Genshin impact has a wide roster of obtainable characters. In general, all of these characters have their own unique ways of being useful in the game. But undeniably, the 5-Star characters are among those that perform greatly - and among the list of the 5-star characters, some outshine others.
In this article, we will list down the top-performing 5-Star characters in terms of their combat prowess and their usefulness in the major contents in the game (i.e Spiral Abyss, Bosses, Domains). The list will also discuss the advantages and disadvantages when using the characters.
Note: This list is only reliable as of Version 1.5. We will update it when a new version arrives.
10. Jean (Support / Healer)
Jean’s Talents Page
Jean is the go-to 5-Star Healer in the game. Her Elemental Burst heals her allies instantly and also deals damage to the surrounding enemies. If the Elemental Burst is not yet available, she can alternatively heal the party by attacking enemies using her Normal Attacks.
Jean has an Elemental Skill that fends enemies away from her. This makes her a good Support for a team that has a Bow-user Main DPS. The Elemental Skill can also trigger a Swirl Reaction. The Swirl Reaction buffs the “swirled” Element if Jean is wearing the Viridescent Venerer Artifact Set.
She is one of the 5-Star characters that are easier to obtain because she is included in every Character Wish Banner.
The reason why Jean is at the bottom of the list is because she is very replaceable. You can easily remove her from your team, replace her with another character of the same Role, and see your party still performing well (or even better).
Strengths:
- Provides Instant AOE Healing
- Elemental Skill that can hold enemies
- Normal Attacks can heal allies.
- Elemental Burst heals and damages at the same time
Weaknesses:
- Long cooldowns
- Not a reliable source of additional damage
9. Diluc (Main DPS)
Diluc’s Talents Page
One of the pioneer Main DPS 5-Star characters. The combination of Claymore and Pyro Element makes Diluc a notorious offensive character. He can break the defenses of most shielded enemies easily. Diluc can also deal massive AOE Damage with his Elemental Burst.
His Elemental Skill can be performed 3 times and his Elemental Burst gives a Pyro Element application to his Normal Attacks. With these, Diluc can produce consistent Pyro Damage output and can trigger repeated Elemental Reactions.
Diluc can give a very high Damage Output - considering that he has a Pyro Vision (Pyro-related Reactions are highly favored as of the current patch). But still, other Main DPS characters can outperform him in this area - and we’re pretty sure that Mihoyo will release more characters that can outshine him. Therefore, as the game develops, Diluc will be seemingly “outdated”, unless Mihoyo decides to buff him in the future.
Strengths:
- Can break most shields.
- High Damage Elemental Burst that imbues his weapon with Pyro Element
- Crit Damage increases with Ascension
- Can trigger repeated Elemental Reactions with his Burst’s effect and Elemental Skill
Weakness:
- Slow Attack animations
8. Klee (Main DPS)
Klee’s Talents Page
Klee is reliable in dealing continuous AOE Damage. Her Elemental Burst and Charge Attacks deal constant Pyro Damage to multiple enemies. Just like Diluc, she can also be used to trigger continuous Pyro-related Reactions, but Klee can do it a little better due to her Normal Attacks being imbued with Pyro Element in default She is very effective in clearing groups of enemies and fast-clearing Domains and Spiral Abyss Floors.
The only problem with Klee is her long Attack Animations. She’s harder to master as she requires good positioning and different techniques to shorten her Attack Animations (Animation Cancelling).
Overall, she is a reliable damage dealer. She can be built as a Sub-DPS or a Main, but we still recommended the latter.
Strengths:
- Can deal continuous AOE damage
- Can repeatedly trigger Elemental Reactions with her Normal Attacks
- High Pyro Damage Output
Weaknesses:
- Long Attack Animations make her vulnerable to interruptions
- One of the characters that require more time in the field to maximize damage potential
- Requires great positioning
7. Mona (Sub - DPS)
Mona’s Talents Page
Mona is a “must-have” character if you want to maximize the overall Offensive Potential of your team. What’s good with Mona is her highly useful Elemental Burst. With a single cast, Mona’s Burst can deal large amounts of damage, can apply a CC effect, and can give a Debuff to groups of enemies.
