Genshin Impact Characters Ranked From Best to Worst (2024)

There are currently 42 Genshin Impact characters excluding the Traveler variations you’ll unlock along the way. So brace yourself for a summary of who they are, their abilities, specialized weapons, where they rank in the universe, and more. We’ll be ranking them by tiers for now so it’s easier on the eyes.

Genshin Impact is always updating with more characters for their player base, the latest being Arataki Itto and Gorou. With every new character and update, changes are made to the meta so this list may not be totally accurate 100% of the time.

Do note that this is all based on my own opinion and you are entitled to have yours! I’d love to hear what you think.

In the meantime, all of our playable characters rankings are also broken down by tier list.

The best of the best. These are powerful Genshin Impact characters with the ability to one-hit kill at their peak.

1. Ganyu

Element: Cryo

Weapon: Bow

Rarity: 5 Star

Ganyu has remained as one of the most powerful characters in Genshin Impact from the beginning. You’ll get to meet her in Chapter 1: Act 2: Farewell, Archaic Lord once you’ve made it to Liyue but she can only be obtained through wishes. This half Adeptus is a one-of-a-kind character in the game, beloved by the gods.

She can inflict millions in damage every couple of seconds and you don’t even need to rely on her skills or bursts. Her damage output is more consistent which makes her a great choice in prolonged combat. She’s easily the most invincible character in the game.

2. Eula

Element: Cryo

Weapon: Claymore

Rarity: 5 Star

Now the highest physical damage dealer in the game with 4 million damage in one hit, Eula is a force to contend with. As a descendant of the tyrannical Lawrence clan, she is not exactly favorable in the eyes of the residents of Monstadt, but she definitely gets the job done.

With her high-speed attacks and deadly elemental burst, Eula makes for a great main DPS. Make sure to build her up well and pair her with a good claymore like Song of Broken Pines in order to get the most out of her character.

3. HU Tao

Element: Pyro

Weapon: Polearm

Rarity: 5 Star

Hu Tao used to be the highest damage dealer in the game with 2 million damage in a single hit but has since been bested by Eula. That doesn’t make her any less formidable though. As Director of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, she’s strongest when she’s closest to death.

If you could get your hands on the Staff of Homa, Hu Tao would be absolutely powerful, but the Dragon’s Bane polearm would work as well. In order for her to deal massive damage, she would need to be accompanied by characters that would help her activate some elemental reactions like Melt and Vaporize.

4. Kamisato Ayaka

Element: Cryo

Weapon: Sword

Rarity: 5 Star

Ayaka was one of the first Genshin Impact characters from Inazuma to be released in the game, so she packs quite a punch, especially when properly built. As the heir to the Kamisato Clan, she upholds the samurai standards. Everything about her is simple, from her abilities to her build – but she can still deal substantial damage.

One of the key features that made her a favorite amongst players is her ability to disappear when she’s dashing. She’ll sink into the ground and leave a trail of snow in her wake. She can also walk on water, much better than other Cryo-based characters.

5. Raiden Shogun

Element: Electro

Weapon: Polearm

Rarity: 5 Star

It comes as no surprise that Raiden is currently the best battery in the game. We all knew she was going to be one of the most powerful characters – she’s the Electro archon after all. She’s a great utility character that you can add to your team.

She does go by many names: Baal, God of Eternity, etc. but Raiden could definitely help as a sub-DPS if you’re looking for one. She can deal substantial damage and recharge the abilities of those around her with ease every time she puts her own abilities to use.

6. Kaedehara Kazuha

Element: Anemo

Weapon: Sword

Rarity: 5 Star

Kazuha is dubbed as a ‘better version of Venti’, as an Anemo user that can do what Venti does, but more effortlessly. He’s also a sword-wielding samurai that harnesses the power of the wind, which is pretty cool.

His character helps with Elemental Mastery and he creates constant Swirl reactions, very good for crowd control when you’re up against multiple enemies at once. In this sense, he’s like a powerful version of Venti and Sucrose combined. Perfect as a Support or sub DPS.

