This funny Genshin Impact Alhaitham bug can absolutely launch him whenever his elemental skill is used at the right time. It’s not useful in any way unless you’re looking for a good laugh, but you might want to try it before HoYoverse patches it out of the anime game.
To reproduce the bug, you need to aim Alhaitham‘s elemental skill at the edge of an incoming projectile, and he’ll fly right past it into the distance beyond whatever fight you’re in. If he hits the projectile at just the right angle, you’ll take damage and the bug will work.
The odd collision with the projectile will switch him into a falling animation as he’s sailing away, making it impossible to do a plunging attack or use the glider for a safe landing. If Alhaitham gets launched far enough, he’s likely going to die from fall damage, plus whatever damage was dealt in the collision.
A Genshin YouTuber named Mockermay made a short video showing off just how amusing this bug can be. They get it to work a couple of times against a Stonehide Lawachurl. When the Lawachurl throws a slime, Mockermay uses Alhaitham’s elemental skill on it to zip up into the air and fly across Sumeru.
This isn’t the only way to reproduce the bug though — a Redditor named notyourparadigm was able to launch Alhaitham using the Electrogranum barriers on Inazuma.
It seems that any collision that would cause a damage-like reaction may work for the bug. And if your aim is good enough, you can even pick up a few annoyingly-placed Electroculus, apparently.
Be sure to complete the current Genshin Impact events — including the Lantern Rite event — if you want to have enough Primos to pull for Alhaitham and try this for yourself.