Which characters are the most useful in the Spiral Abyss?
Genshin Impact stands out from other games of its type by its creative character designs. Mainly we can categorize them under three categories. DPS, Support and Healing characters. Every character in this game has unique abilities that cannot be compared with one another. As the famous saying goes, “You don’t compare a fish to a monkey for their unique abilities. One is good at swimming while the other is good at climbing.”
In a similar manner as mentioned above, we put a lot of thought and created a list of top 10 most used characters in Genshin Impact. The criteria we chose to categorize them was their usage in the Spiral Abyss. There is a good reason for that.
Over the time we have had different sorts of Spiral Abyss moon spires. They grant wide varied capabilities to the characters. MOST OF THE TIME THEY TRY TO BUFF THE FEATURED BANNER CHARACTER’S ABILITIES. However, regardless of that, there is a set of characters that proved to be consistently valuable in each and every one of these Spiral Abysses.
10. Kamisato Ayaka
Kamisato Ayaka, Shiresagi Himegimi
Kamisato Ayaka is the combination of beauty, innocence and elegance imbued in the sense of responsibility. Widely used as a DPS, Ayaka literally deals “cold” and ruthless strikes leaving not a moment to the enemy.
While Ayaka’s normal strikes bring in decent DMG, her elemental skill takes the most out of her. With insane scaling with talent level ups, her elemental skill launches enemies up within its AoE dealing Cryo DMG. At talent level 10, she deals 430.56% DMG.
Ayaka’s burst deals continuous Cryo DMG to the enemy in front of her. With a well-built Ayaka, you can expect an aggregate of 150k-200k DMG and even more from this burst, if dealt correctly. This burst is not mobile and this is most effective for an enemy that does not move around much.
Ayaka’s passive talents come in handy in the spiral abyss as well. After dealing the elemental skill, she deals 30% increased DMG for 6s with her normal and charged attacks. In addition, at the end of her alternate sprint, if it hits and enemy, Ayaka gains 18% Cryo DMG bonus for 10s.
Ayaka’s C2, C4 and C6 constellations make her absolutely cracked. At her C2, she gains two smaller Frostflake Seko No To’s (Burst) that deals 20% of Frostflake’s DMG each. Ayaka’s C4 debuffs enemy’s DEF by 30% after being hit by her burst. At her C6, she gains “Usurahi Butou” which increases her charged attack DMG by 298%. This buff resets after she deals a charged shot.
Why is Ayaka ranked at 10th?
Ayaka deals insane damage and there is no doubt about it. However, given the circumstances in the Spiral Abyss, her burst not being mobile is a downside. If you miss the enemy or if the enemy moves from its place, the burst would be wasted. Her burst is mostly valuable against relatively less mobile enemies like Abyss Lectors. Moreover, not many people have had the chance to get her in her first banner. We can expect a change of rankings after her rerun that is going on right now.
9. Venti
Venti, God of Anemo
The carefree God of Anemo continued to prove his worth ever since his first release, despite being drunk in a tavern almost all the time. What makes our tone-deaf bard so valuable in the spiral abyss?
Venti’s elemental skill (hold) creates a wind domain where Venti is the epicenter. This deals AoE Anemo DMG and launches opponents within this area up in the air. Opponents would fall to the ground slowly. If other elements were within the AoE, they would be infused with Anemo and deal swirl reaction.
The elemental skill scaling is very high where 684% at level 10 and 807.5% at level 13.
Venti’s burst sucks in the opponents and deals Anemo DMG and if some other elements are infused with it, it would deal swirl reaction DMG as well. Venti is most effective in crowd controlling as you can gather them up and deal DMG.
At his C2, the elemental skill decreases opponent’s Anemo and physical RES by 12% FOR 10s. Opponents that are launched up by the elemental skill take additional debuff of 12% Anemo and physical RES while they are airborne. When Venti picks up an elemental orb or a particle, his C4 allows him to gain 25% Anemo DMG bonus for 10s. At his C6, enemies within the burst area decrease Anemo RES by 20% and if an element were infused with it, they would lose 20% of that elemental RES as well.
Why is Venti ranked at 9th?
Although Venti provides good DMG, new players have not had the chance to play him, as he had not had a rerun for a long time. In fact, he was the first non-standard banner to be released. In addition, Kazuha who does almost the same job, does it better with his kit. However, unlike Kazuha, Venti can deal damage from a distance.
