With all the spectacular sights Travellers will encounter in Natlan, it’s ideal to have a knowledgeable guide like Mualani to show you around. As a member of the People of the Springs, Mualani knows the ins and outs of Natlan and will get you where you want to be as safely and smoothly as possible. This sweet and energetic surfer girl is a 5-star Catalyst user who excels in dealing massive bursts of Hydro DMG, and today, we’ll be going over her kit, playstyle, and optimal builds to help you decide if she’s the next Main DPS for you!
Mualani’s Playstyle and Talents
Mualani’s playstyle focuses on collecting Wave Momentum stacks during her Elemental Skill, Surfshark Wavebreaker. This and the rest of her kit allow her to dish out slow but devastating Hydro DMG blows, making her an ideal Main DPS for Vaporize teams.
Cooling Treatment (Normal Attack)
Mualani performs up to 3 attacks with a Pufferball. While doing Charged Attacks, Mualani smacks the Pufferball into the air, dealing AoE Hydro DMG upon impact.
Surfshark Wavebreaker (Elemental Skill)
Mualani rides her Sharky Surfboard, and gains increased movement speed and interruption resistance. During this state, Mualani enters Nightsoul’s Blessing state, converting her Normal Attacks into Sharky Bites and dealing Hydro DMG based on her Max HP.
When Mualani makes contact with enemies during this state, she marks them as prey and gains 1 Wave Momentum stack. Reaching the maximum of 3 stacks amplifies the damage of Sharky Bites significantly, and hitting enemies marked as prey will grant an even greater damage bonus.
Boomsharka-laka (Elemental Burst)
Mualani fires a Super Shark Missile that can track enemies. At level 10, it deals Hydro DMG based on 105% of Mualani’s Max HP. With a 15-second cooldown and a low energy cost of 60, Boomsharka-laka is the best way to end your rotations.
Heat-Resistant Freshwater Floater (1st Ascension Passive)
A Puffer will appear when a Sharky Bite hits an opponent, allowing Mualani to stay in the Nightsoul’s Blessing State for longer. The Puffer can only appear two times during every Elemental Skill usage.
Natlan’s Greatest Guide (4th Ascension Passive)
Mualani increases the damage of Boomsharka-laka every time a party member triggers a Nightsoul Burst–a unique damage instance that happens when switching into a Natlan character. This buff lasts for 20 seconds and can stack up to 3 times.
Crests and Troughs (Night Realm’s Gift Passive)
Natlan characters also have a Night Realm’s Gift Passive, granting them unique movement capabilities when switching into battle. You can trigger this by switching into Mualani while the current character sprints, swims, or uses specific talents. Crests and Troughs also decrease Mualani’s stamina consumption while moving on water.
Talent Priority
Levelling her Elemental Skill first ensures Mualani can deliver more consistent damage. Its slow Hydro DMG attacks make for consistent Vaporize hits when paired with trusty Pyro applicators like Xiangling. You can then raise her Elemental Burst level and leave her Normal Attacks for last.
Best Weapons
Surf’s Up, Mualani’s signature weapon, is a 5-star Catalyst that cranks up her damage potential to eleven. It comes with a 20% increase to the wielder’s Max HP and an Elemental DMG bonus that could reach up to 48%.
For F2P players not planning on pulling her best-in-slot, the new craftable weapon called the Ring of Yaxche is your best bet. At level 90, it gives you 41.3% more Max HP and a 16% Elemental DMG bonus that lasts for 10 seconds.
Best Artifacts
The best thing about Mualani is that she’s super easy to build; she scales off of a single stat, and her ascension stat is Crit Rate. We can narrow our focus to Max HP, Crit DMG, and some Elemental Mastery.
Obsidian Codex set
- 2-piece bonus: Increases damage by 15% while in Nightsoul’s Blessing state.
- 4-piece bonus: Increases Crit Rate by 40% for 6 seconds after consuming 1 Nightsoul Point.
Marechaussee Hunter set
- 2-piece bonus: Increases Normal and Charge Attack damage by 15%.
- 4-piece bonus: Increases Crit Rate by 12% when your current HP increases or decreases.
Best Team Comps
Vape Traditional
- Mualani (Main DPS)
- Xiangling (Sub-DPS)
- Kazuha (Crowd control, damage buff)
- Barbara/Kokomi (Healer, Hydro Resonance)
In this traditional Vaporize team, Xiangling’s Pyronado ensures quick Pyro application for Mualani to trigger the Vaporize reaction consistently. Kazuha can use the Viridescent Venerer set to boost the team’s overall Elemental DMG while controlling the crowd. Choosing Kokomi or Barbara for the 4th slot improves the team’s survivability and activates the Hydro Resonance (Max HP + 25%), strengthening Mualani even more.
Vape-Burning
- Mualani (Main DPS)
- Xiangling (Sub-DPS)
- Nahida (Support, Dendro application)
- Zhongli (Support, shielder)
Utilizing the Burning reaction allows for faster Pyro application, eliminating the need to time Mualani’s Sharky Bites. Nahida’s 1st Ascension Passive also adds to Mualani’s overall damage as it boosts the team’s Elemental Mastery by 25%, while Zhongli’s Jade Shield ensures the team overcomes any challenge scot-free.
The Natlan roster is off to a good start with Mualani, a main DPS with high damage potential and fun movement mechanics. It is also exciting to see how HoYoverse will develop the new Nightsoul Burst mechanic, as it can give Mualani better synergies with future Natlan characters.
Ready to add Mualani to your Genshin Impact team? Don’t forget to top up your Genesis Crystals only through Codashop to enjoy a safe and secure payment process!
