Genshin Impact Wanderer (Scaramouche) Best Build Guide

The long-awaited return of Scaramouche as a playable character in Genshin Impact has finally arrived as the Wanderer joins the playable roster of characters in Version 3.3. Having turned over a new leaf and abandoned his previous position as a Harbinger, Scaramouche has picked up a new Anemo Vision from the God of Wisdom and a new name to boot – the Wanderer. He’s still kept a streak of sadism, though, and he continues to delight in the downfall of his foes.

As a character, Wanderer is our first 5-star Anemo Catalyst and our first 5-star male Catalyst. He has a large focus on mobility and dealing heavy damage while keeping himself airborne, a unique feature among Genshin Impact characters. Alongside that, his ability to deal Anemo damage will make him a great pick in many teams, as Swirl continues to be the best Elemental Reaction in the game.

Here is everything you need to best build the Wanderer in Genshin Impact. This includes knowing his best weapons, his best artifacts, what teams he works best in and a general overview of how to level him and his abilities and more.

Want more Genshin Impact guides and articles? You can find more here on KeenGamer:

1. Genshin Impact Nahida Best Build Guide
2. Genshin Impact Cyno Best Build Guide
3. Genshin Impact Nilou Best Build Guide
4. Genshin Impact: All Sumeru City Riddle Answers and Locations
5. 6 Secret Genshin Impact Achievements and Chests You Likely Missed in Sumeru

Who is Wanderer in Genshin Impact? 

The Wanderer is better known by his previous names and titles. The Balladeer, the first Puppet of the Raiden Shogun or simply Scaramouche the Fatui Harbinger. Once, he thirst for revenge against those that he deemed had wronged him and betrayed him.

Now, though, he has a new opportunity. After his actions in Sumeru and the Akademiya, he has been given a second chance as well as a new name in the Wanderer. Blessed with an Anemo Vision from Lesser Lord Kusanali, the Dendro Archon, Wanderer finds himself on a strange new path. Perhaps it is one where he can finally feel at peace.

“Searching and seeking for an illusory obsession through countless nights. With melancholy and misery as company, malevolent winds mean naught to him.”

Character Demo – Wanderer: Of Solitude Past and Present

How Do You Get Wanderer?

Wanderer is a new 5-star character in Genshin Impact. As a result, you will only be able to summon him while he is the featured 5-star on the Unique Character Wish Banners (the ones where you use the Purple Fates). Unless Wanderer is on one of those Banners, you cannot summon him and will have to wait until his next rerun. 

At current, Wanderer has only appeared on the following Banners:

• From Ashes Reborn (Wanderer’s First Banner): December 7th 2022 – December 27th 2022

From Ashes Reborn

Wanderer Ascension Materials

To get Wanderer from level 1 to Ascension level 90, he needs the following materials:

• Rukkhashava Mushrooms (Sumeru Speciality)
• Vayuda Turquoise Gemstone (Anemo Elemental Gemstone)
• Old Handguard (Enemy Drop)
• Perpetual Calibre (World Boss Drop)

To represent his new lease on life from the Dendro Archon and his new Sumeru Vision, Wanderer needs the Rukkhashava Mushrooms as his character speciality. These are relatively large purple mushrooms that grow all over Sumeru but are mostly concentrated in the North-East of Sumeru in the Mushroom forest area. In total, Wanderer needs 186 Rukkhashava Mushrooms to Ascend. If you’re lucky enough to have Tighnari, his Passive Ability Encyclopedic Knowledge will highlight the Mushrooms and other Sumeru Specialities on the minimap when you are nearby, making them an easy pick-up. If you don’t have Tighnari (or just want some more guidance) you can find their exact location using the Teyvat Interactive Map or Genshin Impact Interactive Map.

Old Handguards represent Wanderers’ origins in the nation of Inazuma as they only drop from the samurai enemies of the Land of Thunder. For the most part, the samurai enemies take the place of most Treasure Hoarders in Inazuma (and only Inazuma) and can be found all over the Nation’s various islands – this includes the larger, Elite-tier samurai enemies who also drop the Handguards. You can use your Adventurer’s Handbook to track certain groups of samurai. In total, Wanderer asks for 18 Old Handguards, 30 Kageuchi Handguards and 36 Famed Handguards.

