two-piece bonus is incredibly valuable, especially when paired with CRIT DMG weapons, and the full four-piece effect grants up to 15% Normal Attack DMG. It does not boost her Burst, but with the way Skirk’s rotation typically starts with her Burst followed by Normal spam, you can still get very strong value out of it. |
| Finale of the Deep Galleries | Gallery of Dreams set is an excellent alternative. This set buffs her Charged and Plunging Attacks based on elemental spread. It also works better in Burst-focused builds and is more universal. You can run it on any weapon, without worrying about stacking mechanics or resonance dependency. |
| Blizzard Strayer | Blizzard Strayer can be used if you’re playing a Freeze comp, but it’s unreliable in Abyss or against bosses where enemies can’t be frozen. Even with high uptime on Cryo aura, if the enemy isn’t frozen, you’ll only get half of the 4-piece bonus. It’s not worth farming specifically for Skirk. |
As for her Main Stats and Sub-Stats:
- Timepiece: ATK%
- Goblet: Cryo DMG Bonus
- Circlet: CRIT Rate / CRIT DMG (depending on weapon & substats)
- Sub-stat: Crit DMG, Crit Rate, ATK%, ER
Best Team Comps for Skirk in Genshin Impact
Non-Freeze Team
Skirk’s top-tier squads primarily specialize in freezing enemies, a fact that is undisputed. Her performance shines in these compositions due to the high duration of her Cryo field, which triggers Cryo resonance for critical rate and maximizes the impact of artifact effects. If you wish to utilize Skirk outside of freeze teams, your strategies can be Melt or Hyperbloom-based.
| Teams | Character 1 | Character 2 | Character 3 | Character 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Melt | Skirk | Bennett | Mavuika | Xilonen |
| Hyperbloom | Skirk | Nahida | Xingqiu | Raiden Shogun |
In essence, every version of the melt or bloom teams that has been tried out performs poorly compared to even the most basic freeze team configurations, with melt compositions struggling due to inconsistent activation and bloom compositions underutilizing her potential. As a result, it’s advisable not to use these setups for her; instead, opt for the freeze team for consistent performance, harmonious synergy, and genuine value.
Freeze Team
The optimal freeze teams typically center on using both Escoffier and Furina, while the fourth position can be filled flexibly without significantly impacting overall performance. The disparity between the top five choices for that flexible spot is minimal. Essentially, having both Escoffier and Furina gives you one of the best Skirk team configurations available.
If you don’t have both Escoffier and Furina, the situation becomes more challenging. Escoffier is essential due to her healing abilities, so if you only have her, your team value decreases compared to having both characters. Without Escoffier, you would either need to pair her with a less effective healer like Mika or Charlotte, or opt for a double Hydro composition without Furina.
Furina’s worth is significantly boosted by having Escoffier in the mix. In his absence, Skirk’s capacity to cause damage decreases substantially, although she retains her viability due to her powerful burst and attack sequence. However, she won’t be able to challenge top-tier damage dealers in this setup, just barely managing to meet the requirements for harder content.
| Teams | Character 1 | Character 2 | Character 3 | Character 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DPS-Hypercarry | Skirk | Furina | Escoffier | Cryo/Hydro Unit |
When it comes to the adaptable fourth character in freeze teams, potential choices are Citlali, Yelan, Shenhe, Mualani, and Mona. While Citlali provides a robust shield and useful abilities, her skill activation rate isn’t optimal, and she may not align well with Skirk’s rotation, particularly when paired with artifact sets like TTDS. On the other hand, Yelan contributes to personal damage which hastens encounters, but her presence reduces Cryo resonance duration against bosses.
Shenhe consistently delivers Cryo resonance and a shredding effect, however, her damage output is relatively low and she’s less effective in teams not focused on freezing, making her less versatile. Mualani and Mona, in comparison, round out the list. Mona typically ranks lowest unless she has Constellation 4, which significantly enhances her power. Mona’s energy recharge requirements are high but can be managed with double Hydro teams. Her burst delivers a powerful, front-loaded damage buff.
Is Skirk worth pulling in Genshin Impact
If you’re fond of Freeze teams and seek a versatile Cryo unit that can function as both a field damage dealer and a swift burst nuker, Skirk is definitely worth considering. Her abilities provide a distinct dual playstyle, allowing you to either unleash sustained Cryo-enhanced normal attacks or accumulate energy for a potent area-of-effect burst. She performs exceptionally well in teams that include multiple Cryo and Hydro characters.
Her effectiveness is primarily tied to team harmony and efficient utilization of her resource for subtle tactics. When placed in an appropriate environment, she delivers high damage, area-of-effect impact, and reliable utility, particularly excelling in solo Freeze teams. However, if you’re not fond of Freeze gameplay or lack suitable team members, her worth diminishes considerably.
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2025-06-15 13:12