Updated for Version “Luna IV”
Gorou is a 4-star Geo Bow character in Genshin Impact who boosts his teammate’s DEF and Geo DMG%. Learn about Gorou’s best builds, best weapons, best artifacts, and best teams in this quick guide.
Note that the information given may change if new discoveries are made. More extensive testing is in progress.
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Table of Contents
Infographic
Credits to: auntyplays, kolvii, cuppacote, irokei, acerbus114 and KQM Staff
Character Overview
Pros
- The only dedicated DEF buffer in the game.
- Takes little field time.
- Easy to play.
- Cheap to build.
- A copy of his general best weapon, Favonius Warbow, is given for free.
Cons
- Extremely low personal damage output.
- Buffs’ uptime is rather short, especially without C2.
- Wants C6 to compete with other supports.
Playstyles
Geo Support
Gorou uses his Skill and Burst to give the active character DEF and Geo DMG% buffs. At C6, his buffs extend to CRIT DMG for Geo damage as well.
Talents
Level and Talent Priority
Skill >> Burst
Gorou levels his Skill to increase his Flat DEF buff for teammates. His Burst, although being the majority of his damage, does not matter much, since his damage contribution is almost always negligible. As such, leaving the Burst Talent unlevelled is totally fine.
Talent Overview
Normal Attack | Ripping Fang Fletching
Talent Description
Normal Attack
Performs up to 4 consecutive shots with a bow.
Charged Attack
Performs a more precise Aimed Shot with increased DMG.
While aiming, stone crystals will accumulate on the arrowhead. A fully charged crystalline arrow will deal Geo DMG.
Plunging Attack
Fires off a shower of arrows in mid-air before falling and striking the ground, dealing AoE DMG upon impact.
Gorou’s Normal Attacks and Aimed Shots are relatively standard for a Bow character. They are generally not worth using, except under a few exceptional circumstances: his Normal Attacks can be used to trigger effects such as Favonius, and his Aimed shots can be used to paralyze Ruin Machine enemies or apply Geo for Elemental checks.
Elemental Skill | Inuzaka All-Round Defense
Talent Description
Deals AoE Geo DMG and sets up a General’s War Banner.
General’s War Banner
Provides up to 3 buffs to active characters within the skill’s AoE based on the number of Geo characters in the party at the time of casting:
· 1 Geo character: Adds “Standing Firm” – DEF Bonus.
· 2 Geo characters: Adds “Impregnable” – Increased resistance to interruption.
· 3 Geo characters: Adds “Crunch” – Geo DMG Bonus.
Gorou can deploy only 1 General’s War Banner on the field at any one time. Characters can only benefit from 1 General’s War Banner at a time. When a party member leaves the field, the active buff will last for 2s.
Hold
Adjust the location of the skill.
As mentioned earlier, Gorou’s Elemental Skill is where most of Gorou’s supporting abilities come from. The ability provides buffs for the active character standing in his Skill’s radius. The buffs depend on the number of Geo characters in the party (including Gorou himself), with each Geo character adding an additional buff for up to 3 effects. With 1 Geo character, Gorou boosts the DEF of the active character under the Skill’s effect. With 2 Geo characters, his Skill also provides interruption resistance; with 3 Geo characters, the Skill adds 15% Geo DMG Bonus on top. This is one of the main reasons Gorou prefers teams with multiple Geo teammates.
It is worth noting that Gorou’s buff can have a short application delay to the active character upon swapping, which is dependent on ping — it is generally worthwhile to use a Normal Attack with the active character before casting abilities to give enough time for the buff to apply.
Elemental Burst | Juuga: Forward Unto Victory
Talent Description
Displaying his valor as a general, Gorou deals AoE Geo DMG and creates a field known as General’s Glory to embolden his comrades.
General’s Glory
This field has the following properties:
· Like the General’s War Banner created by Inuzaka All-Round Defense, provides buffs to active characters within the skill’s AoE based on the number of Geo characters in the party. Also moves together with your active character.
· Generates 1 Crystal Collapse every 1.5s that deals AoE Geo DMG to 1 opponent within the skill’s AoE.
