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Genshin Impact tier list for the best characters (December 2024)

In the end, you will want every single one of them anyway.

This Genshin Impact tier list for December 2024 during version 5.0 for the best characters will help you to choose your party - from your main DPS, healer, or support.

Even though Genshin Impact makes it possible to complete most challenges without having all the best characters, understanding where a character is placed in relation to others helps you to make important decisions.

Below you'll find our Genshin Impact tier list and who are the best characters for main DPS, healing, and support in the gacha game, as of version 5.1 in November 2024.

On this page:

Genshin Impact tier list for best characters

We have far more details below in each individual tier list that we highly recommend reading before deciding anything on what characters to upgrade, but to give you a general idea of where each character sits during 5.1, we've abbreviated this information in a simple table below.

At a glance, as of December 2024, here's our current Genshin Impact tier list:

Tier Characters
S-tier Alhaitham, Arlecchino, Bennet, Fischl, Furina, Ganyu, Hu Tao, Kazuha, Ayaka, Ayato, Nahida, Neuvillette, Raiden Shogun, Venti, Xiangling, Xilonen, Xingqiu, Yelan, Zhongli
A-tier Arataki Itto, Beidou, Clorinde, Cyno, Diluc, Eula, Jean, Keqing, Kokomi, Lyney, Mona, Mualani, Navia, Nilou, Shenhe, Tartaglia, Tighnari, Wanderer (Scaramouche), Wriothesley, Xianyun, Xiao, Yae Miko, Yaoyao
B-tier Albedo, Baizhu, Barbara, Charlotte, Chiori, Collei, Diona, Emilie, Faruzan, Gaming, Gorou, Heizou, Kachina, Kaveh, Klee, Kujou Sara, Kuki Shinobu, Layla, Lynette, Qiqi, Rosaria, Sucrose, Yanfei
C-tier Candace, Chongyun, Dori, Freminet, Kaeya, Kirara, Mika, Ningguang, Noelle, Razor, Sayu, Sethos, Sigewinne, Thoma, Traveler, Xinyan, Yoimiya, Yun Jin
D-tier Amber, Aloy, Deyha, Lisa

Divided into their tiers, below details information of what we think of every character in Genshin Impact.


Version 5.3 with Mavuika and Citlali is nearly here! In the mean time, during version 5.2 we have Zhongli and Neuvillette. So don't forget to redeem new codes for Primogems to help pull them, and check out our regularly updated tier list. You need luck from the Pity and 50/50 systems to Wish with Fate for characters on Banners, and you always need the right Adventure Rank for events. Elsewhere, we have tips and tricks for beginners.


Genshin Impact S-tier characters listed

The S-tier characters are the best ones in the game due to their efficiency in terms of damage output and utility for the whole party. From Raiden Shogun's Elemental Burst to Ganyu's charged attack, all these characters are best in what they do.

An important factor that all of them share is how good they are to trigger or benefit from elemental reactions.

Here is the Genshin Impact S tier list in alphabetical order of the best characters as of version 5.1 in December 2024:

