What is the best way to deal with the Rifthound Shoulders in Genshin Impact?

Rifthound Shoulders are a type of enemy in Genshin Impact that can be quite challenging due to their unique mechanics and high mobility. These enemies are part of the Rifthound family, which are known for their ability to inflict the Corrosion status, a debuff that causes your entire team to lose HP over time, regardless of shields. To effectively deal with Rifthound Shoulders, you need to understand their mechanics, use the right strategies, and optimize your team composition and gear.

First, letÔÇÖs discuss the mechanics of Rifthound Shoulders. These enemies are highly mobile and can teleport around the battlefield, making them difficult to hit. They also have a high resistance to physical damage, so relying solely on physical DPS characters like Eula or Razor may not be the most effective strategy. Additionally, Rifthound Shoulders can inflict Corrosion, which bypasses shields and affects all party members, making healing an essential part of your strategy. When their HP drops below a certain threshold, they enter a berserk state, increasing their aggression and attack speed. This makes it crucial to manage your teamÔÇÖs health and energy levels effectively.

To deal with Rifthound Shoulders, you should focus on elemental damage, particularly from characters who can deal consistent AoE (Area of Effect) damage. Characters like Ganyu, Ayaka, or Hu Tao are excellent choices because they can deal high elemental damage and have abilities that can hit multiple enemies at once. Additionally, characters with crowd control abilities, such as Venti or Kazuha, can help keep the Rifthounds in place, making them easier to target.

One effective strategy is to use elemental reactions to maximize your damage output. For example, pairing a Hydro character like Xingqiu or Mona with a Pyro character like Hu Tao or Diluc can trigger Vaporize reactions, which significantly increase your damage. Alternatively, using a Cryo character like Ganyu or Ayaka with an Electro character like Fischl or Raiden Shogun can trigger Superconduct, reducing the enemyÔÇÖs physical resistance and making them more vulnerable to follow-up attacks.

Healing is another critical aspect of dealing with Rifthound Shoulders. Since Corrosion affects all party members, having a reliable healer like Bennett, Jean, or Kokomi is essential. Bennett is particularly useful because he not only heals but also provides an attack boost, making him a versatile support character. If you donÔÇÖt have a dedicated healer, consider using food or gadgets like the NRE (Nutritional Ready-to-Eat) to keep your teamÔÇÖs health up.

When it comes to team composition, a balanced team with a mix of DPS, support, and healing is ideal. For example, a team consisting of Hu Tao (Pyro DPS), Xingqiu (Hydro support), Bennett (Pyro healer), and Kazuha (Anemo crowd control) can be very effective. Hu Tao and Xingqiu can trigger Vaporize reactions, Bennett provides healing and attack boosts, and Kazuha can group enemies together and increase elemental damage.

Artifact and weapon choices are also important for optimizing your teamÔÇÖs performance. For DPS characters, focus on artifacts that increase their elemental damage and critical rate/damage, such as the Crimson Witch of Flames set for Pyro characters or the Blizzard Strayer set for Cryo characters. For support characters, artifacts that increase energy recharge and elemental mastery, such as the Emblem of Severed Fate or Viridescent Venerer sets, are ideal. Weapons that boost elemental damage or provide energy recharge, like the Staff of Homa for Hu Tao or the Sacrificial Sword for Xingqiu, can also be very effective.

In terms of advanced techniques, mastering your teamÔÇÖs energy management and rotation is key. Make sure to use your charactersÔÇÖ elemental bursts strategically to maximize damage and trigger elemental reactions. For example, using XingqiuÔÇÖs burst before switching to Hu Tao can ensure that every attack triggers Vaporize. Additionally, learning to dodge and time your attacks can help you avoid taking unnecessary damage from the RifthoundsÔÇÖ aggressive attacks.

Common mistakes to avoid include relying too heavily on physical damage, neglecting healing, and failing to manage energy effectively. Physical damage is less effective against Rifthound Shoulders due to their high resistance, so prioritize elemental damage instead. Neglecting healing can lead to your team being overwhelmed by Corrosion, so always have a healer or healing items ready. Finally, failing to manage energy can leave you without crucial abilities when you need them most, so make sure to build energy recharge into your artifacts and weapons.

In summary, dealing with Rifthound Shoulders requires a combination of elemental damage, healing, and strategic team composition. Focus on characters who can deal consistent elemental damage and trigger powerful reactions, and make sure to have a reliable healer to counter Corrosion. Optimize your artifacts and weapons to maximize your teamÔÇÖs effectiveness, and avoid common mistakes like relying on physical damage or neglecting healing. With the right strategy and preparation, you can effectively take down Rifthound Shoulders and overcome their challenges.