· Pulls 1 elemental shard in the skill’s AoE to your active character’s position every 1.5s (elemental shards are created by Crystallize reactions).
If a General’s War Banner created by Gorou currently exists on the field when this ability is used, it will be destroyed. In addition, for the duration of General’s Glory, Gorou’s Elemental Skill “Inuzaka All-Round Defense” will not create the General’s War Banner.
If Gorou falls, the effects of General’s Glory will be cleared.
Gorou’s Burst applies the buff from his Elemental Skill, while also having some other handy utility effects. The most important of these is that it activates his A1 Passive, providing further boosts to the party. It also causes the buff radius to be centered around the active character, removing any restrictions in mobility. Finally, it periodically deals off-field damage and draws Crystallize shards towards the user; this makes maintaining shield uptime for Geo Resonance much easier in the absence of a dedicated shielder.
Ascension 1 Passive | Name
Talent Description
After using Juuga: Forward Unto Victory, all nearby party members’ DEF is increased by 25% for 12s.
A simple and effective teamwide 25% DEF buff with an easy activation condition tied to his Burst cast.
Ascension 4 Passive | A Favor Repaid
Talent Description
Gorou receives the following DMG Bonuses to his attacks based on his DEF:
· Inuzaka All-Round Defense: Skill DMG increased by 156% of DEF
· Juuga: Forward Unto Victory: Skill DMG and Crystal Collapse DMG increased by 15.6% of DEF
A mild damage amp for a low damage unit. The Passive is not completely useless, but its effect is fairly minimal.
Constellations
Gorou’s Constellations offer him additional buffing capabilities, buff duration extensions and minor healing. While very useful, it is generally not worth rolling specifically for, especially given the uncertain nature of rolling for 4-star characters.
Constellation 1 | Rushing Hound: Swift as the Wind
Constellation Description
When characters (other than Gorou) within the AoE of Gorou’s General’s War Banner or General’s Glory deal Geo DMG to opponents, the CD of Gorou’s Inuzaka All-Round Defense is decreased by 2s.
This effect can occur once every 10s.
His C1’s cooldown reduction is helpful on certain teams, particularly alongside Noelle, to ensure smooth rotations. However, players should note that the cooldown reduction itself has a 10s cooldown, which means it can only activate every other Skill if his Skill is cast less than 10s after his last Skill.
Constellation 2 | Sitting Hound: Steady as a Clock
Constellation Description
While General’s Glory is in effect, its duration is extended by 1s when a nearby active character obtains an Elemental Shard from a Crystallize reaction, or triggers a Lunar-Crystallize reaction.
This effect can occur once every 0.1s. Max extension is 3s.
Gorou’s C2 increases the duration of his Burst’s effects by up to 3 seconds if Crystallize shards are picked up, or if Lunar-Crystallize is triggered. While helpful, especially for Itto and Zibai, some of Gorou’s teams are unable to generate Crystallize shards on their own unless fighting an enemy with an innate aura, rendering his C2 situationally useless.
Constellation 3 | Mauling Hound: Fierce as Fire
Constellation Description
Increases the Level of Inuzaka All-Round Defense by 3.
Maximum upgrade level is 15.
A nice Talent level increase to his Skill, improving his Flat DEF buff.
Constellation 4 | Lapping Hound: Warm as Water
Constellation Description
When General’s Glory is in the “Impregnable” or “Crunch” states, it will also heal active characters within its AoE by 50% of Gorou’s own DEF every 1.5s.
Gorou’s C4 offers some minor healing — while generally not enough to act as a team’s sole source of defensive utility, it can be helpful in healing off small damage against effects like Corrosion.
Constellation 5 | Striking Hound: Thunderous Force
Constellation Description
Increases the Level of Juuga: Forward Unto Victory by 3.
Maximum upgrade level is 15.
A small boost to Gorou’s Burst, but relatively negligible compared to overall team damage.
Constellation 6 | Valiant Hound: Mountainous Fealty
Constellation Description
For 12s after using Inuzaka All-Round Defense or Juuga: Forward Unto Victory, increases the CRIT DMG of all nearby party members’ Geo DMG based on the buff level of the skill’s field at the time of use:
· “Standing Firm”: +10%
· “Impregnable”: +20%
· “Crunch”: +40%
This effect cannot stack and will take reference from the last instance of the effect that is triggered.
