The best Sethos build in Genshin Impact will let you get some serious damage out of this four-star archer. Sethos has some pretty unique abilities for a bow-user, and though he's cursed with lower stats since he's a four-star, his interesting playstyle more than makes up for it.
Sethos is an electro unit who uses powerful charged shots that consume his energy normally, and then switches to normal attacks with electro infusion after using his burst. It’s the first time Genshin Impact has released an archer that actually wants to use both charged shots and normal shots, and he’s also in a great element, too. All that said, here's our favorite Sethos build.
The best Sethos build
When playing Sethos, you’ll generally want to start off with his skill to generate some energy, and then use his charged shots to deal damage. The fully-charged shots deal electro damage to everything in their path, and can even pierce enemies. They also use his elemental energy to decrease the time it takes to charge up those shots, meaning they’re a lot faster. This makes his charged shots take around the same time as Tighnari’s after he uses his skill, so he’ll feel like burst-firing rifle.
His elemental burst puts him into the Twilight Meditation state, which changes his normal attacks into piercing dusk bolts. These also pierce enemies, and are considered to be charged attack damage. This allows you to switch playstyles at will, which makes Sethos feel pretty special.
- Weapons: Hunter’s Path or Cloudforged
Sethos’ best weapon will change based on what team you’re putting him in. If you’re playing him in a quicken team, you’ll want Tighnari’s five-star Hunter’s Path bow. This weapon not only has a crit rate sub-stat, but also boosts all elemental damage, and increases the damage of charged attacks based on your elemental mastery. A lot of Sethos’ kit is buffed by elemental mastery, so this is a very good thing.
The other main option is the new four-star Cloudforged bow, which you’ll get from the Mutual Security Enhancing Simulation event in 4.7. This bow is practically built for Sethos, and not only has an elemental mastery sub-stat, but also boosts elemental mastery further when elemental energy is reduced. This will be an incredible option if you’re playing Sethos in hyperbloom teams.
- Artifacts: Wanderer’s Troupe (four-pieces equipped)
Sethos’ best artifact set is the Wanderer’s Troupe. This set boosts elemental mastery, but also substantially buffs charged attack damage for bow users. That’s incredibly hard to beat for Sethos. You can, however, also do well with the Gilded Dreams set, which boosts elemental mastery and attack, making it a solid second choice.
In terms of stats, you’ll want to go for all elemental mastery if you’re putting Sethos on a hyperbloom team because that’ll result in the highest damage. Otherwise, you’ll want elemental mastery on the sands, electro damage on the goblet, and a crit rate or crit damage circlet.
| Sands of Eon | Elemental mastery |
| Goblet of Eonothem | Elemental mastery or electro damage |
| Circlet of Logos | Elemental mastery, crit rate, or crit damage |
Sethos Abilities and Constellations
Here we have everything you need to know about Sethos’ abilities and constellations. Huge thanks to Honey Impact for having all of this information up:
| Normal attack | Performs up to three consecutive shots with a bow. |
| Charged attack | Performs a more precise aimed shot with increased damage. While aiming, the power of electro will accumulate on the arrowhead before the arrow is fired. Has different effects based on how long the energy has been charged. Charge Level one fires off an arrow carrying the power of lightning that deals electro damage. Charge level two fires off a Shadowpiercing Shot which can pierce enemies, dealing electro damage to enemies along its path. After the Shadowpiercing Shot is fully charged, Sethos cannot move around. |
| Plunging attack | Fires off a shower of arrows in mid-air before falling and striking the ground, dealing AoE damage upon impact. |
| Ancient Rite: The Thundering Sands | Gathers the might of thunder, dealing AoE electro damage and quickly retreating. If this attack triggers electro-charged, superconduct, overloaded, quicken, aggravate, hyperbloom, or electro swirl reactions, Sethos recovers a certain amount of elemental energy. |
| Secret Rite: Twilight Shadowpiercer | Perform a secret rite, entering the Twilight Meditation state, during which Sethos's normal attacks will be converted into enemy-piercing Dusk Bolts that deal electro damage to opponents in their path, with damage increased based on Sethos's elemental mastery. Damage dealt by Dusk Bolts is considered charged attack damage. This effect will be canceled when Sethos leaves the field. |
| Thoth's Revelation | Displays the location of nearby resources unique to Sumeru on the mini-map. |
| Black Kite's Enigma | When aiming, the charging time is decreased by 0.285 seconds based on each point of Sethos's current elemental energy. Charging time can be reduced to a minimum of 0.3 seconds through this method and a maximum of 20 energy can be tallied. If a Shadowpiercing Shot is fired, consume the tallied amount of elemental energy; if it is a charge level one shot, then consume 50% of the tallied amount of elemental energy. |
| The Sand King's Boon | Sethos gains the Scorching Sandshade effect, increasing the damage dealt by Shadowpiercing Shots by 700% of Sethos's elemental mastery. The Scorching Sandshade effect will be canceled 5 seconds after a Shadowpiercing Shot first hits an opponent, or after four Shadowpiercing Shots strike opponents. When a Shadowpiercing Shot affected by Scorching Sandshade first hits an opponent, Sethos will regain Scorching Sandshade after 15 seconds. |
| Sealed Shrine's Spiritsong | The CRIT Rate of Shadowpiercing Shot is increased by 15%. |
| Papyrus Scripture of Silent Secrets | Sethos gains a 15% electro damage bonus for 10 seconds that may stack twice, with each stack duration counted independently. This happens when he consumes elemental energy through Aimed Shots with the Black Kite's Enigma passive, or when regaining elemental energy by triggering elemental reactions using Ancient Rite: The Thundering Sands. Sethos can also activate this by using Secret Rite: Twilight Shadowpiercer. |
| Ode to the Moonrise Sage | Increases the level of normal attack by three. Maximum upgrade level is 15. |
| Beneficent Plumage | When a Shadowpiercing Shot or Dusk Bolt strikes two or more opponents, all nearby party members gain 80 elemental mastery for 10 seconds. |
| Record of the Desolate God's Burning Sands | Increases the level of Secret Rite: Twilight Shadowpiercer by three. Maximum upgrade level is 15. |
| Pylon of the Sojourning Sun Temple | After Shadowpiercing Shot strikes an opponent, the elemental energy consumed by the passive talent Black Kite's Enigma will be returned. This effect can be triggered up to once every 15 seconds. You must first unlock the passive talent Black Kite's Enigma. |
Sethos ascension materials
Here are the ascension materials for Sethos:
- Vajrada Amethyst (One sliver, six gemstones, nine fragments, nine chunks)
- 18 Faded Red Satin
- 30 Trimmed Red Silk
- 36 Rich Red Brocade
- 46 Cloudseam Scale
- 168 Trishiraite
- 420,000 Mora
Vajrada Amethyst pieces can be obtained by fighting a few different bosses, but we recommend the Electro Regisvine and the Millenial Pearl Seahorse. You can get the Satin, Silk, and Brocade items by killing off Eremite enemies in Sumeru. Cloudseam Scales are gained by repeatedly murdering Solitary Suanni in Chenyu Vale in Liyue.
Finally, you can grab the Trishiraite in the Girdle of Sands in Sumeru. It’s a rock, so make sure you bring a Geo character or someone with a claymore to farm it efficiently.
