Abyss 12 Guide: Conquering with Just 4★ Characters

 

Facing the Hardest Abyss Yet

Abyss 12 in this Genshin Impact cycle proved to be the most difficult in recent memory—especially for players aiming to clear it using only 4-star characters. This guide walks through the process, the team choices, key battle mechanics, and a quick comparison with a meta speedrun using top-tier units.

Why This Abyss 12 Is Different

The current rotation feels tailored for high-tier 5-star DPS units. For those using 4-star teams, it presents unique hurdles—particularly in team-building restrictions and lackluster buffs that barely help against massive enemy health pools.

Four-Star Team Comp That Got the Job Done

The team that finally cleared Abyss 12 was adapted from another Genshin player, MMOJ Jack. Some rotations and builds were tweaked for better synergy and survival. This strategy required full focus and several retries due to the narrow margins for error.

Breakdown of Team One

• Xiangling: Used "The Catch" polearm with Emblem of Severed Fate, C6, and crowned Pyronado. Her role was sustained off-field Pyro damage.

• Bennett: Equipped with Sapwood Blade, mainly for healing and buffs. Energy recharge exceeded what was needed, but his standard support setup worked.

• Sharu: 40k HP tank with two-piece hybrid artifacts and decent crit rate. Built for durability and balanced output.

• Fischl: Sporting Golden Troupe and a strong crit ratio, she delivered consistent Electro application.

This setup ran an overloaded reaction-heavy composition and was surprisingly effective given the 4-star limitations.

Team Two Highlights

This second squad mixed things up. Though initially inconsistent, it eventually handled the second half of the Spiral Abyss thanks to high elemental synergy.

• Collei: A standout in this rotation with boosted stats and useful Dendro application.

• Layla: Despite her lower HP, she offered valuable Cryo application using Favonius Sword and Tenacity of the Millelith set. Her role focused more on consistent Cryo uptime than tanking.

• Kuki Shinobu: Built for Hyperbloom with the 4-piece Flower of Paradise Lost set. A bit of an unsung hero here.

• Xingqiu: The typical Sacrificial Sword build did the job. Though his crit ratio was uneven, he supplied crucial Hydro application.

The First Half: How Pyro Power Made a Difference

The early chambers relied heavily on Pyro application. Without it, grouped enemies were nearly impossible to eliminate in time. Xiangling’s Pyronado and Bennett’s burst consistently carried the damage.

Abyss Buffs That Felt… Useless?

The Spiral Abyss bonuses this round included a Cryo-triggered shockwave and a large damage bonus when characters have zero energy. However, the actual impact of these buffs on 4-star teams felt negligible. Especially with energy management, most characters rarely got to benefit fully from the zero-energy bonus.

Delay Tactics Against Abyss Mages

In the 12-1 chamber, delaying Fischl’s burst to sync with Cryo Mage behavior made a big difference. Their super armor phase allows tighter grouping for AoE skills, helping shave precious seconds off the timer.

How to Handle the Spiritseeker

This cryo-based enemy creates four elemental clones that need to be broken quickly. Each has a ward gauge that responds best to Pyro. Four units of Pyro application are needed to trigger the stun, turning the boss into a stationary target for a short duration.

Mid-Floor Threats and HP Bloat

The bottom half of Floor 12-1 introduces enemies with overly inflated HP and invincibility phases, requiring optimized damage windows. These mechanical bosses weren’t particularly complex, but the massive health pools slowed progress drastically.

Physical Resistance Robots: Be Warned

Mechanical enemies in this chamber have high physical resistance. While not a problem for reaction-based teams, anyone relying on Physical DPS (like Razor or Eula) should reconsider.

Hyperbloom Shines in Perpetual Mechanical Array

Xingqiu and Kuki’s Hyperbloom combo was clutch against the Perpetual Mechanical Array. Managing the invulnerability phase and targeting the low-HP Dorito module helped finish the fight just in time.

Best Elemental Matchups in Chamber 2

Avoid Dendro DPS against enemies with high resistance to it. Pyro remains king here, especially when dealing with exploding fruit mechanics that trigger with Pyro application for strong true damage hits.

Strategy Against the Kongamato

This boss is another damage sponge. Pyro once again made the fight manageable. Breaking its fruit-based defenses with elemental application allowed for a clean finish, avoiding its lethal spinning attack phase.

Electro Shield Enemies: Prepare Your Cryo

Abyss 12-2 featured thick Electro shields requiring either Cryo or Dendro to break efficiently. Getting hit by these enemies can cost precious energy, ruining burst setups. Carefully building energy beforehand was essential to winning this chamber.

Breaking the Shield Before It Floats

One of the chamber’s elite enemies could fly into the air if its Electro core wasn’t broken in time. Doing so early allowed the team to maintain DPS momentum. If the enemy ascended, players would have to target three floating orbs to bring it down—wasting time.

