Other Gunfire Reborn Guides:
- Gunfire Reborn: Best Crown Prince Build
- Gunfire Reborn: Best Tao Build
- Gunfire Reborn: Best Lei Luo Build
- Gunfire Reborn - Best Qing Yan Build
- Gunfire Reborn - Best Xing Zhe Build
In 2022, Gunfire Reborn got a new DLC with two new characters, Li the fox and Xing Zhe the monkey. However, one remains quite overpowered in the eyes of the community, which is who we're touching on today. Li is sometimes seen as a glass cannon, which makes sense because her base HP and Shield are pretty low. However, her ascensions are incredibly powerful for both defenses and offense, making her practically un-killable while also dealing hundreds of thousands of damage (sometimes much more) in a single hit. Learn to play Li competently to win runs in Gunfire Reborn consistently!
How Do You Unlock Li in Gunfire Reborn?
Li is not a character in the base game of Gunfire Reborn. Unfortunately, for some, she is part of a paid DLC released in 2022, along with Xing Zhe. However, the DLC only costs about $7, which brings the total cost of the base game plus DLC to just about $25. However, she will be unavailable if you're playing on Xbox Game Pass or without the DLC. On the bright side, if you have the DLC, you can play her right away! No need to spend spiritual essence or upgrade talents!
Li Active Abilities
Primary Ability
Li's primary ability is Spiritual Flame. This massive, potentially room-clearing AOE attack is charged and launched in a straight line. It can also evolve by consuming 30 energy, which increases the damage and AOE by 100%. Her ascensions can allow you to evolve it a second time and make it leave flames on the ground in its path. Tons of occult scrolls and ascensions can upgrade the damage the skill deals. It will be one of your primary sources of damage on any Li build. It also has no cooldown, instead opting for a charge, which gets faster the more you use the skill, due to Practice Makes Perfect. Unfortunately, this means it won't benefit from any cooldown reductions or capacity improvements, but trust me, you won't need it.
Secondary Ability
Li's secondary ability is surprisingly just as fun to use and quite strong. It drops a meteor where you cast it dealing damage and recovering energy. It also staggers enemies hit by it and deals a surprising amount of damage in the early game. It's also the focus of many builds, but not the one we're focusing on today. However, Li's ascensions can allow you to cast Blazing Meteors upon hitting enemies, recast them upon hitting them with Blazing Meteors and recover much more energy while using them.
Li Passive Abilities (Talents)
Practice Makes Perfect
Flame Arsenal
Overheating
Flaming Cape
Hunt of Fire
Easiest Way to Play Li: Spiritual Flame Tank Build Guide
This build will be a hybrid between offense and defense. We'll build up defense by stacking Flame Talisman charges and upholding massive temporary max Shield buffs using Heat Recovery and Energetic Spirit. Then, once we've got our defenses in order, we'll upgrade our Spiritual Flame to deal as much damage as possible to clear entire rooms and defeat bosses and elites quickly. Let's start with the best weapons for the build.
Weapons
The Flame Talisman ascension requires you to apply Burning to build up marks which boost Li's defensive and offensive capabilities. As such, we want to apply Burning as often as possible. This leads us to prefer a fast-firing weapon that can apply Burning. Luckily, Li's passive talent, Flame Arsenal, will provide us with more choices of Fire weapons. Let's go over some of the best weapons to grab for this Li build, starting with weapons that are always Fire weapons and then moving on to weapons that you'd need inscriptions for to make them apply Burning.
Laser Glove
The Laser Glove fires incredibly fast, with a respectable 5% base elemental effect chance. It also has excellent range, and when paired up with the proper inscriptions, it can spread elemental effects at unprecedented rates. Look for a rare inscription that spreads elemental effects to enemies within 8 meters, the rare inscription that doubles the elemental effect chance of the weapon, or consider using the elemental share Gemini inscription. If you share a 40% or 50% Burning chance from a weapon like the Fire Tower, you can accumulate stacks of Flame Talisman so fast it'll be hard to lose the run if you tried.
Flame Dragon
Flame Dragon is my second choice after the Laser Glove, although its elemental effect chance is much better. It fires at a similar rate and offers a 20% base elemental effect chance, but its range holds it back. It also doesn't deal Crit Hits under normal circ*mstances, so it can be weaker. However, if you've already got some levels of Flame Talisman, Heat Recovery, and Energetic Spirit on the build, this is probably the number one choice. Simply put, Li doesn't like to be up in the enemy's faces... unless you've built her for it. With Paranormality and a solid defensive build, she can wield the Flame Dragon competently and won't need the elemental share Gemini. In fact, this can free you to use the magazine share Gemini inscription and make the Flame Dragon fire even faster and reload less often.
