Genshin Impact tier list: Character ranking guide

Genshin Impact Update 2 1 Raiden Shogun Source: miHoYo

Genshin Impact, the latest action RPG from miHoYo, has two dozen characters, along with many more coming soon. As with any gacha game, the best Genshin Impact characters require a fair bit of luck and/or money to add to your team. Characters each have different rarity levels and belong to different tiers. Typically, the higher up the tier they are, the more powerful they are. So, which characters should you be hoping for and investing your resources in leveling up? We're here to help and when you finish, be sure to check out our best Android games for even more mobile fun.

How many playable characters are there?

Source: Android Central

There are over 30 different playable characters in Genshin Impact. A handful are rewards for completing certain portions of the story, including the protagonist, but most are pulled in gacha style wishes. There are a few different types of wishes, both permanent and temporary, and a multitude of ways to earn the currencies to make those wishes. While buying the currency with real money is an option, even if you have a ton of money to sink into this game, you will still need some luck to pull the best characters. Let's just say you have unlimited access to all of the characters in the game. Knowing which are worth investing your time and resources into leveling up is also important.

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Characters are ranked in this guide based on overall utility. While even the low-ranked characters have certain areas where they excel, the higher a rank, the more places you'll be able to really get the most out of these characters. So if you're playing FtP, the S and A rank characters are the ones you should hold out for in your rerolls.

S Rank Characters in Genshin Impact

Source: Android Central

The best of the best, if you are lucky enough to roll one of these characters, hold onto them and invest your resources and time into them. These characters all perform remarkably well in nearly every area of the game.

Name & Rarity	Element	Weapon	About this character
5⭐ Venti	Ameno (Wind)	Bow	Easily one of the best characters in the game, Venti has an Elemental burst capable of absorbing Hydro, Pyro, Cryo, and Electro power, and inflicting that damage on enemies. Venti is extremely versatile.
5⭐ Diluc	Pyro (Fire)	Claymore	The best DPS in the game, Diluc is capable of breaking enemy shields and deflecting all but the largest of enemies' attacks. He has the highest attack and critical attack stats too.
5⭐ Qiqi	Cryo (Frost)	Sword	Qiqi is extremely easy to use individually and with other characters. Her Cryo abilities freeze enemies in place and she's the best healer in the game. Unlike most healer class characters, Qiqi has high attack stats and heals directly in correlation with her attacks.
5⭐ Mona	Hydro (Water)	Catalyst	Mona's high speed and ease in setting up Elemental Reactions make her an excellent addition to any party. She is also capable of dashing across the water and simply becoming water when she dashes. Add this to her taunting elemental skill, and Mona can be quite hard to hit.
5⭐ Xiao	Ameno (Wind)	Polearm	Xiao stands out as the only main DPS Anemo character and he does a pretty great job in the role. His elemental burst sacrifices his own HP to do extensive damage, so pairing him with a healer is your best bet, but you can also use him in short bursts or by very carefully dodging to get the most out of his limited window.
5⭐ Klee	Pyro (Fire)	Catalyst	An expert in incendiaries, Klee has a massive base attack, as well as great AoE potential. Just be careful with those bombs or you will find yourself surrounded by flames.
5⭐ Zhongli	Geo (Earth)	Polearm	Capable of filling both sub DPS and support roles, Zhongli got a massive upgrade with the 1.3 update. He can deal a lot of damage, while also providing shields and buffs to other party members and even petrifying enemies.
5⭐ Tartaglia	Hydro (Water)	Bow	Childe of the Eleven Harbingers, Tartaglia has the unique ability to switch between his bow and hydro daggers. As far as Hydro characters go, he is the best main DPS and his melee stance in particular pairs great with Cryo abilities.
5⭐ Ganyu	Cryo (Frost)	Bow	With extremely high base attack power and powerful AoE abilities, Ganyu can constantly freeze enemies and deal loads of damage. She makes for a great main DPS.
5⭐ Hu Tao	Pyro (Fire)	Polearm	Capable of sacrificing her own HP to do massive damage and healing herself, HuTao can be extremely useful on the battlefield with the right build and good timing. She's not the easiest character to use, but definitely worth the resources and time to master.
5⭐ Kaedehara Kazuha	Anemo (Wind)	Claymore	Kazuha is great to use as a sub DPS and works wonders for your Elemental Mastery. His Elemental Burst can cause additional Hydro, Pyro, Cryo, or Electro damage if it comes in contact with them.
4⭐ Bennett	Pyro (Fire)	Sword	Although Bennet has a unique passive skill that reduces Expedition time by 25% and he can heal based on his own HP. However, his attack stat is abysmal. As a support character, he's incredibly useful, but don't try to make him serve DPS.
5⭐ Kamisato Ayaka	Cryo (Frost)	Sword	The princess of the Kamisato house, Ayaka was available during the first closed beta. She does an insane amount of elemental and critical damage, making her a great choice for your main DPS party member.
5⭐ Raiden Shogun	Electro (Lightning)	Polearm	The famed Electro Archon packs quite a punch, though she's best used as a sub DPS to buff your main DPS. This is because her Elemental Skill Transcendence: Baleful Omen grants nearby party members additional Electro damage along with boosted Elemental Burst damage.

