Everyone loves seeing a shiny gold 5-star wish in Genshin Impact, but that doesn’t mean you should ignore your 4-stars! Some 4-star characters are capable of impressive DPS on top of being easier to obtain, even surpassing 5-star characters! Read below to see which 4-star characters make the best DPS units.
Xingqiu
Xingqiu is arguably the single best unit in Genshin Impact, even accounting for 5-stars. He can require quite a lot of Energy Recharge, but as long as those needs are met, he’s capable of dishing out respectable off-field Hydro damage with his Burst. His Skill doesn’t get as much attention, but still consists of two big hits of Hydro damage — four if using Sacrificial Sword. On top of his raw damage, Xingqiu also provides:
- Interruption resistance so you don’t get staggered during your combo
- Hydro application, enabling a wide range of reactions
- Damage reduction so you take less damage
- A small amount of healing to offset the damage you take
His Constellations are also very good, with C6 significantly increasing both his damage output and Hydro application.
Xingqiu’s only downsides are his high Energy Recharge needs, the single-target nature of his Burst damage, and his atrocious haircut.
Fischl
When you play Fischl, you’re really playing Oz, her flying companion and translator. Oz can be summoned by both her Skill and Burst, and he does considerable single-target Electro damage. He stays even after Fischl swaps out, letting you use another character as an on-field DPS. Oz generates a constant stream of Electro particles while he’s active, which is great for becoming a battery for other Electro characters. With the advent of Dendro in 3.0, Fischl’s usefulness has only increased. She is a mainstay in Electro-Charged and Quicken teams. Her Constellations are generally decent, with her C3 and C6 being the most impactful.
Xiangling
Xiangling is extremely accessible since everyone gets one copy of her upon reaching Adventure Rank 20 and clearing Spiral Abyss Floor 3. The highlight of her kit is the Pyronado summoned by her Burst. This is a big whirlwind of Pyro damage with a generous AoE that orbits the player, even if you switch characters. On top of doing damage, Pyronado has no internal cooldown for elemental application, meaning it applies Pyro to enemies every time it hits. This makes Xiangling one of the fastest sources of Pyro application in the game and allows her to Vaporize every single Pyronado hit. Even if she’s not Vaporizing, she’s very good at maintaining a consistent Pyro aura on enemies for you to trigger other reactions with.
Her Constellations are a mixed bag of usefulness, with C3 and C4 being the only ones with real impact. These are the ones that buff her Burst; the rest of her Constellations improve Guoba (whose targeting can be unreliable) or just aren’t that useful to her.
Bennett
Bennett is typically played in a support role, but he can double as a potent on-field DPS. He is able to benefit from his own buffs, and while standing in his Burst circle, he is able to spam his Skills on a 2-second cooldown. He applies Pyro with every single Skill cast, meaning he can potentially Vaporize every Skill when paired with Xingqiu. Add an Electro unit like Fischl, and he can proc Overload as well, allowing him to run 4pc Thundering Fury artifacts for even shorter Skill cooldowns. Or you can add a Dendro unit instead and play Burgeon Bennett with an Elemental Mastery build.
Bennett’s Constellations are mostly good. His C6 can be somewhat controversial, but for DPS Bennett, it is recommended to activate it.
Beidou
Beidou is similar to Fischl in that both are capable of good off-field Electro damage. Beidou differs in that her damage isn’t locked to a single target. Instead, her Burst damage can bounce between multiple enemies three to five times depending on her Constellation level. Because of her high Burst cost, Beidou and Fischl are often paired together so that Fischl can provide her with Energy. Beidou also grants your team interruption resistance and damage reduction, both of which can stack with Xingqiu’s. Fischl, Beidou, and Xingqiu together form a strong Electro-Charged core that allows you to run practically anyone in the last slot.
You don’t even need a healer, since the team has so much defensive utility built in.
Rosaria
Rosaria is the only unit on this list that was not available when Genshin Impact launched. First introduced in Version 1.4, Rosaria has consistently been a strong, flexible Cryo DPS. Her Burst does the majority of her damage, dealing pulses of Cryo damage at 2-second intervals for a total of four damage instances at C0. Constellation 2 increases this to six damage instances.
All of these hits can apply Cryo, meaning that every single Burst tick can trigger Melt for amplified damage. Alternatively, Rosaria can be used in Freeze teams to generate Cryo particles and do additional damage. She can even lower enemy Physical RES, giving her a role in Physical teams as well.
Noelle
Noelle has very specific requirements in order to shine. Her best teams can be somewhat limited, since she prefers teams that are mostly Geo characters. First, you’ll want C6 Gorou, who is only ever featured together with Arataki Itto. This means Gorou is difficult to obtain if you don’t also want Itto. Albedo and Zhongli are also good teammates for Noelle, but as limited 5-stars, they are just as hard to obtain as C6 Gorou.
You can sub in Fischl and/or Yun Jin in a pinch, but it can be difficult to make Noelle hit hard without at least Gorou to support her. If you are able to put together a good team for Noelle, with a well-invested artifact set, then she is able to hit for considerable amounts of damage. She heals her entire team too, becoming a rare example of a true tank in Genshin Impact.
