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The introduction of the Sumeru region to was swiftly followed by a swathe of game-changing characters for your roster that has brought new options and rotations for teams, new and old. Among them is the game’s second Cryo shield characteꦦr - Layla - who balances the ability to protect the party from damage with the ability to provide consistent Cryo🌞 application for quick reactions.
There is a three-way divide on building Layla for shielding, damage, and some middle ground. Now, although the beauty of Genshin Impact is yourﷺ ability to build their characters in whatever way you choose, the most optimal use of Layla is as a shield for your party.
Layla’s First Constellation Is Vital
Though she is a viable unit without any further investment, Layla’s first Constellation boasts an overall increase in her abilities that is impossible to ignore. As a result, any meta team or build should operate with a C1 Layla at the minimum.
The core of Layla’s kit is her Elemental Skill, Nights of Formal Focus; this provides a shield of Cryo around the members of your party that’s power scales from Layla’s Max HP. This skill also generates Night Stars whenever a character within the shield uses their Elemental Skill. Once four have been generated, they will fire off as projecti🍸les,꧅ causing damage and applying Cryo to the target.
The reason Layla’s first Constellation is so essential is twofold; not only does it provide a hefty 20 percent increase to the Shield Absorption stat of Nights of Formal Focus (which allows it to take more damage before dissipating), it also means that whenever Layla uses her skill during co-op play, any nearby party members will also be covered by a Cryo shield.
As it is the first unlock of Layla’s Constellation, it is a highly accessible buff that allows 🃏Layla to provide better support for the party while playing alone or during co-op.
Her second Constellation is also a worthwhile investment, restoring energy to Layla every time a Night Star strikes an enemy. Though not as crucial for her shield or her overall position in a team, it is beneficial for maintaining the uptime on L✃ayla’s Elemental Burst.
Layla Needs HP and Energy Recharge
As the most important part of Layla’s kit is her Elemental Skill, with its protection🍌 and the Cryo application, any build of Layla must focus o𝓡n keeping that shield up as long as possible. This is a reasonably easy task to accomplish, as building Layla is very straightforward.
Layla’s shield scales off HP, and her Night Star's damage (and her burst) depends on Layla’s ATK and CRIT stats. This means a healthy spread of HP and ATK alongside Crit DMG and Crit Rate are the core stats you need to focus on. In addition, though many characters are perfectly functional at level 80 after their final Ascension, Layla is a character that needs to be at level 90 for maximum utility. Layla gains a 24 percent HP increase for h🅷er final Ascension, however, her base HP is 10,324 at level 80 and 11,092 at level 90. You are missing out on easily achievable shield strength by not maxing out her levels.
Another thing you should remember to invest in is Energy Recharge. This is so you can keep Layla’s Burst up as often as possible to provide additional Cryo damage and application. Whether this is accomplished through sub-stats on her artifacts o🌳r through your choice of weapon, make sure you are getting investing in it as well.
The Tenacity of the Millelith artifact set꧟ is the best option to maximise Layla’s shield. Getting a four-piece set also maximises Layla’s ability to support the rest of the team, thanks to its 20 percent ATK increase and 30 percent Shield Strength buff.
In addition, for those looking to do more damage, having two pieces of the Tenacity set with 2-pieces of the Blizzard Strayer set all🅺ows for a decent balance between her Cryo damage dealing and shielding capabilities.
The final viable option is the Emblem of Severed Fate set;🐷 combined with the correct weapon, this set allows Layla’s Elemental Burst to hit harder and more often. ꦓHowever, it sacrifices the inherent buffs to her shield that the Tenacity set provides. For a truly optimal Layla, use Tenacity
You should also invest in Elemental Mastery for extra damage during reactions if you plan on using Layla in a Melt team.
It is not a priority stat, so it should never be prioritised over HP or Energy Recharge when choosing Layla's Sands, Circlet, or Goblet. However, to get the maximum out of her, Elemental Mastery should be present.
What Weapon Does Layla Need?
There is a degree of flexibility when picking a weapon for Layla, as this is where you choose an option that provides more damage or further supports her shielding and reactions. Some of the game’s weapons make a good balance – whilst others are more niche &ndas💙h; but your overall goal is to pair well with her chosen artifacts.
As Layla scales off HP and is a sword user, the game’s first five-star HP sword: Key of Khaj-Nisut, is a perfect fit for Layla. Not just because of its HP percent sub stat – or even the further 20 percent increase to HP the weapon’s skill provides – but the sword also increases the Elemental Mastery of nearby party members. It is a perfect weapon for Layla to support the rest of the team, particularly for Melt teams, as the added Elemental Mastery provides a further buff to the Melt reaction's damage.
