Genshin Impact Kaveh Build Turns Him Into a Dendro Support Powerhouse

Meet Kaveh, the only Dendro character who’s as poor as a college student. Genshin Impact first introduced him as Alhaitham’s roommate, but he’s appeared in enough quests to have a personality of his own.

He’s the architect that designed the Palace of Alcazarzaray, the famed Sumeru landmark. Unfortunately, the extravagance of the palace forced him into debt, which is why he’s living with Alhaitham. Kaveh keeps his held high, though. He can often be seen planning his next project or seeking out new clients with his sentient briefcase, Mehrak. That same briefcase is the one he uses to help with his Claymore and Dendro DMG attacks.

Kaveh can work as a DPS, but we’ll be focusing on his role in Dendro comps in this guide. Here’s how to build Kaveh into your next premier Dendro support.

Kaveh excels in Dendro reaction teams. His Elemental Skill deals Dendro DMG to all enemies and bursts any Dendro Cores within its radius. Even better, Dendro Cores heal him based on his Elemental Mastery stat, even though he still takes damage from them.

Dendro Cores come from Bloom reactions (Dendro plus Hydro), so Bloom teams might seem like the only way to go. However, because Kaveh’s Elemental Skill applies AoE Dendro DMG, he can also work as a Dendro driver in Hyperbloom, Aggravate, and Burgeon teams.

Kaveh needs Energy Recharge to keep his abilities charged, and Elemental Mastery to boost damage from Dendro reactions. These are the best weapons and artifacts to help achieve that.

Best Weapons for Kaveh

5-star weapons

Most 5-star Claymores boost ATK, Crit DMG, or Crit Rate, which isn’t exactly what you should be aiming for with Kaveh. Sure, you can build him as a that kind of DPS, but his personal damage pales in comparison to other 4-star Claymore wielders like Razor or Beidou.

Skyward Pride will help keep his Elemental Skill charged so that he can cause more reactions, but you should really invest in one of the 4-star weapons with an ability better tailored to his Elemental Reaction-based kit. Even though Skyward Pride is a 5-star weapon, it has less ER than 4-star alternatives like Favonius Greatsword. It does have a higher base ATK, though.

• Skyward Pride (Energy Recharge) - Increases all DMG by 8%. After using an Elemental Burst, Normal or Charged Attack, on hit, creates a vacuum blade that does 80% of ATK as DMG to opponents along its path. Lasts for 20s or 8 vacuum blades.

4-star weapons

Kaveh best benefits from Elemental Mastery and Energy Recharge weapons. Thankfully, many 4-star weapons fit the description. Some of them are even craftable, so you won’t need to get lucky on a banner to have an efficient weapon that matches his kit.

Forest Regalia, a craftable weapon you can build after reaching Sumeru, works best because of its ability. It generates something called a “Leaf of Consciousness” that can boost Elemental Mastery by 60 for 12 seconds at a time. It also comes with an Energy Recharge as its main stat, so it will significantly boost Kaveh’s ER. The Favonius Greatsword and Sacrificial Greatsword also boost ER, but their abilities are less relevant to Kaveh’s kit.

Alternatively, the Makhaira Aquamarine Claymore boosts his Elemental Mastery and offers an ATK boost based on his EM stat with a fraction of the ATK buff that extends to his allies. Mailed Flower also raises Elemental Mastery and ATK, but many players won’t have it because it was a limited-time event item from the 2023 Windblume Festival.

• Forest Regalia (Energy Recharge) - After triggering Burning, Quicken, Aggravate, Spread, Bloom, Hyperbloom, or Burgeon, a Leaf of Consciousness will be created around the character for a maximum of 10s. When picked up, the Leaf will grant the character 60 Elemental Mastery for 12s. Only 1 Leaf can be generated this way every 20s. This effect can still be triggered if the character is not on the field. The Leaf of Consciousness' effect cannot stack.
• Favonius Greatsword (Energy Recharge) - CRIT Hits have a 60 percent chance to generate a small amount of Elemental Particles, which will regenerate 6 Energy for the character. Can only occur once every 12 seconds.
• Sacrificial Greatsword (Energy Recharge) - After dealing damage to an opponent with an Elemental Skill, the skill has a 40 percent chance to end its own CD. Can only occur once every 30 seconds.
• Makhaira Aquamarine (Elemental Mastery) - The following effect will trigger every 10 seconds: The equipping character will gain 24 percent of their Elemental Mastery as bonus ATK for 12 seconds, with nearby party members gaining 30 percent of this buff for the same duration. Multiple instances of this weapon can allow this buff to stack. This effect will still trigger even if the character is not on the field.
• Mailed Flower (Elemental Mastery) - Within 8 seconds after the character's Elemental Skill hits an opponent or the character triggers an Elemental Reaction, their ATK and Elemental Mastery will be increased by 12 percent and 48 respectively.

