Best Geo Characters in Genshin Impact, Ranked | HGG (2024)

Each of the Geo characters in Genshin Impact have their own unique uses and talents. Some are better providing buffs to stronger DPS characters, while others can actually hold their own and deal some damage themselves.

With so many different synergies to take into account, it can be a little confusing to know which characters are worth building and which you’re probably better off ignoring. To help you out, we’ve come up with this list of the best Geo characters in Genshin Impact! With this guide, you’ll know exactly which characters will bring the most benefit to your team.

Best Geo Characters in Genshin Impact, Ranked Good to Overall Best

While some characters will mesh better with your playstyle than others, there aren’t really bad characters. This is a subjective list based on the general usefulness and utility of the best Geo characters in the game. Some of them may be higher or lower on your personal ranking, and that’s okay! The most important thing is to enjoy playing the game, not agonize over the meta.

Here’s our ranking of the best Geo characters in Genshin Impact!

8/8

Geo Traveler (Sub-DPS)

Starting off our list of the best Geo characters in Genshin Impact is the Geo Traveler! Whether you picked Aether or Lumine, the Traveler is an instrumental character in the game. Pretty much everyone mains them at some point in their journey, and their potential grows with each new element they resonate with.

What makes the Geo Traveler so good?

The most important thing about the Geo Traveler is their Elemental Skill, Starfell Sword. When used, the Traveler summons a meteorite construct that doubles as a climbable platform. This platform is essential for exploring Liyue and solving pressure plate puzzles sprinkled throughout the land of the Geo archon.

Aside from its usefulness while exploring, the Traveler’s Elemental Skill also deals AOE Geo DMG in combat. By summoning the meteorite platforms, it is also possible to block or obstruct enemies. Holding the Elemental Skill allows precise placement of the platform, though that can be tricky to pull off in combat.

The Traveler’s Elemental Burst, Wake of Earth, creates a shockwave of stone and AOE Geo DMG and creates a stone wall Geo construct. This stone wall can also block enemy attacks and obstruct their paths.

Drawbacks

While the Traveler’s Elemental Skill and Elemental Burst are visually impressive, their attack power leaves something to be desired. The Geo DMG they deal is on the low side, and their Geo constructs can end up getting in the way during combat — especially if you’re playing in co-op mode with other active characters on the field.

Unfortunately, the Geo Traveler is really needed while Exploring Liyue due to the number of pressure plate puzzles. Which can be pretty annoying since their moves aren’t that great. They don’t generate any party buffs, nor are they particularly good at triggering Elemental Reactions, hence their low placement in our ranks.

Artifacts

For artifacts, we recommend focusing on the following stats:

• Energy Recharge
• Geo DMG Bonus
• CRIT Rate or DMG

For specific artifact sets, the 5-star Emblem of Severed Fate is pretty decent. It offers some extra Elemental Burst DMG and encourages players to really prioritize Energy Recharge artifacts.

If you’re looking for a 4-star alternative artifact set, we recommend The Exile. It will also increase Energy Recharge like the Emblem of Severed Fate set, but it will give Energy Particles to party members, rather than increasing Elemental Burst DMG.

7/8

Ningguang (DPS)

Coming in at number seven on our list of the best Geo characters in Genshin Impact is the Tianquan of the Liyue Qixing! Ningguang is a 4-star Geo Catalyst wielder and a very influential person in Teyvat’s political landscape.

While she may not be a 5-star character herself, a single flick of her wrist could send many of them to hunt you down. She’s definitely not someone you want to tick off.

What makes Ningguang so good?

As a Catalyst user, Ningguang’s greatest strengths are of course going to involve Elemental Reactions. Her Normal Attack, Sparkling Scatter, shoots gems infused with Geo energy toward enemies and deals direct Geo DMG. This makes it incredibly easy for her to trigger Crystallize Reactions.

Hitting enemies with her Normal Attack also collects Star Jades. These Star Jades will be unleashed during Charged Attacks, dealing extra Geo DMG.

