Best Raiden builds in Genshin Impact for DPS and Hyperbloom

Raiden Shogun is Genshin Impact‘s polearm-wielding Electro Archon, with a playstyle centered on Energy Recharge and heavy Burst damage. Alternatively, you can ignore 90% of her kit and just use her Skill as a Hyperbloom trigger. However you choose to play Raiden, here’s how to build her!

Raiden has two distinct playstyles: Electro DPS and Hyperbloom. As an Electro DPS, Raiden spends time on-field using Burst and Normal/Charged Attacks to deal Electro damage. As a Hyperbloom trigger in Dendro teams, Raiden uses her Skill to activate Hyperblooms from off-field. Both playstyles are equally valid, and the recommendations below specify which playstyle they are for.

Raiden’s best weapons

Engulfing Lightning
As her 5-star signature Polearm, Engulfing Lightning is the best weapon for Raiden as an Electro DPS. Engulfing Lightning’s value comes from building massive amounts of Energy Recharge on Raiden without sacrificing damage. Engulfing Lightning increases Energy regeneration rates for Raiden’s team, making it both the highest damage and most comfortable option. 

Dragon’s Bane
This 4-star gacha weapon is the best option for Hyperbloom Raiden. It offers the highest Elemental Mastery of any Polearm in Genshin Impact, making it perfect for a reaction-focused playstyle. You don’t even need Refinements.

The Catch
Despite its 4-star status, The Catch comes fairly close to 5-star options in terms of damage. It was clearly made with Electro DPS Raiden in mind. The Catch is my baseline recommendation for Raiden as an Electro DPS. It’s obtained from the fishing vendor in Inazuma, so time to go fishing, if you haven’t already.

Staff of Homa / Primordial Jade Winged-Spear / Staff of the Scarlet Sands / Calamity Queller / Skyward Spine
Electro DPS Raiden can use any 5-star Polearm with offensive utility, even if she doesn’t always make the best use of their passives. I only recommend these if you happen to already have one, and even then, only if your Catch is unavailable.

Wavebreaker’s Fin / Lithic Spear / Deathmatch / Ballad of the Fjords
If your Catch is occupied, these 4-star options work fine for Electro DPS Raiden. They might not be the most cost-efficient to acquire, though.

Moonpiercer / Kitain Cross Spear
These are 4-star craftable Polearms for Hyperbloom Raiden if you don’t have a spare Dragon’s Bane. They don’t provide quite as much Elemental Mastery as Dragon’s Bane, but they’re still usable and much more accessible.

Raiden’s best artifacts

Artifact sets

4pc Emblem of Severed Fate (4EoSF)
Hands-down the best set for Raiden’s Electro DPS. This set converts a portion of Energy Recharge into Burst DMG%, making it perfect for Raiden’s Burst-centric playstyle. No other artifact line-up comes close to a complete, 4EoSF set when it comes to utility.

4pc Flower of Paradise Lost (4FoPL) / 4pc Gilded Dreams (4GD)
These sets are best for Raiden as a Hyperbloom trigger. 4FoPL technically results in more Hyperbloom damage, but it may not be efficient for you to farm. 4GD comes from a more Resin-efficient domain and gives Raiden a massive amount of Elemental Mastery. If you have to choose which domain to farm, I recommend 4GD unless you are building an Anemo DPS character on the side.

Artifact stats

Electro DPS Raiden

How much Energy Recharge you need depends on how much Energy you want Raiden to generate for your team. At an absolute minimum, I recommend at least 200%. 230-250% is noticeably more comfortable, though, and the extra Energy allows for units like Xingqiu and Xiangling to build more offensively.

If using Engulfing Lightning, use an Energy Recharge sands and build as much Energy Recharge as possible.

Which goblet to use depends on your team. If stacking lots of DMG% buffs (e.g. Furina), an ATK goblet is optimal. If stacking lots of ATK buffs (e.g. Bennett, Sara), an Electro DMG goblet is optimal. In most cases, Electro DMG goblets pull ahead, but you can use whichever artifact has better substats.

Aside from Energy Recharge, Electro DPS Raiden should focus on CRIT and ATK stats. If playing Raiden in an Aggravate team, some Elemental Mastery can be beneficial.

Hyperbloom Raiden

As a Hyperbloom trigger, Raiden uses her Skill and then disappears from the field for the rest of your rotation. She doesn’t use her Burst at all, so she doesn’t need any Energy Recharge whatsoever.

It’s a simple build, since all you need is the correct main stat: Elemental Mastery. Substats don’t matter. You don’t need CRIT, or ATK, or Energy Recharge. Just Elemental Mastery.