NameStatsElementReasoning
AlhaithamFive Stars
Level 1
HP: 1039
ATK: 24.49
DEF: 60.85
Dendro
As an on-field main DPS, Alhaitham is a desirable 5-Star to pull for. His Dendro application can react with other elements while he's normal attacking for great DPS numbers. His only downsides come from if you already have good Dendro appliers, or if you don't like the pressure of trying to constantly maintain three of his Chiseled-Light Mirrors for his maximum DPS potential.
ArlecchinoFive Stars
Level 1
HP: 1020
ATK: 26.63
DEF: 59.53
Pyro
Arlecchino from the neck up in Genshin Impact.
Although her kit sounds complicated, Arlecchino is a very easy DPS character to main when you break it down. Apply her Skill, swap to your other party members for at least five seconds, then swap back to Arlecchino and charge attack the enemy/enemies you marked with her Skill, then just keep normal attacking until her Bond of Life disappears, or her Skill recharges. That's basically it! Do keep in mind though that to balance Arlecchino's huge damage numbers, she can't be healed on field by anybody but herself (by using her Burst).
BennetFour Stars
Level 1
HP: 1039
ATK: 16
DEF: 65
Pyro
Even as a four-star character, Bennett excels in being a great support for many different types of parties. This character has the capacity to buff damage and heal with his Elemental Burst.
FischlFour Stars
Level 1
HP: 770
ATK: 20
DEF: 50
Electro
In Genshin Impact, an unity's value can come from how useful it can be to help other characters or to trigger elemental combinations without being in battle. Fischl works as an important piece in compositions that need constant electro damage to mix with other elements - and her role was given a buff even further with the introduction of the Dendro element in 3.0, making her one of the best sub DPS supports in the game.
FurinaFive Stars
Level 1
HP: 1192
ATK: 18.99
DEF: 54.15
Hydro
cropped view of furina in the character menu from the shoulders up
Furina is one of the best supports in Genshin Impact to boost your entire party's damage through her Burst, while also applying a little Hydro with her Skill - but you need to monitor her health closely. Running a healer alongside Furina instead of using her healing Skill is recommended to get the most out of her incedible support capabilities.
GanyuFive Stars
Level 1
HP: 763
ATK: 26
DEF: 49
Cryo
Besides being a character that applies Cryo pretty well, which is a strong element to use, Ganyu has great damage potential thanks to her kit. Her ability of charged attacks that can hit groups of enemies makes her one of the best characters in the game.
Hu TaoFive Stars
Level 1
HP: 1211
ATK: 8
DEF: 68
Pyro
A great possibility for many situations in the current patch, Hu Tao is going to be the centre of many parties. She is basically a brute elemental force that can obliterate enemies.
Kaedehara KazuhaFive Stars
Level 1
HP: 1039
ATK: 23
DEF: 63
Anemo
Kazuha is an amazing five-star unity thanks to all the utility he can bring to your party. He is an improved version of Venti in terms of grouping enemies, taking advantage of the Anemo interaction with other elements and he will still buff the party.
Kamisato AyakaFive Stars
Level 1
HP: 1001
ATK: 27
DEF: 61
Cryo
Cryo interaction with other elements is currently great and Ayaka excels in inflicting it to enemies with her Elemental Burst. Her valuer comes also from the range covered by her burst.
NeuvilletteFive Stars
Level 1
HP: 1144
ATK: 16.22
DEF: 44.87
Hydro
neuvillete holding his hand to his chin in a thinking pose
Neuvillette is a powerful Hydro DPS who attacks with unique charged attacks, firing out a stream of water that can react with other Elements. He shines in Dendro and Electro reaction teams in particular, but can be used in other teams and still be a fantastic on-field DPS.
NahidaFive Stars
Level 1
HP: 807
ATK: 23.27
DEF: 49.06
Dendro
Nahida is undoubetdly the best Dendro character in Genshin Impact so far, as she can perform both a main DPS and support sub DPS hybrid role to create and set off Dendro core reactions - ideally with Hydro or Electro team members. As a handy bonus, her exploration Talent is also one of the best in the game.
Raiden ShogunFive Stars
Level 1
HP: 1005
ATK: 26
DEF: 61
Electro
Shogun is a flexible unity, working very well with different parties. While her damage is great, Shogun's most positive aspect is her Elemental Burst that besides the damage helps the other party members by producing elemental particles.
VentiFive Stars
Level 1
HP: 820
ATK: 20
DEF: 52
Anemo
Venti finds his place as a S Tier character due to how useful he can be. Grouping enemies and dealing more damage once his skills come into contact with other elements are part of why you want to have Venti in your party. Besides that, thanks to his passive, he can help your party with elemental particles.
XianglingFour Stars
Level 1
HP: 912
ATK: 19
DEF: 56
Pyro
This is one of the most well-known characters in Genshin Impact not only because she is present in every advertisement piece shared. Thanks to her Elemental Burst, Xialing is an amazing character to induce elemental reactions off-field.
XilonenFive Stars
Level 1
HP: 966
ATK: 21.41
DEF: 72.39
Geo
Close up of Xilonen from Genshin Impact.
Xilonen is one of the best support characters in Genshin because of her Source Sample mechanic, which decreases nearby opponents' Elemental Resistance, with the Element depending on your party. You just need to make sure to have Xilonen in her Nightsoul's Blessing state as often as possible to take advantage of this huge buff.
XingqiuFour Stars
Level 1
HP: 857
ATK: 17
DEF: 64
Hydro
Xingqiu is one of the best supports in the game, working well with different combinations of characters. He not only brings some damage mitigation in his kit, but also an Elemental Burst that transforms any character into a fast Hydro-applier - he even provides a little healing. With Dendro, he's become even better than he was, slotting into Bloom and Hyperbloom teams as one of the best choices, if not the best, as a Hydro applicator.
YelanFive Stars
Level 1
HP: 1125
ATK: 19
DEF: 43
Hydro
Among all the options in the game's roaster, Yelan is a great damage dealer especially for parties based on quickly changing characters. Her Elemental Burst is great to apply Hydro, although she can't do it as efficiently as other units to provoke elemental reactions with elements like Pyro or Cryo. With the introduction of Dendro, however, she has become much more valuable than she even was before, especially in Bloom or Hyperbloom teams.
ZhongliFive Stars
Level 1
HP: 1144
ATK: 20
DEF: 57
Geo
Geo characters are hard to work with due to how their element work. However, Zhongli is so powerful that this doesn't matter. The value he brings to the party with his shield is unquestionable.

