Skirk Beta Impressions – Strong but Demanding Cryo Carry ExploreGenshin

With her gameplay now available in the Version 5.7 beta, Skirk is quickly shaping up to be one of Genshin Impact’s most potent but team-reliant Cryo DPS units to date. In a recent video, Raiden Shogun breaks down feedback from beta testers, comparing Skirk’s strengths, weaknesses, team options, and her actual place in the meta next to heavy hitters like Mavika, Arlecchino, and Navia.

If you’re considering pulling for Skirk, this summary will help you understand whether she’s a worthwhile investment—or if her reliance on key supports makes her too restrictive.

Overall Beta Impressions

Beta testers generally agree: Skirk’s performance is solid, and her kit translates her powerful story presence into effective gameplay. While a few minor issues exist, there’s nothing game-breaking.

When paired with top-tier supports like Furina, C6 Shenhe, and C1R1 Escoffier, Skirk’s performance nears the highest echelon of damage output, rivaling even C6 Mavika and C6 Seatlali in some team comps. In some scenarios, she even surpasses Arlecchino and Neuvillette—a huge statement considering their place in the current meta.

Skirk vs. the Meta

Compared to Mavika, Skirk performs slightly below in pure damage, but has fewer issues with hitboxes or range, giving her an advantage in consistency.

C0 Skirk still performs better than Arlecchino or Neuvillette in many tests.
Her damage is strong but appears carefully calibrated to avoid power creep chaos.

She feels like a true Harbinger: elite-level strength, but not without sacrifice.

Team Dependency & Synergy

This is where things get tricky.

Skirk heavily depends on high-end support units. Her damage drops significantly without:

Escoffier: Provides Cryo and Hydro RES shred, plus burst support.
Shenhe: Still a strong Cryo buffer, especially at C6.
Furina, Yelan, or Seatlali: To plug gaps in Skirk’s downtime and provide off-field damage or buffs.

Without these characters, Skirk struggles, especially in Freeze teams that rely on tight elemental uptime. She’s likened to “Caster” from Honkai: Star Rail—excellent but extremely rigid.

“The performance gap between Skirk with and without Escoffier is borderline catastrophic.”

While other Cryo units like Ayaka or Ganyu can function in mid-tier teams, Skirk demands top-tier synergy to function.

Playstyle & Kit Concerns

Skirk features a dual-style kit, split between:

Normal Attack mode (stance-based)
Elemental Burst mode (frontloaded damage)

Testers were divided here:

Some enjoyed the versatility.
Others found the split to feel disjointed and clunky, like managing two half-kits instead of one cohesive playstyle.

The burst-focused style was generally favored due to higher performance in Spiral Abyss-style encounters. But her long cooldowns (including ~9 seconds of dead time) require off-field damage support to fill in the gap—Yelan being a common pick here.

Without Escoffier: Still Viable?

Yes—but you’ll need creativity.

Possible replacements include:

Shenhe + Seatlali: Not optimal, but workable.
Xingqiu: Serviceable, but less synergistic than Yelan.
Furina: Excellent support for consistent damage and passive buffs.

However, lower-tier characters like Dahlia or Diona tend to fall short. Unless you own Escoffier, you’ll be building around Skirk’s gaps rather than enhancing her strengths.

Build and Artifact Notes

Despite the complexity of her kit, Skirk’s build path is straightforward:

Cryo DMG Bonus Goblet
Crit Rate/DMG Circlet
Attack Sands

Whether you go for burst or normal attack style, you’ll want high Crit and ATK, and good Cryo synergy. For burst comps, Cryo resonance and crit rate are crucial.

Energy demands are high—expect to push supports like Shenhe or Escoffier to 190–200% ER if you don’t run Favonius weapons.

Meta Impact and Final Thoughts

With Skirk and Escoffier entering the picture, Cryo has returned to the meta spotlight. After years of falling behind, this duo brings Freeze teams back to high-tier relevance.

Skirk is: