Quick answer. Tartaglia, better known as Childe, is a 5-star Hydro Bow character who does his damage in a melee stance that his Elemental Skill switches on. Build him with an ATK% Sands, a Hydro DMG Goblet and a CRIT Circlet, and use 4-piece Nymph's Dream (best) or 4-piece Heart of Depth. His signature bow is Polar Star; Thundering Pulse, Aqua Simulacra and Skyward Harp all work, and the craftable Prototype Crescent is the free option. Level his Elemental Skill first, then his Burst, and his Normal Attack last: his melee combo scales off the Skill table, not the Normal Attack one. His classic team is Childe, Kazuha, Xiangling and Bennett. You can get him free right now: he is one of six characters in the Tabletop Troupe selector, which closes on 3 November 2026 at 14:59 server time. He has not had his own Character Event Wish since 26 September 2023.
This guide is current for Version 7.1, "A Rekviem for the Underworld", live since 23 September 2026. All talent numbers come from the in-game talent tables, checked on 15 October 2026.
Can you get Childe for free in Version 7.1?
Yes, until 3 November 2026, 14:59 server time. HoYoverse's in-game announcement 21924, "Tabletop Troupe: A Gathering on Adventure's Eve", lets you invite one event-exclusive 5-star of your choice. The pool, in HoYoverse's words, is "Tartaglia, Nilou, Baizhu, Chiori, Clorinde, and Varesa."
What you need to know before you click:
- Eligibility: Adventure Rank 18 or higher, plus Archon Quest Chapter VII: Act IV, "A Rekviem for the Underworld". You can start Chapter VII from Snezhnaya once you have finished the Prologue's Act III, so you can skip the regions in between. Our Version 7.1 Archon Quest guide covers the route.
- One pick only. The notice says: "You can invite a character only once during the event."
- Materials included. The invite comes with ascension materials for the same character. HoYoverse's Version 7.1 benefits overview (announcement 21923) says these cover leveling him to level 60, so you still farm the last three ascensions yourself.
- Deadline in your time zone: 14:59 server time is 06:59 UTC on Asia, 13:59 UTC on Europe and 19:59 UTC on America, all on 3 November. Server clocks do not change for daylight saving. Europe's clocks go back on 25 October and the US's on 1 November, so by 3 November the deadline lands an hour earlier on your phone than the same conversion did in September.
This is a different event from the second free selector, "Across the Frozen Wilds, Honing One's Edge" (announcement 21885), which only offers Standard Wish characters. You can claim both. Our Version 7.1 free 5-star selector guide compares the two pools.
Is Childe worth picking from the selector?
Pick him if you want a Hydro on-field damage dealer that existing teams already support, or if you play Xiangling and Bennett. Skip him if you want the strongest character for current endgame modes and don't already own those teammates.
The reason he is on the list at all is how rarely he shows up. According to the wiki's wish history, Childe has had five Character Event Wishes. The last one, "Farewell of Snezhnaya", ran from 5 to 26 September 2023, in Version 4.0. Since then he has only appeared once, in the January 2025 Chronicled Wish, where he shared a mixed pool with six other 5-stars. Anyone who started after September 2023 has had one chance at him in three years.
Players are weighing it the same way. One player listing their options on r/GenshinImpactTips on 12 October 2026 wrote simply: "Childe - Is this 2020?" The question is fair, and the honest answer has two halves.
- For him: his Hydro application is fast and steady, he fits teams built from widely owned 4-stars, and his kit has not been changed, so older guides still describe his kit correctly.
- Against him: he wants a specific support pair (Xiangling and Bennett for Vaporize), he spends Stamina on his best combo, and his Skill has a cooldown that grows the longer you stay in melee. The other five choices have more recent kits.
If you are choosing between him and a newer pick, read the comparisons on our Varesa build, Clorinde build and Nilou build pages first. They are all in the same pool.
One more timing point for November. HoYoverse's Version 7.1 update notice (announcement 21946) lists the 1 November 2026 Imaginarium Theater season's required elements as "Hydro, Electro, and Geo." Childe is Hydro, so he counts toward that season's roster requirement.
