Other Gunfire Reborn Guides:

• Gunfire Reborn: Best Crown Prince Build
• Gunfire Reborn: Best Tao Build
• Gunfire Reborn: Best Lei Luo Build
• Gunfire Reborn: Best Li Build
  
• Gunfire Reborn - Best Xing Zhe Build

Skilled martial artist Qing Yan can leap to get up close and personal and cleave his foes. He's also one of the most reliable characters in Gunfire Reborn due to his massive survivability. In a way, his playstyle is the opposite of Lei Luo's. While the white tiger would much rather kite enemies around and shoot them from afar, Qing Yan loves to pounce on his enemies using Leap and attack them at close range. Before we get into our favored beginner build for Qing Yan, let's talk about how you unlock him and his abilities.

How Do You Unlock Qing Yan in Gunfire Reborn?

Qing Yan is the third playable hero in the base game of Gunfire Reborn, being unlocked at Talent level 40. Unlike other heroes like Tao and Qian Sui, you won't have to spend your spiritual essence specifically on unlocking him. Instead, unlock talents from the talent tree until you reach Talent level 40, and he'll come to the pub. This means you can get him fairly early, approximately 5-10 hours into the game, maybe faster if you know what you're doing from the beginning. 

Qing Yan Active Abilities

Primary Ability: Leap

The bird's primary skill, Leap, is great for mobility. It allows him to pounce on an enemy from quite far away or escape from a bad matchup. It may not do a whole lot of damage by itself, but it gives him invincibility for a very short period and allows him to quickly engage with the enemy using his weapons and secondary skill. It's also the focus of one-third of the hero's ascensions, and it's the skill our build will focus on.

Secondary Ability: Cleave

Cleave is Qing Yan's secondary skill, which allows him to swipe at his enemies, dealing damage in an AOE. He can do this repeatedly as the action doesn't move himself or his enemies, and it is the focus of another section of his ascensions. For instance, Defensive Cleave, which restores his armor when he uses the skill, or Easy Kill, which, when killing an enemy with Cleave, the skill for the rest of the run.

Qing Yan Passive Abilities

Continuous Strike

Steel Feathers

Recharge Shot

Black Belt

Emergency Defense

Qing Yan has Armor Instead of Shield

Qing Yan is the only hero in Gunfire reborn to have armor (yellow bar) instead of shield (blue bar). This means his defenses are less susceptible to lightning but more susceptible to corrosion. Unlike the characters with Shield, Qing Yan's Armor doesn't regenerate over time. Instead, he'll have to rely on his ascensions and skills to help him restore his armor during combat. However, this allows him to regenerate massive amounts of armor while fighting, making him very hard to take down.

Easiest Qing Yan Build: Defensive Leap Build Guide

While Qing Yan can theoretically be built around his Leap, Cleave, or martial arts abilities, this playstyle mainly focuses on his Leap skill and survivability. However, this build will avoid the All or Nothing ascension because it can be risky for newer players, especially if they've yet to unlock the Emergency Defense talent. Instead, we will focus on making the bird as Tanky as possible while splashing a fair amount of weapon and skill DMG in. 

Weapon Class of Choice: Shotguns

Pupil

Shotguns are the ideal weapon for this build and some of the best choices for Qing Yan in general. My favorite shotgun is the Pupil, but some could argue that Illusion is better in most situations. However, I like the versatility between larger spreads and better range which you can choose by charging or not charging your shots with the Pupil. It offers exactly what I need at every moment, except the ultra-long range shots, which Qing Yan doesn't usually need to take.

Illusion

Another great shotgun; however, I prefer it when it happens to have an elemental effect inscription, which is rare. Otherwise, it feels like shooting a weaker version of a charged Pupil shot. (in that it's always a tight spread) Of course, it can be very powerful if you have a no-reload synergy with a scroll like Deft Hands, Advanced Depot, or Against the Flow. However, I'd prefer to take the Demonlore in that case, which makes the Illusion always feel like a second choice for me.

Wheel Saw

The Wheel Saw is a pretty cool shotgun with the gimmick of flinging a saw blade out to melee when you reload. It's quite good on Qing Yan as he is frequently within melee distance but often just outside that range. This makes the dual-uses of the Wheel Saw quite great, and it's even better if you have the exclusive inscription that makes the enhanced weapon skill bust shields and armor in one hit. Great weapon overall!

