How do I counter 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 includes both Rifthound Whelps and Rifthound Shoulders. They are primarily found in areas like Tsurumi Island and are known for their ability to inflict the Corrosion status, which drains the health of your entire party over time. To effectively counter Rifthound Shoulders, you need to understand their mechanics, build a suitable team, and employ specific strategies during combat.

First, letÔÇÖs discuss the mechanics of Rifthound Shoulders. These enemies are highly mobile and can teleport around the battlefield, making them difficult to target. They also have a unique ability to inflict Corrosion, which bypasses shields and directly damages your charactersÔÇÖ health. This status effect can stack, meaning the longer you are exposed to their attacks, the more damage your team will take. Additionally, Rifthound Shoulders have a high resistance to physical damage, so relying solely on physical DPS characters may not be effective. Instead, you should focus on elemental damage and reactions to take them down efficiently.

To counter Rifthound Shoulders, you need to prioritize characters and strategies that can deal consistent elemental damage and apply crowd control. One effective strategy is to use characters with strong AoE (Area of Effect) abilities to hit them even when they teleport. Characters like Ganyu, Ayaka, or Kazuha are excellent choices because their abilities can cover a wide area and deal significant elemental damage. Additionally, characters with crowd control abilities, such as Venti or Sucrose, can help keep the Rifthounds in place, making them easier to target.

Another important aspect of countering Rifthound Shoulders is managing the Corrosion status. Since Corrosion affects your entire team, itÔÇÖs crucial to have a reliable healer in your party. Characters like Bennett, Jean, or Kokomi can provide consistent healing to counteract the damage from Corrosion. Bennett is particularly useful because his Elemental Burst not only heals but also provides an attack boost, enhancing your teamÔÇÖs overall damage output.

When it comes to team composition, a balanced team with strong elemental synergy is key. For example, a team consisting of Ganyu (Cryo DPS), Xiangling (Pyro support), Bennett (Healer and buffer), and Kazuha (Anemo crowd control) can be highly effective. GanyuÔÇÖs charged shots and Elemental Burst can deal massive Cryo damage, while XianglingÔÇÖs Pyronado can trigger Melt reactions for even more damage. Bennett provides healing and attack buffs, and Kazuha can group enemies together and increase elemental damage with his Swirl reactions.

Artifact and weapon choices also play a significant role in optimizing your team for fighting Rifthound Shoulders. For DPS characters like Ganyu or Ayaka, the Blizzard Strayer artifact set is ideal as it increases Cryo damage and critical rate against frozen or Cryo-affected enemies. For support characters like Bennett, the Noblesse Oblige set is a great choice as it boosts the teamÔÇÖs attack after using an Elemental Burst. Weapons should be chosen based on the characterÔÇÖs role, with a focus on increasing elemental damage or energy recharge. For example, Ganyu benefits greatly from the AmosÔÇÖ Bow, which increases her charged attack damage, while Bennett can use the Festering Desire to boost his Elemental Skill and Burst damage.

In terms of combat strategies, itÔÇÖs important to focus on timing your abilities and managing your energy. Rifthound Shoulders are fast and can teleport frequently, so you need to be ready to adapt your attacks. Use crowd control abilities like KazuhaÔÇÖs Elemental Skill or VentiÔÇÖs Elemental Burst to group them together, then follow up with powerful AoE attacks from your DPS characters. Keep an eye on your teamÔÇÖs health and use your healerÔÇÖs abilities as needed to counteract Corrosion.

One common mistake to avoid is relying too heavily on physical damage. Rifthound Shoulders have high resistance to physical attacks, so characters like Eula or Razor may not be as effective. Instead, focus on elemental damage and reactions to maximize your damage output. Another mistake is neglecting crowd control. Without crowd control, Rifthound Shoulders can easily teleport out of your attacks, making the fight longer and more difficult.

Advanced techniques include using elemental reactions to your advantage. For example, combining Cryo and Electro to trigger Superconduct can reduce the RifthoundsÔÇÖ physical resistance, making them slightly more vulnerable to physical attacks. However, since their primary weakness is elemental damage, reactions like Melt (Pyro + Cryo) or Vaporize (Hydro + Pyro) are more effective for dealing high damage.

In specific scenarios, such as fighting multiple Rifthound Shoulders at once, itÔÇÖs crucial to prioritize crowd control and AoE damage. Use characters like Venti or Kazuha to group them together, then unleash powerful AoE attacks from characters like Ganyu or Ayaka. Keep your healer ready to counteract Corrosion, and make sure to dodge their attacks to minimize damage taken.

In conclusion, countering Rifthound Shoulders in Genshin Impact requires a combination of understanding their mechanics, building a balanced team with strong elemental synergy, and employing effective combat strategies. Focus on elemental damage, use crowd control to keep them in place, and manage Corrosion with a reliable healer. By following these tips and optimizing your teamÔÇÖs artifacts and weapons, you can effectively take down Rifthound Shoulders and overcome their challenges.