How does Childe's kit work?
Childe has two stances. In Ranged Stance he fires normal arrows. His Elemental Skill, Foul Legacy: Raging Tide, deals Hydro damage and switches him into Melee Stance, where his Normal and Charged Attacks become Hydro strikes that "cannot be overridden by any other elemental infusion."
The core mechanic is Riptide, a mark on enemies.
- You apply Riptide with a fully charged Aimed Shot or his Ranged Burst. In Melee Stance, his A4 passive, Sword of Torrents, also applies it whenever his Normal or Charged Attacks crit.
- Riptide lasts 10 seconds, and his A1 passive, Never Ending, adds 8 more, for 18.
- Hitting a marked enemy in melee fires a Riptide Slash, an extra AoE Hydro hit that "can only occur once every 1.5s" and counts as Skill damage.
The cooldown is the part to manage. HoYoverse's talent table lists the Skill cooldown as 6 to 36 seconds, or 45 seconds if he stays in melee until the stance times out at 30 seconds. Wiki testing puts it at 6 seconds plus the time you spent in melee. So 10 seconds in melee means a 16-second cooldown, and leaving melee yourself beats waiting for the 30-second timeout. KeqingMains' Childe quick guide recommends "a short melee period of around 9-11 seconds."
His Burst changes with his stance. Havoc: Obliteration costs 60 Energy and has a 15-second cooldown.
| Ranged Burst (Flash of Havoc) | Melee Burst (Light of Obliteration) | |
|---|---|---|
| Damage at Burst Lv. 10 | 681% ATK | 835% ATK, plus a 216% ATK Riptide Blast on marked enemies |
| Energy | Refunds 20 of its 60 cost | No refund |
| Riptide | Applies it | Consumes it |
| Use it | To open a rotation | As a finisher |
The refund is why the Ranged Burst is the default. KQM's guide notes it lowers his Energy Recharge needs "by up to 40%."
What are Childe's best artifacts and main stats?
Main stats: ATK% Sands, Hydro DMG Bonus Goblet, CRIT Rate or CRIT DMG Circlet. Substats: CRIT Rate and CRIT DMG first, then ATK%, then Elemental Mastery. KQM recommends 100 to 130% Energy Recharge when you use his Ranged Burst, and says Energy Recharge comes first until he can Burst every rotation.
His ascension stat is 28.8% Hydro DMG Bonus at level 90, so a Hydro Goblet and either Hydro 2-piece stack on top of it.
4-piece Nymph's Dream (best). The 2-piece gives +15% Hydro DMG. The 4-piece gives one Mirrored Nymph stack per source: Normal, Charged and Plunging Attacks, Skills and Bursts each create stacks that "exist independently", lasting 8s. At 1, 2 and 3 stacks he gets +7%, +16% and +25% ATK and +4%, +9% and +15% Hydro DMG. Childe hits with attacks, his Skill and his Burst in one rotation, so he reaches the top tier quickly. KQM rates 4-piece Nymph's Dream "~3% better than other options without prestacking, and 7-8% better with prestacking." It drops from the Molten Iron Fortress domain.
4-piece Heart of Depth (good alternative). The 2-piece gives +15% Hydro DMG. The 4-piece reads: "After using an Elemental Skill, increases Normal Attack and Charged Attack DMG by 30% for 15s." It looks custom-made for him, and his melee hits still count as Normal and Charged Attacks for weapon and set bonuses. But it does nothing for his Burst or his Riptide Slash, which counts as Skill damage. It drops from Peak of Vindagnyr.
Mixed 2-pieces come very close. KQM says any two of Heart of Depth, Nymph's Dream, an 18% ATK set, Wanderer's Troupe and Noblesse Oblige are "very close to the 4pc of HoD", and better if the substats are better. Don't farm a new domain for him if you already have good Hydro and ATK pieces.
What is Childe's best weapon?
