Durin: A Tale of Absolution by Genshin Impact

Introduced during the 4.8 Summer Event of Simulanka, Durin has been the subject of much speculation by the Genshin community.  Will he be playable?  If so, when?  What will he do? Will he be good?  If he’s Pyro, will DPS or Support?  If he’s a support, will he finally dethrone either Bennett or Xiangling?  Well, now he’s here, and we can finally get the answers to all those questions, and more.

How Does Durin Work

Durin is a 5-Star Pyro Sword-user with strong Off-Field damage and Elemental Reaction buffing capabilities.

A Fiery Burst

Durin’s power is completely tied to his Elemental Burst.  After using his Elemental Skill, his Normal Attack and Skill will be altered.  Clicking either of them will Enhance his Burst in different ways.  Both versions of his Burst deal periodic damage and last for 20 seconds, which has a CD of 18, so they can have permanent uptime.

If you use his Skill, then his Burst, an invisible force will periodically damage nearby enemies.  This version of his Burst deals AoE damage (a fire ring that emanates out of a nearby enemy) and, thanks to his 1^st Passive, when a Non-Melt or Non-Vap Pyro reaction is triggered, shreds both Pyro RES and the RES of the other Element by 20%. For those keeping score at home, that would be either Geo, Electro, Anemo, or Dendro.

If you use Durin’s Normal Attack to Enhance his Burst, he will instead periodically fire off 4 homing bolts, which target the nearest enemy.  These bolts deal single-target damage and, again, thanks to his 1^st Passive, increase the damage of Vaporize and Melt reactions by 40%.

Durin’s 2^nd Passive increases the damage his Burst does, based on his ATK.  You need 2500 ATK to benefit from the full effect.  Additionally, his Skill will also recover a large amount of Elemental Energy when used, which will help in keeping his Burst active.

The Magic of Friendship

Durin is a Hexenrei character, meaning he can gain a specific Witch’s Eve Rite Talent.  In his case, as long as there are 2 Hexenrei characters in the party, he will increase the effects of his 1^st Passive by 75%.  That means the Element Shred from his Skill Burst will go to 35% and the bonus damage to Melt and Vap reactions will jump to 70%.

In addition, in keeping with his connection to the home of his fellow Hexenrei characters, Durin’s Utility Passive provides 25% more rewards when he’s dispatched on Mondstadt Expeditions.

What to Build on Durin