For details of Gorou’s best build — including weapons, artifacts, party composition, and levelling requirements — read on below.
How to build Gorou for a support role in Genshin Impact
Best weapon: Favonius Warbow
Alternative: Sacrificial Bow Gorou’s strengths lie primarily in his Elemental talents, and so I don’t recommend equipping him with a 5-star weapon unless you’re in the enviable position of having a spare Elegy for the End lying around. Fortunately, you can actually achieve better effects for Gorou with the Favonius Warbow than with any of the rarer weapons anyway. With this bow, Gorou’s Normal Attack crits have a high chance of generating an elemental orb which restores his energy faster, allowing him to refill his far superior Elemental Burst with desirable speed. Alternatively, the sturdy Sacrifical Bow has a slightly smaller chance to end the cooldown on Gorou’s Elemental Skill after he damages an enemy with the latter. However, this can only occur once every 30 seconds and isn’t quite as likely as triggering the Favonius Warbow’s elemental effect, so I recommend opting for this weapon only if you don’t have a Warbow to give to Gorou or are extremely keen on his skill.
Best artifacts: Husk of Opulent Dreams/Emblem of Severed Fate
Set bonuses:
Husk of Opulent Dreams 2-piece bonus: DEF +30% Emblem of Severed Fate 2-piece bonus: Energy Recharge + 20%
Alternative: Replace Emblem of Severed Fate with Noblesse Oblige or Archaic Petra Since Gorou’s best role lies in supporting his party’s DEF, you absolutely want to equip him with two pieces from the Husk of Opulent Dreams set if at all possible. Here’s a vital hint though: if you’ve already given away all your Husk of Opulent Dreams pieces — which is likely in Gorou’s recommended party set-up — the Defender’s Will set has an identical 2-piece bonus and so can be substituted here freely. The rest of his best artifact loadout is more debateable, but my preference is for 2 pieces from the Emblem of Severed Fate set, since this provides a significant Energy Recharge boost that brings Gorou’s Elemental Burst back online that much quicker. However, there’s also a strong argument to be made for replacing the Emblem of Severed Fate pieces with either 2 pieces from the Noblesse Oblige set (for +20% to Elemental Burst DMG rather than recharge) or 2 pieces from the Archaic Petra set (for a simple-yet-powerful +15% to all Geo DMG Gorou inflicts). Unsurprisingly, you’ll want the stats and substats on Gorou’s artifacts to focus primarily on DEF increases. Aim for the following:
Circlet of Logos: DEF% Sands of Eon: DEF% or Energy Recharge Goblet of Eonothem: DEF% or Geo DMG Substats: DEF% or Energy Recharge
Talent priority: Inuzaka All-Round Defense (Elemental Skill)
Alternative: Juuga: Forward Unto Victory (Elemental Burst) I strongly recommend sidelining Gorou’s fairly weak Bow attacks in favour of focussing on his Elemental talents. His Elemental Skill Inuzaka All-Round Defense should be the top priority if you’re placing him in a support role for a team primarily made up of other Geo characters. This is because his General’s War Banner effect becomes extremely powerful when in a party with at least two other Geo users, and starts providing vital DEF boosts straight away. However, Gorou’s Juuga: Forward Unto Victory Elemental Burst applies similar benefits, buffing DMG rather than DEF, so it’s an important secondary talent to keep up with. Here’s a full list of Gorou’s talents and what they do:
Ripping Fang Fletching (Normal Attack) Normal Attack: Gorou performs up to four consecutive shots with a bow. Charged Attack: Gorou performs a more precise Aimed Shot with increased DMG. While aiming, stone crystals will accumulate on the arrowhead. A fully charged crystalline arrow will deal Geo DMG. Plunging Attack: Gorou fires off a shower of arrows in mid-air before falling and striking the ground, dealing AoE DMG upon impact. Inuzaka All-Round Defense (Elemental Skill) — Gorou deals AoE Geo DMG and sets up a General’s War Banner, which provides up to 3 buffs to active characters within the skill’s AoE based on the number of Geo characters in the party at the time of casting (1 adds “Standing Firm” DEF Bonus; 2 adds “Impregnable” increased resistance to interruption; 3 adds “Crunch” Geo DMG Bonus). Gorou can deploy only 1 General’s War Banner on the field at any one time. When a party member leaves the field, the active buff will last for 2 seconds. Hold while casting to adjust the location of the skill. Juuga: Forward Unto Victory (Elemental Burst) — Gorou deals AoE Geo DMG and creates a field known as General’s Glory to embolden his comrades. This field provides buffs to active characters within the skill’s AoE based on the number of Geo characters in the party, much like the General’s War Banner. It also moves together with your active character; generates 1 Crystal Collapse every 1.5 seconds which deals AoE Geo DMG to 1 opponent within the skill’s AoE; and pulls 1 elemental shard in the skill’s AoE to your active character’s position every 1.5 seconds (elemental shards are created by Crystallize reactions). If a General’s War banner created by Gorou currently exists on the field when his ability is used, it will be destroyed. In addition, for the duration of General’s Glory, Gorou’s Elemental Skill will not create the General’s War Banner. If Gorou falls, the effects of General’s Glory will be cleared. Heedless of the Wind and Weather (1st Ascension Passive) — After using Gorou’s elemental burst, all nearby party members’ DEF is increased by 25% for 12 seconds. A Favor Repaid (4th Ascension Passive) — Gorou receives DMG bonuses to his attacks based on his DEF. Elemental Skill DMG, Elemental Burst DMG, and Crystal Collapse DMG are increased by 15% of DEF. Seeker of Shinies (Utility Passive) — Displays the location of nearby resources unique to Inazuma on the mini-map.
