With the Fontaine region came a number of different wonderful things to Genshin Impact. One of them is a twist on healing, called Bond of Life (BoL). The particular mechanic is rumoured to be a core aspect of the upcoming new character Arlecchino's (from Version 4.6) gameplay. This guide will explain Arlecchino's Bond of Life mechanic.
The available kit leaks paint a picture of a powerful Pyro character that uses BoL to transform healing into a source of both damage and self-preservation. Let's dive deeper into her unique kit and explain Arlecchino's Bond of Life mechanic and unlock her full potential, transforming her into a true Pyro powerhouse.
Arlecchino Bond of Life mechanic explained
Arlecchino's core gameplay is based on the Bond of Life mechanic. There is no better time than now to get yourself familiar with this complex mechanic, as Arlecchino is one of the central characters of Genshin Impact's Version 4.6 when it arrives in late April.
Arlecchino breaks the mould of traditional healers in Genshin Impact. She utilises a unique mechanic called Bond of Life (BoL) to fuel her offensive power. Normally, healing restores your character's HP. But with BoL, incoming healing gets absorbed up to a certain amount. This means Arlecchino won't regain HP immediately, even when healed.
So, how does she benefit from this seemingly negative effect? There are three ways to build BoL:
- Defeating marked enemies: When Arlecchino uses her skills, enemies might become marked. Defeating these marked foes adds a stack of BoL.
- Using her Elemental Burst: Unleashing her ultimate attack also applies a stack of BoL.
- Signature Weapon (optional): Some weapons from Fontaine, Arlecchino's home region, inflict BoL when using their Elemental Skill.
The key lies in clearing this BoL. The more BoL you clear, the bigger chunk of HP Arlecchino regains. It's like a high-risk, high-reward system. You build up BoL for a bigger heal later.
Here's where the strategy comes in. Arlecchino can clear BoL in two ways:
- Using her Elemental Skill: Unleashing "All is Ash", Arlecchino's Bond of Life will be cleared, and she will recover HP equivalent to 100% of the cleared Bond of Life through a passive effect called "Nourishing Cinders”
- Dealing damage: Arlecchino has passive abilities that heal her based on the damage she deals. So by being aggressive and constantly attacking, she can clear BoL without relying solely on healers.
This Bond of Life mechanic encourages a different playstyle for Arlecchino. She thrives on being aggressive, building BoL, and then strategically clearing it with a combination of healing and damage dealt. This dance between offence and BoL management is the key to maximising her potential on the battlefield.
Arlecchino kit breakdown
Based on leaks, Arlecchino's rumoured kit looks like this:
- Elemental Skill (Balemoon Rising): Arlecchino summons Balemoon Bloodfire, dealing Pyro DMG and inflicting herself with Bond of Life based on a percentage of her Max HP. This fiery dance between offence and self-sacrifice seems to be the core of her playstyle.
- Normal Attack (Bidden Beheading): When Arlecchino's Bond of Life reaches a critical threshold, her Normal Attacks transform into Pyro DMG, gaining a bonus based on her current Bond of Life. However, each attack consumes a portion of her BoL, creating a risk-reward scenario.
- Elemental Burst (All is Ash): Arlecchino unleashes a fiery dash-cleave, dealing Pyro DMG and clearing her current Bond of Life. This, in turn, heals her for an amount equal to the cleared BoL value. This Burst provides a crucial window for regaining HP while dealing with devastating Pyro DMG.
Arlecchino's passive talents and constellations heavily synergize with the Bond of Life mechanic, allowing her to effectively manage BoL for both offensive and defensive purposes. Here's a breakdown of how they work together:
Cinders Alone Shall Nourish: This restricts Arlecchino's healing to the "Nourishing Cinders" effect from her Elemental Burst (All is Ash). Any external healing sources become ineffective, forcing her to rely on BoL management for HP restoration.
Agony Alone May Be Repaid: This passive focuses on maximising Bond of Life gained from Blood-Debt Directive:
- Enemy Elimination Bonus: Taking down enemies marked with Blood-Debt Directive instantly grants a significant amount of BoL (70% of Max HP). This allows Arlecchino to quickly build up BoL stacks through aggressive play.
- Scaling Directives: Blood-Debt Directives level up over time, granting more BoL when absorbed with her Charged Attack. This incentivizes managing the duration of the DoT to maximize the BoL gain.
Strength Alone Can Defend: This passive offers some defensive utility based on Arlecchino's ATK stat. By building high ATK, she gains bonus Elemental and Physical RES, allowing her to take more punishment while managing her BoL.
"All Reprisals and Arrears Are Mine to Bear..."
- Effect: Grants a 33% chance for her Normal Attacks (Masque of the Red Death) to not consume Bond of Life.
- BoL Synergy: Allows for more aggressive use of Normal Attacks without sacrificing too much BoL for healing later. You gain a small BoL stack instead of losing it.
"All Reward and Retribution, Mine to Bestow"
- Effect: Boosts Blood-Debt Directive in two ways:
- Starting Level: Directives begin at Level 2, granting more BoL when absorbed from the start.
- Level 3 Bonus: Absorbing a fully charged Level 3 Directive unleashes a powerful AoE Pyro attack.
- BoL Synergy: Improves BoL generation through a higher starting level of Directives and rewards managing DoT duration for a powerful AoE attack (requires "Agony Alone May Be Repaid" passive).
"You Shall Become a New Member of Our Family"
- Effect: Increases the talent level of Normal Attack (Bidden Beheading) by 3.
- BoL Synergy: Indirectly benefits BoL by potentially increasing damage dealt, allowing for faster enemy takedowns which grant BoL stacks through "Agony Alone May Be Repaid" passive.
"Love and Protect Each Other Henceforth"
- Effect: Increases BoL gained from her Elemental Skill (Balemoon Rising) and allows her to raise Blood-Debt Directive level when hitting afflicted enemies. Additionally, absorbing a Directive reduces Elemental Burst cooldown and restores Energy.
- BoL Synergy: Boosts initial BoL generation and allows for further manipulation by raising the Directive level. Improves Burst uptime and Energy management for a smoother rotation.
"For Alone, We Are as Good as Dead"
- Effect: Increases the talent level of Elemental Burst (Balemoon Rising) by 3.
- BoL Synergy: Indirectly benefits BoL by potentially increasing Burst damage, potentially leading to faster enemy takedowns for BoL gain through the "Agony Alone May Be Repaid" passive.
"From This Day On, We Shall Delight in New Life Together"
- Effect: Supercharges the damage of her Elemental Burst's dash-cleave based on her current BoL percentage. Additionally, grants a temporary CRIT Rate and DMG buff to both Normal Attacks and Elemental Burst.
- BoL Synergy: Rewards aggressive BoL management by offering a significant damage boost for her Burst based on BoL. Additionally, the CRIT buff further amplifies her offensive potential.
That concludes our guide on Arlecchino's Bond of Life mechanic! We hope this dispels any confusion surrounding her elaborate kit.
For more about Genshin Impact, discover all that you need to know about the 18 new characters set to be released during the game's Fontaine cycle. On top of that, the banners for Version 4.6 and beyond have been leaked! Get ahead of the curve and start planning your Primogem savings for your future party members with our Fontaine character banner schedule.
Interested in learning more about Arlecchino? We've got you covered! Learn everything you need to know about her full kit, Constellations, materials, and more in our comprehensive Arlecchino character guide.
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