Nicole Build: Kit, materials, artifacts weapon and team

Is the Hexerei system about to rise? Nicole, the Observer of the Hexenzirkel, is about to debut in version 6.6—the long-awaited dedicated support for Hexerei is finally here! So, what exactly is Nicole's kit, materials, and more? This comprehensive Nicole Build Guide has all the answers!

 

Nicole Overview

Rarity: 5-star | Element: Pyro | Weapon: Catalyst

Nicole is a Pyro support who provides team-wide ATK buffs, a strong Pyro shield, and coordinated off-field damage. Her Skill grants Selfless Boon (upgradable to Sacred Benediction for higher ATK and extra effects), while her Burst enables repeated coordinated attacks based on the active character’s element, making her a flexible buffer and damage enabler.

 

Nicole Kit

A - NORMAL ATTACK: Allegoria
Normal Attack	Proclaims a decree in the primordial tongue and performs up to 3 attacks that deal Pyro DMG.
Charged Attack	Consumes a certain amount of Stamina to deal AoE Pyro DMG to opponents in front of her after a short casting time.
Plunging Attack	Nicole plunges towards the ground from mid-air, damaging all opponents in her path. Also deals AoE Pyro DMG upon impact with the ground.
E - Revelation Edict: Unmanifest Light
Recreates a fleeting glimpse of an age long past, when the angels acted on the authority of the heavens, bestowing the Grace of Kenosis effect on nearby party members. This increases their ATK and deals AoE Pyro DMG, as well as creates a Shield of Blazing Light. The Shield of Blazing Light's DMG Absorption is based on Nicole's ATK, and it will absorb Pyro DMG at 250% effectiveness.
Q - Revelation: Ladder of Divine Ascent
As Nicole weaves the path of anchored fate with golden threads of light, she deals AoE Pyro DMG and switches to Silent Contemplation mode. In this mode, when nearby active party members hit an opponent, an Arcane Projection is summoned to perform a Coordinated Attack against the opponent, dealing AoE Elemental DMG of the character's corresponding Elemental Type. This DMG scales based on the corresponding character's ATK and will be considered as having been dealt by them. This effect can occur once every 3s, and can be triggered up to 5 times each time Nicole switches to Silent Contemplation mode. It is worth noting that Hexerei characters' Arcane Projections appear to differ somehow in appearance from the others...
Passive Talents
Methexis	For 20s after unleashing the Elemental Skill Revelation: Uncreated Light, Nicole will continuously "Observe" the other current active party members. After the observed character has remained on the field for 3s, their Grace of Kenosis is upgraded to Guidance of Theosis, increasing their ATK by an additional 300. If the observed character is a Hexerei character, Grace of Kenosis is upgraded to Guidance of Theosis straight away. When characters other than Nicole who have Guidance of Theosis leave the field, their effect reverts to Grace of Kenosis.
Philokalia	When a nearby active party member deals Elemental DMG, Nicole's Grace of Kenosis effect is upgraded to Guidance of Theosis for 8s.
Nepsis	Nicole's Charged Attack becomes "Emissarial Guidance" if you have already obtained the current region's Treasure Compass outside of combat in Teyvat. Emissarial Guidance: Calls upon nearby Seelie to show the way, triggering an effect similar to the region's Treasure Compass. This effect has a cooldown time of 5 seconds and does not work in Domains, Trounce Domains, and the Spiral Abyss.
Witch's Eve Rite: Light in the Darkness	After completing Witch's Homework: The Role of a Guide, Nicole becomes a Hexerei character. When the party includes at least 2 Hexerei characters, you gain the Hexerei: Secret Rite effect, which enhances Hexerei characters. Hexerei: Secret Rite Increases the DMG dealt by Hexerei characters' Arcane Projections by 150% of Nicole's ATK.

Nicole Skill update priority

Nicole, as a Pyro Catalyst off-field support character, has the following skill leveling priority:

Elemental Skill (E) > Elemental Burst (Q) > Normal Attack.

• Elemental Skill (E) – Highest Priority: This is Nicole's core support ability. When cast, it provides a team-wide ATK buff based on her own ATK, and simultaneously creates a Blazing Radiance Shield that also scales with her ATK and has 250% Pyro DMG Absorption. Increasing the level of her Elemental Skill directly enhances both shield strength and the team ATK buff, making it Nicole's most worthwhile skill to invest resources in.
• Elemental Burst (Q) – Second Priority: The damage dealt by the coordinated attacks scales based on the active character's ATK. Leveling up Nicole's Elemental Burst increases the base multiplier of these coordinated attacks, though the overall return is slightly lower than that of her Elemental Skill.
• Normal Attack – Lowest Priority: As an off-field support, Nicole will hardly ever use her Normal or Charged Attacks on the field. Therefore, her Normal Attack level has minimal impact on actual combat performance. It can be left unleveled or raised only to levels 1–6.

