Genshin Impact has currently released about 66 playable characters as of Version 3.6 first half. As we are almost reaching the end of the patch of 3.0 and will move on to Fontaine soon starting from Version 4.0, it is time to assess the general rankings of all characters and what category they fall in the current Tier list. This tier list will look into which characters are the most viable and the strongest in the latest 3.6 Update of Genshin Impact.
Genshin Impact 3.6 Tier List: Present condition of the game
Genshin Impact characters have an assortment of varying kits and as such they are categorized in 3 ways: Main DPS, Sub DPS, and Support. Some fill in the role in more than one way while other playable characters have their whole kit revolved solely around only one role. When we initiate a well-put-out Tier List to sort out the current META of the system, we take many of the End-game content into account. For example, the Spiral Abyss plays a big part in the end-game content for many veteran players. As such, here is the current condition of the META up to Version 3.6 in the game.
First off, there is no doubt that ever since Dendro has been introduced in the combat system of the game, the Element and all of its related Elemental reactions have quickly risen in the ranks of most damage dealers. Reactions such as Hyper-bloom, Bloom, Aggravate, Spread, etc have overshadowed many of the previously crowned Elemental reactions such as Vaporize, Melt, and Freeze. Hence, the playable characters related to these elemental reactions (Dendro, Hydro, and Electro) have quickly shot up in the rankings and have established themselves to be powerful units for now.
Hyperbloom and Bloom seem to be popular team comp to use in the Spiral Abyss due to the high damage multipliers it brings to the team. Raiden Hyperbloom and Nilou Bloom are amazing comps to use in the Spiral Abyss. Other than that, some of the newly released characters are still in a difficult spot to assess due to the nature of their kits being underwhelming. Characters such as Dehya and Cyno, unfortunately, fall into these circumstances. Additionally, Support has pertained to become very Niche and situational with many of the newly released characters having locked their best potential abilities through Constellations.
Genshin Impact 3.6 Tier List: Ranking the characters across 3 roles
Main DPS
| Tier | Pyro | Cyro | Hydro | Electro | Dendro | Anemo | Geo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overpowered (SS) | Hu Tao | Kamisato Ayaka Ganyu | Kamisato Ayato Tartaglia | Raiden Shogun | Alhaitham | Wanderer Xiao | Arataki Itto |
| Strong (S) | Yoimiya Xiangling | Eula | Nilou Yelan | Yae Miko Keqing Fischl | Nahida Tighnari | Sucrose Kaedehara Kazuha | Albedo |
| Good (A) | Diluc Yanfei Thoma Klee | Kaeya Rosaria | Kokomi Mona Xingqiu | Cyno Lisa Beidou | Dendro Traveler | Heizou Jean Venti | Ningguang Zhongli Noelle Geo Traveler |
| Average (B) | Xinyan Amber Bennett Dehya | Layla Shenhe Aloy Mika Diona Chongyun Qiqi | Candace Barbara | Dori Kuki Shinobu Kujou Sara Razor ElectroTraveler | Yaoyao Collei | Faruzan Sayu Anemo Traveler | Yun Jin Gorou |
Best Characters
- Alhaitham: A self-proclaimed ‘feeble’ scholar as he states to be, Alhaitham seems to bring the opposite effect in combat. Due to the seemingly powerful standing of Dendro, Alhaitham is an amazing Dendro DPS unit to have at your party. He specializes in providing both single-target and AoE target Dendro damage in the field. Alhaitham is often paired with another Dendro character as he can effectively apply on-field Dendro and his best teams consist of Spread and/or Aggravate comps. Additionally, due to Dendro being a new Element, Alhaitham will prove to be the best Dendro DPS as of currently and will stay as one until Hoyoverse releases another Dendro DPS that can out-scale him.
- Raiden Shogun: It is incredibly absurd how much of an amazing unit Raiden Shogun becomes as we progress through each update. Raiden Shogun in her initial release has had quite mixed reactions due to the standing of the Element Electro in the game during that time. Now with the introduction of Dendro and its related reactions to Electro, the Raiden Shogun has set herself to be a must-have unit in your roster. Raiden Hyperbloom quickly shot up to be the best team comp to use in the game. The introduction of Dendro has also opened doors for Raiden with Elemental Mastery builds too.
- Wanderer: A long-awaited and most anticipated character Wanderer (formerly known as the Balladeer/Scaramouche) did not disappoint with his kit. Wanderer is an Anemo DPS just like Xiao and is currently the best Anemo DPS in the game as of Version 3.6. He is a Catalyst unit where he specializes in dealing charged attack damages by hovering above the enemies. Wanderer also received different buffs based on the swirl reaction he deals. With a seemingly fun play-style and good damage multipliers, there’s no doubt that Wanderer will stay in the META for a long time.
