Genshin Impact’s Dendro element changes the game for Keqing players (2024)

All hail the cat queen. Keqing, one of the most commonly owned 5-star characters in Genshin Impact, finally has a favorable place in the game’s meta. Thanks to the Dendro element, her days as an overlooked Electro 5-star are over… for now.

Many Electro characters besides Keqing can consistently trigger elemental reactions. She just stands out because she’s many players’ first 5-star character and she’s constantly available on the standard banner. Plus, the number of Aggravate reactions she can cause with her Elemental Burst outweigh other low-budget options. Longtime Keqing-havers can see the drastic change in her damage output when Dendro is involved.

In the days before Dendro, the usual Keqing experience went like this: You’d get her after losing a 50/50 on an event banner, or as a 5-star from the standard banner. She could carry you through the 12th floor of the Spiral Abyss, maybe even the entire game if you used her right. But, whenever you saved up enough gems to pull for someone more OP, Keqing became old news. Goodbye cat girl, hello sword boob lady!

“Keqing is the best Electro for any newbie. Fast cooldown. Electro infusion. Traversal. Fast attack. Can use Black Sword. Has invincibility. Kawaii,” Genshin player John Veldad told Polygon. “In terms of damage, she is average. In terms of versatility, she is top-tier.”

Before the latest update, the Genshin Impact community generally treated Keqing like a “beginner DPS” — a character to use until you could get someone better. In a Reddit thread that kicked off by describing her as the “worst 5-star DPS,” players listed their gripes, including the high stamina cost for her skills, her tendency to knock back enemies, her undesirable constellations, and her element: Electro.

Another Genshin player, Lowe Toserero, shared similar thoughts with Polygon about what it was like to play Keqing back in Genshin Impact’s earlier days.

“She is much more viable now compared to when players used her for Overload and Electrocute comp. Now that the Dendro reaction has been added, her lack of DPS is covered by the Dendro reaction,” Toserero said. “I used Keqing around 1.2-1.3 but her Burst multiplier is quite low and her only high-output attack is the charged attack. Now, I’m using her for a longer bit of time.”

Keqing had a difficult time compared to more powerful characters like Raiden Shogun, who excels in multiple team comps thanks to her consistent Electro application, energy particle generation, and buffs. She’s a 5-star Electro character like Keqing, but her Burst scales with the amount of damage her teammates do with their Bursts. Keqing isn’t meant to fill the same niche, though. She’s always been advertised as a Physical DPS or Electro DPS.

Her role as an Electro DPS can now compete with other top picks when she’s paired with Dendro teammates. One Twitter user showcased Keqing’s synergy with Dendro Traveler versus the Magatsu Mitake Narukami no Mikoto boss. When Keqing pops her Burst, the Aggravate damage from combining Electro with Dendro eats at least half of the boss’ remaining health. To be more specific, her teammates and the new Dendro reactions have unofficially “buffed” her.

accept it: keqing is your main now

heads up, 4 thundersoother is technically BiS but i don't have it to showcase in this video

ltnk⬇️ pic.twitter.com/eVC7IW0MuY

— Braxophone, #1 Yoimiya NA (real) (@braxophone) August 26, 2022

“Keqing, Fischl, Dendro MC, Kazuha/Sucrose makes Keqing viable and actually quite strong due to Keqing’s attack speed. Keqing mains winning this patch fr,” said Braxophone, a Genshin Impact content creator, in a post on Twitter. However, he also thinks she needs Fischl to reach her full potential.

“Sure, she’s good on her own with Dendro now, but the reason I say she’s actually busted is because of her Fischl interactions on top of her new regular power level,” he explained in another tweet. Despite those critiques, he generally saw the update as a general “win” for Keqing mains. Also, Keqing isn’t the only 5-star DPS who relies on Elemental Reactions. Many of them do, including Hu Tao, Diluc, and Klee.

As one Twitter user put it in a recent thread about Genshin Impact’s meta: “Keqing needs Dendro the same way Hu Tao needs Hydro. If Hydro... or even if XQ didn’t exist, Hu Tao would be an awful character.” Hu Tao mainly relies on Pyro DMG from her Elemental Skill in combination with Hydro/Vaporize reactions. In this case, Dendro Traveler is Keqing’s Xingqiu.

It’s hard to predict whether Keqing will stay in favor with the rumored 5-star Electro polearm user Cyno over the horizon. When asked about the longevity of her popularity, Keqing main Ralph Marbibi said she probably wouldn’t last for long.

“I think those who understand Dendro and those who like to try other comps would still use her,” said Marbibi, who has mained Keqing since Genshin Impact 1.0, “but to be honest, a lot of people like seeing bigger numbers and I feel like a lot of people would still stick to things like Vaporize comps.”

Genshin Impact’s Dendro element changes the game for Keqing players (2024)

FAQs

Is Dendro Traveler good with Keqing? ›

Keqing performs well with a double Electro team and one Dendro character. The best team in this line-up would be Sangonomiya Kokomi with Yae Miko and Dendro Traveler.