Ningguang’s Elemental Skill, Jade Screen, creates a translucent Geo Construct that can block ranged attacks. While it doesn’t block all attacks, it can stop pesky arrows from Hilichurls with crossbows during combat. Though they may be Geo Constructs, Ningguang’s Jade Screens don’t seem to have any weight to them, so they cannot be climbed or used to trigger pressure plates.

The Tianquan’s Elemental Burst, Starshatter, is essentially a more powerful version of her Normal Attack. It fires off a large number of glittering gems infused with Geo. Unlike her Normal Attacks, these gems act as homing projectiles that seek out nearby enemies no matter where they are and deal much more damage.

If a Jade Screen is nearby when using Ningguang’s Elemental Burst, she fires off extra projectiles and her Geo DMG is increased.

Drawbacks

Ningguang is a fun character to play and her Normal Attacks make creating shields a breeze. Unfortunately, her attack speed is slow and she can pretty easily get overwhelmed when facing enemy mobs.

While she has a great many strengths lore-wise, facing off against multiple Abyss Mages or even Hilichurls in-game is not easy. She is best suited for mid and long-range combat, which is tricky since players have to rely on auto-targeting and cannot aim her attacks themselves. Once enemies are aggro, they typically want to close the distance as soon as possible.

For Ningguang players, it’s best to always be ready to dodge and keep a close eye on nearby enemies.

Artifacts

Artifacts for Ningguang should prioritize:

• ATK%
• Geo DMG Bonus
• CRIT Rate or DMG

The best artifacts for Ningguang are the 5-star set Archaic Petra and a secondary support artifact set. The four-piece effect for Archaic Petra is decent enough, but relies on quick attacks to fully utilize, which is not Ningguang’s specialty. That’s why we recommend using a two-piece Noblesse Oblige set to increase her Elemental Burst DMG.

As a 4-star alternative set, we suggest the Martial Artist set to increase Ningguang’s Normal and Charged Attack DMG. That is where most of her DMG will come from, so having the 15% base increase is really good.

6/8

Noelle (DPS)

Our number six pick for the best Geo Characters in Genshin Impact is the battle maid of the Knights of Favonius, Noelle!

Noelle is a wannabe Knight of Favonius and also a 4-star Geo Claymore wielder. While she may be a little too nervous to make it through the Knights tryouts, her enormous strength is matched only by her big heart.

What makes Noelle so good?

Noelle is one of the first characters available in the game. She has her own beginner Wishing Banner that’s guaranteed to drop her in the first 10 Wishes, making her easy for anyone to add to their team.

She’s a great character for beginners since her high Defense stat means taking less damage and her Elemental Skill both shields and heals. Breastplate summons a circular, bubble-like shield around active characters. When the shield appears, it deals Geo DMG. The amount of damage the shield can take scales with Noelle’s DEF.

Noelle’s shield also heals HP when she deals DMG to enemies with her Normal and Charged Attacks. The amount of HP regenerated also scales with her DEF.

Noelle’s Elemental Burst, Sweeping Time, causes her to swing her Claymore around and deal Geo DMG in a huge AOE. For the next 15 seconds, Noelle’s attacks have an increased range and deal Geo DMG. Her ATK DMG is also increased by a percentage of her DEF.

Drawbacks

Noelle is about as tank-y as Genshin Impact characters come. Her best stat is DEF, and she can both shield and heal with her Elemental Skill. Unfortunately, that’s about it. Her DMG potential is pretty low, which can make it really tough to use her as a DPS — her best role — effectively.

Noelle’s Elemental Skill damage doesn’t even crack 175% ATK DMG unless you level up her Constellation, which is impossible to do without Wishing. It’s also tough to trigger Elemental Reactions. Her Elemental Burst is good enough, but it isn’t something that can be used very frequently, and her Elemental Skill has a pretty long cooldown time.

Don’t get us wrong — Noelle is a good character, especially for beginners still getting used to Genshin Impact’s game mechanics. Once players start gaining more experience and begin to understand the game more, though, her limitations become more and more apparent.

