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Working out who’s strong or not can be a pain in Genshin Impact. Luckily we have a handy tier list to help you out!
Of course, this list isn’t exhaustive, nor do you have to agree! One of Genshin Impact’s great strengths is the variety of team comps and builds that can make any character viable. That said, here is how we’ve ranked Genshin’s characters… try not to hate us if we snubbed your favourite character!
(This tier list does not have Zhongli and Xinyan included. We need to see them in action for a while before we can rank them properly!)
(Picture: miHoYo)
Team roles
Before we dive into the tier list proper, it’s important to understand how we’re defining the various roles characters in Genshin Impact fulfil. Not everyone is good at every role!
Main DPS/Carry
- Your main damage dealer.
- All about damage uptime and consistent damage.
- The character everyone else sets up to shine in your team!
Example: Diluc
Sub-Carry/ Burst Carry
- Here to bring the boom.
- Generally work by blowing all their high-damage, AoE abilities at once, decimating opponents…
- … but have to wait on cooldowns before they can do so again.
- Big burst damage, lower consistent damage.
Example: Lisa
Enabler
- Your set-up characters.
- Empower other characters to hit harder.
- All about Elemental Reactions and buffs.
Example: Venti
Support
- Healers, shielders and utility wielders!
- Keep the rest of your party functioning either by keeping them alive or controlling enemies.
- Generally low on damage but high on utility.
Example: Barbara
(Picture: miHoYo)
Note: Characters can fulfil multiple roles! Many characters blur the lines between one or more of these categories, either dependent on gear or independent of it.
Jean is a great example, able to perform well in nearly all of those categories.
With that said, here’s our Genshin Impact tier list
Main DPS/Carry
Diluc makes our S Tier for Main DPS. (Picture: miHoYo)
S-Tier:
All of these characters have massive, one-man-army style damage that just doesn’t run out. These are all 5* characters for a reason.
A-Tier:
The next best thing. Many of these characters - particularly Fischl and Nigguang - are arguable for an S Tier rating, especially from Constellation Level 1 and above. Don’t be surprised if you find these characters become your main DPS choices.
B-Tier:
*You really want a lot of constellations on Noelle - if you have C6, she’s a great DPS, otherwise, she’s middling
Good to great carries, hampered by very specific set-ups or a lack of consistency. Beidou, for example, really needs you to be good at using her counter, and Xiangling’s Elemental Skill and Burst can be a little awkward to consistently aim.
If you’re willing to build them right, you’ll have no problem with any of these characters as a DPS choice.
C-Tier:
Generally not recommended, but always a possibility. Xingqiu, Kaeya, Amber and Diona all have builds that can elevate them out of this tier, but require specific setups at the cost of other recommended builds.
Sub-Carry/Burst Carry
Klee makes a great Sub-Carry. (Picture: miHoYo)
S-Tier:
Those who bring the biggest boom. You’ll notice returning faces from the DPS S Tier for a reason, but the newcomers all have brutal burst combos that can wipe out whole hordes of enemies in seconds flat with their Elemental Burst and Skill rotations.
A-Tier:
*You need to be good with Beidou’s counter - you can hit S Tier stats… or be entirely useless!
The next in line - slightly lower numbers or slightly longer windups. Lisa for example does massive AoE damage with her Elemental Skill and Burst, but she really needs to stack up her Shocked status effect to really hit hard with Violet Arc and can be interrupted.
B-Tier:
Good burst choices, but not always the best. Either lacking in great Elemental Reactions (Ningguang, though her burst damage is good) or just lower numbers on immediate burst damage.
C-Tier:
Generally not recommended for their burst potential - either need much longer active windows or are not recommended for their damage.
Enabler
Venti earns a spot on our S-Tier Enablers. (Picture: miHoYo)
S-Tier:
The absolute finest in empowering the rest of your team to take over. Venti’s Wind’s Grand Ode, Fischl’s summoned raven, Oz, Mona’s Steallris Phantasm... all make the rest of your team do more damage and set up powerful and/or multiple Elemental Reactions, even when they’re off the field.
A-Tier:
Excellent choices to empower your allies and set up powerful Elemental Reactions. Every one of these characters has multiple ways to set off Elemental Reactions and offer further buffs and debuffs - Bennet’s Pyro infusion and DMG amp on his Elemental Burst, for example.
B-Tier:
Good enabling options, but lack the added benefits or ease of Elemental Reaction triggers the higher tiers do. Kaeya has an argument to move higher, but his Burst (while persistent) doesn’t offer bonus utility as well.
C-Tier:
- Tartaglia
- Ningguang*
- Beidou
- Razor
- Noelle
- Traveller (Geo)
*May change with Zhongli’s addition, due to Jade Screen’s ability to give a 12% Geo DMG bonus to allies that walk through it
No notable ways of easily setting up allies with Elemental Reactions and buffs. Tartaglia and Beidou can set up reactions for example… but they’re relying on long cooldowns that don’t add much more than damage to the table.
Support
Barbara makes for a great Support in Genshin Impact. (Picture: miHoYo)
S-Tier:
The unquestioned best at their particular support subset (shielding, healing etc.), or very good at a number of supportive qualities (Diona with her heals, shields and enemy slows).
A-Tier:
Great supportive choices, but slightly overshadowed by other options due to harder set-ups or a more diverse character identity. Xingqiu protects and enables his allies well, but offers mediocre healing for example.
B-Tier:
Some notable utility, but generally secondary to other facets of their character. Ningguang’s Jade Screen is perhaps the best of this tier, but even that is often used as another damage source rather than for its defensive qualities.
C-Tier:
No real way to provide shields, heals or battlefield control.
Our Genshin Impact tier list is complete. Hopefully, our methodology makes sense… but feel free to disagree! Tell us why, or better yet, show us! We always love to see new ways that can make characters take over the game.