Genshin Impact characters are highlighted by their special abilities, elemental combinations and differing personalities that flavor these mechanics and the game with its lore. This includes characters like Diluc, a Pyro user who has become renowned as one of the most reliable DPS users in the entire game since day one. Dealing massive area-of-effect Pyro DMG using his Elemental Burst, he can do up to 400% of his ATK as Pyro DMG is a great addition in high-level domains.
Another popular character Venti is a powerful crowd control (CC) character. Venti is the Anemo (Wind) Archon and his Elemental Burst make a vacuum in which it sucks enemy units in, opening them up for elemental reactions like Swirl. The survey by GenshinLab also found that 70% of teams in Spiral Abyss 2.0 included Venti, largely due to his quick grouping up enemies. All this popularity of his stems from him being an All-rounder, crucial in both,exploration as well as combat.
Barbara is considered one of the best support characters for healing. Using her Elemental Skill, Let the Show Begin, Fischl's max HP heals all prtymmmembers which is around 20% of her HP in one go. This ability makes her arguably the best free-to-play healer in the game. With the healing Barbara provides and her attacks Hydro application, she is perfect for any Pyro or Cryo characters to proc Vaporize or Freeze reactions.
Character like Raiden Shogun AKA Baal is one of the best electro element fighter with a descending and also passive rid of energy. Sie wird unmittelbare Schäden verursachen, über 300% ihres Angriffswertes, wenn sie in Kombination mit energiekostenintensiven Teams ihren Elementarsturm auslöst. On top of it, Raiden's passive also boosts the team's energy generation — hence why she is commonly used in high-energy compositions for Abyss challenges as well.
However, the Geo Archon is often associated with this shield that will soak up to 100% full HP-based damage and is invaluable in boss fights for his defense. Players have been sharing that he is able to reach over breakpoints of 50,000 shield strength with some builds and that they won't go into high level gameplay without Zhongli due to his unique role in harder fights such as Azhdaha. Further supplementing his role as a hybrid support and damage dealer is the fact that he can petrify foes with his Elemental Burst.
It is not just about how good a certain design looks and the combat prowess of that character by MiHoYo, as they have to create a design that goes with personality, Lore etc. For example, Ganyu is popular not only because of her strong Cryo skills but also for her lore as the secretary of the Liyue Qixing. Charged shots gain a more than 150% additional Cryo damage, so she will likely continue to be one of the premier DPS options in the game for people who like to stay at range. One of the most popular picks in both high-tier combat and lore debates, Ganyu has a intriguing backstory alongside the main narrative of Liyue.
Or as fans (like myself) often ask: what is it that makes Genshin Impact characters feel so iconic? MiHoYo successfully brings together strong story arcs and solid gameplay. Every character has their own strengths, such as Bennett’s burst healing or Xiangling's off-field Pyro application from her Elemental Burst. This allows for many different team setups due to these skills, keeping the game deeply strategic and each composition highly customizable.
Read More: Genshin Impact Characters: Get Character Merchandise for the Diverse & Evolving Cast, a Deeper Dive