One of the most troublesome enemy types in Genshin Impact is the Ruin Guard. While earlier areas of the game only introduced the standard form, both Inazuma and Sumeru introduced newer, more deadly iterations.
New variations of this enemy type can definitely keep things interesting, but it also means that you’ll need to apply new strategies in order to beat them. In the Steeple of Ignorance domain, you’ll have to take on two versions of the Ruin Drakes. Here’s what you can expect, and how you can take them down.
Domain Overview
Most domains pit you against a handful of smaller enemies first, and then eventually introduce the elite enemies toward the end of the battle. In the Steeple of Ignorance domain, you’ll only ever fight the two Ruin Guards. On one hand, this makes this a bit more simple. But on the other, you can expect a fierce fight ahead of you since both of these enemies are tough on their own.
If you are heading into tiers one through three, you’ll thankfully be able to face these Ruin Guards separately. Tier four will make you fight them together, which can be incredibly difficult, especially because they are very high level. Only attempt tier four if your whole party is at or above level 80. Tiers three and four will also provide you with a randomized buff when you are using elemental damage. It triggers with different elements each time, and only gives you a 10% increase for ten seconds.
Domain Strategy
The Ruin Guards will both use primarily physical attacks against you. But as you deal elemental damage, they can absorb that and fire the same elemental energy back at you. Because of this, most elements will do great against them, but Dendro, Pyro, and Electro will be the handiest to have. Focus on combining elements to create elemental reactions, and keep hammering away at the enemy’s health.
After doing a lot of elemental damage, their cores will eventually be exposed, allowing you to do more damage and potentially stun them. The ground version of the Ruin Guard has its core in its head, while the flying version has it on its body. Doing enough damage to the cores to stun them can be tough, so when you get the opportunity, use your elemental bursts when their cores are exposed.
If you choose to do the highest difficulty tier, you’ll have to battle them together. This completely changes the level of challenge and will require you to be much more evasive since there are twice as many attacks being directed at you. The flying Ruin Guard can be tough to hit whenever you want, so if you are fighting them both at the same time, prioritize taking out the ground version first. You’ll also want to switch characters often, so you can trigger the extra buff. The 10% damage boost might not feel significant when you are fighting them one on one, but it could be the difference in you winning or losing if you are fighting them together.