Genshin Impact A-tier characters listed

Genshin Impact characters in the A tier are still amazing ones, but they end up having a less decisive role in general. They are not as complete as the S-tier characters or some limitations in their design make them rely on specific conditions.

These characters have great synergy among them and with S-tier characters, making them great units to have. Their capacity to trigger elemental reactions or benefit from them is amazing.

Here is the Genshin Impact A tier list of best characters in alphabetical order as of version 5.1 in December 2024:

NameStatsElementReasoning
Arataki IttoFive Stars
Level 1
HP: 1001
ATK: 18
DEF: 75
Geo
Arataki Itto is a strong character whom you can use as your main damage dealer since he does a lot of damage with his attacks and charged attacks. Itto, however, suffers from the fact that to make him work perfectly you will need a party with more Geo characters.
BeidouFour Stars
Level 1
HP: 1094
ATK: 19
DEF: 54
Electro
Beidou earns her spot as an A-Tier character since she has an amazing capacity to deal damage while working pretty well with other characters. As an electro character, Beidou fit perfectly in some of the most powerful party compositions you can find in Genshin Impact.
ClorindeFive Stars
Level 1
HP: 1009
ATK: 26.25
DEF: 61.03
Electro
Close up of Clorinde from Genshin Impact, from the chest up.
Clorinde is best used as a main DPS to trigger Electro reactions with, while manipulating her Bond of Life to different effects (like healing herself and increases her damage). Clorinde can cause Electro damage with her normal attack after you press the Skill button once, but she also benefits from quickly swapping to her after another party member triggers an Electro reaction, thanks to an attack boost from one of her Passive Skills. Clorinde is a pretty valuable DPS, as you don't really need to run a healer with her, thanks to her self healing abilities and zipply playstyle.
CynoFive Stars
Level 1
HP: 972
ATK: 24.76
DEF: 66.89
Electro
Cyno has a very fun normal attack playstyle with big main DPS potential. You need to have Dendro or Hydro team members to make the most out of his damage numbers, which is a bit limiting - but effective if you do have them and good Energy Recharge to pair with Cyno.
DilucFive Stars
Level 1
HP: 1011
ATK: 26
DEF: 61
Pyro
Diluc is a powerful claymore user with great damage potential. Thanks to his Elemental Burst, Diluc can apply pyro quite well to enemies while being your main damage dealer.
EulaFive Stars
Level 1
HP: 1030
ATK: 27
DEF: 58
Cryo
Eula has the best attack damage in the game so far, working perfectly as your main damage character. Besides that, she is also great to trigger Cryo reactions.
JeanFive Stars
Level 1
HP: 770
ATK: 20
DEF: 50
Anemo
Jean's kit was built to make her heal and crowd control which can be great for some content in the game. Although she doesn't excel in any of the two roles, she works well besides being an Anemo character.
KeqingFive Stars
Level 1
HP: 1020
ATK: 25
DEF: 62
Electro
Keqing is the only sword electro user in the roaster which makes her quite special. Her abilities used to be sub par in triggering element reactions, but after the Dendro element was introduced in 3.0, Keqing essentially received a huge buff thanks to the way her Electro application works with Dendro.
Sangonomiya KokomiFive Stars
Level 1
HP: 1049
ATK: 18
DEF: 51
Hydro
Among the healers in Genshin Impact, Kokomi may be the better one. She can fit in parties looking for Hydro supports since Kokomi's skills synergize well with a considerable number of characters. She is particularly effective as a healer in Dendro parties.
LyneyFive Stars
Level 1
HP: 858
ATK: 24.76
DEF: 41.88
Pyro
When used in a mostly Pyro team, especially with Bennett, Lyney is one of the best DPS' in Genshin Impact. Although he mostly uses bow charge attacks, Lyney is actually good in AOE situations as well due to his Elemental Skill and some helpful Burst damage. With an easily understandable playstyle, he's a great pick if you're in need of a Pyro DPS.
MonaFive Stars
Level 1
HP: 810
ATK: 22
DEF: 51
Hydro
Thanks to Mona capacity to apply Hydro constantly, she becomes an important character for party combinations that work towards inflicting the Freeze, Vaporize, and Electro-Charge. Considering how strong some of these elemental reactions are, she brings a lot of value to the party.
MualaniFive Stars
Level 1
HP: 1182
ATK: 14.5
DEF: 44.39
Hydro
Cropped view of Mualani in Genshin Impact from the shoulders up.
