Does happiness even exist anymore? In Genshin Impact, it supposedly does, but not in the way many players think. Sadly, happiness isn't found in contentment with the current roster of 4-star characters available. Otherwise, millions of players wouldn't have gambled away billions of dollars just to get the coveted 5-star characters.
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Needless to say, happiness in Genshin Impact lies in being lucky enough to have a 5-star character, because they are the best when it comes to the game. It just so happens that their number keeps increasing with every update. Taking them all into account, which of them is the best?
Updated July 17, 2022 by Sid Natividad:At the halfway point of 2022, while things are slow to progress in the real world, Genshin Impact developers have no chill. They've been releasing new Genshin Impact 5-star characters left and right at a breakneck pace, and it has notably upset the power balance. So it's high time to re-evaluate the new power hierarchy among the game's most desirable characters, complete with the newest additions.
Now that the latest update has gone live and several more Genshin 5-star characters have been added, it's high time to evaluate what's the standing of the latest characters. This is a big one since most of them are from Inazuma and they've begun invading the top rankings with their stellar cast and impressive entrances. That, and there's also the fact that most of the latest Genshin 5-star characters are powerful enough to shake up the current meta.
26/26 The Traveler
- Element: Anemo/Geo
- Weapon: Sword
The answer to that question is debatable, but it's certainly not this one. The Traveler, whether it's Aether (boy) or Lumine (girl) is the only free 5-star character that players will ever obtain. Even then, this one's not exactly thrilling to have. Aether and Lumine are both just support characters, and they're not even the best at what they do.
The only advantage they have over others is the fact that they can switch elements. In the near future, however, they're bound to become more important as more cities and regions are added to the game, most likely expanding the Traveler's elemental pool.
25/26 Aloy
- Element: Cryo
- Weapon: Bow
PlayStation players ought to count themselves lucky as Aloy, despite being a free 5-star character, is more robust and viable than some of the worst 5-star options such as Qiqi. Aloy's abilities are simple enough; her Elemental Burst deals a big chunk of instant damage.
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Meanwhile, her Elemental Skill gives her Cryo infusion and also deals instant Cryo damage. With these, she can produce some dizzying reverse Melt combos and also a reliable Freeze setup. Anyone who doesn't have Ganyu will surely appreciate Aloy as an Alternative.
24/26 Qiqi
- Element: Cryo
- Weapon: Sword
As a healer, Qiqi is one of the worst in the game. This is ironic since she's a 5-star character and was actually one of the best until the game started introducing more practical healing characters. As a result, Qiqi is now considered one of the worst 5-star characters in the game.
When it comes to dealing and applying cryo damage, Qiqi is also mediocre. Her skill and burst both have long cooldowns, making them impractical and clunky. Moreover, Qiqi has no energy generation, so she's generally unreliable. She badly needs a buff.
23/26 Keqing
- Element: Electro
- Weapon: Sword
As for the most powerful electro-based character in Genshin Impact right now? That would be Keqing – sorry, Razor fans. Still, Electro is considered the worst elemental right now. Keqing, like Qiqi, needs some buffs in order for both of them to keep up.
Her element isn't that much better, meaning her physical damage can compete well with her electro builds. What makes her a fun character, though, is her ability to teleport around the battlefield and zip past opponents with ease. Keqing can use this ability to travel as well.
22/26 Jean
- Element: Anemo
- Weapon: Sword
Jean's skillset reflects her personality well. She's a workaholic and tries to do everything herself. As such, Jean also loves to fill in for many roles in the party. Her element is Anemo (or wind), making her an awesome DPS companion since Swirl is one of the most powerful elemental reactions.
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On top of that, Jean can also heal decently, though not as well as the more dedicated healers in the party. She's perfect for anyone looking to save a character slot in their current party since Jean can count as both a DPS support and healer.
21/26 Mona
- Element: Hydro
- Weapon: Catalyst
Genshin Impact's popular tier listing put Mona in the sub-DPS class or role, making her quite a sight on the battlefield, both for her aesthetics and her skillset. She can easily cover the battlefield in hydro damage and status effects.
