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Genshin Impact is one of the best gacha games around and for good reason. Its expansive world filled with activities and quests, populated by charming anime characters is enticing for many fans of the genre.
Even if the game catches a bad rap for the obvious BOTW inspirations in gameplay mechanics and design, there are enough changes to the formula that makes Genshin Impact its own unique experience.
Being a Gacha game has its perks too as there is a tonne of loot, weapons, collectibles, and characters with unique skills and playstyles.
With the release of the latest Update 2.4, we figured it’s time to put out the latest Genshin Impact Tier List.
We’re on the search for the best Genshin Impact characters who are capable in all aspects. And to help understand how we’ll be ranking Genshin characters, we’ll first go through our methodology.
Genshin Character Tier List Methodology
Currently, there are 46 playable characters to collect in Genshin Impact with varying elements and weapon types. They’re also categorized by their Star Rarity ⭐ – 4 Star ⭐⭐⭐⭐ or 5 Star ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ but we’ll get into this a little later.
For our Genshin Tier List, we’ll rank characters on a scale of S+ – C Tiers with S+ being the absolute best Genshin characters and C being the weakest/least useful characters in the game.
This doesn’t mean the C-tier characters are utterly unusable, but more on that in a bit.
Before getting to the list, we’ll go over each of the Tiers and what they mean:
S+ Tier
These are the best of the best, the most popular Genshin Impact characters in the meta right now.
They’re the core members of your team and it’s advisable to build around them. This is thanks to a combination of powerful skills, and high base stats at C0 and C6, and are simply the best in their roles.
Using your Wishes for one of these characters is a worthwhile gamble, so we think it’s best to save up your Fate & Primogen for when at least one of these Heroes is featured.
S Tier
Characters on this Tier are still among the best Genshin characters in their respective roles but miss out on overall potential with lower base stats, or lacking in Talents/Constellation.
This doesn’t mean they’re not suitable for challenging combat, it’s just they could be a little better.
Regardless, padding out your team with S-Tier characters is a good idea. Building out a team with an S+-Tier at the core with S-Tier characters supporting is a solid lineup.
A Tier
A-Tier characters on this list are considered the ‘average’ characters but are best at filling in roles when necessary.
A-Tiers will need a little extra attention to craft out team compositions so keep that in mind. You’ll need to accommodate their shortcomings with curated team comps.
In comparison to higher tiers, these won’t be the center of your team, but rather play a support role by bringing in Burst attacks when needed, heals/buffs when necessary, or for Elemental reactions.
They’re not as capable as higher S-Tiers but will outshine most B/C-Tier characters.
B Tier
This Tier is where you’ll see characters who don’t fill their roles as efficiently as higher Tiers. If you have no other options, they’ll play their roles well enough but will probably be replaced by the time you get a higher Tier character.
Their Talents usually aren’t as useful as higher tiers and they also have lower base stats so they’re not ideal for harder enemies in end-game content.
Before you reach that point though, you can use these characters during exploration, for certain Domains and other activities.
C Tier
C-Tier characters are those who aren’t very useful during higher-level combat encounters. They have relatively decent skills, but for the most part, there are plenty of higher Tier characters who can do what they do, but better.
This makes it hard for C-Tiers to be a core part of your team and will be replaced by the time you reach mid-game.
By then, you’ll have a pretty decent roster after using your Wishes so there isn’t much upside when using these characters besides at the start of the playthrough.
Genshin Impact Tier List
S+ Tier
S Tier
A Tier
B Tier
C Tier
- Traveler (Aether/Lumine and all versions – Geo, Electro, Anemo)
- Lisa
- Noelle
- Aloy
- Amber
Main DPS Genshin Characters List
S+ Tier
S Tier
- Eula
- Xiao
- Tartaglia
A Tier
- Diluc
- Klee
- Yoimiya
B Tier
- Razor
- Keqing
- Ningguang
- Yanfei
C Tier
- Noelle
Sub DPS Genshin Characters List
S+ Tier
- Xingqiu
S Tier
- Albedo
- Venti
- Xiangling
A Tier
- Beidou
- Fischl
B Tier
- Kaeya
C Tier
- Traveler (Geo/Anemo)
- Lisa
- Aloy
- Amber
Support Genshin Characters List
S+ Tier
- Bennett
- Kazuha
- Zhongli
- Raiden Shogun
S Tier
A Tier
- Barbara
- Rosaria
- Shenhe
- Gorou
- Kokomi
- Yun Jin
- Sara
B Tier
- Chongyun
- Qiqi
- Sayu
- Thoma
- Xinyan
C Tier
- Traveler (Electro)
The Best 5 Star Characters in Genshin Impact
There are 23 5 Star Characters in Genshin Impact and while most of them are very powerful in their own right, some are just better than others. You’ll find that the most popular Genshin Impact characters are 5 Star ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rarities and Tier highly.
