Skirk Best Build Guide

Comprehensive Skirk guide for Genshin Impact. Learn Skirk's best build, team, kit, and materials for this 5-Star Cryo Main DPS Sword user.

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Skirk Character Overview, Base Stats, and Tier

Character Profile

Gacha Art	Rarity
	Element	Cryo
	Weapon	Sword
	Ascend Stat	CRIT DMG 38.4%
	Region	Other
	Birthday	November 5
	Roles	On-Field DPS
How To Get	Can only be pulled during Skirk's Limited-Time Banner (Currently not available)

Base Stats

Skirk is a 5-star Cryo character that wields a Sword in Genshin Impact. She is intended to be an On-Field DPS limited to Freeze teams. Her Elemental Skill activates her Seven-Phase Flash mode. This mode is her ideal source of DPS when tapped, but can also allow her to move rapidly if it is held. Her Elemental Burst does not rely on Energy but on a different resource called Serpent's Subtlety.

Additionally, her Elemental Burst has a different effect if Skirk is in her Seven-Phase Flash mode. If the state or mode is active, her Burst acts as a buff rather than a direct damage source. Otherwise, it functions like a normal, hard-hitting Cryo DMG attack.

Once Surtalogi's (the Foul) disciple, she later taught Childe (Tartaglia) everything he knows about combat after he fell into the Abyss as a child.

Skirk's Tier & Rating

In battle, Skirk is an On-Field DPS that deals powerful Cryo Normal Attacks with massive range. Her kit relies Cryo reactions, except for Melt, to increase the damage of her Normal Attacks. Similar to Mavuika, she does not use Energy for her Elemental Burst and instead uses Serpent's Subtlety stacks.

Rate Skirk!

Skirk's Roles, Playstyle, Strengths, and Weaknesses

Best Build for Skirk

Skirk performs at her best when used as an On-FieldDPS whose supports are focused on strengthening her damage by contributing essential buffs. Due to her 'Return to Oblivion' passive, she will always want to be played with Hydro and Cryo teammates only, with her damage output being noticeably weaker otherwise. See our top recommendations below:

Weapon	Azurelight
Best Artifact	Marechaussee Hunter x 4 (with Furina) Finale of the Deep Galleries x 4 (without Furina or for a heavily-invested Skirk)
Artifact Main Stats	Sands: ATK% Goblet: Cryo DMG Bonus Circlet: CRIT Rate / CRIT DMG (balance your ratio)
Priority Sub-Stat	CRIT DMG => CRIT Rate > ATK% (Energy Recharge is useless)
Recommended Team	or or

Stat Goals For DPS Skirk

With Furina, Marechaussee Hunter is the easiest way to get to an appealing CRIT Rate to CRIT DMG ratio due to the 4-piece effect, but Finale of the Deep Galleries starts overtaking Marechaussee Hunter if you do not have Furina, if you plan to use her Burst-oriented playstyle sometimes, or if you've vertically invested into Skirk's Constellations and/or have her Signature Weapon.

Skirk 's Recommended Talent Priority

Related Links:

• Character Build Forum

Best Weapon for Skirk

Skirk benefits from weapons that align with her intended playstyle as an on-field DPS. Most generalist Crit swords are usable. For her F2P weapons, Skirk's best weapon changes depending on her role, whether she's a Normal Attack DPS or Burst DPS.

Premium Weapons for Skirk

	Weapon	How to Get Rating
Best	Azurelight	Get from Limited Banner - Skirk's Signature Weapon. - ATK buff and CRIT stats is great for both of Skirk's playstyles. - Best paired with the Finale of the Deep Galleries set.
2nd	Haran Geppaku Futsu	Get from Limited Banners - Has a Crit Rate main stat - Skirk can easily make use of the Normal ATK Damage buff with her Seven-Phase Flash mode playstyle. - May overcap on Crit Rate with Marechaussee, so you can consider equipping Finale of the Deep Galleries instead.
3rd	Mistsplitter Reforged	Get from Banners - Crit DMG main stat can make stat balancing with Marechausse set easier. - Skirk can only get 2 passive stacks with either playstyle. Ｌ With Finale of the Deep Galleries, the Mistsplitter may perform slightly worse than Jade Cutter.
4th	Primordial Jade Cutter	Get from Banners - Has a Crit Rate main stat - Skirk can still make use of the ATK bonus. - May overcap on Crit Rate with Marechaussee. Ｌ With Finale of the Deep Galleries, the Jade Cutter will perform slightly better than Mistsplitter.

As Skirk's Signature Weapon, Azurelight is her best-in-slot option, but she also performs well with other CRIT-focused swords like Haran and Mistsplitter. Use the best option available to you, ensuring you maintain a balanced CRIT ratio.

Normal Attack DPS Burst DPS

Free To Play Friendly (F2P Weapons) for Normal Attack DPS Skirk

	Weapon	How to Get Rating
Best F2P	Finale of the Deep	Fontaine Forgeable (Craftable) Weapon - Skirk can easily trigger the passive and also appreciates the ATK bonus. - Best at R5, which requires five Midlander Sword Billets.
2nd (Event)	Calamity of Eshu	Iktomi Spiritseeking Scrolls Event Reward - Has nice DMG and CRIT Rate buffs for Normal and Charged Attacks - Requires Skirk to have a shield, best paired with a reliable Shield support like Citlali or Dahlia.
3rd (Story)	Kagotsurube Isshin	Kazuha's Story Quest - Extra damage from Hewing Gale is a decent bonus - Lacking in performance when compared to Finale of the Deep, but can be used temporarily until you can craft Finale.
4th (Paimon's Bargain)	Blackcliff Longsword	Purchase with Masterclass Starglitter - Has Crit DMG main stat. - Requires the enemy to be defeated for the passive to trigger, which is hard to achieve in endgame content with only bosses.

Skirk's best free-to-play option is the craftable Fontaine sword, whose recipe is available for purchase from Estelle, the blacksmith located in the Court of Fontaine. Calamity of Eshu is also a choice for Skirk if you finished the Iktomi Spiritseeking Scrolls event that went live in Version 5.2 thanks to the CRIT Rate from its passive, but it does limit her team options.

You can also consider using the weapon obtained from Kazuha's Story Quest as a temporary option if you're still trying to get enough Billets to craft Finale of the Deep to full refinement.

Free To Play Friendly (F2P Weapons) for Quickswap Skirk

	Weapon	How to Get Rating
Best F2P	Moonweaver's Dawn	Echoes Of An Unfinished Past Quest Reward - Buffs both Elemental Burst DMG and ATK for Skirk. - Only R1 can be obtained from the quest but it can go on rate up as a 4-Star Limited Weapon.
2nd (Forge)	Finale of the Deep	Fontaine Forgeable (Craftable) Weapon - Skirk can easily trigger the passive and also appreciates the ATK bonus. - Best at R5, which requires five Midlander Sword Billets.
3rd (Story)	Kagotsurube Isshin	Kazuha's Story Quest - Extra damage from Hewing Gale is a decent bonus - Lacking in performance when compared to Finale of the Deep, but can be used temporarily until you can craft Finale.
4th (Paimon's Bargain)	Blackcliff Longsword	Purchase with Masterclass Starglitter - Has Crit DMG main stat. - Requires enemy to be defeated for passive to trigger, which is hard to achieve in endgame content with only bosses.

Burst DPS (Quickswap) Skirk's best weapon is Moonweaver's Dawn, that’s obtained from a World Quest in Nod-Krai. Most of her Normal Attack playstyle weapon choices are usable in Skirk's Burst or Quickswap playstyle, with the one exception being the Calamity of Eshu, which buffs Normal or Charged Attacks only.

Skirk Best Artifacts

Skirk's Artifact Set is based on whether you have Furina or not, and whether you plan to pull for her Constellations and Signature Weapon. See our top recommendations below:

Artifact	Recommendation Details
Finale of the Deep Galleries	★★★★★ - Skirk's overall best Artifact set even with Furina, especially if you have Azurelight and/or a few of her Constellations. - A flexible set since the 4-piece effect buff is usable in both her playstyles. - Slightly less easier to reach Skirk's recommended stats without a CRIT weapon.
Marechaussee Hunter	★★★★・ - The second best Artifact option, but requires Furina to activate the 4-piece effect. - Skirk will always have the CRIT Rate from the passive active in her best team that includes Furina (who drains HP) and Escoffier (who heals). - Easy to reach an appealing CRIT Ratio with this set if you don't have a CRIT sword for Skirk.
Blizzard Strayer	★★★・・ - Can be an okay substitute due to the Crit Rate bonus, but will still be outperformed by other sets - Some enemies are immune to being Frozen, lessening the set's effectiveness. - Not the most resin-efficient set to farm for unlike Marechaussee Hunter since the domain also has Heart of Depth, which not a lot of characters use.
Gladiator's Finale	★★・・・ - Can be an okay substitute, assuming you only use Skirk's Normal Attack playstyle. - Cannot be farmed directly due to there being no Domain for the set. - Fine as a placeholder set until you're able to farm a 4-piece set of Galleries or Marechaussee.