Hydro happens to be one of the best elements in the game. It's also the most versatile, as players can use it for crowd control with cryo and DPS with pyro or electro. Unlike other DPS characters, Mona isn't selfish, and can also be a supplementary damage dealer in addition to being the main one.
20/26 Yae Miko
- Element: Electro
- Weapon: Catalyst
Yae Miko's playstyle is similar to that of other catalyst users, but she requires more field time due to her abilities. Despite being several hundreds of years old, her powers are still not quite up to par with her best friend, Raiden Ei or Shogun.
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Thus, Yae Miko mostly fills in for niche roles and teams where she doesn't really excel in a specific area of the current meta. It can be challenging to weave her abilities into some of the most effective chains and combos in Genshin Impact, whereas other characters usually just press buttons and enemies die faster and easier.
19/26 Diluc
- Element: Pyro
- Weapon: Claymore
Right now, it seems that Genshin Impact's developers are intent on continuously dethroning Diluc for the standard benchmark DPS. He's seen better days, but he's still easily one of the most effortless damage dealers in the game.
Give him support, and he'll suddenly become a speedrunner's dream main character. Diluc can clear battlefields with one button and do it again a few seconds later since his skills have a low cooldown. He's perfect in every way. The worst thing about Diluc is how hard it is to get him.
18/26 Klee
- Element: Pyro
- Weapon: Catalyst
Want to deal the most pyro damage in the shortest amount of time, all from a relatively safe distance? Look no further than Klee. Klee throws out bombs like it's nobody's business, and when she gets bored of that, she leaves landmines all over the battlefield.
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When paired with Albedo (assuming the player is lucky enough to have them both), Klee can become an invincible reign of fire and terror that most enemies can't hit. The only thing preventing her from being a selfish DPS character is her pyro element. She can become helpless when facing pyro Abyss Mages or pyro slimes.
17/26 Tartaglia
- Element: Hydro
- Weapon: Bow
For a more solid hydro character that isn't a healer or isn't Mona, Tartaglia (aka Childe) is miles better. He's the only pure DPS hydro character right now, and the fact that he uses a bow makes him a desirable addition to any party.
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The ranged form of attacks makes him more difficult to damage, compared to other DPS characters. Tartaglia's playstyle is also exciting since he can switch to melee and dish out even more damage for faster attacks and better precision.
16/26 Eula
- Element: Cryo
- Weapon: Claymore
Too bad Hu Tao couldn't keep her record for the highest damage dealer in the game. Eula, the latest 5-star character and certified DPS Queen, has managed to reach more than 4 million damage in a single instance. That's the highest record right now in the game.
As additional tests go on, players can expect higher numbers, maybe even exceeding 5 million. Even more amazing is how all that damage is solely physical and not elemental. Regular players who don't spend life savings-worth of cash on Genshin Impact can still expect regular 6-digits of physical damage from Eula. That's still plenty powerful.
15/26 Shenhe
- Element: Cryo
- Weapon: Polearm
Lore-wise, Shenhe looks like she can easily rise to Zhongli's level of powers after thwarting a god creature back in her story quest. When it comes to gameplay, shockingly, she's just a utility or support character. But that doesn't mean she's undesirable.
In fact, Shenhe is the go-to DPS buff for Cryo characters in Genshin Impact. Whether it's Ganyu, Ayaka, or even Kaeya, Shenhe is the damage buffer that can help players achieve a lot of record runs. Outside of that, she does have some niche uses for teams, but one still can't deny Shenhe's rather lopsided benefits for Cryo hypercarries.
14/26 Xiao
- Element: Anemo
- Weapon: Polearm
As far as Anemo characters go, Xiao is quite a wild breeze since he's the only DPS-focused among them. He also deals the most damage out of all the Anemo users. Compared to other top-tier DPS characters, Xiao is one of the best.
