Genshin Impact Tier List

This Genshin Impact tier list should provide help if you’re struggling to pick characters for your party, or don’t know which characters you should prioritise for wishes. In Genshin Impact, characters are as much a core mechanic as any other combat system. Having the best possible party equipped can mean the difference between success and failure in Teyvat. This tier list is a guide, however, not instruction, so if you see a character you love lower in the ranks, don’t dismay! The beauty of Genshin Impact is that you can play it however you like. With that in mind, here is our list of all the Genshin Impact characters ranked.

• Each character in Genshin Impact has an affinity for one of the elements, to understand Genshin Impact elements, and how their status effects impact combat, read our guide.

Genshin Impact Tier List: S Tier Characters

Across Genshin Impact forums, these characters are mostly regarded as the best in the game, they are as follows:

Raiden Shogun

Raiden was first introduced to Genshin Impact through the ‘Reign of Serenity’ Character Wish event. An Electro character, she is the vessel for the Electro Archon, Beelzebul of Inazuma. What makes Raiden so powerful is her ability ‘Eye of Stormy Judgment’ which releases an Electro AOE to enemies during a simultaneous Electro blast from Raiden. This attack move does not have to be coordinated by the player; it will just take a 20% decrease to damage if this is the case.

Her normal combat moves are a chain of five spear lunges, creating a powerful chain attack. She also used the Musou Isshin Talent, which infuses her blade with Electro damage and conducts a charged attack to enemies. Her other Talent is called Chakra Desiderata, in which she can benefit from the accumulated energy of party members’ Elemental Bursts, meaning she can create her own much faster than other characters.

Kaedehara Kazuha

Kazuha is an Anemo character who was introduced into the game as the five-star character available with the ‘Leaves in the Wind’ Character Event Wish. He is a member of the Crux, an armed fleet docked outside of Liyue, captained by Beidou. Kazuha has multiple combat attacks one of which is a plunge attack that can be combined with his Anemo abilities to create a hybrid attack.

His Elemental Absorption Talent takes in elements it comes into contact with and applies that elemental damage at a rate of 200%, stacked onto his Anemo ability. This is a devastating combination of attacks that is highly effective against a group of enemies of differing elemental affinity.

Zhongli

Zhongli is a Geo affinity character, who was introduced in the game through the ‘Gentry of Hermitage’ Character Event Wish. He has a five-star rarity and was originally presented in Genshin Impact as a consultant of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, but later revealed to be much more powerful and hosting a different identity. If his mysterious backstory doesn’t grip you, his mastery of the Geo element will.

He has a multitude of Geo attacks, including Planet Befall which summons a meteor to the ground to deal massive AOE damage. His Jade Shield ability also summons a shield that can block all element types, by a substantial 150%. Opponents will have a 20% decreased resistance to physical and elemental attacks whilst the shield is used to protect characters.

 

Hu Tao

Like Zhongli, Hu Tao belongs to the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, as the 77^th director of the organisation. She specialises in Pyro abilities and was first available in Genshin Impact during the ‘Moment of Bloom’ Character Event Wish, as a five-star character. Hu Tao is one of the more robust characters, as she has various passive abilities that can raise her HP back up. If her HP falls to 50% or below, she has a 33% damage increase to Pyro, and if she hits an enemy at this time whilst her HP is low, she will begin to regenerate it. She can hit an enemy to induce HP regeneration up to five times per conflict, making her a tank-like option for your party.

Bennett

Bennett is a Pyro character with an unfortunate backstory, having been raised in the Mondstadt Adventurers Guild. He has appeared in multiple Character Event Wishes and is a possible drop from the Beginner’s Wish pack and Wanderlust Invocation. Despite his availability and four-star rarity, Bennett is a very useful character to recruit to your party.

He has a repertoire of charged sword attacks that deal different amounts of strikes depending on how long you charge it for. If you charge it for the maximum time required, he will unleash a flurry of three attacks, the last causing a Pyro explosion and launching Bennett and the enemy, without Bennett taking any damage. He's a great character to have in your party because of his ability to create an AOE jumping attack that causes Pyro damage and causes an ‘Inspiration Field’ that can regenerate the character’s health if it falls below 70% of their full HP pool.

