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Genshin Impact Tier List (Best Characters)

Character Notes & Explanations

Updated tier rankings and character notes from SS to D. Find role-specific advice, constellation tips, and recommended weapons and artifacts.

Tier SS

Zibai
Geo
C0
Lightbearing Moonshard
Night of the Sky's Unveiling
・Lunar-Crystallize DPS that deals a mix of sustained and frontloaded damage with her empowered Elemental Skill, along with an ease of use that lets her clear most endgame content quickly.
・Restricted to Geo and Hydro teammates.
Mavuika
Pyro
C0
A Thousand Blazing Suns
Obsidian Codex
・Absurdly high-scalings from her burst damage that can flex as either on-field, off-field or quick-swap.
・Strong in both Vaporize and Melt, which are the best reactions for damage as a Pyro character.
・Exploration ability combines most of the Natlan characters' strengths all in one character.
Nefer
Dendro
C0
Reliquary of Truth
Night of the Sky's Unveiling
・Lunar-Bloom DPS that interacts with Bloom in a unique way, providing a consistent way to operate in Lunar-Bloom teams without dedicated Bloom triggers.
・When placed in a team that can activate Ascendant Gleam, gains access to Seeds of Deceit, which are specialized cores that increase Nefer's damage when consumed.
・Her current best teams are locked to Lunar-Bloom teammates like Lauma and Aino. This may be subject to change in the future, but is quite restrictive as of right now.
Flins
Electro
C0
Bloodsoaked Ruins
Night of the Sky's Unveiling
・Lunar-Charged on-field DPS who only requires a Hydro to function at his base, in which Aino is the free-to-play option.
・Burst-reliant DPS but it's mitigated by his low Special Burst cost, although he's also reliant on another Electro off-fielder for Energy for his optimal rotation.
・Not much choices in supports as he's locked to Lunar-Charged units, and Nod-Krai supports are still confined to a handful of characters, but future potential might change his course.
Varka
Anemo
C0
Gest of the Mighty Wolf
A Day Carved From Rising Winds
・Elemental Skill-based DPS that wields both Anemo and another PHEC element at the same time, allowing him to cleave through opponents in Mono-Element teams.
・Contributes to Hexerei teams, meaning his damage with Hexerei allies increases greatly.
Sandrone
Cryo
C0
A Teaspoon of Transcendence
Disenchantment in Deep Shadow
・Enables the Stellar-Conduct reaction for the team, as well as being a notable DPS unit due to the innately high powerscale potential of both Sandrone and the reaction she introduces.
・Notably synergizes with old characters that were touched up with the introduction of Stellar-Conduct.
Skirk
Cryo
C0
Azurelight
Finale of the Deep Galleries
・Dual Ranking of SS-tier with Escoffier, and S-tier without. Reliant to Escoffier to deal the damage required for a character released in 5.X.
・Extremely strong on her best teams in Freeze, but not without.
・Very fluid combat and easy-to-use controls, strong in the overworld while also having an Exploration quirk.