The Debuff in her Elemental Burst will increase the damage taken by the affected opponent. Her Elemental Skill also provides crowd control by taunting groups of enemies.
Mona is a good Sub-DPS character for contents that require fast-clearing mobs. Both her Elemental Skill and Elemental Burst can apply the Hydro Element to multiple enemies, that’s why she is popularly used in AOE Damage Team Compositions and Burst Damage Team Compositions.
Strengths:
- High Burst Damage
- Can apply Wet Status to multiple enemies
- Provides good Crowd Control
- Applies a debuff to groups of enemies
- Unique Sprint Skill
Weaknesses:
- Highly Dependent in Elemental Reactions
- She is a “one-trick pony” - most players use her just for her Elemental Burst
6. Albedo (Sub - DPS)
Albedo’s Talents Page
Albedo is a good Sub-DPS character. He can deal consistent Damage without relying on Elemental Reactions. The Transient Blossoms that are generated by the Solar Isotoma deal AOE Geo Damage in short intervals. His Elemental Skill also has a short cooldown, so you can easily replace a Solar Isotoma if its duration ends or if it is destroyed by the enemies.
The main highlight of his kit is his Elemental Burst. It can produce tons of damage in just a couple of seconds - making him a great character for clearing groups of enemies. If you unlock his first Constellation, the Transient Blossoms will regenerate Energy for Albedo - then, you can use his Elemental Burst more often and further increase his Damage Output.
His Elemental Burst also increases the Elemental Mastery to the party. Because of this, Albedo can act as a Pseudo-Support by increasing the effects of the Elemental Reactions triggered by his allies.
The problem with Albedo is him having a Geo Vision. Geo Element doesn’t give a remarkable Elemental Reaction, it can only provide Crystallize Reactions that create a shield of a certain Element.
Strengths:
- Can provide continuous damage in an Area
- The damage of his Elemental Burst is massive
- His Elemental Burst increases the Elemental Mastery of allies
- Low cooldown of abilities
Weakness:
- No remarkable Elemental Reactions
5. Xiao (Main DPS)
Xiao’s Talents Page
Xiao is highly recognized for his offensive potential and his ability to give consistent damage outputs. His specialty is his Plunge Attacks which can be further enhanced by his Elemental Burst. Xiao can literally spam Plunge Attacks while under the effect of Elemental Burs. His Elemental Burst also imbues Anemo Element to his Attacks. Therefore, Xiao can trigger Swirl Reactions for additional damage and effects.
Xiao is very reliable in Domains and the Abyss due to his fast mob-clearing potential. Xiao can deal 5 to 6 digits damage per plunge if you build him right and if you group him with the right characters.
You can fix the problematic life-draining effect of his Elemental Burst by adding a reliable Support (like Zhongli) to your party. You can also add another Anemo character to your party to help in the rechargement of Xiao’s Elemental Burst. The most suitable character for this is Jean - she can generate additional Energy Particles for Xiao, and she can also heal if necessary.
Strengths:
- Can deal continuous AOE Damage using his Plunge Attacks
- Fast Attack Speed
- Fast Elemental Skill Animation
Weaknesses:
- His Elemental Burst depletes his HP
- Dependent on his Elemental Burst to maximize Damage Output
- Quite hard to recharge his Elemental Burst
4. Hu Tao (Main DPS)
Hu Tao’s Talents Page
Another Pyro Character on our list. As expected, she is a high-performing Main DPS. Hu Tao, alone, has a very high damage capacity. But if you team her up with characters that can supplement her “broken” kit, Hu Tao can dish out even greater damage.
Hu Tao’s damage relies on her Elemental Skill. It imbues her Attacks with Pyro Element and it also gives her a damage increase. She can deal continuous Pyro Damage and can trigger Elemental Reactions constantly.
What’s also good with Hu Tao is she has a high Base Crit Damage. Added to that, her Crit Damage also increases with her Ascension. This makes her one of the characters with High Crit Damage in default.
Also, her Elemental Burst deals massive damage to enemies around her. With the right build, right combo and right team composition, she can instantly wipe out groups of enemies with her Elemental Burst. Because of these feats, she is a reliable Main DPS character that can function well on any occasion - may it be the Domains, Boss fights, Open World battles or in the Spiral Abyss.
