Genshin Impact is another Gacha game that capitalizes off of the new characters and weapon banners. Keeping this in mind, there’s really no way you can level up every character or weapon to their maximum possible potential, as with each new update, players get to see several new arrivals. For example, if you are a Ganyu main, you probably would have to invest a humongous number of resins to upgrade her talents and character. This could literally take up months.
This is why, today, we will be talking about the Genshin Impact tier list because of the probabilistic nature of the game. What do I mean by this? Well, number one, you don’t get your favorite character on a banner because it’s a Gacha game. Number two, leveling up a single character can take you ages and obfuscate your chances of playing with a more fun character.
Side Disclaimer: We will be assuming 0 constellations for most characters.
Team composition
It’s just not about rolling for a 5* or 4* character. You have to slot them in a team; hence, even the B-Tier or C-Tier characters can outperform S-Tier characters if you know how to build a team around a single character. For instance, if you have Venti, you can pair him up with Xiao or Jean to get synergy and more particles. In short, you need characters in a team that compliments others. Here’s another example: Pairing up Hu Tao with three other DPS characters like Razor, Klee, and Diluc will only end up as a buzz killer to your gameplay experience. All of these characters are DPS (needs to be constantly on the field), and there’s no way you can play with all of them at the same time. Hence, in a team, you need a single DPS character, a Sub-DPS character, and the rest of them can be for support.
SS+ Tier
These are the overpowered characters and are hard to come by.
Venti
- Element: Anemo
- Weapon: Bow
The C0 venti is just out of this world. Imagine topping him up to C6. Verily, it will be a dream come true. Anyways, Venti is the most wanted character in Genshin Impact because of his crowd-control burst. Basically, Venti’s Q generates an Anemo hurricane that squashes enemies together. Then you can simply switch to another player, like Ganyu, to hit the targets.
For a more overpowered stance, use a 4-piece Viridescent Venerer artifact set on Venti, and bingo, there goes the resistance of your enemies by 40%. The Anemo archon, Venti, is the real cup of tea! Last but not least, it’s better to use Venti as a supporting character and not the DPS.
Ganyu
- Element: Cryo
- Weapon: Bow
Ganyu is the Waifu of the Genshin Impact. Not only her character design is enticing, but her role as a DPS character can literally cause havoc on the battlefield. Kudos to her insane crit rate damage and cryo resonance achieved through pairing up another Cryo character like Rosaria with her. Do you know, Ganyu is the only bow character that can achieve insane damage on charged attacks? I’m a Ganyu main and have been using her for months. I can easily stack up to 2 20,000 damage on her charged attack. That’s ridiculous, right?
You can use the 4-piece Blizzard strayer for what it’s worth to get the uplift in the Cryo damage and crit rate. Not to mention, if you don’t want to use Ganyu as a DPS character, then use her as a sub-DPS. Simply spam her elemental burst by increasing her ER through artifacts.
Zhongli
- Element: Geo
- Weapon: Polearm
The Ex-Geo archon, Zhongli, is the most playable character in the Genshin impact because of his fast-paced attacks and near 100% uptime for his shields. Not only this, but the Zhongli’s burst damage can render the enemies petrified. You can use this opportunity to attack the enemies by all means (change the character or use Zhongli). It’s always recommended to use Zhongli along with Ningguang as a supporting character. Well, you can use him as a DPS, but he only shines out when used as a support or a sub-DPS.
Hu Tao
- Element: Pyro
- Weapon: Polearm
She’s a unique character with an unorthodox playstyle. In short, you need to keep her HP bar low to maximize her damage. Yes, I know it’s quite absurd. But, let me mention this, Hu Tao is one of the best DPS characters in Genshin Impact if you want to kill single targets. She can even ghost out through bodies while sprinting. That’s something to see! Do remember that Hu Tao is as par Xiao and Ganyu, but should be avoided in the End game because Spiral Abyss requires you to kill multiple enemies with a single character. Ganyu or Xiao can fulfill that role, but not Hu Tao. So, yeah!
Xingqiu (C6)
- Element: Hydro
- Weapon: Sword
Xingqui is a 4* character with Hydro elemental vision. Also, we are assuming that the Xingqui you have will be on constellation 6. That’s the only criterion for him to be on the SS+ Tier. Otherwise, he falls under the S/A category. Anyways, Xingqui is another fabulous character for applying for hydro status on enemies. You can pair up Xingqui with either Ganyu, Kaeya, or Diluc for applying for the water status. Then, use the pyro character for a melt reaction or a cryo character for a perma-freeze reaction. Not to mention, his burst is top-notch as it unleashes hydro swords that attack the nearby enemies. You can spam his burst if your ER value is beyond 200 (100% uptime for the burst).
