When it comes to optimizing Yelan's performance in Genshin Impact, the debate between Aqua Simulacra and Elegy for the End continues to divide players in 2025. Both 5-star bows offer distinct advantages that cater to different playstyles and team compositions, making the choice between personal damage and team utility more nuanced than ever.

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Aqua Simulacra: Personal DPS Powerhouse

Aqua Simulacra has long been considered Yelan's signature weapon, and for good reason. With its impressive CRIT DMG substat and HP% passive, it perfectly complements Yelan's HP-scaling abilities. When fully invested, the difference in personal damage output is substantial.

A well-built Yelan wielding Aqua Simulacra can achieve impressive numbers:

  • Higher personal damage ceiling (approximately 40-50% increase over 4-star options)

  • Perfect stat alignment with her HP-scaling kit

  • No energy requirements to maximize its potential

As one Genshin player put it, "If you've built your Yelan as a sub-DPS monster, Aqua just hits different - those rain swords start feeling more like rain storms!"

Elegy for the End: Team Buffer Extraordinaire

While Aqua Simulacra maximizes Yelan's personal contribution, Elegy for the End transforms her into a team-wide support powerhouse. The Energy Recharge substat helps maintain her burst uptime, while its passive effect provides substantial team buffs:

  • Increases team Elemental Mastery (up to 200 at R5)

  • Boosts team ATK% (up to 40% at R5)

  • Energy Recharge substat helps maintain burst uptime

What makes Elegy particularly effective is how easily Yelan can trigger its passive. Her Elemental Skill and Burst deal multiple instances of damage, quickly accumulating the required stacks to activate the team buff.

The Numbers Game: Team DPS vs Personal DPS

Recent testing reveals some interesting insights. In a typical Hu Tao vaporize team (Hu Tao, Yelan, Xingqiu, flex):

  • Yelan with Aqua: ~530k personal damage per rotation

  • Yelan with Elegy: ~360k personal damage per rotation

  • But Elegy provides enough team buffs to increase Hu Tao's damage by ~200k and Xingqiu's by ~20k

In total, Elegy can actually outperform Aqua in team damage contribution in specific compositions despite the significant personal damage drop.

When to Choose Each Weapon

Aqua Simulacra is Better When:

  1. You're running Yelan as an on-field DPS (especially at C6)

  2. Your team already has sufficient ATK% and EM buffs from other sources

  3. You have lower investment in your main DPS compared to Yelan

  4. You're using her in quickswap teams where everyone contributes significant damage

Elegy for the End is Better When:

  1. You're supporting a hypercarry like Hu Tao or Ayaka

  2. You're running reaction-heavy teams that benefit from EM (vaporize, melt, bloom variants)

  3. You need the ER% substat to maintain burst uptime

  4. No one else on the team is using a support weapon

One player summed it up perfectly: "Elegy turns Yelan from a great sub-DPS into a Swiss Army knife - she's doing damage, providing hydro application, AND buffing the whole squad. Can't put a price on versatility!"

The C1 Factor

It's worth noting that Yelan's C1 constellation plays into this weapon choice significantly. The additional Elemental Skill charge:

  1. Generates more energy, reducing ER requirements

  2. Allows more flexibility in weapon choice

  3. Makes Aqua Simulacra more viable as you can more easily meet ER requirements

Without C1, you might find yourself needing more ER%, making Elegy's substat more valuable regardless of its passive.

Conclusion: No One-Size-Fits-All Answer

The Aqua vs Elegy debate ultimately comes down to team composition and your specific needs. While Aqua Simulacra provides a substantial personal damage boost, Elegy for the End's team-wide buffs can result in higher overall team DPS in many popular compositions.

As with many aspects of Genshin Impact, context matters. Consider what role you want Yelan to play in your team and choose accordingly. Both weapons are exceptional options that highlight different aspects of her versatile kit.

Remember that weapon availability is also a practical consideration. If you already have one of these bows, it might not be worth pulling specifically for the other unless you're a dedicated Yelan main seeking to optimize for every possible scenario.

What's your experience with these weapons on Yelan? Has one consistently outperformed the other in your teams?