Recommended Artifact Stats

	Main: Flat HP Sub: CRIT DMG / CRIT Rate / ATK%
	Main: Flat ATK Sub: CRIT DMG / CRIT Rate / ATK%
	Main: ATK% Sub: CRIT DMG / CRIT Rate / ATK%
	Main: Cryo DMG Bonus Sub: CRIT DMG / CRIT Rate / ATK%
	Main: CRIT DMG or CRIT Rate Sub: CRIT DMG / CRIT Rate / ATK%

For Sub-Stats, ATK and CRIT Stats in Artifacts Work the Best

Skirk wants to be built like every DPS, with ATK% and CRIT stats, ideally ensuring to find a balance between CRIT Rate and CRIT DMG at a 1:2 Ratio for a more consistent performance.

No Need For Energy Recharge or Elemental Mastery.

Energy Recharge and Elemental Mastery are the stats you don't want to have since Skirk has no Energy, and her best team (Freeze) has no use for Elemental Mastery.

Related Articles

• All Artifact List
• Artifact Rating Tool

Best Team Comp Skirk

Premium Skirk Freeze Team

DPS	Support	Support	Support
Skirk	Furina	Escoffier	Shenhe
Details
- Skirk wants to be with Cryo and Hydro teammates to maximize her performance. - Furina's Fanfare stacks provide a generous DMG% buff. - Escoffier gives the team access to a substantial amount of Cryo and Hydro RES Shred, and her healing also enables Furina to generate more Fanfare stacks. - Shenhe is a dedicated support for Cryo DPSes due to her DMG% buffs and Cryo RES shred.

Skirk's performance is typically going to be dictated by your available Cryo and Hydro supports. She will output significant damage in a team with Escoffier due to her sizeable Cryo RES shred and personal damage, which makes her the first most essential party member for Skirk. Naturally, Escoffier synergizes well with Furina and having both of them with Skirk results in higher personal and team DPS. Furina isn't as important as Escoffier for Skirk, but she will be part of her best team.

The fourth slot in Skirk's premium team is not as defined, and the differences between the 5-star choices (and some 4-star ones) are marginal in practice. As of the current version, Shenhe will offer the best results thanks to her dedicated buffs. But any Cryo or Hydro support can be used in this slot, some examples being Yelan, Citlali or even Dahlia. Use whichever character will help you with the content you're trying to tackle.

Other Team Comps For Skirk

Skirk Team Without Escoffier

Team		Detail
Skirk	Furina	- This team has Charlotte use her teamwide healing to help Furina generate Fanfare stacks. She isn't the best replacement for Escoffier, Skirk's uncontested best support, so expect this team to underperform. - Furina may have trouble getting her Burst up consistently here, so she may need more Energy Recharge or you can have Charlotte bring Favonius Codex while Shenhe also uses Favonius Lance.
Shenhe	Charlotte

Skirk Team Without Furina

Team		Detail
Skirk	Escoffier	- Escoffier provides consistent Cryo and Hydro RES shred with healing on the side. - Citlali brings Hydro RES shred for Yelan and the Cinder City buff. - Yelan is the sole source of Hydro, and may struggle to recharge her Burst on time. Ensure she has enough Energy Recharge or equip other teammates with Favonius weapons. -Yelan's single-target Burst also makes multi-target scenarios a bit harder to manage.
Citlali	Yelan

Free To Play Team Composition For Skirk

Team		Detail
Skirk	Xingqiu	- Dahlia provides a shield so Skirk can use Calamity of Eshu if you have it. - Xingqiu is the main source of Hydro. - Rosaria provides Crit Rate with her passive and even more with Cryo Resonance.
Rosaria	Dahlia

Skirk's Team Rotations and Combos

Basic Team Rotation for On-Field DPS Skirk

The basic rotations for Skirk follow the usual DPS rotations where the supports go first before Skirk does. Once Skirk enters Seven-Phase Flash and uses her Elemental Burst, switch to using Normal Attacks and if there's Void Rifts created, use Charged Attacks to absorb them.

Optimal Skirk Combo

This combo is more complex and requires precise timing and muscle memory to execute perfectly. Completing the full combo can be difficult depending on factors like enemy movement. External attack speed buffs make it easier to perform.

There are more complex Skirk combos available, but they're often much harder to replicate in regular gameplay.

