Theorylytics
Skirk
CryoSwordOther★★★★★

Skirk

Published Jul 17, 2026 · Updated v6.7
Content Tier List
Spiral AbyssS+
Imag. TheaterS
OverworldA
Should You Pull?YES

Skirk is arguably the best Cryo Main DPS available and a top-tier pick in the current meta. Powerful Cryo DPS being one of the strongest characters currently available with the right teams. Keep in mind that while Escoffier isn't necessarily required, she hard-carries a lot of the damage potential.

Skirk is a 5-star Cryo Sword character in Genshin Impact.

SwordCryoMain DPS

Overview

Quick Build

Weapon

Azurelight

Within 12s after an Elemental Skill is used, ATK is increased by 24% / 30% / 36% / 42% / 48%. During this time, when the

Artifacts

Finale of the Deep Galleries

When the equipping character has 0 Elemental Energy, Normal Attack DMG is increased by 60% and Elemental Burst DMG is in

Sands

ATK %

Main stat

Goblet

Cryo DMG > ATK %

Main stat

Circlet

CRIT Rate / CRIT DMG

Substats

CRIT Rate/DMG > ATK %

Strengths

  • Powerful Cryo DPS being one of the strongest characters currently available with the right teams.
  • Elemental Burst does not use energy meaning Skirk has no ER requirements.
  • Able to raise the Elemental Skill levels of everyone in the party.
  • Only Need attack and Damage bonus making Skirk's Stat requirements very Low.

Weaknesses

  • While Escoffier isn't necessarily required, she hard-carries a lot of the damage potential.
  • Artifact options on Skirk can be a little messy with Marechaussee being better but more restricting.
  • Massive Team Building Problems as you can only use Hydro and Cryo supports for Skirk.

Talent Priority

1
Havoc: WarpPriority: Max (10)

Primary source of damage or support. Level to 10 first.

2
Havoc: RuinPriority: High (8-10)

Important for damage or support value. Level second.

3
Havoc: SunderPriority: Low (1-6)

Lowest priority. Level last or skip unless you have spare resources.

Substat Priority

1Sands
2Goblet
3Circlet
4Substats
5HP
6CRIT Rate
7CRIT DMG
Skirk Standard Rotation
Standard

Skirk is a on-field Main DPS with a very unique mechanic compared to most characters in the game. She does not use Elemental Energy, and instead relies on her Serpent's Subtlety resource to power her damage and determine whether she leans into sustained Normal Attack uptime or quicker Burst-focused

See build guide

Skirk is a on-field Main DPS with a very unique mechanic compared to most characters in the game.

Weapons

5-star Weapons

1

CRIT Rate 22.1% · Base ATK 674

2
Haran Geppaku Futsu

CRIT Rate 33.1% · Base ATK 608

3
Primordial Jade Cutter

CRIT Rate 44.1% · Base ATK 542

4
Mistsplitter Reforged

CRIT DMG 44.1% · Base ATK 674

5

ATK 27.6% · Base ATK 565

6
Uraku Misugiri

CRIT DMG 88.2% · Base ATK 542

7
The Black Sword

CRIT Rate 27.6% · Base ATK 510

8
Finale of the Deep

ATK 27.6% · Base ATK 565

9
Absolution

CRIT DMG 44.1% · Base ATK 674

Artifact Sets

SFinale of the Deep GalleriesBest in Slot
2pcCryo DMG Bonus +15%
4pcWhen the equipping character has 0 Elemental Energy, Normal Attack DMG is increased by 60% and Elemental Burst DMG is increased by 60%. After the equipping character deals Normal Attack DMG, the aforementioned Elemental Burst effect will stop applying for 6s. After the equipping character deals Elemental Burst DMG, the aforementioned Normal Attack effect will stop applying for 6s. This effect can trigger even if the equipping character is off the field.
Finale of the deep galleries is currently Skirk's best artifact set as it provides a massive damage buffs for both normal attack and burst playstyle making it the go-to option.

Sands

ATK %

Goblet

Cryo DMG > ATK %

Circlet

CRIT Rate / CRIT DMG

Marechaussee Hunter
AMarechaussee Hunter
2pcNormal and Charged Attack DMG +15%
4pcWhen current HP increases or decreases, CRIT Rate will be increased by 12% for 5s. Max 3 stacks.
Marechaussee Hunters is her 2nd best option thanks to it's bonus provides 36% crit rate solving all of Skirk's crit issue.

Sands

ATK %

Goblet

Cryo DMG > ATK %

Circlet

CRIT Rate / CRIT DMG

Team Compositions

Skirk

Skirk

Main DPS

Escoffier

Escoffier

Support

Furina

Furina

Support

Yelan

Yelan

Sustain

Skirk's Best Team composition. Escoffier is currently Skirks best-in-slot support and one of the strongest Freeze enablers in the game. Furina is one of Skirks 2nd best Hydro partners after Escoffier, enabling consistent HP fluctuation for Marechaussee Hunter setups while also providing strong teamwide buffs.

Character Synergy
Skirk
SkirkMain DPS

Acts as the primary on-field Cryo damage dealer who relies on consistent Freeze application to maximize her damage potential.

Escoffier
EscoffierSupport

Escoffier is currently Skirks best-in-slot support and one of the strongest Freeze enablers in the game. She provides consistent off-field application, healing, and powerful resistance reduction in Hydro/Cryo teams, making her the perfect partner for Skirks passive requirements and overall damage output.

Furina
FurinaSupport

Furina is one of Skirks 2nd best Hydro partners after Escoffier, enabling consistent HP fluctuation for Marechaussee Hunter setups while also providing strong teamwide buffs. She pairs especially well with Freeze cores when the team has enough healing to maintain stability.

Yelan
YelanSustain

Provides persistent off-field Hydro application via her Elemental Burst and high personal damage to bolster the team's total DPS output.

Talents & Constellations

Talents

Normal AttackHavoc: Sunder

Performs up to 5 consecutive attacks.

Normal Attack
1st Ascension PassiveReason Beyond Reason

When nearby party members trigger Frozen, Superconduct, Stellar-Conduct, Cryo Swirl, or Cryo Crystallize reactions against opponents, a Void Rift will be created near this opponent. This effect can be triggered once every 2.5s. 3 Void Rifts created by Skirk herself can exist on the field at once. Skirk can use the following methods to absorb nearby Void Rifts: · When she hits an opponent with a Charged Attack in her Seven-Phase Flash mode. · When she uses the special Elemental Burst Havoc: Extinction while in Seven-Phase Flash mode. · When she Holds her Elemental Skill Havoc: Warp to engage in rapid movement. Each Rift absorbed will grant her 8 Serpent's Subtlety points.

Passive
4th Ascension PassiveReturn to Oblivion

When nearby Hydro party members' Hydro attacks hit opponents, or when nearby Cryo party members apart from Skirk hit opponents with Cryo attacks, Skirk will gain the "Death's Crossing" effect for 20s. Max 3 stacks, each stack's duration is counted independently. Each character can grant Skirk at most 1 "Death's Crossing" stack by this means. Each "Death's Crossing" stack increases the Normal Attack DMG dealt by Skirk in Seven-Phase Flash mode to 110%/120%/170% of its original DMG and the DMG dealt when using her Elemental Burst Havoc: Ruin to 105%/115%/160% of its original DMG.

Passive
Utility PassiveMutual Weapons Mentorship

When all party members are either Hydro or Cryo, and if there is at least 1 Hydro and 1 Cryo character, your own party members' Elemental Skill Level is increased by 1.

Passive

Constellations

1
C1
2
C2
3
C3
4
C4
5
C5
6
C6
C1Far to FallPull Target

Enhances the effects of the Ascension Talent Reason Beyond Reason: Every Void Rift absorbed will summon a crystal blade to attack nearby opponents, dealing 500% of Skirk's ATK as Cryo DMG. This DMG is considered Charged Attack DMG. You must first unlock the Ascension Talent Reason Beyond Reason.

