Genshin Impact: Lost the 50/50 to Mona? Don't worry, here's how to build her

So you lost the 50/50 pulling for that one Genshin Impact character you want.

We’ve all been there, finally getting that gold pull, only to be disappointed the moment the silhouette shows up on screen, and suddenly you’re unlocking C-something for a certain standard character you don’t even use.

But here’s the thing: there are no bad characters in Genshin Impact, only bad builds!

If you’re finally at that point in your gaming experience where you’re resolved to utilising your Standard characters, or maybe just want to try out and see how far you can go with your Standard character, we’ve got just the thing you need: the ultimate build guide.

We’ve talked about building your Keqing, and this time around, we’re going to guide you through building the Hydro catalyst user and ultimate hypercarry buffer, Mona Megistus!

Written in the stars

Mona’s kit revolves around providing support by buffing her teammates' damage as well as enabling Hydro-related reactions. She can take on the role as support or sub-DPS of your team.

Her skill, Mirror Reflection of Doom, summons an Illusory phantom which deals continuous Hydro DMG and taunts enemies over 5 seconds. After its duration ends, the phantom explodes to deal area-of-effect Hydro DMG.

But what you should really focus on when it comes to building Mona is her burst, Stellaris Phantasm. She creates a reflection of the starry sky, and applies the Illusory Bubble status to your opponents in a large area.

Popping the Illusory bubble will cast Omen to any enemies hit, giving a DMG bonus as well as increasing the DMG of the attack that caused the Illusory Bubble to pop. Popping the bubble will also deal Hydro DMG in that instance.

The maximum DMG increase you can get from the Omen buff is 60%, which is pretty massive! This makes Mona a staple for hypercarry or damage showcase teams that aim for that “Damage Per Screenshot” number.

Mona’s passive, Waterborne Destiny, gives her more DMG capability by increasing her Hydro DMG by 20% of her maximum Energy Recharge. Because of this, Energy Recharge will be a must-have stat for Mona, letting her use her burst as much as possible while also increasing her personal damage.

Her other passive, Come ‘n’ Get Me, Hag!, allows Mona to create an Illusory Phantom after surfacing from her special sprint, Illusory Torrent, if there are enemies nearby. Illusory Torrent allows her to conceal herself in a torrent of water, applying Hydro to her enemies when she resurfaces.

So your focus when building should be her Burst, then Skill, then Normal Attacks.

Astrolabos: Mona’s best constellations

Mona’s best constellations are arguably C1 and C4, but the thing is, she also suffers from bugs that are yet to be resolved, specially on her C1, Prophecy of Submersion.

If not affected by the bug, Prophecy of Submersion can increase the effects of Hydro related reactions for 8 seconds after enemies are afflicted with Omen. While Electro-Charged DMG is increased by 15%, Vaporize DMG is increased by 15%, Hydro Swirl DMG is increased by 15%, and the duration for which enemies are Frozen is increased by 15%.

C4, Prophecy of Oblivion, gives active characters a 15% Crit Rate increase when attacking enemies affected by Omen.

But Mona can function great even at c0!

Fated to meet: Mona’s best team comps!

Mona is a very versatile character and can work in a variety of teams as burst support and Sub-DPS. Her Hydro element gives way to a ton of elemental reactions, so it’s best to utilise them to your favour!

Hypercarry/Damage-Per-Secreenshot: Mona, Bennett, Kazuha, almost any DPS

Mona’s burst buff is a must-have if you want to see some really big DMG number/s for your chosen DPS. As such, she’s a staple member of Hu Tao, Tartaglia, and Raiden Shogun’s “showcase” teams. And pretty much any other hypercarry team that needs Mona’s element and buff, really!

Electro-Charged: Mona, Raiden Shogun/Fischl/Kuki Shinobu/Yae Miko, Kaedehara Kazuha/Sucrose

Mona will act as the Electro-Charge trigger in this team, supporting your chosen electro DPS. Kazuha or Sucrose will swirl this team for more DMG, while another Electro character can act as battery (or healer, if you’re using Kuki!)

