Hydro Archon, Furina de Fontaine is finally jumping onto the stage for her theatrical performances in Genshin Impact version 4.2 update, Masquerade of the Guilty. 

The Regina of All Waters, Focalors a.k.a. Furina, is the God of Justice and the current Hydro Archon in the world of Genshin Impact. She oversees Fontaine with her glitz and childlike temper and has a huge love for theatrical performances and courtroom drama. Despite her bravado, she does act seriously… occasionally.

Furina is a 5★ Sword wielder who manipulates the elemental power of Hydro in Genshin Impact. As the great Archon of Fontaine, Furina has a unique trait to alternate her Arkhe alignment between Pneuma and Ousia.

Talents

Normal Attack – Soloist’s Solicitation

For her Normal Attack, Furina unleashes a series of elegant sword swings, performing up to 4 consecutive strikes.

Meanwhile, her Charged Attack has her consume some Stamina to perform a solo dance, dealing Physical DMG to surrounding enemies. Uniquely, upon executing the Charged Attack, Furina’s Arkhe alignment will be swapped between either Pneuma or Ousia.

At certain intervals, as Furina’s Normal Attacks hit an enemy, a Spiritbreath Thorn or a Surging Blade would descend depending on her current Arkhe alignment, unleashing either Pneuma or Ousia Hydro DMG onto her enemies.

When Furina takes the field, her starting alignment will be that of Ousia.

Elemental Skill – Salon Solitaire 

Furina invites the guests of the Salon Solitaire to come forth and abet in her performances. Depending on Furina’s current Arkhe alignment, she would call upon either the Salon Members or the Singer of Many Waters.

Ousia

While Furina is aligned with Ousia, casting Salon Solitaire would foam bubbles like dancing celebrants, dealing AoE Hydro DMG based on Furina’s Max HP and calling upon the 3 Salon Members:

• Gentilhomme Usher the Ball Octopus
• Surintendante Chevalmarin the Bubbly Seahorse
• Mademoiselle Crabaletta the Armored Crab

When summoned, the Salon Members will attack surrounding enemies at intervals, prioritizing the active character’s target, dealing Hydro DMG based on Furina’s Max HP.

If there are party members with more than 50% HP, the Salon Members will consume said characters’ HP as they attack and increase their own current attack’s power based on the number of such allies who meet the requirements. For every character with more than 50% HP, the Members’ attacks will deal 110%/120%/130%/140% of their original DMG.

Pneuma

If Furina is aligned with Pneuma, summons the Singer of Many Waters instead. The Singer will heal active allies based on Furina’s Max HP every few seconds.

Both Salon Members and Singer of Many Waters share the same duration, and when Furina swaps her Arkhe Alignment through her Charged Attack, the new guests who take on the field will inherit the initial duration.

Furthermore, if both Salon Members and Singer of Many Waters are on the field, Furina can walk on water surfaces freely.

Elemental Burst – Let the People Rejoice

Rouses the impulse to revel, Furina creates a stage of watery foam that deals AoE Hydro DMG based on her Max HP and causes all allies to enter the Universal Revelry state.

While in the Universal Revelry state, whenever allies’ HP increases or decreases, Furina will gain 1 Fanfare point for each percentage point of their Max HP by which their HP changes. At the same time, for each Fanfare point, Furina will increase the DMG dealt and the Incoming Healing Bonus of all allies.

When Let the People Rejoice ends, Furina’s Fanfare points will be cleared.

Passive Skill (1st Ascension) – Endless Waltz

When an active ally receives healing and the source of healing is not from Furina herself and the healing overflows, then she will heal a party member for 2% of their Max HP once every 2 seconds within the next 4 seconds.

Passive Skill (4th Ascension) – Unheard Confession

Every 1,000 points of Furina’s Max HP will buff the different Arkhe-aligned Salon Solitaire in the following ways:

• Increases the Salon Members’ DMG dealt by 0.7%, up to a maximum of 28%
• Decreases the healing interval of Singer of Many Waters by 0.4%, up to a maximum of 16%

Ability Breakdown 

Given her status as an Archon, Furina already has lots of eyes on her as the Hydro element has some of the most popular characters in the current meta. A thing for certain is that her kit did not disappoint as she will be paving the way for new styles of team compositions with her amazing buffs and off-field damage.

How does her Skill work? 

Unique to her as compared to other Fontaine characters is that she has access to both Arkhe alignment, alternating between Ousia and Pneuma through the use of her Charged Attack. This particular trait of hers plays into her abilities as her kit structure will change depending on her current alignment, especially her Elemental Skill.

Essentially, Ousia alignment will lead to the offensive variant of her Skill, summoning 3 aggressive critters to aid her in battle. In a way similar to Fischl’s Oz, these critters each have their own personal attack speed. They also have a special property that allows them to drain health from allies above 50% Max HP to bolster their damage with their own multiplier, enhancing based on the number of teammates who have their health consumed.

