Guide
How the kit works
Start with Probe and Deduction. Their hits build Capacity, up to 100. At the cap, Deduction becomes Decipher (forte). Cast it to consume the Capacity and deal Electro DMG counted as Resonance Liberation DMG. Shortly afterward, use Basic Attack to perform Revamp (forte), a mid-air attack that costs STA and also counts as Resonance Liberation DMG.
Cast Cogitation Model to deal Electro DMG and enter Intuition. You get three Hypercubes, while Basic and Heavy Attacks become Pivot - Impale (liberation), and Deduction becomes Divergence (liberation). Focus (passive) increases Xiangli Yao's resistance to interruption in this state.
In Intuition, build five Performance Capacity to replace Divergence with Law of Reigns (forte). A hit from Divergence gives two, and a hit from Revamp gives three. You can therefore hit with Divergence, follow it quickly with Revamp, then cast Law of Reigns. Each cast consumes one Hypercube; Intuition ends after the third is consumed.
Pivot - Impale and Unfathomed (liberation), the Intuition Dodge Counter, also build Performance Capacity on hit. Knowing (passive) gives 5% Electro DMG Bonus for 8 seconds after a Resonance Skill, stacking up to four times.
On switching out, Chain Rule calls down an area attack on the first target hit by the incoming Resonator's Basic Attack. Each hit deals Electro DMG equal to 237.63% of Xiangli Yao's ATK. The effect lasts 8 seconds and can trigger once every 2 seconds, up to three times.
Build and why
Use the recommended five-piece Void Thunder setup. Its two-piece bonus gives 10% Electro DMG, which suits Xiangli Yao's attacks. The supplied set data does not describe the five-piece effect, so do not assume what that bonus does.
Verity's Handle is the first weapon choice. It gives 12% Attribute DMG Bonus and, after Resonance Liberation, 48% Resonance Liberation DMG Bonus for 8 seconds. Resonance Skill casts extend that effect by 5 seconds each, up to three times. His Intuition rotation gives him reason to use those skills.
Moongazer's Sigil is another strong option: it gives ATK and a Resonance Liberation DMG increase after Intro Skill or Resonance Liberation. Its DEF-ignore effect depends on obtaining Shield, although Intro Skill immediately grants maximum stacks for 3 seconds. Blazing Justice offers ATK and DEF ignore after Basic Attack; its Spectro Frazzle bonus is separate from Xiangli Yao's Electro kit.
For a 4-star option, consider Stonard. Casting Resonance Skill gives 18% Resonance Liberation DMG Bonus for 15 seconds. Electro DMG Bonus is a natural stat to consider; ATK also matters to the damage specified for his Outro.
Leveling priority
A suggested leveling order is Cogitation Model, Forever Seeking, Deduction, Probe, then Principle. Cogitation Model deals damage and opens the Intuition rotation. Forever Seeking contains Decipher (forte), Revamp (forte) and Law of Reigns (forte), all of which deal damage counted as Resonance Liberation DMG.
Deduction helps build Capacity before Intuition, as does Probe. Principle deals Electro DMG when Xiangli Yao enters, so you can leave it until after the attacks used throughout his field time.
For maximum ascension, gather 170,000 Shell Credit, 4 LF Whisperin Core, 12 MF Whisperin Core, 12 HF Whisperin Core, 4 FF Whisperin Core, 46 Hidden Thunder Tacet Core and 60 Violet Coral.
To raise all skills to maximum, you also need 2,030,000 Shell Credit, 25 LF Whisperin Core, 28 MF Whisperin Core, 40 HF Whisperin Core, 57 FF Whisperin Core, 26 Unending Destruction, 25 Cadence Seed, 28 Cadence Bud, 55 Cadence Leaf and 67 Cadence Blossom.
Resonance Chain nodes worth it
Solace of the Ordinary (sequence 6) is worth considering if you are looking at the later nodes: it enhances the Hypercubes and increases the DMG Multiplier of Law of Reigns (forte) by 76%. You need the earlier nodes to reach it.
Ruins of Ancient (sequence 3) is another notable option. After Cogitation Model, it increases the damage of Decipher (forte), Deduction, Divergence (liberation) and Law of Reigns by 63% for 24 seconds, with the effect triggered up to five times. Traces of Predecessors (sequence 2) gives 30% Crit. DMG for 8 seconds after a Resonance Skill or Cogitation Model.
Prodigy of Protégés (sequence 1) adds six attacks to Law of Reigns. Vessel of Rebirth (sequence 4) gives the team a Resonance Liberation DMG Bonus, while End of Stars (sequence 5) raises the multipliers of his Outro and Liberation. You can stop before the later nodes if you do not want those gains; sequence 5 cannot be skipped on the way to sequence 6.
Teams
Give Xiangli Yao time on the field to use Intuition and spend his Hypercubes. Around him, consider a teammate who contributes damage during their own field time and a slot for healing or protection. His kit does not require a particular teammate element.
Yinlin, an Electro character, and Shorekeeper, a Spectro character, are options named for him. Changli and Jianxin are other options to consider. The supplied data does not describe their abilities, so check what they provide before settling on a team.
After switching from Xiangli Yao, use the incoming character's Basic Attack to trigger Chain Rule. Its area attacks give the next character some damage support for up to 8 seconds.
Common mistakes
Do not stop at five Performance Capacity without casting Law of Reigns (forte). Spending it lets you use a Hypercube and continue the Intuition sequence.
Do not wait too long to use Basic Attack after Decipher (forte) or Divergence (liberation) if you want Revamp (forte). It costs STA, so keep enough available.
Do not build around Basic Attack DMG alone just because you press the Basic Attack button during the rotation. Revamp and Law of Reigns count as Resonance Liberation DMG. After switching out, remember that Chain Rule needs the incoming character's Basic Attack to hit a target.