Strengths:
- High Pyro Damage
- High Base HP
- High Base Crit Damage and it also scales through Ascension
- Can deal High Burst Damage to groups of enemies
Weaknesses:
- Her Elemental Skill sacrifices a portion of her HP
- It’s hard to control her Charge Attacks when fighting
- Should be below 50% HP most of the time to maximize Damage
3. Zhongli (Support / Support)
Zhongli’s Talents Page
Zhongli is the best Support Character you can have in Genshin Impact. He performs well in any Team Composition. His “almost” indestructible shield is the best supporting tool in the game. It doesn’t only provide Damage Reductions, but it also has an effect that can lower the Resistances of the.
Zhongli’s Elemental Burst deals destructive damage to a large AOE. It also provides crowd control by petrifying enemies that were caught up by the explosion of his Elemental Burst.
Overall, Zhongli is literally god when it comes to supporting. He is a highly recommended Support for team compositions that uses a Main DPS which has a high-risk-high-reward mechanic (e.g. Hu Tao). Zhongli is also a good character for fighting Azhdaha or the Primo Geovishap because you will be needing Shields to defeat these two bosses.
Strengths:
- Very strong shield
- Shield gives a debuff to surrounding enemies
- High Elemental Burst Damage
- Elemental Burst Stuns enemies in a large AOE
Weaknesses:
- Long Elemental Burst Animation
- Slow Energy Recharge
2. Venti (Sub - DPS)
Venti’s Talents Page
Venti is like the upgraded version of Mona. They both rely on their Elemental Burst to be useful for the team. But unlike Mona’s, Venti’s Elemental Burst is far greater in terms of usefulness and of course - damage. Although Venti’s Elemental Burst doesn’t give a debuff just like what Mona’s Burst does, Venti’s Elemental Bursts, however, has a signature “Vacuum Effect”.
Venti can group multiple enemies in an area using his Elemental Burst. The duration of the CC is also very long - you can perform multiple combos with your characters while the Burst is pulling the enemies. His Burst deals damage over time. Added to that - it can also absorb other Elements and further increase the damage taken by the affected enemies.
In conclusion, Venti is a character that is very effective in fast-clearing mobs. He is very useful in Domains and the Spiral Abyss.
Strengths:
- Can hold multiple enemies for a long duration using his Elemental Burst
- Elemental Burst absorbs other Elements
- Easy to recharge Energy
Weakness:
- His strength mostly relies on his Elemental Burst
1. Ganyu (Main DPS)
Ganyu’s Talents Page
And the best character on our list is none other than Ganyu. Just like Hu Tao, Ganyu is also a character that can deal tremendous damage on her own. But what makes Ganyu special is her complementing Talents and mechanics. Ganyu is a character that can stand up on her own. She has a good Base Crit Damage and a passive that can increase the Crit Rate of her Charge Attacks.
She can bombard groups of enemies from afar and eliminate them easily with a couple of shots (or possibly a single shot). She excels in every combat-related content of the game. She is the most used character for clearing the Spiral Abyss in the China Server. What’s great about her is that almost all of her abilities are AOE, so it’s obvious that she is an exceptional character for fast mob-clearing.
Ganyu’s weakness is her vulnerability to interruption when charging her Frostflake Arrows. But it is not much of a disadvantage, because her Elemental Skill already fixed this loophole. When you use her Elemental Skill, she can safely escape when an enemy tries to approach her. She will also leave a bloom that taunts enemies - giving you time to reposition to a safer distance.
Overall, Ganyu is an overpowered character. Her abilities are both “broken” in numbers and “broken” in mechanics. Because of that, Ganyu is undoubtedly the best 5-Star character in the current version of the game.
Strengths:
- Can deal Massive AOE Damage from a safe distance
- Ascension increases Crit Damage
- Almost all of her skills are AOE
- Has a Passive that increases Crit Rate of Charge Attacks
- Elemental Skill taunts enemies
Weaknesses:
- Can be interrupted when in Aimed Shot Mode
- Requires a long time to recharge her attack to Level 2
- She has low HP
And that finalizes our list. We hope that you like it. Please feel free to leave a comment below.
