Quick Answer: Aino's a free 4-star Hydro Claymore support dropping September 10, 2025 in Version 6.0. She's all about off-field Hydro application and team-wide EM buffs – basically essential for those new Moonsign mechanics everyone's talking about. You'll want 850-900+ EM and 160-180% ER with Favonius Greatsword and Silken Moon's Serenade artifacts.
Aino Character Overview: Kit Analysis and Meta Position
Here's what we're working with – Aino's a 4-star Hydro Claymore user from Nod-Krai packing 11,201 HP, 242 ATK, 607 DEF, and 96 EM at level 90. Not exactly DPS numbers, but that's not the point.
Her Elemental Skill Musecatcher hits with AoE Hydro damage on a 10-second cooldown, spitting out 3 Hydro particles. Pretty standard stuff. Where things get interesting? Her Elemental Burst Precision Hydronic Cooler creates this 14-second Focused Hydronic Cooling Zone for 50 energy.
Now here's where Aino gets spicy – she bumps your party's Moonsign level by 1, unlocking those Nascent Gleam effects. Run her with 2+ Nod-Krai characters and boom, Ascendant Gleam kicks in. This makes her burst tick every 0.7 seconds with Hydro application every 2.1 seconds. That's... actually pretty nuts for reaction teams.
Her Structured Power Booster passive? It cranks burst damage by 50% of her total EM. So yeah, stack that EM hard.
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Free Character Acquisition and Version 6.0 Release Details
Good news first – Aino's completely free through the Clink Clank Clash event starting September 10, 2025. You'll need Adventure Rank 28 and some Nod-Krai exploration milestones. Nothing too crazy.
She's featured on Phase 1 banners (September 10 - October 1) alongside Lauma, Yelan, Kaveh, and Kuki Shinobu. Solid lineup, honestly.
Version 6.0's treating F2P players pretty well with 17,310 Primogems (that's 108 pulls) plus 10 Intertwined Fates from anniversary rewards:
Daily Commissions: 2,520 Primogems
Spiral Abyss: 1,600 Primogems
Imaginarium Theater: 1,300 Primogems
Limited Events: 1,840 Primogems
Anniversary Rewards: 1,600 Primogems
Not bad for a version launch. Should give you decent constellation chances.
Best Free-to-Play Weapons for Aino
Favonius Greatsword is her best friend – no contest. ER substat plus team-wide particle generation, though you'll need around 60% CRIT Rate to make it work consistently. Worth the investment.
Flame-Forged Insight works beautifully for Bloom teams with its EM and flat energy restoration. Makhaira Aquamarine gives EM scaling with team ATK buffs (decent if you've got it lying around). The craftable Master Key provides ER with bonus EM after reactions – solid budget option.
Sacrificial Greatsword? ER plus skill cooldown reset for maximum particle spam. Can't argue with that logic.
Weapon priority's pretty straightforward: hit your ER thresholds first, then pivot to EM-focused options. Energy management beats everything else on support characters.
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Optimal Artifact Sets and Stat Thresholds
4-piece Silken Moon's Serenade is absolutely her best-in-slot. 20% ER plus party-wide EM buffs (60 EM under Nascent Gleam, 120 EM under Ascendant Gleam). Those numbers add up fast in reaction teams.
Your stat targets: 160-180% ER (140-160% with C4), 850-900+ EM, roughly 60% CRIT Rate for Favonius procs.
Main stat priorities are EM on Sands/Goblet/Circlet. Only go ER Sands if you absolutely can't hit thresholds through substats – which happens more often than you'd think with 4-star artifact RNG.
Substat hunting order: ER (to threshold) > EM > CRIT Rate > HP%/DEF%.
Alternative sets worth considering:
4-piece Flower of Paradise Lost: Perfect for Bloom teams with 80 EM and reaction damage bonuses
4-piece Noblesse Oblige: Classic 20% ATK party buff after burst
4-piece Instructor: Budget 120 EM party buff after reactions (honestly not terrible for early game)
Top Team Compositions for Maximum Synergy
Lunar-Charged Meta: Aino + Flins + Ineffa + Sucrose maximizes those Ascendant Gleam benefits with multiple Nod-Krai characters. This is probably where the meta's heading.
Hyperbloom Standard: Aino + Dendro Traveler/Lauma + Kuki Shinobu/Raiden + Kaveh/Fischl. Creates tons of Dendro Cores for Electro triggers – classic reaction spam.