While there are some 4 Star ⭐⭐⭐⭐ characters in the S+ Tier and S Tier, most of them will be 5 Star ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rarity. So if you find a 4 Star in a higher Tier, you can be assured they’re one of the best characters in the game and you should look past the rarity level.
Based on the Tier List, these are going to be the best 5 Star ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ characters in Genshin Impact right now –
However, I’d like to add that most characters in Genshin Impact will be able to get you through most fights.
Proper team compositions matched with an understanding of Elemental attacks are more important than rarity level. Having a high Tier 4 Star ⭐⭐⭐⭐ that fills a role is better than an underperforming 5 Star ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐.
So, don’t be discouraged if you pull a 4 Star ⭐⭐⭐⭐ character when using your Wish because they might still prove useful in certain scenarios.
At the very least, they’ll provide a break from using the same 4 characters all the time.
Another thing you should keep in mind before stuffing a team full of 5 Star characters; pay attention to your team composition.
Even if you have a full team of 5 Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ but they’re all DPS characters, you’re bound to die easily without any support, buffs, or healing. Stack a team full of 5 Star ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ support characters and you won’t be dealing as much damage.
The main takeaway here is this; 5 Star ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rarity isn’t everything. Make teams with good synergy and versatility, even if it means including a 4 Star ⭐⭐⭐⭐ character to fill a role.
And while we’re on the topic, we’re going to finish off by highlighting some great characters in Genshin Impact, discussing their roles, skills, builds, and more!
Genshin Character Tier List Highlights
Ayaka
Kamisato Ayaka is a Sword user with a Cryo Element and currently is one of the best DPS characters in Genshin Impact. She’s very powerful and can tear down enemies with synergetic Talents that focus on dealing as much Cryo damage as possible.
Her Kamisto Art: Senho Talent allows her to infuse Cryo elemental damage after sprinting, which is incredibly useful for both combat encounters and exploration.
She’s one of the few characters that have a special sprint that also freezes water as she runs over it, making exploring much easier.
Before getting into a fight, you should sprint to infuse Cryo, which is boosted by Kanten Senmyou Blessing which restores 10 stamina on hit and deals 18% bonus Cryo damage for 10 seconds.
This lets you deal more damage and recover stamina to stay in the fight longer.
Ayaka’s Elemental Burst Kamisato Art: Soumetsu is also very powerful and deals with multiple Cryo damage instances on hit. It has a pretty wide range which makes it useful for clearing odds and against bigger enemies.
For builds, Ayaka pairs well with the Mistsplitter Reforged which increases Elemental Damage up to 24% and is activated by dealing Normal Attacks with Elemental Damage.
Using her sprint will activate this which makes it a powerful weapon for Ayaka. If you’re missing the weapon, you can also opt for these replacements:
- Amenoma Kageuchi
- Favonious Sword
- Primordial Jade Cutter
For her Artifacts build, focus on the Blizzard Strayer as it increases Cryo Bonus Damage by 15% and increases Crit Rate by 20% when attacking enemies affected by Cryo.
Kazuha
Kaedehara Kazuha is a Sword user with an Ameno Element and is a versatile character that can fit in as a Sub DPS or Support role. While we included Kazuha in the “Support” category in our Genshin Impact Tier List, keep in mind he can fill other roles as well.
Kazuha’s Talents allow him to deal a lot of damage when enemies are affected by other Elementals and also increase the team’s Elemental Mastery.
This is thanks to his Burst Kazuha Slash that deals AoE Anemo Damage and deals additional damage when it comes in contact with other Elements.
Kazuha’s Burst also increases Elemental Mastery by 200 making combo attacks even deadlier.
Holding his Chihayaburu Talent allows you to jump higher which is handy when exploring, or tracking down pesky Oculi. But Chihayaburu also pulls in enemies with the jump, which is handy for grouping enemies for Elemental Bursts and efficient Crowd Control.
