In thisGenshin Impact GuideI’ll be explaining how to play the five star, Hydro support,Sangonomiya Kokomi.This is not a specific team build guide, but rather an in-depth analysis of the character, and her various roles. There are several amazing support characters in-game, and they deserve the spotlight. So I intend on continuing to release a series of support characters guides, going in detail on how to use them. Check out previous entries in the series,Shenhe In-Depth Cryo Support Guide, andAlbedo In-Depth Geo Support Guide.
Sangonomiya Kokomi In-Depth Hydro Support Guide
Kokomiis a five-star character, only obtainable from a limited-time banner. So the decision to spend your wishes on her requires some consideration. With a healer and Hydro Catalyst kit,Kokomiis one of the most flexible characters in game. She’s a good pick for new players, to enable a big number of teams from early on. At endgame,Kokomirole doesn’t diminish at all, but rather gets fleshed out further.
As a Catalyst user,Kokomihas access to some of the best support weapons in the game, which happen to be free. As for artifact sets, Kokomi can either use support sets, or the Clam set, that turns Kokomi into a sub DPS. For stats, she uses the least contested stats, of HP as well as Healing bonus. So she’s yet another cheap support to build.
Kokomi Support Roles
In Genshin Impact, there are five main roles, for support characters to fulfil.Damage mitigationis either by shielding, healing, or damage reduction buffs.Damage Buffer, through various stats boosts to team members.Energy Battery, where support characters are able to generate a lot of energy, to fulfil Burst requirements for high energy cost damage dealers.Enabler, which either applies certain elements to start a reaction, or to perform certain actions required for the main DPS to function. This includes on-field Drivers, who use normal attacks to proc attacks from off-field DPS. Finally, the most basic form of support is theSub-DPS,where support characters just provide some extra damage.
Typically, a good support can fulfil two or more roles, while a great support can take on most of them, or perform one of them to a great extent. So let’s go through all roles, and explore howKokomiperforms in each.
Damage Buffer (7/10)
Kokomidoesn’t have any innate buff for her team, as her kit revolves around other roles such as healing. However,Kokomihas access to some of the most powerful support weapons and artifact sets. Namely,Hakushin Ring, andThrilling Tales of Dragon Slayerscatalysts. The first gives a high damage multiplier to two elemental types in Electrocharged teams, and the second gives a massive 48% Attack bonus to one character of choice.
On the other hand,Kokomiis one of the few supports who can fully utilize theTenacity of the Millelithset. This set requires consistent hits from the Elemental Skill, and that’s exactly what Kokomi does. The good thing about these gear choices is that Kokomi doesn’t have to forfeit any of her other roles in order to use them. Meaning, that she stays a good healer, and enabler while using any of these damage buffers. So even without any innate buffs,Kokomistill fills the damage buffer role very efficiently.
Energy Battery (6/10)
Similar toAlbedo,Kokomileaves a turret on the ground with her elemental skill. This turret hits in every 2 seconds and has a chance to generate energy particles. You can extend the turret’s duration by using Kokomi’s Burst before the skill duration ends. So virtually, you have 100% turret uptime and an energy generation mechanic.
In terms of numbers, Kokomi generates exactly the same particles as Albedo. However, Kokomi generates hydro particles and Albedo’s Geo ones. While Geo main DPS characters such asArataki Itto, andNoelleneed a lot of energy and a battery. Hydro characters on the other hand, rarely need a battery. The main Hydro damage dealers, Ayato andTartaglia, usually run as sole Hydro in the team.Monais a Hydro support who entertains a full Energy Recharge build, instead of running Hydro as a battery. Finally,XingqiuwithSacrificial Sword, runs as a battery for himself, and for the team to a degree.
So what that leaves toKokomi, you may ask, and the answer is non-hydro teams. She can reduce energy requirement for some teams with mild energy problems, while filling other roles at the same time. An example of such teams asAyaka, andGanyufreeze teams. Both of these teams rely on elemental bursts, and both need to build at least some Energy Recharge. So overall, with the switch fromDionato Kokomi, you will do the following:
Sub-DPS (8/10)
With access to the artifact setOcean-Hued Clam,Kokomican play as a sub DPS support very efficiently. The set takes all healing and over-healing Kokomi does, and turns a portion of it into damage ticks every 3 seconds. The damage it deals is physical, which you’re able to’t buff any further, besides physical resistance shred.