Party composition
Main DPS: Ningguang Sub DPS: Xinqui Support: Gorou Shield: Noelle
5-star alternative: Arataki Itto as main DPS, while Ningguang replaces Xinqui as sub DPS Thanks to Gorou’s skills increasing in benefit with every Geo character in his party, it’s a good idea to fill the team with as many Geo users as possible. However, you’ll hit a bit of a snag in that Geo characters suitable for DPS duties are thin on the ground, since the element lends itself primarily to support roles. Ningguang is perhaps the only 4-star Geo character who makes for a good DPS main; and without at least one 5-star, you unfortunately won’t be able to pair her with a Geo sub DPS. Fortunately, Xinqui makes a great Hydro sub DPS for Ningguang, as their elements can react together to form the Crystallize reaction, and Xinqui’s Elemental Burst can buff his team’s damage. However, the dream team here is assembled by placing 5-star Arataki Itto (if you’re lucky enough to have him) in the main DPS role and positioning Ninggaung as the sub DPS. At the cost of cutting Xinqui from the roster, you can then proceed with an all-Geo team. While Gorou himself focuses on DEF support and elemental damage, Noelle makes an excellent shield support character for this team. As another Geo character she’ll add power to Gorou’s capabilities, and on a team with no dedicated healer, her shield’s ability to restore HP to the entire party will prove extremely valuable.
How to level up Gorou in Genshin Impact
Ascension Materials
To fully ascend Gorou, you will need the following materials: Prithiva Topaz pieces are obtainable through a number of means, primarily by defeating Normal or Weekly Geo bosses, gaining commission rewards, or buying them from the shopkeeper characters in either Mondstadt or Liyue. Sango Pearls are forageable items found exclusively on Watatsumi Island in Gorou’s native Inazuma. Spectral pieces are dropped by defeated Specter enemies of increasing difficulty, while Perpetual Hearts are exclusively dropped by defeated Perpetual Mechanical Array at Lvl 30+.
Talents
To fully level up one of Gorou’s talents, you’ll need the following materials. Be aware that if you choose to triple crown all three of his talents, you’ll need to collect all of this three times over. Spectral pieces are gained from Specter enemies in the same way they are for Ascension materials. Meanwhile, you can pick up the books required for Gorou’s talents at the Forsaken Rift domain (Wednesday/Saturday/Sunday only), while Molten Moments are awarded for completing the Narukami Island: Tenshukaku trounce domain at Lvl 70+. Finally, Crowns of Insight can be obtained through limited-time events or by making offerings to the Frostbearing Tree and the Sacred Sakura.
Constellations
Gorou has a 4-star rarity, so if you make frequent use of Genshin Impact’s gacha system, you’re liable to end up pulling duplicates of him from time to time. When this happens, you’ll unlock the following Constellation bonuses for your original Gorou:
Rushing Hound: Swift as the Wind (Lvl 1): When characters other than Gorou within the AoE of Gorou’s General’s War Banner or General’s Glory deal Geo DMG to opponents, the cooldown of Gorou’s Inuzaka All-Round Defense is decreased by 2 seconds. This effect can occur once every 10 seconds. Sitting Hound: Steady as a Clock (Lvl 2): While General’s Glory is in effect, its duration is extended by 1 second when a nearby active character obtains an Elemental Shard from a Crystallize reaction (maximum extension is 3 seconds). Mauling Hound: Fierce as Fire (Lvl 3): Increases the level of Inuzaka All-Round Defense by 3 (maximum upgrade level is 15). Lapping Hound: Warm as Water (Lvl 4): When General’s Glory is in the “Impregnable” or “Crunch” states, it will also heal active characters within its AoE by 50% of Gorou’s own DEF every 1.5 seconds. Striking Hound: Thunderous Force (Lvl 5): Increases the level of Juuga: Forward Unto Victory by 3 (maximum upgrade level is 15). Valiant Hound: Mountainous Fealty (Lvl 6): For 12 seconds after using Inuzaka All-Round Defense or Juuga: Forward Unto Victory, increases the CRIT DMG of all nearby party members’ Geo DMG based on the buff level of the skill’s field at the time of use (“Standing Firm” adds +10%, “Impregnable” adds +20%, or “Crunch” adds +40%). This effect cannot stack and will take reference from the last instance of the effect that is triggered.
How to get Gorou in Genshin Impact
Gorou was first introduced into Genshin Impact in December 2021. As a 4-star character, after his debut he was added to the standard wish pool. This means that any wish made on the Wanderlust Invocation banner and all Character and Weapon Event Wish banners from version 2.4 (January 2022) onwards has a chance of pulling him from the gacha. Furthermore, he traditionally gets a boosted drop rate every time his original bannermate Arataki Itto gets a banner rerun, and can theoretically be featured on other 5-star banners from time to time too. Now you know everything you need to put together the best build for Gorou, quite possibly Genshin Impact’s most adorable puppy-themed hero (sorry, Razor). But there are loads of playable characters in Genshin Impact to choose from, so if you’re looking for details on how Gorou compares to the others, be sure to check out our Genshin Impact character tier list.