Next up is the Perpetual Calibre (or Perpetual Caliber) World Boss Drop. This material drops from the Aeonblight Drake World Boss hidden in the Devantaka Mountains of Sumeru. This boss acts similarly to the larger Ruin Graders compared to their lesser Ruin Guard counterparts, with more moves and additional areas to hit and stun. 46 Perpetual Calibres are required to fully Ascend Wanderer.

Last but not least are the elemental Gemstones. Every character in Genshin Impact needs a certain number and rarity of Elemental Gems that correspond to their unique Element. For Wanderer, he needs the Anemo variant which is also known as Vayuda Turquoise Gemstones. The easiest ways to pick these up are either by defeating Anemo-aligned World Bosses like the Anemo Hypostasis Crystal or by completing Daily Commissions. You can also use the Alchemy Table to transmute and transform lower-rarity Gemstones into the ones you need. Overall, you will be asked for 1 Vayuda Turquoise Sliver, 9 Vayuda Turquoise Fragments, 9 Vayuda Turquoise Chunks and 6 Vayuda Turquoise Gemstones.

Finally, like all Genshin Impact characters, Wanderer will need a certain amount of Mora and EXP Books to level up. You’ll be asked to produce 420k Mora and 416 Hero’s Wit EXP Books or their equivalent. 

The Wanderer

Wanderer Ability Overview

The Wanderer is our first 5-star Anemo Catalyst with a focus on attacking and raw damage. However, unlike his other contemporaries like Klee or other DPS Catalysts, Wanderer also features a high focus on mobility, flight and manoeuvrability alongside his high potential for damage. He is a very interesting character. 

Wanderer’s Normal Attack is called Yuuban Meigen. This is a 3-hit neutral combo with a wide Elemental DMG AoE as a Charged Attack. Like most Catalyst users, the Normal Attacks act very differently from character to character: Wanderer attacks with Wind Blades, long-ranged slices of air that travel far and hit hard.

Normal Attack

Meanwhile, Wanderer’s Elemental Skill is Hanega: Song of the Wind. When activated, Wanderer leaps into the air, dealing Anemo AoE around him before entering the Windfavoured State. This has a lot of different effects and bonuses:

• While in the Windfavoured State, Wanderer will constantly hover above the ground. 
• He cannot use Plunging Attacks while hovering. His Normal and Charged Attacks will be changed into Kuugo: Fushodudan and Kuugo: Toufukai respectively. Each of these attacks is augmented with bonus damage and a larger AoE, and the Kuugo: Toufukai attacks will not consume any stamina. 
• To maintain his hovering state, Wanderer constantly consumes Kuugoryoku Points. You will initially spawn with 100 points, which are displayed in a Stamina-like bar. Sprinting causes Wanderer to dash through the air. Jumping causes Wanderer to gain additional height – both of these bonuses consume Kuugoryoku Points.
• When you eventually run out of Kuugoryoku Points, it will end the Windfavoured State.

Elemental Skill

Finally, Wanderer’s Elemental Burst is called Kyougen: Five Ceremonial Plays. Wanderer compresses the atmosphere into a singular vacuum that grinds all troubles away. He deals multiple instances of Anemo AoE DMG around himself. If you are in the Windfavoured State offered by Hanega: Song of the Wind, you will cast the Burst beneath you and end the Windfavoured State.

Elemental Burst

Wanderer’s Passives

Like most other Genshin Impact characters, Wanderer has 3 main Passive abilities. The first is immediately available from level 1, whereas his Ascension 2 and Ascension 4 Talents require Wanderer to hit levels 20-40 and 70-80, respectively, to unlock. 

His first Passive is Strum the Swirling Winds. Like his creator the Raiden Shogun, Wanderer decreases the amount of Mora spent when Ascending a certain class of weapon by 50%. For our Anemo Puppet, he decreases the amount of Mora spent on Bows and Catalysts. 