Kokomi being a Hydro character, she’s rarely used in Physical teams. She can’t reach the damage cap without being played as an on-field driver. The issue with this is, that you have to build a team around Kokomi to capitalize on her sub DPS role. That’s not always possible, and only valid in certain teams.
Fortunately enough, the teams whereKokomionly plays off-field, are teams with very high DPS potential. So Kokomi is not expected to deal damage there. The teams where Kokomi is required to play on-field, are the teams where her personal damage matters. This is a brilliant design choice made by Genshin’s developers, and shows how perfectly balanced they make their characters.
So on one hand,Kokomican fill sub a DPS role, but requires field time. On the other hand, she can fill the enabler role, but contribute less DPS. So both choices are valid, in different circumstances.
It’s also important thatKokomi’s damage doesn’t come fromOcean-Hued Clamset alone. The attack speed of her normal attacks is fast enough to output decent single target damage during her burst. There’s also the fact that Kokomi doesn’t score critical hits, and scales her attack with HP as well as healing bonus instead. So she’s one of the most consistent damage dealers, and one of the easiest to reach her damage ceiling. True, such a ceiling is not very high, but damage from theOcean-Hued Clamset, scales with the same stats.
Enabler (9/10)
Have you heard of the claim that ‘Hydro is the best element in the game’? It’s a debatable claim, but it originates from the fact that Hydro can trigger a large number of the most useful reactions. That’s why even the worst Hydro characters still score highly in the Enabler role.
Kokomiis not one of the worst hydro characters, but rather one of the top two. It’s also whyKokomiis one of the best pulls for new players. She enables a lot of teams, starting with freeze, Electrocharged, Vaporize, and even mono Hydro. By “Enabling” I mean she’s the key component for these teams to work.
So a Cryo team wouldn’t be able to freeze without consistent Hydro application. If Hydro stops being applied for a couple of seconds, enemies will unfreeze, and you lose control over them. They can ungroup, and start wreaking havoc on your run. Kokomi has exactly 2-second intervals with her hydro application, and if managed optimally, she has 100% uptime.
The Electrocharged team on the other hand require even higher Hydro application, to keep proccing as many reactions as you may. The constant EC reaction allows the team to take advantage ofFischl’s Ascension 4 passive, which allows her to deal a lot higher damage. Electrocharged also allows for Anemo characters to proc different swirls at the same time, to deal additional instances of damage. Kokomi enables this by either playing an on-field carry, or an off-field support, or switch between these roles in the same team.
Finally, some Pyro off-field DPS such asXianglingcan Vaporize their hits afterKokomiapplies Hydro aura for them.
Damage Mitigation (9/10 On-Field - 7/10 Off-Field)
Kokomihas two methods of protecting the party. One is the obvious healing, and second is by applying interrupt resistance to herself, while on field.
Her elemental skill leaves a turret, taking every two seconds to heal and deal damage. With a fully built Kokomi, the healing from the skill alone is not big enough to mitigate all the damage your team takes. It only heals active characters, ticks slower thanBennett, and doesn’t have impressive numbers.Kokomi’s Elemental Burst though, enables her to heal the entire team, with each hit of her normal attacks.
Kokomihas a very fast attack speed, and if you use animation cancelling, she can hit twice per second. So the healing after her Burst is very impressive and allows her to face tank most enemies. This paired with a very high HP pool, and resistance to interruption, Kokomi is the ideal on-field driver, for a team with several off-field damage dealers.
Best Team Archetypes for Kokomi
Every support character you get from limited banners should fit in more than one team comp. That way, you get more value out of your resin and build a flexible roster. Kokomi is one of the most flexible characters, to fit in many teams. In this section, I’ll go through the basic concept of every team Kokomi can be built into.
Permanent Freeze
Freeze is an excellent archetype for most content, as it stops enemies from attacking and evading. In addition to that, it has very strong artifact sets that give great bonuses against frozen enemies. The typical composition of a freeze team is two Cryo, one Hydro, and one Anemo character, with some exceptions. For the hydro slot,Kokomiis one of the best picks, with excellent Hydro application from off-field.
