Water is life, but it can also bring destruction. Hydro is the most adaptable element in the game, as it is crucial for most of the best reactions. Its units are masters of HP and healing, with a vast majority of them being great applicators of the element. It is rare to see a reaction-based team without a trusty hydro character at the helm.
Read along to find out the best hydro characters in the game so far (Patch 4.1). Take note that by “best”, we mean to evaluate the unit as a whole. This includes any effects or buffs that may come with using the character, as units in the game have their own unique quirks.
10. Candace
They take in all that are lost in the desert.
First on our list is a sword defender of the desert. She is a descendant of King Deshret and lives to serve all who need her aid.
Candace is a polearm user who can buff the elementally-infused normal attacks of her allies. She is a unit that can fulfill her role well even without investing in her talents. The downside to her is that there are many other units that can fulfill her role, among other things.
Her skill has Candace raising her shield as long as it is held. This can be used to tank large amounts of damage before striking down her enemies with her spear. Her burst buffs the entire team’s infused normal attacks while also providing hydro infusion for any melee characters. This also passively emits waves whenever a new unit takes the battlefield.
What Makes Candace Great for Hydro:
- Can create a shield for herself to tank any incoming damage.
- Her buff can increase the damage of the team.
- Easy to build as her buff relies on HP.
9. Barbara
Her songs can heal even the most damaged hearts.
Let the show begin! This performer is a superstar in Mondstadt and can heal almost any wound you need treating.
Barbara is a catalyst user who mainly focuses on healing. Her entire kit provides heals that can be handy when facing tough opponents. She works well if you are using her as an on-field hydro applicator, but can be easily replaced with other options if not.
Her skill casts a ring around the active character, which then heals them periodically while also applying hydro to any units within really close range. If Barbara is on the field, her normal and charged attacks can heal the entire team based on her HP. Her burst is a simple single-cast heal that aids all party members.
What Makes Barbara Great for Hydro:
- Great on-field hydro applicator as she is a tanky catalyst user.
- Can heal her entire team with one press of her burst.
- Easy to build as she mainly focuses on HP.
8. Mona
Knowing your destiny can have some unwanted drawbacks.
The secrets of the stars are harnessed by this astrologist. She can read the fates of others and is unrivaled at her craft, despite her young age.
Mona is a catalyst user who is known for having one of the best bursts in the game. She synergizes well with other elemental units and is a must-have if you’re a fan of seeing single-instance high damage numbers.
Her skill creates a decoy that taunts enemies while continuously applying hydro to them. Her burst traps all light enemies in bubbles that, when popped, will greatly enhance the performed attack and would then increase the damage taken by the enemy for a duration. She also comes with an alternate sprint that allows her to turn into a pool of water with enhanced speed that can traverse most terrain and even water itself.
What Makes Mona Great for Hydro:
- Her burst is arguably the best applied buff in the game.
- Can trap her enemies in bubbles.
- Her skill is a decent off-field hydro applicator.
- Special dash is great when traveling the open world.
7. Nilou
Moving as graceful as the ebb and flow of water.
She is a graceful dancer who brings joy to the people of Sumeru through her graceful performances. Let it be known that great skill in dancing can also be applied in combat.
Nilou is a sword user who is an absolute must-have if you want to focus on bloom reactions. She can buff the blooms themselves, turning them into lotuses that deal enhanced damage. The downside to having her is that your team would be limited to only hydro and dendro characters, as her passive relies on this exclusivity.
Her skill lets her enter the pirouette state, where her attacks will perform varying techniques that all apply hydro. Her burst lets a giant lotus explode and deal great hydro damage while leaving enemies with a debuff that will damage them again after a certain interval.
What Makes Nilou Great for Hydro:
- Can buff the EM of her team.
- Passively buffs blooms, turning them into lotuses.
- Her damage is not entirely reliant on talents as blooms are her main damage source.
6. Ayato
There is still work to be done.
The head of the Yashiro Commision is a man of great intellect and impressive manners. He has been trained for this role all his life, and his results show his dedication to his job.
Ayato is a sword user who excels at applying hydro while also dealing considerable damage. He is best played with off-field supports who can maximize his application with devastating reactions.
His skill allows him to cast an illusion while he himself prepares his form. He then slashes enemies swiftly with hydro continuously with every tap or hold of the attack button, which can also increase in damage the longer it is performed. His burst creates an AoE rain that damages and applies to hydro to enemies while also buffing the normal damage of teammates within it.
What Makes Ayato Great for Hydro:
- Great on-field hydro applicator.
- Playstyle is almost a no-brainer, as you only need to hold the attack button while performing his skill.
- Can aid his team with off-field hydro application through his burst.
- His burst can buff the normal attacks of teammates.
5. Childe
Any weapon in his hand can be dangerous.
The 11th Fatui Harbinger is the lowest ranked among their group, but don’t take him lightly, as he is more than capable of creating mass destruction wherever he is. If you’ve played the main quest, you know how much trouble this guy brings around.
Childe is an unconventional bow user who can also take a melee stance with his hydro swords and spears. He excels at applying on-field hydro in a wide range and is paired in teams similar to Ayato mentioned above. Despite his great benefits, he is held back by the absurd cooldown of his skill that only experienced players know how to play around with.