Tier S

Varesa
Electro
C0
Vivid Notions
Long Night's Oath
・Plunge Attacker who has high base DMG to compensate the fact that she cannot do amplifying reactions unlike Gaming, but still stronger enough especially as she doesn't need that much investment with support of buffers who are relatively easy to access like Iansan or Chevreuse.
・Easy-to-use and smoother than most Plunge Attackers, which means her base potential is easily reached by any casual players.
Kinich
Dendro
C0
Fang of the Mountain King
Obsidian Codex
・Specializes in Burning or Burgeon teams, and excels on single-target situations.
・Extremely mobile playstyle and grappling hook is great for exploration, although it can be a struggle to use in combat on uneven surfaces.
・If Kinich is not on Burning or Burgeon teams, he gains Nightsoul points slower, which means you won't have enough Scalespiker Cannon to use.
Arlecchino
Pyro
C0
Crimson Moon's Semblance
Fragment of Harmonic Whimsy
・High raw Pyro damage even in non-Vaporize situations or Overloaded teams with Chevreuse.
・Normal Attacks are swift, have a wide AoE, while also having good damage to boot and simple to activate once you learn her rotations, which makes her viable in single target, AoE, and overworld content.
・Extremely high risk gameplay may be off-putting for some early-game players.
Mualani
Hydro
C0
Surf's Up
Obsidian Codex
・Frontloaded damage which is good on both single target and AoE, but will need proper setup.
・Playstyle performs best in Vaporize, with extremely good exploration abilities.
・Sharky's Bite can miss.
Lohen
Cryo
C0
Disaster and Remorse
A Day Carved From Rising Winds
・Excellent driver for Cryo-based teams, most notably Melt teams.
・Has notable synergy with Sub-DPS characters and prefers it, and therefore has more general lenience in teambuilding, although his Best-in-Slots are still limited 5-stars.
Venti
Anemo
C0
The Daybreak Chronicles
A Day Carved From Rising Winds
・On Hexerei teams, Venti becomes an on-fielder powerhouse for Pure Anemo DMG mixed with Swirl.
Klee
Pyro
C0
Lost Prayer to the Sacred Winds
A Day Carved From Rising Winds
・Attacks primarily with Normal and Charged Attacks, cleaning up swaths of foes.
・Her clunky playstyle isn't for everyone and requires min-maxing her rotations to play optimally.
Neuvillette
Hydro
C0
Tome of the Eternal Flow
Marechaussee Hunter
・Outstanding and constant damage on his Charged Attack damage.
・Self-sufficiency lets him be a one-man army.
・C1 constellation removes his major weaknesses.
Chasca
Anemo
C0
Astral Vulture's Crimson Plumage
Obsidian Codex
・Specializes in Rainbow teams where she can convert her damage into other elements that is Pyro, Hydro, Electro, or Cryo, making her versatile in team-building.
・Flying is extremely useful in overworld exploration especially in Natlan.
・Bullets in AoE situations are split between enemies, essentially making her a single-target damage dealer.

Tier A

Cyno
Electro
C0
Staff of the Scarlet Sands
Gilded Dreams
・Decent Electro hypercarry for Dendro reactions such as Aggravate and Hyperbloom.
・Requires his high-energy Elemental Burst to deal damage, and switching out ends it.
・Poor resistance to interruptions, which affects his recommended tempo for his rotations.
Wriothesley
Cryo
C1
Cashflow Supervision
Marechaussee Hunter
・Good single-target focused Main DPS who specializes in triggering melt or freeze reactions in close-combat.
・Kit is incomplete without his C1. This constellation also fixes his anti-synergy with certain healers.
・Struggles against spread-out packs of mobs.
Clorinde
Electro
C0
Absolution
Fragment of Harmonic Whimsy
・Flexible team-building and snappy playstyle with reliable self-healing in the Overworld.
・Personal damage dependent on the team you are building.
・No resistance to interruption at C0.
Gaming
Pyro
C6
Serpent Spine
Marechaussee Hunter
・Overperforming as a 4-star character at C6 with high plunging damage with his best teams.
・Reliant on his Elemental Burst to be used off-cooldown to deal damage.
Razor
Electro
C6
A Thousand Blazing Suns
A Day Carved From Rising Winds
・Elemental Burst enables consistent Superconduct coverage with his mix of Electro and Physical damage.
・On Hexerei teams, becomes one of the best Electro DMG dealers especially in Overloaded teams at C6.
Navia
Geo
C0
Verdict
Nighttime Whispers in the Echoing Woods
・High frontloaded Elemental Skill damage that can instantly one-shot medium level opponents and chunk bosses per rotation.
・Her team allows high flexibility because she's not constricted by mono-Geo.
・Frontloaded damage has downsides when looking at damage over time.
Alhaitham
Dendro
C0
Light of Foliar Incision
Gilded Dreams
・Dendro application is superb to set up and trigger powerful reactions like Hyperbloom, Burgeon, and Spread.
・Good AoE coverage and overall team damage is top-tier. He also requires minimal investment.
Kamisato Ayaka
Cryo
C0
Mistsplitter Reforged
Blizzard Strayer
・Infuses Cryo element in Normal and Charged Attacks after sprinting, which makes her infusion near-permanent.
・Elemental Burst has high scaling and its damage potential is her defining trait. With her best supports, she can rival the top-tier DPS, but needs high investment.
Lyney
Pyro
C0
The First Great Magic
Marechaussee Hunter
・Passive talent greatly compensates the lack of Elemental Reactions in a Mono-Pyro team.
・High damage on both single target and AoE.
・Susceptible to interruptions.
Hu Tao
Pyro
C1
Staff of Homa
Crimson Witch of Flames
・Deals large amounts of single-target Pyro DMG with her Elemental Skill and Charged Attacks.
・Elemental Skill infused Normal and Charged Attacks with Pyro and increase damage at the cost of sacrificing some of her HP.
・C1 lets you spam Charged Attacks without consuming Stamina.
Xiao
Anemo
C0
Primordial Jade Winged-Spear
Vermillion Hereafter
・Elemental Burst increases overall DPS at the cost of his HP.
・Normal Attacks and Elemental Skill set up high DMG combos.
・Requires supports for offensive and healing to perform optimally.
Raiden Shogun
Electro
C2
Engulfing Lightning
Emblem of Severed Fate
・Burst enables her to be on-field, which also deals obscene amounts of damage within 7 seconds.
・DEF ignore is an extremely powerful buff from her C2, which makes her a top-tier DPS that can obliterate her enemies within seconds.