Artifacts

The best artifacts for Noelle will have the following stats:

• DEF%
• Geo DMG Bonus
• CRIT Rate or DMG

The best artifact set for Noelle is the 5-star Husk of Opulent Dreams set, which will increase both her DEF and Geo DMG Bonus. The Retracing Bolide artifact set is also decent, but is meant for players who want to increase her Shield strength rather than her Geo DMG.

For new players who haven’t unlocked the Slumbering Court Domain yet, we suggest trying out a two-piece mix of the Defender’s Will artifact set and the Brave Heart or Resolution of Sojourner artifact sets. They will give a nice boost to both her DEF and ATK stats until you can farm for some 5-star artifacts.

5/8

Yun Jin (Support)

The fifth spot on our list of the best Geo characters in Genshin Impact is the opera singer Yun Jin!

Yun Jin is a 4-star Geo Polearm character whose love of local folklore and opera has made her one of the most unique characters in the game. From her design to her fighting style, she’s a definite standout.

What makes Yun Jin so good?

Yun Jin is a fantastic Geo support character. Her Elemental Burst, Cliffbreaker’s Banner, deals AOE Geo DMG and grants her party members a Flying Cloud Flag Formation.

Characters with a Flying Cloud Flag Formation have their Normal Attack DMG increased by a percentage of Yun Jin’s DEF stat. The effect lasts for either 12 seconds or 30 hits, whichever comes first.That may not sound all that impressive, but the DMG increase can be up to 58% of Yun Jin’s DEF stat, which is nothing to sneeze at.

Yun Jin’s Elemental Skill, Opening Flourish, deals Geo DMG to enemies around her. When held, her Elemental Skill also creates a shield that scales with her HP. While her shield may not last very long, when its duration ends or the shield breaks, Yun Jin unleashes a powerful attack. This attack has two different charge levels, with the second dealing nearly 200% more DMG.

Essentially, holding Yun Jin’s Elemental Skill has an almost parrying effect that’s not seen often in Genshin Impact characters.

Drawbacks

Yun Jin is a pretty good Support character to have on your team, especially if you have a DPS who uses a lot of Normal Attacks. Unfortunately, her own DMG potential is a bit limited, and players will have to decide which stats to focus on most when building her. Trying to do an all-around build may feel balanced, but it will leave her abilities feeling limited.

For instance, choosing to focus on both her DEF and HP will even out how much of a buff she can grant other party members through her Elemental Burst with how much damage her Elemental Skill’s shield can take. Neither will be all that impressive, though, unless you get really lucky with artifacts.

Aside from needing to pick and choose which stats to focus on, Yun Jin’s Energy accumulation rate is pretty low, even though her Ascension Stat is Energy Recharge.

Basically, unless you have the right build, Yun Jin can very easily feel like a very lackluster character.

Artifacts

For Yun Jin’s artifacts, we recommend the following stats:

• DEF%
• Energy Recharge

For specific artifact sets, try using the 5-star Husk of Opulent Dreams set. As we mentioned in Noelle’s section, it increases both DEF% and Geo DMG, which works very well for Yun Jin too.

As a 4-star alternative artifact set, the best choice is the Defender’s Will set. It also increases DEF and is decent for parties with multiple element types. The four-piece effect of this set increases Elemental RES by 30% for each type in your party.

4/8

Gorou (Support)

Sitting in our number four spot of the best Geo characters in Genshin Impact is Inazuma’s goodest boy, General Gorou!

Gorou is a 4-star Geo Bow wielder and the general of the Watatsumi Army. He’s led his soldiers in many battles against overwhelming odds, is the faithful right hand of Watatsumi’s Divine Priestess, Sangonomiya Kokomi, and also dabbles in a freelance advice column on the side.

What makes Gorou so good?

Gorou is the Geo support character. If you have a Geo DPS, Gorou is an essential party member to really make them shine.

His Elemental Skill, Inuzaka All-Round Defense, deals AOE Geo DMG and creates a General’s War Banner. The more Geo characters on the team, the better the buffs granted by his General’s War Banner.