Damage Resistance and Elemental Shields

With its Electro shield intact, this enemy had resistance stats as high as 140% to Electro. After breaking its core, resistances dropped back to normal. Though the overall HP wasn’t extreme, getting to the vulnerable state was the challenge.

Adjusting With Kaeya

Switching Layla out for Kaeya, built with standard Favonius and Emblem of Severed Fate, brought more consistent Cryo uptime. While not technically optimal, the change helped manage energy and shield-breaking mechanics more reliably in this chamber.

The Cluster Robots of Floor 12-3

These enemies were a hassle due to their tendency to scatter. Finding a clean rotation to keep them grouped allowed Xiangling to clear them in one full skill cycle. The rest depended on cleaning up scattered units without letting the clock run out.

Facing the Dancing Robot: Capellius

This returning boss spawned cryo shields that needed quick Pyro application to remove. Characters like Xiangling and Bennett could burst through the shields, while Fischl and Kuki provided consistent reaction support. Ushi damage helped, but Pyro was the primary method of breaking through.

Leila’s Surprising Utility in Final Phase

The newest mechanical enemy introduced in the abyss required constant Cryo application to suppress its resistance bar, marked by a lightning icon. If left unchecked, the enemy’s resistances would skyrocket to 210%. Leila's off-field Cryo proved to be one of the few 4-star options effective enough to keep the resistance bar low.

Kaya's Downtime Limitations

Even with continuous Cryo bursts, Kaya struggled to keep up with this enemy’s resistance bar mechanics due to downtime in his skill rotation. This reinforced how crucial constant Cryo uptime was, especially from off-field sources.

Cryo Spam Wins This Round

Ayaka, Charlotte, and Skirk are tailor-made for this chamber thanks to their consistent Cryo output. Skirk, in particular, melts this phase with ease, as it’s clearly built with her in mind. Among 4-star units, only Layla reliably applied Cryo fast enough to keep the resistance gauge low.

Day 1 Speedrun Comparison: Big DPS Gap

To show just how different the difficulty was, a Day 1 run with a meta team including Mafika cleared the floor in under 15 seconds. In contrast, the 4-star-only clear took hours of retries. The disparity highlighted how much the current Abyss favors top-tier characters.

Pyro Dominance on Top Half

From the beginning, the top half of Abyss 12 demanded strong Pyro teams. Whether using Xiangling, Hu Tao, or even Dehya, Pyro was the go-to. Overloaded and Vaporize reactions dominated, with Electro supporting from Fischl or Yae Miko.

Building Around Cryo for Bottom Half

The second half leaned heavily into Electro shield mechanics, requiring Dendro and Cryo for fast clears. Without them, players faced long battles and tight timers. Layla, Risley, and Ayaka were all excellent fits here.

Not Built for Physical DPS

With inflated HP and high physical resistance, this Abyss floor was not friendly to characters like Razor, Eula, or Xinyan. Even Superconduct couldn’t lower defense enough to make a major difference. Elemental reactions were essential.

Elemental Synergy Beats Raw Power

The biggest takeaway was that elemental reaction-based teams—particularly those that can trigger Pyro, Cryo, or Dendro combos—were far more effective than raw stat-based teams. This is even more true for 4-star players working without constellation-heavy 5-star characters.

My Final Thoughts on This Abyss

Among all recent versions, this Abyss 12 felt like the most unforgiving for non-meta players. Massive HP bars, thick shields, and minimal buff utility stretched 4-star teams to their limits. Still, it was possible—with planning, patience, and the right elements.

Conclusion

Abyss 12 in this version of Genshin Impact pushed the limits for players using only 4-star characters. With inflated HP, demanding shield mechanics, and low-impact buffs, the floor was designed with high-end meta teams in mind. Yet, with smart rotations, efficient elemental reactions, and proper planning, even modest 4-star squads can achieve a full clear. Whether you're tackling the floor for the first time or looking to optimize your clear time, leveraging Cryo and Pyro synergy is the key to success.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: Can you clear Abyss 12 using only 4-star characters?
Yes, but it requires optimized teams, tight rotations, and specific elemental matchups, especially Pyro and Cryo.

Q2: Which 4-star characters are best for this Abyss 12?
Xiangling, Bennett, Layla, Fischl, Xingqiu, and Kuki Shinobu are top choices due to their elemental synergy and utility.

Q3: How important is elemental reaction in Abyss 12?
Essential. Overloaded, Hyperbloom, and Cryo-based reactions are vital for breaking shields and dealing with high HP enemies.

Q4: Is this Abyss 12 harder than previous versions?
Yes, due to increased HP scaling, resistance mechanics, and buffs that don’t support many 4-star teams.

Q5: What’s the most efficient way to handle Electro shields?
Use consistent Cryo or Dendro application. Avoid getting hit, as that can drain energy needed for bursts.

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