F2P Hyperbloom: Aino + Dendro Traveler + Kuki Shinobu + Kaveh. Entirely 4-star team that actually performs really well. No 5-star FOMO required.
Lunar-Bloom Premium: Aino + Lauma + Nilou + Nahida/Baizhu combines Moonsign mechanics with Bountiful Core passives. Expensive but devastating.
Quick comparison note – Aino destroys Xingqiu in multi-target scenarios with superior AoE Hydro application. Xingqiu still wins single-target situations, especially with Normal Attack-focused DPS who need his defensive utility.
Constellation Value Analysis and Talent Priority
High-Value Constellations:
C1: 80 EM to party for 15 seconds after Skill/Burst (grab this first)
C2: Additional water balls every 5 seconds from burst
C4: Restores 10 flat energy when Skill hits (reduces ER requirements significantly)
C6: 15-35% reaction damage increase for 15 seconds after burst
C1's probably the biggest power spike. C4 makes artifact farming way more forgiving.
Talent Priority: Elemental Burst > Elemental Skill > Normal Attack. Her burst does the heavy lifting for off-field Hydro application. Skill generates energy. Normal Attacks? Yeah, don't worry about those much.
Material Farming Routes and Resource Management
Level 90 Requirements:
420,000 Mora
46x Precision Kuuvahki Stamping D-uck-ie (from that Knuckle Duckle boss)
168x Portable Bearing (Nod-Krai local specialty, 48-hour respawn cycle)
Drive Shaft variants: 18x Broken, 30x Reinforced, 36x Precision
Varunada Lazurite gems: 1x Sliver, 9x Fragment, 9x Chunk, 6x Gemstone
Triple Crown Requirements (if you're feeling ambitious):
4,957,500 Mora
18x Silken Feather (The Knave Trounce Domain – you can pre-farm this)
3x Crown of Insight
Elysium talent books: 9x Teachings, 63x Guides, 114x Philosophies (Tuesday/Friday/Sunday)
Start farming those Portable Bearings early. 48-hour respawn means you can't rush this part.
Combat Rotations and Energy Management
Standard Rotation: Aino Burst → Aino Skill → Anemo Support (VV) → Main DPS. Maximizes buff uptime without overthinking it.
Favonius Optimization: Aino Skill → Aino Burst → Swap. This ensures you catch particles before the burst animation locks you in.
Sacrificial Maximization: Aino Skill → (reset) → Aino Skill → Aino Burst → Swap. Double particle generation when it procs.
Pro tip – burst placement matters more than you'd think. That 14-second uptime needs strategic positioning against mobile enemies.
Performance Optimization and Common Mistakes
Biggest mistake I see? Neglecting ER requirements. You absolutely must hit 160-180% before going full EM stack mode. Energy-starved supports are useless supports.
Don't use Hydro DMG% Goblets on reaction teams. EM Goblets scale way better with her kit.
Insufficient CRIT Rate for Favonius passive is another common trap. 60% minimum or find a different weapon.
Advanced stuff involves proper swap timing for particle catching and understanding her 2.1-second Hydro application frequency under Ascendant Gleam. Get that rhythm down for maximum reaction coordination.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Aino worth investing in as a free-to-play player? Absolutely. Exceptional value as a free character with team-wide EM buffs, solid off-field Hydro application, and she's crucial for Moonsign mechanics. Plus, 17,310 Primogems in Version 6.0 gives you excellent constellation opportunities.
How does Aino compare to Xingqiu? Aino wins multi-target scenarios and Bloom teams with superior AoE Hydro application. Xingqiu's still better for single-target, Normal Attack-focused DPS who need his defensive utility. Different tools for different jobs.
What Energy Recharge threshold should I target? 160-180% ER for reliable burst uptime. C4 drops this to 140-160%. Favonius with proper CRIT Rate lets you run lower ER requirements.
Which artifact set provides best value? 4-piece Silken Moon's Serenade with 20% ER and 60-120 EM party buffs. 4-piece Flower of Paradise Lost for dedicated Bloom teams. 4-piece Instructor for budget builds that actually work.
How should I prioritize talent levels? Max Elemental Burst first, Elemental Skill second, Normal Attacks to Level 6 and stop. Her burst carries the off-field support function.
What team compositions maximize Spiral Abyss potential? Lunar-Charged teams with multiple Nod-Krai characters maximize Ascendant Gleam benefits. Hyperbloom compositions provide consistent multi-target damage. Version 6.0 Abyss apparently features Lunar-Charged reaction bonuses, so... perfect timing.