Having one Geo character on the team increases the active character’s DEF stat. Having two Geo characters increases the active character’s resistance to interruption. This is especially helpful for characters specializing in Charged Attacks or who have slow ATK Speed. Having three or more Geo characters on a team grants the active character a 15% Geo DMG Bonus.

Gorou’s Elemental Burst works very similarly to his Elemental Skill. Juuga: Forward Unto Victory deals AOE Geo DMG and creates a moving General’s Glory field. This field has the same buffs as Gorou’s Elemental Skill and is also influenced by the number of Geo characters on the team.

In addition to the party buffs, elemental shards created by Crystallize reactions are periodically pulled toward the active character, up to once every 1.5 seconds. Gorou’s Elemental Burst also creates a Crystal Collapse effect that deals Geo DMG to enemies within the field’s AOE.

For players who don’t use that many Geo characters, Gorou is still an excellent character to have on hand. His Utility Passive Talent, Seeker of Shinies, displays the location of nearby Inazuma regional specialties on the mini-map. This is incredibly useful when trying to farm ascension materials for other Inazuman characters.

Drawbacks

Gorou is fantastic as a Support character for teams with a lot of Geo on them. For teams without Geo though? He’s a little less useful.

Without multiple Geo characters, many of his buffs aren’t activatedm which takes most of the use out of both his Elemental Skill and Elemental Burst. On a team geared toward any of the other elemental types, there’s barely any point in having him around.

In the end, he’s a great Support character to have when he’s on the right team, or when you’re trying to find pesky regional resources like onikabuto. Otherwise, you’ll probably want a different Support character for your team.

Artifacts

The best artifacts for Gorou will have the following stats:

• DEF%
• Energy Recharge

Like many other Geo characters, Gorou’s best artifact set is the 5-star Husk of Opulent Dreams set. The DEF increase is essential for one of his Passive Talents, which increases his Elemental Skill DMG based on his DEF.

The best choice of 4-star artifacts for Gorou are currently a two-piece Defender’s Will set mixed with The Exile, or a four-piece Exile set. The DEF increase is nice, but since most Gorou teams won’t have many elements on them, the Elemental RES increase from the Defender’s Will four-piece effect isn’t very effective.

3/8

Albedo (Sub-DPS)

For the third spot on our list of the best Geo characters in Genshin Impact, we also have the first limited 5-star character in our ranks — it’s Albedo!

Albedo is the Chief Alchemist and Captain of the Investigation Team for the Knights of Favonius. He is also a synthetic human with close ties to the adventurer Alice, making him the Spark Knight Klee’s quasi-adopted brother.

What makes Albedo so good?

There are a lot of good things going on with Albedo. Firstly, both his Elemental Skill and Elemental Burst are great for AOE Geo attacks. This makes him an excellent Sub-DPS to have in domains and the Spiral Abyss. The large AOE is especially helpful in triggering Crystallize reactions, too.

Albedo’s Elemental Skill, Abiogenesis: Solar Isotoma, creates a Solar Isotoma while dealing AOE Geo DMG. The Solar Isotoma is a Geo construct that will elevate active characters when stood upon for a short amount of time.

Many players refer to this effect as being an elevator, and it’s pretty handy when it comes to exploring Teyvat. Especially since holding Albedo’s Elemental Skill allows him to precisely place his Solar Isotoma.

While the Solar Isotoma is on the field, it creates a large field in which Transient Blossoms will deal AOE Geo DMG to enemies. The DMG dealt by these Transient Blossoms scale with Albedo’s DEF and can be triggered once every 2 seconds.

Albedo’s Elemental Burst, Rite of Progeniture: Tectonic Tide, is actually a bit similar to the Geo Traveler’s Elemental Burst. It also creates a wave of Geo crystals that surge outward while dealing AOE Geo DMG to nearby enemies. Unlike the Geo Traveler’s Elemental Burst, though, Albedo’s does not create a physical crystal wall effect.

If a Solar Isotoma is on the field, 7 Fatal Blossoms will be generated and deal extra AOE Geo DMG.