Kokomi can heal, and apply enough Hydro, freeing up the other three slots for damage dealers and damage buffers. For example, in theAyaka freeze team build, where you useAyaka,Rosaria, andMona; in such a team, you have to use an Anemo healer in the last slot, such asJean, orSayu. Either of these two will offer resistance shred fromViridescent Venerer, but nothing else.
Now if you upgrade fromMonatoKokomi, you have a strong healer. So you can use a stronger Anemo unit, such asKazuha, who buffs your team, and gather enemies.
A similar concept could apply inGanyu,Venti,Mona, andDiona. UsingKokomiin place ofMona, free up the Cryo slot, and allow stronger buffer and DPS such as Shenhe, orRosariato enter the team.
Other freeze teams whereKokomifits, is with aRosariaandKaeyaQuick swap team. Where it spams elemental skill and burst, and doesn’t have time to do normal attacks to proc hits fromXingqiu.
Electrocharged (EC)
This type of team isKokomisignature team, and the one where she shine the most. Electrocharged is a unique reaction between Hydro and Electro; Where both elements stay on enemies, instead of being consumed. The beauty of Electrocharged is the way it keep ticking after first hit, allowing several reactions to occur in short period of time. The repeated reactions, can exploit certain talents, such asFischlAscension Four passive,Lightning Smite. BecauseLightning Smitedeals damage every time an Electro reaction occur, with no cooldown or limit.
Kokomican play on-field role in EC teams, driving bothFischl, andBeidouwith her normal attacks. Then you have the last slot in team open, for a strong damage buffer, such asKazuha, orSucrose. This version of EC team have the strength of four damage dealers, strong healer, and decent energy regeneration. It also have very consistent Hydro and Electro Aura, enabling the use of some strong sets such asThundersoother, even on none-Electro units.
On other hand, there’s some strong versions withKokomioff-field. it takes the form ofRaiden Shogunas on Field carry, Yae Miko, andKazuha. Kokomi play as a healer, and buffer, with any of support weapons, such asHakushin Ring, orThrilling Tales of Dragon Slayersand the artifact set,Tenacity of the Millelith.
There’s also some EC teams with two Hydro units, addingXingqiuto deal high single target dps, and debuff Hydro resistance, forKokomito deal more Hydro damage. Or teams that add Cryo units such asRosaria, to proc Superconduct and boostKokomiphysical damage fromOcean-Hued Clamset.
Over-Vaporize
This archetype derives from EC teams, and the fact that Hydro co-exists with Electro. Applying Pyro on top of that, causes two reactions to proc, Overload, and Vaporize. So if you have enough Elemental Mastery in the team, on top of attack and Crit, you get two strong reactions. The main team that can exploit such a style, isKokomi,Fischl,Sucrose, andXiangling.
It’s a unique team, that relies on the specific order of reactions and switching between on-field carry.Kokomitakes the field whileXianglingburst is up, to apply enough Hydro for Over-Vape. ThenSucrosetakes her place, afterXianglingburst runs out, to proc Hydro and Electro swirls.
Overall,Kokomiis the sole character that enables such a team, because she can keep applying hydro while on field, and off field. SoXianglingcan enjoy her over-vape, andSucrosestill finds Hydro aura to swirl, and keep proccing EC. It’s the perfect team for AOE situations, and the more enemies on the floor, the higher the clear speed.
There are a small number of variations to this team, one being Yae Miko used in place of Fischl.
Forward Vaporize
This archetype is very rare and barely viable. The basic concept of Vaporize is Pyro meeting Hydro. However, the reaction has two behaviour types, depending on which element is applied first. In Vaporize, Hydro is the stronger element, and Pyro is the weaker one. So if you apply Hydro, and proc vaporize with Pyro, you get a 50% multiple. We call this Reverse Vaporize. When you apply Pyro, then proc Vaporize with Hydro, you get a 100% multiplier. We call it Forward Vaporize.
However, since Hydro is two times stronger than Pyro, proccing Forward Vaporize consumes 2 units of Pyro; Effectively consuming any Pyro from the enemy, and applying hydro instead, preventing consistent Forward Vaporize. While Reverse Vaporize consumes half a unit of Hydro aura, effectively leaving Hydro aura on enemies, for additional reactions.
