Genshin Impact tier list – All characters ranked

Some of our picks may surprise you.

Raiden Shogun, Alhaitham, Hu Tao, and Zhongli in Genshin Impact.
Images via miHoYo. Remix by Kacee Fay

One of the best aspects of Genshin Impact is collecting powerful and unique characters you can build. There’s a vast number of units you can collect, but it’s best to spend your resources and Primogems on the strongest ones.

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The roster of playable characters grows with every update which means it can be tough to keep up with all available options and figure out which ones are best. Here is every character in Genshin ranked from worst to best in a tier list.

Genshin Impact character tier list

All Version 4.7 characters in Genshin Impact.
These are all playable units as of Version 4.7. Image by Dot Esports via TierMaker

Here’s our Genshin Impact character tier list including every playable unit so far. No Genshin character is truly bad with the right build and team, but some are already powerful right when you get them while others take a lot of investment.

SS-tier Genshin Impact characters

  • Raiden Shogun – The Electro Archon is a highly flexible unit that deals a ton of damage and provides valuable utility to the team.
  • Nahida – The Dendro Archon is the best Dendro unit that buffs and applies this element quickly.
  • Furina – The Archon of Fontaine is the best Hydro buffer you can get.
  • Kazuha – He’s the best Anemo unit, provides a ton of utility with his grouping capabilities, and can buff the entire team.
  • Yelan – A premium five-star Hydro sub-DPS that deals a ton of damage and buffs her team.
  • Zhongli – The Geo Archon grants incredibly strong shields that protect you from everything.
  • Ayaka – The strongest Cryo damage dealer capable of dealing big burst damage.
  • Ganyu – Deals big single-target and AoE Cryo damage, and has decent support capabilities.
  • Kokomi – A flexible Hydro healer that fits many teams and has the most effective healing overall.
  • Hu Tao – One of the best Pyro damage dealers you can get.
  • Alhaitham – This scholar is the most powerful Dendro DPS you can find.
  • Arlecchino – The fourth Fatui Harbinger is the strongest Pyro DPS and excels in both single-target and AoE damage.
  • Neuvillette – This Hydro Dragon is one of the strongest DPS units in Genshin and a must-have unit with a broken kit.
  • Navia – A strong Geo damage dealer with a unique playstyle.
Navia in Genshin Impact.
Navia isn’t the most powerful, but she’s quite fun to play. Image via HoYoverse

S-tier Genshin Impact characters

  • Xianyun – Anemo support that heals and buffs the damage of plunge attacks.
  • Clorinde – Not as good as Raiden Shogun, but still a strong Electro DPS.
  • Venti – He’s the Anemo Archon and has the most powerful crowd-control abilities.
  • Shenhe – Provides massive Cryo buffs and is an amazing support unit for Cryo damage dealers.
  • Xiao – As a Yaksha, he’s the strongest Anemo hypercarry with a fun playstyle.
  • Ayato – Very flexible Hydro DPS that has a lot of team options.
  • Wriothesley – A Cryo hypercarry with potent damage potential.
  • Eula – Unmatched resistance to interruption and brutal Cryo attacks.
  • Itto – As a Geo hypercarry, he’s limited to mono-Geo teams, but deals big damage with proper investment.
  • Wanderer – The best character to have for exploration and a decent Anemo hypercarry.
Wanderer using his elemental burst in Genshin.
Wanderer can fly which makes him an excellent exploration ally. Image via HoYoverse

A-tier Genshin Impact characters

  • Baizhu – He’s the best healer in Genshin and a decent Dendro shielder.
  • Albedo – He’s a Geo sub-DPS with decent utility and average damage.
  • Yoimiya – Fast Pyro bow user that excels in single-target damage.
  • Lyney – A magician that deals massive single-target Pyro damage.
  • Chiori – Another Geo sub-DPS with solid damage and a reliable kit. 
  • Klee – A decent damage dealer best suited for mono-Pyro teams.
  • Mona – Deals decent Hydro damage, and provides a big buff.
  • Jean – Useful AoE Anemo healer that pairs very well with Furina.
  • Yae Miko – She’s a five-star Electro unit who can be tricky to use and performs best in Dendro teams.
  • Diluc – A Standard Pyro five-star DPS that pairs well with Xianyun.
  • Tighnari – Powerful Dendro DPS and one of the best characters from the Standard banner.
  • Qiqi – A Standard five-star healer who doesn’t do much beyond healing and has long cooldowns.
  • Nilou – A powerful Hydro DPS that shines in Bloom teams, but can’t do much outside of them.
  • Tartaglia – A decent DPS with a reliable Hydro application and a fun skillset to play.
  • Keqing – As a Standard Electro five-star, she’s excellent in Dendro teams.
  • Dehya – She’s the worst limited five-star unit with an underwhelming kit and low damage potential.
  • Cyno – Strong Electro hyper carry, but needs a lot of investment and can be clunky to play.
Cyno fighting in Genshin.
Cyno’s skillset is visually stunning, but otherwise lackluster. Image via HoYoverse