7. Diluc

Element: Pyro

Weapon: Claymore

Rarity: 5 Star

Mr. Darkside himself. The Batman of Genshin Impact, with his enormous fortune and double life. Diluc is your standard DPS character that can deal extreme damage with ease. He’s also one of the first few characters that you will meet in the beginning as you journey through Monstadt.

You can easily do a speed run with this guy, just pair him with some good support and healer characters. His abilities and skills have a low cooldown so you can easily deal damage after damage with no remorse.

8. Tartaglia Childe

Element: Hydro

Weapon: Bow

Rarity: 5 Star

This Snezhnayan spy and member of the Eleven Harbingers is the strongest Hydro DPS in the game, and can easily best the rest. He generally uses a bow, but he can also manifest Hydro dual blades with his abilities.

Tartaglia is a formidable enemy that you’ll come to fight in the game itself, and his range of attacks gives him an added boost. His long-ranged attacks are precise and powerful, but his short-ranged attacks are quick and lethal. He’s a character beloved by many, even with his somewhat twisted motives.

9. Arataki Itto

Element: Geo

Weapon: Claymore

Rarity: 5 Star

The latest addition to the Genshin Impact characters roster, Arataki shot to the top. He’s a rather rare Geo character, and his position as a DPS makes him a formidable one. Arataki is half oni and is head of the Arataki gang – his abilities definitely reflect that.

He’s good for large crowds and mobs, has the ability to taunt his enemies and a powerful charged attack. His several drawbacks would be his high elemental burst cost and long charge up times. All this could be fixed with the right artifact sets, of course.

10. Zhongli

Element: Geo

Weapon: Polearm

Rarity: 5 Star

The Geo archon himself, Zhongli is the God of Wealth (and somehow ironically penniless) and one that you will encounter the moment you enter Liyue. Zhongli has been dubbed one of the best Support/Shield characters you could ever get in the game. Mainly because his shields are impenetrable and affect everybody.

With his polearm, he could put some distance between himself and his enemies as well. If your shields aren’t enough to help you win a battle, this bad boy can call a meteor to freeze everyone in stone or decimate them completely. So even if you think you’re losing, you’re not.

11. Venti

Element: Anemo

Weapon: Bow

Rarity: 5 Star

Our free-spirited Anemo Archon, Venti is a bard and one of the main characters of the Monstadt arc. He’s a great support character and is one of the best Anemo characters you can get in the game.

As the God of Freedom, he can conjure winds that can let you fly up into the sky. You can fly, glide and send unwanted enemies spiraling into the great beyond. He’s a great crowd controller with his vortex ability and his long-range ability through his bow is a good final line of defense.

12. Xiao

Element: Anemo

Weapon: Polearm

Rarity: 5 Star

Another super unique character of the game, Xiao is an ancient Adeptus contracted to protect Liyue from demons. Out of all the Anemo users, Xiao deals the most damage and if you’re looking for another top-tier DPS character, Xiao is a great pick.

He doesn’t rely on Elemental Reactions but needs a battery in his team to recharge his abilities quicker. Xiao does have his very own specialized weapon: the Primordial Jade Winged Spear but if you can’t get your hands on that, the Blackcliff Pole would work as well.

13. Mona

Element: Hydro

Weapon: Catalyst

Rarity: 5 Star

One of the better sub-DPS characters out there, Mona deals pretty high Hydro damage to those around her. As a Hydro sub-DPS, she can trigger all sorts of elemental reactions such as Freeze, Vaporize, Overloaded, Electro-Charged, and more.

In turn, these elemental reactions can help with crowd control and mob fights. She can easily act as a supplementary damage dealer if you need one as well. She’s a proud astrologer, this one, but if you can get past her personality, she’ll work wonders. She’s also pretty broke.

14. Bennett

Element: Pyro

Weapon: Sword

Rarity: 4 Star

Bennett is a sweet Genshin Impact character known for being unlucky in everything he does, but still managing to stay somewhat positive. He is one of the few 4 stars that can surpass the ranks and join the 5 stars. He is one of the best Pyro supports in the game with a powerful elemental burst ability.

