The poster character that miHoYo first teased back in 2020 for the then far-off Dendro region of Sumeru finally made his way into Genshin Impact two years later in September 2022. Cyno is a five-star Electro Polearm character that is returning to Teyvat as a recruitable character once again for the first half of the Version 3.5 update, which means that players will want to find the best weapon possible with which to equip him.
Cyno is the General Mahamatra of the Sumeru Akademiya, which essentially means that his job is to uphold the law for all students studying at the school. He takes his job very seriously and has oftentimes been called cold or detached because of how focused on his career he is. Those who enjoy the Electro characters’ company outside of his work hours, however, will instead say that he has a unique sense of humor and always leaves a remarkable impression.
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If you are seeking a primary damage dealer for your Genshin team, Cyno is a solid candidate. This is the only role that his skillset suits, although players may also want to consider the five-star Pyro Claymore character Dehya since her debut banner will be running at the same time as Cyno’s rerun.
Whether you are planning on wishing for Cyno or have already been lucky enough to add him to your roster, you’ll need to ensure that you equip him with a powerful polearm that is capable of amplifying his Electro skillset.
What’s the best weapon for Cyno in Genshin Impact?
Because Cyno is a primary damage-dealing character, players will want a weapon that builds statistics for damage output. This primarily includes critical rate, critical damage, and attack but may vary by weapon because certain weapons utilize other statistics, such as health points, to then scale damage output.
Cyno is a decent damage dealer, but his skills are not as impressive as any other five-star characters that are also in rotation as exclusive assets. Because the Electro character is not equipped with the most impressive skillset, ensuring that he has an extremely powerful weapon is especially crucial to his success.
While Cyno wields a polearm into battle, he will instead utilize his fists in certain instances. But regardless of whether the Electro character is fighting with his polearm or his fists, the amount of damage and all other statistical aspects of his skillset is always based on the makeup of the weapon that he is wielding.
With Cyno’s needs and skillset in mind, here are some of the best polearms that players can equip him with. The statistics of all weapons improve over time as players work on upgrading them, so all weapons listed here are discussed at the lowest levels which means that players will see their effects become even more powerful as they work to level them up.
Best five-star polearms for Cyno in Genshin Impact
As far as five-star weapons go, the number of powerful polearms that are available to players might include the best selection of options of all. There are quite a few really impressive choices for players to choose from that amplify Cyno’s skillset.
Staff of the Scarlet Sands
The Staff of the Scarlet Sands polearm was designed to specifically compliment Cyno’s skillset and is thus the best option overall for the Electro character. The “Heat Haze at Horizon’s End” ability grants the wielder 52 percent of their elemental mastery as a bonus to attack percentage.
Additionally, when the wielder of this polearm hits an enemy with their elemental skill, the Dream of the Scarlet Sands effect is gained for 10 seconds. This secondary effect grants the wielder 28 percent of their elemental mastery as another bonus attack percentage and can stack up to three times.
The Staff of the Scarlet Sands also comes with buildable critical rate which is a crucial aspect for any Genshin character but is especially important for those that are functioning as the primary damage dealers on a given team.
Primordial Jade Winged-Spear
Another excellent option for Cyno is the Primordial Jade Winged-Spear. This weapon hails from Liyue and has the “Eagle Spear of Justice” ability that increases attack by 3.2 percent for six seconds after hitting a foe. This can stack up to seven times and may occur once every 0.3 seconds.
When the maximum of seven stacks has been obtained, damage is then increased by 12 percent. The Primordial Jade Winged-Spear also comes with the secondary statistic of critical rate which means that players can build this over time to make Cyno even more powerful in battle.
Staff of Homa
One of Genshin’s strongest and most versatile weapons is the Staff of Homa, which is the signature weapon of the five-star Pyro Polearm character Hu Tao. The “Reckless Cinnabar” effect increases the wielder’s health points by 20 percent.
This polearm also grants an attack bonus that is based on 0.8 percent of the wielder’s maximum health points. When the character that this weapon is equipped to drops below 50 percent health points, they then receive an additional attack bonus based on one percent of their maximum health points.
Both types of critical statics, which are critical rate and critical damage, are equally important and the Staff of Homa comes with buildable critical damage. This will help Cyno dish out more powerful damage and increase his efficiency as a primary damage dealer.
Skyward Spine
As far as five-star weapons go, the Skyward weapon set is among the easier ones to obtain. They are also fairly powerful and versatile which makes them solid pieces of equipment to utilize.
The polearm weapon in the Skyward set is called Skyward Spine and comes with the special “Black Wing” ability. This ability increases critical rate by eight percent and raises normal attack speed by 12 percent.
This weapon also causes normal and charged attacks that hit an enemy to have a 50 percent chance of activating a powerful vacuum blade that then deals 40 percent of attack as damage within a small surrounding area of effect. The “Black Wing” ability can only be activated once every two seconds, although the critical rate and normal attack speed increases always remain active.
Skyward Spine has buildable energy recharge as its secondary statistic. Utilizing this weapon will allow Cyno to help himself and his team recharge their powerful elemental burst abilities more quickly and efficiently.
Best four-star polearms for Cyno in Genshin Impact
While five-star weapons are always the best option for Genshin characters, they are also quite difficult to obtain. The best weapon overall for a featured character usually runs at the same time as the character which means that players can rarely get both unless they are exceptionally lucky.
Because of the complex gacha system, many players may need to start Cyno with a four-star polearm until they are able to obtain a five-star one. Luckily, there are a few solid options.
Deathmatch
A solid four-star option for Cyno is Deathmatch which comes with the “Gladiator” ability. Players will receive a 16-percent attack increase and a 16-percent defense increase whenever there are at least two enemies nearby. When there is just one foe nearby, attack is instead increased by 24 percent.
Deathmatch comes with buildable critical rate, which is one of the best statistics that players can have on a weapon for Cyno.
Blackcliff Pole
When the wielder of the Blackcliff Pole defeats an enemy, the “Press the Advantage” ability makes them even tougher in battle by increasing attack by 12 percent for 30 seconds. This effect can stack up to three times and the duration that each stack lasts is determined independently from the other stacks.
The Blackcliff Pole also comes with one of the best secondary statistics possible for Cyno which is critical damage.
Kitain Cross Spear
If you’re building Cyno a team that is primarily focused on elemental reactions, then the Kitain Cross Spear is an excellent option for him. The “Samurai Conduct” effect increases elemental skill damage by six percent.
Additionally, after an elemental skill has hit an enemy, the wielder of this weapon then loses three energy but continuously gains three energy every two seconds for a total of six seconds. This ability can take place once every 10 seconds and may be activated regardless of whether the wider of this weapon is the active character on the battlefield.
For enhancing the power of elemental reactions, the Kitain Cross Spear also comes with buildable elemental mastery. If your Cyno team is focused on elemental reactions and you are looking for a weapon to help amplify their power, this is a powerful choice.
The Electro Polearm character is returning to Teyvat as a recruitable unit on his featured “Twilight Arbiter” banner. He will be available beginning on March 1 for about three weeks before he once again becomes unattainable for a period of time. Based on miHoYo’s usual banner patterns, players can expect that it will be at least six months before Cyno’s banner returns.