Sub-DPS
| Tier | Pyro | Cryo | Hydro | Electro | Dendro | Anemo | Geo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overpowered (SS) | Xiangling | Rosaria | Yelan Nilou | Yae Miko Fischl | Nahida | Sucrose Kaedehara Kazuha | Albedo |
| Strong (S) | Thoma | Kaeya Kamisato Ayaka Ganyu | Xingqiu Tartaglia Kokomi | Raiden Shogun Beidou | Tighnari Dendro Traveler | Jean | Arataki Itto Geo Traveler |
| Good (A) | Dehya Hu Tao Yoimiya Yanfei Diluc | Eula | Mona Kamisato Ayato | Kuki Shinobu Lisa Keqing | Alhaitham | Heizou Venti Wanderer Xiao | Zhongli Noelle |
| Average (B) | Xinyan Amber Bennett Klee | Layla Shenhe Aloy Mika Diona Chongyun Qiqi | Candace Barbara | Cyno Dori Kujou Sara Razor ElectroTraveler | Yaoyao Collei | Faruzan Sayu Anemo Traveler | Yun Jin Gorou Ningguang |
Best Characters
- Yae Miko: Unsurprising as it is, the release of Dendro-related reactions has boosted Yae Miko to be a formidable playable character in the game. Yae Miko was already in a tough position when she was released, initially seeing as how she is a Catalyst user and harnesses Electro. In the current Versions of the game, she is now an amazing Sub-DPS that applies off-field Electro damage with her Totems and deals AoE Electro damage by using her Elemental Burst.
- Yelan: Yelan is a very popular character amongst the META teams ever since she was released in the game. A 5 Star Xingqiu as people have allegedly put it, makes it easier to pair her up with other units that need off-field Hydro application. Her scalings of purely HP made her easy to build and deal with high amounts of Hydro damage. Dendro has also boosted her usage and pull value due to Hydro being a focal reactionary Element to have to trigger Bloom/Hyperbloom.
- Nilou: Nilou is a unit with a double-edged sword. She is not F2P friendly and requires high investment and premium 5 Stars for her teams. But if you are willing to invest, you will not regret it in the long term. Nilou Bloom team is a spectacular team that dishes out high amounts of damage. Her Bountiful Cores can deal high amounts of Dendro damage to multiple enemies and her long Hydro application make her a great Sub-DPS to have in your party.
Support
| Tier | Pyro | Cryo | Hydro | Electro | Dendro | Anemo | Geo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overpowered (SS) | Bennett | Kamisato Ayaka Ganyu | Xingqiu Kokomi | Kuki Shinobu | Nahida Yaoyao | Sucrose Kaedehara Kazuha | Yun Jin Zhongli |
| Strong (S) | Thoma | Eula | Mona | Kujou Sara Beidou | Tighnari Dendro Traveler | Faruzan Venti | Albedo Gorou |
| Good (A) | – | Kaeya Rosaria | Barbara | Collei | Sayu Jean | – | |
| Average (B) | Xinyan | Layla Shenhe Aloy Mika Diona Chongyun Qiqi | Candace | Dori | – | Noelle |
Best Characters
- Kuki Shinobu: During her release, Shinobu received quite a negative response due to the widespread idea of Inazuma 4 star reputation being terrible units. But due to the introduction of Dendro, Shinobu’s usage, and viability as a unit shot up significantly. Now she is one of the sole faces of any catalyzed reactions in teams. Kuki Shinobu is an Electro Support that specializes in healing and applying Electro using her Elemental Skill. She scales off of HP and depletes a part of her HP to heal. Her healing scale is pretty good as a four-star and can apply Electro to surrounding enemies.
- Yaoyao: The game has so far introduced a vast amount of Dendro characters throughout Version 3.0 and further. Many of these have proved to be very amazing units to have in your roster due to Dendro itself being such an amazing Element to use with high damage multipliers due to the Dendro-related Elemental reactions. As such it is no surprise that Yaoyao would fall into such a category of being an amazing Dendro Support and an overall great 4 Star character that we have seen so far. She is the only Dendro healer for now with her healing scale being pretty good for a 4-star unit. Yaoyao can also apply Dendro effectively and can act as a budget Nahida.
- Sangonomiya Kokomi: Kokomi’s viability seems to be improving as each patch launches. It is a stark contrast from her initial release where many players dubbed her to be one of the worst 5 Stars in the game. Of course, as time went on all those impressions did not last long. Kokomi can apply off-field Hydro effectively well due to her Jellyfish skill and hence players can utilize this on Freeze teams and Bloom teams. She is especially amazing on Bloom teams due to her high-scale healing abilities which is essential to have in Bloom comps due to the self-inflicted damage caused by the Dendro cores. Kokomi can also take advantage of many Support buffs such as the Tenacity of the Mililith set and the Thrilling Tales weapon. Overall, Kokomi is a character that has high pull value and will prove to be a great asset to your team.
Final Thoughts
With the current state of the META in the game, there is no doubt about the fact that Dendro and its related reactions will now stay at the top in terms of dealing high damage. They have quickly power-scaled over previous popular reactions such as Vaporize, Freeze, Melt, etc. This is why it is recommended that players invest in characters with Elements related to Hydro, Electro, and Dendro. With this state of combat, it is obvious that Fontaine playable characters in the future will be providing units that are catered towards Dendro.
Additionally, it is upsetting to see Geo and Physical characters take a back-burner in the META. Reactionary damage is more vastly used and the Non-Elemental reactions such as Geo and Physical can barely help you with end-game content such as Spiral Abyss. This is why Hoyoverse is releasing fewer and fewer playable characters related to Geo and Physical.
