Genshin Impact 5.3: Should You Pull For Arlecchino Or Clorinde?
Choosing between Arlecchino and Clorinde in Genshin Impact 5.3’s rerun banners may be a difficult choice, not only because both of them are superb DPS units but also because of the limitations involved in obtaining F2P (free-to-play) Primogems. Arlecchino, the Fourth of the Fatui Harbingers, was introduced as a playable character in Version 4.6. The 5-star character excels at consistently dealing Elemental DMG by applying Bond of Life to herself and, in turn, imbuing her Normal, Charged, and Plunging Attacks with Pyro. Arlecchino’s best build in Genshin Impact can easily transform her into one of the strongest Pyro DPS units.
Clorinde, on the other hand, is a 5-star sword user. Like Arlecchino, she also uses Bond of Life. However, Clorinde’s rotation consists of entering a special state that enhances the power of her Normal Attacks, imbuing them with Electro. The amount of Bond of Life she has influences the type of attack she deals to opponents, unlike Arlecchino. Both units dabble with Bond of Life, a risky mechanic that leaves them exposed to damage because HP-healing from external sources can only be provided once Bond of Life is cleared, and that can only be done through healing in Genshin Impact.
Arlecchino & Clorinde Rerun In Genshin Impact 5.3 Banners Until February 11
Players Can Also Obtain Their Respective Weapons In Phase 2
As was previously mentioned, Arlecchino and Clorinde are the 5-star rerun characters appearing in Version 5.3. The Phase 1 banners saw the debuts of both Mavuika and Citlali, important Natlan characters, and the Phase 2 banners will bring forth the opportunity to pull for them. Both Arlecchino and Clorinde will be available for a limited time: Phase 2 banners will last from January 21 through February 11. After this date, the next update should begin and, with it, the two DPS units should be substituted by the Genshin Impact 5.4 character banners.
It is important to note that during Version 5.3’s rerun period in Phase 2 banners, the gacha system will also incorporate Arlecchino and Clorinde’s respective signature weapons in the weapons banner. As such, players will be able to pull for the 5-star polearm, Crimson Moon’s Semblance, and the 5-star sword, Absolution. Like the characters themselves, these will also be obtainable from January 21 through February 11. If players are looking to optimize either Arlecchino or Clorinde’s builds in Genshin Impact, they could consider pulling for either weapon while they are available in Version 5.3’s Phase 2 banners.
Pros & Cons Of Pulling For Arlecchino In Genshin Impact 5.3
The Pyro DPS Uses Bond Of Life To Deal DMG
Arlecchino is a 5-star Pyro on-field DPS. The character’s rotation consists of using her Elemental Skill to apply Blood-Debt Directive on opponents. These Directives regularly deal Pyro DMG to enemies but, most importantly, they can be absorbed. Arlecchino can absorb Blood-Debt Directive or Blood-Debt Due (an enhanced version of the Directive) with her Charged Attack or Elemental Burst, which builds up her Bond of Life counter. When she has Bond of Life equal to or greater than 30% of her Max HP, Arlecchino enters the Masque of the Red Death state in Genshin Impact.
When she is in this state, Arlecchino’s Normal, Charged, and Plunging Attacks are converted to deal Pyro DMG. Normal Attacks deal extra DMG to enemies based on her ATK and a percentage of her Bond of Life. Each attack consumes a portion of her Bond of Life, diminishing it – doing so also reduces the cooldown for her Elemental Skill. Arlecchino’s Elemental Burst is a nuke. It automatically absorbs and clears all nearby Blood-Debt Directives and deals a massive instance of AoE Pyro DMG, healing Arlecchino’s HP and clearing the cooldown for her Elemental Skill in Genshin Impact.
Essentially, Arlecchino’s rotation starts with her using her Skill to apply Blood-Debt Directives, followed by her Charged Attack to absorb the Directives and gather Bond of Life. With this, she should be able to deal a lot of Pyro DMG to enemies. Her Burst can be used either as a nuke to clear mobs or heavily impact enemies’ HP bars or as a damage-dealing means to reset her Elemental Skill, which allows players to reset her rotation. Playing with Arlecchino in Genshin Impact is not too difficult, but it can be somewhat confusing to understand in the beginning.
One of the downsides to Arlecchino is that, while she can deal massive amounts of damage to enemies, the amount of Bond of Life that she gets increases per Blood-Debt Directive. This makes her more efficient when using her Skill and Charged Attack against multiple enemies rather than a single target. If players mess up her rotation, use her Burst too early on, or face only a few tough enemies, they may see themselves waiting for her Skill’s cooldown to happen, without dealing Pyro DMG because she doesn’t have enough Bond of Life in Genshin Impact.
