Varesa is one of the six 5-stars you can take for free from the anniversary selector running right now, and that is exactly why most new Varesa accounts are about to stall. The selector asks for Adventure Rank 18. The materials it hands over take her to Level 60. Past that, her ascension bill is written in Natlan: a world boss and 168 units of an Atocpan local specialty, from a region an AR-18 account has not unlocked.
So this guide is two things at once. It is a full Varesa build — artifacts, weapons, teams, talent priority, every material counted — and it is an honest map of the wall between a free Varesa and a usable one.
This is current as of 7 October 2026, during Version 7.1, "A Rekviem for the Underworld".
The quick answer
Quick answer: build Varesa on ATK% sands, Electro Damage Bonus goblet, CRIT circlet in 4-piece Long Night's Oath or 4-piece Obsidian Codex — the two sets are close enough that you should farm whichever domain you are already running. Her best weapon by a wide margin is her signature Vivid Notions. Level her Normal Attack talent first and her Elemental Skill last, because every big number she produces is tagged as Plunging Attack damage and plunges scale off the Normal Attack talent.
- Ascension to Level 90 costs 420,000 Mora, 46 Sparkless Statue Core, 168 Skysplit Gembloom and 84 Fang-tier drops.
- One talent from 1 to 10 costs 1,652,500 Mora, 6 Eroded Scale-Feather and a Crown of Insight. Maxing all three needs three Crowns.
- Her ascension stat is CRIT Rate, reaching +19.2% at Level 90. If you have seen 24.2% quoted, that figure silently includes every character's 5% base CRIT Rate.
- Free from the selector until 3 November 2026, 14:59 server time — but only to Level 60 on the included materials.
What Varesa actually does
HoYoverse's own character introduction describes her in one line: she "specializes in Plunging Attacks and possesses high-speed movement." That is not flavour text, it is the whole build.
Her kit runs on Nightsoul points. A Plunging Attack grants 25 Nightsoul points. Her Elemental Skill, Riding the Night-Rainbow, grants 20 and has two charges. When her Nightsoul gauge fills, she enters Fiery Passion: increased damage dealt plus one additional charge of her Elemental Skill, for up to 15 seconds.
Her Elemental Burst, Guardian Vent!, restores her Nightsoul to maximum and puts her straight into Fiery Passion. While in Fiery Passion, a Plunging Attack briefly activates Apex Drive, which lets her ignore her Burst cooldown and spend less Energy to fire a special Burst, "Guardian Vent: Volcano Kablam" — the plunge called "Thunderous Tornado Eruption". That special Burst costs 30 Energy against the normal Burst's 70, and has no cooldown.
Here is the part that decides the whole build: "Thunderous Tornado Eruption" is counted as Plunging Attack damage. Her biggest hit is not Burst damage for scaling purposes. It is a plunge.
Her passives stack on top:
- Tag-Team Triple Jump! — after her Skill, the "Rainbow Crash" effect for 5 seconds makes her plunge ground impact deal +50% of ATK, rising to +180% of ATK while in Fiery Passion.
- The Hero Twice-Returned! — when a nearby party member triggers a Nightsoul Burst, Varesa gains ATK +35% for 12 seconds, up to 2 stacks.
That second passive is why she is almost never played outside a Natlan-flavoured team. Two stacks is +70% ATK, and the only reliable way to feed it is teammates who produce Nightsoul Bursts.
Can you still get Varesa for free?
Yes, and this is the single most time-sensitive thing on this page.
The anniversary selector event lets you invite one character from a pool of Tartaglia, Nilou, Baizhu, Chiori, Clorinde, and Varesa. The official in-game announcement states the duration as "After the Version 7.1 update – 2026/11/03 14:59" in server local time, and the entry requirements as "Adventure Rank 18 or above And complete Archon Quest Chapter VII: Act IV 'A Rekviem for the Underworld'". Two further rules from the same announcement matter: "When you invite a character, you also receive Ascension Level-Up Materials for the same character," and "You can invite a character only once during the event."
That bundled-materials clause is where accounts get stuck. The ascension-materials preview card attached to the event is icon-only, and its footnote reads: "Complete 'Test Run' and 'Tribal Chronicles' of the Collective of Plenty within the specified duration to receive certain Ascension Materials, which can be used to increase the character's level to Level 60." That Level 60 figure comes from a dated 12 September 2026 capture of the companion announcement; the live version of that announcement is now image-only, so treat the number as a capture rather than a line you can re-read in game today.
Level 60 is a fine Spiral Abyss floor 8 character. It is not a Varesa build. For more on which free pick is actually worth the slot, we broke the pool down in our free 5-star selector guide.
If your account is below the Archon Quest requirement, the announcement also offers a catch-up path through the Snezhnaya storyline starting from Prologue Act III — slow, but it works.
