How do I counter the Rifthound Ulnae in Genshin Impact?

Rifthound Ulnae are formidable enemies in Genshin Impact, known for their agility and ability to inflict the Corrosion status, which drains the health of your entire team over time. To effectively counter them, you need to understand their mechanics, prepare the right team, and employ specific strategies during combat.

Rifthound Ulnae are part of the Rifthound family, which includes both the smaller Rifthound Whelps and the larger Rifthound Ulnae. These enemies are highly mobile and can teleport around the battlefield, making them difficult to hit. They are also resistant to physical damage, so relying on elemental damage is crucial. The most dangerous aspect of Rifthounds is their Corrosion effect, which can quickly deplete your team's health if not managed properly.

To counter Rifthound Ulnae, you should focus on using characters with strong elemental damage and crowd control abilities. Characters like Ganyu, Ayaka, or Hu Tao are excellent choices due to their high elemental damage output. Additionally, having a healer or shielder in your team is essential to mitigate the Corrosion effect. Characters like Zhongli, Diona, or Bennett can provide both healing and shielding, making them invaluable in these fights.

When engaging Rifthound Ulnae, start by using crowd control abilities to limit their mobility. Characters like Venti or Sucrose can group them together, making it easier to hit multiple enemies at once. Once they are grouped, unleash your strongest elemental attacks. For example, using Ganyu's charged shots or Ayaka's elemental burst can deal massive damage to multiple Rifthounds simultaneously.

It's important to keep an eye on your team's health and manage the Corrosion effect. If your characters start taking damage from Corrosion, switch to your healer and use their abilities to restore health. Bennett's elemental burst is particularly effective, as it provides both healing and an attack boost. Similarly, Diona's shield can absorb damage and her elemental burst can heal your team over time.

One common mistake is neglecting to bring a healer or shielder, which can lead to your team being overwhelmed by the Corrosion effect. Another mistake is relying too much on physical damage, which is less effective against Rifthounds. Always prioritize elemental damage and make sure your team has a good balance of damage dealers and support characters.

For advanced techniques, consider using elemental reactions to maximize your damage output. For example, combining Hydro and Electro to trigger Electro-Charged can deal continuous damage to multiple Rifthounds. Similarly, using Cryo and Electro to trigger Superconduct can reduce their physical resistance, making them more vulnerable to follow-up attacks.

In terms of team composition, a balanced team with a mix of damage dealers and support characters is ideal. For example, a team consisting of Ganyu (Cryo DPS), Xingqiu (Hydro support), Bennett (Pyro healer), and Zhongli (Geo shielder) can handle Rifthound Ulnae effectively. Ganyu provides strong Cryo damage, Xingqiu enables Freeze reactions, Bennett offers healing and attack boosts, and Zhongli provides shielding and crowd control.

Artifact and weapon choices are also important. For DPS characters like Ganyu or Ayaka, focus on artifacts that boost their elemental damage and critical rate. The Blizzard Strayer set is a great choice for Cryo characters, as it increases Cryo damage and critical rate against frozen enemies. For weapons, the Amos' Bow for Ganyu or the Mistsplitter Reforged for Ayaka can significantly enhance their damage output.

For support characters like Bennett or Diona, prioritize artifacts that increase their healing and energy recharge. The Noblesse Oblige set is a good choice, as it boosts elemental burst damage and provides an attack bonus to the team. For weapons, the Favonius Sword for Bennett or the Sacrificial Bow for Diona can help them generate energy more efficiently.

In specific scenarios, such as fighting multiple Rifthound Ulnae in the Spiral Abyss, it's crucial to manage your team's health and energy carefully. Use crowd control abilities to group the enemies together and focus on taking them out one by one. Keep your healer ready to restore health as needed, and make sure to trigger elemental reactions to maximize your damage output.

By understanding the mechanics of Rifthound Ulnae, preparing the right team, and employing effective strategies, you can counter these challenging enemies and emerge victorious in Genshin Impact.