Hello Folks! Today, the topic of discussion is Candace. One of the newest character releases in the 3.1 update. In this guide, we will be discussing the best ways to build Candace, including her Talent and Ascension materials/costs, talents, constellations, artifacts, and teams. First, we will begin with a brief introduction to the character.
Candace, Title: Golden Vow, is Genshin Impacts’ newest 4-star Hydro Polearm character. Her kit nods towards her team role as a Sub-DPS character, who does Elemental DMG based on her Max HP. She is expected to be released alongside Cyno in the second half of 3.1.
Overview
Candace‘s main source of DMG will be her Skill and Burst. Her skill is a parry move, holding up her shield to charge up and deal increased DMG, a lot like Beidou. Her Burst increases the active Character’s Normal Attacks’ Elemental DMG. Like Thoma, who releases bouts of Pyro, Candace does waves of Hydro DMG that scale of her HP.
Her passives aid in climbing, provide an upgrade to her parry skill and also buff your character’s Normal Attack Elemental DMG by a certain amount off of her HP.
Candace Ascension and Talent Costs/ Mats
At certain Level milestones, Candace receives a bonus in HP. Leveling up Candace is an essential part of building her, since it unlocks the potential of increased Talent Levels, making her more powerful.
Candace Ascension Costs/Materials
Ascension Level | Materials Required | Mora Cost | Bonus HP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level 20 | x1 Varunada Lazurite Sliver x3 Redcrest x3 Faded Red Satin | 20,000 | 0% |
| Level 40 | x3 Varunada Lazurite Fragment x2 Light Guiding Tetrahedron x10 Redcrest x15 Faded Red Satin | 40,000 | 0% |
| Level 50 | x6 Varunada Lazurite Fragment x4 Light Guiding Tetrahedron x20 Redcrest x12 Trimmed Red Silk | 60,000 | 6% |
| Level 60 | x3 Varunada Lazurite Chunk x8 Light Guiding Tetrahedron x30 Redcrest x18 Trimmed Red Silk | 80,000 | 12% |
| Level 70 | x6 Varunada Lazurite Chunk x12 Light Guiding Tetrahedron x45 Redcrest x12 Rich Red Brocade | 100,000 | 18% |
| Level 80 | x6 Varunada Lazurite Gemstone x20 Light Guiding Tetrahedron x60 Redcrest x24 Rich Red Brocade | 120,000 | 24% |
| Totals | x1 Varunada Lazurite Sliver x9 Varunada Lazurite Chunk x9 Varunada Lazurite Chunk x6 Varunada Lazurite Gemstone x18 Faded Red Satin x30 Trimmed Red Silk x36 Rich Red Brocade x46 Light Guiding Tetrahedron x168 Redcrest | 420,000 |
Candace Talent Upgrade Costs
| Talent Level | Materials Required | Mora Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Level 2 | x3 Teachings of Admonition x6 Faded Red Satin | 12,500 |
| Level 3 | x2 Guide to Admonition x3 Trimmed Red Silk | 17,500 |
| Level 4 | x4 Guide to Admonition x4 Trimmed Red Silk | 25,000 |
| Level 5 | x6 Guide to Admonition x6 Trimmed Red Silk | 30,000 |
| Level 6 | x9 Guide to Admonition x9 Trimmed Red Silk | 37,500 |
| Level 7 | x4 Philosophies of Admonition x4 Rich Red Brocade x1 Tears of the Calamitous God | 120,000 |
| Level 8 | x6 Philosophies Admonition x6 Rich Red Brocade x1 Tears of the Calamitous God | 260,000 |
| Level 9 | x12 Philosophies of Admonition x9 Rich Red Brocade x2 Tears of the Calamitous God | 450,000 |
| Level 10 | x16 Philosophies of Admonition x12 Rich Red Brocade x2 Tears of the Calamitous God x1 Crown of Insight | 700,000 |
| Totals | x3 Teachings of Admonition x21 Guides of Admonition x38 Philosophies of Admonition x6 Faded Red Satin x22 Trimmed Red Silk x31 Rich Red Brocade x6 Tears of the Calamitous God x1 Crown of Insight | 1,652,500 |
Candace’s Passive Talents
| Talent Name | Talent Description |
|---|---|
| To Dawn’s First Light | Decreases climbing Stamina consumption for your own party members by 20%. Not stackable with Passive Talents that provide the same effects. |
| Featherflow Guard | If Candace is hit by an attack in the Hold duration of Sacred Rite: Heron’s Sanctum, that skill will finish charging instantly. |
| Sand Arch | Characters affected by the Prayer of the Crimson Crown caused by Sacred Rite: Wagtail’s Tide will deal 0.5% increased DMG to opponents for every 1,000 points of Candace’s Max HP when they deal Elemental DMG with their Normal Attacks. |
Candace’s Normal Attack
Here’s what Candace’s normal attack does:
Gleaming Spear – Guardian Stance
Performs a 4 attack sequence, dealing moderate DMG to enemies.
Candace’s Elemental Skill
This ability has two uses, Tap or Hold.
Sacred Rite: Heron’s Sanctum
When tapped, Candace rushes forward with her shield, dealing Hydro DMG to opponents in her path. When held, Candace charges up and performs a leaping attack that scales off your HP. This ability takes around a second to charge up.
Of course, whether you’re going to be tapping or holding depends entirely on the scenario and/or your preference. For example, much like Kazuha, her tap and hold skills have different cooldowns (6 and 9 respectively) and like Kazuha, her held skill does more DMG in a larger AoE.
Candace’s Elemental Burst
Candace’s Elemental Burst is called Sacred Tide: Wagtail’s Tide.