Best Varesa artifacts
Two sets are genuinely co-best, and which one wins depends on your rotation rather than on any flat damage number.
4-piece Long Night's Oath is the purist pick. Its 2-piece gives +25% Plunging Attack damage. Its 4-piece grants the "Radiance Everlasting" effect: when her Plunging Attack, Charged Attack or Elemental Skill hits an opponent she gains 1, 2 or 2 stacks respectively, each stack giving +15% Plunging Attack damage for 6 seconds, up to 5 stacks for +75%. Fully stacked, the set is worth +100% Plunging Attack damage. The stacks are generated by three different actions, which is why Varesa's Skill-Charged-plunge loop keeps them topped up without any extra effort.
4-piece Obsidian Codex is the Natlan set. Its 2-piece gives +15% damage while she is on field with Nightsoul's Blessing. Its 4-piece grants +40% CRIT Rate for 6 seconds when she consumes a Nightsoul point. That CRIT Rate is enormous, and it changes how you build your substats — with Obsidian Codex you can stop chasing CRIT Rate rolls and load CRIT Damage instead.
4-piece Marechaussee Hunter is the third option and the realistic one if you have a stockpile already. It is behind both, not far.
Main stats are uncontroversial: ATK% sands, Electro Damage Bonus goblet, CRIT Rate or CRIT Damage circlet. Substat priority is Energy Recharge until you hit your rotation's requirement, then CRIT, then ATK%. Energy Recharge genuinely comes first here — her special 30-Energy Burst is what keeps Fiery Passion running, and a Varesa who cannot loop it is a Varesa doing roughly half her damage.
For context on her base numbers, at Level 90 Varesa has 12,699 HP, 356 ATK and 782 DEF before any gear.
Best Varesa weapons
Vivid Notions, her signature catalyst, is the best weapon and the gap is not close. At Level 90 it carries 44.1% CRIT Damage as its secondary attribute and 674 base ATK. Its passive, "Falling Rainbow's Wish," gives +28% ATK at R1 and then layers two separate buffs: using a Plunging Attack grants +28% Plunging Attack CRIT Damage, and using an Elemental Skill or Burst grants a further +40%. Both last 15 seconds and both stack, so in her normal rotation she is running +68% Plunging Attack CRIT Damage on top of the weapon's own 44.1%. Every line on it is a line Varesa uses.
Below that, the 5-star field has shifted and a lot of published rankings have not caught up. Reliquary of Truth is the current number two in Keqing Mains' 7.1 tier placement — a weapon that did not exist when Varesa released, which is exactly why older guides still list Kagura's Verity in that slot. Kagura's Verity, Crane's Echoing Call and Lost Prayer to the Sacred Winds are all usable.
For 4-stars: Flowing Purity is the option most guide sites put at the top of the free tier, and it is forgeable, which makes it the practical answer for a free-selector Varesa. Its passive converts a Bond of Life into All Elemental Damage Bonus, so it wants to be paired with a healer. The Widsith, Clash of Kings and Winter's Heavy Heart are all fine.
Varesa teams
Two archetypes work, and both of them exist to feed her Nightsoul Burst passive.
Overloaded core. Varesa, Chevreuse, Iansan, and a fourth from Mavuika, Durin or Nicole. Chevreuse's Overloaded buff is the reason this team exists; Iansan supplies ATK and Nightsoul generation. This is the highest-ceiling Varesa team and it asks for specific units.
Plunge hypercarry. Varesa, Iansan, Furina, Xianyun. Xianyun directly buffs plunging attack damage, which no other support in the game does as cleanly. If you do not have Xianyun, Xilonen plus Kazuha is the substitute — less plunge-specific, more universal.
Note what is missing: there is no good Varesa team that is just "three generic buffers." Her ATK passive needs Nightsoul Bursts, and that means Natlan units. If your roster is pre-Natlan, Varesa will underperform her reputation no matter how well you gear her.
Every Varesa ascension and talent material
This is the full bill. Plan around it before you claim her.
Ascension, Level 1 to 90:
- 420,000 Mora
- 1 Vajrada Amethyst Sliver, 9 Fragments, 9 Chunks, 6 Gemstones
- 46 Sparkless Statue Core — dropped by the Lv. 30+ Lava Dragon Statue world boss
- 168 Skysplit Gembloom — a Natlan local specialty found in Atocpan, also sold in small quantities by a Natlan shop NPC
- 18 Juvenile Fang, 30 Seasoned Fang, 36 Tyrant's Fang
One talent, Level 1 to 10:
- 1,652,500 Mora
- 6 Juvenile Fang, 22 Seasoned Fang, 31 Tyrant's Fang
- 3 Teachings of Conflict, 21 Guides, 38 Philosophies — domain Blazing Ruins in Coatepec Mountain, open Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday
- 6 Eroded Scale-Feather — weekly boss reward from the Lv. 70+ Lord of Eroded Primal Fire
- 1 Crown of Insight
Maxing all three talents therefore needs three Crowns of Insight, which on most accounts is the real bottleneck — see our Crown of Insight guide for every current source.