He has a special charged attack that applies riptide to enemies hit. His skill abandons his bow as he takes on his hydro weapons to take a melee stance with devastating and wide hydro attacks. Hitting enemies with riptide allows him to perform a riptide slash that deals additional damage. His burst is an AoE attack that varies depending on what stance he is currently taking, which could either apply riptide or trigger it.
What Makes Childe Great for Hydro:
- Decent hydro damage on his own.
- One of the best hydro applicators in the game.
- Can switch between melee and ranged stances.
4. Xingqui
An honorable descendant of the Guhua Clan arts.
A famed writer all across the land of Teyvat. He has studied the art of swordsmanship and is skilled enough to apply all he has learned.
Xinqui is a sword user who is one of the most sought-after supports due to his amazing off-field hydro application. He is also a great energy generator who fully maximizes the benefits of the sacrificial sword.
His skill performs two slashes that deal great damage while leaving a ring of swords around the on-field unit. This is best paired with the sacrificial sword, as both slashes can trigger the passive and help him gain his burst even quicker. His burst is the core of his kit, where he creates hydro swords that would passively strike enemies alongside any normal attack. This also deals great damage and is an amazing trigger for hydro-related reactions in most teams.
What Makes Xingqui Great for Hydro:
- One of the best off-field hydro applicators in the game.
- Is a great unit for energy generation if built correctly.
- Fits in a vast number of team compositions.
- Deals great damage on his own.
- Can protect allies with the surrounding swords he creates.
- Can perform minor healing as his skill expires due to his passive.
3. Kokomi
It is rare to see a fish out of water.
Initially frowned upon by the community. Players have come to appreciate the true greatness of the Princess of Watatsumi, and is now one of the most valuable hydro units in the game.
Kokomi is a catalyst user who excels at on-field and off-field hydro application and healing. Her heals are absurdly good, and you will rarely see any unit falling to their demise when she’s on the team. She can also deal decent damage on her own, which when paired with her tanky HP, makes her one of the best on-field units to have on reaction-based teams. She would be ranked higher if only she wasn’t greatly limited with CRIT’s as this is the tradeoff from her passive to gain a decent healing bonus.
Her skill summons a jellyfish that periodically heals units around it while damaging and applying hydro to enemies. Casting her burst allows her to refresh the duration of the jellyfish while also donning her garment, which greatly buffs her attacks based on her HP while also healing teammates with each hit.
What Makes Kokomi Great for Hydro:
- Arguably the best healer in the game due to her large healing amounts and skillset.
- Greatly utilizes the effects of the Ocean-Hued Clam set.
- Hydro application is great both on and off the field.
- Burst mode allows her to walk on water.
2. Yelan
Roll the dice and try your luck.
She is all smoke and mirrors, as nobody knows what this spy is up to. All we can be sure of is that whatever she does is for the best of Liyue, and her shady tactics may just be the solution needed in sticky situations.
Yelan is a bow user who arguably deals the most off-field hydro damage in the game. She is great for exploration and can even serve as a DPS if needed. She is typically considered the 5-star version of Xingqui, but she provides a lot of different benefits as well.
Her skill allows her to run freely with great speed while tagging any enemies she comes across. When the duration ends, she greatly damages all marked enemies. Her burst summons dice to attack enemies simultaneously with any normal attack. This deals great damage based on her HP and can be triggered once every second.
What Makes Yelan Great for Hydro:
- Her HP increases as more elemental types are included in your team.
- Can buff any on-field character the longer her burst stays.
- Arguably provides the best off-field hydro application.
- Elemental skill deals massive damage to multiple enemies.
- Her skill can also be great for sprinting around the open world.
- Special charged attacks are great for opening fights.
1. Neuvillette
Protecting the nation at all costs.
Leading our list is the latest released character who holds power both in the Court of Fontaine and on the battlefield. He is an almighty judge who serves justice with no discrimination, as he upholds the law of the land with an iron fist.
Neuvillette is a catalyst user whose playstyle revolves around his special charged attacks making him a top-tier DPS unit. He blasts enemies with a devastating beam of hydro that takes a long time to charge but can be cast instantly whenever droplets are around. This beam deals so much damage that he can single-handedly demolish enemies with just this attack.
His skill brings down water on his foes while also creating three droplets he can use to instantly power his charged attack. This attack is also followed by a pneuma attack that damages enemies. His burst summons waves that deal decent hydro damage, which is followed by two additional instances of damage after a short period. This then creates six droplets that can fuel your charged attack instantly twice that when paired with his skill, can give you three instant charged attacks at your disposal.
What Makes Neuvillette Great for Hydro:
- His kit more than makes up for his long charged attack wind-up.
- Charged attacks deal tremendous damage and can take out groups of enemies with its AoE.
- Does not need a healer as he can absorb droplets to heal himself.
- Synergizes well with many off-field damage dealers.
- Can deal even more damage when different reactions are triggered.
- Buffs his own hydro damage based on his current HP.
- Provides a buff to swimming speed which is very useful for traversing the wide ocean of Fontaine.
