The best Genshin Impact Collei build - Collei weapons, artifacts, and F2P options

The best Genshin Impact Collei build puts a different spin on Dendro and casts her in a strong support role. Unlike Tighnari, Collei excels at setting the stage for other characters to swoop in and sweep the field. And if your luck doesn’t turn up during the Genshin 3.0 banners, never fear. You can get Collei for free in an upcoming event.

How do you get the free Collei?

Graven Innocence, the main Genshin Impact 3.0 event, lets you invite Collei to your party for free, and you really don't have to do much to get her. Complete "On the Trail of the God of Wisdom," the first stage of Sumeru's Archon quests, and the first event quest - "The Unappreciated Carving" - will start. Finish this short quest, which mostly involves talking to people, and you can invite Collei immediately afterward.

You can also skip the Archon Quest requirement using the "Quick Start" option from the event page.

If you already have Collei in your party, the new Collei will unlock one of her constellations, so it's definitely worth doing this, even if you don't plan on taking part in the rest of the event.

When is the Collei banner release date?

Collei will debut on the Tighnari banner, Viridescent Vigil, and the Zhongli rerun Gentry of Hermitage in Genshin Impact 3.0, which starts August 23, or August 24 depending on time zones. Diona and Fischl will join her, and the banners run until September 9 – half a week shorter than usual, in keeping with the update lasting for five weeks instead of the traditional six.

Graven Innocence, one of the Genshin 3.0 events, includes a free Collei as one of its rewards, and you only need to complete the tutorial to invite her.

Is Collei a DPS character?

Collei is a sub-DPS who specializes in dealing Dendro damage and setting up enemies for elemental reactions. Her base attack stat is rather low, at 16. Even though attack is her secondary stat as well, you won’t keep her on the field to deal damage with her bow like you would with Tighnari. It’s still a good idea to boost Collei’s attack with her build, though.

Collei’s elemental skill throws a Dendro ring that deals damage once and then comes back to her and deals damage again. Her passive talent Floral Sidewinder creates the Sprout effect if you trigger any Dendro-related reactions while the ring is active, which deals damage based on Collei’s attack. The Sprout shows up on the character that triggered the reaction, so Collei can be off the field.

Her burst is even more useful. Collei throws a doll that explodes and creates a Dendro field. Smaller Dendro explosions take place within the field for six seconds. It’s ideal for triggering reactions, and if a party member triggers Dendro-related reactions within the field, the field lasts for up to three seconds longer.

In short, your best bet is using Collei’s skill, burst, or both, and then swapping her out for another character to trigger a reaction. It’s only the elemental mastery of the character who causes the reaction that counts, so you don’t have to worry about boosting that stat on Collei.

Should I pull for Collei?

Whether you should pull for Collei depends on your progress in the game. If you’re current with the story and can start the Sumeru events once they go live, you’d be fine to just invite Collei for free during Graven Innocence unless you want to try for her constellations. Fischl is the only other four-star character on the banner who would work well on a Collei team (or Tighnari team), so bear that in mind if you do decide to pull on her banner.

If you’re still working through earlier story quests and probably won’t make it to Sumeru during Genshin 3.0, you may want to try your luck on the banner. Tighnari is moving to the permanent banner after version 3.0 ends, where your chances of getting him are lower. Rumors suggest there won’t be another Dendro character for a few more updates, which means you’d only have the Dendro Traveler to rely on for the new element.

What is the best Genshin Impact Collei build?

The best Collei build boosts Collei’s Dendro damage and raises attack to help get the most out of the Sprout effect from her elemental skill, and there are a few strong options to choose from for this setup.

Best Collei weapon – Amos’ Bow

If you want the absolute best for your wild forest child, Amos’ Bow is the one to aim for. It has a high base attack stat of 46, and its secondary stat raises attack by a further 10 percent (up to 49 percent at level 90).

It’s not the most practical choice, admittedly. Collei won’t make much use from the bow’s secondary effect, and you may not like the idea of using a five-star weapon on a four-star support character.

If so, Rust is a decent four-star alternative. It has a slightly lower attack stat of 42 and a secondary stat that raises attack by nine percent. Or if the attack buff isn’t really what you want to bother with, you could try the Favonius Warbow and use its energy recharge effect to keep Collei topped up and ready to use her burst.

Best Collei artifacts – Deepwood Memories

The Sprout effect is only one part of Collei’s ability set. Most of the damage she deals will come from her skill and burst, and since they deal Dendro damage, Deepwood Memories is an excellent artifact set for her.

• Two-piece effect: Increase Dendro damage by 15 percent
• Four-piece effect: If the wearer uses an elemental skill or burst, it decreases Dendro resistance by 30 percent on all enemies the skill or burst affected

Collei’s skill and burst deal multiple rounds of damage over time, so you can trigger the debuff and get instant results. You could also use her skill to trigger the debuff and then immediately use her burst to deal even higher damage.

What is the best Genshin Impact Collei F2P build?

Collei’s F2P build uses a new Sumeru weapon that seems made just for her.

Best Collei F2P weapon – King’s Squire

King’s Squire is a new craftable weapon introduced in version 3.0. It has a base attack stat of 41 and a secondary stat that raises attack by 12 percent. Using a skill or burst creates the Teachings of the Forest effect, which raises the user’s elemental mastery by 80.

Collei normally (probably) won’t trigger reactions much, but if she does, this is a handy extra boost. Once the effect ends, it deals 100 percent of the user’s attack as damage to one nearby opponent.

HoYoverse hasn’t said how to get Sumeru billet items yet, though some rumors suggest you can trade existing billets for Sumeru ones. If there’s no new weekly boss in Genshin 3.0, you can just keep farming the existing bosses and exchange the rewards for what you want.

Best Collei F2P artifacts – Deepwood Memories

The F2P Collei build still centers on Collei dealing Dendro damage, so we recommend using Deepwood Memories with this build as well.

If you're saving up for future Genshin Impact banners, make sure to check out our up-do-date list of Genshin Impact codes for some free Primogems.