The two items that gate a free Varesa are Sparkless Statue Core and Skysplit Gembloom. Both are Natlan-only. Both require you to have unlocked and traversed Atocpan. An account that just hit AR 18 to claim the selector has done neither, which is the practical meaning of that Level 60 cap.
Varesa talent priority
Normal Attack first. Elemental Skill last. The Skill-last part is unanimous across every guide site; the first part is worth explaining because it looks wrong.
Her headline move is an Elemental Burst. But "Thunderous Tornado Eruption" is tagged as Plunging Attack damage, and plunging attacks scale off the Normal Attack talent level, not the Burst level. The short 30-Energy Burst she loops is also the one you actually cast most often, and it is the plunge that carries it. Keqing Mains puts Normal Attack ahead of Burst for this reason. Some sites list Burst first; if you only have materials for one, Normal Attack is the safer spend.
Varesa constellations
Her constellations run from C1 Undying Passion to C6 A Hero of Justice's Triumph. The one worth naming is C2, "Beyond the Edge of Light": Varesa enters Apex Drive after any Plunging Attack, regardless of whether she is in Fiery Passion, and she restores 11.5 Energy whenever her plunge ground impact hits an opponent. That turns her rotation from "set up Fiery Passion, then plunge" into "plunge," and it is the single biggest constellation jump in her tree.
Since Varesa is only obtainable from the selector right now — one copy, once — constellations are not a decision you get to make this patch.
Two corrections worth knowing
Her Burst is called "Guardian Vent!", not "A Dazzling Descent!" At least one major guide site still uses the second name, which was her beta name. If you are cross-referencing kit text and the names do not match, that is why.
Her Level 90 ascension CRIT Rate bonus is +19.2%, not 24.2%. Icy Veins' 24.2% figure is correct as a total — it just quietly folds in the 5% base CRIT Rate every character has. Use 19.2% when you are doing artifact math, or you will build 5% short on CRIT Rate.
Varesa banner history
Varesa debuted on 26 March 2025 on the "Cornucopia of Contention" banner, which ran to 15 April 2025. She has had exactly one rerun — the same banner name again, 23 December 2025 to 13 January 2026. That is two drop-rate-boosted appearances in her entire history, and she has never appeared in a Chronicled Wish. As of 7 October 2026, no third banner run has been officially announced.
What that means practically: the selector is not a convenience, it is currently the only way to get her. If you want Varesa and she is on your shortlist, the 3 November 2026 deadline is a real deadline. For what else is live right now, see our 7.1 banner schedule and our running list of October 2026 codes.
Frequently asked questions
Is Varesa worth taking from the free selector? If you have Natlan units — Iansan, Xilonen, Mavuika, Chevreuse — yes, she is a top-tier on-field DPS and the selector is the only way to get her right now. If your account is pre-Natlan and you cannot feed her Nightsoul Burst passive, Nilou or Clorinde will do more for you today.
Can I get Varesa to Level 90 using only the selector materials? No. The bundled materials take her to Level 60. Beyond that you need Sparkless Statue Core from the Lava Dragon Statue world boss and 168 Skysplit Gembloom from Atocpan, neither of which an Adventure Rank 18 account can reach.
What is the best Varesa artifact set? 4-piece Long Night's Oath and 4-piece Obsidian Codex are effectively tied. Long Night's Oath is +100% Plunging Attack damage fully stacked; Obsidian Codex gives +40% CRIT Rate on Nightsoul consumption, which frees your substats for CRIT Damage. Farm whichever domain you are already in.
What is the best free Varesa weapon? Flowing Purity, because it is forgeable and its passive suits her. Her signature Vivid Notions is far better but requires a weapon banner that is not currently running her.
Which Varesa talent should I level first? Normal Attack, then Burst, then Skill. Her biggest hits are tagged as Plunging Attack damage, and plunges scale off the Normal Attack talent.
How much Energy Recharge does Varesa need? Enough to loop her 30-Energy special Burst, which is much less than her 70-Energy base Burst implies. Build Energy Recharge until your rotation is consistent in practice, then stop and move everything into CRIT.
Is Varesa getting a rerun? Nothing has been officially announced as of 7 October 2026. Her only rerun ran 23 December 2025 to 13 January 2026, and she has never been added to a Chronicled Wish. Treat any specific future date you see as a leak, not a schedule.
Where to go next
More Genshin Impact guides:
