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Does Layla Give Shield to Everyone? A Deep Dive into Genshin Impact’s Sleepy Shieldmaiden

Yes, Layla’s Elemental Skill, Nights of Formal Focus, provides a shield to all active members of your party. This shield is a Cryo shield that absorbs damage, scaling directly off of Layla’s Max HP. While the shield is active, it also generates Night Stars that launch at nearby opponents, dealing Cryo damage. This makes Layla a valuable support character, providing both protection and consistent Cryo application to your team.

Understanding Layla’s Shielding Capabilities

Layla, the somnolent scholar from the Rtawahist School in Sumeru, has quickly become a popular choice in Genshin Impact for her reliable shielding capabilities. But to fully utilize her potential, it’s crucial to understand the nuances of her kit, how her shield works, and how she compares to other shielders in the game. Let’s break down the specifics.

Layla’s Elemental Skill: The Foundation of Her Defense

The heart of Layla’s kit is her Elemental Skill, Nights of Formal Focus. Upon activation, Layla creates a shield of Cryo energy around herself and, more importantly, all active party members. This shield’s strength is directly tied to Layla’s Max HP. The higher her HP, the stronger the shield becomes. This makes building Layla relatively straightforward: prioritize HP% on artifacts and weapons to maximize her protective abilities.

While the shield is active, Night Stars will accumulate around it. Once four Night Stars have gathered, they transform into Shooting Stars that automatically target and damage nearby enemies. This provides a consistent source of Cryo application, which can be invaluable for triggering elemental reactions.

Shield Uptime and Strength

One of Layla’s key advantages is her shield uptime. The duration of Layla’s shield is 12 seconds, and her Elemental Skill has a cooldown of 12 seconds. This allows for near-100% shield uptime provided you refresh the skill as soon as it’s available, ensuring your team is consistently protected.

Although Layla’s shield isn’t quite as strong as Zhongli’s, it’s considered the second strongest shield in the game in terms of raw absorption, surpassing other popular shielders like Diona and Thoma.

Maximizing Layla’s Shield Strength

Several factors contribute to Layla’s shield strength, most notably her HP and artifact choices.

HP Scaling: Focus on increasing Layla’s Max HP through artifacts (HP% main stats), weapon choices (HP% secondary stats or passive), and substats.
Tenacity of the Millelith: The 4-piece bonus of this artifact set provides a significant boost to shield strength (30%) and increases the team’s ATK by 20% when the wielder’s Elemental Skill hits an opponent. This makes it the BiS (Best in Slot) artifact set for maximizing Layla’s utility.

Comparing Layla to Other Shielders

While Layla excels in pure shield strength and consistent Cryo application, it’s important to consider how she stacks up against other shielders in the game.

Zhongli: Zhongli remains the gold standard for shielding. His shield offers unparalleled damage absorption and reduces enemy resistance. However, Layla’s shield provides excellent protection with a more accessible build.
Diona: Diona offers both shielding and healing, making her a more versatile support option. However, her shield has lower HP scaling, which can be a notable drawback.
Kirara: Kirara provides Dendro application alongside shielding. While Kirara’s shield can be useful, it is not as strong as Layla’s. Kirara has all-round utility as a Dendro character who provides shields and is well-suited for teams requiring both Dendro application and shielding.
Noelle: Noelle’s shield is tied to her DEF stat and requires her to be on-field. Layla’s shield uptime and HP scaling make her a more convenient option for many teams.

Layla’s Place in Team Compositions

Layla’s shield and Cryo application make her a valuable asset in various team compositions. She’s particularly effective in teams that benefit from consistent Cryo application, such as:

Freeze teams: Pairing her with characters like Ayaka, Ganyu, or Mona allows for consistent freezing of enemies.
Melt teams: Layla can enable Reverse Melt reactions when paired with Pyro characters like Hu Tao or Diluc.
General support: Her shield provides a consistent layer of defense, making her a valuable addition to teams that struggle with survivability.

Enhancing Team Dynamics and Learning Through Games

Layla’s role as a protector also mirrors real-world dynamics in collaborative environments. Understanding her strengths and limitations helps players develop strategic thinking and teamwork skills, qualities fostered by organizations like the Games Learning Society at https://www.gameslearningsociety.org/.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Layla’s Shield

Here are some frequently asked questions about Layla’s shield and how to maximize its effectiveness:

Does Layla’s shield scale with her ATK? No, Layla’s shield scales exclusively with her Max HP. While her Night Star damage and Elemental Burst do scale with ATK, focusing on HP is the priority for shield strength.
What is the best artifact set for Layla as a shielder? The 4-piece Tenacity of the Millelith set is generally considered the best for a shielder build. It provides a 20% HP bonus (increasing shield strength) and an ATK buff for the team when Layla’s Elemental Skill hits an enemy.
What is the best weapon for Layla to maximize her shield strength? Weapons with HP% secondary stats are ideal. Some popular options include the Key of Khaj-Nisut (5-star), or the Sacrificial Sword or Favonius Sword (4-star) for energy regeneration.
How does Layla’s shield compare to Zhongli’s? Zhongli’s shield is significantly stronger, providing more damage absorption and reducing enemy resistances. However, Layla’s shield is still one of the best in the game and is more accessible to obtain and build.
Does Layla’s shield apply Cryo to enemies? Yes, Layla’s Elemental Skill deals Cryo damage in an area around her when it’s activated, and the Shooting Stars from the shield also apply Cryo to enemies they hit.
Can Layla’s shield be broken easily? While no shield is unbreakable, Layla’s shield, when built correctly with high HP, is quite resilient and can withstand significant damage. Elemental reactions and high-damage attacks can break it, but it is comparatively strong.
Is it worth leveling Layla to 90 for her shield? Yes, it is highly recommended to level Layla to 90. Since her shield scales with HP, increasing her base HP through leveling will significantly strengthen the shield.
Does Layla need Energy Recharge? While Layla’s primary role is shielding, having some Energy Recharge is beneficial to ensure consistent Burst uptime. Aim for around 130-150% ER, especially if you want to use her Burst frequently.
Can Layla be a DPS character? While it’s possible to build Layla as a DPS, it’s not her optimal role. Her damage scaling isn’t ideal for DPS, and there are better characters for that purpose.
Does Layla’s Constellation 4 (C4) affect her shield strength? No, Layla’s C4 increases the Normal and Charged Attack DMG of party members when Shooting Stars from her shield hit enemies. It does not directly increase shield strength.
Does Layla’s shield stack with other shields? No, shields do not stack additively. If multiple shields are active, the character will only benefit from the shield with the highest remaining absorption.
What is the best team composition for Layla as a shielder? Layla fits well in various teams, especially Freeze teams (with characters like Ayaka or Ganyu), Melt teams (with characters like Hu Tao or Diluc), and general support teams that need extra survivability.
Does Layla’s shield strength increase with her Talent levels? Yes, leveling up Layla’s Elemental Skill talent will directly increase the shield’s damage absorption.
If Layla gets hit while casting her shield, will it still work? Yes, even if Layla takes damage while casting her Elemental Skill, the shield will still be created for all active party members.
How to use the shield to its fullest potential? Maintain a high HP stat, use Tenacity of the Millelith artifacts, prioritize HP weapons or ER weapons depending on your team needs, and level her up to 90. Manage shield uptime with her skill effectively.

By understanding these nuances, you can effectively utilize Layla’s shielding capabilities to protect your team and conquer the challenges of Teyvat. Remember to adapt your build and team composition to suit your specific needs and playstyle, and experiment to discover the full potential of this sleepy shieldmaiden!

Does Layla give shield to everyone?