Is it worth getting?

Meaningful upgrade worth targeting. | Constellation | % of C0 | % From Previous Constellation |.

C2Into the AbyssPull Target

After unleashing her Elemental Skill Havoc: Warp, Skirk will gain 10 additional Serpent's Subtlety points. When using her Elemental Burst Havoc: Ruin, the DMG of this Elemental Burst instance will be increased by taking up to 10 more Serpent's Subtlety points into account. Additionally, within 12.5s after Skirk unleashes the special Elemental Burst Havoc: Extinction while in her Seven-Phase Flash mode, her ATK is increased by 70%. This effect will be canceled when she leaves the Seven-Phase Flash mode.

Is it worth getting?

Large power spike strongly recommended if you play this character regularly.

C3Serendipitous SinPull Target

Increases the Level of Havoc: Ruin by 3. Maximum upgrade level is 15.

Is it worth getting?

Large power spike strongly recommended if you play this character regularly.

C4Fractured FlowPull Target

Enhances the effects of the Passive Talent Return to Oblivion: Each Death's Crossing stack also increases Skirk's ATK by 10%/20%/40%. You must first unlock the Passive Talent Return to Oblivion.

Is it worth getting?

Large power spike strongly recommended if you play this character regularly.

C5End of WishesPull Target

Increases the Level of Havoc: Warp by 3. Maximum upgrade level is 15.

Is it worth getting?

Large power spike strongly recommended if you play this character regularly.

C6To the SourcePull Target

Each Void Rift Skirk absorbs via the effects of the Ascension Talent Reason Beyond Reason will grant her 1 Havoc: Sever stack. She can consume such stacks to initiate coordinated attacks and decrease the DMG she takes while in Seven-Phase Flash mode. These stacks last for 15s, and each stack's duration is counted independently (max 3 stacks). You must first unlock the Ascension Talent "Reason Beyond Reason." Havoc: Sever · When Skirk uses the Elemental Burst Havoc: Ruin, she will consume all Havoc: Sever stacks to initiate a coordinated attack in which each Havoc: Sever stack will deal 750% of Skirk's ATK as Cryo DMG. This DMG is considered Elemental Burst DMG. · When she uses Normal Attacks while in Seven-Phase Flash mode, 1 Havoc: Sever stack will be consumed when her third or fifth sequenced attacks hit an opponent to launch 3 coordinated attacks. Each coordinated attack deals 180% of Skirk's ATK as Cryo DMG. This damage is considered Normal Attack DMG. · When Skirk takes DMG while in Seven-Phase Flash mode, 1 Havoc: Sever stack will be consumed to decrease this DMG instance by 80% and attack nearby opponents 3 times, with each attack dealing 180% of Skirk's ATK as Cryo DMG. This DMG is considered Charged Attack DMG.

Is it worth getting?

Large power spike strongly recommended if you play this character regularly.

C0 Skirk is fully functional. Powerful Cryo DPS being one of the strongest characters currently available with the right teams.

Alternatives to Skirk

Not sure Skirk is right for you? Compare against other characters to find your best pull.

Escoffier
EscoffierCryoSub-DPS

Another Cryo Sub-DPS. Compare their weapon and artifact requirements, team synergies, and playstyle to decide which suits your roster better.

Read Comparison
Sandrone
SandroneCryoMain DPS

Another Cryo Main DPS. Compare their weapon and artifact requirements, team synergies, and playstyle to decide which suits your roster better.

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Wriothesley
WriothesleyCryoMain DPS

Another Cryo Main DPS. Compare their weapon and artifact requirements, team synergies, and playstyle to decide which suits your roster better.

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Aloy
AloyCryoMain DPS

Another Cryo Main DPS. Compare their weapon and artifact requirements, team synergies, and playstyle to decide which suits your roster better.

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