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He can easily out-damage established heavy-hitters like Childe or Diluc, who both rely on elemental reactions. What makes him amazing is that Xiao doesn't even rely on elemental reactions in order to do this. That doesn't mean he's an independent DPS; he needs some Anemo battery characters because of his energy issues.
13/26 Ayato
- Element: Hydro
- Weapon: Sword
Ayato is one of the more notable additions to the Hydro family in Genshin Impact since he's a main DPS or hypercarry. Having that element and that role opens up Ayato for a lot of opportunities, making him great as a jack-of-all-trades damage dealer. At the same time, he can also provide a bit of sub-DPS or utility.
Players can go permafreeze, taser, or even vape with Ayato, making him one of the most versatile DPS characters in Genshin Impact. In fact, he even gives Childe a run for his money because he doesn't have any cooldown issues and his playstyle is a lot simpler and more accessible.
12/26 Itto
- Element: Geo
- Weapon: Claymore
Arataki Itto is similar to Xiao or Eula. All three hypercarries bring their own brand of meta to Genshin Impact — one that doesn't rely on elemental reactions to procure high damage numbers. To that end, Itto is a strong self-sustaining character that many players will surely appreciate.
He's great in almost any team composition because of his innate damage. The best part about Itto's element is that it's easy for him to obtain Geo resonance, further increasing his defensive and offensive capabilities, all in one package. Plus, he smacks enemies with a giant corndog; what's not to like about that?
11/26 Kokomi
- Element: Hydro
- Weapon: Catalyst
Kokomi is unique since she's the only Genshin Impact character who can't deal CRITs, but that's for the best since she'd probably be too overpowered otherwise. Kokomi in her current state is already one of the best healers in the game. Parties even don't have to worry about low HP when she's around.
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What makes her even better beyond her healer role is that she can also be a decent Hydro-applicator. So she's already in demand for several teams that either need a robust healer or permanent Hydro status. Should the need arise, Kokomi could also fall for the role of the main DPS.
10/26 Venti
- Element: Anemo
- Weapon: Bow
Venti is the best support in the game, and also the best Anemo character. He can easily change the layouts of the battlefield by introducing a vortex that sucks in all enemies, opening them up to stacks of Swirl elemental reactions.
His Elemental Skill also allows him to create updrafts that let players fly and glide and also send enemies up in the air for some crowd control. Venti then does all of this with his bow, making him a reliable last resort for when other party members are dead and range is the only line of defense left.
9/26 Albedo
- Element: Geo
- Weapon: Sword
Speaking of selfless characters, Albedo is another sub-DPS character who's actually better than the Traveler at utilizing the geo element. All is forgiven for using a geo-focused Albedo since his Elemental Skill gives tons of shield and also has lots of utility.
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His skill can drastically increase the DPS and defensive capabilities of characters along with the low cooldown. In addition to having more exciting skills than the Traveler, Albedo's passives also grant a significant amount of energy recharge.
8/26 Yoimiya
- Element: Pyro
- Weapon: Bow
Plenty of players who were anticipating Yoimiya's arrival had high expectations since she came after Ayaka, which is an awesome DPS carry. Also, some in the community expected Yoimiya to be a Pyro version of Ganyu, Genshin Impact's current apex predator.
While she didn't meet some of those expectations, Yoimiya is still a good Pyro DPS. Thanks to her element and her fast attacks, she can produce some quick and damaging Vaporize or Melt volleys. Her gameplay is also simple and she can double as a buffer for the entire team.
7/26 Zhongli
- Element: Geo
- Weapon: Polearm
Geo has seen the biggest buff, and since Genshin Impact is a game of numbers, the majority of players love to focus their efforts on seeing huge damage numbers. Geo characters now provide some of the biggest buffs in the game and spearheading his major change is the Geo Archon himself, who now goes by Zhongli.
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Zhongli is pretty necessary right now in order to progress in the Spiral Abyss and against some bosses without much difficulty. His Elemental Skill does so much, such as providing two kinds of shields, reducing damage resistance, and adding additional damage. When all else fails, players can simply pull down a meteor on top of all the enemies.