Sacred Tide: Wagtail’s Tide
Candace‘s burst infuses her weapons (and any other sword, claymore or polearm taking the field) with Hydro. Dealing AoE Hydro DMG and also buffing your active unit’s Normal Attack DMG by 20% for 9s. You can make this effect stronger by leveling Candace up and unlocking her passive.
Her burst infusion could be very powerful when paired with a fast normal attacker, such as Xiangling with her Pyronado, constanty proccing aggressive reactions such as Vaporise. We will discuss more viable options in the teams section.
All attack gifs were sourced from Giyu‘s Youtube Channel.
Pause…
A brief note is necessary here.. C0 Candace is an amazing unit. Please do not feel forced to roll for a character’s constellations. They are nice to have and can boost the effectiveness of a character but aren’t worth spending real-world currency on unless you have a large reserve of expendable income.
Candace‘s constellations are pretty good, providing a bit of extra DMG and increasing the duration of her Burst, also, negating the cooldown difference in her skill.
However, if you do end up getting more constellations, congratulations! Let us get you familiar with Candace‘s Stella Fortuna.
Candace’s Constellations
| Constellation | Description |
|---|---|
| Constellation 1: Returning Heir of the Scarlet Sands | The duration of Prayer of the Crimson Crown effect triggered by Sacred Rite: Wagtail’s Tide is increased by 3s. |
| Constellation 2: Moon-Piercing Brilliance | When Sacred Rite: Heron’s Sanctum hits opponents, Candace’s Max HP will be increased by 20% for 15s. |
| Constellations 3 and 5: Hunter’s Supplication and Heterochromatic Gaze | Hunter’s Supplication (C3) increases the talent levels of Candace’s Elemental Burst, Sacred Rite: Wagtail’s Tide, by 3. Heterochromatic Gaze (C5) increases the talent levels of Candace’s Elemental Skill, Sacred Rite: Heron’s Sanctum, by 3. The maximum upgrade level for both of these abilities is now 15. |
| Constellation 4: Sentinel Oath | Shortens the Hold CD of Sacred Rite: Heron’s Sanctum to be the same as that of the Tapping CD. |
| Constellation 6: The Overflow | When characters (excluding Candace herself) affected by the Prayer of the Crimson Crown caused by Sacred Rite: Wagtail’s Tide deal Elemental DMG to opponents using Normal Attacks, an attack wave will be unleashed that deals AoE Hydro DMG equal to 15% of Candace‘s Max HP. This effect can trigger once every 2.3s and is considered Elemental Burst DMG. |
Candace’s Best Artifact Sets
| Artifact Name | Description |
|---|---|
Tenacity of the Millelith | 2-Piece Bonus HP + 20% 4-Piece Bonus When an Elemental Skill hits an opponent, the ATK of all nearby party members is increased by 20% and their Shield Strength is increased by 30% for 3s. This effect can be triggered once every 0.5s. This effect can still be triggered even when the character who is using this artifact set is not on the field. |
Emblem of Severed Fate | 2-Piece Bonus Energy Recharge +20% 4-Piece Bonus Increases Elemental Burst DMG by 25% of Energy Recharge. A maximum of 75% bonus DMG can be obtained in this way. |
Heart of Depth | 2-Piece Bonus Hydro DMG Bonus +15% 4-Piece Bonus After using an Elemental Skill, increases Normal Attack and Charged Attack DMG by 30% for 15s. |
Candace Best Stats on Artifact Sets
| Candace Build Type | Circlet Stats | Goblet Stats | Sands Stats |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recommended | CRIT Rate/DMG | Hydro DMG Bonus | HP% |
| Supportive | HP% | HP% | HP% |
| General | CRIT Rate/DMG | Hydro DMG Bonus | Energy Recharge ATK |
Candace’ Best Weapons
| Weapon Name | Weapon Description |
|---|---|
“The Catch” | At Max Level and Refinement Rank 5: Base ATK: 510 Bonus Energy Recharge 45.9% Shanty Increases Elemental Burst DMG by 32% and Elemental Burst CRIT Rate by 12%. |
Staff of Homa | At Max Level and Refinement Rank 1: Base ATK: 608 Bonus CRIT DMG 66.2% Reckless Cinnabar HP increased by 20%. Additionally, provides an ATK Bonus based on 0.8% of the wielder’s Max HP. When the wielder’s HP is less than 50%, this ATK bonus is increased by an additional 1% of Max HP. |
Candace’s Best Teams
Candace looks to be an overall good character that can work in many teams. Her Hydro infusion can aid Cryo characters like Kaeya, Rosaria or Shenhe to consistently Freeze their enemies. Note that these characters are capable of dealing Cryo DMG off-field, using Candace‘s normal, Hydro infused attacks to inflict death upon your enemies.
Another viable variant could be that of the popular Taser Teams with Beidou and Fischl, who will be applying Electro off-field, doing massive DMG, and interrupting enemies.
Candace‘s Normal attack buff will greatly benefit a team that utilizes normal attack DMG, such as a physical build Rosaria, Childe, Ayato, or any other character that you choose. It is also notable that if you decide to run another Hydro character with Candace, she will be getting an HP boost due to the Hydro Resonance.
As mentioned before, Xiangling under the infusive effects of Candace‘s burst can Vaporise her own Pyronado, eliminating the need for Childe (who of course is nonetheless a welcome party member. However, even after a billion reruns not everyone may own the character).
Of course, the player is encouraged to innovate and make the best of what they have. These build options are just recommendations, so, we further recommend trying out different weapons, artifacts, or even teams and finding what works the best for them.
Conclusion
And that is al folks! Are you looking forward to 3.1? What are your thoughts on Nilou and Cyno? Be sure to leave your thoughts in the comments! And as always, thank you for reading!