So in a realistic scenario, keeping a Hydro aura on an enemy is easier, while proccing Reverse Vaporize is more consistent. That’s why Pyro characters are widely accepted as damage dealers and Hydro as support. Even though you could argue against it in special cases, andKokomiis one of them.
KokomiForward Vaporize Case
As a Catalyst user, Kokomi can use Charged Attacks without going into a normal attack first. This means she has the option to apply the minimum amount of Hydro, and after she procs a Forward Vaporize reaction, she gives a chance for Pyro to reapply before the next charged attack.
This playstyle requires a lot of Pyro application, and usually, one source of Pyro is not enough. So in most cases, she needs additional Pyro, or Anemo character, who can infuse Pyro. As of version 2.7, the only team that can output enough Pyro for Forward Vaporize is the combination ofJeanandBennett. The idea is to useBennett’s burst, which applies Pyro to an active character (not the enemy), and putJean’s burst on top of it, to self-swirl this Pyro into enemies. It’s a very specific combination that works only if you know to manage energy and cooldown perfectly, to time everything right. But when it works, oh boy, it does really work and turns any Hydro catalyst into a deadly main damage dealer.
BetweenKokomi,JeanandBennett, you have several healers; so you buildKokomifor DPS, to max her vaporize, andJeanwith pure Elemental Mastery, to boost her swirls. You have the option to use another off-field DPS, or second Anemo such asKazuha, orSucrose, to get cooldown reduction from Anemo resonance. This team is especially good withJeanC2 unlocked, as it buffs attack speed, and allowsKokomito do more Vaporize hits in the rotation.
Reverse Vaporize
This is a standard Reverse Vaporize team in a single-target scenario, withXianglingas a main damage dealer,Kokomias on-field carry and sub DPS, andBennettwith eitherKazuha, orSucrosebuffers. It’s way less complicated than Over-vaporize teams, and requires much less skill. It also excels in single target, while Over-vaporize shines in AOE.
In such a team,Xianglinghave much higher energy generation, better buffs, and shorter rotation. This allows her to output solid DPS, but requires proper knowledge of how to apply so much hydro with Kokomi, to be able to keep up withXiangling. You could also use it with other Pyro damage dealers, such asDiluc,Yoimiya, andYanfei.
Kokomi in Geo Teams
This archetype is very adaptive and can fit several iterations of the team. It’s the first team I built upon the release ofKokomi, and have made anin-details guidefor it. The core of the team is two Geo units,Albedoand eitherNingguang, orZhongli. Albedo with Geo resonance is self sufficient sub DPS, that can fill up to 35-40% of DPS requirements on most floors. Kokomi on field can fill other 20-25% of DPS requirements. So two other characters need only a little extra DPS to clear abyss, or face any content.
Kokomi,Albedo,Ningguang, andBeidouare one team that works fine, with all four characters contributing to DPS.Beidouis a little harder to build as a sole Electro, so you have to sacrifice some of her damage potential to fit her in the team. The dynamic of drivingBeidouwithKokomi, playing quick swap outside of burst is very satisfying. This leaves huge room for players' skills to shine. It’s useful against AOE floors, and if you are up against bosses, you can switch toFischlin place ofBeidou.
Kokomi, Yae Miko,Ningguang, andBennettare another lineup that could be used. It’s especially useful when you need a higher elemental application, to break Abyss enemies' shields.
Mono Hydro Teams
Finally,Kokomican be run in two Hydro and two Geo teams. Or in a two Hydro, one geo, and one Anemo team setup. The goal of such a team is to emphasize the damage of one Hydro damage dealer, withKokomias a support, and two other buffers or sub-DPS. This is good for some of theAyatoteams, orYelanteams.
Ayato is a very good carry himself, you may use his skill and hold the attack button down for rapid strikes with normal attacks. He can hit numerous times in such a short period of time, and can play as the main DPS. But the problem that arises is, that he can get interrupted by enemies.Zhonglishields, or Hydro shields from Crystalize reactions, which can be a solution to this problem.Zhonglioffers resistance shred, damage buff from Geo resonance, andKokomioffers healing as well as more buffs. With only geo and hydro characters, this team actually utilizes theArchaic Petraartifact set.
The idea is Geo reacts with Hydro, causing a Hydro Crystallize shield. If you collect this shield on the character usingArchaic Petra, you get a massive 35% Hydro damage multiplier to the entire team. That buff is on par with theKazuhabuff, while maintaining the protection of Geo.
