Unveiling Eternity: A Comprehensive Guide to Mastering Genshin Impact’s Raiden Shogun

Raiden Shogun: The Electro Archon`s Toolkit

Raiden Shogun is a legendary 5-star Electro Polearm user, primarily designed to be an off-field damage dealer and an exceptional team battery. Her abilities revolve around building up “Resolve” and unleashing a powerful burst that not only deals immense Electro damage but also recharges her teammates` Elemental Bursts.

1. Normal Attack: Origin

Raiden performs up to five consecutive spear strikes. Her Charged Attack consumes Stamina to perform an upward thrust, while her Plunging Attack deals AoE damage upon impact. While aesthetically pleasing, her Normal Attacks are generally not the primary focus of her damage output, as her Burst takes center stage.

2. Elemental Skill: Transcendence: Baleful Omen

Upon activation, Raiden deals immediate Electro damage to nearby opponents and grants all nearby party members the Eye of Stormy Judgment. When characters with this Eye attack an enemy, the Eye unleashes an Electro AoE attack, dealing additional Electro damage. This effect can trigger once every 0.9 seconds. This skill is vital for consistent off-field Electro application and provides a damage bonus to your party`s Elemental Bursts.

3. Elemental Burst: Secret Art: Musou Shinsetsu

This is Raiden Shogun`s signature ability and the cornerstone of her kit. She unleashes an initial AoE Electro attack and then enters the awe-inspiring Musou Isshin state for a short duration, wielding her iconic Tachi sword. The damage of this initial attack, and her subsequent attacks within the Musou Isshin state, scales with the number of Chakra Desiderata (Resolve) stacks accumulated before activation.

• Musou Isshin State: While in this state, Raiden`s Normal, Charged, and Plunging Attacks are infused with Electro damage that cannot be overridden by other elemental infusions.
• Energy Restoration: Critically, hits from Raiden in the Musou Isshin state regenerate energy for all nearby party members (once per second). This turns her into an unparalleled battery, ensuring your team`s Elemental Bursts are ready for constant rotation.
• Resistance: During Musou Isshin, Raiden gains increased resistance to interruption and to Electro-Charged reaction damage.
• Resolve Stacks: Chakra Desiderata (Resolve) stacks are gained when other party members use their Elemental Bursts, with higher Energy Cost Bursts granting more stacks (up to a maximum of 60). This encourages a “Burst-centric” team playstyle, where everyone charges Raiden`s ultimate attack. The irony, of course, is that the Archon who sought eternity now dedicates her own “eternal” reign to ensuring everyone else gets their abilities back quickly.

Passive Talents: The Pillars of Her Power

Raiden Shogun`s passive talents significantly enhance her combat prowess and resource management.

• Transcendent Bolt: When ascending a Sword or Polearm, the Mora expended is decreased by 50%. A nice perk for weapon hoarders!
• Wishes Unnumbered: When nearby party members gain Elemental Orbs or Particles, Raiden Shogun gains 2 stacks of Chakra Desiderata. This effect can occur once every 3 seconds. This subtly fuels her Burst, even when not on the field.
• Enlightened One: For every 1% above 100% Energy Recharge Raiden Shogun possesses, she gains 0.6% greater Electro DMG Bonus and 0.4% greater Energy Restoration from Musou Isshin. This passive is crucial for her build, making Energy Recharge not just a utility stat but also a direct damage multiplier.

Constellations: Unlocking True Eternity

While Raiden Shogun is potent at C0, her constellations significantly boost her capabilities, with C2 being a major game-changer.

• C1: Ominous Inscription: Chakra Desiderata will accumulate even faster. Electro characters` Elemental Bursts grant 80% more Resolve, while other element characters` Bursts grant 20% more. This speeds up her Burst readiness.
• C2: Steelbreaker: While in the Musou Isshin state, Raiden Shogun`s attacks ignore 60% of opponents` Defense. This is a colossal damage increase, making her one of the hardest-hitting characters at this constellation level. For those aiming for maximum damage, C2 is often considered her best stopping point.
• C3: Shinkage Musou: Increases the Level of Secret Art: Musou Shinsetsu by 3. Maximum upgrade level is 15. More Burst levels mean more raw damage.
• C4: Pledge of True Faith: When the Musou Isshin state expires, all nearby party members (excluding Raiden Shogun herself) gain a 15% ATK Bonus for 10 seconds. A nice team-wide buff, reinforcing her support capabilities.
• C5: Shogun`s Descent: Increases the Level of Transcendence: Baleful Omen by 3. Maximum upgrade level is 15. Boosts her Elemental Skill`s off-field damage.
• C6: Wish-Bearer: While in the Musou Isshin state, Raiden Shogun`s Normal, Charged, and Plunging Attacks will decrease the Elemental Burst Cooldown of all nearby party members by 1 second when they hit opponents. This effect can trigger once every 1 second, and can trigger a total of 5 times during one Musou Isshin state. This offers significant cooldown reduction, further cycling team Bursts.

Ascension & Talent Materials: The Path to Power

To ascend the Electro Archon to her full glory, you`ll need to gather specific materials from Inazuma and beyond.

Ascension Materials:

• Storm Beads: Dropped by the Thunder Manifestation boss on Seirai Island in Inazuma. Prepare for an electrifying encounter!
• Amakumo Fruit: An Inazuman local specialty, these vibrant purple fruits are also found abundantly on Seirai Island.
• Vajrada Amethyst: Electro character ascension materials. Can be obtained from Electro Hypostasis, Electro Regisvine, or the weekly boss La Signora (Molten Moment also from her).
• Handguards: Old Handguard, Kageuchi Handguard, and Famed Handguard. Dropped by Nobushi and Kairagi samurai found across Inazuma. These can be surprisingly tedious to farm.