B-tier Genshin Impact characters

  • Bennett – He’s the best four-star support and is sometimes called a secret five-star because of how effectively he can heal and buff the entire team.
  • Xiangling – Powerful Pyro four-star that deals massive AoE off-field damage.
  • Xingqiu – An outstanding four-star Hydro sub-DPS that deals off-field damage, has good Hydro application, reliable damage reduction, and potent healing for himself.
  • Aloy – A decent five-star Cryo Bow unit dragged down by her lack of Constellations so she can never be as powerful as most other recruits.
  • Fischl – One of the strongest four-star sub-DPS and a powerful Electro battery for all.
  • Kuki Shinobu – An essential Electro healer for Dendro teams.
  • Faruzan – A powerful and potent Anemo support unit.
  • Gaming – A four-star carry that revolves around plunge attacks but deals small damage.
  • Diona – An incredible four-star Cryo utility support that heals, buffs, and shields.
  • Mika – Reliable healing with strong Physical damage and Attack damage buffs.
  • Kirara – Steady shields, solid Dendro application, and a very useful traveling ability.
Kirara doing a cat pose in Genshin.
Kirara is a great character for traveling since she turns into a box. Image via HoYoverse
  • YaoYao – A four-star Dendro healer that’s a decent replacement for Baizhu, but requires more on-field time.
  • Collei– She’s a decent starting Dendro sub-DPS to build.
  • Chevreuse – As a Pyro support, she’s limited to Overload teams.
  • Sethos – He’s a four-star Electro DPS with a fun playstyle, but lackluster damage.

C-tier Genshin Impact characters

  • Charlotte – Has an AoE Elemental Burst with high Energy cost, but she’s only viable in freeze teams.
  • Sayu – Great Swirl support and fun gameplay.
  • Lynette – Anemo support with average utility, but she’s good for exploration.
  • Freminet – He’s a Physical four-star hypercarry with low damage potential.
  • Kaveh – Deals low Dendro damage, has an underwhelming kit, and has big competition with other Dendro units.
  • Candace – She’s one of the worst Hydro units that needs Constellations to function properly.
  • Heizou – Great Swirl gameplay and impressive attack statistics.
  • Rosaria – She’s a four-star Cryo sub-DPS that does average damage and has Energy Recharge problems.
  • Chongyun – Has good Cryo damage potential, but is overshadowed by other sub-DPS units.
  • Barbara – Reliable Hydro healing and solid support.
  • Yun Jin – A four-star Geo buffer that needs a ton of Constellations to be good.
  • Ningguang – Reliable Geo DPS with solid shielding from ranged attacks.
  • Sucrose – With grouping capabilities and big buffs, she’s basically a worse version of Kazuha.
Sucrose looking worried in Genshin.
Sucrose is a strong unit to use until you manage to unlock Kazuha. Image via HoYoverse
  • Razor – Unreliable Electro DPS with a clunky skillset.
  • Yanfei – Solid starter DPS, but easily outperformed by most other units.
  • Beidou – A decent Electro four-star, but needs Constellations to be good.
  • Gorou – A four-star support that’s only good with Constellations, and is limited for mono-Geo teams.
  • Layla – A Cryo four-star with decent shields and off-field AoE damage.
  • Dori – Can’t heal multiple targets at once and overall has a very weak Electro skillset.
  • Xinyan – Clunky gameplay and weak damage output.
  • Thoma – Good four-star Pyro shielder, and a great unit for Burgeon teams.
  • Noelle – If you don’t have Itto or Navia, Noelle is a decent alternative.
  • Kujou Sara – An underwhelming four-star Electro buffer that needs Constellations to fix her clunky kit.

D-tier Genshin Impact characters

  • Traveler – All versions of the Traveler are fairly weak and easily outperformed by other units.
  • Kaeya – Just decent Cryo damage output and overall the worst character of this element.
  • Lisa – Easily taken out by enemy attacks and lackluster Electro skillset.
  • Amber – The worst Pyro unit in Genshin with weak abilities overall.
Author
Image of Kacee Fay
Kacee Fay
Staff Writer at Dot Esports covering new releases and a wide array of topics including Minecraft, Disney Dreamlight Valley, Phasmophobia, general gaming, streaming, and more. She has been avidly writing and gaming her whole life and now spends her time combining the two. Kacee graduated from San Diego State University in 2021 with a Bachelor’s Degree in English and a Certificate in Creative Editing and Publishing. She then joined Dot Esports as a Freelance Writer in 2022 before transitioning to a Staff Writer in 2023. In her spare time, she enjoys buying more books than she can read, gaming alone or with friends, drinking too much tea, attending concerts, fangirling over movies and television, listening to music, and spending time with her family, friends, and pets, who are the most important parts of her world.
Author
Image of Lazar Pavlovic
Lazar Pavlovic
Freelance News and SEO Writer for Dot Esports, covering games like Genshin Impact, VALORANT, World of Warcraft and League of Legends to new releases. When he's not writing, you can find him grinding dungeons and raids in World of Warcraft.