Bennet
- Element: Pyro
- Weapon: Sword
Bennet is known for his ultimate burst support. He’s the most desired healer in the game and can easily be topped up to constellation 6. If you are in the end game already, I would recommend taking Bennet along with you because he heals the characters inside the burst ring and buffs up other character’s damage output within the field. So, if your Ganyu can easily slingshot around 30,000 damage points, now, within the bennet’s buff area, she can easily reach 50,000 damage points.
You can use 4-piece Noblesse Oblige or wanderer’s troupe on Bennet for an increase in his buff.
Kazuha
- Element: Anemo
- Weapon: Sword
During a recent poll in the community, Kazuha won the award for being the most fun player in the Genshin Impact. It was because of his swirl attacks that literally made his gameplay top rated. Although it’s true that he’s really not powerful when it comes to attacking single or multiple targets, his burst can act as a support for your teammates. For example, you can pair up Kazuha with Xiangling and use the swirl reaction with Pyro to constantly apply for the pyro status and damage the enemies. On top of that, Kazuha’s “E” can be used for plunging him upwards, which can be put to use for exploration.
S+ Tier
These characters are as per the standard of SS+ Tier but a little nerfed down in terms of attacking power.
Eula
- Element: Cryo
- Weapon: Claymore
If you want physical damage carry in your team, then there’s no better option than Eula. Her mesmerizing and graceful swings will keep you thrilled for the entire battle. Her burst can be of huge help as it can do insane damage. It’s best to pair up Eula with an electro character like Fischl or Razor. If Razor is in your team, then it’s recommended to DPS him and use Eula as a supporting character (Her burst). The only issue with Eula is her use of physical damage and no elemental damage from her weapon.
Ayaka
- Element: Cryo
- Weapon: sword
Her physical damage complements her playstyle and passive talents. After Ganyu, she can be your main character if you use her with the right artifacts and team composition. For what it’s worth, Ayaka’s buffs are insane, and especially the drifting ability that allows her to escape the field while applying for cryo status on the enemies. You can always turn around, and swap for an electro character, and incite a superconduct reaction.
Not to mention, Ayaka works like a charm in perma-freeze reactions. You can use her with Mona for applying for hydro status and then switch back to Ayaka for a perma-freeze reaction. The only downside of Ayaka is that she uses a lot of elemental energy, so it can be a problem using her burst frequently if you don’t have another cryo character (for synergy) in your team.
Xiao
- Element: Anemo
- Weapon: Polearm
What makes Xiao special is his elemental burst and plunging attacks. Basically, you can even surpass Ganyu’s damage figures if you are able to build Xiao with the right artifacts and talent upgrades. But here’s the catch. While using Xiao’s Element burst, you need to keep a vigilant eye on his HP bar as it drops dramatically with each second; hence, the need for a powerful healer like Jean or Bennet in the team. Apart from this, Xiao’s plunging attacks do Anemo damage, which is good enough to reduce enemies’ defensive stance.
Mona
- Element: Hydro
- Weapon: Catalyst
Mona is one of the highest elemental damage dealers in the game if used correctly. Her elemental burst is quite hard to comprehend, but if you can do so, your team can be the highest damage dealer in the entire community. First things first, she’s a catalyst user and does elemental damage. On top of that, she has a similar ability to Ganyu, known as a taunt. It sorts of invites enemies to the taunt area and does hydro damage, and applies for hydro status. Here, I would recommend you to pair mona with either a pyro character or a cryo. I’m currently using Mona with Ganyu because of perma-freeze comp.
You can check videos on YouTube for the perma-freeze comp of Ganyu and Mona. They are insane together.
Tartaglia
- Element: Hydro
- Weapon: Bow/Sword
Tartaglia, also known as Childe, is a Fatui Harbinger. He’s the only character in the game who can swap between hydro bow and sword. Blithely speaking, he’s a bow user but can use his “E” ability to swap with a hydro sword. Not to mention, he can attack extremely fast, which can render your enemies absolutely petrified. It’s true that his abilities have a large cooldown, but it can be solved with another hydro character in the team. Team compositions in Genshin Impact are always about synergies- how the characters can combine their powers together to give you the upper hand over your enemies.
Xiangling
- Element: Pyro
- Weapon: Polearm
Xiangling is a versatile character if you really know how to build her along with the team composition. First things first, Xiangling is an off-field DPS character, best used for elemental bursts and support. In short, you can press her “Q” then simply swap to another character, and her pyrando (Gouba) will apply fire status to the enemies while revolving around you. She really doesn’t do much damage but can be an excellent utility character, especially with Bennet or Diluc.
