Illuga Build Guide: Best F2P Weapons & Artifacts (6.3)

Illuga Overview: Role and Mechanics

Illuga amplifies team damage through EM-based buffs and Crystallize reactions via the Nightingale's Song mechanic, converting EM into Geo damage bonuses and Lunar Crystallization damage.

Elemental Skill: Dawnbearing Songbird summons an Aedon bird dealing Geo damage (15s cooldown).

Elemental Burst: Shadowless Reflection deals AoE Geo damage, grants Nightingale's Nocturne for 20s with 21 Nightingale's Song stacks. Stacks consume one per Geo hit per enemy. Nearby Geo Constructs add 5 stacks each (max 15 additional per Burst).

Passive: Pact of the Lanternbearer activates after Skill/Burst, granting party Lightkeeper's Oath for 20s: +5% Geo DMG, +5% CRIT Rate, +10% CRIT DMG, plus 50 EM under Moonsign Ascendant Gleam.

EM Scaling Mechanics

With 1-3 Hydro/Geo party members (excluding Illuga):

• Nightingale's Song: 7%/14%/24% Geo DMG of her EM
• Lunar Crystallization damage: 60%/120%/200% of her EM

Energy Cost: 60 (15s cooldown). Exceptional in Hydro-Geo hybrid teams with frequent Crystallize reactions.

Secure Illuga during her banner via Genshin Impact Genesis Crystals top up through BitTopup for competitive rates and instant delivery.

Best F2P Weapons: Tier List

Prioritize Energy Recharge and EM for Burst uptime and scaling.

Top F2P Options

Favonius Lance (Premier Choice)

• 565 Base ATK, 30.6% ER at Lv90
• Passive: 6 Energy for party on CRIT hits (60% chance, 12s cooldown)
• Supports Illuga's Burst rotation and team energy needs
• Build CRIT Rate substats to trigger passive consistently

Kitain Cross Spear (Craftable Alternative)

• 565 Base ATK, 110 EM, +6% Skill DMG
• After Skill: lose 3 Energy, regenerate 3 Energy/2s for 6s off-field (10s cooldown)
• EM mainstat amplifies scaling mechanics directly
• Requires Northlander Polearm Billets

Dragon's Bane

• 454 Base ATK, 221 EM at Lv90
• +20% damage vs Hydro/Pyro-affected enemies
• Viable when other options unavailable

Premium Option

Engulfing Lightning: +28% ATK of ER exceeding 100% (max 80% ATK), +30% ER for 12s after Burst. Converts ER substats into offensive stats. Buy Genshin Genesis Crystals instant recharge from BitTopup for secure transactions.

Refinement Priority

Favonius Lance benefits moderately (60% to 100% particle chance R1→R5), but R1 performs adequately. Kitain Cross Spear refinements (6% to 12% Skill DMG) offer minimal impact. Prioritize leveling to 90 before refinements.

Optimal Artifact Sets

Focus on ER thresholds and EM scaling.

Best-in-Slot

Silken Moon's Serenade 4pc

• 2pc: +20% ER
• 4pc: Gleaming Moon Devotion for 8s, +60/120 party EM (Nascent/Ascendant Gleam), +10% Lunar Reaction DMG per different Gleaming Moon effect
• Farm with Condensed Resin for efficiency

Alternatives

Gilded Dreams 4pc: 80 EM (2pc), +14% ATK per same Element party member (max 3), +50 EM per different Element (max 3). Up to 150 EM in mixed teams.

Noblesse Oblige 4pc: +20% Burst DMG (2pc), +20% party ATK for 12s after Burst. Use when another support has Silken Moon's Serenade.

Main Stats

• Sands: ER or EM (prioritize ER until 180-210% total)

• Goblet: EM or ER
• Circlet: EM or CRIT Rate (CRIT Rate for Favonius Lance)

Substats

Priority: ER > EM > CRIT Rate > DEF%

Targets:

• 180-210% ER for consistent Burst uptime
• 400-600 EM for scaling
• 40-50% CRIT Rate with Favonius Lance

Pre-Farming Checklist

Character Ascension (Lv90)

• Prithiva Topaz: 1 Sliver, 9 Fragments, 9 Chunks, 6 Gemstones
• Pine Amber: 168 (Dreadshade Mire/Piramida, Nod-Krai, 48h respawn)
• Drive Shaft: 18 Broken, 30 Reinforced, 36 Precision
• Cyclic Military Kuuvahki Core: 46 (Super-Heavy Landrover, Experimental Design Bureau, Paha Isle, 40 Resin/run, ~15-20 runs)
• Mora: 420,000

Talent Materials (Triple Crown)

• Eroded Horn: 18 (Lord of Eroded Primal Fire weekly boss, 6 weeks minimum or Dream Solvent conversion)
• Elysium Books: 9 Teachings, 63 Guides, 114 Philosophies
• Drive Shaft: 18 Broken, 66 Reinforced, 93 Precision
• Crown of Insight: 3
• Mora: 4,957,500

Resin Allocation (6 Weeks)

• Weeks 1-2: Kuuvahki Core (600-800 Resin), weekly bosses (120 Resin/week)
• Weeks 3-4: Elysium domain (800-1,000 Resin), weekly bosses
• Weeks 5-6: Artifact farming (remaining Resin)
• Hero's Wit: 419 (840 Resin via Ley Lines if needed)

Total: 3,800-4,700 Resin (7,560 available from natural regen)

Talent Priority

1. Elemental Burst (Lv9+): Highest impact on support capabilities
2. Elemental Skill (Lv6-8): Moderate damage, triggers passive
3. Normal Attack (Lv1+): Minimal field time, skip investment

C3 boosts Burst cap to 15, C5 boosts Skill cap to 15, reinforcing Burst > Skill priority.