Mualani is an excellent Hydro attacker, but her biggest issues are that there are already a lot of amazing Hydro attackers, and she's a little clunky to play. Still, she has a very unique playstyle, with a very handy overworld traversal ability of surfing a shark, so it all comes down to whether you enjoy her style, over big damage numbers that are easy to achieve.
NaviaFive Stars
Level 1
HP: 985
ATK: 27.37
DEF: 61.74
Geo
navia character from the chest up
Navia is a unique Geo DPS who frontloads a huge amount of damage with her two Skill charges by collecting Crystallize Shards. The more Shards she has, the more damage her shotgun-like Gunbrella deals after using her Elemental Skill. This means that unlike other Geo characters, she is actually best used in teams that combine Hydro, Pyro, Electro, and Cryo with Geo. This opens Navia up to a lot of very easy to use teams, and she can slot into some of the best pre-made teams in Genshin Impact very easily.
NilouFive Stars
Level 1
HP: 1182
ATK: 17.88
DEF: 56.72
Hydro
Nilou has a very particular playstyle that you must pair with Dendro and Hydro characters to get the best support and DPS potential out of. She produces fantastic damage numbers, but is limited in effective team comps, most of which require you to have S-tier characters. You have to do a lot of research before bringing her on to your team.
ShenheFive Stars
Level 1
HP: 1011
ATK: 24
DEF: 65
Cryo
Shenhe may not carry a party by herself, but she can be of great help considering her abilities. Her Elemental Burst creates an area of effect which decreases the enemies' resistance to physical and Cryo damage. Seeing how powerful party compositions based on Cryo characters are, Shenhe works as a perfect support.
TartagliaFive Stars
Level 1
HP: 1020
ATK: 23
DEF: 63
Hydro
By being a hybrid hydro main damage dealer, Tartaglia is a great character to use in your party. And although he does a lot of damage, he can't necessarily compete with Ayato.
TighnariFive Stars
Level 1
HP: 845
ATK: 20.85
DEF: 49.06
Dendro
Tighnari has a pretty unique playstyle, using charged attacks with his bow in order to get the most DPS potential out of his kit. Combined with a low Elemental Burst cost and his ability to apply lots on Dendro to the field, he's a solid DPS main only let down slightly by his single-target focus instead of AOE DPS potential.
Wanderer (AKA Scaramouche)Five Stars
Level 1
HP: 791
ATK: 25.51
DEF: 47.27
Anemo
Scaramouche can fly! This not only makes him a fantastic exploration team member, but he can hover above enemies to take no damage while you unleash his powerful normal attacks - making him a powerful DPS character. Pairing him with Pyro and Cryo characters enhances his damage even further, while Electro and Hydro characters extend his flight time. A very useful character to have for many situations.
WriothesleyFive Stars
Level 1
HP: 1058
ATK: 24.41
DEF: 59.41
Cryo
wriothesley with his hand on hid chin pondering
Wriothesley is a unique on-field DPS who uses Cryo normal attacks to get the best out of his kit, consuming and regaining his own HP, while performing differently depending on how much HP he has. Wriothesley puts out some great damage, especially in Reverse Melt and Freeze teams, but he can be a little tricky to play because of his HP management. He's still a great DPS in spite of this, and can be a worthy addition to your teams if you don't mind managing an on-field DPS in your rotations.
XianyunFive Stars
Level 1
HP: 810
ATK: 26.07
DEF: 44.57
Anemo
Xianyun from the neck up.
Xianyun can turn a lot of characters into plunging DPS's, and enhance those who already have plunging buffs, like Xiao and Diluc. She's also just a general great teamwide healer and Swirler for your sub DPS's, making her a fine addition to many teams - but she particularly excels at buffing plunging damage.
XiaoFive Stars
Level 1
HP: 991
ATK: 27
DEF: 62
Anemo
Xiao qualifies as a A-Tier character thanks to how strong he can be as the main damage dealer. By bringing support characters to help Xiao to use his Elemental Burst, you can achieve high numbers.
Yae MikoFive Stars
Level 1
HP: 807
ATK: 26
DEF: 44
Electro
Yae Miko has her flaws, such as the high energy cost for her Elemental Burst as well as how vulnerable she may find herself while using her Elemental Skill. On the other hand, she is a great electro additional damage dealer who can leave her skill in the field giving the other characters some support.
YaoyaoFour Stars
Level 1
HP: 1030
ATK: 17.81
DEF: 62.95
Dendro
Yaoyao is the only Dendro healer, so should be considered for Bloom, Quicken, and Burgeon teams. Her Burst is okay at healing, but its Yaoyao's Elemental Skill that offers the best healing capabilities. If you need somebody to apply some Dendro while healing, Yaoyao is great in that role - freeing up a team slot by combingin Dendro and healing, if you need it.

