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

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

First, let's discuss the mechanics of Rifthound Carpals. 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 is not ideal. Additionally, when they are hit, they can enter a state called "Riftstalker Mode," where they become more aggressive and gain increased resistance to damage. To counter this, you need to use elemental damage and reactions effectively.

One of the most effective strategies against Rifthound Carpals is to use characters with strong elemental abilities and reactions. For example, Pyro characters like Hu Tao or Diluc can trigger Vaporize reactions with Hydro characters like Xingqiu or Mona, dealing massive damage. Similarly, Electro characters like Raiden Shogun or Fischl can trigger Overload reactions with Pyro characters, causing explosive damage that can quickly deplete the Carpals' health.

When engaging Rifthound Carpals, it's important to focus on dodging their attacks while maintaining a steady stream of damage. Their teleportation ability can make them unpredictable, so always be ready to adjust your position. Use characters with crowd control abilities, such as Venti or Sucrose, to group them together and make it easier to hit multiple enemies at once. This can also help you trigger elemental reactions more efficiently.

One common mistake players make is neglecting to heal their characters. The Corrosion status can quickly wear down your team's HP, so having a reliable healer like Bennett or Jean is crucial. Bennett is particularly useful because he not only heals but also provides an attack boost, making him a versatile support character. Another mistake is not using elemental reactions effectively. Rifthound Carpals have high resistance to physical damage, so relying on elemental damage and reactions is key to defeating them quickly.

For advanced techniques, consider using characters with high burst damage to take down Rifthound Carpals before they can enter Riftstalker Mode. Characters like Ganyu or Ayaka can deal massive Cryo damage, which can be further amplified by triggering Melt reactions with Pyro characters. Additionally, using characters with shields, like Zhongli or Diona, can help mitigate the damage from the Carpals' attacks and reduce the impact of Corrosion.

When it comes to team composition, a balanced team with a mix of DPS, support, and healing characters is ideal. For example, a team consisting of Hu Tao (Pyro DPS), Xingqiu (Hydro support), Bennett (Pyro healer), and Zhongli (Geo shielder) can be very effective. This team allows you to trigger Vaporize reactions consistently while also providing healing and shielding to keep your team alive.

Artifact and weapon recommendations are also important for optimizing your team's performance. For DPS characters, focus on artifacts that increase their elemental damage and critical rate, 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, like the Noblesse Oblige set, are ideal. Weapons should be chosen based on the character's role, with DPS characters benefiting from high attack weapons like the Staff of Homa or the Mistsplitter Reforged, while support characters can use weapons that provide energy recharge or elemental mastery, like the Sacrificial Sword or the Favonius Warbow.

In specific scenarios, such as fighting multiple Rifthound Carpals at once, it's important to prioritize targets and manage your cooldowns effectively. Focus on taking down one Carpals at a time while using crowd control abilities to keep the others at bay. Make sure to use your elemental bursts strategically to maximize damage and trigger elemental reactions.

In conclusion, dealing with Rifthound Carpals in Genshin Impact requires a combination of understanding their mechanics, using effective strategies, and optimizing your team composition and gear. By focusing on elemental damage and reactions, maintaining a balanced team, and avoiding common mistakes, you can effectively take down these challenging enemies and progress through the game.