Team Compositions

Include 2-3 Hydro/Geo characters (excluding Illuga) for 14-24% Geo DMG bonus and 120-200% EM Lunar Crystallization damage.

Core Teams

Zibai + Columbina + Illuga + Xingqiu: Hydro-Geo hybrid, consistent Crystallize reactions

Zibai + Columbina + Illuga + Zhongli: Triple Geo resonance, shield support, +5 stacks from Zhongli's pillar (max +15 with multiple constructs)

Zibai + Columbina + Illuga + Xilonen: Geo-heavy with support capabilities

Zibai + Columbina + Illuga + Gorou: Pure Geo, DEF-scaling buffs (synergizes with C4)

Rotation

Illuga Skill → Burst → swap to Geo carry. Activates Lightkeeper's Oath buffs before DPS window.

Constellation Analysis

C0 Baseline

Full access to core mechanics. 60 Energy Cost with 15s cooldown maintains uptime at 180-210% ER.

Key Constellations

C1 Sentinel Pheasant: Restores 12 Energy on Geo reactions (15s cooldown). Reduces ER requirements by 20-30%, allows EM reallocation.

C2 Branch-Devouring Roe: Summons Aedon for Geo DMG (400% EM + 200% DEF) every 7 stacks consumed. Triggers 3x per rotation.

C4 Sun-Chasing Wolf: +200 DEF to party during Nocturne. Limited universal value.

C6 Night-Warden Nightingale: Enhances Lightkeeper's Oath with +10% CRIT Rate, +30% CRIT DMG, +80 EM under Ascendant Gleam.

Pulling Strategy

F2P: Target C0-C1. C1 provides highest QoL improvement. Avoid pulling beyond C1 unless excess Primogems.

Common Mistakes

• Under-investing ER (below 180%): Inconsistent Burst uptime
• Excessive ER (above 220%): Diminishing returns
• ATK-scaling weapons: Wastes potential vs ER/EM options
• Leveling Normal Attack: No field time, wasted resources
• Stopping Burst at Lv6-7: Reduces buff effectiveness
• Mono-element non-Geo teams: Fails to activate Nightingale's Song scaling
• Pairing with Melt/Vaporize teams: Wastes Crystallization scaling

Resin Management

Week-by-Week

Weeks 1-2: Universal materials (Elysium books, Hero's Wit, weekly bosses)

Weeks 3-4: Kuuvahki Core (80-100 Resin daily), weekly bosses, Pine Amber routes

Weeks 5-6: Artifact farming (Silken Moon's Serenade), remaining talent books

Fragile Resin

Reserve for artifact farming (Weeks 5-6) after securing guaranteed materials. Artifact RNG requires larger samples.

Condensed Resin

Craft daily (max 5 stored). Use on talent/artifact domains for efficiency.

Day-One Checklist

Materials

• Prithiva Topaz: 1/9/9/6
• Pine Amber: 168
• Drive Shaft: 18/30/36 (ascension) + 18/66/93 (talents)
• Kuuvahki Core: 46
• Eroded Horn: 18
• Elysium Books: 9/63/114
• Crown: 3
• Hero's Wit: 419
• Mora: 5,377,500

Build

• Weapon Lv90 (Favonius/Kitain/Dragon's Bane)
• Silken Moon's Serenade 4pc (ER/EM main stats)
• 180-210% ER total
• 400-600 EM total
• 40-50% CRIT Rate (Favonius Lance)

Performance (C0, Lv90 Favonius R1, 180% ER, 500 EM)

• Burst every 15-18s
• Geo DMG bonus: 70-120
• Lunar Crystallization: 600-1,000 damage/Crystallize
• Lightkeeper's Oath: +5% Geo DMG, +5% CRIT Rate, +10% CRIT DMG, +50 EM

FAQ

Best F2P weapons for Illuga? Favonius Lance (30.6% ER, team energy). Kitain Cross Spear (110 EM, craftable). Dragon's Bane (221 EM, no energy support).

Which artifacts to farm? Silken Moon's Serenade 4pc (20% ER, 60-120 party EM). Target ER/EM main stats. Reach 180-210% ER before prioritizing EM.

When does Illuga's banner release? February 3-24, 2026. Phase 2 features Zibai, Neuvillette, Illuga, Aino, Gorou.

Talent priority? Burst Lv9+ > Skill Lv6-8 > Normal Attack Lv1+.

Best teams for F2P? Zibai + Columbina + Illuga + Xingqiu (Hydro-Geo Crystallize). Zibai + Columbina + Illuga + Zhongli (triple Geo). Include 2-3 Hydro/Geo for full scaling.

Resin needed for pre-farming? 3,800-4,700 over 6 weeks: 600-800 (world boss), 360 (weekly boss), 1,200-1,500 (talents), 800-1,200 (artifacts), 840 (EXP). Natural regen (7,560) covers all. Reserve Fragile Resin for artifacts.