A Rank Characters in Genshin Impact

Source: Android Central

While S rank characters are the ideal, A-Rank characters will absolutely get the job done. These characters are versatile and will get you through most of the game with relative ease.

Name & Rarity	Element	Weapon	About this character
5⭐ Jean	Anemo (Wind)	Sword	Jack of all trades, Jean doesn't particularly excel in any one role, but can often make up for an empty slot in your team. She can heal, as well as perform solid crowd control. She also has an added 12% of doubling some of your cooking results.
5⭐ Keqing	Electro (Lighting)	Sword	Capable of dealing a lot of damage with Elemental Reactions, Keqing is easy to use and has high stats all around. Despite being a sword user, she can do both melee and ranged attacks, and she can even teleport across the battlefield with her elemental skill.
4⭐ Xiangling	Pyro (Fire)	Polearm	Xiangling is capable of summoning a fire breathing bear who auto targets enemies. She has an elemental burst that surrounds her with a swirling Pyronado and her melee attacks are easy to pull off. She also gives a 12% chance of doubling cooking results for attack boosting dishes.
4⭐ Fischl	Electro (Lightning)	Bow	With a Raven summon and the ability to deal ranged damage over a large area, Fischi can be a little tricky to handle but more than makes up for that with the amount of damage she inflicts.
4⭐ Xingqiu	Hydro (Water)	Sword	A great character for beginners, Xingqui is easy to use for close-range attacks, but he has a very small range, requiring a lot of dashing to dodge attacks. He can heal the current character, although he is outclassed by other healers. However, his passive skill gives a chance of regaining materials while crafting, so he's definitely worth keeping around if only for that.
5⭐ Albedo	Geo (Earth)	Sword	A sub DPS character, Albedo is useful for setting up elemental reactions, as well as doing large AoE Geo damage with a very short cool down. His Solar Isotomas can also give other party members a boost. Literally.
4⭐ Diona	Cryo (Frost)	Bow	An actual cat girl, Diona can be useful for support, but doesn't excel in any area in particular. She can heal, create shields, and freeze many enemies at once, but there are definitely better characters for each of those roles.
4⭐ Ningguang	Geo (Earth)	Catalyst	Primarily defensive, Ningguang protects your party from ranged attacks. She can also inflict earth damage, setting up for the Crystalize Elemental Reaction. Where Ningguang is really useful, however, is farming for Ore thanks to her passive skill which reveals ore deposits on the map.
4⭐ Razor	Electro (Lightning)	Claymore	While Razor is solid for close range, melee attacks, he doesn't work well for players who switch often and he has very limited Elemental Reaction potential. However, he is great to have in your party because of his passive ability that cuts stamina lost while sprinting by 20%.
4⭐ Sucrose	Anemo (Wind)	Catalyst	Basically a budget Venti, Sucrose can be great for those who haven't been blessed with the Tone Deaf Bard. As a Catalyst wielder, Sucrose can deal elemental damage with her normal attacks, and most of her attacks hit across a wide range, letting her excel in Time Trials. She also has a chance of regaining materials when crafting.
4⭐ Rosaria	Cryo (Frost)	Polearm	A sister at the Church of Favonius, Rosaria has the unique ability to increase movement speed at night. These fast attacks can be used to your advantage, and her ascension abilities buff critical damage.
5⭐ Eula	Cryo (Frost)	Claymore	Captain of the Reconnaissance Company with the Knights of Favonius, Eula is perfect as a main damage dealer if you haven't been able to aqcuire any others, dealing area of effect and physical damage with her Elemental Skill and Burst.
4⭐ Yanfei	Pyro (Fire)	Catalyst	As the daughter of an Adeptus, Yanfei is quite powerful and excels at being a main damage dealer. Her Elemental Skill and Burst deal large amount of Pyro damage. Additionally, she can cut her stamina consumption through the use of Scarlet Seals, granted upon successful attacks.
4⭐ Kojou Sara	Electro (Lightning)	Bow	Sara works best with other Electro members in your party and is great to pair with the Raiden Shogun. For this reason, she skirts the line between A tier and B tier, but we felt she deserved a higher spot due to her Elemental Skill granting characters within its AoE bonus damage.
5⭐ Yoimiya	Pyro (Fire)	Bow	The owner of Naganohara Fireworks, Yoimiya attacks with a lot of flare. As your main DPS, she can deal a ton of Pyro damage that can pass from a fallen enemy to a nearby one, thanks to her Elemental Burst. When it comes to Pyro Bow users, she is much, much better than Amber.
4⭐ Sayu	Anemo (Wind)	Claymore	Another support character, this tiny ninja can double as a sub DPS or a healer, should you not have a better option in your party. Using her Elemental Skill, she can absorb other elements and deal additional damage of that type.
5⭐ Sangonomiya Kokomi	Hydro (Water)	Catalyst	A Divine Priestess, Kokomi works best as a support character, healing the party through her Elemental Skill. She also can work as a decent sub DPS, much like Sayu. Her normal attacks and Elemental Burst can deliver a significant amount of damage.