Vaporize: Mona, Diluc/Xiangling, Bennett, Kaedehara Kazuha/Sucrose

Mona will act as the Vaporize trigger and burst buffer to this team, supporting your chosen Pyro DPS like Diluc or Xiangling. Bennett will act as a battery, secondary buffer, and healer, while Kazuha and Sucrose will be the Swirl buffer and VV-trigger.

Freeze: Mona, Ganyu, Diona, Venti/Sucrose/Kaedehara Kazuha

Mona and Ganyu are an unstoppable Freeze duo, especially in the abyss! Mona’s taunt and burst, swirled by Venti, Sucrose, or Kazuha, plus Ganyu’s powerful charged attacks prove to be a terrifying force of nature that permanently freezes your enemies, clearing the field in no time at all.

Is Mona good with Dendro?

As a Hydro character and an insane DMG buffer, Mona seems like a perfect fit on paper for Dendro and its many elemental reactions. However, she isn't an ideal fit since her Hydro application is much lower compared to other Hydro characters that are staples of Dendro teams, like Yelan, Kokomi, and Xingqiu.

With that said, you can still slot in Mona in your Bloom, Hyperbloom, or Burgeon teams as a secondary Hydro character. Since her own Hydro application won't be good enough, someone like Yelan or Xingqiu can be the primary Hydro applicator while Mona will act solely as a buffer.

Mora-less no more (aka Mona’s best gear!)

Mona is very free-to-play friendly when it comes to her gear, making her one of the easiest characters to build. And unlike other 5-stars, Mona doesn’t have one single best-in-slot equipment and can work great with many 5-star and 4-star options.

Here are the options you can choose from in regards to her weapon!

• Lost Prayer to the Sacred Winds (5-star, Gacha) - Great for a DPS Mona with its Crit Rate substat and passive.

• Oathsworn Eye (4-star, Event-Only) - Ideal for Mona to use when she’s your Sub-DPS, as it will give you a 24% Energy Recharge increase after casting your skill, allowing you to quickly get your burst ready.

• Favonius Codex (4-star, Gacha) - Great for giving Mona lots of Energy Recharge and allowing her to be a battery to your team,

• Thrilling Tales of Dragon Slayers (3-star, Gacha) - The best weapon for a dedicated buffer! At R5, which is easy to get as it's a 3-star rarity weapon, it gives a whopping 48% ATK Bonus!

• Hakushin Ring (4-star, Craftable): Hakushin Ring focuses on Electro-related reactions and giving buffs, so use this weapon if you’re using Mona as a Hydro buffer for your Electro DPS!

For artifacts, Mona can work well with a variety of artifact builds. Here are some combinations and sets you can try:

• 4-piece Noblesse Oblige - Best for a support Mona. Increases your burst DMG as well as the ATK of your party at full set.

• 4-piece Emblem of Severed Fate - Gives Mona tons of Energy Recharge and additional DMG for her burst.

• 2-piece Emblem of Severed Fate, 2-piece Noblesse Oblige - A good alternative mixed set if you don't have enough good artifacts for a full 4-piece set. Gives Mona Energy Recharge and Burst DMG Bonus to amp up her burst DMG.

• 2-piece Heart of Depth, 2-piece Emblem of Severed Fate/Noblesse Oblige - Another good alternative mixed set. Gives Mona a 20% Hydro DMG bonus and either 20% Energy Recharge or 20% Burst DMG bonus.

The main stats for your artifacts should be Energy Recharge for your sands, Hydro DMG Bonus for your goblet, and Crit Rate or Crit DMG for your circlet, whichever is lacking.

As for substats, additional Energy Recharge will be all that you need if Mona is your support. With that said, you can never go wrong with more Crit Rate, Crit DMG, or ATK to boost her personal damage output. Elemental Mastery is also a good stat to go for if your Mona is in a reaction-focused team.

Yan Ku is a full-time dog parent, part-time (gacha) gamer, and part-time writer.

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