Gorou’s C6 is a huge boost to Gorou’s supportive capabilities, providing up to 40% CRIT DMG to Geo damage dealt by Gorou’s teammates. It is worth noting that this buff cannot be snapshotted – nonetheless, it is a solid capstone Constellation.
Artifacts
Artifact Stats
 Sands |  Goblet |  Circlet |
| ER | Any | CRIT Rate |
Stat Priority: ER until requirements > CRIT Rate >> DEF%
Gorou rarely wants to build any stats other than ER to meet his ER requirements, and CRIT Rate to reliably trigger the Favonius effect. While mostly inconsequential, Gorou can build for his personal damage with a Geo DMG% Goblet and DEF% and CRIT substats. Still, his damage output is low, and artifact investment should be put on other teammates instead.
Gorou can also stack DEF after building enough ER and CRIT Rate to increase his C4’s healing, or to increase the Ascendant Gleam’s Team Bonus in Zibai teams. As most Zibai teams have rotations shorter than 20s, Gorou often uses his Burst every other rotation and forgoes building ER to stack on his DEF for the Team Bonus fully instead.
In teams where he Bursts every rotation, Gorou will generally want up to 220% ER with Favonius Warbow, and up to 250% without it. This is relatively easy to meet with a 5-star ER Sands alongside an ER weapon. In teams where Gorou uses Burst every other rotation (e.g. Zibai teams), his ER requirements will not exceed 140%. The Energy Recharge Calculator can be used to find out Gorou’s exact ER requirements on a specific team.
Artifact Sets
Hover over artifact images for more information.
 4pc Scroll of the Hero of Cinder City (Scroll) | 4pc Scroll is a versatile set that can buff Geo damage dealers as well as PHEC units, by triggering the corresponding Crystallize reactions with Gorou. This can be considered Gorou’s most general set as long as he can trigger Crystallize. |
 4pc Noblesse Oblige | Noblesse Oblige can be used with Itto and Noelle as they still scale with ATK buffs. However, the buff is somewhat diluted since these characters already receive a lot of ATK from converting their DEF stat. |
 4pc The Exile | With its Energy restoration passive, 4pc Exile can be competitive on Gorou when the Geo DPS has high ER requirements (e.g. Itto, Noelle). However, its status as a 4-star artifact means that Gorou will be harder pressed to meet his stat requirements with this set. Thus, it is generally best to use a 5-star off-set ER Sands or CRIT Rate Circlet as needed. |
 4pc Instructor | This is a niche set for Gorou to increase Lunar-Crystallize damage in Zibai or Columbina teams. Similarly to 4pc Exile, Gorou should use a 5-star off-set ER Sands or CRIT Rate Circlet to meet his stat requirements as needed. |
 4pc Serenity Moon’s Serenade (SMS) | 4pc SMS is also another niche artifact option for Gorou in Lunar-Crystallize teams. However, unless there is no one else to hold 4pc SMS, Gorou should use 4pc Instructor instead, since he generally is the least stat-demanding among all teammates. |
| Other Sets | Gorou’s other set options do not provide any team utility, and are thus generally worse than either of the above options. However, he can use 4pc Husk of Opulent Dreams, 4pc Emblem of Severed Fate, 2pc combinations of these, or even rainbow sets in order to boost relevant stats for himself to focus on his own damage or utility via C4. |
Weapons
Hover over weapon images for more information.
