Source: Red Warrior on YouTube
By ExploreGenshin.gg

With Version 5.6 approaching, excitement is brewing about Escoffier — and in particular, how she could give Ayaka the buff she desperately needs.

Ayaka, once one of Genshin’s most beloved DPS characters, has struggled to maintain her relevance. While she was dominant during the height of the Freeze meta, the arrival of Fontaine’s Power Creep left her severely outdated. Unlike Cryo DPS units like Wriothesley, who can flex into Melt compositions, Ayaka remains mostly locked into Freeze teams — and those have fallen behind the meta… until now.

❄️ Ayaka’s Struggles in the Modern Meta

Once upon a time, Ayaka ruled the Spiral Abyss:

Freeze teams dominated, and Abyss floors had abundant freezable enemies.
Ayaka paired seamlessly with buffers like Shenhe, Kazuha, and healers like Kokomi.

However:

Fontaine-era enemies have much higher DPS and HP pools.
Freeze teams have stagnated while Hyperbloom and Powercreep scaled upwards.
Ayaka’s Burst heavily relies on enemies being grouped and stationary — a luxury that’s become rarer in Spiral Abyss content.

And while Furina’s arrival helped a little, it wasn’t nearly enough to return Ayaka to her former dominance.

🍰 Enter Escoffier: Freeze Savior?

Escoffier may be the missing piece Ayaka has needed for a long time:

Teamwide Cryo and Hydro RES shred, scaling with team composition.
Strong sub-DPS off-field damage.
Teamwide healing that can synergize with Furina’s mechanics.

Unlike current options like Shenhe or Charlotte, Escoffier:

Provides actual offensive value while healing.
Improves Furina’s buff stacking through frequent healing.
Strengthens team-wide damage without requiring precise groupings like Kazuha does.

This means that Ayaka could once again shine — even without tight grouping — in content favoring bosses or scattered enemies.

📉 Ayaka’s Remaining Weaknesses

Even if Escoffier revives Ayaka’s Freeze teams, certain issues remain:

Ayaka’s Burst can still miss mobile enemies like the Capiyara (as seen in Red Warrior’s test footage).
Without Kazuha, grouping remains an issue for Ayaka’s consistency.
Energy Recharge remains a pain point; Ayaka needs a lot of ER to Burst reliably.

Escoffier could help with healing and support, but whether she fully solves Ayaka’s Burst whiffing issues remains to be seen.

📊 Quick Numbers Breakdown

Red Warrior estimated:

Over 1 million damage per Ayaka rotation when factoring in Furina and buffs like C2 Shilonin’s 60% crit damage bonus.
Even with his sub-optimal Blizzard Strayer set, Ayaka’s potential with Escoffier is massive.
However, misses and lack of grouping could still cost significant damage.

If Escoffier truly matches the off-field damage promised, combined with Furina’s buffs, Ayaka’s total team damage output could rival newer Fontaine DPS units — at least against smaller, freezeable enemies.

🔥 Freeze Meta vs Melt Meta

One important point:

Melt DPS units like Wriothesley (in Melt) still outperform Freeze DPS units in raw personal damage.
Freeze teams compensate by having higher sub-DPS contributions (Furina, Escoffier, Shenhe buffs).
Instead of solo hypercarries, Freeze teams will rely on full-team synergies to stay competitive.

Thus, even if Ayaka’s personal damage isn’t as absurd as Melt Wriothesley, her full team DPS should keep her competitive — thanks to Escoffier’s contributions.

💬 Final Thoughts: Is Ayaka About to Shine Again?

In summary:

Escoffier will likely be Ayaka’s best new support, finally allowing Freeze Ayaka to keep up with modern Genshin power levels.
However, Ayaka’s inherent flaws (energy needs, Burst aiming) mean she may still struggle in specific content.
If future Spiral Abyss floors favor bosses that naturally group themselves or punish reaction-based teams, Ayaka + Escoffier Freeze could dominate.

Red Warrior ultimately concluded that while skepticism is warranted, there’s real hope for Ayaka mains. And after over a year without significant upgrades, that’s reason enough to celebrate.