Another great thing about Albedo is his Utility Passive Talent, Flash of Genius. It can be used while crafting weapon ascension materials. With this Talent, Albedo has a 10% chance to receive double the amount of crafted weapon ascension materials. It may be a low chance, but it’s still better than more grinding in domains.

Drawbacks

Unfortunately, one of Albedo’s greatest strengths can be a huge pain in the butt. When creating a Solar Isotoma, it’s incredibly easy for active characters to accidentally step on them and be raised up over enemies. This often means missing attacks and having to break combos in order to get off the Solar Isotoma mid-battle.

It’s nice to get the Plunging DMG, but it’s also heartbreaking to miss especially big hits that would have probably taken out oncoming enemies.

Solar Isotomas can also be destroyed by enemies. They typically won’t target the Solar Isotomas, but summoning them too close to large bosses like Azhdaha will usually mean destroying them and their AOE fields.

Artifacts

The best artifacts for Albedo will prioritize the following stats:

• DEF%
• Geo DMG Bonus
• CRIT Rate or DMG

With DEF being so important to Albedo, it shouldn’t be a surprise we recommend the 5-star Husk of Opulent Dreams artifact set. The DEF increase is essential to increasing the DMG dealt by his Transient Blossom effect.

As a 4-star alternative artifact set, we suggest the Defender’s Will artifact set in order to still get the DEF boost. It won’t increase Albedo’s Geo DMG Bonus like the Husk of Opulent Dreams set, but an Elementally diverse team will at least get some nice Elemental RES boosts.

2/8

Arataki Itto (DPS)

Who else could take our second spot of the best Geo characters in Genshin Impact ranks but Arataki “the One and Oni” Itto?

Itto is the leader of the Arataki Gang of Inazuma, but spends most of his time losing to children in beetle fights. While his idiotic demeanor might fool you, his has a heart of gold and will do whatever it takes to do the right thing.

What makes Itto so good?

Unlike the majority of Geo characters, Itto’s strength actually lies in his Normal Attacks. More specifically, in his Charged Attacks.

While making Normal Attacks, Itto gains stacks of Superlative Superstrength. These stacks are then consumed instead of stamina when he makes Charged Attacks and greatly enhance the damage his Charged Attacks deal.

Charged Attacks, which consume Superlative Superstrength stacks, are called Arataki Kesagiri. Each Arataki Kesagiri consumes one Superlative Superstrength stack. When the final stack of Superlative Superstrength is consumed, Itto makes an even stronger final attack.

Itto’s Elemental Burst, Royal Descent: Behold, Itto the Evil!, enhances his strength and calls on his inner Raging Oni King. For a short time, Itto’s Normal Attack speed is increased and his ATK stat is increased by a percentage of his DEF. Superlative Superstrength stacks can also be gained and consumed while in this state. While in his Raging Oni King state, Itto’s attacks deal Geo DMG.

Itto’s Elemental Skill, Masatsu Zetsuhi: Akaushi Burst!, summons Ushi the bull onto the field. Ushi will deal Geo DMG to enemies he hits and grant Itto a Superlative Superstrength stack. Ushi will also linger on the field and draw enemy aggro. When he takes damage from enemies, Itto will again gain a Superlative Superstrength stack. This can happen up to once every 2 seconds.

Drawbacks

The toughest thing about Itto is that in order to deal damage most effectively, he needs to max out his Superlative Superstrength stacks. Which can take a while to set up. Using Ushi can help, but it’s still a pain to keep track of and use effectively.

Even once Itto has a full stack of Superlative Superstrength, his attacks can be pretty slow. If an enemy happens to get knocked out of reach, Itto can easily consume his Superstrength stacks without actually dealing any damage.

Artifacts

Artifacts for Itto should prioritize the following stats:

• DEF%
• Geo DMG Bonus
• CRIT DMG or Rate

Depending on how you want to build Itto, there are two main options for artifacts. The overall best is the 5-star Husk of Opulent Dreams set. The DEF increase and Geo DMG bonus both help increase Itto’s damage output very well.

