In this situation, many points should be taken into consideration when choosing between Alhaitham and Xiao since knowing the positives and negatives of each unit can greatly help when choosing.

RELATED: Genshin Impact: A Complete Guide To Xiao’s Constellations

Xiao And Alhaitham In Genshin Impact

Both Xiao and Alhaitham are considered DPS characters in Genshin Impact that can carry their team’s DMG. To compare which unit to pull for, players have to evaluate:

Their weapons Their artifacts Their roles

Weapons

While Xiao’s best weapon is Primordial Jade Winged-Spear, Alhaitham has his own best-in-slot, which is Light of Foliar Incision. Both weapons are 5-star weapons that can be obtained via wishing from weapon banners. However, Primordial Jade is in the standard banner too, so players can pull it at any time via weapon or standard banners.

As for both characters’ flexibility when wielding different weapons, Genshin Impact Xiao demands ATK and CRIT stats for his Polearms. So weapons like Staff of Homa, Deathmatch, or Blackcliff Pole are necessary. On the other hand, Alhaitham is more flexible, having his DMG scaling with multiple stats. Players can opt for CRIT, Elemental Mastery, or even ATK% and it will all work. Additionally, he still can greatly perform with F2P weapons, such as Iron Sting or Toukabou Shigure.

Artifacts

For artifacts, Xiao has his own set of artifacts that nobody but him can utilize. Vermillion Hereafter continuously buffs Xiao’s ATK% as long as he’s losing HP when he activates his Elemental Burst, which is exactly what Xiao goes through. That makes Vermillion pointless to farm unless players are trying to get Echoes of an Offering for other characters. Fortunately, Xiao also works with other sets like 2pc Anemo DMG +15% + 2pc ATK+18% or 2pc Viridescent Venerer + 2pc Desert Pavilion Chronicle.

Alhaitham’s flexibility also plays a big role when choosing his artifacts in Genshin Impact. Players can use Deepwood Memories to shred enemies’ resistance to Dendro. If there was another unit with Deepwood, then Gilded Dreams is the best choice. Both Deepwood and Gilded are easier to have since many other characters need them.

Roles

In terms of gameplay, both Alhaitham and Xiao are demanding to some degree in their playstyles. Xiao is a selfish main DPS who needs at least 15 seconds of field time to fulfill his role. Alhaitham is a more forgiving DPS since players can utilize his Burst, Skill, Plunge, and Charged Attack to gain Dendro Infusion.

However, while Alhaitham has more sources of Dendro Infusion, his playstyle is way harder than Xiao. Players need to know when to use each of his abilities to gain the Chisel Mirror he needs to deal Dendro DMG. Theoretically, Alhaitham should be able to maintain three stacks of Chisel Mirror for a decent duration, but this requires full attention to pull off.

Xiao VS Alhaitham In Genshin Impact

To summarize, players should pull for Xiao if they:

Have Primordial Jade Winged-Spear, are willing to get Deathmatch or Blackcliff Pole, or have other suitable Xiao weapons. Have the correct Artifact set. Want an Anemo DPS or a DPS that can carry the entire team’s DMG. Want a DPS that’s easy to use.

Meanwhile, players should pull for Alhaitham if they:

Want to pull for Light of Foliar Incision or have other suitable Alhaitham weapons. Have Deepwood Memories or Gilded Dreams sets. Want a Dendro damage dealer that can cause some decent DMG. Don’t mind a difficult character.

Genshin Impact is now available on Mobile, PC, PS4, and PS5. A Switch version is in development.

MORE: Genshin Impact: All Catalyst Users, Ranked