He’s best when paired with other Pyro characters, so be sure to take that into account when you’re forming up teams. The best thing about Bennett is that he is easy to get since he’s a 4-star character, and he’s easy to build as well.

15. Klee

Element: Pyro

Weapon: Catalyst

Rarity: 5 Star

Klee is the baby of Monstadt, but she packs explosive power. Literally. She specializes in explosives and bombs, even if she’s not aware of it. This also means that she can deal huge damage from a safe distance and can be a great DPS.

For this, you would need to pair her with a character that can shield or protect her, or better yet, a character that could also deal substantial damage. She would need a character that is not a Pyro user as she would be pretty helpless against Pyro enemies.

This section is reserved for Genshin Impact characters who are powerful, but are just not powerful enough to make it into the S-Tier criteria. You could go far with just these lot, and they rival S-tiers once maxed out.

16. Jean

Element: Anemo

Weapon: Sword

Rarity: 5 Star

Truthfully, a part of me feels like I should put Jean in the S-Tier, but putting her into the A-Tier sounds about right. She’s the Dandelion Knight and Acting Grand Master of The Knights of Favonius. You can build Jean two ways: as a Support or as a DPS, so it is up to your needs and preferences.

She’s a pretty all-rounder as she also has healing abilities. So she can inflict damage and take damage as well. This makes her a formidable character to come across and have in your team with her versatile abilities.

17. Razor

Element: Electro

Weapon: Claymore

Rarity: 4 Star

Soft wolf-boy Razor has the potential to rival 5 Star characters with his elemental abilities if you build him right, of course. If you can get your hands on Wolf’s Gravestone – Razor’s character weapon, you’ll be a pretty powerful character that could deal substantial damage. Either that or the Prototype Archaic would do well.

Building him as a DPS is your best bet. If you don’t have a strong 5 star DPS character available, Razor would be a good replacement. You could pair him up with Hydro characters to trigger more elemental reactions as well.

18. Xingqiu

Element: Hydro

Weapon: Sword

Rarity: 4 Star

The last of the holy trio of 4-star characters that could rival 5 stars, Xingqiu is a great 4-star sub-DPS character and a noble-born into the Feiyun Commerce Guild of Liyue. Like all great characters, he needs some building to be a great character.

Pair him up with Razor for some additional Electro-charged damage, and his elemental burst damage is what you should build on if you want a deeper focus on elemental damage.

19. Albedo

Element: Geo

Weapon: Sword

Rarity: 5 Star

Another character fit for the sub-DPS role with his shield and utility abilities. He has a good shield and his abilities could boost other characters’ DPS and defensive capabilities. His passive abilities allow for better energy recharge and substantial AoE Geo damage to others.

Albedo is a synthetic human and is the Chief Alchemist of Monstadt. He’s one of those characters with limitless knowledge in love with research. To get his full potential, you’ll need to pair him up with some DPS characters for him to assist.

20. Yanfei

Element: Pyro

Weapon: Catalyst

Rarity: 4 Star

The love child of an Adeptus and human, Yanfei is an explosive Genshin Impact character to have on your team. She’s best equipped with a full set of Crimson Witch of Flames and The Lost Prayer To The Sacred Winds as her catalyst. With this build, she’ll do great as a main DPS as it increases her movement speed and deals higher damage.

As usual, pair her up with characters of different elemental abilities to trigger some pretty cool elemental reactions. Her abilities could also deal substantial far ranged damage and AoE Pyro damage.

21. Rosaria

Element: Cryo

Weapon: Polearm

Rarity: 4 Star

For lack of a better description, Rosaria is an emo nun from the Church of Favonius. She’s currently the only Hydro polearm character in the game and she moves quickly. Her abilities allow her to transport herself behind enemies and end them.

She’s like a wraith and is a great spy for the Church. You could either build her to be a DPS or a Support, depending on your team’s needs. She can deal pretty high elemental damage and her attacks are quick.

22. Fischl

Element: Electro

Weapon: Bow

Rarity: 4 Star

Fischl is the oddball of the Genshin Impact world, and she has a pet raven named Oz that accompanies her everywhere. With her electrical prowess, she would make a strong Electro DPS character. Equipping her with the Skyward Harp and the Thundering Fury artifact set would be a great build for her as a DPS.