B Rank Characters in Genshin Impact

Source: Android Central

Although B rank characters aren't worth getting excited over, they give solid performance across several areas in the game. Your first character, one of the Traveler twins, falls in this rank. You can get through the game with a team of these characters, but you'll have to work harder and switch out more often.

Name & Rarity	Element	Weapon	About this character
4⭐ Barbara	Hydro (Water)	Catalyst	With an abysmal attack stat, Barbara is a much more traditional healer, which makes her good as a support character, but not much else. She can also cover large areas with water, allowing easy setup for Elemental Reactions, but this will work against you against any Cryo enemies.
4⭐ Chongyun	Cryo (Frost)	Claymore	As a Claymore user, Chongyun is slow, but hits hard. He's great for setting up Elemental Reactions, and can use rain or nearby water to freeze enemies. His elemental burst is pretty great and has a very short cool down, allowing him to constantly freeze enemies.
4⭐ Kaeya	Cryo (Frost)	Sword	Kaeya is easy to use in close combat and though his Elemental Skill doesn't do a ton of damage, it recharges fast, allowing you to continually freeze enemies. He can also cross large bodies of water without burning stamina, and his passive talent reduces the stamina used sprinting by 20%.
4⭐ Beidou	Electro (Lightning)	Catalyst	Beidou is slow, like most claymore wielders, but her charged attacks can cancel out enemy attacks. Her biggest strength is the ability to reduce damage while charging her Elemental Skill. She also reduces the stamina burned when swimming by 20%.
4⭐ Xinyan	Pyro (Fire)	Claymore	Although Xinyin has the highest base attack of four star characters, there are better Pyro characters, better Claymore users, and, of course, Diluc. Still, if you didn't luck out pulling Diluc, she can fill the role.
5⭐ Aloy	Cryo (Frost)	Bow	Aloy's a bit of a special character because she was added to Genshin Impact as part of a cross-over with Horizon Forbidden West. She can hit with a decent amount of damage, and with the right party, she can probably be an A-tier character. By herself, We'd say she's just above average.

C Rank Characters in Genshin Impact

Source: Android Central

C Rank characters are, generally speaking, worth re-rolling. There are definitely areas where they shine, but they're a lot more limited, and there are much better characters in each of those areas. However, if you're 100% FtP, characters like Lisa and Noelle are easy to get and will bolster your team.

