Mika Guide and Backstory
Name: Mika Schmidt
Vision: Cryo
Birthday: 11 August
Constellation: Palumbus
Titles: Coordinates of Clear Frost, Front-Line Surveyor of the Knights of Favonius, Surveyor of the Reconnaissance Company
Mika is the third male Cryo user in the game. He’s a support character who can heal and buff the party with his skills in Genshin Impact. His utility allows him to locate the nearby local specialties of Mondstadt, which is helpful if you’re trying to ascend a Mond character. He shares this passive with Klee, a limited 5-star, making it more accessible.
Interestingly, he mixes polearm strikes with his crossbow in his Normal Attack combo. However, you’ll often be using his Skill and Burst, so you will see this infrequently.
Starfrost Swirl, his E, changes if you press or hold the button. With a tap, he fires a bolt of Cryo from his crossbow. The projectile passes through targets, hitting many enemies depending on their positions. If you hold the button, you take aim with his crossbow, and he fires a Rimestar Flare that breaks up into three more projectiles that hit more targets.
When his skill hits enemies, it increases the attack speed of allies and their Physical DMG Bonus (when you get his first ascension passive).
Skyfeather Song, his Burst, heals allies and gives them the Eagleplume state. The latter heals the character when their Normal Attacks hit an enemy. This can be triggered at regular intervals. The amount recovered is based on Mika’s max HP.
Table of Contents
Mika Artifact Builds
As a support character, Mika works well with the Noblesse Oblige set. Though the 2-set bonus isn’t beneficial, it gives his Burst an additional ATK-up buff besides the healing. An alternative would be 2-set Tenacity of the Millelith and Emblem of Severed Fate. This gives him more HP and Energy Recharge for his relatively high energy cost.
While the Ocean-Hued Set might look like a good idea, his healing is high intensity but high interval. It needs to be faster to make use of the set’s capabilities. It’s on par with Qiqi’s or Barbara’s E without the Normal Attacks. If you want to boost his healing, use only the 2-set effect of this one or Maiden Beloved, and have lots of HP substats. You can also use a Healing Bonus hat.
Main Stats: 3x HP, or Healing Bonus hat, and/or Energy Recharge timepiece
Substats: HP, Energy Recharge
Recommended Weapons
He doesn’t have a signature weapon, but here are some recommended ones:
- Engulfing Lightning
- Skyward Spine
- Favonius Lance
- Black Tassel
Engulfing Lightning is an offensive-oriented polearm, but it gives bonus HP if the character isn’t protected by a shield. Skyward Spine and Favonius Lance help with his energy problems, while Black Tassel boosts HP.
Genshin Impact Mika Backstory
Mika is the younger brother of Huffman in a family of Knights. His mother is an author, and his father is a retired knight. When he was younger, the former would sometimes go on an expedition to find inspiration, and her husband would accompany her.
This would leave him in his brother’s hands, but the Knights of Favonius had already recruited the older sibling. With duties during the day and hanging out with friends at night, it ends up that Mika takes care of Huffman.
Thus, Mika spent his childhood learning to care for himself and his brother, handle chores, and adhere to a schedule. Still, even if he missed out on having a carefree childhood, he found enjoyment in his mother’s descriptive letters. That’s what sparked his interest in map reading and cartography.
As an author, his mother can describe the locations they encounter, such that Mika can trace their progress on a map. He didn’t mind an outdated one and resolved to make his own.
He wanted to become Mondstadt’s best cartographer with this new resolve, even through Huffman’s discouragement. Cartographers are not usually combat-ready, and fighters could be better with map-making. Still, he wouldn’t be swayed.
When their parents returned from their expeditions, they were delighted and endeavored to support him in his newfound goal. Since then, Mika has spent his time in the library poring over geography books and practicing his drawing skills.
Lisa became intrigued with this new library friend. She recommended books and guided him through the most efficient paths. Later, she recognized his efforts and mentioned that Mika could be a student in the Akademiya. This gave the idea to put his skills to the test.
Around this time, Ella Musk, a fellow library user, wanted to go on an expedition. Mika agreed to accompany her, and they safely made it to their destination. However, Ella botched her communication, and they ended up getting beaten by the hilichurls.
Mika decides on his next area of practice: combat. He asks for help from his brother. Fortunately, he was able to grasp the basics quickly. In another turn of fate, the Favonius Knights were drafting their plans to go on an expedition, and they needed a Front-Line Surveyor.