Her abilities are mostly related to her raven Oz as she can take his form and summon Oz to deal some damage to her enemies. Her passive allows for shorter expedition times in Monstadt as well, so you can get more rewards at a shorter time.

23. Thoma

Element: Pyro

Weapon: Polearm

Rarity: 4 Star

Thoma is the faithful housekeeper of the Kamisato Clan and is one of the newer characters in the game. He’s a polearm Pyro character, which is in itself a pretty rare sight. He can easily be built as a sub-DPS or Support for your team.

He can deal AoE Pyro damage and even pull up a barrier of flame to surround him and protect him from enemies while inflicting damage onto them. His passive helps you get extra fish while fishing in Inazuma, which is always a plus point if you’re in need of food to boost your stats.

24. Aloy

Element: Cryo

Weapon: Bow

Rarity: 5 Star

Aloy is a free character that came from the first Genshin Impact collaboration with Horizon Zero Dawn. If you were playing on the PlayStation console, you would have received her designated bow along with her character for free.

She’s a pretty cool character and is quite powerful on her own. To no surprise, she wields a bow and is in control of the Cryo ability. She can deal instant damage with her burst and elemental skill. A great alternative for Ganyu, but not as powerful as her of course.

25. Sangonomiya Kokomi

Element: Hydro

Weapon: Catalyst

Rarity: 5 Star

The first and only Archon-like character that could be classified as a Support character. We call her Archon-like because she’s the ruler of an island, but is not an Archon. Kokomi is a healer that most people were disappointed to find out at first as everyone expected another DPS as a ruler of the island.

However, Kokomi proves to be a really great healer and one that is a good pick for those in need of one. She can deal high damage, and take on different roles, but it would be best if you just build her as a Support for your team. The Everlasting Moonglow is her character’s designated weapon, so make sure to go with that!

26. Yoimiya

Element: Pyro

Weapon: Bow

Rarity: 5 Star

A lot of people expected Yoimiya to be a Pyro version of Ganyu, but well, she falls short of those expectations. She’s still a reasonably good DPS though. She has abilities that grant her fast and hard-hitting attacks. Yoimiya is a relatively simple and easy character to master, everything about her is straightforward.

So far, she’s best suited as a DPS. Just equip her with a full set of Shimenawa’s Reminiscence or Crimson Witch of Flames and she’ll work wonders with the extra pyro damage boost. Damage from elemental reactions like Overloaded, Vaporize and more would be increased as well.

27. Gorou

Element: Geo

Weapon: Bow

Rarity: 4 Star

The recently added dog boy has the potential to be a strong Genshin Impact character, but bow characters are generally a pain to use. He’s a loyal supporter of Kokomi and the Watatsumi Resistance. He’s great in the Support role, especially for Geo characters.

Mainly because he has the ability to increase the critical damage inflicted by Geo, with some healing abilities as well. The cool thing is, he has interruption resistance, so he can deal substantial damage and no one can stop him. If you’re building an all-Geo team, he’s a must-have addition.

28. Kujou Sara

Element: Electro

Weapon: Bow

Rarity: 4 Star

Leader of the Tenryou Commission with sworn allegiance to the Raiden. She is a Tengu special to Inazuma and is good support for your team. She can also provide energy recharge abilities for your team, but nothing compared to Raiden.

She can only support with energy recharge and certain attack buffs, so in this sense, she doesn’t really contribute much to the team unless you’re truly in need of a battery or energy support.

The characters you’ll most likely get through wishing that needs a little more building and push to be strong, but you’ll most probably switch out once you’ve gotten stronger characters.

29. Traveler (Electro)

Element: Electro

Weapon: Sword

Rarity: 4 Star

You’ll be able to access your Electro powers once you get to the Inazuma region, and it is arguably the most powerful ability your Traveler has for the time being. Comparing it to the Geo and Anemo abilities, the Electro ability brings more damage and power to the Traveler.