Kamisato Ayaka

Ayaka is a five-star Cryo character, one of two siblings belonging to the Kamisato Clan available to recruit to your party. The Kamisato Clan is a prominent wealthy family in Inazuma, led by Ayaka’s elder brother Ayato (also available to recruit). They own the Komore Teahouse, the secret Shuumatsuban ninja organisation tasked with keeping Inazuma safe and are in charge of the Yashiro Commission which manages shrines, festivals and cultural events.

Ayaka was first promoted during the ‘Heron’s Court’ Event Wish, with the passive 10% chance to receive a duplicated weapon material when crafted. Her Alternate Sprint ability is one of her most powerful, with this she uses stamina to cloak herself from enemies, to then appear next to them dealing a Cryo AOE and applying a Cryo status effect to her blade for a time. This gives multiple benefits in one ability, making her a powerful character when combined with her ‘Frostflake Seki no To’ summon. This summons a snowstorm of that travels towards enemies, dealing a Cryo AOE which then explodes.

Ganyu

Ganyu is a Cryo half-Qilin Adeptus. Qilin are powerful magical beasts that often serve the Geo Archon Morax, in Ganyu’s case she serves the Archon in a pact to protect Liyue. Adepti are a group of such people that follow the same principle. Ganyu was first introduced in Genshin Impact as a five-star drop from the ‘Adrift in the Harbour’ Character Event Wish.

Her half-Qilin form already gives her prowess in combat abilities, of which she can perform six consecutive attacks with her bow as her normal attack and can fire an arrow with added Cryo damage when charged. Of her Talents, Celestial Shower has the power to rain ice down from above, in a Cryo AOE that deals damage to enemies and also gives a 20% Cryo attack boost to other party members.

Venti

Venti is introduced early in the main plotline of Genshin Impact as a mysterious bard invested in the Stormterror threat. With an affinity to Anemo and a five-star rarity, he was first available to recruit to your party through the ‘Ballad in Goblets’ Character Event Wish. Venti can perform a plunging attack with his bow, which equates to a shower of arrows being fired, with one striking the ground and dealing an AOE upon impact.

Of his Talents, the Skyward Sonnet is a powerful option as it summons what is essentially a more powerful version of the Anemo swirl Talent. He can conjure a wind domain to launch multiple enemies into the air, if charged, this ability will allow Venti to ride the air as opponents fall to the ground slowly, leaving them open for follow-up attacks. He can also summon a storm eye that sucks in enemies and leaves them vulnerable, if it comes into contact with other abilities, the storm eye will deal additional elemental damage of that type along with the standard Anemo.

 

• Once you have characters recruited to your party, you’ll have to make sure they’re levelled up. Read our Genshin Impact Talent Books guide for tips on how to do this.

Genshin Impact Tier List: A Tier Characters

Albedo

Albedo is a five-star Geo character with a curious backstory. As the captain of the Knights of Favonius, he is actually a synthetic human created by Rhinedottir also known as ‘Gold’, the famous alchemist linked to the cataclysm that erupted 500 years ago.

Albedo was first available to acquire in Genshin Impact during the Secretum Secretorum Character Event Wish. His special Talent, Tectonic Tide can summon Geo crystals out of the ground in front of him which deal AOE damage, it can also summon seven Fatal Blossoms, which are multiple explosions that stack towards the AOE damage.

Kamisato Ayato

Brother to Ayaka, mentioned in the S-tier category, Ayato is the leader of the Kamisato Clan, a prominent household of Inazuma. He is a Hydro character of a five-star rarity and was first available to collect through the ‘Azure Excursion’ Character Event Wish.

One of his useful Talents creates a watery illusion of himself, attracting attention from enemies before exploding on impact and dealing Hydro AOE damage. He also has a Talent called Samisato Art: Suiyuu which summons Bloomwater Blades from above, to rain down on enemies and inflict Hydro AOE damage.  He can also regenerate stamina if he is not on the combat field and if his stamina drops below 40.

Eula

Eula is a five-star Cryo character and a distant relative of the Lawrence Clan, who was in power in Mondstatdt for a time before Barbatos. She was available to acquire from the ‘Born of the Ocean Swell’ Character Event Wish first. She can summon a Lightfall Sword which follows her around and absorbs power from attacks, to deal additional damage in a bonus attack afterwards. What makes her particularly powerful is her passive resistance to interruption, meaning she can carry out successive attacks without her powers being interrupted by enemies.