On the flip side, Pneuma alignment focuses mostly on survivability, summoning the Singer of Many Waters to keep the active ally healed up.

How does her Burst work? 

When casting her Elemental Burst, Furina will deal AoE Hydro DMG to nearby enemies and then place the entire team in the Universal Revelry state for the next 18 seconds. During the duration, any HP changes will constitute a point of Fanfare, and each stack of it will enhance the team’s damage output and healing potency.

With a maximum stack of 300 Fanfare, the highest value that the buff can provide is up to 75% damage bonus and 30% incoming healing bonus, a number that would make most characters drooling for her support.

The way Fanfare stack gains is per party member, so the more characters having their HP value increases or decreases, the faster the points are accumulated. To maximize the value of the buff, you have to keep in mind your rotation as Fanfare point gain is dynamic, thus requiring setup and timing.

By default, Furina does gain Fanfare stacks regularly through the utilization of her Skills, especially the HP drain aspects of her summoned critters. However, it is recommended to bring along a dedicated healer to gain the most out of the ability.

Constellations 

Furina’s kit works extremely well at C0 and there is no need to feel pressure to unlock her Constellations. That said, they all offer a significant boost to her ability capabilities especially her Constellation 1 and 2, thus they are worth considering.

Constellation
	C1 - "Love Is a Rebellious Bird That None Can Tame"
Abbreviated Effect:	When casting Elemental Burst, Furina will immediately gain 150 Fanfare. Additionally, Furina’s Fanfare limit is increased by 100.
Notes:	This further improves Furina’s job as a support as starting off with some Fanfare stacks grants damage increase right off the bat without needing to ramp it up.
	C2 - "A Woman Adapts Like Duckweed in Water"
Abbreviated Effect:	Increases Furina’s Fanfare gain by 250%. Furthermore, each point of Fanfare surpassed the limit will increase Furina’s Max HP by 0.35%, up to a maximum of 140%.
Notes:	Extremely effective Constellation as it ramps up the Fanfare stacks significantly faster while also granting Furina a good amount of Max HP as the stacks gain past the limit, increasing her personal DPS greatly.
	C3 - "My Secret Is Hidden Within Me, No One Will Know My Name"
Abbreviated Effect:	Increases Elemental Burst level by 3 and the max upgrade level to 15.
Notes:	Even more damage boost for the team.
	C4 - "They Know Not Life, Who Dwelt in the Netherworld Not!"
Abbreviated Effect:	Whenever the Salon Members from her Skill hit an enemy, or the Singer of Many Waters heals, Furina restores 4 Energy. Triggers once every 5 seconds.
Notes:	Quite a helpful Constellations as it helps mitigate some of Furina’s Energy Recharge needs.
	C5 - “His Name I Now Know, It Is...!"
Abbreviated Effect:	Increases Elemental Skill level by 3 and the max upgrade level to 15.
Notes:	A valuable Constellation at boosting Furina’s personal DPS.
	C6 - "Hear Me — Let Us Raise the Chalice of Love!"
Abbreviated Effect:	Gains “Center of Attention” for 10 seconds after casting Skill, infusing Furina’s attacks with Hydro equivalent to 18% of her Max HP, as well as causing different effects to trigger on attacks every 0.1 seconds depending on her current Arkhe alignment. While in Ousia, allies will be healed by 4% of their Max HP every 1 second for 2.9 seconds. While in Pneuma, increases Normal, Charged, and Plunging Attack DMG by 25% of her Max HP and causes every hit to consume 1% of all allies’ current HP. Both effect types can only triggered up to 6 times.
Notes:	This Constellation basically transforms Furina into an on-field DPS as her Normal Attacks deal far more damage now, while still maximizing her support values.

Recommended Artifacts

When it comes to Artifacts, there are several great options to gear up Furina depending on how you want to play her, thanks to her flexibility.

Main Stats Priority
HP% / Energy Recharge		HP% / Hydro DMG Bonus		CRIT Rate / CRIT DMG
Substats Priority	CRIT Rate / CRIT DMG → Energy Recharge → HP%
Recommended Artifact Sets
		Her best build if you want to focus on damage output. Maximizes her Elemental Skill DMG, but note that Furina would need to be in her Ousia form for her Salon Members to be attacking at all times.
Golden Troupe
		Another good DPS option is if you play to keep her on the field for much longer.
Nymph's Dream
		For a healer support build. Keep Furina in Pneuma form to maximize the healing capability.
Ocean-Hued Clam
		An alternate build for Furina to buff her party greatly with an extremely high HP boost, but much like Golden Troupe, you would have to keep her in her Ousia form.
Tenacity of the Millelith

Recommended Weapon 

As with any limited 5★ characters in Genshin Impact, Furina follows the same pattern, and her best-in-slot is her signature Sword, Splendor of Tranquil Waters. However, there are other great alternate choices for Furina as well.