30. Sayu

Element: Anemo

Weapon: Claymore

Rarity: 4 Star

Sayu, a sleepy-looking girl in a Tanuki hoodie that throws out a huge Muji Muji Daruma as part of her ability. She’s adorable, but she’s only good as the support that heals. If you’re in need of a healer in your team, Sayu would be a standard choice.

She can deal damage and heal at the same time with her abilities, so you can pair her with some powerful DPS or sub-DPS characters in order to help them along and heal them as you go.

31. Xiangling

Element: Pyro

Weapon: Polearm

Rarity: 4 Star

This Liyue chef can be obtained for free as long as you complete Floor 3 Chamber 3 of the permanent Spiral Abyss Event in the game. She has a wide range of attacks with her polearm and her elemental bursts can be repeatedly spammed. Her attacks are usually quick and her bear companion Gouba can help her relieve some of the pressure.

Her main issue lies with Gouba though, as his Pyro attacks don’t really deal much damage and can be quite difficult to manage or plan through. Her elemental burst costs a lot as well, so even if it can be spammed, you’ll find yourself unlikely to do so unless you have an energy support character along with you.

32. Barbara

Element: Hydro

Weapon: Catalyst

Rarity: 4 Star

The singing idol deaconess of Monstadt. Barbara is mainly a healer, and she can bring some strong heals to the table. But her damage is pretty much next to nothing, which is a shame. The only thing she’s good at is healing.

Her damage output and her HP easily take a hit, and everything about her is dedicated to only healing. On the plus side, if you’ve managed to unlock her C6, she’ll be able to revive a fallen Genshin Impact character.

33. Sucrose

Element: Anemo

Weapon: Catalyst

Rarity: 4 Star

Albedo’s assistant, Sucrose is pretty good at crowd control and boosting the whole team’s elemental mastery. Her elemental skill has multiple charges, so she can use them multiple times consecutively. She’ll do well as a supporting character, for sure.

However, her full potential can only be unlocked once you’ve reached C4 of her constellations, which takes a while if you’re playing for free with no certainty in sight. Her Swirl doesn’t react to other elements, so she can’t trigger elemental reactions and her burst does cost a lot to cast.

34. Chongyun

Element: Cryo

Weapon: Claymore

Rarity: 4 Star

A boy exorcist, Chongyun has the potential to be a great sub-DPS character. His normal attacks can deal Cryo damage and when equipped with the Blizzard Strayer artifact, Chongyun can deal extra Cryo damage to his enemies.

His elemental abilities don’t cost too much and he has skills that would allow him to walk on water (not as good as Ayaka, but for a common 4 star, it’s impressive). The downside to his character is that he only relies on his elemental abilities for damage and his attacks are generally pretty slow.

35. Xinyan

Element: Pyro

Weapon: Claymore

Rarity: 4 Star

A true catty rockstar, Xinyan explodes with life and her love for music. She’s great at providing shields and a physical damage boost to her teammates. This makes her a pretty decent support character if you’re in need of one.

But she doesn’t have any further perks or anything special about her. And in order to maximize her skill’s Pyro damage, she would need to hit multiple enemies. If you’re up against only one enemy, her damage is not as substantial and it will seem like a waste of potential.

36. Diona

Element: Cryo

Weapon: Bow

Rarity: 4 Star

Here’s a unique cat humanoid girl, and she’s a bartender to boot! Diona can create Cryo shields and add to her teammate’s HP as she heals them. She also has a passive that allows you to get more bonus food when you’re cooking restorative recipes.

The main issue, as with all healers, Diona has low damage output, HP, and defense. She can put out big heals, but she needs someone to protect her in turn or deal damage to the surrounding enemies. Although her elemental burst could allow for a ton of Cryo elemental reactions, it’s pointless since her damage is pretty low.

37. Qiqi

Element: Cryo

Weapon: Sword

Rarity: 5 Star

Another character dedicated solely to heals, Qiqi can’t do anything but heal. Her healing abilities are powerful though, but it would be great if she could do more. Another downside to her character is that she takes a while to climb over mountains and traverse long journeys due to her small stature.