Tier B

Tartaglia
Hydro
C0
Polar Star
Nymph's Dream
・Riptide applies strong Hydro application especially against multiple opponents.
・Currently the best driver for Vaporize.
Wanderer
Anemo
C0
Tulaytullah's Remembrance
Desert Pavilion Chronicle
・Normal Attacks have a wide AoE and can home in on enemies.
・Requires proper dedicated supports to perform well at low constellations.
・Elemental Skill allows him to float mid-air, making exploration easy.
Yoimiya
Pyro
C0
Thundering Pulse
Shimenawa's Reminiscence
・Elemental Skill infuses Normal Attacks with Pyro, which has a high base scaling.
・Supports that can improve her resistance to interruption and ATK SPD are needed to improve her overall performance.
Diluc
Pyro
C0
Beacon of the Reed Sea
Crimson Witch of Flames
・Weaves Normal Attacks and Elemental Skill together as his combat mechanic, which enables him to use the best supports like Xingqiu for Vaporize.
・Low energy cost for his Elemental Burst, which also covers a wide range. However, this burst pushes back lighter enemies.
Arataki Itto
Geo
C0
Redhorn Stonethresher
Husk of Opulent Dreams
・High base scaling on his Charged Attacks and Elemental Skill, especially during Burst.
・Requires his high-energy Elemental Burst to start dealing damage, and switching out ends it.
・Requires high investment from his artifacts, weapons, and team comps to deal top-tier damage.
Kamisato Ayato
Hydro
C0
Haran Geppaku Futsu
Echoes of an Offering
・Wide range and continuous damage for his Hydro-infused Normal Attacks after using Elemental Skill.
・Can self-buff with his Normal Attack-increasing Elemental Burst.
・Can act as a driver for Hydro-related Elemental Reactions with his on-field and off-field Hydro application.
Ganyu
Cryo
C0
Hunter's Path
Shimenawa's Reminiscence
・Level 2 Charged Shot is great vs mobs of enemies, with high damage potential with Melt. However, it takes a long time to charge, and she's susceptible to interruptions.
・Elemental Burst, in-combination with ally pull-in effects, can quadratically target and attack enemies in one location.
Tighnari
Dendro
C0
Hunter's Path
Gilded Dreams
・Damage primarily comes from Charged Attacks and Elemental Bursts
・Deals big damage by using the Spread Dendro Elemental Reaction.
・Can distract most enemies with his taunt.
Sethos
Electro
C6
Hunter's Path
Wanderer's Troupe
・Versatile playstyles as he can choose either Charged Attack spamming, or Normal Attack spamming through his Elemental Burst, depending on his current Energy.
・Charged Attack form makes him stationary and susceptible to interruptions.
・Stats is inherintly on the low-side due to him being a 4-star.
Ifa
Anemo
C6
Sunny Morning Sleep-In
Viridescent Venerer
・Comparable to Sucrose and C2 Mizuki as an on-field Swirl Driver but focuses more on Electro-Charged, but he can heal and also use normal attack.
・Tied to a specific character and archetype but otherwise free-to-play friendly.
Yumemizuki Mizuki
Anemo
C2
Sunny Morning Sleep-In
Viridescent Venerer
・On-field Anemo driver for Swirl comps, who also buffs Swirl Damage dealt to opponents and can also sustain characters.
・Some off-field presence albeit limiting due to her Elemental Burst limitations.
・Cannot use her Normal Attacks while on her Elemental Skill.
・Great constellations as a Standard Character.
Dehya
Pyro
C0
Beacon of the Reed Sea
Vourukasha's Glow
・Deals low Elemental Skill and Burst damage without multiple buffs. Needing a lot of Energy to have her Burst back again.
・Requires more constellations to perform optimally.

