Every character in Genshin Impact has a range of different talents. These are specific to them and will influence their combat as well as give them other skills and abilities. They can be leveled up in the same way as character levels, weapons, and artifacts. Constellations can also affect them.

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In this guide, we take a look at the different talent types, when and how to ascend them, and the benefits they can unlock.

Updated July 17, 2023, By Helen Ashcroft: We've updated this guide to include the newest locations for books that you'll need to level talents as Teyvat continues to expand. If you need book domains or weekly bosses from Mondstadt, Liyue, Inazuma or Sumera you'll find the information here.

Combat Talents In Genshin Impact

The majority of characters have three combat talents; normal attack, elemental skill, and elemental burst. The normal attack talent will affect normal, charged, and plunging attacks. These are your regular attacks, those which consume stamina, and attacks performed from a height.

Your elemental skill is also known as your E move, while elemental burst is your Q move.

The combat talents tend to be similar across characters, for instance, normal attacks will often be boosted to perform up to five rapid strikes, and plunging from mid-air will often deal AOE damage on impact. Other combat talents will be very specific, depending on the elemental class and moves of your character.

Combat talents can be upgraded using talent level-up materials, alongside common ascension items and their maximum level is linked to your character's ascension phase. They can also be affected by constellations, for example, Traveller's third constellation, Sweeping Gust, increases the level of their Gust Surge talent by three, as well as increasing the level cap up to 13.

Passive Talents In Genshin Impact

Passive talents are variable and generally, two of them will be linked to a character's skills. For example, they may add increased damage or healing utility to elemental or burst attacks. These will be unlocked at the first ascension phase, at adventure rank 15, and the fourth ascension phase, at adventure rank 35. The third talent is known as the passive utility talent and is unlocked from level one.

Passive talents cannot be upgraded

Some passive utility talents offer a bonus when cooking or crafting, others reduce stamina usage for your party while gliding or swimming and finally, there are talents that display specific items on your map including certain kinds of ore or items native to specific areas.

Ascension Phases In Genshin Impact

Talent leveling and unlocking is dependent on your character's ascension phase. Ascension phases are linked to adventure rank and increase the maximum levels of your characters, weapons, and talents. Here's how.

First Ascension Phase

Ascension phases begin at adventure rank 15 when your character can hit a maximum level of 40 and your first passive talent unlocks.

Second Ascension Phase

This is unlocked at adventure rank 25 and increases character level to 50 and combat talent leveling to level two.

Third Ascension Phase

At adventure rank 30 your character's level cap increases to 60 and combat talents can be leveled up to four.

Fourth Ascension Phase

When you hit adventure rank 35 the character level rises to 70 and your second passive talent is unlocked. You'll also be able to raise combat talents to level six.

Fifth Ascension Phase

Adventure rank 40 unlocks this next phase which raises the level cap to 80 and your combat talent level to eight.

Sixth Ascension Phase

The final ascension phase increases the level cap for characters to 90 and your combat talents can now go up to level ten, or slightly higher if affected by constellations.

Related: Genshin Impact: Best Enemies And Monsters

Leveling Combat Talents In Genshin Impact

Combat talents scale as they are leveled up, and the majority will hit cap at level ten. The exceptions are when constellations add extra levels, which stop at level 13. Talents cannot be leveled past ten, except with a constellation talent.

The primary items needed are several different types of talent level-up books, each with three levels of rarity. The higher the talent, the rarer the book you'll need. These books drop from different domains across Mondstadt, Liyue, Inazuma, and Sumeru. As with other ascension materials, lower rarity items can be combined using alchemy to create higher-level ones.

There are also items that drop from weekly bosses that are used to level talents to seven and above. Finally, the crown of insight can only be obtained during limited-time events and is used to level talents up to ten.

Where To Find Talent Level Up Books

There are three types of books per region.

Each one has three levels. The most common is teachings of each book type, followed by the mid-level guide to book type, and finally the philosophies of book type.

These books are spread across the four Domains of Mastery, in Mondstadt, Liyue, Inazuma and Sumeru. Here's where and when to find each one.

All books are available on Sundays.

Talent Books In Mondstadt

The talent material domain in Mondstadt is Forsaken Rift. You can find it just south of Springvale, and it's an easy to find outdoor domain.

Talent Books In Liyue

To get talent materials from Liyue head to Taishan Mansion. You'll find it on the lake's edge in Jueyun Karst, close to a waypoint. Once again this is an exterior domain entrance.

Talent Books In Inazuma

Inazuma's talent books can be found in Violet Court. This domain is on an island, just south of Ritou, where you first enter Inazuma. Head south down the coast of Narukami Island towards Inazuma City and the fishing association NPC. Just to the west is Amakane Island. Here you can collect a Waverider and head South. You should see the domain on a small island directly west of Inazuma city.

Talent Books In Sumeru

The Steeple of Ignorance is the domain for talent books in Sumeru, and it requires you to complete Archon Quest Chapter 1: Act 1 Of the Land Amidst Monoliths. Once this is done head to the river west of Chatrakam Cave to unlock the domain.

Weekly Boss Drops For Talent Leveling

Alongside the books, you will need weekly boss drops. These bosses will unlock as you progress through the Archon quests.

You'll only be able to go back to defeat them again once you've first completed them as part of the storyline. There are two weekly bosses per region.

Andrius - The Wolf of The North

Andrius is located to the south-west of Wolvendom and is marked on your map with a large icon. The easiest way to get to him is to go to the Windwail Highland waypoint, just west of Dawn Winery, and then walk North. You'll find Andrius inside a large chasm.

Andrius drops:

• Tail of Boreas
• Ring of Boreas
• Spirit Locket of Boreas

Related: Genshin Impact: The Wolf Of The North Challenge Guide

Stormterror - Stormterror's Liar

Stormterror, also known as Dvalin, is the easiest boss to find. His domain is labeled on the map, as he controls the area to the north-west of Mondstadt city.