No Mercy

Wanderer’s Ascension 2 Passive is Jade-Claimed Flower. When activating the Windfacoured State from his Elemental Skill, if it comes into contact with an Element that be can Swirled (Hydro/Pyro/Cryo/Electro) the State will gain additional buffs and bonuses based on the Element: 

• Hydro: Kuugoryoku Point cap increases by 20 points.
• Pyro: ATK increases by 30%.
• Cryo: CRIT Rate increases by 20%.
• Electro: When Normal and Charged Attacks hit an opponent, 0.8 Elemental Energy will be restored. Energy can be restored this way once every 0.2s.

You can have 2 of these buffs active at the same time. For example, you can have both the Hydro Buff and the Cryo Buff active at the same time. 

Finally, Gales of Reverie is Wanderer’s A4 Passive. When the Wanderer hits with his Normal Attacks in the Windfavoured State, he has a 16% chance to obtain the Descent Effect. Once you have the Descent effect, the next time Wanderer accelerates it will remove the Descent buff while also:

• Not taking away any Kuugoryoku Points, giving you a free air dash. 
• Fires off 4 Wind Arrows that deal 35% of Wanderer’s ATK as Anemo DMG.

Each time you hit with his Normal Attack or Charged Attack in the Windfavoured State and it doesn’t give you the Descent Effect, the chance increases by 12%. 

Sadistic Glee

Talent Priority

This is the order you should consider prioritising Wanderer’s Talents. These recommendations carry across all different Wanderer builds.

First, to level up Wanderer’s Talents, you will need the following materials: 

• Teachings/Guides/Philosophies to Praxis (Sumeru Talent Books)
• Old Handguards (of Common and higher rarities)
• The Daka’s Bell Weekly Boss Material dropped by the Scaramouche Puppet Boss Fight.

Next, let’s discuss the order you should level Wanderer’s Talents.

1. Hanega: Song of the Wind (Elemental Skill)

The most unique thing about Wanderer is his Elemental Skill. Not only does it augment the rest of his kit and make it far stronger, but it also gives him a unique edge through higher-than-normal mobility and flight. Because of that damage bonus and the extra benefits of being more mobile, you will want to be using Wanderer’s Skill as much as possible, so it only makes sense that you buff it and level it up the most.

In addition to that, while the extra levels will not grant you more time in the Windfavoured State, it will increase the damage bonus afforded to Wanderer’s Normal and Charged Attacks. The higher the level, the more devastating that Wanderer can be while in this state. Furthermore, so many other aspects of his kit such as his Passive Talents and his Constellations mainly focus on this Windfavoured State. To focus on another Talent would neglect this massive part of Wanderer’s identity and make him far weaker as a result.

Pathetic

2. Normal Attack: Yuuban Meigen (Normal Attack)

While the Elemental Skill is effective and powerful, it needs a good base to work most efficiently. His Normal 3-hit combo is already excellent and, as a Catalyst, he can produce a ton of Reactions with just his neutral game.

When Wanderer is in the Windfavoured State, though, it gets even better. The damage bonus he receives is directly on top of his Normal Attack damage, meaning that the higher you level his Normal Attack alongside his Skill, the more damage he will deal overall. This allows Wanderer to constantly output some of the highest DPS in the entire game, all the while using Elemental Reactions and more to his advantage. 

Honestly, so much of Wanderer’s kit also ties into his Normal Attack that it could be argued that prioritising this would be more beneficial. However, with how much of a power fantasy and empowerment his Elemental Skill provides, paired with the multitude of benefits and bonuses it gives, it just edges out his Normal Attack in terms of priority. Both should certainly be levelled up as close together as possible, though, to achieve the best effects.

Not a Fan of Birds

3. Kyougen: Five Ceremonial Plays (Elemental Burst)

Last, but certainly not least, is Wanderer’s Elemental Burst. Contrary to its third-place ranking, the Burst is still an excellent way to deal damage. It deals multiple instances of high sustained Anemo AoE damage in a wide area, making it adept in certain situations and for exploiting grouped-up Elemental enemies. Pair that with high ATK and CRIT stats and Wanderer’s Burst can be devastating.