Genshin Impact B-tier characters listed

The B tier is where characters that have some potential, but are not the best in what they do were placed.

While some of them can work as great supports and healers, they will be used as second options for A-tier characters that you don't have yet or just in very specific scenarios and compositions.

Even so, they are still pretty useful and can work well giving support to characters from the higher tiers.

Here is the B tier list in alphabetical order of Genshin Impact characters as of version 5.1 in December 2024:

NameStatsElementReasoning
AlbedoFive Stars
Level 1
HP: 1030
ATK: 20
DEF: 68
Geo
This five-star unity is great to work as a second damage dealer. His Elemental Skill can work even with him out of the battlefield while his Elemental Burst has good damage too. Keep your main damage deal fighting and change to Albedo whenever his cooldowns are back or Burst is ready to use!
BaizhuFive Stars
Level 1
HP: 1039
ATK: 14.99
DEF: 38.89
Dendro
Baizhu can provide you with Dendro application while healing for the whole team, but other Dendro characters do better in AOE situations, making him a more suitable team mate for single target enemies. This can help you against tough Spiral Abyss bosses, but also hurt your chances of clearing floors with lots of enemies. His biggest flaw is that Yaoyao is arguably a better pick than him in most Dendro and healing situations, and she's a 4-Star.
BarbaraFour Stars
Level 1
HP: 821
ATK: 13
DEF: 56
Hydro
Barbara's kit is all about healing, a role she fulfil quite well even being a free unit. She can heal party members by staying in the field and attacking enemies while using her Elemental Skill or with her Elemental Burst. The fact she heals a considerable amount of health of every character in the party with her Burst is what makes her a great option as a healer.
CharlotteFour Stars
Level 1
HP: 903
ATK: 14.51
DEF: 45.78
Cryo
cropped character menu view of charlotte from the neck up
Charlotte is a great healer who can restore HP to your entire party with her Burst, but she's a very Energy-hungry character. If you can manage her Energy needs, however, Charlotte is a great pick - especially in teams in need of a party-wide healer and Cryo application.
ChioriFive Stars
Level 1
HP: 890
ATK: 25.14
DEF: 74.19
Geo
Chiori in Genshin Impact from the neck up.
Chiori is a good alternative to Albedo as a Geo support for your mono Geo teams. In most cases she's an upgrade, especially if you're running a Geo character who can make constructs, as this increases her sub DPS damage off-field. Chiori is also a very easy character to understand: just use her Burst and Skill when your can, then carry on with your rotation. Her only real downside is that she doesn't really work well with anybody else - just Geo characters. Great if you've got Geo characters built, and pretty useless if you don't.
ColleiFour Stars
Level 1
HP: 821
ATK: 16.74
DEF: 50.36
Dendro
Collei is a great pick for a Dendro sub DPS support character due to her AOE Dendro attacks that will stay even when she's off-field, allowing you to combine it with other elements like Electro and Hydro to take advantage of the Bloom and Quicken elemental reactions. However, she does have a long Elemental Skill cooldown time, and you'll need to unlock her C4 Constellation to take full advantage of Collei's sub DPS support capabilities.
DionaFour Stars
Level 1
HP: 802
ATK: 18
DEF: 50
Cryo
As a Cryo support, Diona can be a great unity to have in your party. Besides having a shield and healing with her Elemental Burst, Diona is also a great battery of elemental particles for stronger Cryo units that work as main damage dealers.
EmilieFive Stars
Level 1
HP: 1056
ATK: 26.07
DEF: 56.84
Dendro
Cropped view of Emilie from Genshin Impact, from the chest up.
Emilie is very good in her niche of boosting Burning damage (when Pyro meets Dendro), but the issue is, Burning is the worst Dendro reaction to aim for, as it's the weakest. That said, if you like playing Dendro and Pyro characters together, Emilie will be a huge help in your team.
FaruzanFour Stars
Level 1
HP: 802
ATK: 16.47
DEF: 52.65
Anemo
Faruzan fills the role of an Anemo utility for characters like Scaramouche and Xiao, shredding Anemo Resistance and providing Energy Particles. As she needs Constellations to fully maximise her potential, and there aren't a huge number of Anemo DPS characters, she slips a bit in the best character rankings.
GamingFour Stars
Level 1
HP: 957
ATK: 25.29
DEF: 58.94
Pyro
Gaming from the neck up.
Gaming is yet another 4-Star character who suffers from the dreaded C6 syndrome. He is absolutely a viable plunging attacker at C0 with the right team of buffers and supports, but his Constellation 6 unlock skyrockets Gaming into the true incredible DPS that he really is, due to its huge Critical Hit buffs.