 Favonius Warbow | Gorou’s undisputed best-in-slot. Players obtain a free Favonius Warbow upon completing the first Archon Quest, and it serves as his best weapon option. The weapon provides a hefty chunk of ER, and its passive turns Gorou into an acceptable battery for his teammates. |
 Elegy for the End | Elegy’s buff is inconsistent to proc with Gorou, and there are only a few teams that can take advantage of its 20% ATK and 100 EM buff. As such, it is rarely recommended over Favonius Warbow for most Gorou teams. |
 Sacrificial Bow | Sacrificial Bow’s Skill reset allows for additional Geo particle generation, which benefits Geo teammates more than Favonius’s Clear particles. However, it comes with the caveats of extending Gorou’s field time and needing high refinements for consistency. |
| Snare Hook, Rainbow Serpent’s Rain Bow, End of the Line | Weapons with ER secondary stats that Gorou can use as stat stick when the above options are not available. |
Teams
Rotation Notation
- N = Normal Attack
- C = Charged Attack
- A = Aimed Shot
- P = Plunging Attack
- E = Elemental Skill
- tE = Tap Skill
- hE = Hold Skill
- Q = Elemental Burst
- D = dash (cancel)
- J = jump (cancel)
- W = walk (cancel)
- > = switch character
- ( ) = these actions are optional; please refer to the notes below
- [ ] = repeat these actions the specified number of times
Teambuilding
- Gorou prefers at least 2 Geo teammates to maximize the buffs from his Skill and C6.
Geo Teams
Gorou’s teams will generally consist of an on-field Geo DPS and a Geo Flex unit, the last unit generally being variable. Discussed below are Gorou’s teammate options, as well as some sample teams using them. For further information on any of the listed units check out their respective linked character guides.
Notable Teammates
On-Field Geo DPS
While Gorou is not the first choice for team DPS for these characters nowadays, he is still a good buffer if players seek to increase their hypercarry’s damage.
 Zibai | Gorou is one of Zibai’s best supports, especially when Gorou is at C6. As most Zibai teams run rotations that are less than 20s, Gorou uses his Burst every other rotation. This allows him to build more DEF to increase the Ascendant Gleam’s Lunar Reaction DMG Bonus. |
 Itto | Itto was the unit that Gorou was designed to support. Itto tends to want to stack buffs and have multiple batteries to maximize the damage he can deal while in his Burst state, which converts his DEF to ATK. Gorou’s kit and his team building requirements fit perfectly with this, making Gorou the best support to hyperbuff Itto. |
 Noelle | Similarly to Itto, Noelle’s Burst converts her DEF to ATK. Noelle tends to deal less damage than Itto, but she consolidates healing and shielding utility, while also maintaining the ability to swap in her Burst duration. While this comparatively lowers Gorou’s value to her, he is nonetheless a solid addition to Noelle teams and significantly boosts her personal damage. |
  Xilonen, Chiori | While barely an optimal playstyle before their C6, Xilonen and Chiori can function as on-field DPS units that scale directly with DEF, which Gorou is a good buffer for. |
 Kachina | Similar to Xilonen, Kachina can use Gorou to buff her on-field damage output. However, this playstyle is hardly viable for endgame content. |
 Ningguang | C6 Gorou’s Geo DMG% and CRIT DMG buffs are somewhat viable for this ATK-scaling Geo damage dealer, provided Albedo is also used to make the most use out of Gorou. |
Geo Flex
The Geo Flex unit should be chosen based on their synergy with the on-field Geo DPS or with the team as a whole.
 Albedo | Albedo is a generally strong pick due to his reliable off-field damage, low field time and decent particle generation. However, he is particularly strong in teams with Gorou, who serves as a rare source of DEF buffs to significantly bolster Albedo’s already solid personal damage. While Gorou’s abilities are generally used directly before the main carry, it is best to use Gorou before Albedo so that Albedo can snapshot Gorou’s buffs. |
Chiori | Unlike Albedo, Chiori cannot snapshot Gorou’s Skill’s buff and thus benefits less from Gorouthan Albedo. However, Gorou’s teamwide A1 Passive and C6 buffs still apply to Chiori, allowing her to deal good damage and be appreciated in any Geo team regardless. |
General Flex
The last slot in Gorou’s teams depends on the main Geo carry used and can be generally flexed to match content. Usually, the highest damage variants involve using another Geo Flex in this slot: Albedo, Chiori and Zhongli are particularly noteworthy in this regard. However, other units can be considered if another Geo Flex is not available or if needed for shieldbreaking purposes.
Example Teams
This is not a comprehensive list of teams. The inclusion or exclusion of any given team does not necessarily reflect its power level.
