Genshin Impact has an ever-growing roster of characters, most of which are obtained through the gacha system. Primogems are at a premium though, and not all characters are created equal.
A big disclaimer before we jump into the tier list though: Genshin Impact tier lists suck. There’s no one universal way to assign value to characters in Genshin. The tiers below don’t necessarily correlate with power level; rather, I tried to sort characters by team flexibility, overall utility, and popularity in the meta.
S Tier
The characters in S tier will help your account significantly. There are no must-pull characters in Genshin Impact, and you can absolutely get by without using Xiangling if you don’t like her. However, these characters are a staple in a wide variety of teams. Having at least a few of them built will help you out immensely against tricky Abyss lineups.
A Tier
A tier characters are all very strong, but there is no pressure to pull for them. Many of them are great DPS units, but since there are so many DPS options to choose from, the value of any singular DPS character is somewhat diluted. Some of them are excellent support units, but there are other alternative characters who can stand in for them in a pinch.
- Neuvillette
- Alhaitham
- Raiden Shogun
- Sangonomiya Kokomi
- Zhongli
- Kamisato Ayaka
- Ganyu
- Hu Tao
- Venti
- Sucrose
- Nilou
- Yoimiya
- Cyno
- Wanderer
- Xiao
- Lyney
- Tartaglia (“Childe”)
- Kamisato Ayato
- Baizhu
- Kuki Shinobu
B Tier
The characters in B tier are all perfectly fine. The DPS units here are still powerful, but they might require more investment or specific teammates. These characters are balanced but niche, not used often, or have other caveats to their use.
- Wriothesley
- Yae Miko
- Tighnari
- Jean
- Yaoyao
- Beidou
- Shikanoin Heizou
- Rosaria
- Arataki Itto
- Noelle
- Layla
- Shenhe
- Albedo
- Klee
- Kujou Sara
- Faruzan
- Traveler (flexible, but Dendro is best)
- Yun Jin
- Diona
- Keqing
- Lynette
- Thoma
- Gorou
C Tier
C tier characters are functional, but they rarely see any play. The DPS units here can still clear the Abyss, but require hyperinvestment or have largely fallen out of favor with the playerbase. The support units don’t provide enough utility to be used in many teams.
- Eula
- Diluc
- Mona
- Kaeya
- Sayu
- Collei
- Barbara
- Kirara
- Ningguang
- Yanfei
- Lisa
- Razor
- Chongyun
- Dori
- Mika
- Freminet
- Qiqi
- Amber
D Tier
The few characters in D tier have glaring issues with their kits that severely limit their potential. This might be due to bugs, poor design, or the absence of synergistic teammates. HoYoverse rarely buffs characters after release, but there is a chance for these rankings to improve with the addition of new characters or gameplay mechanics.
- Aloy
- Kaveh
- Dehya
- Candace
- Xinyan
A final note
Regardless of where a character falls on this list, every character is usable. Even those with the most problematic kits have been used to clear the Spiral Abyss with full stars. If you like a character, you should absolutely play that character. Enjoy whomever you like, let others enjoy whomever they like, and have fun with the video game.