However, when compared to the utility of his Elemental Skill or the wide-reaching application of his Normal Attacks, his Burst falls short. Not enough of his kit or any of his synergies requires much investment into his Burst, meaning that it can be easily used as a quick splash of damage and nothing more. You shouldn’t not level Wanderer’s Burst – it is great, quick damage that should be utilised – but it just doesn’t meet the mark set by his Skill or Normal Attack.

Eternity

Best Weapons

Wanderer has several great weapon choices that boost his damaging capabilities. The following options are all geared towards making Wanderer hit as hard as possible, either through raw DPS or through Elemental Reactions via Swirl. 

The Ideal Choice

The best choice for Wanderer is the weapon that is launching alongside him in Version 3.3: the Tulaytullah’s Remembrance. This is a 5-star Catalyst running on the weapon Banner at the same time that Wanderer is running.

Tulaytullah’s Remembrance has a base ATK of 261 (at level 1) and an additional substat of 24.7% CRIT DMG (also at level 1). The weapon skill on this Catalyst is called Bygone Azure Teardrop. Firstly, it increases Normal ATK SPD by 10%. Second, it will increase Normal ATK DMG by 4.8% every second for 14s (at Refinement Level 1) after the user activates their Elemental Skill. If the user hits an enemy with a Normal Attack during this 14s duration, the Normal ATK DMG will instead be increased by 9.6%. Pairing both of these skills together, the maximum ATK bonus that the equipped character can get is a bonus 48% increase to their ATK stat, which lasts until time runs out or the character leaves the field.

This is a perfect weapon for Wanderer, making use of both his high Normal Attack DMG, his Elemental Skill and more. As a Catalyst main DPS, Wanderer’s Norma Attack will be his best way of dealing damage (especially when it is augmented by his Elemental Skill) and so Tulaytullah’s Remembrance only increases that further. ATK is perhaps the most important stat for Wanderer this weapon just continues to give him more and more ATK, making him soar even higher as a power main DPS.

If you can get this weapon, your Wanderer will be very happy to take it from you. 

Tulaytullah’s Remembrance

Replacement Options

What if you don’t have Tulaytullah’s Remembrance? You’re still in luck, as Wanderer has plenty of other great replacement options. 

Do bear in mind, all of the following weapons are 4-star rarity options. 5-star weapons are more likely to be stronger, with better base stats and weapon skills, but they are equally harder to get a hold of. If you happen to have any 5-star Catalysts, give them a try on Wanderer to see if any of them fit your playstyle or build before committing to a 4-star option.

The recommended replacement options for Wanderer are the Solar Pearl, the Widsith and the Mappa Mare.

The Solar Pearl is the 4-star Catalyst that you can obtain at level 30 on the Gnostic Hymn Battle Pass. It has a Base ATK of 510 and a CRIT Rate Substat of 27.6%. The weapon skill on the Solar Pearl is called Solar Shine. Normal Attack hits increase Elemental Skill and Elemental Burst DMG by 20% for 6s. Likewise, Elemental Skill or Elemental Burst hits increase Normal Attack DMG by 20% for 6s. For Wanderer, his primary Reaction is Swirl and as a Catalyst, he will constantly be building up damage. By switching back and forth between his Normal Attacks and his Burst, he can drive up his damage and have near-constant buffs.

The Solar Pearl

Meanwhile, the Widsith is a 4-star Catalyst that is obtained from any of the Wish Banners. It has a Base ATK of 510 with a 55.1% CRIT DMG substat. The weapon skill for the Widsith is called Debut. When the equipped character takes the field, they receive a random buff designated by a different musical note: 

• Recitative: ATK is increased by 60%
• Aria: Increases all Elemental DMG by 48%
• Interlude: Elemental Mastery is increased by 240.

This weapon boosts every facet of Wanderer’s damage while having to rely on a bit of luck. Extra raw ATK and Elemental DMG will increase Wanderer’s damage output, whereas extra Elemental Mastery will make his Swirl Reactions pack a bit more punch. The extra ATK is likely the best benefit here, but all 3 are great options for Wanderer and make the Widsith a great pick.