Qiqi’s Cryo damage is pretty standard, but her skills have long cooldowns and she can’t generate her own energy either. She’s literally considered the worst 5-star character in the game, which is a shame.

38. Kaeya

Element: Cryo

Weapon: Sword

Rarity: 4 Star

One of the free Genshin Impact characters you’ll get at the beginning of the game, Kaeya is the Cavalry Captain of the Knights of Favonius, and a mischievous one. He makes a great starter DPS when compared to your Traveler as well. His skills have short cooldowns and his damage multipliers are pretty decent.

His elemental burst would still continue even if you’ve swapped your characters. His downside is that his constellations are hard to get, so it’s hard to level him up further and his skills have a small area of effect.

These are usually your starter or free characters, but if you build them, level them up to the fullest, and unlock all their constellations, they have a chance at making it to the A-Tier.

39. Noelle

Element: Geo

Weapon: Claymore

Rarity: 4 Stars

Noelle is a starter character that you are guaranteed to get from the beginning, and she can be pretty powerful once maxed out. But as always, there are better characters out there. Out of all the free characters though, she’s the best to have around.

Her claymore packs a punch and she’s a great defense character. Her elemental skills allow for HP recovery for all of her team members. Her main downfall is that you would need to fully unlock her constellations in order for her to be a great character in your team.

40. Beidou

Element: Electro

Weapon: Claymore

Rarity: 4 Star

This pirate queen is a good DPS choice, but she needs a lot of skill and cost to be great. If you’re able to perfectly counter your enemies with her ability, she deals extra Electro damage, and she can provide off-field Electro through her burst.

But alas, she needs to reach C4 to be able to inflict higher damage while taking damage. Her elemental burst costs a lot as well and her skills require perfect timing or it won’t deal much damage.

41. Traveler (Geo)

Element: Geo

The only great thing about the Geo version of the Traveler that you’ll obtain in Liyue is the Geo formations you get to conjure up. It helps you reach high places and gives you the higher ground for better plunging attacks in battle. You can also block damage from enemies, but in turn, there’s a chance you’ll block your teammates as well if you’re in co-op.

42. Traveler (Anemo)

Element: Anemo

The Anemo Traveler is probably the weakest character but does teach you a lot about the Anemo powers and swirl effects. Anemo is a great tutorial element that sets you up for the rest of the game. But that’s it. It is only powerful for a short amount of time, and as you get further you’ll find yourself getting frustrated during battles.

43. Lisa

Element: Electro

Weapon: Catalyst

Rarity: 4 Star

Lisa is one of the starter characters you’ll recruit into your team for free during the quest in Monstadt. She’s an Electro witch with a masoch*stic side to her, and she cares for the library in Monstadt.

Her abilities are pretty weak, but she’ll show you how Electro characters work and all the elemental reactions you could get. She’s basically a starter character that you’ll replace the moment you get a better Electro character.

44. Ningguang

Element: Geo

Weapon: Catalyst

Rarity: 4 Stars

It is a disappointing truth, but ever since the Geo element got nerfed a couple of updates back, Ningguang doesn’t bring much to the table anymore. Sure, she has a big shield that you can shoot through, but that’s… it.

Her abilities are flashy, just like her character but everything just comes off as disappointing. Mainly because she was portrayed as a powerful character in the game’s storyline and quests, but is now reduced to this sad flashy character instead.

She’s the weakest of the lot, even after building her up and leveling out to the max. We all know who it is:

45. Amber

Element: Pyro

Weapon: Bow

Rarity: 4 Star

Amber’s a free character and literally the first character that you’ll come across in the game. It’s been universally agreed that her character doesn’t bring much to the table from the beginning. She’s great as a tutorial character, or if you have not gotten any Pyro or bow characters just yet, but that’s it.

Her attacks are weak, even her exploding chibi bomb. She’s a placeholder at best, but at least she has a cheerful personality to make up for her lack of skills.

The End!

We’re excited for more Genshin Impact characters to come and to see how the game’s developers would choose to expand the storyline of the ongoing world of Teyvat. We’re also excited to meet a Dendro character in the future as well! That’s the only element missing from the entire roster for now.

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