Another five-star substitute is the Primordial Jade Cutter; its ability also provides a 20 percent increase to HP and its ATK bonus, and the Crit Rate bonus stat allows Layla’s Burst and Skill to hit even harder. The ability of this weapon combined with the stat makes it an all-around stat stick that boosts Layla's shield and DPS, further enhancing her contributions to the team.
For more accessible weapons, the four-star Favonius Sword’s ability and Energy Recharge Bonu🥀s stat are perfect for Layla. Particularly in Cryo resonance teams, this allows for increased reactions that further cement Layla’s 🐓utility by helping to maintain her Burst’s uptime.
Layla also has three-star weapon options that are viable options for a competitive Layla. For example, like Albedo, Harbinger of Dawn is a strong option. Its Crit DMG bonus stat and Crit Rate buff also help 🎐to buff Layla’s damage, allowing her to provide Sub-DPS functionality on teams.
Best Team Types For Layla
The nature of Layla's kit means she does not need to be on the field for long, so you should prioritise quickly swapping to her when you need her Skill and Burst to maximise your damage with other characters as she is off-field. Each rotation should start with Layla on the field to provide her shield and begin accumulating Night Stars before swapping to the next character in the rotation. From the🐻re, refresh her shield when it falls and activate her Burst when her energy is full to provide continuous defence for the team and consistent Cryo application.
Permafrost Teams
Layla works best on Freeze teams; Ganyu and Ayaka benefit magnificently from the extra support Layla provides (in addition to the extra Electro resistance and 15 percent Crit rate increase for being the second Cryo character on the team). For Ganyu, Layla supplies protection whilst she aims and charges Charged Shots. Then for Ayaka, she protects her whilst you are fighting in close quarters. Layla's utility also extends to Hydro DPS units, such as Childe or Ayato, who c𒅌an consistently apply the Frozen status with her Skill and Burst.
In teams where Layla is an additional Cryo character, using Yelan and/or Xingqiu is highly recommended. As Layla's shield and stars apply Cryo on impact, and both Xingqiu and Yelan have skills that quickly apply Hydro, you can easily maintain Freeze. In addition, Yelan provides a degree of crowd control that can keep enemies within the AOE of Layla's Burst. However, Venti, Kazuha, and Sucrose are more reliable and also provide buffs or elemental shred. An ideal Permafrost team consists of a Cryo DPS, alongside either Yelan or Xingqiu, and an Anemo character for Swirl and crowd control, followed by Layla for Support and damage.
Permafrost teams where Layla fits well include: Ayaka, Yelan, and Kazuha or Ayaka, Shenhe, and Yelan. On both teams, Ayaka and Yelan work in close quarters and benefit from the protection of Layla's shield. Meanwhile, Kazuha maintains excellent crowd control with his Skill and provides further damage with his Burst. Additionally, Shenhe offers an overall decrease in Cryo Resistance, strengthening Layla and Ayaka's contributions.
Physical Teams
Layla can also act as an enabler for Superconduct on Physical teams. Paired with the right Electro unit (such as Yae Miko or Fischl), her Night Stars and Burst can consistently reduce Physical Resistance to provide maximum damage for t𓆉he Main DPS.
She fits comfortably on teams with Eula, Shenhe, and Shinobu, as well as Keqing, Fischl, and Beidou. The latter team’s constant Electro damage is complimented by Layla's Night Stars and makes for a devastating Physical Keqing. Meanwhile, Eula's slightly slower attack animations (despite her high resistance to interruption) are less of an issue, thanks to Layla's shield. Combined with the decrease in Physical Resistance from Shenhe and the consistent pulses of Shinobu's Skill and Burst, this becomes an immensely powerful Physical Damage team.
Melt Teams
Layla can work alongside the games’ Pyro DPSs – and teams with Pryo characters present – but it is not her strong suit. Here she provides protection and an extra punch for characters like Diluc or Klee, but the nature of her skill’s timings can lead to inconsistent Melt damage results. However, as her shield applies Cryo damage to any enemies it touches on activation, and the Night Stars apply Cryo on impact, her kit sets the stage for strong Melt damage. With the addition of Layla’s Elemental Burst raining Cryo from💦 above, she is an easy slot in for any team looking fo🌸r added Cryo.
Layla takes even more of a backseat in these teams but supplies similar functionality. Additionally, she can be paired up with Xingqiu and Yelan (where she can also provide Freeze reactions), as the pair are common staples of Pryo teams. They are also accompaniꦕed by popular Anemo units, used for Swirl damage and crowd control.
A strong Melt team includes Hu Tao, Yelan, and Xingqiu or Ganyu, Xiangling, and Xingqiu. In the former team, the increase in HP (caused by the Hydro elemental resonance) strengthens Layla's shield as she provides Freeze and Melt to a team usually focused on Vaporize. Meanwhile, Xiangling's Skill and Burst (alongside Ganyu's) make for consistent Melt damage, whilst Layla provides additional Cryo and shielding.