Tier C

Yumemizuki Mizuki
Anemo
C0
Sunny Morning Sleep-In
Viridescent Venerer
・On-field Anemo driver for Swirl comps, who also buffs Swirl Damage dealt to opponents and can also sustain characters.
・Some off-field presence albeit limiting due to her Elemental Burst limitations.
・Cannot use her Normal Attacks while on her Elemental Skill.
・Great constellations as a Standard Character.
Keqing
Electro
C4
Mistsplitter Reforged
Thundering Fury
・Good with either Aggravate or Physical build. Recent introduction of the element bumped up her performance and became competitive with other Quicken DPS.
Noelle
Geo
C6
Redhorn Stonethresher
Husk of Opulent Dreams
・Balances ATK and DEF stats for great sustain DMG, with her power spike increasing further with her C6.
・Self-sufficient as well with her shields and healing.
Eula
Cryo
C0
Song of Broken Pines
Pale Flame
・Elemental Burst covers a significant amount of Eula's overall DMG to a wide range, especially if the enemy is Superconducted.
・Consuming 2 stacks from Elemental Skill debuffs enemies and raises DPS output.
・If Elemental Burst doesn't hit or crit, the bulk of Eula's damage is lost.
Yanfei
Pyro
C1
Lost Prayer to the Sacred Winds
Crimson Witch of Flames
・Good Pyro Normal and Charged attacks user, but scaling for damage is to be expected for a regular 4-star character like her.
・Stamina consumption is big but made easier with C1.
Shikanoin Heizou
Anemo
C6
Tulaytullah's Remembrance
Viridescent Venerer
・Focuses on Swirl DMG or CRIT to do DPS. Can be used as either a driver for Viridescent Venerer, or as a quick-swap burst damage dealer.
・Elemental Skill can easily deal max DMG easily with Swirls as a Catalyst user, although his other damage sources aren't up to par.
Kaveh
Dendro
C6
Mailed Flower
Flower of Paradise Lost
・Decent Dendro driver for Bloom-specific teams and buffs.
・Low personal DMG.
Dehya
Pyro
C2
Beacon of the Reed Sea
Vourukasha's Glow
・Deals low Elemental Skill and Burst damage without multiple buffs. Needing a lot of Energy to have her Burst back again.
・Requires more constellations to perform optimally.

Tier D

Freminet
Cryo
C6
Song of Broken Pines
Pale Flame
・Can work as both a Cryo DPS and/or a Physical DPS, depending on the preferred playstyle and teamcomps.
・4-Star rarity weights down his stats to compete with other Main DPS.
Ningguang
Geo
C6
Lost Prayer to the Sacred Winds
Nighttime Whispers in the Echoing Woods
・Decent Geo DPS damage with a combination of her Normal and Charged Attacks.
・Requires high investment on her constellations to play optimally.
Dehya
Pyro
C0
Beacon of the Reed Sea
Vourukasha's Glow
・Deals low Elemental Skill and Burst damage without multiple buffs. Needing a lot of Energy to have her Burst back again.
・Requires more constellations to perform optimally.
Xinyan
Pyro
C6
Redhorn Stonethresher
Pale Flame
Bloodstained Chivalry
・Elemental Burst can be used as a nuke damage for Physical Builds.
・Scaling as a a Main DPS, especially with Physical, is split. She will either need to focus on ATK or DEF, which severely impacts her performance.
Aloy
Cryo
C0
Thundering Pulse
Blizzard Strayer
・Can increase own Normal ATK DMG with Elemental Skill, but requires bomblets to be hit by the pellets to gain access to infusion.
・No access to constellations means that her performance is only limited to a point forever.
Noelle
Geo
C1
Redhorn Stonethresher
Husk of Opulent Dreams
・Balances ATK and DEF stats for great sustain DMG, with her power spike increasing further with her C6.
・Self-sufficient as well with her shields and healing.