Argus

For me, it's always a tough choice between the Wheel Saw and the Argus. On one hand, you could stick close to the enemy and saw them in half every few seconds between shots, or you could push them away and control them. Either way, both weapons work very well in close to mid-range combat and synergize differently with Qing Yan's kit. The pushback from the Argus can be chained into a Leap, then a Cleave, followed by more shots. It's definitely a powerhouse on this character and well worth considering.

Hell

You're probably surprised to see me putting this above the Wild Hunt, but I have my reasons. It can be quite annoying that you have to feed this thing ammo one at a time, slowly. However, you can shoot after reloading just one if you'd like, and there's even an exclusive inscription that makes it reload two at a time. It's not the best shotgun, but it's not the worst. I'd take it over most non-shotguns with Qing Yan.

Wild Hunt

Wild Hunt can be one of the most powerful weapons in the game, or it can be mediocre. It really depends on what the inscriptions say and which scrolls you have. It can be decent if you get the two-shot magazine exclusive inscription, the +60% magazine inscription, or the -40% reload time inscription. However, it reaches an insane level with the magazine share Gemini inscription, allowing you to unload this puppy at insane speeds. Like the Demonlore, it gets busted with no-reload effects like Deft Hands, Hail of Bullets, and Advanced Depot.

Porcupine

The Porcupine isn't a bad weapon. It's just not the best. It has a similar effect to the Pupil in that you can shoot a concentrated shot or a spread, but I generally find the spread too wide and the concentrated shot too tight. Its primary attack is like a pistol with rounds that burst into 20 projectiles, and its weapon skill shoots the 20 projectiles in a huge cone, so you can't possibly hope to land more than 5 or 10. It's great for applying Decay and good for breaking armor, but there are generally better choices for most situations within the shotgun class.

Another Good Option: Melee Weapons

Flowing Light

The Flowing Light is one of the better melee weapons for most builds, as it offers +30% movement speed and a great Shock chance of 50%. Its damage is pretty good, melting shields easily, and it can definitely be one of the best weapons for Qing Yan. However, this weapon shines most with a melee-centric build involving plenty of Cleave ascensions.

Poisonous Ghost

Along the same lines as the Flowing Light, the 30% movement speed and 30% Decay chance make this a good candidate for breaking armor with Qing Yan. However, it comes up a bit lackluster most of the time compared with shotguns since you won't always be as close as you need to be to every enemy to use this weapon effectively.

Fire Tower

The Fire Tower is a heavier and stronger sword, with a lower movement speed and stronger hits than the other swords. However, it has the slowest rate of fire and takes special ammo instead of large ammo, making it the last choice out of the melee weapons for this build.

Other Great Weapons for this Build

Demonlore

It should be of little surprise to you that the Demonlore is a very strong weapon in the hands of Qing Yan. There isn't really a character that can't use this weapon because it's just that good. If you can get Advanced Depot, this thing can pop off, doing 10x the normal amount of damage and mowing down everything in its path. It's great at mid-range and can be used at short range, so it's not a hindrance to Qing Yan like a sniper rifle or bow might be. It also covers some of his weaknesses, such as a relative inability to deal with bosses that are hard to get close to, such as the Wind God and Yoruhime-Maru. 

Sunder

This weapon is categorized as a pistol, but the Sunder may as well be a shotgun. It shoots a horizontal spread of projectiles similar to the Argus and is extremely effective in short to mid-range. It also benefits greatly from ascensions like Victory Rush, so picking this up is rarely a bad idea if you're playing the fierce green bird.

Tiger Cannon

Explosive weapons like the Tiger Cannon work well with Qing Yan because the AOE of the explosives allows it to hit multiple enemies that are close together. He can also shoot them at the ground if he's within a group of enemies and it has a high chance of hitting multiple enemies at once. 

Deafening Mortar

The Deafening Mortar deals massive damage at short and mid-range, but most characters are afraid to take it because it requires you to be quite close to enemies to be effective. However, Qing Yan makes perfect use of this, as he is most comfortable when close to enemies. However, its weapon skill also allows it to lob three explosives at once and dominate enemies that are grouped up.

Bone Dragon

The Bone Dragon can also do a good job of hitting multiple enemies in groups. However, it also sucks them in with gravitational orbs that can help prepare Qing Yan for an effective Leap. This will make it even more likely that you hit multiple enemies with your Leap. This weapon synergizes well with the ascensions recommended for the build.