Demonlore
The Demonlore, as usual, is one of the best weapons available for this Li build. If you've already found some crispy no-reload scrolls like Advanced Depot, take this thing and run with it. However, regarding stacking up Flame Talisman, it's definitely behind the Laser Glove and Flame Dragon. It will do the most weapon damage, but that's not what the build is centered around. Of course, feel free to be flexible and adapt the build based on what you find in the run.
Crimson Firescale
If you haven't found any of the weapons above or something with a Fire damage inscription, the Crimson Firescale will work fine. I'm not too fond of this weapon without an accuracy inscription, as it feels tough to hit enemies consistently with it. However, that decision is totally up to you.
Angelic Aura
This weapon doesn't come with Fire damage naturally. However, Li's Flame Arsenal will make weapons with the Fire damage inscription more common. (From elites and bosses) This one has an exceptionally high rate of fire, and while it's not impressive at long range, it can deal damage apply Burning quite competently at short to mid-range. Just make sure it has the Fire damage inscription or that you've used elemental effect share to make it apply Burning.
Big Hippo
The Big Hippo also doesn't deal Fire damage by default. But with one that does, you can competently deal with enemies at various ranges using this thing. It's probably not the best option, but its damage is decent and will work in a pinch.
Rainbow
The Rainbow is a lot like the gloves in that it's an injector with a massive rate of fire. However, it requires you to mark enemies to use it at long range. For this reason, it's consistently below the gloves in effectiveness in most situations. On top of that, it will require you to get an inscription to apply Burning with it, making it a subpar option with underwhelming damage.
Wild Hunt
Now I know what you're thinking. Wild Hunt? That thing shoots super slow! Well, it usually does. But if you get some of the occult scrolls mentioned below, you can bust this puppy wide open. Deft Hands or Advanced Depot let you fire this thing at will. Combine that with Ammo Belt, and you'll mow down enemies with Fire damage faster than they can act. Crazy, right?
Other Fast Firing Weapons
Other normal damage weapons with mid to high fire rates can be used by Li if they can apply Burning. The Concealed Ammo, Dragonchaser, Hexagon, Rainbow Arch, or Scalpel can be used with proper inscriptions. They come with advantages and disadvantages, so to learn more about every weapon in the game, I suggest you check out our Gunfire Reborn Weapon Tier List!
Ascension Tier List: The Best Ascensions for the Build
The Functional Tier List
If you're looking for a functional tier list of ascensions for the build, you can use this as a guide during your Li runs. However, to know why some of these are higher on the tier list than you probably expected, check out the notes below the tier list. The Spiritual Flame damage bonuses are self-explanatory, so I'll save the discussion on Firefox Blessing, Conflagration, and Fiery Heart. They're all respectable upgrades for Spiritual Flame.
Flame Talisman
Flame Talisman is for Li, as Fully Equipped is for Qing Yan. After inflicting the Burning effect, you stack a Mark with a maximum of 5. You'll take 10%, 14%, or 18% less damage for each Mark and consume 3 stacks upon being hit. (2 stacks at level 3) Depending on the ascension's level, you'll also get a 30%, 50%, or 100% weapon and skill damage boost at max stacks. This ascension gives Li a little bit of everything she needs to win, so it's essential in almost any build. This is also the main reason we want a fast-firing Fire weapon on her: we'll inflict Burning more often and potentially max out our Flame Talisman every couple of seconds. (Which means we nearly always mitigate 90% of damage taken at level 3)
Heat Recovery
While Flame Talisman adds a lot of survivability to this build, we want more! With Heat Recovery, Li gains max Shield equal to 50%, 100%, or 150% of energy recovered or consumed. This lasts 6, 7, and finally 8 seconds at level 3. If you're casting Spiritual Flame often enough and/or gaining enough energy, you can keep this Shield up constantly.
Energetic Spirit
Energetic Spirit does wonders to improve your max energy and energy recovery. At level 1, it will increase your max energy by 60. At levels 2 and 3, it's +120. Energy recovery is increased by 50% at level 1, 100% at level 2, and 200% at level 3. Level 3 of this ascension also improves the damage of Spiritual Flame according to additional energy consumed. This ascension is vital for improving the damage of Spiritual Flame, and the max Shield gained through Heat Recovery.
