Sometimes you hope a new unit added to an ongoing gacha game will eventually turn into a powerful, useful, and true-to-life unit. Before Ayato Kamisato debuted, we knew he was the head of the Yashiro Committee in Inazuma and Ayaka’s brother. MiHoYo also teased that he will be a Hydro unit. But we don’t have the exact details about what kind of role he plays. Now he is in The Genshin effectit was extremely gratifying to see how well Ayato and Ayaka worked together.
For starters, Cryo and Hydro are two elements that work well together. The elemental reaction between the two will freeze the characters. With units like this, you ideally want units that can apply their elements to as many opponents as possible. Both Ayaka and Ayato excel at this. Ayato’s Kamisato Art: Kyouka Elemental Skill involves an illusion that deals water damage to an area as it explodes, applying Hydro, and putting him into a Takimeguri Kanka state involving faster attacks as well. Deals Hydro AOE damage. His Kamisato Art: Suiyuu Elemental Burst Deals continuous Hydro damage over an area when the water sword drops, and temporarily strengthens basic attacks from Ayato and allies.
This means that if someone is using Ayaka as their primary damage agent, Ayato can act as a support and allow someone to take full advantage of her special ability. Especially if one also equips her with the Blizzard Strayer artifact which increases her Cryo damage and increases her chance to crit if her opponent is frozen. To begin with, when Ayaka charged, she temporarily turned cold. She applies Cryo on nearby enemies when she stops dashing. Her attacks also deal Cryo a short time after doing so. This means that her normal attacks can be frozen if Ayato has wet all of her opponents. Her Kamisato Technique: The Hyouka Elemental Skill deals AOE Cryo damage. Her Kamisato Technique: Soumetsu Elemental Burst basically sends a whirlwind of ice onto the field. So between the two of them, you’re creating situations where the opponent will be frozen and ideally she can land more critical hits.
What I also love is how to find Ayato’s story in The Genshin effect also support his devotion to his family. First and foremost, the character’s quest is designed to show how well he plans ahead. We see his ability to read people and situations. His agent Shuumatsuban shows up. But we also find out why he stepped up. That’s because he and his sister are all that’s left. He couldn’t bear to think of whatever had happened to what was left of his family. So he did what he had to do to support her. That means him being a special support for her in battle also feels great.
Now, I know I’m focusing on how well Ayato and Ayaka work together, but this is a situation that applies to most Cryo users. While Ayato can be your protagonist and the one that handles the most DPS, he’s also adept at providing additional DPS to the best Cryo main DPS units in the game. His blast works well with Eula’s Icetide Vortex Elemental Skill and Glacial Elemental Illumination. Even better is his compatibility with Ganyu. The elemental explosion in her Celestial shower also affects an area and deals continuous Cryo damage, just like his Kamisato Technique: Suiyuu. Meaning the opponents inside will be constantly frozen while both are running.
The Genshin effect is a game about synergy and it’s great to see Ayato turn out to be a character that works well with his sister and some of the other best Cryo characters in the game. It suits his personality. That means those who have already invested in some of the other incredible damage distributors in the game don’t need to suddenly reinvest to make him amazing. (Though that helps. Especially if you’re with you Heart of Depth Artifacts!) A character depicted as someone who is behind the scenes and devoted to his family can go on to do exactly that. It’s pretty cool.
The Genshin effect available for PS4, PS5, PC and mobile devices. It will also come to the Nintendo Switch. Ayato banners are available in The Genshin effect until April 19, 2022. Followed by a rerun of Ayaka.