Basic Team Rotation for Quickswap DPS Skirk

The basic rotations for Quickswap DPS Skirk follow the usual DPS rotations where the supports go first before Skirk does. Once Skirk has totaled 50 Serpent Subtlety stacks, use her Elemental Burst. The damage can be further increased by having up 12 more Serpent Subtlety stacks gained by absorbing 2 Void Rifts.

Basics of Using Skirk (Beginner Guide)

Skirk is a Cryo DPS designed to be played primarily in Freeze teams consisting of Cryo and Hydro characters. Her playstyle can change depending on how you input her Elemental Skill.

Use Elemental Skill (Tap) to enter Seven-Phase Flash Mode

Seven-Phase Flash is the name of Skirk's On-Field DPS mode. Tapping her Elemental Skill will allow her to enter Seven-Phase Flash mode, activating her special Elemental Burst at the same time. Skirk also gains 45 Serpent's Subtlety and consumes them over time.

Note!	Due to being a Normal-Attack playstyle, her Seven-Phase Flash mode has room for optimization via combos. Jump to her best combo ▲here.

Stacking Mechanics

Skirk has two unique Stacks that she uses in her gameplay. The first, Serpent's Subtlety, is her unique Energy system for her Elemental Burst, and the other, Death's Crossing, is used for increasing her damage.

Skirk's passive will drop Void Rifts whenever a party member triggers specific Cryo-related reactions. Void Rifts don't contribute any damage directly, but Skirk needs to absorb them through a Charged Attack to gain more Serpent's Subtlety.

Special Elemental Burst for Damage Increase in Seven-Phase Flash mode

Skirk's Special Elemental Burst that activates after using her tap Skill increases the damage dealt by her Normal Attacks in her Seven-Phase Flash mode. Using the special Burst can also absorb nearby Void Rifts to for a larger buff.

Note!	This form of her Burst doesn't have the traditional close-up animation associated with most 5-star characters' Burst.

▲ The table above assumes Elemental Burst Level 10 and C0.

Use Elemental Skill (Hold) then Elemental Burst for Quickswap DPS

Skirk's held Elemental Skill allows her to gain Serpent's Subtlety without entering Seven-Phase Flash which changes her Elemental Burst. She needs a total of 50 Serpent's Subtlety stacks to cast her Burst.

It's recommended to have at least 2 Void Rifts absorbed since it gives her 16 additional stacks, of which 12 will be used to increase her Attack for her Burst.

Team Composition Related Passives

Skirk's Ascension 1 and 4 Passives have effects related to the team's Elemental composition. If you have only Cryo or Hydro characters with Skirk, she can deal increased damage and increase the Elemental Skill level of the team by 1.

Hold Skill Can Be Used for Travel

Skirk's Hold Skill functions similarly to Arlecchino's special Charged Attack, causing her to rapidly move in a direction you input for a short duration. Since this movement is slightly faster than regular dashing, it can occasionally be used to traverse further distances while exploring the overworld.

Skirk's Elemental Skill, Burst, and Abilities

How To Use Skirk?

Cryo DPS That Stacks Serpent Subtlety

Skirk is a Cryo DPS who is mainly designed to be an On-Field DPS. Instead of gaining Energy, she stacks a resource called Serpent's Subtlety that can be used to charge her Elemental Burst and to extend her Seven-Phase Flash mode. Subtlety is gained either through tapping or holding her Skill, or when her passive, Reason Beyond Reason, is triggered.

Elemental Skill for On-Field Damage and Serpent's Subtlety Generation

Elemental Burst for Damage or Buffing Skirk’s Normal Attacks

Skirk's Elemental Burst changes if she has entered Seven-Phase Flash mode via Elemental Skill (Tap). Her original Elemental Burst requires at least 50 Serpent's Subtlety to be used and can use excess stacks to deal increased damage. While her 2nd Elemental Burst buffs the damage dealt by her Normal Attacks during Seven-Phase Flash.

Summary of Skirk's Elemental Burst Effects
Havoc: Extinction (During Seven-Phase Flash)	- Increases Skirk's Normal Attack damage based on the number of Void Rifts absorbed. - 8%/12%/16%/20% Damage buff from 0/1/2/3 Void Rifts absorbed.
Havoc: Ruin	- Requires 50 Serpent's Subtlety to cast. - Deals 220.97% x5 + 368.29% AoE Cryo Damage. - ATK is increased by 34.78% per excess Serpent's Subtlety up to 12 points.