Another thing to be cautious about when running Arlecchino is that her attacks ignite grass, so regular combat in places like fields will likely result in the entire area being set ablaze – in turn, this could make Arlecchino take environmental Pyro DMG or make her shield’s duration shorter (if a shielder is running in her team comp). Furthermore, as was previously mentioned, Arlecchino’s Bond of Life makes her highly susceptible to being eliminated without the proper sustain character. Her HP in Genshin Impact can only be restored if she does not have Bond of Life.
Bond of Life can be cleared through gameplay mechanics – such as her Normal Attacks – or through regular healing.
The silver lining is that Arlecchino’s Burst can provide a massive amount of healing for her based on her ATK and Bond of Life. Enemies marked by Blood-Debt Directives can also result in healing since Arlecchino absorbs Directives with her Burst and then heals before clearing its value. Overall, Arlecchino can maintain herself, but she is very vulnerable, a price to pay for the incredible amount of damage she can provide. Arlecchino’s build in Genshin Impact is just as difficult as the ones for standard DPS units, so there’s not an extra amount of effort put into maximizing her potential.
Pros & Cons Of Pulling For Clorinde In Genshin Impact 5.3
The Electro DPS Has An Elaborate Rotation
Through her Elemental Skill, Clorinde enters the Night Vigil state. In this state, her Normal Attacks are transformed into Swift Hunt attacks that deal Electro DMG (at which point she cannot use Charged Attacks). If players use her Elemental Skill again, once she is in the Night Vigil state, she executes Impale the Night, a powerful lunge dealing Electro DMG. The amount of Bond of Life Clorinde has impacts Swift Hunt and Impale the Night. If Clorinde has Bond of Life equal to or greater than 100% of her Max HP, Swift Hunt performs a pistolet shot in Genshin Impact.
If Clorinde has less than 100% Bond of Life, her shots grant her Bond of Life. These shots pierce enemies and DMG dealt to opponents in their path is increased. When Bond of Life is at 0%, Impale the Night performs a regular lunging attack. When Bond of Life is less than 100%, Impale the Night heals Clorinde based on her Bond of Life value, and the DMG dealt by her lunging attack is increased. If Bond of Life is at 100% or higher, the healing multiplier in Genshin Impact is increased and the DMG dealt is increased even further.
While Clorinde is in the Night Vigil state, the healing she receives from external sources is denied and instead converted into Bond of Life.
Clorinde’s Elemental Burst is also a nuke. It starts by granting her Bond of Life and then striking to deal AoE Electro DMG. Clorinde’s rotation revolves around using her Skill to enter the Night Vigil state and then gathering up Bond of Life via healing and Swift Hunt, preferably to reach 100% or more. Before it expires, players should use Impale the Night to deal more damage and heal Clorinde in Genshin Impact. The issue with her is that her Night Vigil state only lasts for 7.5 seconds. This makes her rotation a bit more complicated to master.
Players will want to reach 100% Bond of Life with Clorinde to ensure her passive Talent’s CRIT Rate bonus is activated, too. All of this is a bit more troublesome, but if players get the hang of her rotation alongside other team members that help trigger Electro-related reactions, Clorinde is an above-average Electro DPS. Her build is also the standard for most traditional DPS in the game.
Picking between Arlecchino and Clorinde ultimately comes down to two factors, mainly because of how similar they are. Players have to evaluate whether they prefer or need a Pyro DPS or an Electro DPS. The second factor that comes into play is how comfortable players will feel with adjusting to each character’s rotation. Clorinde is, arguably, a bit more difficult to master than Arlecchino, but practice makes perfect. Either way, any player who pulls for Arlecchino or Clorinde and adequately builds them is bound to have at least one of the strongest DPS characters in Genshin Impact.
Genshin Impact
- Released
- September 28, 2020
- ESRB
- T for Teen - Fantasy Violence, Alcohol Reference
- Developer(s)
- HoYoverse (Formerly miHoYo)
- Publisher(s)
- HoYoverse (Formerly miHoYo)
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer
- Cross Save
- yes
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- yes
- Platform(s)
- Mobile, iOS, Android, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- X|S Optimized
- yes
- Metascore
- 86
- Platforms That Support Crossplay
- Mobile, PC, PS4 & PS5
- PS Plus Availability
- N/A
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