Arataki Itto

Arataki Itto is a five-star Geo character, first available through the ‘Oni’s Royale’ Character Event Wish. Arakati is the leader of the Arakai Gang, a lovable but ramshackle group of outcasts that frequently get themselves into trouble with the authorities. Itto will issue the Traveler as an honorary member of the gang throughout the course of your playthrough.

Arataki Itto has a mixture of Geo abilities that compliment his plunge and charged combat attacks. During combat, he can summon Ushi, an Akaushi Bull with a fierce expression who wears a small roof on his back and deals out Geo damage to enemies. Ushi will remain on the battlefield and taunt enemies, drawing their attention away from the party so they can become vulnerable to attack. If Ushi is attacked, Arataki will gain a Superlative Superstrength, which when collected, grants Arataki the ability to perform a series of charged attacks with his weapon, for high slash damage.

Tartaglia

Tartaglia, also known as ‘Childe’, is a five-star Hydro character available to acquire through the ‘Farewell of Snezhnaya’ Character Event Wishes. He is a member of the Eleven Fatui Harbingers, who are officers that have been granted power by Tsaritsa, the Cryo Archon.

They are the military power of the Fatui diplomats of Snezhnaya, a powerful force to be reckoned with. As such, Childe has some powerful combat and Hydro abilities. He can perform six consecutive shots with his bow as a standard attack, and if charged they will be applied with the Riptide effect, dealing Hydro AOE damage to enemies. What makes this effect so powerful is that if the enemy is defeated with a charged shot, the Riptide will burst and apply the same effect on a nearby enemy through a stacking mechanic.

Xiangling

Xiangling is a four-star Pyro character, available with the Spiral Abyss Event, Wanderlust Invocation and as a possible drop in the Beginner’s Wish. She works as a chef at the Wanmin Restaurant in Liyue Harbour and despite her four-star rarity she has a host of powerful combat abilities.

Similar to Arataki, Xiangling can summon an animal during combat, that being her Panda, Guoba who has the power to breathe fire on enemies for sustained Pyro AOE damage. Guoba’s range can be increased by Ascension levels, he may also leave a pepper behind him which when picked up, will increase attack damage by 10%. As a chef, Xiangling receives the passive chance to double the number of cooked items produced by 12%.

Sangonomiya Kokomi

Kokomi is a five-star Hydro character, who first became available to collect in the ‘Drifting Luminescence’ Character Event Wish. She is a Priestess of Watatsumi Island in Inazuma, and a distant relative of the Sangonomiya Clan, a prominent family of Inazuma.

Unlike many in this list, Kokomi is valuable as she has the power to heal party members with her ‘Bake-Kurage’ Talent. This Talent simultaneously heals party members, and deals Hydro AOE damage to enemies nearby. Her other Talent of applying a ‘Ceremonial Garment’ further escalates this, as when performing this ability every attack she deals out will additionally heal party members, making her a good all-rounder in a fight.

Yae Miko

Yae Miko is a five-star Electro character, first available during the ‘Everbloom Violet’ Character Event Wish. Yae Miko is the owner of the Yae Publishing House in Inazuma, which is a prominent business, famous in Teyvat for the novel competitions it holds. Yae Miko is also the chief priestess of the Grand Narukami Shrine, who worship the Electro Archon and oversee the faith in the Inazuma region.

Yae Miko has the Talent to create thunderstorms and inflict huge Electro AOE damage. She also has a 25% chance to get a Talent Material from crafting, the identity and rarity of which will depend on the rarity of the base material initially used.  

• To get a gage on the newest characters added to the Genshin Impact roster, check out our guide to the new 2.7 update.

Genshin Impact Tier List: B Tier Characters

• Shenhe
• Diona
• Mona
• Sucrose
• Xiao
• Beidou
• Diluc
• Fishl
• Gorou
• Jean
• Yanfei
• Yoimaya
• Klee
• Kujou Sara
• Rosaria
• Yun Jin
• Barbara
• Keqing

Genshin Impact Tier List: C Tier Characters

• Kaeya
• Noelle
• Qiqi
• Sayu
• Chongyun
• Ningguang
• Razor
• Thoma
• Xinyan

Genshin Impact Tier List: D Tier Characters

• Amber
• Aloy
• Lisa
• Traveler

• If you want to collect any of the characters featured on this list, check out our guide to all the current Genshin Impact promo codes, for free Primogems to go towards wishing.