What Makes Citlali Tick
Here"s where things get interesting—Citlali"s basically a hybrid defensive/offensive support who specializes in enabling Forward Melt reactions. Her Elemental Skill drops the Opal Shield (lasting 20 seconds with a 16-second cooldown) that scales off EM, while simultaneously summoning Itzpapa for off-field Cryo application. But here"s the catch: you need to maintain 50+ Nightsoul points to keep Itzpapa active.
Itzpapa deals AoE Cryo damage every second, burning through 8 Nightsoul points per second with a 1.5-second internal cooldown. The Elemental Burst costs 60 Energy (15-second cooldown), deals AoE Cryo damage, restores 24 Nightsoul points, and summons 3 Spiritvessel Skulls for good measure.
Her A1 passive is where the magic happens—reducing enemy Pyro/Hydro RES by 20% for 12 seconds whenever you trigger Melt or Freeze. A4 passive adds 90% EM to Skill damage and a whopping 1200% EM to Burst damage. Yeah, you read that right.
What she brings to the table: Forward Melt enablement (that sweet 2.0x multiplier), interruption resistance, dual RES shred, and surprisingly excellent F2P compatibility.
The downsides? High ER requirements, shields that won"t quite match Zhongli"s tankiness, somewhat complex Nightsoul management, and reduced effectiveness against Freeze-immune bosses. Nothing"s perfect, right?
Artifacts That Actually Matter
4pc Scroll of the Hero of Cinder City is her best friend. This set provides 6 Energy on Nightsoul Bursts plus 12% Elemental DMG bonus (ramping up to 40% total while in Nightsoul"s Blessing state for 20 seconds). The synergy with her reaction-based gameplay is chef"s kiss.
Backup options: 4pc Tenacity of the Millelith (20% ATK + 30% Shield Strength—solid for pure support), 4pc Noblesse Oblige (20% ATK post-Burst for the team), or 4pc Gilded Dreams if you"re going full personal EM focus.
Main stats are straightforward: ER or EM Sands (depending on your ER situation), EM Goblet, EM Circlet. Substat hunting priority: ER until you hit your threshold → EM (targeting that 800-1200+ range) → HP% → ATK%/CRIT stats.
Weapons Worth Your Primogems
5-Star territory: Starcaller"s Watch is her absolute BiS—265 EM plus 100 EM from passive plus 28% team damage boost. A Thousand Floating Dreams also works beautifully with high EM and team buffs.
4-Star solid choices: Sacrificial Fragments (EM plus those clutch skill resets), Wandering Evenstar (EM plus 24% ATK buff), Favonius Codex (ER plus particle generation for the team).
F2P reality check: Here"s something that might surprise you—Thrilling Tales R5 often provides the best team DPS despite being a 3-star weapon. That 48% ATK buff is no joke. Mappa Mare works as a craftable EM option when you need it.
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Team Compositions That Work
Mavuika Melt (60.5% Abyss usage rate—there"s a reason for that): Mavuika/Citlali/Xilonen/Bennett.
The rotation flows like this: Mavuika tap E → Xilonen E N2 → Bennett EQ → Citlali EQ → Mavuika Q plus Melt combo. Smooth as butter when executed properly.
Arlecchino Melt: Arlecchino/Citlali/Rosaria/Bennett. The shield provides crucial interruption resistance for Arlecchino"s unhealable state—trust me, you"ll appreciate this more than you think.
Neuvillette Freeze: Neuvillette/Citlali/Furina/Kazuha. Hydro RES shred plus Freeze control plus shield comfort makes C0 Neuvillette significantly more comfortable to play.
Vapemelt (for the ambitious): Hu Tao/Citlali/Yelan/Xingqiu. This advanced composition applies Hydro → Cryo → Melt on Frozen targets. Not for beginners, but devastating when mastered.
Investment Strategy
Talent priority"s pretty clear: Skill first (shield scaling plus Itzpapa damage) → Burst → Normal Attack (honestly, just leave this at level 1).