Polar Star (5-star, signature). CRIT Rate secondary stat (33.1% at level 90). Its passive gives +12% Skill and Burst DMG and stacking ATK: 10/20/30/48% at 1, 2, 3 and 4 Ashen Nightstar stacks. Normal Attacks, Charged Attacks, Skills and Bursts each give a stack that "will be counted independently of the others." Childe uses all four in a rotation, which is why it is his best bow. It was in the January 2025 Chronicled Wish, but a selector pick does not come with it, so check what you already own.
Other 5-star bows that work:
- Thundering Pulse gives CRIT DMG and +20% ATK. Its Normal Attack bonus applies to his melee hits too, though KQM calls the Normal Attack DMG "not incredibly helpful" in most teams.
- Aqua Simulacra is KQM's pick for Burst-focused builds.
- Skyward Harp is the oldest option and, per KQM, "still comparable to all other 5* CRIT bows."
- The First Great Magic is "within 10% less DMG than Polar Star."
Free and 4-star options.
- Prototype Crescent (craftable): ATK +36% at refinement 1 (+72% at R5) for 10s after a Charged Attack hits a weak point. His melee Charged Attacks can trigger it on some enemies.
- Song of Stillness (craftable): +16% DMG (R1) for 8s after he is healed. It is weak with Bennett as your only healer, because Bennett only heals characters below 70% HP.
- King's Squire (craftable): Elemental Mastery and a delayed hit after his Skill or Burst. It is a strong pick only if you Vaporize his Burst.
- The Viridescent Hunt (4-star) and Amos' Bow (5-star) are KQM's strongest non-CRIT picks, if you have them.
What should you level first?
Skill first, Burst second, Normal Attack last. Because his melee combo is listed under the Elemental Skill in the talent tables, his Skill level controls almost all of his damage. At Skill level 10:
- The first melee hit deals 76.8% ATK.
- The melee Charged Attack deals 119.0% + 142.3% ATK.
- Riptide Slash deals 119% ATK.
His Normal Attack talent only improves his arrows, Riptide Flash (the burst after a charged arrow on a marked enemy) and Riptide Burst (the explosion when a marked enemy dies). His utility passive, Master of Weaponry, raises every party member's Normal Attack level by 1. KQM calls that "largely not significant", because his usual teammates rarely use Normal Attacks.
KQM's own priority depends on your playstyle: Skill > Burst > Normal Attack for a melee build, Burst > Skill > Normal Attack for a Burst build, and Normal Attack > Burst > Skill for a bow-focused build. Almost every team in this guide plays him in melee, so in our view the first order is the right default.
What it costs. From level 1 to 90 he needs 420,000 Mora, 46 Cleansing Heart (dropped by the Oceanid at level 30+), 168 Starconch (found on the beaches of Liyue and Dragonspine), Varunada Lazurite (1 Sliver, 9 Fragments, 9 Chunks, 6 Gemstones) and Fatui Insignias (18 Recruit's, 30 Sergeant's, 36 Lieutenant's). Each talent from 1 to 10 costs 1,652,500 Mora, Fatui Insignias (6 Recruit's, 22 Sergeant's, 31 Lieutenant's), Freedom books (3 Teachings, 21 Guides, 38 Philosophies, from Forsaken Rift on Monday, Thursday and Sunday), 6 Shard of a Foul Legacy and 1 Crown of Insight. The Shards drop from the level 70+ "Enter the Golden House" weekly boss, which is Childe himself.
What are the best Childe teams?
These are the main team families from KQM's quick guide (it also lists Burgeon teams with Thoma and the Dendro Traveler).
International (Reverse Vaporize). Childe applies Hydro, and Xiangling's Pyro hits Vaporize off it.
- Childe, Kazuha, Xiangling, Bennett. The standard version. Kazuha groups enemies and shreds Hydro and Pyro RES.
- Childe, Sucrose, Xiangling, Bennett. A version for players without Kazuha. KQM marks it "highly technical."
- Childe, Albedo, Xiangling, Bennett. The easiest version, with "minimal investment" and low reliance on player skill.
