Riding the Wave: Mastering Mualani in Genshin Impact's Natlan Region

As Genshin Impact's sixth region Natlan celebrates its first anniversary in 2025, veteran players continue to refine their strategies with the region's inaugural five-star character. Mualani, the Hydro Catalyst wielder who surfed her way into players' hearts last year, remains a powerhouse capable of decimating enemies with her unique shark-surfing mechanics. Her damage potential has aged like fine wine in the current meta, with her versatile kit continuing to impress even the most seasoned Travelers.

Surfing to Victory: Understanding Mualani's Mechanics

Mualani's gameplay revolves around her signature Nightsoul mode, activated through her Elemental Skill or quick swap ability. When triggered, she mounts her shark surfboard—a spectacle as majestic as a ballet dancer pirouetting across ocean waves—gliding across terrain until her Nightsoul and Phlogiston resources are depleted.

"When Mualani enters Nightsoul mode, she transforms from a gentle island performer to a tsunami in human form," remarked one top player during a recent championship. "Her ability to accumulate Wave Momentum stacks by surfing through enemies is like watching a master chess player set up an inevitable checkmate three moves ahead."

This momentum-based combat system rewards tactical positioning, as each enemy you pass through while surfing increases your damage output. After collecting three stacks, Mualani unleashes a devastating buffed normal attack that hits like a freight train made of water.

Her Elemental Burst synergizes beautifully with other Natlan characters, gaining Nightsoul Burst stacks that amplify her damage. This mechanic has only become more relevant in 2025's meta, where team composition variety has expanded dramatically.

Optimal Builds: Riding the Perfect Wave

DPS Mualani: The Endgame Build

For players seeking to maximize Mualani's damage potential, the following setup remains the gold standard:

Component	Recommendation
Artifact Set	Obsidian Codex (4pc)
Alternative Set	Heart of Depth (4pc)
Weapons	Surf's Up, Lost Prayer to the Sacred Winds, Ring of Yaxche

The Obsidian Codex set is particularly potent, offering not only enhanced Nightsoul mode damage but also a whopping 40% Critical Rate bonus. This set transforms Mualani from a competent damage dealer into a veritable hurricane of destruction, washing away enemies like sandcastles before the tide.

Her signature weapon, Surf's Up, complements this build perfectly with its impressive 88.2% Critical Damage secondary stat. The synergy between weapon and artifacts creates a damage output that, like a dormant volcano suddenly erupting, can surprise even the most prepared enemies.

Situational Build: The Flexible Approach

For players still working toward the optimal setup, this alternative remains viable:

Component	Recommendation
Artifact Set	Marechaussee Hunter (4pc)
Weapon	The Widsith

This build requires some team synergy considerations, as the Marechaussee Hunter set demands HP loss to maximize Critical Rate bonuses. Pairing Mualani with a character like Furina and a reliable healer creates a damage cycle that, while conditional, can rival her standard build in specific scenarios.

Artifact Optimization: The Foundation of Power

Selecting the right artifact stats remains crucial for maximizing Mualani's potential:

Artifact Piece	Main Stat Priority	Sub Stat Priority
Flower	HP	Crit DMG/Rate > HP% > EM
Feather	ATK	Crit DMG/Rate > HP% > EM
Sands	HP%	Crit DMG/Rate > EM > ER
Goblet	Hydro DMG Bonus	Crit DMG/Rate > HP% > EM
Circlet	Crit Rate/DMG	Crit DMG/Rate > HP% > EM

The choice between Critical Rate and Critical Damage for your Circlet depends on your overall build. When using the Obsidian Codex set with its generous Crit Rate bonus, a Crit DMG Circlet becomes the obvious choice—like selecting a spear rather than a shield when facing an already weakened opponent.

Talent Priority: Focus Your Resources

One of Mualani's most intriguing aspects is her talent priority. Despite dealing significant damage through normal attacks while in Nightsoul mode, you don't actually need to prioritize her Normal Attack talent! This counterintuitive approach exists because her Elemental Skill provides separate multipliers for buffed attacks during Nightsoul mode.

Your talent upgrade priority should be:

1. ⭐ Elemental Skill (highest priority)

2. 🌊 Elemental Burst (secondary priority)

3. 👊 Normal Attack (upgrade to level 6, then ignore unless triple-crowning)

This unusual talent distribution is like finding that the secret to baking the perfect cake lies not in the quality of the flour but in the technique of mixing the batter—unexpected but effective once understood.

Team Compositions in 2025's Meta

As Genshin Impact has evolved through 2025, Mualani has found her place in several powerful team compositions:

Natlan National Team

• Mualani (Main DPS)

• Kinich (Sub-DPS/Nightsoul Amplifier)

• Bennett (Buffer/Healer)

• Xiangling (Off-field DPS)

Freeze Surfing

• Mualani (Main DPS)

• Furina (HP Management/Sub-DPS)

• Freminet (Cryo Application)

• Kokomi (Healer/Hydro Resonance)

Vaporize Tsunami

• Mualani (Main DPS)

• Dehya (Shield/Pyro Application)

• Yelan (Off-field Hydro Support)

• Baizhu (Healer/EM Buffer)

Conclusion

A year after her introduction, Mualani continues to dominate Genshin Impact's combat landscape with her unique surfing mechanics and powerful Hydro application. Her ability to traverse Natlan's challenging terrain while dealing devastating damage makes her both a practical exploration asset and a formidable combat specialist.

For players who have invested in properly building her, Mualani remains one of the game's most satisfying characters to play—a perfect blend of mobility, utility, and raw damage potential that, like a perfectly tuned musical instrument in the hands of a master, can produce results that seem almost magical in their effectiveness. 🌊🏄‍♀️