Endless Wildfires
Endless Wildfires allows you to recover 3, 6, or 10 energy when Spiritual Flame kills an enemy. This is helpful, but it also gives you a 20, 30, or 50 percent chance to instantly regenerate consumed energy. This can help you cast Spiritual Flame multiple times quickly, especially if you've stacked up your Practice Makes Perfect stacks by using your primary skill a lot in the early game.
Flame Resonance
While it's a Blazing Meteor-focused ascension, Flame Resonance also benefits Spiritual Flame. Enemies hit by either of your skills will take +10% Fire damage per ascension level and deal 10%, 15%, or 20% less damage. This can be stacked up to 3 times, and each stack lasts 8 seconds. (16 seconds at level 3) This isn't the most vital ascension in Li's kit, but it synergizes well with the build by providing damage and survivability.
Occult Scrolls
Based on the fast-firing weapons we'll likely be using, no-reload synergies and rate of fire increases are particularly impactful on Li. Heat Recovery will also have us applying massive amounts of Shield, which we'll want to take full advantage of using scrolls like Paranormality, which we can then take further advantage of using scrolls that would otherwise reduce your max HP for a big buff like Deadly Curse. In fact, like Deadly Curse, we want scrolls that increase our skill damage as possible because aside from the defensive capabilities of the build, its main offensive tactic will be casting a charged Spiritual Flame.
Advanced Depot
Advanced Depot is excellent for Li's best weapon options like the Demonlore, Laser Glove, and Crimson Firescale. It allows you to fire repeatedly without reloading and makes the Demonlore deal 10 times more damage due to the weapon's unique Crit stacking effect.
Against the Flow
Against the Flow is useful for the same reason as Advanced Depot, but it doesn't tend to keep you from reloading entirely, at least not by itself. In addition to another scroll called Skateboarder, it can help make the Demonlore just as busted as Advanced Depot, but you'll have to pay attention to Dash often enough to keep the magazine full.
Ammo Belt
You could argue that this occult scroll is always pretty good, but it's definitely better with Li. Ammo Belt enhances Advanced Depot by increasing your max ammo reserves by 100% and generally solves any ammo issues you may have otherwise had.
Bullet Bank
All ammo you pick up with this scroll will be the same type as your currently equipped weapon. This is another helpful way of mitigating the ammo problems that can come from shooting so fast.
Deft Hands
Deft Hands is a fantastic scroll that can stop you from spending ammo by killing an enemy or destroying an item every two seconds. It can give the Demonlore more stacks, but it won't work as well as Advanced Depot, as you'll still be spending some ammo here and there and eventually reloading.
Genesis
With Genesis, you get a 20% chance to add extra ammo into the magazine when shooting. When combined with some of the other no-reload scrolls, you can completely stop reloading, giving you a much better rate of fire over the long term.
Improved Clip
With this scroll, picked-up ammo goes directly into the magazine and increases your movement speed by 25% until the next time you reload. If you don't reload again, you'll retain the 25% movement speed buff, making it work very well with a no-reload synergy.
Fish or Bear Paw
Fish or Bear Paw is strong on any build, but on Li, its biggest strength is improving the rate at which you can apply burning. With double the hits, your weapon has two chances to inflict burning per shot. It can also inflict burning twice in one shot, so your Flame Talisman Marks can stay up easily.
Paranormality
Paranormality makes your max HP 1 but doubles your max Shield. This is very strong on plenty of builds, but Li's Heat Recovery gives her a massive max Shield buff that is also doubled by Paranormality. With Energetic Spirit and Burning Bullet, this will effectively be a permanent max Shield increase, so doubling it does wonders to improve the fox's survivability.
Reinforced Eggshell
Reinforced Eggshell is a decent scroll in most builds, but it shines when combined with Paranormality. In this case, it's constantly a 30% reduction in damage taken, as the +30% damage taken is only in effect when your Shield is broken.
Deadly Curse
Unlike Reinforced Eggshell, Deadly Curse is a dangerous scroll in most situations. However, when using Paranormality, you get all the benefits with none of the drawbacks. The scroll gives you a +75% weapon DMG and skill DMG buff in exchange for losing 75% of your max HP. With Paranormality, this is just an excellent damage boost with no risk.
