Looking for some great Genshin Impact characters? Version 2.4 has arrived and with it, more character reruns that any of us could have likely predicted. We’ve got the five-star demon hunter and Anemo polearm-user, Xiao, in the first half. Then from January 25, to tie in with the returning Lantern Rite event, we’ve got two of the most popular Genshin Impact characters ever: Ganyu and Zhongli.
Explore Enkanomiya with these Genshin Impact 2.4 guides
That’s not even mentioning the characters who are actually new. We’ve already witnessed what Shenhe’s Cryo support and Icy Quills can do, and her character quest is one of the best I’ve seen so far. Spear-wielding opera singer, Yun Jin, has also arrived, though since you can actually claim her for free as part of the Lantern Rite event coming later, it might be worth saving your wishes if you aren’t interested in Shenhe or Xiao.
That said, if you’re looking for a Genshin Impact tier list, we might just be able to help you out. Every character is viable in Genshin with investment and the right build, meaning you can lavish attention on your favorites and create a party that’s unique to you without even giving the meta a second thought. With constellations, talent levels, substats and weapons, it can be tough to tell which characters are inherently better than others at very the top.
Still, if you want a general appreciation of how strong characters are relative to their usual role, and what value they can bring to your party, this tier list should come in handy. If you just want to play who you like, that’s also great—Genshin isn’t a PvP game and no one should ever feel they have to cast aside characters in favor of the meta.
Upcoming Genshin Impact characters
In terms of banner characters, Shenhe, Yun Jin, and Xiao are currently available. We’re getting a lot of support characters right now, since first we had Geo support Gorou, and now we have Cryo support, Shenhe, and normal attack support, Yun Jin. You can wish for Shenhe or Xiao on their own banners, and still have the chance of getting Yun Jin, since she’s a boosted four-star featured on both. However, you may want to wait and get her for free as part of the Lantern Rite event from January 25 instead.
Ganyu and Zhongli also return for reruns. Zhongli is Genshin Impact’s best shielder and adds a lot of support if you don’t have him. Along with Ayaka, Ganyu is the best Cryo damage-dealer in Genshin, and will pair particularly well with Shenhe if you’re interested in running a predominantly Cryo team. Looking even further into the future, Yae Miko was finally previewed on Twitter, so that should mean she’ll arrive in Genshin Impact 2.5 if the trend remains the same.
Here are the best Genshin Impact characters
The best Genshin Impact characters are:
| Tier | Characters |
|---|---|
| S | Ganyu, Hu Tao, Raiden Shogun, Venti, Arataki Itto, Bennett, Xingqiu, Zhongli, Albedo, Ayaka, Jean, Eula, Kazuha |
| A | Shenhe, Yun Jin, Gorou, Klee, Diluc, Kokomi, Yoimiya, Aloy, Yanfei, Mona, Tartaglia, Xiao, Diona, Sucrose, Keqing, Ningguang, Razor, Fischl, Noelle, Xiangling |
| B | Thoma, Aloy, Barbara, Sara, Sayu, Beidou, Chongyun, Kaeya, Rosaria, Qiqi, Xinyan |
| C | Lisa, Traveller (Anemo and Geo), Amber |
Genshin Impact tier list
S-tier
A-tier
B-tier
C-tier
New Genshin Impact characters
The two new Genshin Impact characters are Shenhe and Yun Jin. As with Gorou, both are specialist support characters, and it’ll be interesting going forward to see if we get mono-Electro or mono-Hydro party enablers in the future as well.
Shenhe is a five-star Cryo character who is ideally used as a Cryo support, but can also be a sub-DPS due to the fact her Cryo damage boosting burst scales with attack. The burst creates Icy Quills for each character, giving them a limited number of damage-boosted Cryo attacks, including Shenhe. Once she unlocks her Spirit Communion Seal passive, she can also increase burst and skill damage, or normal, charged, and plunging attack damage, depending on how she activates it.
By comparison, Yun Jin’s support is more general, as she uses her burst to boost normal attack damage scaling from her defense. Similar to Beidou, she can also produce a stationary shield that she charges before unleashing a Geo attack, though this also has a parry functionality if you unlock her ‘True to Oneself’ passive and activate it when hit.
How to get Genshin Impact characters
To get Genshin Impact characters, you have to use the game’s gacha system to ‘Wish’ on a banner. You use Genshin Impact Primogems to purchase Intertwined Fate or Acquaint Fate that amount to a single wish and can be used individually or in sets of ten for a guaranteed four star hero.
Different banners feature different characters and boosted pull rates, so if you want a specific character and don’t want to spend money, it’s better to save up your Primogems and wait for them to be featured. The Genshin Impact pity and soft pity systems are also important to understand:
- After nine wishes without a four star, the tenth wish is guaranteed to be four star.
- After 89 wishes without a five star, the 90th is guaranteed to be a five star. From 75 wishes onwards the chance to pull a five-star is increased every wish until it hits 100% on the 90th.
- After 79 wishes on a weapon banner without a five star, the 80th is guaranteed to be five star. From 65 wishes onwards the chance to pull a five-star is increased every wish until it hits 100% on the 80th.
If you pull someone you already have, they are converted into an item that lets you unlock a Constellation upgrade for your current version of the character. Genshin Impact also gives you five free characters (and one who is technically free):
- Amber: Story progression
- Noelle: Use ten of your free starting wishes on the beginner banner
- Kaeya: Story progression
- Lisa: Story progression
- Barbara: Clear ‘Song of the Dragon and Freedom’ quest
- Xiangling: Clear floor three, chamber three in the Spiral Abyss
You purchase further characters from a rotating pool at Paimon’s Bargains with Masterless Starglitter, a resource you accumulate through wishes. It’s lesser twin, Masterless Stardust, is also earned through wishes and can be used to buy both kinds of Fate.
