Splash!
Hydro is one of the 7 Elements in Genshin Impact. Currently, there are only 4 playable characters that have Hydro visions, but there have been rumors of an upcoming character possibly using Hydro. Of course, take that claim with a grain of salt.
In this article, get to meet all the Hydro characters in Genshin Impact and learn what they bring to your team!
4. Barbara
Barbara is a self-proclaimed idol and the deaconess in the Church of Favonius. With her pleasant personality and sweet voice, Barbara is loved by all of Mondstadt. She is a hard worker and a solid devotee to the Anemo Archon, living her life in the service of citizens. This character of hers reflects on her support kit as a healer.
What Makes Barbara Great for Hydro
- Easily applies Hydro because she’s a catalyst user
- Can apply Hydro while off the field
- Easily to build
- Entire kit built for healing
Her elemental skill Let the Show Begin, summons a Hydro ring around the character which heals the character currently in use. Every enemy that comes into contact with this ring is applied with the Wet status. This skill scales off Barbara’s max HP, which is an artifact stat majority will have on-hand, making her easy to build.
Her elemental burst Shining Miracle restores a large amount of HP to all characters in the party. This is also scaled off her max HP.
As a unit, Barbara is very good at what she does — healing — but nothing else. Being a healer, she has a place for every team. Her biggest con is that she applies Hydro whenever her elemental skill heals the character on-field, which becomes disadvantageous especially against Cryo enemies. If your character has the Wet status and is hit with a Cryo attack, you’ll be frozen.
Barbara has become a bit of a meme within the community, but don’t let that scare you off, she’s a good unit especially as a starting player.
3. Mona
Mona Megistus is a Mora-less astrologer currently residing in Mondstadt. She is a woman who doesn’t mince her words and is passionate about what she does. Being an astrologer, it’s only fitting that she uses a catalyst weapon. Known to be an amazing Burst DPS within the community, she’s a popular unit .
What Makes Mona Great for Hydro
- Easily applies Hydro because she’s a catalyst user
- Can apply Hydro while off the field
- Great support kit (if you want to build her like that)
- Elemental burst deals a lot of damage
Her elemental skill Mirror Reflection of Doom, summons an illusory Phantom of Fate that attracts the aggro of enemies. Every enemy that comes near this Phantom is dealt Hydro damage and applied with the Wet status. When its duration expires, it explodes and deals considerable Hydro damage to nearby enemies.
Her elemental burst Stellaris Phantasm traps smaller enemies in a bubble and deals a huge amount of Hydro damage upon explosion.
Mona is a great damage dealer, and if you partner her with a Pyro support like Bennett, the DMG increase from the vaporize reaction makes her a sick nuke. That said, being a burst DPS, she needs to have someone in the team who can provide damage while her burst isn’t ready. Being a catalyst user, she’s also very squishy so consider putting a healer or a shield provider in your team comp.
2. Xingqiu
Xingqiu is a bookworm — the second son of the Guild Manager of the Feiyun Commerce Guild. Although polite, Xingqiu hides his mischief behind his flowery words and graceful movements. Being a practitioner of the Guhua Clan’s arts, he proves himself to be a great support character to just about any team comp.
What Makes Xingqiu Great for Hydro
- Applies Hydro using his elemental skill and burst
- Can apply Hydro while off the field
- Elemental skill reduces incoming damage
- Great support kit
His elemental skill Guhua Sword: Fatal Rainscreen deals considerable Hydro DMG and creates Rain Swords that reduce damage and applies the Wet status to enemies that touch it.
The bread and butter of Xingqiu’s kit is his elemental burst, Guhua Sword: Raincutter. It summons Rain Swords that deal additional Hydro DMG together with your normal attacks. It quickly applies Hydro to enemies, increasing elemental damage and setting up your team for Vaporize reactions.
All of his skills are transferable to any character on your team which makes him a great support option for just about any DPS (especially Pyro ones). Xingqiu is a coveted unit for the majority of Genshin players for his damage-dealing abilities and usefulness in battle.
1. Tartaglia
Tartaglia is Number 11 of the Fatui Harbingers. Being their youngest member, he is more childish and outgoing than his co-members. This Hydro bow user is highly regarded as one of the nuke characters in the game. His thirst for battle is reflects on his skills as a unit.
What Makes Tartaglia Great for Hydro
- Both his Bow form and Melee stance applies Hydro
- Attacking enemies with the Riptide effect stuns smaller enemies
- Both of his elemental bursts have large AoE
- High elemental burst multipliers
His elemental skill, Foul Legacy: Raging Tide, converts his bow stance into melee stance, turning all of his attacks to Hydro in the process. Hitting enemies with the Riptide mark (either by using charged shots or scoring crit hits in melee stance) will create a Riptide Slash that deals AoE Hydro damage.
But keep in mind: the longer you stay in this stance the longer the cooldown.
His elemental burst, Havoc: Obliteration, has two forms: bow stance and melee stance. Both forms deal huge Hydro AoE damage — this is where is nuke title comes from.
Without C6, it’s important to run him with a sub-DPS to make up for his elemental skill when it’s on cooldown. So play him smart and play him quick.
Conclusion
With only 4 Hydro characters in the current character roster, there is a lot to be discovered for this element. It shows a lot of potential as DPS and support and players should look forward on what’s to come.
