There are lots of ways to build your support characters in Genshin Impact: healer, shielder, enabler… But there is this really fun way called nuker characters. Just like the name implies, these characters make their elemental burst hit like a nuke. Do you want lots of damage in a wide area instantly? Then this is a guide for you.
Here we are going to overview five different characters that can be built into a nuker. This top 5 will be based on the damage and utility of the character and their nukes. “Is the last one of the top the worst then?” Nope. As the title says, they’re all amazing and you should pick the one who seems more fan to you or adapts better to your playstyle.
5. Chongyun (4-star option)
We start with Chongyun. Don’t be fooled by this cute photo eating a popsicle! This exorcist from Liyue hits like a truck with his claymore. Moreover, his Cryo elemental reactions can double his damage output with a little elemental mastery.
Chongyun’s elemental skill hits a medium area, infusing all weapons and hits in the area with Cryo element. His elemental burst makes three ice swords fall from the sky, damaging a wide area of enemies.
With Chongyun’s short burst cooldown and bust recharge, you can spam his ultimate ability while freezing enemies with a hydro character, making them unable to move. (That’s why Hydro Xinqiu is his best friend). Or maybe you prefer to infuse a bit of Pyro first with Xiangling and cause a wide melt that kills a whole lot of enemies in one shot.
Whichever your team or playstyle is, Chongyun is the best 4 star character who can use his burst as a giant Cryo nuke, making him a good option for early-game players or players who don’t like to spend time gathering primogems.
What Makes Chongyun a Great Nuker
- Able to trigger two elemental reactions that increase damage: melt and freeze-shatter.
- Easy to get even in the standard banner.
- Shortest burst cooldown and energy cost.
4. Mona
Second to last we find our favorite astrologist: Mona. This little witch appeared for the first time in the Unreconciled Stars event, along with Fischl. She uses her Hydro Vision both to predict the future using the stars and to one-shot enemies with her powerful burst. Although she has no money to her name, she can be your best asset as a Hydro nuke with crowd control and enabling damage capabilities.
Her elemental skill creates a chibi watery Mona that hits nearby enemies and makes them hit her instead of the actual character. Don’t ask me how they confuse her with some cute fountain. Meanwhile, her elemental burst traps a wide area of enemies making the smaller ones float (hilichurls, slimes…). It also increases the damage received by them and infuses them with the Hydro element. After a moment, the trap explodes and all of them receive an enormous hit of Hydro damage.
Everyone knows Bennet. Well, Mona is a 5-star Hydro Bennet. However, she changes Bennet’s healing for huge nuke damage and wide crowd control. Using an AoE Pyro attack after her burst to deal vaporize damage or freezing all of them with Ayaka, can make your fight in the Abyss a lot easier.
What Makes Mona a Great Nuker
- One of the 5 stars from the standard banner.
- Able to vaporize.
- Team’s damage increase.
- Big AoE.
- Stops enemies making them float.
- Able to freeze lots of enemies in an instant.
3. Hu Tao
Now in the top 3, we find Hu Tao. This seemingly innocent girl runs Liyue’s biggest funeral parlor. Hu Tao’s daily job at Wangsheng Funeral Parlor is to guide lost souls of dead people to the beyond. She may seem to have a happy-go-lucky type of personality, but she takes her family business seriously.
Although Hu Tao’s elemental skill infuses her basic attacks with the Pyro element, it takes a cost: a decrease of 30% of her HP. You may think, “Wow! That’s a lot of HP! Maybe she isn’t worth it.” and you couldn’t be more wrong. Her attacks during her elemental skill can increase up to 400% of her original attack and burn enemies along the way.
Her burst also benefits from her lack of HP, as it hits harder when she has less HP. The enemies it hits are sure to perish in burning flames. The immense amount of damage she can make with a single vaporized reaction and the ease with which she recharges her burst (using particles from her skill) make her worthy of the third place of this ranking. And don’t forget, her burst also heals herself, so you can spam this combination forever.
What Makes Hu Tao a Great Nuker
- Heals herself as well.
- More enemies means more damage
- Able to vaporize.
- Fast burst recharge.
2. Zhongli
Zhongli’s meteorite is his best asset. The area diameter is huge, the damage is also huge, and the crowd control is unique in the whole game. Petrifying enemies and making them unable to move? Sign me in. He also has another powerful weapon: his shielding elemental skill. Not only is it the best shield in the game, but using it during petrification can hurt every enemy in the area.
With two Geo characters in your party, you can activate Geo resonance, improving all damage by 15% if shielded. This and both his shield and burst scaling of HP (one of the easiest artifact stat to get) make him one of the best nukers and shield support of the game.
What Makes Zhongli a Great Nuker
- The only one who can use petrification in the whole game.
- Big AoE.
- Follow up with his elemental skill.
- Can cause crystallization.
- Shortest burst cd and energy cost.
1. Tartaglia
Battling him during Liyue’s Archon Quest you could grasp just how strong he was, even without his Delusion. And when Mihoyo launched his character everyone knew they were right. His fluid gameplay where you can change between melee and ranged, his Hydro application that allows elemental reaction, and his passive which does secondary damage, make him one of the best DPS in the game.
His elemental burst can also make him a great nuker. Its huge AoE and potent damage, together with the passive damage, can kill a bunch of enemies at once. You can use vaporize to have double damage, or apply Cryo first to stop them in their tracks. Whatever playstyle you want to have, Tartaglia will help you achieve with ease.
What Makes Childe a Great Nuker
- Big AoE.
- Can be a support and a damage dealer.
- Fast burst recharge.
- Melee and ranged forms.
- Able to freeze lots of enemies in an instant.
- Able to vaporize.
- Double damage if enemies are marked with passive first.
There are a lot of other characters in the game that can also be built to deal nuke damage, like Baal or Eula. In this top 5, we show who we think are the best and why. So if you have one of these characters and don’t know how to build them, this is your chance. Make them a nuke, a canon, or whatever you want to call it. Just make sure you follow this guide and they’ll destroy the whole battlefield in seconds.
