Gunfire Reborn - Best builds for Qian Sui, Tidal Apsis, and Striking Punch

Gunfire Reborn Qian Sui is the newest hero to take the field and one of the more interesting ones at that.

Qian Sui is a defensive character at his core, but his ascensions let you weaponize shields and movement skills. Used right, he can sweep the field and barely take any damage in the process.

Qian Sui - An overview

Qian Sui is the ultimate tank in Gunfire Reborn. His shield stat is one of the highest in the game, and he excels at fast movement — which is handy, since his primary and secondary stats are built around defense and movement. Tidal Aspis is Qian Sui’s primary skill, a shield that blocks all frontal damage and, with the right ascensions, deals damage in the process. While Tidal Aspis is active, Qian Sui’s secondary skill Striking Punch replaces his other weapons and gets stronger based on how far Qian Sui travels.

The best Qian Sui builds

We’ve come up with three builds based on Qian Sui’s primary and secondary skills. All three have strong offense potential, but the Apsis build is a particularly unique one thanks to how it blends combat with defense.

Qian Sui Tidal Aspis build

• White Water
• Unbearable Hurtle
• Hostile Gift
• Wave Rider
• Irrepressible Surge
• Mighty Surge

As the name suggests, this build revolves around expanding Tidal Aspis and using it as Qian Sui’s primary method of dealing damage. It pulls from Tidal Fort, the Aspis’ main tree, and also a bit from Violent Tempest and its Aspis-oriented boons.

White Water reflects a chunk of the damage the Aspis absorbs at close range, and at max levels, you can deal up to 2,000 damage to nearby enemies.

Unbearable Hurtle turns your dash into a weapon, reducing enemy movement range — which makes them easier to attack and also gives you a chance to get away if need be — and it increases how much damage they take. It works well with Hostile Gift, which increases your magazine by a set amount for every block made while the Aspis is active, and also with Wave Rider. This one increases movement speed between 20% and 40% while the Apsis is active and for a short while afterward, but it also gives a slight boost to weapon power after the Apsis retracts.

Finally, we recommend focusing on Irrepressible Surge to reduce Hurtle and Tidal Aspis cooldown and Mighty Surge to extend duration for each block.

Qian Sui Striking Punch build

• Dark Tide
• Wave-Breaking Blow
• Solid Shell
• Battle Adrenaline
• Clenched Fist
• Rogue Wave

If you want a more straightforward offensive focus, this build is for you. Qian Sui’s secondary skill builds momentum for every meter you travel, but it takes a little while to reload. That’s why Dark Tide is essential, as it gives you increased capacity and a higher chance to recover a use of Striking Fist if you use it while the Apsis is active.

Wave-Breaking Blow might seem counterintuitive, since it consumes a use of Striking Fist, but after going through eight stacks of Fist Sensation, you’ll cast an extra punch that deals 40% of its base damage.

Solid Shell is a good idea for when you need to retreat. It bolsters the Apsis’ shield strength and, at max ascension, ends its cooldown if your shield breaks. Battle Adrenaline is another natural fit for this all-out offense build, one that increases weapon and skill damage when enemies are nearby.

Finally, top it off with Clenched Fist and Rogue Wave to deal greater damage with every use of Striking Fist.

Qian Su all-around build

• Stormy Riptide
• Clenched Fist
• Formidable Apsis
• Battle Adrenaline
• Ebb and Flow
• Wave Rider

Another route is combining both builds to make him a capable all’rounder. Stormy Riptide recovers Tidal Apsis duration and shortens cooldown when you use Fist Sensation stacks, and Clenched Fist works well here too. On the Apsis side, we recommend using Formidable Apsis to boost skill damage after retraction. Ebb and Flow keeps you protected after retracting the Apsis by increasing your shield.

Finally, Battle Adrenaline and Wave Rider are also good for this build. It’s an effective combination that lets you cover a lot of ground quickly while dealing high damage in the process.

Check out our Tao build guide if you're keen on using another character after Qian Sui. Still can't get enough min-maxing and big numbers? Genshin Impact might be for you then, and there's even a new character event with two powerful heroes up for grabs at once.