Varka GUIDE
Understand Varka
Useful when…
- Tapping Skill to enter Sturm und Drang and enhance Normal and Charged Attacks.
- Using eligible party elements to enable Four Winds' Ascension and Azure Devour.
- Holding Skill to charge a leap whose distance increases with charge time.
Sturm und Drang and party elements
Tapping Windbound Execution makes Varka leap and slash, then enters Sturm und Drang for 12 seconds. Normal and Charged Attack DMG increases, and plunging attacks are unavailable in this mode. His dual claymores deal corresponding Elemental DMG based on party characters' Elemental Types; the damage cannot be overridden by infusions. If the party includes Pyro, Hydro, Electro, or Cryo characters, Windbound Execution becomes Four Winds' Ascension, dealing corresponding Elemental DMG and Anemo DMG. He can spend uses of that special Skill on Azure Devour, a special Charged Attack that costs no Stamina and deals corresponding Elemental and Anemo damage. His Burst, Northwind Avatar, performs two Anemo slashes; the first slash converts according to the stated element priority when the party has eligible elements.
Party bonuses and Swirl stacks
Dawn Wind's March checks for Pyro, Hydro, Electro, or Cryo party members. For every 1,000 ATK, Varka gains a 10% Anemo DMG Bonus and a corresponding Elemental DMG Bonus, up to a 25% bonus; only one eligible element gains that bonus, following the stated priority order. A separate check boosts his Normal Attacks, Charged Attacks, Azure Devour, and Four Winds' Ascension in Sturm und Drang to 140% of original DMG with at least two Anemo characters or at least two characters of the same eligible element. If both conditions are met together, that effect rises to 220%. Nearby party members triggering Swirl or Stellar Swirl grant Azure Fang's Oath stacks, each increasing the listed attacks' DMG by 7.5% for eight seconds, up to four stacks.
Talent and ascension materials
Normal Attack levels affect his attack sequence, Skill levels affect the Skill and its mode attacks, and Burst levels affect Northwind Avatar. Ascension examples list Vayuda Turquoise, Wolfhook, Drive Shafts, and Prismatic Severed Tail at later stages. A listed level 9-to-10 combat talent step costs 700,000 Mora, 16 Philosophies of Freedom, 12 Precision Drive Shafts, two Ascended Sample: Rook, and a Crown of Insight.
Limits and comparisons
Tapping Skill enters the combat mode; holding it charges a leap. Plunging attacks are unavailable during Sturm und Drang. Party composition determines corresponding elemental damage, and Burst conversion follows a priority order. His passive reduces held-Skill cooldown by 5% per Mondstadt party member, but does not work in Domains, Trounce Domains, or Spiral Abyss.
Limitations and tradeoffs
- Sturm und Drang strengthens attacks but disables plunging.
- Elemental damage and special attacks depend on party composition.
- Held Skill charges a leap rather than entering the tapped combat mode.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Holding Skill when intending to activate Sturm und Drang, which requires a tap.
- Attempting plunging attacks during Sturm und Drang.
- Assuming all eligible party elements are applied at once.
Effects and reference details
Favonius Bladework: Dancing Radiance · Normal attack
Normal Attack
Imitating an ancient knightly war-dance, Varka wields dual claymores to perform up to 5 consecutive strikes.
Charged Attack
Consumes a certain amount of Stamina to charge forward and perform an especially powerful dual blade slash toward the front.
Plunging Attack
Plunges from mid-air to strike the ground below, damaging opponents along the path and dealing AoE DMG upon impact.
Purchased talent coefficients at level 1 and 1. These are individual skill values; they do not represent total build damage.
| Effect | Level 1 | Level 1 |
|---|
| 1-Hit DMG | 65.5% | 65.5% |
| 2-Hit DMG | 24.0%+44.6% | 24.0%+44.6% |
| 3-Hit DMG | 32.4%+60.2% | 32.4%+60.2% |
| 4-Hit DMG | 55.4%+29.8% | 55.4%+29.8% |
| 5-Hit DMG | 69.7%+37.6% | 69.7%+37.6% |
| Charged Attack DMG | 85.6%+46.1% | 85.6%+46.1% |
| Charged Attack Stamina Cost | 50.0 | 50.0 |
| Plunge DMG | 74.6% | 74.6% |
| Low/High Plunge DMG | 149%/186% | 149%/186% |
Windbound Execution · Elemental skill
Manifest the true essence of Favonius Bladework with absolute power. Produces different effects depending on whether the skill is Tapped or Held.
Tap
Leap forward and slash in one fluid motion, dealing AoE Anemo DMG and switching to **Sturm und Drang** mode.