GorouFour Stars
Level 1
HP: 802
ATK: 15
DEF: 54
Geo
The archer Gorou is an essential party member for a geo formation, bringing a lot of utility for characters like Arataki Itto. Even so, he can help to mitigate some damage if having no other geo character on the team.
HeizouFour Stars
Level 1
HP: 894
ATK: 18.88
DEF: 57.34
Anemo
Heizou is both a great DPS main and sub DPS support character, due to his ability to consistently trigger Swirl and his crowd control abilities. However, his Elemental Skill does have a long cooldown, and how good Heizou is depends on your team, so make sure you have someone like Xiangling or Fischl in order to take advantage of his Swirl for maximum DPS potential.
KachinaFour Stars
Level 1
HP: 989
ATK: 18.16
DEF: 66.44
Geo
Cropped view of Kachina in Genshin Impact from the neck up.
Kachina is a perfectly capable Geo support with some hidden DPS potential, and is a worthy addition to any Geo team, unless you have a 5-Star Geo support who performs better. If Geo teams weren't so niche, we'd place Kachina higher on this list. So if you do main a Geo character and don't have a 5-Star support like Chiori or Xilonen, then we highly recommend building Kachina!
KavehFour Stars
Level 1
HP: 1003
ATK: 19.59
DEF: 62.95
Dendro
If you need an affordable Dendro applicator with some DPS potential, then Kaveh is a solid pick. As Dendro is such a good Element for making so many reactions, even though his kit isn't the greatest compared to 4-Stars of other Elements, Kaveh will probably help you clear content more - especially in Hyperbloom teams. Just keep in mind that other Dendro units can do what he does better.
KleeFive Stars
Level 1
HP: 801
ATK: 24
DEF: 48
Pyro
The adorable Klee is a strong pyro-damage dealer who throws bombs all around. Her damage is great, but due to how her kit works it is hard for Klee to fit different parties.
Kujou SaraFour Stars
Level 1
HP: 802
ATK: 16
DEF: 53
Electro
Kujou Sara is splendid support for other party members by increasing their damage, but her true potential is hidden behind a considerable amount of investment from players in terms of equipment. She is a flexible character who works well alongside other electro characters.
Kuki ShinobuFour Stars
Level 1
HP: 1030
ATK: 18
DEF: 63
Electro
As an electro character, Kuki Shinobu may find her spot in compositions in need of an electro support. Her Elemental Burst is an area-of-effect attack that can help the main damage dealer. Kuki essentially received a buff in the 3.0 update with the introduction of the Dendro element, maing her a more viable healer and sub DPS support when paired with Dendro characters.
LaylaFour Stars
Level 1
HP: 930
ATK: 18.16
DEF: 54.94
Cryo
Layla is a very good Cryo shielder and decent Cryo applier, and her only real downside is that there are other characters who do these things better. Still, with a 100% uptime for her Cryo shield as long as it doesn't break, she's a good pick for teams that need some protection while also applying Cryo. She also excels at protection against Cryo enemies.
LynetteFour Stars
Level 1
HP: 1039
ATK: 19.41
DEF: 59.69
Anemo
Lynette pairs well with other Elemental types in Genshin Impact, as she can combine with these elements while off-field to give your main DPS a boost. Unlock her third constellation and you can even turn Lynette into a DPS character herself. For most though, Lynette is a good Anemo option to have in your party, she's just not the best option available if you have characters like Kazuha or Sucrose already.
QiqiFive Stars
Level 1
HP: 963
ATK: 22
DEF: 72
Cryo
While Qiqi is a great healer - an amazing one actually - there is nothing else that she adds to the party. On the other hand, she applies Cryo in the area around her with her Element Burst. So depending on the combination of characters you are looking for, Qiqi may be a good option.
SucroseFour Stars
Level 1
HP: 775
ATK: 14
DEF: 59
Anemo
Sucrose is good support since she can group enemies with her skills and produces elemental particles. By being an Anemo character, she can work well with most elements.
YanfeiFour Stars
Level 1
HP: 784
ATK: 20
DEF: 49
Pyro
Yanfei is a great four-star main damage dealer with a pretty easy-to-understand kit. She doesn't bring any type of utility to the rest of the party though, making her stay in the field a necessity if using Yanfei in your party.

Genshin Impact C-tier characters listed

In the C tier, we have placed characters that have limitations that are difficult to ignore, or making them work would take too much effort for a small compensation.