Name & Rarity	Element	Weapon	About this character
5⭐ Traveler (Anemo)	Anemo (Wind)	Sword	The main character of Genshin Impact, whichever twin you selected at the beginning of the game is capable of changing Elements throughout play. While not the best choice if you've done well in your gacha pulls, the Ameno Traveler is great for beginners. Their melee attacks are easy to pull off, and they're capable of inflicting Wind damage over a large area and with their normal attacks. Their constellation material is also relatively easy to gain without needing gacha luck. Pays to be an outlander!
5⭐ Traveler (Geo)	Geo (Earth)	Sword	When changed to Earth, the Traveler retains its ease for melee use and gains the ability to raise a pillar from the ground. Using this ability in conjunction with your ranged fighters, the Traveler can put an archer up out of range of enemy attacks. They're also good for climbing puzzles.
4⭐ Noelle	Geo (Earth)	Claymore	Noelle is guaranteed in the first draw of the Beginners' Wish pack. Her Elemental Skill puts up a shield to protect your party and grants a chance at healing. She also provides a 12% chance of doubling the results while cooking defense boosting food.
4⭐ Lisa	Electro (Lightning)	Catalyst	Lisa can deal significantly more damage than some of the other welfare characters because of her wide area attacks. If you didn't get lucky in your gacha pulls, you'll want to invest in building her up. Her Catalyst weapon also allows her to deal Elemental damage with normal attacks, and she has a chance of regaining materials from crafting and potions.

D Rank Characters in Genshin Impact

Source: Android Central

There is currently only one D rank character, and she's a freebie. She is the first playable character you meet after selecting your twin and is largely how Genshin Impact teaches you to play multiple characters.

Name & Rarity	Element	Weapon	About this character
4⭐ Amber	Pyro (Fire)	Bow	The very first party member you meet, Amber is definitely at the bottom of the pile. However, in the early game, she complements the Traveler quite well. She can target enemies from far and hit their weak spots, dealing extra damage and even stunning some enemies. She can also be useful for lighting torches. Regardless, Amber is a welfare character, so you can't complain too much, especially if you're FtP.

Coming Soon Characters in Genshin Impact

Like any gacha game, Genshin Impact will continually release new characters to keep things fresh. While some characters were revealed during the closed beta tests, which have yet to be released, others have been teased on Twitter or in the official manga. The following are all the characters we expect to see soon, as well as what we know about them:

Name & Rarity	Element	Weapon	About this character
?⭐ Baizhu	Dendro (Nature)	Unknown	The mysterious owner of Bubu Pharmacy, little is known about Baizhu
?⭐ Lyney	Unknown	Unknown	A young man from Fontaine, Lyney appeared in the Teyvat Storyline Preview.
?⭐ Lynette	Unknown	Unknown	A young woman with cat ears and a tail who appears alongside Lyney in the Teyvat Storyline Preview.
?⭐ Iansan	Pyro (Fire)	Unknown	A very young girl from Natlan, Iansan appeared in the Teyvat Storyline Preview.
?⭐ Cyno	Unknown	Polearm	A young man from Sumeru, Cyno has appeared in the Genshin Impact manga, as well as the Teyvat Storyline Preview.
?⭐ Dainsleif	Unknown	Unknown	A mysterious man from the land of Khaenri'ah, outside of the gaze of Teyvat's seven gods, Daisleif is the narrator of the Teyvat Storyline Preview video posted on Genshin Impact's YouTube channel, as well as an NPC in a handful of quests so far. While he has been confirmed as an upcoming playable character, he isn't coming anytime soon.
?⭐ Yaoyao	Unknown	Unknown	Xingling's former junior disciple and Ganyu's assistant, Yaoyao, is rumored to be an upcoming playable character.
?⭐ Yunjin	Unknown	Unknown	Another speculated future playable character, Yunjin, is a singer, dancer, and brewer at the Heyu Tea House.

Keep in mind, what details we do know could change before release.

Questions about characters in Genshin Impact?

Do you have any questions about the playable characters in Genshin Impact? Did you luck out and pull an S rank on your first wish? Let us know in the comments below, and be sure to check back. As more characters are released, we'll be here to break them down.