While in Sturm und Drang, Varka's Normal Attack and Charged Attack DMG is increased, and he cannot perform Plunging Attacks. Also, when performing Normal or Charged Attacks, Varka's dual-wielded claymores will deal corresponding Elemental DMG based on the Elemental Types of the characters in the party, respectively. This Elemental DMG cannot be overridden by infusions.
Additionally, when in Sturm und Drang, if there are Pyro, Hydro, Electro or Cryo characters in the party, Varka's Elemental Skill Windbound Execution will be converted to the special Elemental Skill, **Four Winds' Ascension**, dealing corresponding Elemental DMG and Anemo DMG. Additionally, Varka can also expend uses of the special Elemental Skill Four Winds' Ascension to perform a special Charged Attack, Azure Devour, that does not consume stamina to deal corresponding Elemental DMG and Anemo DMG.
Hold
After charging for a while, leap forward. The duration of the charge will increase the distance of the leap.
Purchased talent coefficients at level 1 and 1. These are individual skill values; they do not represent total build damage.
| Effect | Level 1 | Level 1 |
|---|
| Skill DMG | 278.4% | 278.4% |
| Press CD | 16.0s | 16.0s |
| Hold CD | 8.0s | 8.0s |
| Sturm und Drang Duration | 12.0s | 12.0s |
| Sturm und Drang 1-Hit DMG | 81.8% | 81.8% |
| Sturm und Drang 2-Hit DMG | 30.0%+55.7% | 30.0%+55.7% |
| Sturm und Drang 3-Hit DMG | 40.5%+75.3% | 40.5%+75.3% |
| Sturm und Drang 4-Hit DMG | 69.3%+37.3% | 69.3%+37.3% |
| Sturm und Drang 5-Hit DMG | 87.2%+46.9% | 87.2%+46.9% |
| Sturm und Drang Charged Attack DMG | 107.0%+57.6% | 107.0%+57.6% |
| Four Winds' Ascension DMG | 175.8%+94.6% | 175.8%+94.6% |
| Azure Devour DMG | 93.6%×2+50.4%×2 | 93.6%×2+50.4%×2 |
| Four Winds' Ascension CD | 11.0s | 11.0s |
Northwind Avatar · Elemental burst
In the name of the mightiest Knight of Boreas, unleash a powerful double slash attack toward the front, dealing 2 instances of Anemo DMG.
If there are Pyro, Hydro, Electro or Cryo characters in the party, the first slash will be converted to deal corresponding Elemental DMG according to the aforementioned priority order of Elemental Types.
Purchased talent coefficients at level 1 and 1. These are individual skill values; they do not represent total build damage.
| Effect | Level 1 | Level 1 |
|---|
| Skill 1-Hit DMG | 337.0% | 337.0% |
| Skill 2-Hit DMG | 181.4% | 181.4% |
| CD | 15.0s | 15.0s |
| Energy Cost | 60 | 60 |
Dawn Wind's March
When there are Pyro, Hydro, Electro or Cryo characters in the party, according to the aforementioned priority order of Elemental Types, every 1,000 points of Varka's ATK will grant Varka a 10% Anemo DMG Bonus and corresponding Elemental DMG Bonus (among the aforementioned Elemental Types, only one element can gain bonus DMG this way). Up to 25% bonus DMG can be gained this way.
Additionally, if there are at least 2 Anemo characters, or at least 2 characters of the same Element among Pyro, Hydro, Electro or Cryo in the party, the Normal Attacks, Charged Attacks, Special Charged Attack Azure Devour and the special Elemental Skill **Four Winds' Ascension** that Varka deals or unleashes while in the **Sturm und Drang** mode will deal 140% of their original DMG. If there are at least 2 Anemo characters and at least 2 other characters of the same element among Pyro, Hydro, Electro or Cryo present in the party at the same time, the aforementioned effect will be increased to 220%.
Wind's Vanguard
When nearby party members trigger a Swirl or Stellar Swirl reaction, Varka gains 1 stack of Azure Fang's Oath, increasing the DMG dealt by his Normal Attacks, Charged Attacks, special Charged Attack Azure Devour and special Elemental Skill **Four Winds' Ascension** by 7.5% for 8s. Max 4 stacks. Each character can grant Varka with 1 stack of Azure Fang's Oath every second this way.
Homebound Wind's Paean
For every party member from Mondstadt, the Hold version of Varka's Elemental Skill Windbound Execution's CD is decreased by 5%.
This effect does not trigger in Domains, Trounce Domains, or the Spiral Abyss.