Among them, there are strong characters or a few that are useful in some scenarios. On the other hand, using them instead of any other unit from the higher tiers is unreasonable.

There is always the possibility of exploring their strong aspects and creating parties around them.

Here is the C tier list in alphabetical order of Genshin Impact characters as of version 5.1 in December 2024:

NameStatsElementReasoning
CandaceFour Stars
Level 1
HP: 912
ATK: 17.81
DEF: 57.22
Cryo
Candace is a decent Hydro applicator who can buff the normal attacks of her party, and infuse their attacks with Hydro - but infusion doesn't work on every character. She's sort of a jack-of-all-trades when it comes to Hydro support, but this does limit her potential a little, as other characters specialise in what she is just decent at.
ChongyunFour Stars
Level 1
HP: 1003
ATK: 19
DEF: 54
Cryo
Chongyun is a good claymore wielder who works quite okay as the main damage dealer. He synergizes the most with users of specific weapons, since his Elemental Skill buffs them. However, a drawback of his kit is the fact that he imbues the Cryo element into other characters' attacks, making elemental reactions difficult to perform.
DoriFour Stars
Level 1
HP: 1039
ATK: 18.7
DEF: 60.66
Electro
As a hybrid Electro sub DPS healer, Dori can replace an Electro sub DPS and your party's healer to free up a space in your team - but you're generally better off having a better Electro sub DPS and healer of another element to maximise your team's DPS or healing potential.
FreminetFour Stars
Level 1
HP: 1012
ATK: 21.37
DEF: 59.4
Cryo
cropped square image of freminets face in menu
Freminet has an interesting combination of Cryo and Physical damage attacks, but his damage for both is pretty lacklustre when compared to other Cryo units. As Physical doesn't react with Elements, and Freminet doesn't have the power of someone like Eula, he's an underwhelming DPS and doesn't offer much as a support. You can slot him into Hyperbloom teams as a unique last slot, but Freminet won't be your ideal pick for this - or any - of a character's best teams. Still, he can work if you like his kit enough!
KaeyaFour Stars
Level 1
HP: 976
ATK: 19
DEF: 66
Cryo
Kaeya is a solid unit even being one of the free characters in Genshin Impact. His kit does allow some interesting combinations with other characters, mostly to trigger some element reactions such as Freeze, due to his Elemental Burst. Kaeya's Elemental Skill produces a good amount of elemental particles too.
KiraraFour Stars
Level 1
HP: 1021
ATK: 18.7
DEF: 45.78
Dendro
Kirara is a good shielder, especially against Dendro damage, like from your Blooms or Nilou's special cores. Unfortunately, apart from her useful climbing overworld ability, that's about all she offers, as there are far better Dendro applicators and DPS characters out there. She's very good in Quicken and Nilou teams, and if you need a decent shielder, but there aren't a lot of other uses for Kirara.
MikaFour Stars
Level 1
HP: 1049
ATK: 18.7
DEF: 59.8
Cryo
Mika suffers from needs-his-C6 syndrome, as the whole point of him is to be a physical damage buffer, yet his most needed buff is locked behind his last constellation. Other limitations like needing to be against multiple enemies for the highest effectiveness of physical damage buffing holds him back from being a must-play with physcial attackers.
NingguangFour Stars
Level 1
HP: 821
ATK: 18
DEF: 48
Geo
Ningguang has an interesting kit that allows her to deal constant damage by focusing on her Charged Attacks. In a formation based on Geo characters, she can work as the main damage dealer or a support thanks to her Elemental Skill that increases Geo damage.
NoelleFour Stars
Level 1
HP: 1012
ATK: 16
DEF: 67
Geo
Noelle is a great starting unit with good damage. Thanks to her kit, players can deal with a lot of content by using her, although after getting other characters becomes hard keeping her in the party.
RazorFour Stars
Level 1
HP: 1003
ATK: 20
DEF: 63
Electro
Razor is all about hitting hard. His skills allow him to not only cause a considerable amount of damage to enemies but also to keep it constant. On the other hand, this character has nothing to offer the other party members.
SayuFour Stars
Level 1
HP: 994
ATK: 20
DEF: 62
Anemo
This Anemo character is a very different one. Sayu's Elemental Skill distinguishes her from other characters since she starts rolling around doing damage to enemies hit by her while healing the party members. This skill is very fun to use and helpful for exploration, making Sayu an interesting character to have.
SigewinneFive Stars
Level 1
HP: 1039
ATK: 14.99
DEF: 38.89
Hydro
Close up of Sigewinne in the character menu of Genshin Impact.
Image credit: HoYoverse
While Sigewinne does offer something for teams that use the Bond of Life mechanic, she's really only good for her healing moves. As there are other healers who offer better support or sub DPS abilities, it's not really recommended to pull for Sigewinne if you care about having the best teams.
SethosFour Stars
Level 1
HP: 821
ATK: 19.05
DEF: 46.92
Electro
Close up of Sethos from Genshin Impact, from the chest up.
Sethos scales off Elemental Mastery, and is best used in a main DPS role or as an Electro 'Battery' to generate particles for other Electro party members. He has two types of playstyles (normal attacks or charged attacks), which is interesting, but charging his second level arrow makes him a little awkward to play at times. While he's not as easy to play as other Electro supports and DPS characters, but Sethos can be can still find a place in your teams in need of a character to trigger reactions if you don't mind working around his awkwardness and damage limitations.
ThomaFour Stars
Level 1
HP: 866
ATK: 17
DEF: 63
Pyro
In case you are looking for a pyro support, Thoma may be of your interest. He is a shielder that can imbue your attacks with pyro. An issue you need to deal in case you pick Thoma is that if you want to use this character as a damage dealer, his capacity as a shielder decreases considerably.
TravelerFive Stars
Level 1
HP: 912
ATK: 18
DEF: 57
Anemo
Geo
Electro
Dendro
Although you can change the Traveler's element, making them useful in case you are laking one of them, you don't have a good reason to keep them in your party besides liking them, or your using a Dendro character. This is due to the fact that levelling up a skill given by one element does not translate into having the equivalent skill levelled up when changing elements. At most, they are a weak version of other characters - however with the addition of the Dendro Traveler in 3.0, they are a good substitute if you don't have good Dendro character to set up Quicken and Bloom reactions with Electro and Hydro characters, respectively.
XinyanFour Stars
Level 1
HP: 939
ATK: 21
DEF: 67
Pyro
Xinyan is a physical damage dealer, which means that even though she causes a considerable amount of damage, she doesn't apply pyro. She is tanker than other characters, but Xinyan needs other characters to make her useful.
YoimiyaFive Stars
Level 1
HP: 791
ATK: 25
DEF: 48
Pyro
The famous firework maker is a character whose strength is exactly her most problematic feature. Yoimiya's kit focus specifically on her normal attack. As a bow user, she can only hit single targets, even though she does hit them really hard. Even her Elemental Burst is single target making her difficult to use as the main damage dealer of a party.
Yun JinFour Stars
Level 1
HP: 894
ATK: 16
DEF: 62
Geo
Yun Jin is a support geo character whose concept is pretty basic: she has a shield and she also buffs normal attacks. In spite of her capacity of working okay as a support, there are better options than her that are also easier to trigger element reactions.

