Best Varesa Build for 2026

Varesa is a plunge-attack carry wearing a catalyst, and almost none of her damage comes from her normal attacks. Her whole kit is built to set up one very large plunge and then immediately set up the next one, and her ceiling depends on how cleanly you can repeat that loop. The engine is Nightsoul and the Fiery Passion state. Her skill (Riding the Night-Rainbow, two charges) rushes forward, grants Nightsoul points, and gives a Follow-Up Strike that converts the next normal attack input into a stamina-free charged attack that launches her into the air. The plunge that follows restores a large chunk of Nightsoul points, and at maximum she enters Fiery Passion for up to 15s, where her normals, skill and plunge all gain stronger versions. Her burst (Guardian Vent) is both an AoE Electro hit and a shortcut into Fiery Passion. While Fiery Passion is active, a plunge briefly triggers Apex Drive, which lets her spend a discounted mini-burst on an even bigger plunge that still counts as Plunging Attack damage. The practical loop is skill, charged attack, plunge, then repeat and finish with the mini-burst. Her first ascension passive, Rainbow Crash, adds a flat ATK-scaled bonus to the shockwave of the plunge that follows her skill, and that bonus is several times larger while Fiery Passion is active. This is why her plunge, not her burst, is the number you build around: level her normal attack talent first, because it carries the plunge multipliers. For artifacts, Long Night's Oath is the most complete set since plunge damage is nearly her entire kit, while Obsidian Codex's large CRIT Rate bonus after consuming Nightsoul points is competitive - but watch her CRIT Rate ascension and avoid overcapping. Standard main stats apply: ATK% sands, Electro DMG goblet, CRIT circlet. Her energy needs are low for a modern carry, roughly 120-140%, because the Fiery Passion loop generates much of what she needs and her mini-burst is discounted. Her strongest archetype is Overload: Chevreuse shreds Electro RES and buffs ATK, Iansan adds a large ATK buff that Varesa's constant plunging and dashing keeps fed, and a Pyro unit sustains the reactions. Furina plus Xianyun is the other premium direction, since Xianyun buffs plunge damage directly and Furina amplifies everything. Where she struggles: her damage lands at fixed points, so mobile bosses and small hitboxes cause missed plunges, and unlike a melee carry she cannot adjust once the plunge starts. She is also AoE-leaning, which makes her noticeably weaker in single-target boss chambers than against grouped enemies. Her raw Electro multipliers are only average for a modern carry, so without Overload or Quicken support she falls behind.