How do I counter the Rifthound Heels in Genshin Impact?

Rifthound Heels are a type of enemy in Genshin Impact that can be quite challenging due to their mobility, high damage output, and ability to inflict the Corrosion status. To effectively counter them, you need to understand their mechanics, prepare a suitable team, and employ specific strategies during combat.

Rifthound Heels are part of the Rifthound family, which includes both the smaller Rifthound Whelps and the larger Rifthound Heels. These enemies are highly mobile, often teleporting around the battlefield, and they deal significant damage with their attacks. One of their most dangerous abilities is the Corrosion status, which causes your entire team to lose HP over time, regardless of whether the active character is shielded. This makes healing and sustain crucial when fighting them.

To counter Rifthound Heels, you should first focus on their elemental weaknesses. Rifthounds are weak to Geo and Anemo elements, but they are particularly vulnerable to Geo damage. Using a Geo character like Zhongli, Albedo, or Ningguang can help you deal consistent damage and break their shields more effectively. Additionally, Anemo characters like Kazuha, Venti, or Sucrose can group them together, making it easier to hit multiple enemies at once.

When engaging Rifthound Heels, it is important to maintain distance and avoid their lunging attacks. They often teleport behind you, so be ready to dodge or use a shield to block their strikes. Characters with strong shields, such as Zhongli or Diona, can provide additional protection and reduce the impact of their attacks. If you do get hit and suffer from Corrosion, make sure to have a healer in your team. Characters like Bennett, Jean, or Barbara can quickly restore your team's HP and mitigate the effects of Corrosion.

Team composition is key when fighting Rifthound Heels. A balanced team with a mix of DPS, support, and healing is ideal. For example, you could use a team consisting of Zhongli for shielding and Geo damage, Bennett for healing and attack buffs, Kazuha for crowd control and elemental damage amplification, and a main DPS like Hu Tao or Ganyu to deal high damage. This setup ensures you have both the damage output and sustain needed to handle the Rifthounds.

Artifact and weapon choices also play a significant role in countering Rifthound Heels. For your DPS characters, focus on artifacts that increase their damage output, such as the Crimson Witch of Flames set for Pyro characters or the Blizzard Strayer set for Cryo characters. For support characters, consider using the Noblesse Oblige set to boost your team's overall damage. Weapons should be chosen based on your character's role, with a focus on high base attack and useful passives. For example, the Staff of Homa is excellent for Hu Tao, while the Skyward Harp works well for Ganyu.

One common mistake when fighting Rifthound Heels is neglecting to heal your team regularly. The Corrosion status can quickly whittle down your team's HP, so make sure to keep an eye on your health bars and use healing abilities as needed. Another mistake is failing to dodge their attacks, which can lead to unnecessary damage and potentially losing a character. Always be aware of their movements and be ready to dodge or shield.

Advanced techniques include using elemental reactions to your advantage. For example, combining Pyro and Hydro to trigger Vaporize can significantly increase your damage output. Additionally, using crowd control abilities to group the Rifthounds together can make it easier to hit multiple enemies with AoE attacks. Timing your bursts and abilities to coincide with their teleportation can also help you land more hits and maximize your damage.

In specific scenarios, such as fighting multiple Rifthound Heels in the Spiral Abyss, it is important to prioritize targets and manage your cooldowns effectively. Focus on taking down one Rifthound at a time while keeping the others at bay with crowd control. Use your bursts strategically to deal massive damage and clear the stage quickly.

In summary, countering Rifthound Heels in Genshin Impact requires a combination of understanding their mechanics, preparing a balanced team, and employing effective strategies during combat. By focusing on their elemental weaknesses, maintaining distance, and using healing and shielding abilities, you can overcome these challenging enemies. With the right team composition, artifacts, and weapons, you can optimize your damage output and sustain, making the fight against Rifthound Heels much more manageable.