Enduring Caster
Enduring Caster also works well with Paranormality and improves your skill DMG. It gives you 1% bonus skill damage for every 5 total max HP you have. Your regular max HP will be at just 1 with Paranormality, but your Shield counts towards your total max HP. This also includes the doubled shield effect and any temporary max shield effects, which are also doubled. I've had Li running over 500 max shield before, equating to a 100% skill damage buff. Not bad!
Energy Sandals
Energy Sandals makes it so that your Dash gives you 24 counters called energy. Using one of your skills (Spiritual Flame or Blazing Meteor) consumes all stacks of energy and increases the skill's damage by 1% for each consumed energy. You can stack this up to 600 energy and unleash a massive attack on a boss or elite enemy!
Skill Booster
Similarly to Energy Sandals, Skill Booster allows you to stack counters and unleash them using your spells for 1% skill damage per stack. However, this scroll stacks 4 energy when you get a Crit Hit and allows you to stack up to 500. This means it synergizes with many of the weapons recommended for this build since the high fire rate means more opportunities to crit. Importantly, these energy stacks are separate from the Energy Sandals stacks and can be used together for an additive damage bonus.
Rational Consumption
Rational Consumption grants you an 80% skill damage buff, but that buff loses 5% each time you purchase something from the Peddler. This scroll also can't be discarded (but it can be traded with a peculiar chest), and the buff will not drop below zero. This means it can't hurt your skill damage in the long run, so there's no reason not to pick it up.
Spirit Bible
Spirit Bible grants +120% skill damage. What more is there to say, really? Pick it up!
Sucker Punch
This aptly named scroll gives you a 45% skill damage bonus when hitting an enemy with over 70% HP. This puts your Spiritual Flame in a position to more easily clear rooms of regular enemies but will be less useful against elites and bosses. Still great!
Surprise Bonus
Surprise Bonus gives you a 15% chance to deal double damage with your skills. It may not seem like a lot, but when applied to Li's massive burst damage, it can cause you to deal substantial damage numbers.
Flame Shard
Flame Shard gives you a 25% Fire damage bonus, which isn't bad. It also makes you immune to the damage over time effect of Burning. While burning, the damage bonus is doubled to 50%. This synergizes incredibly well with Fire Enthusiast!
Fire Enthusiast
Fire Enthusiast makes it so that you inflict Burning on yourself when you inflict it on an enemy. However, it also gives you 2% life steal using Fire damage while Burning. This can be somewhat weak on its own and unusable with Paranormality. (Burning affects Shield first, but life steal only applies to Flesh) However, if you grab this along with Flame Shard, it will be effortless to maintain Flame Shard's boosted 50% Fire damage bonus. I'd consider it situationally strong.
Inscriptions to Look Out For
Basically, if the inscription says "Elemental Effect," "Elemental Effect Chance," "Elemental Advantage," "Fire", or "Burning", you probably want it. In fact, I'd recommend all of the same inscriptions as for the elemental Crown Prince Build.
The Best Gemini Inscriptions for the Build
There are two Gemini inscriptions I specifically recommend for this build. They are the 'elemental share' Gemini and the 'magazine share' Gemini.
Elemental Share
The elemental effect share Gemini can be used to make a normal weapon deal Fire damage and apply Burning, as well as improve the rates of weapons that already deal Fire damage. To use this correctly, you'll want something with at least a 30 percent Burning elemental effect chance as your secondary weapon to share with your primary weapon. The best example is the Fire Tower, which has a base rate of 50%. You can also share elemental effects with weapons hosting their own different effects, so other weapons like the Thunderclap Glove, Radioactive Glove, Dual Fang, or Star Devourer can be given a hefty Burning chance and used competently in the build.
Magazine Share
The magazine share Gemini combines both magazine sizes and makes both weapons have that combined size. It also offers a +25% buff to the rate of fire. This is amazing on weapons like the Flame Dragon and the Demonlore, especially if you're already comfortable with your Burning chance. It also works very well with the rare inscription that doubles elemental effect chance because it helps immediately take care of all your Burning effect problems. This is effectively a multiplicative weapon damage boost of over 25%, which is just from the rate of fire increase, and then you'll also reload less often.
Conclusion
We hope this Li build guide for Gunfire Reborn has inspired you to take your runs with the fiery fox to the next level! Conquer Nightmare mode and beyond by negating incoming damage and burning your foes to death! Feel free to reference the ascension tier list throughout a run because it can be super helpful to see how your choices stack up and which ones you should choose first.