The 5-star Retracing Bolide artifact set can also work well with Itto. This artifact set is more focused on shield strength and granting buffs to characters with consistent shields. If you cannot shield Itto consistently, we do not recommend this artifact set.

Players wanting a 4-star artifact set should go with the Defender’s Will set.

1/8

Zhongli (Support)

Taking the top spot on our list of who is the best Geo character in Genshin Impact is the Geo archon himself, Morax!

Morax, aka Zhongli, was one of the first limited 5-star characters introduced to the game way back in 2020. He’s a complicated man. While incredibly wise, he seems to have a somewhat twisted sense of logic. Regardless of his personality, he is still an incredibly powerful character. It makes sense that he’s taking our number one place in the ranks.

What makes Zhongli so good?

Players who don’t like dodging or dealing with explosive Elemental Reactions will definitely want Zhongli on their team. Not only does his Elemental Burst have pretty good damage potential, his Elemental Skill creates one of the strongest shields in the game.

Dominus Lapidis summons a Stone Stele that periodically sends out a wave of Geo energy, dealing Geo DMG to nearby enemies. The Stone Stele is a Geo Construct that active characters can climb, and it’s pretty handy for exploring Teyvat. They’re also great for solving pressure plate puzzles in Liyue (meaning you won’t have to keep the Traveler attuned to the Geo element).

Holding Zhongli’s Elemental Skill deals AOE Geo DMG and summons a Stone Stele while creating a Shield of Jade. The Jade Shield’s DMG Absorption scales with Zhongli’s max HP and can take a huge amount of DMG before breaking. Enemies within a small AOE of the Jade Shield will also have their Elemental and Physical RES decreased by 20%

Zhongli’s Elemental Burst, Planet Befall, summons a falling meteor that deals a huge amount of Geo DMG in a large AOE. Enemies hit by the meteor will be Petrified and can’t move until they take damage or the status wears off (roughly 3 seconds).

Drawbacks

Zhongli’s biggest weakness is that, outside of his Elemental Burst, he isn’t able to deal a whole lot of damage. His Jade Shields are meant to protect characters from taking damage, rather than dealing it.

His Normal Attacks also don’t deal much damage, so there’s almost no point in leveling up that Talent. The difference between Level 1 and Level 10 for his Normal Attack Talent damage is as low as 22% for some of his hits.

Along with low Normal Attack and Elemental Skill DMG, Zhongli doesn’t have much natural Energy Recharge, so recouping the energy cost from his Elemental Burst can take time.

Despite his low damage potential, Zhongli’s shield is just too amazing not to make him the best Geo character. With enough HP, his Jade Shields can even take hits from Weekly Bosses like Azhdaha and the Raiden Shogun.

Artifacts

The best artifacts for Zhongli will prioritize the following stats:

• HP%
• Energy Recharge

While there is an artifact set that directly increases shield strength, we actually recommend the 5-star artifact set Tenacity of the Millelith. It increases HP by 20%, which Zhongli absolutely needs. The four-piece effect also increases ATK and Shield Strength of party members when an Elemental Skill hits enemies, which is perfect for Zhongli. He will constantly be using his Elemental Skill to generate shields and most likely hitting nearby enemies at the same time.

As of Version 3.1, there are unfortunately no 4-star artifacts that increase HP, so players wanting a 4-star alternative artifact set probably won’t be getting the best out of their Zhongli.

4-star artifacts don’t offer much shield support for Zhongli, but players can bolster his attack power with artifacts like the Martial Artist set. There is also the option of leaning more into Energy Recharge to use Zhongli’s Elemental Burst — for that, we suggest The Exile artifact set.

Join the High Ground

There you have our list of the best Geo characters in Genshin Impact! Do you agree with our rankings, or would you have switched things up a bit? Let us know in the comments below and be sure to check out some of our other Elemental character rankings! We recently ranked the best Anemo characters here, and you can check out the best Electro characters here.

We’re adding more Genshin Impact content every week, so make sure to check back soon for more guides, tips, and character rankings. Happy gaming!

Related Reading