Gorou is one of Zibai’s best supports, especially when Gorou is at C6. This team, despite not having any dedicated sustain unit, can still run comfortably thanks to Gorou’s interruption resistance buff and minor C4 healing, Columbina’s healing from Prototype Amber, and Zibai’s high DEF stat that reduces damage taken.
In this team, Gorou uses his Burst every other rotation to shorten rotation length and eliminate the need to build ER with a 4-star Instructor set. This also allows him to allocate more substats into DEF% to increase the Team Bonus of Ascendant Gleam. His optimal artifact set is 4pc Instructor. However, if Illuga is not C2+ and Columbina holds 4pc Aubade of Morningstar and Moon, using 4pc SMS on Gorou instead of Illuga can also be viable.
Sample Rotation
Columbina E (Q)¹ > Illuga EQ > Gorou (Q)² E > Zibai combo
¹Burst whenever available.
²Burst every other rotation.
An accessible Zibai team consisting of all 4-star teammates for the worst scenario that not a single copy of Illuga is obtained.
Sample Rotation
Geo Traveler EQ > Aino EQ > Gorou (Q)¹ E > Zibai combo
¹Burst every other rotation.
Gorou’s buffs are fully taken advantage of by benefiting both Itto and Albedo. Durin is the best option for the last slot thanks to his RES Shred, personal damage, and Hexerei status to activate Albedo’s Hexerei kit effects. Fischl is a viable alternative with her high particle generation.
Sample Rotation (Durin)
Durin EEQ > Gorou EQ > Albedo E > Itto N1 Q combo
Sample Rotation (Fischl)
Fischl E/Q > Gorou EQ > Albedo E > Itto N1 Q combo
Despite not being able to snapshot Gorou’s Skill’s buffs, Chiori is still a good pick for Geo teams thanks to her considerable off-field damage.
Sample Rotation
Zhongli hED > Gorou Q > Chiori (Q) 2[E] > Gorou E > Itto combo
This is one of the best teams for Itto’s and Noelle’s personal damage. Xilonen’s C2 is a must to maintain her RES Shred while she is off-field in a Triple Geo team.
With Itto, Gorou’s C4 is also required to stack Furina’s Fanfare. However, without C2 Furina, Gorou’s C4 healing is rather pathetic and Fanfare generation drops heavily if Itto takes too much damage. Fortunately for Noelle, she has built-in healing in her kit, allowing the team to function without much issue.
Sample Rotation (Itto)
Gorou E > Xilonen Q > Furina ED Q > Gorou Q > Xilonen E N2 > Itto combo
Sample Rotation (Noelle)
Xilonen Q > Furina ED Q > Gorou EQ > Xilonen E N2 > Noelle E Q N3D N3 > Gorou E > Noelle 2[N3D] N4
This team trades Noelle’s personal damage for Yelan, a powerful off-field damage dealer when paired with Furina. Gorou can use 4pc Archaic Petra to buff the Hydro teammates.
Sample Rotation
Furina ED Q > Yelan EQ N1 > Gorou Q E > Noelle E Q N3D N3 > Yelan N1 E N1 > Gorou E > Noelle N3D N3
Limited Roster Alternatives
These teams are meant for newer players whose limited roster prevents them from using the teams above; as such, the teams below result in lower damage output.
This all-4-star team uses 3 buffers to increase Noelle’s personal damage as well as decrease her ER requirements with their Geo particle generation. In this team, Gorou uses 4pc Instructor, Illuga holds 4pc Noblesse Oblige, and Yun Jin utilizes 4pc Husk of Opulent Dreams or other pieces that increase her DEF. 4pc Husk of Opulent Dreams is also Noelle’s best set in this team, but 4pc Gladiator’s Finale is also a decent option.
Sample Rotation
Illuga EQ > Yun Jin EQ > Gorou Q E > Noelle E Q N3D N3 > Yun Jin E > Gorou E > Noelle 2[N3D] N4
Credits
Writer(s): cuzimori, acerbus114
Contributors: cosmic_wanderer_, pulsar79.
Team images made with the KQM portrait generator.