Is Keqing meta after Dendro? ›

Keqing, one of the most commonly owned 5-star characters in Genshin Impact, finally has a favorable place in the game's meta. Thanks to the Dendro element, her days as an overlooked Electro 5-star are over… for now. Many Electro characters besides Keqing can consistently trigger elemental reactions.

Why does Dendro react with electro? ›

What do Dendro elemental reactions do? Dendro reacts with Pyro, Electro, and Hydro in the following ways: Quicken (Dendro + Electro): When Quickened, Electro attacks activate “Aggravate” and do more damage. Further Dendro attacks to a Quickened enemy activate “Spread,” which increases Dendro damage to the enemy.

What is the best combo with Dendro? ›

Cryo+dendro - BEST team for hydro enemies

Dendro is the strongest against hydro, cryo is second but it also adds freeze. Together are best solution to hydro shields and enemies. You can also add electro and you have hyperbloom without hydro unit on a team, LOL.

Does Keqing love the traveler? ›

Keqing is one of the female characters in Genshin Impact who shows her love for Travelers. You may be aware of this when you take a look at some of her voice overs, which show that Keqing has a crush on the Traveler.

Who is Keqing best with? ›

Comp 1: Keqing, Mona, Fischl, Venti

Mona secondary carry will provide a lot more damage to the combo as well as consistency in proccing electro charge. Beidou isn't a great Fischl alternative since Fischl turret gets you a lot of electro energy regen, which pairs super well with Keqing's ascencion rank 4 passive.

Who is the strongest Dendro user? ›

Nahida. At number one, we have Genshin Impact's strongest Dendro character - none other than the Dendro Archon herself, Nahida. Sumeru's Archon wields a Catalyst, and is the best Dendro applicator in the game, as all of her attacks deal Dendro damage.

Who is the strongest Dendro? ›

Her Elemental Burst is an incredibly powerful tool for buffing her and her team's Damage output. It has a massive AoE and an impressive duration, making it one of the best Elemental Bursts in the game. All of these aspects combined make Nahida the best Dendro user in Genshin Impact.

Is Keqing permanent? ›

In news reports, Keqing was not referred to as a Battlesuit, but as a "guest character" or "event-exclusive character", suggesting that no permanent version of her was planned to be obtainable. A Travel companion gained from wishes.

Can you swirl Dendro? ›

Elemental reactions : Dendro x Pyro (already known) = Burning, does continuous pyro damage. Dendro x Anemo (common) = Swirl, swirls dendro and does more dendro damage.

Is Bloom Dendro damage? ›

A great reaction that cause dendro damage. Problem is, it need time to explode.

Is Mona good with Dendro? ›

As a Hydro character and an insane DMG buffer, Mona seems like a perfect fit on paper for Dendro and its many elemental reactions. However, she isn't an ideal fit since her Hydro application is much lower compared to other Hydro characters that are staples of Dendro teams, like Yelan, Kokomi, and Xingqiu.

Do Dendro and Cryo work together? ›

Cryo replaces Dendro when it reacts with Burning, leaving it as a Pyro plus Cryo reaction. In the end, the damage from the reactions together adds up to more damage than the characters can get on their own.

Who is the strongest cryo character in Genshin Impact? ›

Ganyu is the strongest Genshin Impact Cryo user due to her crowd control Elemental Skill and her large AoE Elemental Burst.

Who is the strongest Dendro character Genshin Impact? ›

Nahida. At number one, we have Genshin Impact's strongest Dendro character - none other than the Dendro Archon herself, Nahida. Sumeru's Archon wields a Catalyst, and is the best Dendro applicator in the game, as all of her attacks deal Dendro damage.

Is Dendro Traveler good for DPS? ›

Yes, unlike the Electro and Geo Traveler, the Dendro Traveler's skills are designed to make them a strong elemental DPS character.

What does Dendro Traveler scale with? ›

Another new artifact set, Gilded Dreams, is available from the same domain, Spire of Solitary Enlightenment. Dendro damage and reactions scale off Elemental Mastery, therefore making it the most important stat for Dendro characters like Dendro Traveller.

Does Collei work with Keqing? ›

4 Collei + Kaedehara Kazuha + Keqing + Fischl

This Collei team comp also focuses on the Quicken Elemental Reaction. However, instead of supporting Dendro characters, Collei is here to boost Electro units.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Gov. Deandrea McKenzie

Last Updated:

Views: 6344

Rating: 4.6 / 5 (66 voted)

Reviews: 89% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Gov. Deandrea McKenzie

Birthday: 2001-01-17

Address: Suite 769 2454 Marsha Coves, Debbieton, MS 95002

Phone: +813077629322

Job: Real-Estate Executive

Hobby: Archery, Metal detecting, Kitesurfing, Genealogy, Kitesurfing, Calligraphy, Roller skating

Introduction: My name is Gov. Deandrea McKenzie, I am a spotless, clean, glamorous, sparkling, adventurous, nice, brainy person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.