S Tier
These characters are fabulous and can be used for both support and Utility.
Albedo
- Element: Geo
- Weapon: Sword
Albedo is a mysterious character with an ability to bring things to life by simply painting them out. Well, Albedo is best used as an off-field damage dealer as his elemental burst has a 100% uptime. On top of that, his “E” ability can be a dream come true for players who are using Xiao or Hu Tao for plunging attacks. For what it’s worth, Albedo is versatile in terms of placement to teams. You can use him with any team composition as long as he benefits the team.
Diluc
- Element: Pyro
- Weapon: Claymore
I still haven’t got Diluc yet, and I really want him to come home. Basically, waiting for his re-run. Anyways, Diluc is a superb DPS character that can incinerate half of the battlefield with his elemental burst. He can do insane amounts of damage, so it’s better to use the 4-piece Crimson Witch of flames artifact set on Diluc. Also, he’s one of the early 5* characters in the game when Genshin Impact was released for the first time. So, not many people were able to pull for him. Last but not least, you can use Diluc with cryo team composition for Melt-vaporize reactions.
Diona
- Element: Cryo
- Weapon: Bow
Our cute little cat, Diona, can be a superb utility if paired up with decent team composition. For what it’s worth, Diona is a Cryo user that can apply cryo status to enemies. On top of that, her “Q” attacks the enemies with frozen shards, and at the same time, heals your characters inside the ring. It’s recommended to use the 4-piece Noblesse Oblige on Diona for attack buffs.
Jean
- Element: Anemo
- Weapon: Sword
Jean was my first 5-star character, and since then, she hasn’t left my team. I have constantly been building her because of two reasons. Number one, her “E” does elemental damage that can throw the enemies’ furlongs away. And her “Q” creates a ring that constantly heals the characters, either on-field or off-field), and cleanses any elemental status on them. It just doesn’t stop her. The enemies will be trapped inside the ring, and you can use this to your advantage.
Apart from this, you can dish out insane damage from her “E” if you use a 2-piece or 4-piece Virescent Venerer as her artifact set. I usually spam her “E” to kill the enemies instantly by throwing them inside the waters of Mondstadt.
Klee
- Element: Pyro
- Weapon: Catalyst
The community sort of ostracizes Klee because of Ganyu and Diluc, but no doubt is a fun character to play with. She can easily DPS with Diluc and cause havoc on the field with her sneaky little bombs. You can pour them out from her catalyst and use “Q” to laser beam large pyro bombs on the enemies. In short, if you are into explosions, then Klee is a way to go.
Sucrose
- Element: Anemo
- Weapon: Catalyst
I’ll begin by listing out the characters in my team. For my main team, I have Jean, Ganyu, Mona, and Sucrose-two Anemo characters for anemo resonance. But, here’s the shot. I’m really into stacking up enemies, applying for water status with Mona, and instantly switching back to Ganyu for charged attacks. And there’s no better version of Venti than the Sucrose herself. She’s called mini-Venti because of her stacking abilities. Her playstyle is indeed dull, but she can be a powerful character if you build her right away. Currently, my Sucrose is on the C6 constellation and simply just overpowered when it comes to stacking up enemies.
Yoimiya
- Element: Pyro
- Weapon: Bow
Yoimiya just came 11 days ago and is one of the most pulled characters in the game because of her extremely fun playstyle. Her “E” converts the normal attacks to Pyro, and her “Q” stipulates enemies with Omen, that constantly does pyro damage if attacked by another character in the team. Players are also recommended to use a crimson witch 4-piece artifact set to do insane pyro damage to the enemies.
A Tier
I would say average entries, and most of them would be needing at least the C6 constellation to surpass the S Tier.
Barbara
- Element: Hydro
- Weapon: Catalyst
There’s a reason why Barbara ended up in an A tier. She’s quite unpredictable when it comes to using her elemental powers. For instance, Barbara’s elemental skill can instantly instigate wet status on your teammates. What does this mean? If your enemy bears cryo vision or pyro vision, their attacks can react with your wet status to either freeze you or initiate a vaporize reaction. So, when it comes to Barbara, people usually avoid her because of her rogue hydro applications. But it doesn’t mean that you should start avoiding her. Barbara is one of the best healers in the game and is used in a team composition with minimal usage (only for healing).
For the love of God, don’t use her as a DPS or sub-DPS, as she’s downright worst when it comes to attacking.