8. Ganyu
Ganyu, Adepti and Secretary of the Liyue Qixing
This here is the real OG in the game dealing 20k-30k in an average charged shot with a medium build. When it comes to DPS she’s undoubtedly at the top of everyone’s lists. So what makes this Cryo queen so over powered?
Ganyu levels up with CRIT DMG. Her level 2 charged shots deal 230.41% plus 391.68% (frost flake bloom) DMG. If your bow scales with ATK (like Amo’s Bow), this DMG can be even higher. You can expect around 20k to 30k DMG per charged shot with a medium build this way.
Her burst deals 15 seconds of ice shards falling on enemies with a huge AoE.
Ganyu’s passive talents bring a great value to her. After firing a level 2 charged shot, CRIT rate of the subsequent charged shots are increased by 20%. Not only that but also her burst grants 20% Cryo DMG bonus to the active party members in the AoE.
While she is already good at C0, her C1 and C4 bring her beyond God level. Her C1 decreases Cryo RES of the enemies by 15% for 6s while her C4 makes the opponents within the AoE of her burst take increased DMG. That is around 5% every 3 seconds up to 25%.
Why is Ganyu ranked at 8th?
You could probably be shocked as to why Ganyu is ranked at 8th while almost all other tier lists rank her at the top. The reason is that, mobile players find it quite difficult to aim and shoot every time when she is on the field. Moreover, regardless of using mobile or console, if you are bad at dodging attacks, Ganyu becomes very vulnerable and she can die easily on the field.
7. Xiangling
Xiangling, Chef at Wanmin Restaurant
Xiangling is a free 4 star character that everyone can get after completing her quest. As a standard banner character, you can easily get her constellations. Xiangling is one of the characters that has proved her worth ever since she was introduced to the game. So what does this curious chef has to offer to our Meta party?
Xiangling is mostly used as a support character for Pyro application. Her elemental skill (Guoba Attack) and her burst (Pyronado) can deal decent Pyro DMG with a great AoE. Her Pyronado deals constant DMG to the surrounding opponents even while she is off field. This burst moves with you and not fixed to a surface like many other character bursts.
She gets cracked when she gets her C4, which increases the duration of Pyronado, by 40%. At her C6, she provides 15% Pyro DMG bonus to the rest of the party as well.
She can act as a decent DPS for your early game (before AR 40-AR 45) with minimum investment.
Why is Xiangling ranked at 7th?
Xiangling’s Guoba attack (elemental skill) can be useless with constantly moving enemies. Although her burst deals decent DMG, players have found other characters to be more useful than her in the current scenarios in the Spiral Abyss. However, she is still being used more than many of the five stars out there because of her off field DMG with Pyronado.
6. Hu Tao
Hu Tao, Director at Wansheng Funeral Parlor
The up and coming mascot of Genshin Impact who continues to replace Paimon with her perks, is one of the most destructive damage dealers in Genshin Impact. This surprisingly intimidating Director of Wansheng Funeral Parlor is the best pyro DPS character that is designed to cremate her clients before they even notice it.
Hu Tao’s elemental skill deals DMG based on her max HP. However, this cannot exceed 400% of her base ATK. She loses 30% of her HP while initiating her elemental skill. Her burst regenerates a percentage of her HP. When her HP is lower than 50%, both DMG and HP regeneration are increased. Not only that but also, when her elemental skill ends, the party members would gain 12% CRIT rate for 8 seconds.
Her passive skill allows her to gain 33% pyro DMG bonus when her HP is lower than 50%. That is why people want her to be on low HP.
Hu Tao has some insane constellations. We picked two of the most important constellations for you. Hu Tao’s C2 increases elemental skill DMG by 10% of her max HP. Remember; this stacks with the original DMG as well. Her C6 take effect when her HP is below 25% or when she takes a critical hit. She will not die but instead, she will gain 200% physical RES and 100% CRIT rate. Her resistance to interception is also increased. This takes effect when her HP is at 1 as well.
Why is Hu Tao ranked at 6th?