Electro-Charged. Childe, Fischl, Beidou, Bennett. KQM notes these teams "do not get damage from the reaction" and instead rely on Childe's and the Electro characters' own damage.
Freeze. Childe, Diona, Ayaka, Kazuha. Childe stays on-field and his melee strings keep enemies Frozen while the Cryo characters' off-field damage lands. KQM notes his melee periods are shorter here and he needs more Energy Recharge.
A note on Lunar-Charged. KQM's written guide is still marked "Updated for Version 4.0", which is before Lunar reactions existed. Since then, Flins' Moonsign Benediction passive says: "When a party member triggers an Electro-Charged reaction, it will be converted into the Lunar-Charged reaction." So an Electro-Charged team that includes a Lunar enabler such as Flins or Ineffa turns Childe's Electro-Charged into Lunar-Charged, which can crit. We have not seen a tested Childe Lunar-Charged rotation, so treat it as an experiment, not a recommendation. Our Lunar reactions explainer covers how the damage is shared out, and our Flins build covers the Electro side.
What do Childe's constellations change?
A selector copy is C0, so here is what each extra copy adds and how much KQM measures it at.
- C1, Foul Legacy: Tide Withholder. −20% Skill cooldown. Quality of life, no fixed DPS number.
- C2, Foul Legacy: Understream. +4 Energy when a marked enemy dies. KQM: 0% DPS gain.
- C3, Abyssal Mayhem: Vortex of Turmoil. +3 Skill levels. KQM: 10 to 12%, the biggest number on this list.
- C4, Abyssal Mayhem: Hydrospout. An automatic Riptide trigger every 4 seconds on marked enemies. KQM: anywhere from −2% to 8%, because it can steal Vaporizes.
- C5, Havoc: Formless Blade. +3 Burst levels. KQM: about 5%.
- C6, Havoc: Annihilation. A melee Burst resets his Skill cooldown once he returns to Ranged Stance. KQM: 0% direct gain, but much more freedom.
FAQ
Can I get Childe for free in Genshin Version 7.1? Yes. He is one of six event-exclusive 5-stars in the Tabletop Troupe selector (announcement 21924), alongside Nilou, Baizhu, Chiori, Clorinde and Varesa. You need Adventure Rank 18 and the Chapter VII: Act IV Archon Quest done, and the event closes on 3 November 2026 at 14:59 server time. You can only invite one character.
When was Childe's last banner? His last Character Event Wish, "Farewell of Snezhnaya", ran from 5 to 26 September 2023 in Version 4.0. He also appeared in the January 2025 Chronicled Wish. HoYoverse has not announced Version 7.2's banners, so any rerun date you see right now comes from leaks.
Is Childe still good in 2026? He is a solid on-field Hydro damage dealer, and his kit has not changed, so his classic International team still works. He is not one of the newest characters, and he needs Xiangling and Bennett to reach his best damage. If you already own them, he is a strong pick. If you don't, a newer character from the same selector may help you more.
Should I level Childe's Normal Attack? Last, unless you play him as a bow user. His melee combo scales off his Elemental Skill talent, so raising the Skill does almost all the work. His Normal Attack talent only improves his arrows, Riptide Flash and Riptide Burst.
What is Childe's best free weapon? Prototype Crescent, which you can craft, if your fights have weak points his Charged Attacks can hit. Song of Stillness is the better craftable if you use a healer other than Bennett.
Planning your selector pick? These Genshin Impact guides cover the rest of the pool and the systems around it.
- Free 5-star selector in Version 7.1
- Varesa build guide
- Clorinde build guide
- Nilou build guide
- Version 7.1 Archon Quest guide
Sources: HoYoverse in-game announcement API (announcements 21885, 21923, 21924 and 21946, Version 7.1), HoYoLAB official wiki talent and constellation tables for Tartaglia, the Genshin Impact Wiki's wish history, weapon, artifact and material pages, and KeqingMains' Tartaglia quick guide. Verified 15 October 2026.
