Guide
How the kit works
Start with Adeptus Art: Herald of Frost. It deals Cryo DMG around Qiqi and summons a Herald of Frost. While it is active, Qiqi's Normal and Charged Attacks heal your party and nearby teammates on hit. That healing scales with her ATK.
Keep Qiqi on the field and attack if several characters need HP. Ancient Sword Art (NA) has up to five Normal strikes; its Charged Attack spends Stamina for two strikes. You can instead switch characters and let the Herald periodically heal the active one as it moves with them.
Use Adeptus Art: Preserver of Fortune near opponents to mark them with Fortune-Preserving Talismans and deal Cryo DMG. The character who damages a marked opponent heals. Qiqi's Normal and Charged hits also have a 50% chance to apply a Talisman for 6 seconds, once every 30 seconds.
When a character under the Herald's effect triggers an Elemental Reaction, their Incoming Healing Bonus rises by 20% for 8 seconds. A passive reduces the Skill cooldown to 15 seconds. While the Herald is on the field and Qiqi is in the matching Radiance state, her party gains 50% more Superconduct and Stellar-Conduct DMG, or 50% more Cryo Swirl and Stellar Swirl DMG. A Polestar Field puts her in the Stellar-Conduct state; a nearby party member triggering Stellar Swirl puts her in the Stellar Swirl state for 8 seconds.
Build and why
For team support, use four pieces of Tenacity of the Millelith. When the Skill hits, the set gives nearby party members 20% ATK and 30% Shield Strength for 3 seconds, even if Qiqi is off-field. Its two-piece HP bonus does not strengthen the Skill's ATK-scaling healing.
Four pieces of Ocean-Hued Clam turn healing, including overflow healing, into Sea-Dyed Foam. After 3 seconds it deals damage based on 90% of the healing recorded, up to 30,000 HP. It can trigger off-field. Four pieces of Song of Days Past are another option: recorded healing increases the active character's damage on up to five hits.
Use ATK Percentage or Energy Recharge on the sands, ATK Percentage on the goblet, and Healing Bonus or ATK Percentage on the circlet. ATK strengthens the Skill's healing, while Energy Recharge helps you use the Burst. For substats, look for ATK Percentage first, then Energy Recharge, flat ATK and CRIT Rate.
Sacrificial Sword is useful if you want another chance to cast the Skill. After the Skill damages an opponent, it has a 40% chance to end its own cooldown, once every 30 seconds. The reset is not guaranteed, so do not plan every rotation around it.
Leveling priority
As a healing-focused order, level Adeptus Art: Herald of Frost first, then Adeptus Art: Preserver of Fortune. The Skill is your regular source of healing, while the Burst gives teammates another way to recover HP. Leave Ancient Sword Art (NA) until last: Qiqi can trigger her healing through hits without making attack damage the build's priority.
For maximum character ascension, you need 420,000 Mora, 168 Violetgrass, 46 Hoarfrost Core, 1 Shivada Jade Sliver, 9 Shivada Jade Fragment, 9 Shivada Jade Chunk and 6 Shivada Jade Gemstone. You also need 18 Divining Scroll, 30 Sealed Scroll and 36 Forbidden Curse Scroll.
For all three talents to maximum, prepare 4,957,500 Mora, 9 Teachings of Prosperity, 63 Guide to Prosperity, 114 Philosophies of Prosperity, 3 Crown of Insight and 18 Tail of Boreas. The talent costs also include 18 Divining Scroll, 66 Sealed Scroll and 93 Forbidden Curse Scroll.
Constellations worth it
Rite of Resurrection is the standout constellation. Using the Burst revives all nearby fallen party members with 50% HP. It can happen once every 15 minutes, so treat it as a rescue rather than a frequent part of your rotation.
Divine Suppression is worth considering for a defensive benefit: opponents marked by a Fortune-Preserving Talisman lose 20% ATK. Ascetics of Frost gives Qiqi 2 Energy when the Herald hits a marked opponent. It needs both effects to meet, so it will not restore Energy on every Skill hit.
Frozen to the Bone raises Qiqi's Normal and Charged Attack DMG against Cryo-affected opponents by 15%. Ascendant Praise adds three Burst levels, and Crimson Lotus Bloom adds three Skill levels. You can skip these upgrades if the base kit already supplies the healing you need.
Teams
Qiqi fits teams that want healing alongside Cryo. Sandrone and Eula are Cryo teammates to consider, while Yae Miko or Beidou can provide Electro for a Superconduct team. Beidou is also a shield option.
For a Swirl setup, try an Anemo character such as Yumemizuki Mizuki. Qiqi's reaction bonus requires the matching Radiance state and an active Herald, so check those conditions rather than assuming the bonus is always present.
Furina and Xingqiu are Hydro options that can work off-field while Qiqi stays on the field to heal the party with her attacks. You can also switch back to another attacker once the Herald or a Talisman is active. Choose the time Qiqi spends attacking according to how much healing the team needs.
Common mistakes
Do not switch Qiqi out immediately when the whole party needs healing from the Skill. The periodic heal goes to the active character, while Qiqi's own Normal and Charged hits heal party members and nearby teammates.
Do not expect a Talisman to heal someone who is not dealing damage to its marked opponent. Aim at a marked target after the Burst, and remember that the chance-based Talisman from Qiqi's attacks has its own 30-second limit.
Avoid stacking HP to improve the Skill's ATK-scaling healing. Also give the Burst enough Energy Recharge for your needs, and remember that Favonius Sword needs CRIT hits to trigger its particle effect.