This role had strict requirements: the ability to scout and chart paths while being proficient enough in combat to protect themselves. It was Mika’s chance to get closer to his dream, but he doubted he could.
Seeing this, his father and brother gave him encouragement, which still echoes in his thoughts:
“You don’t have to ask too much of yourself. Doing your best to help will be more than enough.”
“Most of the knights are just ordinary people like us, but once we put our strengths together as a team, even the strongest of adventurers would struggle to prove our equal.”
With these words, Mika signed up for the position.
Word spread that he did so among the Knights. They were thrilled that Huffman’s younger brother, who had been caring for the former, was joining the Knights. This, unfortunately, put more pressure on Mika to meet their expectations. Also, considering that his family had produced several Knights, the Order made the proceedings public to ensure fairness.
Kaeya, the lead examiner, considered challenges to assess the participants’ capabilities: hiking up Dragonspine in full armor with a heavy load and mapping out a monster-infested area. Mika gave it his all and became one of the top three candidates. The two others had received his help along the way, as Mika considered them future allies rather than competitors.
This didn’t go unnoticed by Grand Master Varka, who assigned the other candidates to the Cavalry Company and the Investigation Team. He took Mika under his wing and let him join the expedition. Under his tutelage, our budding cartographer grew braver and more proficient in combat. Varka later had him join the Reconnaissance Company, where he learned to communicate through the captain’s unusual style.
Overall, Mika joining the Knights of Favonius lets him grow into a calm and reliable person, though he doesn’t see it. He honed his cartography skills and learned pointers in combat from Varka.
His growth and adaptability let him become an indispensable member of the Reconnaissance Company in two years. As the scheduled date for the expedition drew near, he received a Vision, which Varka was surprised at when he noticed it on the young knight’s wrist.
However, when testing his combat skills, the Grand Master thought his skills were still lacking. Mika realized this during the expedition and finally had a frame of reference. The enemies they encountered spelled the doom of anyone separated from it.
One night, they encountered a group of Fatui. He found Capitano’s silhouette in the gloom and realized how outclassed he was. No matter how much he’d grown, there was always room for improvement.
Fortunately, the expedition went smoothly after that, and during Weinlesefest, Mika could return to Mond. He brought a letter from Grand Master Varka and returned to his post in the Reconnaissance Company.
Unfortunately for Mika, the vague mention of the Fatui in the letter ballooned into ridiculous rumors. Now the Knights were chittering about him fighting the Fatui and winning. It increased his pressure to perform to their expectations, making him uncomfortable. Unable to find a solution, he asked Jean and Kaeya for help.
Jean then told each company leader to know the complete story before spreading rumors. She also added that information about the expedition is confidential and shouldn’t be discussed like a bard’s tale. Kaeya joked about the rumors instead, as it seemed to help morale.
The leaders’ aid helped Mika be more comfortable and assured him he wasn’t troubling others too much. Still, rumors can’t be retracted, and he didn’t expect that earning too much trust could be troublesome. Knights have increasingly been asking for his maps or help with other chores. They seemed to want Mika’s prodigious growth to rub off on them and become a better Knight.
Genshin Impact How Mika Got His Vision
Sometime before departing for the expedition, Mika was trapped with two Abyss Mages while updating a map. The two mages were delighted; the heat turned up as they prepared Pyro spells. Mika panicked, but he still thought to run and warn others as befitting his role as a front-line land surveyor.
As one called for reinforcements, the other continued the spell. A spinning spear blasted through the heat, and an icy mist burst where it landed. Mika ran away while shouting, “I’m sorry! I’ll remember to knock before entering next time. That way, my seniors can fight you fair and square!”
That time soon came as the Reconnaissance Company acted on Mika’s information. The group quickly and safely dealt with the threat. They were baffled at the mages’ battered shields and the Vision on their surveyor’s wrist, but they soon put two and two together.
The day ended with a sumptuous company dinner, though Mika was confused throughout the whole thing.
The working theory for Cryo Vision users getting their gift is ‘resolve.’ Others might have a different view, so take it with a grain of salt. For Mika’s part, he was resolved before this to follow his dream of being a cartographer. There’s also his decision to become a reliable knight.
Though there are other examples of characters getting Visions when in danger, there has yet to be a definite pattern. We don’t know the whims of the Celestial gods.
Enjoy playing Genshin Impact!