3-star weapons

Rainslasher and Bloodtainted Greatsword can raise Kaveh’s Elemental Mastery, especially at higher refinement levels. If you don’t have any refinements on your 3-star weapons, it’s better to invest in a 4-star one, though. All of the 4-star Claymores listed above have more relevant abilities.

• Rainslasher (Elemental Mastery) - Increases DMG against opponents affected by Hydro or Electro by 20 percent.
• Bloodtainted Greatsword (Elemental Mastery) - Increases DMG against opponents affected by Pyro or Electro by 12 percent.

Best Artifacts for Kaveh

Flower of Paradise Lost, Deepwood Memories, and Gilded Dreams are the most relevant artifacts for Kaveh’s kit. A four-piece Deepwood Memories set works with any Kaveh team because it raises Dendro DMG and decreases the Dendro RES of any enemy that his Skill or Burst hits. Deepwood Memories and Gilded Dreams artifacts come from the same domain, so they are resin-efficient to farm together. If you want something that will work no matter what, go with Deepwood Memories.

Gilded Dreams can work better depending on your team comp. Each Dendro teammate will boost Kaveh’s ATK by 14 percent. Each non-Dendro teammate will boost his Elemental Mastery by 50. You’ll have to crunch some numbers to decide whether or not the team you’re thinking about will benefit from the buffs, which only trigger after an Elemental Reaction. Definitely consider it if you end up getting enough artifacts with juicy substats, though.

Flower of Paradise Lost, which is the artifact set he has in the trial run, boosts reaction damage the most. It’s especially useful in team comps where Kaveh acts as a driver for elemental reactions. Flower of Paradise Lost shares a domain with Desert Pavilion, so it’s worth farming if you also need that artifact set or also need Flower of Paradise for other characters. It’s extra worth it if you already have a teammate equipped with Deepwood Memories.

You can also mix and match two pieces of each set if you can’t get an ideal four-piece one right away. Even a two-piece Emblem of Severed Fate can offer some utility with its Energy Recharge.

Deepwood Memories

• 2-piece: Dendro DMG Bonus +15 percent.
• 4-piece: After Elemental Skills or Bursts hit opponents, the targets' Dendro RES will be decreased by 30 percent for eight seconds. This effect can be triggered even if the equipping character is not on the field.

Gilded Dreams

• 2-piece: Elemental Mastery +80.
• 4-piece: Within eight seconds of triggering an Elemental Reaction, the character equipping this will obtain buffs based on the Elemental Type of the other party members, ATK is increased by 14 percent for each party member whose Elemental Type is the same as the equipping character, and Elemental Mastery is increased by 50 for every party member with a different Elemental Type. Each of the aforementioned buffs will count up to three characters. This effect can be triggered once every eight seconds. The character who equips this can still trigger its effects when not on the field.

Flower of Paradise Lost

• 2-piece: Elemental Mastery +80.
• 4-piece: The equipping character's Bloom, Hyperbloom, and Burgeon reaction DMG are increased by 40 percent. Additionally, after the equipping character triggers Bloom, Hyperbloom, or Burgeon, they will gain another 25 percent bonus to the effect mentioned prior. Each stack of this lasts 10 seconds. Max four stacks simultaneously. This effect can only be triggered once per second. The character who equips this can still trigger its effects when not on the field.

Best Artifact Substats for Kaveh

Elemental Mastery and Energy Recharge are a priority for Kaveh as a support character. In many cases, you will want his Energy Recharge at least 180 percent or higher. After all, EM won’t do you much good if Kaveh can’t use his Skill or Burst. You can funnel the rest of your investment into EM.

Best Team Comps for Kaveh

Kaveh works in many Dendro reaction teams, so here are just a couple of examples.

Bloom

Xingqiu or Yelan are ideal teammates in a Kaveh Bloom team because of their off-field Hydro application that can work with Kaveh’s Burst. Kaveh can heal himself with his Dendro Cores, but you also need a healer for your other teammates. In that case, Barbara, Kokomi, Diona, Yaoyao, or Baizhu can help. It just depends on who you have and whether you need more Hydro or Dendro support.

Hyperbloom/Aggravate

Hyperbloom/Aggravate teams rely on Dendro and Electro characters. In that case, Raiden Shogun, Yae Miko, Fischl, or Beidou can help with off-field Electro application. Yaoyao or Kuki Shinobu can heal and offer Dendro and Electro support respectively. Dendro Traveler or Collei can also work as a battery and Dendro support. Kazuha or Sucrose can round out the team with EM buffs and spreading elements.

Genshin Impact is available for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, iOS, and Android.