Yelan can play as an off field main DPS, if you have good driver for her such asKokomi. Similar to Ayato, one of her teams is mono Hydro, where you use Geo or an Anemo character to buff her Hydro damage, without relying on complicated reactions.
Kokomi Talent Skills
The Shape of Water
Performs up to 3 consecutive attacks that take the form of swimming fish, dealing Hydro DMG. The Normal Attack of Kokomi shoot hydro projectile that takes time to travel to enemies. This is different fromBarbara’s normal attack, that work as ‘hit scan", or in other words, it hits enemies the moment you press the button. The travelling nature of Kokomi’s normal attacks require some attention, so you don’t accidentally miss.
The first of two hits of her combo is very rapid, she performs them in approximately one single second. But her third hit is a tad slower and has more recovery time. So if you care about Kokomi’s attack speed in certain teams (such as drivingBeidou), you have to stop at two attacks, and not go for the third. you’re able to do this by using canceling animation, using a dash or jump, then quickly attack twice, and cancel, then attack twice, and so on.
Kokomi’s charged attack is usually not worth it unless you have a good reason for it. Doing two normal attacks, followed by a charged attack deals more DPS for Kokomi on paper. However, it consumes stamina, compromising your team’s ability to dodge, and it desyncs withBeidou,Fischl,Yelan, andXingqiu’s attack speed.
I’d advise to only use Charged attacks in a Forward Vaporize setup against multiple enemies.
Kurage’s Oath
Her elemental skill leaves a turret on the field for 12 seconds. It hits enemies in an AOE every two seconds, and applies Hydro with an internal cooldown.Kurage’s Oathalso heals active characters within the radius.
This talent skill is a very important tool to apply Hydro in all Freeze and some of EC teams because these teams can do one hydro application every two seconds. However, in the more demanding teams, such as Vaporize and Over Vaporize, you will require Kokomi on the field to apply more Hydro.
In Forward Vaporize teams, you don’t useKurage’s OathwhileKokomiis on the field dealing damage. That’s to prevent extra Hydro application, to not consume so much Pyro aura and end up missing any Vaporize with Charged Attacks. So useKurage’s Oathat the end of Kokomi’s rotation.
In terms of healing,Kurage’s Oathhelps to keep the active character alive, but it is not enough alone to sustain the team, especially against a Corrosion debuff. You need Elemental Burst for a more effective team healing.
The 12 seconds duration doesn’t match the 20 seconds cooldown of the skill. However, we are still able to maintain a 100% uptime, by using elemental burst before the skill runs out. Using burst will refresh the duration of the skill, and give it an additional 12 seconds, which is enough for the skill to come out of cooldown.
Nereid’s Ascension
Elemental burst buffs enablesKokomito do a lot of damage for 10 seconds. Typically, if you care about her DPS, you don’t attack withKokomioutside of her burst. The buff allowsKokomito use her HP and Healing Bonus stat to increase her Normal and Charged attack damage.
It also heals the entire team each time her normal or charged attacks hits an enemy. This makesKokomia good healer while still driving the team. The driver role is especially good during Elemental Burst, because of the extra resistance to interruption. So Kokomi basically can face tank most enemies in the game, making her a great choice.
Elemental Burst costs 80 energy though, and if Kokomi is the sole Hydro in team, she doesn’t restore enough Energy. So you have to boost her Energy Recharge, to be able to burst on cooldown.
Kokomi Stats
The way we buildKokomi, varies greatly, depending on her role in the team. So I’ll distinguish her builds with their proper stats:
All builds must build enough Energy Recharge, but off-field builds require a lot more, while not doing any noticeable damage. So, we go all out on Energy Recharge for them. While on-field builds can regain more energy, so we can get away with less ER.
For sub stats, you always want ER and HP. Add EM to the pool of desired sub-stats if you go for Vaporize.
Kokomi Weapon
There are several types of weapons Kokomi can use, to buff herself and the team. That’s true for all Catalyst users since Catalyst acts as the strongest support weapon in the game.