It is recommended to level Nicole's Elemental Skill to 9–10, her Elemental Burst to 8–9, and keep her Normal Attack at a low level. Prioritize stacking ATK on her artifacts and weapon main stats, since both her shield absorption amount and ATK buff scale based on Nicole's ATK.

 

Nicole Materials

Check out Nicole's ascension, talent, and signature weapon materials below — see what you're still short on!

Materials	Total
Agnidus Agate Gemstone	1
Agnidus Agate Chunk	9
Agnidus Agate Fragment	9
Agnidus Agate Sliver	6
Remnant of the Dreadwing	46
Pine Amber	168
Tattered Warrant	36
Immaculate Warrant	96
Frost-Etched Warrant	129
Crown of Insight	3
Teachings of Elysium	9
Guide to Elysium	63
Philosophies of Elysium	114
Unknown New Material	18
Hero's Wit	419
Mora	7 325 000
Broken Drive Shaft	15
Reinforced Drive Shaft	23
Precision Drive Shaft	27
Faded Flaming Hilt	23
Fractured Flaming Hilt	27
Jeweled Flaming Hilt	41
Artful Device Fragment	5
Artful Device Replica	14
Artful Device Inheritance	14
Artful Device Wish	6

 

Nicole Weapon

Nicole Signature Weapon

Seven Edicts of Dust and Light (Lv. 90)

Rarity: 5-star | Base ATK: 741 | ATK%: 16.5%

Crown of the Final Scion (R5)

ATK is increased by 24%. After the equipping character creates a Shield, they gain "Pathfinder's Light" for 20s: Increases your active party member's DMG by 22% for every 1,000 ATK the equipping character has, up to a maximum of 58%. While Pathfinder's Light is in effect, when your active party member hits a nearby opponent, or opens a chest outside of combat, they will also gain "Guide's Contentment": Restores 17 Elemental Energy to the equipping character. This effect can trigger once every 16s and can be triggered even when the equipping character is off-field.

Hexerei: Secret Rite: When there are off-field Hexerei characters in your party, they will also gain 50% of the DMG increase from Pathfinder's Light.

 

Alternative Weapon

Skyward Atlas

Rarity: 5-star | Base ATK: 674 | ATK%: 33.1%

Wandering Clouds (R5)

Increases Elemental DMG Bonus by 24%. Normal Attack hits have a 50% chance to earn the favor of the clouds, which actively seek out nearby opponents to attack for 15s, dealing 320% ATK DMG. Can only occur once every 30s.

Skyward Atlas is Nicole's best pure stat-stick weapon — although it lacks team-wide buff effects, it provides an extremely high ATK stat, which directly translates into a stronger shield and higher team-wide ATK buff values. If you don't have her signature weapon and need to maximize Nicole's ATK, Skyward Atlas is one of the best options available.

 

Thrilling Tales of Dragon Slayers

Rarity: 3-star | Base ATK: 401 | HP%: 35.2%

Heritage (R5)

When switching characters, the new character taking the field has their ATK increased by 48% for 10s. This effect can only occur once every 20s.

Thrilling Tales of Dragon Slayers is the best weapon for maximizing your main DPS's burst damage. However, it comes at a significant cost — Nicole's shield becomes much weaker and her own ATK buff scaling suffers. Only use it in hypercarry teams where the 48% ATK bonus is worth sacrificing Nicole's personal stats.

 

Nicole Artifact

Nicole Artifact

2-PIECE SET

Energy Recharge +20%.

4-PIECE SET

If the equipping character has completed Witch's Homework, after they use an Elemental Skill, they also gain "Light's Guidance" for 20s: All nearby party members gain a 20% Elemental DMG Bonus corresponding to the equipping character's Elemental Type. The equipping character can trigger this effect while off-field. DMG Bonuses provided by Artifact Sets with the same name do not stack. Hexerei: Secret Rite: Light's Guidance is upgraded to "Mortal Hymn": All nearby party members gain a 40% Elemental DMG Bonus corresponding to both the equipping character and the current active party member's Elemental Type instead. If both characters have the same Elemental Type, these bonuses will not stack.