Beidou
- Element: Electro
- Weapon: Claymore
Beidou is a dynamic character with a quite unique playstyle. I mean, there’s no other character that can use their “E” as a counter-attack and then use the same deflected blow to attack your enemies with an electro splice. It’s the specialty of Beidou, and definitely, you should go for her if you have precise timings for a perfect deflection. When you hold her “E,” it absorbs incoming attacks and then unleashes it toward the enemies when you release the press. In short, if your reflexes are high-key phenomenal, go ahead with Beidou as a sub-DPS or DPS in your team.
Chongyun
- Element: Cryo
- Weapon: Claymore
Chongyun is one of the beloved characters when it comes to perma-freeze reactions. Basically, you run Chongyun with a hydro character like Mona in your team to initiate perma-freeze reactions. It’s also worth mentioning that Chongyun is a physical damage dealer, which means you can’t have elemental attacks or apply cryo status with your normal attacks. For that, you have to use his “E” and “Q.” Not to mention, he’s best used as a Utility or support character. You can’t just main him because he lacks the willpower to have insane attacking damage.
Fischl
- Element: Electro
- Weapon: Bow
Fischl is a princess that will enchant you with her playstyle and moves. First, she’s an off-field character, which means you have to use her constantly to benefit from her elemental skills. Second, you can summon her Oz by pressing “E,” and it will keep inflicting your enemies with electro damage. Moreover, what makes Fischl an exciting character is her playstyle. All you have to do is use her ranged attacks from a distance, and you are good to go. Last but not least, she’s a physical damage dealer and is an S+ tier character on constellation 6.
Kaeya
- Element: Cryo
- Weapon: Sword
The next on the Tier is Kaeya, the Cryo God for many. It’s because of his 100% uptime for elemental skills, so basically, you can spam him “E” and “Q” if you have sufficient energy recharge rate through the artifact set. Apart from this, Kaeya is best used as a Sub-DPS or Utility character in the team. I won’t ever recommend you to use him as a DPS character because of the low damage output from his normal attacks.
Keqing
- Element: Electro
- Weapon: Sword
Keqing is a wonderful character in terms of her playstyle. In short, you’ll be head over heels for her because of the way she garners strength to combat her enemies. On top of that, she’s a DPS character, so you really can’t plug her with another DPS character because that will just be a waste. Apart from this, Keqing has great multipliers on her attacks and can be one of the best-charged attackers in the game after Ganyu and Xiao. Not to mention, you have to make sure that the crit rate remains at an all-time high for Keqing if you are running her as a DPS character in the team. Last but not least, a couple of updates ago, the electro element got a decent buff, so yeah, no more electro anomalies.
Ningguang
- Element: Geo
- Weapon: Catalyst
If you are into range attacks, I would definitely recommend running this Geo Goddess in your team. For what it’s worth, Ningguang is known for her overpowered Jade screen that you can take advantage of to throw off your enemies off-guard. On top of that, it’s better to DPS her only if you can get her to constellation 3 or 6.
Noelle
- Element: Geo
- Weapon: Claymore
You might be wondering why Noella is on the A tier but can outperform many other characters in Abyss on Solo. It’s true, but the only downside of Noella is her run-off-the-mill early constellations. The moment you can take her to C6, she can even surpass Ganyu, but it’s not easy considering that her reruns are rare. Anyway, Noella is a versatile character in terms of team building and can be used with any team composition.
Qiqi
- Element: Cryo
- Weapon: Sword
Out of all the characters, Qiqi is the worst. Although, not worst enough to be on the last Tier. The majority of the community tries to avoid pulling characters from the standard banner because of her 100% uptime there. The real question is why she’s hated the most. It’s because she’s nothing but a pure healer, and that’s all. If you want your characters to survive Spiral Abyss 12, then she can be your best shot; other than that, she’s quite useless. Imagine avoiding a 5* character. We live in a society, lol.
Razor
- Element: Electro
- Weapon: Claymore
MY second team to Abyss consists of Razor as the main DPS. He’s an insane character with a humongous amount of damage output. But again, we are talking about the electro element, which just got a buff recently. Previously, Razor was a trash character as well. If you are looking forward to running Razor as your main DPS, then I would recommend using a 4-piece Gladiator artifact set. Apart from this, his C4 and C5 can easily put him on the S+ Tier.
Rosaria
- Element: Cryo
- Weapon: Polearm
I would say she’s a fine character. Even the statistics speak highly of her low elemental skills’ cool downtime. So, if your aim is to just use Rosaria as an off-field DPS/support character, and that too with an on-spree spamming of her elemental skills, then go ahead. She can be an amazing team enabler as far as cryo is concerned. You can even use her with Ganyu for a perma-freeze comp.