Free Weapons
For support Catalyst, she can useThrilling Tales of Dragon Slayersor (TToDS). This weapon simply buffs one character with an outstanding 48% Attack bonus for 10 seconds, on 20 seconds cooldown. You should typically feed the buff to the highest damage dealer in team, especially if they can snapshot the buff. Snapshotting is a simple technique where a character uses their skill or burst and said talent takes all stats in the time of casting, and keep dealing damage with exact same stats, even if the original buff timer runs out. Some characters who can snapshot and utilize TToDS to its full potential are the following:
Xianglingwith her burst,Beidouwith her burst,Fischlwith her skill,Kaeya,Rosaria,Ganyu, andAyakawith their burst. Finally,Shenhewith her Icy Quill buff, but you usually don’t give that to her, unless you have two characters with TToDS on the team. One give to the main DPS, and one to Shenhe.
To properly utilize TToDS, you hold off on switching to Kokomi until the character burst is ready. Then you can bring Kokomi on the field, and switch to your damage dealer, for them to snapshot the Attack buff.
It’s also a three-star weapon, so every player should be able to attain refinement level 5. This weapon is the best buff for some characters but doesn’t work really well with theTenacity of the Millelithartifact set. It forces you to switch to Kokomi only near the end of the rotation. WhileTenacity of the Millelithis better for Kokomi to drop her Elemental Skill at the very start of the rotation to benefit the entire team. So keep that in mind.
Craftable Weapons
Hakushin Ringis a strong weapon for both support and DPS Kokomi roles, especially with high refinement. It’s a craftable weapon, so you can acquire it with ease, once you reach the Inazuma region. The weapon has an Energy Recharge sub stat, so it frees up your Sands to go for more%HP.
It works only with Electrocharged teams, because the buff requires an electro reaction to proc. It also has a 6 seconds duration, so outside of characters who can snapshot buffs such asBeidou, or ones who deal frontloaded damage such as Yae Miko, it’s hard to utilize.
The passive buff both Electro and Hydro damage, when Kokomo causes Electrocharged. If you go for max refinement, this buff goes up to 20% Electro and Hydro damage. But unlikeThrilling Tales of Dragon Slayers, theHakushin Ringbuff has no cooldown, so you’re able to refresh it as many times as you want. That only matters for Kokomi herself, since she can refresh the duration while on-field.
Then comes thePrototype Amber(previously called Prototype Malice), another craftable weapon that offers more personal DPS and healing for Kokomi, with some energy recharge. The downside is that it offers no damage buff for the team, so overall it’s a valid option if you play on-field Kokomi withOcean-Hued Clamset.
Mappa Mareon other hand is the weapon to use in Vaporize teams. It has nice EM sub stat, and 20% damage passive that’s easy to proc with Kokomi. Use it only if you know what you are doing, because Vaporize teams are hard to play.
It’s another craftable weapon, so you have to prioritize which build you are doing, and craft the proper weapon for. The crafting prototypes are rare and take a while to get, so be mindful.
Kokomi Artifacts
Again, we way we build Kokomi depends on the type of team she’s on. But to put it simply, all off-field builds preferTenacity of the Millelith, unless you useThrilling Tales of Dragon Slayers.Tenacity of the Millelithgives a universal 20% Attack to the entire team, every time Kokomi Elemental skill ticks. So if you manage cooldowns right, you have 100% uptime on the buff.
On other hand, most on-field builds preferOcean-Hued Clam, it’s an easy damage and healing increase for Kokomi, and requires nothing but normal attacking to utilize. The set records all healing and over-healing Kokomi does for three seconds, then releases an AOE damage. The damage is physical, and capped at 30,000, though you can increase it by reducing physical resistance.
Finally, the Vaporize builds can useWanderer’s Troupeset, for charged attack damage and EM. Or use a hybrid set, of any two pieces and two pieces fromOcean-Hued Clam,Tenacity of the Millelith,Heart of Depth, andWanderer’s Troupe.
You have reached the end of this Kokomi Support Guide. We hope you found this guide useful, and it gives you a good idea of how to run Kokomi as a hydro Support with varying options.
Genshin Impact2.7 update is now available to play on PC, iOS, Android and PS4 and PS5. If you enjoyed thisGenshin Impact Guidebe sure to check out more even more info on ourGenshin Impact Wiki. you may also keep an eye out for more guides and be sure to not miss ourYae Miko Hyper Carry Buildas well as, ourfull support guide for Albedo.
