Genshin Impact tier list – All characters ranked

Here are all of the characters in Genshin Impact ranked on a tier list.

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Raiden Shogun, Alhaitham, Hu Tao, and Zhongli in Genshin Impact.
Screenshots by Dot Esports. Remix by Dot Esports

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 Impact ranked from worst to best in our ultimate tier list.

Genshin Impact Version 5.1 character tier list

All Version 5.1 characters ranked in Genshin Impact.
These are all playable units as of Version 5.1. 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 overall, can provide potent buffs, and excels at swift application of her element.
  • Furina – The Archon of Fontaine is highly flexible and 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 while also having decent support capabilities.
  • Kokomi – A flexible Hydro healer that fits many teams and has the most effective healing overall.
  • Hu Tao – Has a steep learning curve to learn, but is 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 one of the strongest Pyro damage dealers and excels in both single-target and AoE damage.
  • Neuvillette – This Hydro Dragon is one of the best DPS units and a must-have character with a highly effective kit.
  • Mualani – An incredibly versatile unit capable of boosting her own damage output, is very easy to build, and excellent for world exploration.
  • Navia – The best Geo character, a strong damage dealer, and a unit with a very unique playstyle.
  • Emilie – Superb Dendro application and impressive supporting DPS abilities.
  • Xilonen – Amazing support unit capable of supplying strong healing and buffing.
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 – Potent Anemo support who heals and buffs the damage of plunge attacks.
  • Clorinde – Not as strong as Raiden Shogun, but the second-best Electro DPS.
  • Venti – The Anemo Archon has the most powerful crowd-control abilities and provides solid Anemo support.
  • 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.
  • Kinich – Excels at evading enemies and dealing massive scaling damage.
  • Ayato – Very flexible Hydro DPS with lots of team options.
  • Wriothesley – A Cryo hypercarry with potent damage potential.
  • Eula – She has unmatched resistance to interruption and can dish out 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, but can’t do much beyond this.
  • Albedo – A Geo sub-DPS with decent utility and average damage.
  • Yoimiya – An incredibly swift Pyro bow user who excels in explosive single-target damage.
  • Lyney – A magician that deals massive single-target Pyro damage.
  • Chiori – The renowned designer is a 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, provides very reliable support, and supplies an incredible buff through her Elemental Burst.
  • Jean – Useful and flexible AoE Anemo healer who works well in just about any team lineup.
  • Yae Miko – She’s a five-star Electro unit who can be overly tricky to use and isn’t really worth the investment outside of Dendro teams.
  • Diluc – A standard Pyro five-star DPS who supplies decent but not amazing damage.
  • 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 – A standard Electro five-star who is excellent in Dendro teams.
  • Dehya – She’s one of the worst five-star units with an underwhelming kit and very low damage potential.
  • Cyno – Strong Electro hypercarry, 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 DPS who revolves around plunge attacks and elemental reactions but deals generally unimpressive damage.
  • Diona – An incredible four-star Cryo utility support who can heal, buff, and shield.
  • Mika – Provides reliable healing with strong Physical damage and attack damage buffs.
  • Kirara – Has 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 who is a decent replacement for Baizhu, but requires more on-field time.
  • Collei – She’s a decent starting Dendro sub-DPS to build, but quickly becomes outperformed by better units of the same element.
  • Sigewinne – Provides steady healing for the entire party, but has fairly weak Hydro application.
  • Chevreuse – A Pyro support whose potential is mostly limited to Overload teams.
  • Kachina – Decent supporting damage dealer, but burdened by her need to be on-field to reach her full potential.
  • 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 – An Anemo support unit 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 and needs Constellations to function properly.
  • Heizou – Great Swirl gameplay and impressive attack statistics.
  • Rosaria – She’s a four-star Cryo sub-DPS who does average damage and struggles due to energy recharge complexities.
  • 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 who needs a ton of Constellations to be good.
  • Ningguang – A reliable Geo DPS that provides 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 – She can’t heal multiple targets at once and overall has a very weak Electro skillset.
  • Xinyan – Has clunky gameplay and weak damage output.
  • Thoma – A decent 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 who 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.
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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.