Lastly, the Mappa Mare is our most free-to-play-friendly option as it can be crafted with Northlander Billets at any blacksmith. The Mappa Mare has a base ATK stat of 565 with an Elemental Mastery substat of 110. It has the weapon skill Infusion Scroll. After triggering an Elemental Reaction, the equipped character gains an 8% (at Refinement Level 1) Elemental DMG bonus for 10s. This can stack twice for up to 16% bonus DMG. Wanderer is an Anemo Catalyst with access to Swirl, the easiest and one of the most potent Reactions in the whole game, making this weapon play into a very important and key part of his kit. The Mappa Mare can make Wanderer deal even more damage from nearly every angle, aside from just raw DPS.

Mappa Mare

Best Artifact Set for Wanderer

The Wanderer has one main focus: deal as much damage as possible. As a result, all of his Artifact and stat choices will funnel him into that role. The two main sets you will be focusing on with Wanderer are either the Viridescent Venerer set or the new Desert Pavillion Chronicles set.

4-Piece Viridescent Venerer is a great all-around set for boosting Wanderer’s Anemo capabilities. 2-Piece Viridescent simply increases all Anemo DMG on the equipped character by 15%. Meanwhile, 4-Piece Viridescent increases Swirl DMG by 60% while decreasing the Elemental RES of any enemies hit by Swirl by 40%. This set heightens both Wanderers’ main, raw damage via the Anemo DMG bonus while also increasing his potential for Swirl.

Meanwhile, the new 4-Piece Desert Pavillion Chronicles set bonus will similarly increase Wanderer’s pure damage potential. 2-Piece Desert Pavillion increases Anemo DMG by 15%, just like Viridescent. On the other hand, the 4-Piece Desert Pavillion bonus increases Normal Attack SPD by 10% and Normal, Charged and Plunging Attack DMG by 40% when you hit with a Charged Attack. Weaving between standard Normal and Charged Attacks is a big part of Wanderer’s loop, especially in his Elemental Skill. As such, this results in Wanderer having a near-constant ATK buff and speed buff, too, making him deadly on the battlefield. 

The 4-Piece Desert Pavillion Chronicles is likely the best overall set for Wanderer. It ties into a lot of what makes his kit shine and still focuses on his unique power. Meanwhile, a 4-Piece Viridescent Venerer build would allow you to hone in on the Anemo DMG he deals with and the damage inherent from his Swirl potential. A potential third option also exists where you combine the 2-Piece bonuses from both to get a massive boost to Anemo DMG, but this means giving up a lot so only focus on this if you purely want to go for damage.

Eons Adrift

The Stats You Want

The main stats that you’ll be looking for on Wanderer are:

1. ATK
2. CRIT DMG/CRIT Rate
3. Elemental Mastery

ATK is the best choice for Wanderer. In every sense of the word, Wanderer is the main DPS unit that excels in hitting hard and fast. Having high ATK helps every single part of his kit from his Normal Attacks, his augmented Normal and Charged Attacks from his Skill and his Burst. Everything Wanderer is about is related to ATK so you should certainly go for as much as you can.

Next up is the CRIT stats. Alongside ATK, having high CRIT allow DPS heavy characters to deal higher, more consistent damage. Do bear in mind that the CRIT stats only affect his pure damage output and not his Reactions, which may seem on the weaker side. Even then, with Swirl and Anemo backing him up, you should focus on CRIT Rate and CRIT DMG to make Wanderer even better.

Lastly, to help out with that Elemental Reaction problem is Elemental Mastery. This stat will govern how much damage Wanderer’s Swirl Reaction does. Swirl is one of the best Element Reactions in the game and with Wanderer, you’ll already be building for multiple elements. As a result, whether you build for it or not, Swirl and Reactions will still be a big part of Wanderer’s damage. A little investment in this stat will go a long way.

Last but not least, try picking up an Anemo DMG Bonus Goblet. For Catalysts and characters whose sole means of damage is Elemental, these Elemental Bonus Goblets are insanely good. For Wanderer, every part of his kit is Anemo. As a result, an Anemo Goblet will work to massively buff him without the need to sacrifice much else.

Punishment

Best Wanderer Team Compositions

The following section has 3 example team compositions for your Wanderer Build in Genshin Impact. They will all have him at the centre as the team’s main DPS unit. There will also be a budget team for F2P players where only Wanderer needs to be summoned.