Unlock the Statue of Seven and waypoints in this area as soon as you find them since the wind makes it a pain to navigate.

Stormterror drops:

• Dvalin's Plume
• Dvalin's Claw
• Dvalin's Sigh

Related: Genshin Impact: Top Tips For Stormterror's Boss Fight

Tartalgia (Childe) - Enter The Golden House

Tartaglia is found in the Golden House domain, directly south of Liyue Harbor. From the Harbor go towards the Jade Chamber then take the Southern path when you hit the fork in the road.The domain is on the edge of a small lake.

Tartaglia Drops:

• Tusk of Monoceros Caeli
• Shard of a Foul Legacy
• Shadow of the Warrior

Related: Genshin Impact: Top Tips For Childe's Boss Fight

Azhdaha - Beneath The Dragon-Queller

Azhdaha is found in the domain Beneath the Dragon-Queller. This is just south of Mt. Hulao. The domain is in a cave below the large tree. If you follow the surrounding roots, you'll see a place you can duck under them and walk into the domain on the south side, just by the cliff.

Azhdaha drops:

• Dragon Lord's Crown
• Bloodjade Broach
• Gilded Scale

Related: Genshin Impact: How To Defeat Azhdaha

La Signora - Narukami Island: Tenshukaku

La Signora can be faced in Raiden Shogun's Palace within the southern area of Inazuma City. It's a large complex that's easy enough to find.

La Signora drops:

• Molten Moment
• Hellfire Butterfly
• Ashen Heart

Related: Genshin Impact: How To Defeat La Signora

Raiden Shogun - End of the Oneiric Euthymia

Raiden Shogun is hugely important to the Inazuma storyline and is also one of the two weekly bosses for the region in a domain called End of Oneiric Euthymia, rather than in her palace, which contains La Signora. The domain is by the Grand Narukami Shrone: Sacred Sakura on the top of Mt. Yougou in the north of Narukami. You'll discover the area early on, but the boss fight comes much later in the region's storyline.

Raiden Shogun drops:

• Mudra of the Melefic General
• Tears of the Calamitous God
• The Meaning of Aeons

Related: Genshin Impact: How To Defeat Raiden Shogun In End Of Oneiric Euthymia

Scaramouche: Shouki no Kami - Joururi Workshop

The domain to fight Scaramouche, also known as The Balladeer, is called the Joururi Workshop, and you'll find it in Avidya Forest, east of Chinvat Ravine, down by the river.

Scaramouche drops:

• Mirror of Mushin
• Daka's Bell
• Puppet Strings

Apep: Dragon of Verdure - The Realm of Beginnings

You'll find Apep in The Realm of Beginnings, in Sumeru's Desert of Hadramaveth. It's north-west of The Sands of Three Canals and unlocks after Nahida's Story Quest, Act 2, rather than part of the Archon chain.

Apep Drops:

• Everamber
• Primordial Greenbloom
• Worldspan Fern

Talent Leveling Costs

Talent leveling is expensive but the cost is spread quite well due to the ten-level cap. Each phase has a Mora cost as well as requirements for other items. Here's what to expect at each level.

• Talent Level 1-2
  • 12,500 Mora
  • 3 x low-level books
  • 6 x one-star common ascension materials.

• Talent Level 2-3
  • 17,500 Mora
  • 2 x mid-level books
  • 3 x two-star common ascension materials.

• Talent Level 3-4
  • 25,000 Mora
  • 4 x mid-level books
  • 4 x two-star common ascension materials.

• Talent Level 4-5
  • 30,000 Mora
  • 6 x mid-level books
  • 6 x two-star common ascension materials.

• Talent Level 5-6
  • 37,500 Mora
  • 9 x mid-level books
  • 9 x two-star common ascension materials.

• Talent Level 6-7
  • 120,000 Mora
  • 4 x high-level books
  • 4 x three-star common ascension materials
  • 1 x weekly boss drop.

• Talent Level 7-8
  • 260,000 Mora
  • 6 x high-level books
  • 6 x three-star common ascension material
  • 1 x weekly boss drop.

• Talent Level 8-9
  • 450,000 Mora
  • 12 x high-level books
  • 9 x three-star common ascension material
  • 2 x weekly boss drop

• Talent Level 9-10
  • 700,000 Mora
  • 16 x high-level books
  • 12 x three-star common ascension material
  • 2 x weekly boss drop
  • 1 crown of ascension (from special events).

Total Cost of Levelling Talents to Ten

The total cost of leveling talents up to ten is:

• 1,652,500 Mora
• 3 x low-level books
• 21 x mid-level books
• 38 x high-level books
• 6 x one-star ascension materials
• 22 x two-star ascension material
• 31 x three-star ascension materials
• 6 x weekly boss drops
• 1 x crown of insight

Related: Genshin Impact: A Complete List Of Upcoming Characters

Balancing Talents While Levelling

Different characters have different priorities for talent leveling. As such if you can't increase everything at once it's a good idea to check the details of each talent. Depending on your playstyle and primary role, different talents will be more important.

A good example of this is with characters who have healing abilities linked to their Q moves, such as Diona. If you always play in a party with another healer boosting the Q moves healing won't be as important as if you run heavily DPS focused, or have characters like Beidou or Hu Tao who damage themselves in order to increase their damage.

Overall, talents can be expensive to level but make a large impact on your character, so make sure to check your options at the appropriate ascension stages. It's also a good idea to run through domains you'll need between phases as resin will be the biggest barrier for collecting ascension materials. If you have Geo Traveler you may also want to cheese the Childe fight.

Next: Genshin Impact: Characters With The Best Character Development