Practical breakpoints: Level 6 minimum for functionality, Level 8 as the sweet spot for most players, Levels 9-10 enter whale territory unless you"re really committed.
Material reality check per talent 1→10: 1,652,500 Mora, 1 Crown, 6 Denial and Judgment from the Knave boss, Kindling books (3/21/38), and Fang materials (6/22/31). Plan accordingly.
Constellation Deep Dive
C0: Fully functional—don"t let anyone tell you otherwise.
C1: 200% EM scaling to active character attacks. Nice damage boost, but not essential for her core function.
C2 (This is where I"d stop if I were you): +125 EM for herself, +250 EM for shielded allies, A1 RES shred jumps from 20% to 40%, plus party-wide shields in Co-Op. This constellation transforms her from good support to exceptional support.
C4: 1800% EM damage instance plus 16 Nightsoul points plus 8 Energy—significantly reduces ER requirements.
C6: Permanent Itzpapa plus up to 60% Pyro/Hydro DMG bonus. Whale territory, but undeniably powerful.
Rotations and Energy Management
Core combo"s simple: E → Q generates 52-55+ Nightsoul points (24 from E, 24+ from Q), easily exceeding that crucial 50-point threshold for Itzpapa.
ER requirements vary by team: Solo Cryo needs 170-195%, Double Cryo 170-185%, with Neuvillette 125-150%, with Xilonen plus Natlan characters 145-150%.
Energy management tip: Meet your ER thresholds through substats and weapons before going all-in on EM stacking. Consider Favonius weapons on multiple team members to reduce individual ER requirements across the board.
Mistakes I See All The Time
Critical errors that"ll tank your performance: Insufficient ER preventing Burst usage (seriously, fix this first), using random EM pieces instead of 4pc Scroll, choosing ATK weapons over utility options like Thrilling Tales, and doing Q→E rotation which wastes particles.
Optimization details: Add a second Cryo character against fast Pyro applicators, position carefully for AoE coverage, dash-cancel fast attacks to maintain Cryo aura consistency.
Target stats to aim for: 17k-20k HP, 1000-1200 ATK, 1000-1200 EM, 150-180% ER. These numbers give you a solid foundation for any team composition.
How She Stacks Up
vs Zhongli: Weaker shields, sure, but she adds elemental application plus targeted Pyro/Hydro RES shred versus his universal RES reduction. Different tools for different jobs.
vs Layla: Layla provides stronger shields, but Citlali brings superior team damage amplification through her RES shred and reaction enabling.
vs Rosaria: They actually complement each other beautifully—Rosaria adds CRIT sharing while both provide consistent Cryo application.
She"s optimal for: Pyro/Hydro DPS teams, situations requiring interruption resistance, Melt compositions, and teams needing slot efficiency.
Less optimal for: Pure Cryo DPS teams, situations demanding maximum shield strength, or teams already running the Scroll set.
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Quick Answers to Common Questions
What stats matter most? ER until you meet team requirements (150-195%), then EM targeting 800-1200+. Her shield strength, damage scaling, and reaction potential all scale with EM—it"s genuinely that important.
Worth pulling without Mavuika or Arlecchino? Absolutely. She provides value for any Pyro/Hydro DPS, including 4-stars like Yanfei, plus Neuvillette benefits enormously from her shielding and RES shred.
Is C2 worth the investment? One of the strongest support constellation upgrades available. That 250 EM boost to allies plus doubled RES shred (40%) rivals many C6 effects for pure team damage increase.
Best F2P weapon choice? Thrilling Tales R5 often provides the highest team DPS despite its 3-star status—that 48% ATK buff is genuinely powerful. Go with Mappa Mare or Favonius when the ATK buff"s covered elsewhere.
The bottom line? Citlali"s a remarkably versatile support who rewards investment with consistent performance across multiple team archetypes. Just don"t skimp on that ER requirement—trust me on this one.