Ascension Tier List: Best Ascensions for Qing Yan Leap Build

The Functional Tier List

Here's a functional tier list you can keep open while playing with Qing Yan. It offers a prioritization system that can save you from wasting valuable golden goblets on ascensions that don't benefit the build. Below, we'll touch on the ascensions in the top two tiers of this list and how they benefit the 'Un-killable Leaping Bird' build.

Gigantic Explosion

This ascension increases the AOE of Leap by 2 meters per level, reduces the cooldown for Leap by 20% per level, and level 3 gives you a 20% damage boost for each enemy hit by Leap. This builds the foundation for all of the Leap-related ascensions in the build, most importantly the cooldown reduction.

Fully Equipped

This is perhaps the most aptly named ascension in the game. It gives Qing Yan +75% extra weapon and skill damage after a Leap. It also gives you 20 percent armor and a 1-second cooldown reduction on Leap for each kill during the next 2 seconds. At level three, this sucker scales up to +150% extra damage, 50 percent armor, and 2 seconds cooldown reduction on Leap for kills in the next 3 seconds. It literally provides offense, defense, and cooldown reduction. One could argue that this is even more essential than Gigantic Explosion, although it makes recovering from damage a much more manual process.

Steel Armor

After a successful Leap (if it makes contact with an enemy or breakable), Steel Armor gives you a 50% or 100% damage reduction for 2 to 3 seconds, depending on the level. It also recovers armor equal to the damage taken at level 3. This can help you tank some hits, and having level 3 would make you practically impenetrable.

Iron Scud

Iron Scud offers +30, +60, and +100 max armor and 10%, 20%, and 30% movement speed for 7 seconds at levels 1, 2, and 3, respectively. This is a solid all-around ascension that gives you the ability to dodge as well as some tankiness. It also offers a 25% chance to become invincible for 0.5s when taking damage at level 3. Icing on the cake!

Last Breath

Last Breath improves the damage of Leap by +200% per level and reduces the cooldown by 1 second, 2 seconds, or a full reset at level 3 for each enemy killed by Leap. This is a great ascension for adding some damage to the build, but it's harder to rely on the cooldown reduction in the late game because you'll often be engaging with Leap when enemies are at high health.

Victory Rush

Victory Rush is another cornerstone of the damage of this build. After hitting an enemy at least 4, 3, or 2 times in a single attack, you'll get a buff of 50% weapon damage per level for 5 seconds. This increases to 10 seconds at level 3. This ascension works best with shotguns (for obvious reasons) and Flowing Light. (which counts the entire weapon skill combo as a single attack for this purpose)

Regen Hit

Regen Hit is, in my opinion, an underrated ascension. At level 1 and level 2, it seems normal enough, providing 40% and 100% armor upon a successful Leap. But the drawback is that it only restores 20% or 25% armor if you miss. However, at level 3, it simply restores your armor meter to full, regardless. I find this very strong, especially with the Occult Scroll Paranormality. I can see how it's unnecessary when you have so many other ways to regenerate armor, but it has saved my run during boss fights several times to just be able to hit E and know my armor is full.

Look Out for These Occult Scrolls

Of course, the game has over 100 occult scrolls, so we won't discuss all of the strong ones here, just the standout ones for the build. If you want information and discussion on all the scrolls, check out our Occult Scroll Tier List!

Tactical Reload

This scroll gives you 20% damage reduction and 30% additional movement speed when reloading. This can be super useful for added survivability!

Resolute

This scroll gives you a 50% movement speed boost and +25% damage when your shield or armor is 0. Ordinarily, it doubles the delay of your shield recovery, but this is no issue for the fierce bird as he recovers his armor on his own terms. Unfortunately, this scroll may become somewhat useless if you generate armor as soon as it breaks, but it can help in a pinch.

Magic Watch

A 33% chance to reset the cooldown of your Leap or Dash each time you use them is nothing to scoff at. This becomes even more useful with additional Leap charges or Dash charges from other occult scrolls like Ancient Timer or Propulsion Device, but it's also great without them.

Vindictive Nature

This scroll gives you 40% increased weapon DMG and skill DMG for 10 seconds upon taking damage. Importantly, this procs when your armor is damaged, so it's a perfect choice for Qing Yan.

