Gilgamesh vs Phainon
Gilgamesh vs Phainon — two Destruction characters competing for the same roster slot.
TL;DR — Quick Pick
Pick Gilgamesh if…
- You need a Lightning Destruction unit and Gilgamesh's kit matches your account gap.
- You prefer Main DPS gameplay over Phainon's Main DPS identity.
- YES for Lightning Destruction — Gilgamesh pressures elites with Gate of Babylon and Enuma Elish while teammate Ultimates feed Amuse Me to the Fullest.
Pick Phainon if…
- You need a Physical Destruction unit and Phainon's kit matches your account gap.
- You prefer Main DPS gameplay over Gilgamesh's Main DPS identity.
- Yes—Phainon is a top Physical Destruction carry.
Gilgamesh and Phainon are both Destruction investments that answer different account needs. Gilgamesh (Lightning, Main DPS) shines when YES for Lightning Destruction — Gilgamesh pressures elites with Gate of Babylon and Enuma Elish while teammate Ultimates feed Amuse Me to the Fullest.. Phainon (Physical, Main DPS) is the better commit when Yes—Phainon is a top Physical Destruction carry.. Compare signature builds, team requirements, and your existing supports before pulling either.
At a Glance
Strengths & Weaknesses
Gilgamesh
- Ultimate “Enuma Elish” hits every enemy on the field in one cast—level this before polishing filler traces.
- “Gate of Babylon” Blast-hits the main target plus adjacent enemies, so adjacent elites still take meaningful chip without waiting for Ultimate.
- Talent “"Amuse Me to the Fullest"” When a teammate uses their Ultimate—damage keeps flowing even when Gilgamesh is not the active turn.
- Follow-Ups from “"Amuse Me to the Fullest"” need allies who actually Basic ATK on schedule—freeze/CC on the team stalls Gilgamesh’s off-turn damage.
- E0 without “I Am As You Behold” is still clearable, but the gap versus a signature copy is larger than a single eidolon for most Destruction carries—plan the cone before deep eidolon hunting.
- Spamming “Gate of Babylon” every turn without watching Skill Points strands the rest of the team—Gilgamesh is often the SP sink.
Phainon
- Ultimate “He Who Bears the World Must Burn” hits every enemy on the field in one cast—most of the kit’s damage lives inside that window, not on filler Basics.
- “Let There Be Light” Blast-hits the main target plus adjacent enemies, so adjacent elites still take meaningful chip without waiting for Ultimate.
- Talent “Pyric Corpus” buffs allies’ damage for a short window—ignore it and Phainon plays like a worse generic Destruction unit.
- E0 without “Thus Burns the Dawn” is still clearable, but the gap versus a signature copy is larger than a single eidolon for most Destruction carries—plan the cone before deep eidolon hunting.
- If Energy or Skill Points starve “He Who Bears the World Must Burn”, Phainon spends turns on Basics and the kit’s advertised multipliers never show up on the combat log.
- Spamming “Let There Be Light” every turn without watching Skill Points strands the rest of the team—Phainon is often the SP sink.
Shared Team Members
With Gilgamesh
Sunday is the Advance / DMG amp — time their Skill/Ult for both carries’ damage windows.
With Phainon
Sunday is the Advance / DMG amp — time their Skill/Ult for the carry’s damage window.
With Gilgamesh
Tingyun is the Advance / Energy amp — keep her Skill on Gilgamesh for Ult uptime.
With Phainon
Tingyun is the Advance / DMG amp — time their Skill/Ult for the carry’s damage window.
With Gilgamesh
Pela applies DEF shred / vulnerability so the carry’s multipliers actually land.
With Phainon
Pela applies DEF shred / vulnerability so the carry’s multipliers actually land.
With Gilgamesh
Gallagher covers healing so the carry can stay on-curve without a limited Abundance.
With Phainon
Gallagher covers healing (and often Energy / cleanse) so the carry can stay on-curve.
Best Builds (Signature)
Light Cone
I Am As You Behold
Relics
Scholar Lost in Erudition (4pc) + Inert Salsotto (2pc)
Body
CRIT Rate%
Feet
ATK%
Sphere
Lightning DMG%
Rope
ATK%
Substats
CRIT Rate ≥ CRIT DMG > ATK% > SPD
Light Cone
Thus Burns the Dawn
Relics
Scholar Lost in Erudition (4pc) + Inert Salsotto (2pc)
Body
CRIT Rate%
Feet
ATK%
Sphere
Physical DMG%
Rope
ATK%
Substats
CRIT Rate ≥ CRIT DMG > ATK% > SPD
Who Should You Pull?
- You need a Lightning Destruction unit and Gilgamesh's kit matches your account gap.
- You prefer Main DPS gameplay over Phainon's Main DPS identity.
- YES for Lightning Destruction — Gilgamesh pressures elites with Gate of Babylon and Enuma Elish while teammate Ultimates feed Amuse Me to the Fullest.
- Best with Saber / Sunday / Huohuo (Fate dual-Destruction).
- Gilgamesh is a stronger general pull priority for your roster.
- You need a Physical Destruction unit and Phainon's kit matches your account gap.
- You prefer Main DPS gameplay over Gilgamesh's Main DPS identity.
- Yes—Phainon is a top Physical Destruction carry.
- Ultimate “He Who Bears the World Must Burn” hits every enemy on the field in one cast.
- Phainon is a stronger general pull priority for your roster.