Ideal Team Comp Is Focused Around Cryo-Related Reactions

Skirk can gain Subtlety when her passive Reason Beyond Reason is triggered, which is when she or other teammates trigger any Cryo-related reaction. This generates a Void Rift, which she can absorb by hitting a Charged Attack while in her Tap Skill mode, when she uses her Elemental Burst in her Tap Skill mode, and when she holds her Skill. Absorbed Rifts generate 8 Subtlety.

Can Be Played as a Burst DPS

Sample Team for Off-Field Burst DPS Skirk
Skirk	Furina	Escoffier	Neuvillette

Skirk's fully-stacked Elemental Burst does deal decent damage, but it consumes her Subtlety stacks and causes downtime for her DPS. But this does allow her to be played alongside a complimentary On-Field DPS like Neuvillette as a Burst DPS who you swap into mid-rotation after generating stacks for her to use the Havoc: Ruin version of her Elemental Burst. She functions like a 'nuke' in this team that deals one large instance of damage before being swapped out.

Should You Pull for Skirk's Constellations or Her Best Weapon?

Prioritize Azurelight

Signature VS Constellation Priority
Azurelight > C2

Skirk's signature weapon gives her both CRIT stats and a 48% ATK boost while her C2 gives 70% ATK and buff her Elemental Burst DMG a bit. The stats her weapon gives is balanced and scales better for critical hits.

Skirk's Constellations & Effects

Skirk's Constellation Name is Crystallina

Crystallina

Skirk's Ascension & Talent Materials

Character Level Talent

Character Ascension Materials

Level 20	Shivada Jade Sliver x1 Skysplit Gembloom x3 Meshing Gear x3
Level 40	Shivada Jade Fragment x3 Skysplit Gembloom x10 Meshing Gear x15 Ensnaring Gaze x4
Level 50	Shivada Jade Fragment x6 Skysplit Gembloom x20 Mechanical Spur Gear x12 Ensnaring Gaze x4
Level 60	Shivada Jade Chunk x3 Skysplit Gembloom x30 Mechanical Spur Gear x18 Ensnaring Gaze x8
Level 70	Shivada Jade Chunk x6 Skysplit Gembloom x45 Artificed Dynamic Gear x12 Ensnaring Gaze x12
Level 80	Shivada Jade Gemstone x6 Skysplit Gembloom x60 Artificed Dynamic Gear x24 Ensnaring Gaze x20

Talent Ascension Materials

Level 1	Default
Level 2	Teachings Of Contention x3 Meshing Gear x6
Level 3	Guide To Contention x2 Mechanical Spur Gear x3
Level 4	Guide To Contention x4 Mechanical Spur Gear x4
Level 5	Guide To Contention x6 Mechanical Spur Gear x6
Level 6	Guide To Contention x9 Mechanical Spur Gear x9
Level 7	Philosophies Of Contention x4 Artificed Dynamic Gear x4 Ascended Sample: Knight x1
Level 8	Philosophies Of Contention x12 Artificed Dynamic Gear x4 Ascended Sample: Knight x1
Level 9	Philosophies Of Contention x12 Artificed Dynamic Gear x9 Ascended Sample: Knight x2
Level 10	Philosophies Of Contention x16 Artificed Dynamic Gear x12 Ascended Sample: Knight x12 Crown Of Insight x1
Level 11	Unlocked via Constellation
Level 12	Unlocked via Constellation
Level 13	Unlocked via Constellation

Related Links

• Item Exchange Thread

Skirk's Skill and Talent Details

Who is Skirk?

Visitor From Another World

Skirk is not from Teyvat and is from a long-destroyed planet. She was saved by Surtalogi but also given a threat that could lead to Teyvat's destruction as well.

Not a Descender Despite Being from Another Planet

Skirk entered Teyvat with Alice telling her specifically that she cannot interfere with Teyvat's fate but also telling her to enjoy the world. Since Skirk is not a Descender, she also felt the need to exclude herself especially with Surtalogi's threat.

Student of Surtalogi

Skirk learned combat and how to use the Abyss from Surtalogi but he also threatened to destroy her "life". For Skirk, the threat prevented her from interacting with the people of Teyvat because she thought they would get implicated from her impending battle with Surtalogi.

Master of Childe and Teacher of the Traveler

Childe once fell into the Abyss and was found by Skirk who trained him. She also chose to train the Traveler in combat since she foresaw that the Traveler will face greater dangers due to them being a Descender.

Skirk's Voice Actors & Their Notable Roles

English Voice Actor: Cat Protano

Japanese Voice Actor: Noto Mamiko

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