Normal Attack DPS

This team consists of Wanderer, Yun Jin, Yae Miko and Bennett.

In this team, Yun Jin is serving as a battle-oriented support who can massively aid Wanderer. First, by being a Geo character she will provide extra defence and shields to help Wanderer survive. While not the most important, this is still helpful because of how much of a glass-cannon Wanderer is. More importantly, her Burst increases the Normal Attack Damage of the on-field character based on her DEF. Wanderer’s main damage will likely be coming from his Normal Attacks, making Yun Jin’s Burst buff work perfectly alongside him. 

Next up is Yae Miko. Her role here is to serve as off-field DPS, raining Electro down on all nearby enemies. On her own, Yae is a potent force that can deal insane amounts of damage off-field but pairing her with Wanderer allows both her and him to deal massively increased damage. Her role doesn’t interfere with his and vice-versa: they only enhance. Other characters who work here include Raiden Shogun, whose off-field potential can enhance Wanderer’s Normal Attacks significantly.

The last up is Bennett. In this composition, he serves several important things. First, his Pyro can give Wanderer an extra 20% ATK by using his Ascension 2 Talent. Second, his Burst not only heals the entire team but also adds another 25% damage boost, furthering Wanderer’s damage even more. Bennett is a great pick because of the sheer amount of benefits and bonuses he provides the entire team.

Raw DPS Team

Reaction Heavy DPS

This team consists of Wanderer, Yae Miko, Yelan and Jean.

Yae Miko serves the same role in this team as she did in our last. Her off-field DPS potential makes her capable of working alongside Wanderer to deliver some nice damage at a near-constant rate. Her Electro element also means that Wanderer can infuse Electro with his Skill. This team is built more around Elemental Reactions, too, so Wanderer can make better use of Swirl.

Yelan acts in a similar role to Yae Miko but for Hydro. Like Yae, her off-field DPS and Hydro application is strong and she can be a confident switch-in. The bonus infusion effect for Hydro on Wanderer’s Skill is bonus Kuugoryoku Points, allowing Wanderer more time in his Windfavoured State. Pair this and the Electro infusion effect together and not only will Wanderer have 2 great backup DPS, but he will stay in his Skill for longer and generate more Energy for his Burst, too. 

Lastly is Jean. She serves 2 main purposes in this team. The first is that she is our primary healer, with access to a great instant and over-time heal via her Elemental Burst. Another bonus of said Burst if you have Jean C4 is that it will lower the Anemo RES of any enemy within the AoE, allowing Wanderer to hit even harder. The second benefit Jean provides is the Anemo Resonance buff by having both her and Wanderer on the same team. This increases your movement speed with all characters, decreases Stamina consumption and lowers skill CD. All of these are great on any character, but they are especially good on Wanderer. 

Reaction Heavy DPS

Budget Team

This team consist of Wanderer, Xiangling, Lisa and Barbara. Aside from Wanderer, the other three members of this team can all be earned for free.

Xiangling is here as our off-field DPS unit. Her Burst and her Elemental Skill are both good at applying Pyro damage to enemies. In particular, her Burst makes it very easy for Wanderer to infuse Pyro. This would give him an additional 20% ATK on top of his normal buffs and bonuses. All the while Xiangling continues to serve as an excellent damaging partner.

Meanwhile, Lisa allows access to instant Electro through her Normal Attacks as a Catalyst. She allows several other Reactions such as Overload or Supe Conduct to become possible. Her Burst is also a sustained AoE of Electro, making it easy for Wanderer to infuse with his Skill.

Barbara is our final team member and she is mainly here to heal. Her Burst and Skill are both great sources of healing, keeping squishy characters like Wanderer safe from all harm. Additionally, her Hydro application is very nice and her Skill creates a constant AoE of Hydro around the on-filed character, making it an easy pick for Hydro infusion with Wanderer’s Elemental Skill. Only 2 Elemental Buffs can be active at once so you can’t use all 3 together. However, with Hydro, Pyro and Electro characters in this team, you have a lot of options on where you can take Wanderer.

The Budget Team

That is everything on how to best build the Wanderer in Genshin Impact.