Genshin Impact D-tier characters listed

The last rank in this tier is occupied by characters that have weaknesses which makes dedicating time - or money - to them really complicated.

Of course, they are still viable depending on the party. By working around their problem, you can find a way to use them.

Here is the D tier list in alphabetical order of Genshin Impact characters as of version 5.1 in December 2024:

NameStatsElementReasoning
AmberFour Stars
Level 1
HP: 793
ATK: 19
DEF: 50
Pyro
Amber is probably the weakest among the free characters you win in Genshin Impact. Besides using a bow which decreases her damage potential drastically, nor her Elemental Skill or Elemental Burst adds value to the party. She works while there is no other Pyro character for you to use.
AloyFive Stars
Level 1
HP: 848
ATK: 18
DEF: 53
Cryo
The machine hunter Aloy is not your best option as a Cryo user. Although she is capable of dealing good damage to enemies, her skill's effects are applied only to her and they also make her stay in the field for too much time to be effective. Aloy has an additional issue which is her lack of constellation.
DeyhaFive Stars
Level 1
HP: 1220
ATK: 20.67
DEF: 48.88
Pyro
Dehya is a tough character to make work, requiring you to have the absolute best team, Artifacts, weapon, and understanding of her playstyle to actually make her a viable option to clear normal tough content, never mind the Spiral Abyss. There are other Pyro characters that do better damage and Elemental Reactions than Dehya, so it's best to choose them over her, which is why she's so far down on our tier list as a 5-Star.
LisaFour Stars
Level 1
HP: 802
ATK: 19
DEF: 48
Electro
In terms of damage, Lisa is totally capable of dealing a lot of damage. However, the way her kit works ends up taking too much time to build the conditions to do so. While she has potential due to things like her ability to decrease enemies' defense, Lisa suffers from being very difficult to maximise. She can be quickly replaced once you get your hands on another electro character.

Now that you know who the best characters are in Genshin Impact, you can begin creating your own team compositions. But keep in mind that the lists presented here are subjective interpretations of the game's roster.

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