Sayu
- Element: Anemo
- Weapon: Claymore
Sayu is a newly released character with Yoimiya and is one of the best characters when it comes to rag dolling her off the field. I mean, if you are low on HP and want to run away instantly, Sayu can be your best shot. Simply use her “E” to start rolling around, and boom. You are gone. Isn’t she a savior? Well, to me, she always has been. Every time! Also, she’s an amazing sub-DPS character because of the claymore. Usually, claymore characters are either DPS or sub-DPS, so yeah, it’s not surprising to see our little ninja being run as the main DPS of a team.
Traveler
- Element: Electro
- Weapon: Sword
For now, there are three versions of traveler, and all of them are either in Tier A or Tier B. Basically, the main character of the Genshin impact can accumulate all types of elements, and by far has taken 3 (Anemo, Geo, and Electro). Of all versions, Electro is the best. If your team requires a buff from the electro traveler, then I would definitely recommend it because of the low cost of the energy particles. Not to mention, once you get the C6 electro traveler, the character can easily be placed on Tier S.
Yanfei
- Element: Pyro
- Weapon: Catalyst
Yanfei is another ideal character if you want to main Pyro in your team. For what it’s worth, her attacks are similar to Ningguang’s, so keep that in mind. On top of that, Yanfei is a character that constantly needs to be on the field. In essence, either she can be your DPS or sub-DPS character, but not support because her elemental skills require her to constantly hit enemies.
B Tier
These are below-average characters and shouldn’t be invested in too much.
Lisa
- Element: Electro
- Weapon: Catalyst
Being in the B Tier doesn’t mean that the character is entirely broken. You can still play with Lisa, but the only downside is the high energy cost for the elemental skills and slow-paced attacks. On top of that, her DEF is extremely poor, which means her charged attacks can be intercepted or stopped easily by minor hits from the enemies. Yeah, she has quite a low attack resistance. So, I really won’t recommend running her as the main DPS of your team.
Traveler
- Element: Geo
- Weapon: Sword
The Geo traveler can be an extremely invaluable asset to your team because of zero-to-none reactions with the geo element. All it does is petrify your enemy, and you can take this to your advantage and probably kill all types of enemies, including “Geo-based,” too. Otherwise, what happens is that the hydro attack can’t do damage to the hydro enemy. But that’s not the case with the geo element. Not to mention, the geo element is so OP that it can pulverize shields of your enemies, but again, the traveler is not yet equipped with all the constellations, hence the reason for placing the character on the B Tier.
Xinyan
- Element: Pyro
- Weapon: Claymore
Xinyan is an upgraded version of Amber (a C-tier character that should be avoided at all costs) and can last a little longer when it comes to a defensive stance. Her abilities can be scaled up and down depending on the attack and defense percentage. Moreover, her elemental skills are decent enough to cause havoc on the field but shouldn’t be too much relied upon.
C Tier
I don’t have much to say about these characters, but I would say that avoid them as much as you could. No need to invest top-up talents or ascension materials in these characters. They ain’t worth it unless MiHoYo scales up their powers.
Amber
- Element: Pyro
- Weapon: Bow
Imagine a bow user having range issues. Yes, that’s what Amber has. A lot of range attack issues. Even though her attacks entirely depend on the distance she is at, but at the end of the day, her nerfed-down range can literally turn out to be a buzz killer. She really can’t do any sort of damage. Amber is a disappointment and should only be used if you are at AR 5 or 10. But after that, go for some better character.
Traveler
- Element: Anemo
- Weapon: Sword
The Anemo traveler is the first character you play with but, unfortunately, takes the last position on the Tier list. Well, it’s for so many reasons. Number one is the high energy cost for using elemental skills. And Number two, there is no such thing as insane hits when it comes to Anemo traveler. Even the C6 constellation does nothing in terms of attacking power. So, in short, I won’t recommend using the Anemo traveler as a DPS, but rather as a battery to other anemo characters in the team.
Conclusion
This brings us to a close. I tried my best to be as honest as possible. There are no whatsoever biases included in the tier list, which means it’s 100% authentic. If you have any queries, do let us know in the comment session. We’ll try to update the tier list with each new character, so stay tuned!
Hey, I’m Muhammad Bilal. I’m a tech fanatic (also read: Gamer), who loves scrutinizing fine details. I aim to strive hard in my respective fields (as a writer and software programmer). Before pursuing my majors in a university (right now in A-levels), I want to spend time exploring and reviewing the latest technology.