Backup Shield

Backup Shield recovers 40% of your shield or armor when it breaks. This effect can only occur once every 10 seconds. It's a great scroll for staying safe, as it effectively gives you 40% extra shield. It also synergizes very well with some of the damage reduction scrolls and Qing Yan's ascensions.

Spirit Feline

This scroll increases the damage you take by 100%, but each hit won't exceed 14% of your total max HP. This may sound like a detriment, and in some cases, it is. Enemies like the longbowman or octopus can really do a number on you when you have this scroll because they deal damage in multiple smaller hits. However, it's strong against bosses and other enemies that hit you more slowly, so it's a great pick if you want to make most of the boss fights and elites more tolerable.

Lightless Shield

Every 30 seconds you hold this scroll, you'll gain 3 stacks of Lightless Shield. Each one can be consumed to negate an instance of incoming damage. You can only hold three stacks, so it's essentially 3 invulnerable hits every 30 seconds. Like the Spirit Feline, this is great against bosses and other enemies that deal damage in large chunks. Tanking three boss hits in a row without taking any real damage is insanely strong.

Phantom Skin

Phantom Skin is a lot like Lightless Shield. You gain a stack of Phantom Skin every 10 seconds and can only hold up to three at any given time. However, when you take damage and consume a stack of Phantom Skin, it restores 30% of your shield or armor. This can be stronger than Lightless Shield against weaker enemies but also weaker if you're dealing with a boss or similar. Either way, it's worth grabbing for survivability.

Flowing Wind

With this scroll, you'll take less damage the faster you move, up to 20% damage reduction. It's not a massive difference, but you'll be moving around a lot with this character anyways, and he's one of the faster characters in the game, making this particularly good for the build.

Stone Skin

This is yet another insanely strong defensive scroll. Upon taking damage, you'll receive 30% less damage for 3 seconds. Unfortunately, it doesn't stack, so you won't become invincible after being hit four times every three seconds or anything crazy. However, it's strong, and the only reason to pass it up is if something truly amazing is an alternative option.

Ancient Timer

This scroll reduces your Leap cooldown by half but gives Cleave a 3-second cooldown. It's not good for every build with this character, but if your focus is your Leap ability, it can be amazing. 

Terrific Crossfire

Terrific Crossfire decreases your Leap cooldown by a second each time you use Cleave. This is fantastic, but it takes more work to get the full potential out of this scroll than it does with Ancient Timer.

Gold Medal

Yet another great option, Gold Medal, restores your armor or shield by 15% when you use Leap or Dash. This works well with any character, but it's more impactful with Qing Yan since his armor doesn't regenerate on its own.

Safety Measures

With Safety Measures, dashing recovers 50% of the damage taken within the last second. Combining this with damage reduction effects and Propulsion Device can make it extremely easy to stay alive against any enemy that can't kill you in one shot.

Terminal Lucidity

Terminal Lucidity is a scroll that won't come in handy too often with the bird, but it'll be life-saving when it does. When you take more than 20% of your max HP in a single hit, it resets the cooldown of all skills and temporarily gives you an additional Leap charge. This means with ascensions like Regen Hit, you can fill up your armor easily upon this activating.

Brief Respite

Brief Respite gives you immunity to damage for 1 second after reloading or weapon swapping. This can only activate once every two seconds. This can make you invincible about half the time, so with some good timing, bosses become quite easy. It can also help you escape a sticky situation in close quarters by quickly reloading and getting away.

Paranormality

Paranormality takes all but one of your max HP and doubles your max shield or armor. This is really good with Qing Yan because his methods of regenerating armor work in percentages. That means he'll recover twice as much each time one of those scrolls or ascensions proc. We'll take it!

Veteran

Veteran gives you an additional max HP per enemy killed within 7 meters. This can be even better with an Easy Kill build, but it's great for the character in general. It doesn't work with Paranormality, however, so choose to keep one or the other if you end up with both. (or you can offer it to a peculiar chest later)

Fight for Immortality

Fight for Immortality is another strong survivability scroll. Upon taking damage, it gives you additional max armor for 12 seconds, equal to the damage received. Of course, this can only occur once every 45 seconds, so it won't make you invincible. However, it's a great option for tanking boss hits or just being tanky in general.

Conclusion

Finally, you have everything you need to conquer Gunfire Reborn with your favorite green martial artist bird! If you need to reference any of this, I suggest keeping the Ascension Tier List ready to reference each time you get a golden goblet. Now go forth and pounce on all your enemies and win yourself some soul essence!