5★ Weapon(s)
	When the equipping character's current HP increases or decreases, Elemental Skill DMG dealt will be increased by 8% for 6s. Max 3 stacks. This effect can be triggered once every 0.2s. When other party members' current HP increases or decreases, the equipping character's Max HP will be increased by 14% for 6s. Max 2 stacks. This effect can be triggered once every 0.2s. The aforementioned effects can be triggered even if the wielder is off-field.		Best-in-slot, possessing incredible CRIT DMG stats as well as stacking buffs of HP and Skill DMG.
Splendor of Tranquil Waters
	HP increased by 20%. Additionally, provides an ATK Bonus based on 1.2% of the wielder's Max HP.		A solid option for its Crit Rate and HP Bonus.
Primordial Jade Cutter
4★ Weapon(s)
	Increases Elemental Skill DMG by 16% and Elemental Skill CRIT Rate by 6%.		The best 4★ weapon choice for her as it helps with improving her ER and DMG. However, since this is an old event-exclusive weapon, some players may not have it.
Festering Desire
	Increases Elemental Skill CRIT Rate by 8%. Additionally, increases Energy Recharge by 16% for 5s after using an Elemental Skill.		A good alternative to the Festering Desire as it grants a good amount of ER and Skill CRIT Rate. It is also obtainable for free through fishing.
Fleuve Cendre Ferryman
	CRIT hits have a 60% chance to generate a small amount of Elemental Particles, which will regenerate 6 Energy for the character. Can only occur once every 12s.		If your Furina is suffering from poor ER stats from Artifacts, the Favonius Sword is a good choice to cover such weakness.
Favonius Sword

Teams & Character Synergies

Thanks to her incredible team-wide buffs and utilities, Furina easily fits in and is an excellent addition to many team compositions, especially those requiring a damage buffer or off-field Hydro application.

The Hydro Archon especially synergizes well with any characters who have some form of HP fluctuation capabilities in their kit, reliably ramping up the Fanfare stack of her Burst for more damage boost. Here are some team examples:

Neuvillette’s Courtroom (Hypercarry)
Main DPS	Sub-DPS / Support	Support	Support
Neuvillette	Furina	Kazuha	Charlotte
Iudex Neuvillette benefits from Furina’s support. Since both of them are Hydro, they can buff each other’s Max HP up with Hydro Resonance, while both also have a natural synergy with one another thanks to their HP-changing mechanics.
Wriothesley and the Freezy (Perma-Freeze)
Main DPS	Sub-DPS / Support	Sub-DPS / Support	Support
Wriothesley	Furina	Xingqiu	Shenhe
Wriothesley leads the charge with a perma-freeze team. His HP draining ability synergizes with Furina’s Burst, while the Hydro Archon fills in the role of both the healer and buffer. Meanwhile, Shenhe and Xingqiu are there to amplify Wriothesley’s damage output while providing consistent Freeze application.
Double Smug Double Trouble (Vaporize)
Main DPS	Sub-DPS / Support	Sub-DPS / Support	Support
Hu Tao	Furina	Yelan	Zhongli
Hu Tao is another character benefitting from Furina’s performances thanks to her wanting her HP to be low through self-infliction. Plays similar to Hu Tao’s usual composition, but now Furina buffs her up.
Blooming Raindrops (Bloom)
Main DPS	Sub-DPS / Support	Sub-DPS / Support	Support
Nilou	Furina	Nahida	Baizhu
Bloom teams are decent with Furina as she can help with buffing as well as providing utilities and survivability. Note that Furina is not the best at Hydro application, so a secondary Hydro ally is needed.

Final Thoughts 

Despite her bratty attitude, Furina has certainly lived up to her name as the Hydro Archon of Justice in Genshin Impact. Boasting incredible supportive utilities such as having one of the highest damage boosts in the game while still dealing damage that is not to be underestimated while off-field

The God of Justice has raised up the stage for support and even surpassed Hydro staples such as Xingqiu and Yelan in terms of utilities and that is certainly saying something. Not only has Furina improved and covered many of the Fontaine characters’ weaknesses behind their HP-related mechanics, but also elevated them to great heights.

What’s more, because of her HP-draining mechanics, dedicated healers now have a spot in the meta, helping her along in providing the team with both survivability and buffs. To add, the HP-draining mechanic even opens up new gear options for many characters, allowing them to potentially run the Marechaussee Hunter Artifact set.

All in all, Hydro Archon Furina of Genshin Impact is a must-pull for her utilities and the amount of new team considerations she has opened up. I for one, can’t wait to further experiment with her and find out more strategies and team compositions that Furina enables.

For more Genshin Impact content such as guides and the latest news, be sure to check them out here at GamerBraves.

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Genshin Impact

Publisher: miHoYo

Developer: miHoYo

Release Date: 2020-09-28

Android, iOS, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5

Step into Teyvat, a vast world teeming with life and flowing with elemental energy. You and your sibling arrived here from another world. Separated by an unknown god, stripped of your powers, and cast into a deep slumber, you now awake to a world very different from when you first arrived.