 

This artifact set is Nicole's best-in-slot (BiS) build. The 2-piece set addresses her Energy Recharge needs, while the 4-piece set provides the entire team with 40% dual-element DMG Bonus within the Hexerei system, perfectly complementing Nicole's "cast E and swap out" playstyle. If Nicole reaches C2 (RES shred) combined with this artifact set and her signature weapon, she will become a top-tier team-wide DMG buffer.

 

Nicole Secondaire Artifact

2-PIECE SET

ATK +18%.

4-PIECE SET

Superconduct DMG is increased by 40%. When a character attacks an opponent affected by Superconduct, the resulting DMG instance's CRIT Rate increases by 20%. This Set has an ability that has yet to be revealed...

 

For this artifact set to work effectively, your party needs at least one Cryo and one Electro character (ideally from the Hexerei system) to reliably trigger Superconduct. The 2-piece ATK bonus is a must-have for Nicole, while the 4-piece set turns her from a pure support into a hybrid role that can also deal off-field damage. If your team can't consistently trigger Superconduct, then this set is only worth using for its 2-piece bonus.

 

Nicole Pull recommendation

Nicole Constellation Overview

	1."Do Not Be Afraid, Child Who Is Loved" When the party's current active character hits an opponent, an additional special "Arcane Projection: Unity" will be summoned to perform a Coordinated Attack against the opponent, dealing AoE Elemental DMG of the character's corresponding Elemental Type at 600% of their ATK. This DMG will be considered as having been dealt by the corresponding character. This effect can trigger once every 6s.
	2."I Will Guide You and Show You the Path You Should Tread" Enhances the effects of the Elemental Skill Revelation: Uncreated Light: Grace of Kenosis increases ATK by an additional 240 (which does not count toward this effect's ATK Bonus limit), while Guidance of Theosis decreases nearby opponents' Elemental RES against the corresponding character's Elemental Type by 20%. (Effect does not stack for the same element.) Additionally, when Nicole unleashes her Elemental Skill Revelation: Uncreated Light, nearby active party members will also gain a Shield of Blazing Light.
	3."A Lamp by Your Side, A Light to Shine the Way" Increases the Level of Revelation: Uncreated Light by 3. The highest Level that can be reached is 15.
	4."Whether Left or Right, No Matter Which Way You Turn" When nearby party members have their Grace of Kenosis upgraded to Guidance of Theosis, Nicole also bestows them with the Pathfinder's Blessing effect for 20s. Each character can gain this effect once every 17s. The Normal Attack, Charged Attack, Plunging Attack, Elemental Skill, and Elemental Burst DMG of characters with Pathfinder's Blessing is increased by 70% of Nicole's ATK. This effect will be removed once it has taken effect 8 times or when its duration is over. When multiple opponents are hit at the same time, the number of times Pathfinder's Blessing takes effect is based on the number of enemies hit. Each character's Pathfinder's Blessing is counted independently.
	5."You Will Hear My Voice Beside You" Increases the Level of Revelation: Ladder of Divine Ascent by 3. The highest Level that can be reached is 15.
	6."This Is the Path, Walk It Without Delay" When Nicole's Grace of Kenosis is upgraded to Guidance of Theosis, all nearby party members' Grace of Kenosis will also be upgraded to Guidance of Theosis. Once upgraded, Guidance of Theosis will no longer revert to Grace of Kenosis. Additionally, DMG dealt by characters with Guidance of Theosis will ignore 40% of opponents' DEF.

Nicole Constellation Recommendation:

• C0 is sufficient – Complete kit, already has core support capabilities
• Value-for-money players – C2 (20% RES shred is a game-changer, biggest improvement)
• Advanced players – C2 + C4 (Balances RES shred + main DPS damage boost, best experience)
• Whales / True fans – C6 (Team-wide 40% DEF ignore + permanent Theosis, ultimate completion)

 

Signature Weapon vs C2 ?

C2 is more important than the signature weapon. The 20% RES shred from C2 is a rare mechanical benefit that no weapon can replicate. Although her signature weapon is powerful, you can use Thrilling Tales of Dragon Slayers or Skyward Atlas as substitutes. If you have limited Primogems, prioritize C2 before pulling for her signature weapon.

 

Nicole Team Composition

Varka	Nicole	Durin	Venti (Sucrose)
Varka	Nicole	Durin	Prune
Lohen	Nicole	Durin	Prune

 

Conclusion

Okay, okay, that's enough chit-chat! Here's the full Nicole info and build guide. Go ahead and bookmark it, and let's wait for Nicole together! For more Genshin Impact content, come check out LDShop!