For builds, Kazuha can opt for Freedom-Sworn which focuses on synergy with Elemental reactions and buffs your team with +20% Attack and +16% Normal, Charged, and Plunging attacks.
He can also use these weapons as a replacement:
- Primordial Jade Cutter
- Iron Sting
For Artifact Builds, focus on Viridescent Veneer which increases Anemo damage by 15% and Swirl Damage by 60%.
Zhongli
Zhongli aka Morax is a Polearm user with a Geo Element and has one of the best shields that negates most damage when built well. This makes Zhongli one of the best Support characters and is essential to keeping your party alive.
To fully take advantage of his Dominus Lapidis Jade Shield which absorbs 150% Elemental and physical damage, you’ll need to increase Zhongli’s max HP as it scales based on his HP. More HP = More Damage absorption.
By pressing the Dominus Lapidis skill, Zhongli constructs a Stone Stele that deals AoE Geo Damage for 30 seconds. This is a pretty useful skill for dealing Geo damage against a crowd of enemies.
As a side bonus, you can climb the Stone for use in exploration and can use it to block off attacks/take cover.
His Burst, Planet Befall hurls a literal meteor onto enemies dealing massive Geo Damage AoE and applies Petrification.
This turns enemies to stone, which is useful if you need a breather to deal combo damage, crowd control, or heal/wait for cooldowns.
To properly build Zhongli, you should equip him with the Staff of Homa which increases HP by 20%, and provides an Attack bonus (0.8%) based on Max HP.
This is ideal for Zhongli as he needs to increase his HP as much as possible for his Talents.
For Artifacts, you can opt for Tenacity of the Millelith which increases HP by +20% Attack and Shield Strength by +30%.
Xiangling
Xiangling, surprisingly, is a 4 Star ⭐⭐⭐⭐ character in Genshin Impact but ranked highly in the Genshin Impact Tier List as an S-Tier character.
This makes her one of the best Sub-DPS characters and is also regarded as having one of the fastest Normal attacks in the game.
Xiangling is a Polearm user and comes with a Pyro Element which is best paired with other Pyro users to optimize damage dealing.
She has a Constellation which allows her to reduce enemy Pyro resistance by 15% for 6 seconds which is handy for continuous bursts of damage.
Her Skill Talents include Guoba Attack which summons a cute Panda that deals continuous AoE Pyro damage.
But the best part about Xiangling is her Elemental Burst Pyronado which forms a “Pyronado” around her/party members and deals continuous Pyro damage.
This is a useful skill for clearing mobs and for chaining Elemental reactions for better combos.
For Xiangling’s Weapon, you can use Engulfing Lightning which increases Attack by 28% of Energy Recharge. Alternate weapons include:
- The Catch
- Staff of Homa
- Dragon’s Bane
For her Artifact build, focus on increasing Energy Recharge (ER) with Emblem of Severed Fate. This increases ER by +20% and increases Elemental Burst damage by 25% of ER.
Bennett
Bennett is another 4 Star ⭐⭐⭐⭐ character which Tiered at the top spot, the S+-Tier.
He’s one of the best support characters in the game and is suited for providing buffs and heals with his Talents. Bennet is a Sword user with a Pyro Element and excels thanks to his great Talents, particularly his Burst, Fantastic Voyage.
When Fantastic Voyage is activated, he leaps to the enemy and deals Pyro damage, and creates an Inspiration Field. Inspiration Field will firstly heal characters in the circle with equal to or below 70% by continuously regenerating.
It also gives characters an attack bonus if their health is higher than 70%. Finally, his Burst also infuses Pyro.
This means it’s a pretty solid skill for buffing/heals at the same time and is pretty OP in my opinion. His ER is also fairly quick which makes him well-suited for spamming skills.
For his weapon build, we’d recommend Bennet equip the Skyward Blade which increases ER, Crit Rate by 4%, Movement & Attack Speed by 10%, and increases the damage for Normal and Charged attacks by 20% for 12 seconds.
Alternate weapons include:
- Aquila Favonia
- Festering Desire
- The Alley Flash
For his Artifacts build, you can opt for Noblesse Oblige which increases Elemental Burst damage by +20% and increases party member attacks by 20% for 12 seconds after using an Elemental Burst.
And with that, we’ve reached the end of our Genshin Impact Tier List and hope you’ve found a new character or two to play with. Most characters will hold their own in a fight, but some characters are just better at it.
Go through our Tier List and find the ones that suit your playstyle. Happy hunting!
