Xiangling Dragon’S Bane Vs Favonius

Xiangling has become one of the most widely used characters in Genshin Impact thanks to her powerful Pyronado ability, fast attack speed, and versatility in a variety of team compositions. Whether you’re playing in the Spiral Abyss or in daily domains, optimizing Xiangling’s weapon choice can make a significant difference in her overall performance. Among the many options available, two 4-star polearms stand out as common favorites Dragon’s Bane and Favonius Lance. Both have unique strengths and serve different purposes, depending on how you build Xiangling and the needs of your team.

Understanding Xiangling’s Role

Sub-DPS or Support

Xiangling is most effective as a sub-DPS character, often used to apply Pyro and trigger Elemental Reactions such as Vaporize or Melt. Her Elemental Skill (Guoba) and Elemental Burst (Pyronado) allow for consistent Pyro application. With proper energy management, she can rotate in and out quickly to deal heavy off-field damage. In some cases, she’s also used as a support, contributing Energy Ptopic generation or setting up reactions for the main DPS.

Why Weapon Choice Matters

Since Xiangling scales heavily with Elemental Mastery and Energy Recharge depending on the team setup, the weapon you choose directly impacts her damage output and uptime on Pyronado. Let’s compare Dragon’s Bane and Favonius Lance in the context of Xiangling’s most popular builds.

Dragon’s Bane Overview

Weapon Stats and Bonus

• Base ATK (Level 90): 454
• Secondary Stat: Elemental Mastery
• Bonus Effect: Increases damage against enemies affected by Hydro or Pyro by 20–36% depending on refinement level.

Dragon’s Bane is one of the best choices for a Vaporize-based Xiangling build. It increases her reaction damage significantly when she’s consistently triggering Vaporize or Melt reactions. This weapon synergizes perfectly with teams that include Hydro characters such as Xingqiu or Yelan.

Best When Used In

• National Team: Xiangling, Xingqiu, Bennett, and Chongyun/Raiden.
• Reverse Vape Team: Xiangling, Xingqiu, Bennett, and Sucrose.

With Dragon’s Bane, Xiangling’s Pyronado hits become much stronger when they Vaporize, making this weapon a go-to option for maximizing elemental reaction-based damage.

Favonius Lance Overview

Weapon Stats and Bonus

• Base ATK (Level 90): 565
• Secondary Stat: Energy Recharge
• Bonus Effect: CRIT hits have a chance to generate Elemental Ptopics, which regenerate Energy for the character.

Favonius Lance is focused more on utility and energy generation. Its high Energy Recharge stat helps Xiangling activate Pyronado more frequently, especially in teams without an energy battery like Raiden Shogun. The passive ability also allows her to generate extra Energy Ptopics for the team, which is particularly useful in Energy-hungry rotations.

Best When Used In

• Low ER Teams: Where no dedicated battery exists for Xiangling.
• Support Roles: When her primary function is helping the team maintain high uptime on bursts.
• Free-to-Play Builds: For players who lack high Energy Recharge substats on artifacts.

While Favonius Lance doesn’t boost her damage directly, it helps maintain consistent Pyronado uptime and supports team-wide energy economy.

Comparative Performance

Damage Output

If your team is set up to frequently trigger Vaporize or Melt reactions, Dragon’s Bane will far outperform Favonius Lance in terms of raw damage. The Elemental Mastery bonus significantly boosts the power of reactions, especially when Pyronado hits are consistently amplified.

Energy Consistency

Favonius Lance gives a more stable energy flow, especially if Xiangling lacks energy recharge substats from artifacts. Its ptopic generation can also benefit characters who have high burst costs, such as Bennett or Chongyun.

Artifact Synergy

Dragon’s Bane works best with 4-piece Emblem of Severed Fate or Crimson Witch of Flames. The increased Elemental Mastery synergizes with sets that boost reaction damage. Meanwhile, Favonius Lance pairs well with Emblem of Severed Fate too, focusing more on Energy Recharge and Burst damage scaling.

Team Composition Considerations

Vaporize Teams

If you’re running a team where Xiangling frequently reacts with Hydro like the classic National Team Dragon’s Bane is usually the superior choice. The massive increase in Vaporize damage is hard to beat when paired with Hydro applicators like Xingqiu.

Overload or Mono-Pyro Teams

In cases where Xiangling doesn’t trigger many elemental reactions, Favonius Lance may be a better fit to ensure consistent Burst uptime. Teams focused on raw Pyro damage, Overload, or even Mono-Pyro setups benefit more from the energy regeneration provided by Favonius Lance.

Weapon Refinement Impact

Dragon’s Bane Refinement

At higher refinements, Dragon’s Bane becomes significantly more powerful. Going from R1 to R5 increases the bonus damage from 20% to 36%, which can make a noticeable difference in sustained DPS.

Favonius Lance Refinement

The ptopic generation chance increases with refinement, but it still depends on Xiangling landing a CRIT hit. Therefore, you’ll need some CRIT Rate in her stats to trigger the passive reliably, even at higher refinement levels.

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose Dragon’s Bane If:

• You use Xiangling as a sub-DPS in reaction-based teams (especially with Hydro units).
• Your artifacts provide sufficient Energy Recharge to sustain her Burst.
• You want to maximize Pyronado’s damage potential through Vaporize/Melt reactions.

Choose Favonius Lance If:

• You need better Energy Recharge and ptopic generation for the whole team.
• You use Xiangling in a more supportive role or in teams that lack energy batteries.
• Your current artifact stats don’t provide enough energy to maintain burst uptime.

Both Dragon’s Bane and Favonius Lance are excellent weapons for Xiangling, but they serve very different purposes. Dragon’s Bane is the clear winner when it comes to raw elemental reaction damage, especially in Vaporize-centric teams. On the other hand, Favonius Lance is a strong utility option that enhances energy management, making it a solid choice for more supportive builds or early-game accounts.

Ultimately, your choice depends on your playstyle, artifact setup, and team composition. If you’re pushing for maximum damage in Spiral Abyss, Dragon’s Bane will likely give you the best results. But if you need stability and burst uptime across your whole team, Favonius Lance could be the better fit. Take time to experiment with both and adjust according to your available resources and characters.