Talent Materials:

• Teachings/Guides/Philosophies of Light: Obtained from the “Violet Court” Domain in Inazuma on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays.
• Molten Moment: A weekly boss material dropped by La Signora. Remember to challenge her once a week to get your hands on this precious item.

Weapons: Forging the Blade of Eternity

Raiden Shogun`s weapon choice profoundly impacts her performance. Here are her best options:

• Engulfing Lightning (5-star, Signature): This is Raiden Shogun`s undisputed best-in-slot weapon. It boasts a high base ATK and provides a massive Energy Recharge substat. Its passive further boosts ATK by a percentage of Energy Recharge above 100%, perfectly synergizing with her “Enlightened One” passive. It effectively turns every bit of ER into both utility and damage.
• The Catch (4-star, F2P): The “F2P Queen`s Best Friend.” This polearm is exceptionally potent for Raiden Shogun, offering a substantial Energy Recharge substat and increasing Elemental Burst DMG and Elemental Burst Crit Rate. Being a free-to-play weapon obtainable through fishing, it`s highly accessible and, at max refinement, performs incredibly close to Engulfing Lightning. A true testament that you don`t always need to open your wallet to be powerful.
• Deathmatch (4-star, Battle Pass): A solid Battle Pass option. Its Crit Rate substat is highly valuable for balancing Raiden`s stats. Its passive grants ATK% based on the number of enemies nearby, and if there are two or more, it also provides DEF%. This weapon generally favors a more on-field, Burst-focused DPS Raiden.
• Wavebreaker`s Fin (4-star, Limited Banner): This polearm provides an ATK% substat and its passive increases Elemental Burst DMG for every point of the entire party`s combined maximum Energy. While good, “The Catch” often outperforms it due to its Crit Rate bonus and higher overall scaling for Raiden`s specific kit. However, if you have a high-refinement Wavebreaker`s Fin and no “The Catch,” it can be a decent alternative.

Artifacts: Dressing the Archon for War

Artifacts are critical for optimizing Raiden Shogun`s damage and energy generation.

• 4-Piece Emblem of Severed Fate: This set is Raiden Shogun`s absolute best-in-slot.
  • 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 this way. This set directly translates your high Energy Recharge into a massive damage boost for her Elemental Burst, making it tailor-made for her kit.
• 4-Piece Thundering Fury (Niche): While generally outperformed by Emblem of Severed Fate, this set can be an interesting option in specific Dendro-focused reaction teams (e.g., Hyperbloom, Aggravate) where Raiden consistently triggers reactions.
  • 2-Piece Bonus: Electro DMG Bonus +15%.
  • 4-Piece Bonus: Increases damage caused by Overloaded, Electro-Charged, Superconduct, and Hyperbloom by 40%. Triggering these reactions decreases Elemental Skill CD by 1s (once every 0.8s).

Artifact Main Stat Priority:

• Sands: Energy Recharge% (primary priority, aim for 200-250% total ER)
• Goblet: Electro DMG Bonus%
• Circlet: Crit Rate% or Crit DMG% (balance for a 1:2 ratio, e.g., 70% Crit Rate, 140% Crit DMG)

Artifact Substat Priority:

1. Crit Rate% / Crit DMG%
2. Energy Recharge% (until desired threshold, typically 200-250%)
3. ATK%
4. Flat ATK

Team Compositions: The Shogun`s Entourage

Raiden Shogun`s versatility allows her to fit into many powerful teams, excelling as both a sub-DPS and a team-wide battery.

1. Raiden National / Hypercarry

This classic team focuses on maximizing Raiden`s Burst damage while constantly cycling powerful off-field abilities.

• Raiden Shogun: Main Electro DPS, Battery.
• Kujou Sara (C6 highly recommended): Electro support, provides a significant ATK buff and Electro Crit DMG at C6. She is often considered Raiden`s signature support.
• Xiangling: Pyro off-field DPS with her devastating Pyronado. Raiden`s Electro application perfectly triggers Overload or Vaporize (if there`s a Hydro unit) with Xiangling`s Burst.
• Bennett: Universal buffer and healer. His Burst provides a massive ATK boost and heals the active character, making him indispensable.

This team excels in Spiral Abyss due to its incredible damage output and energy fluidity. The sheer amount of overlapping buffs and reactions can shred through even the toughest enemies.

2. Dendro Reaction Teams (Hyperbloom / Aggravate)

With the introduction of Dendro, Raiden Shogun found new ways to shine, especially as a consistent trigger for Hyperbloom or Aggravate reactions.

• Raiden Shogun: Electro trigger for reactions, Battery. (Often built with full Elemental Mastery for Hyperbloom triggering).
• Nahida: Dendro Archon, exceptional off-field Dendro application and buffs.
• Yae Miko / Fischl: Additional off-field Electro application to maintain Electro aura or trigger more reactions.
• Hydro Applier (e.g., Xingqiu, Yelan, Kokomi): For Hyperbloom teams, a consistent Hydro applicator is essential to generate Dendro Cores.

In these teams, Raiden typically focuses on Elemental Mastery if she`s the primary trigger for Hyperbloom, turning every Electro application into a devastating blow against Dendro Cores. Her constant Electro application from the Elemental Skill makes her an ideal candidate.