You could probably be wondering why one of the best DPS in the game are ranked at 6th in this list. That is because of the corrosion effect that was introduced to the game recently. She works well at a low HP rate but without her constellations, she can be highly vulnerable to a group of Rifthounds. Because of that reason, she is not used as much as you would expect in the Spiral Abyss.
5. Raiden Shogun
Raiden Shogun, God of Eternity and Electro Archon
The electro mommy who cannot cook comes next in our list. She is one of the most versatile or if not, the most versatile character in the game. Be it DPS, be it support she has got it all in her kit. It would be a mistake if I do not mention that Raiden Shogun makes the so-called “weakest element” in Genshin Impact look like the most overpowered and catastrophic element in the game.
Raiden Shogun levels up with ER. Her elemental skill would buff the current character’s burst damage based on the energy cost of the burst. Her burst regenerates energy for all nearby party members. Not only that but also, the resistance to interruption is increased. While her burst is active, her normal, charged and plunging DMG becomes elemental burst DMG.
Her passive skills let her gain 0.6% of energy restoration from burst and 0.4% electro DMG bonus for each 1% above 100% ER. So, remember to scale her up with ER.
At her C2, while using Mosou No Hitachi and in the Mosou Isshin state (after applying the burst) her attacks ignore 60% of opponent’s DEF. That accounts for some insane DMG. When her burst expires, her C4 allows her nearby party members gain 30% ATK bonus for 10s.
Why is Raiden Shogun ranked at 5th?
Raiden Shogun has proven herself constantly on the field to be a great DPS and a support. She is one of the most pulled characters in the entire game. Because of her versatility, she fits into many team comps. As a DPS and a support, she finds uses more than many other five star characters.
4. Xingqiu
Xingqiu, Second son of the Manager of Feiyun Commerce Guild
Another 4-star hydro character with a messed up haircut brings your burst up with ER and Hydro DMG before you blink twice. Xingqiu is the one you use to get your bursts up. Not only of Xingqiu’s but also of others. You give him a sacrificial sword and he will take care of the rest.
Xingqiu’s elemental skill deals two consecutive strikes to the enemy with hydro DMG. In addition, these skills are well balanced as they increase in talent levels. The “Rainswords” that are created after using the elemental skill blocks some amount of DMG dealt by enemies and increases your RES to their attacks. Xingqiu’s burst stabs the enemy with hydro swords dealing hydro DMG. This deals DMG as you do the normal attacks.
Xingqiu’s passive talent brings in 20% Hydro DMG as well. With his versatile skillset, his constellations make him God tier. Especially C4 and C6. As Xingqiu is a standard banner character, you can get his constellations easily. His C4 increases the burst DMG by 50%, which is insane and his C6 enhances the third sword rain dealt by his burst. It also generates energy by 3 units.
Why is Xingqiu ranked at 4th?
Because of his availability as a free 4-star character and his consistent hydro applications, he is being used a lot in many team comps. Not only that but also, his Rainswords heal you after they expire. Xingqiu’s ER gets his burst up with just two strikes if you use the sacrificial sword and most of the time he helps getting others’ burst up as well. His burst also works off field and deals some decent DMG. Because of that, people use him a lot.
3. Bennett
Bennett, Unlucky Adventurer
Bennett is a four star character who has proved himself over almost all of the spiral abyss and domain challenges as a support character in all the patches that has been released so far.
So, what does this unlucky adventurer brings into the table that makes him stand out even among many 5-star characters? Two words “Buff” and “Heal”.
Bennett’s burst at his C0, heals characters if their HP is below 70% and gives an ATK buff if their HP is over 70%. However, what you should keep in mind is that, his healing is scaled with his HP and his ATK buff is scaled with base ATK. So remember to use a high base ATK weapon on him, like Alley Flash.
If the enemies are within the AoE of his burst, they are imbued with pyro. At his level 10 burst talent, he would heal 10.8% of max HP + 1270 and deal 100.8% ATK buff. Which means double the DMG you make if you are within the burst AoE. At level 13, the healing would get 12.70% max HP+1588 and 119% ATK buff.
Bennett is a four star character and he is easy to obtain from wishing on any banner as he is on the permanent wish banner. Hence, his constellations can easily be obtained unlike 5-star characters. His C1 and C5 constellations give him the best buffs. His C1 removes the HP restriction and the burst gains 20% additional DMG for his base ATK. His C5 increases burst level by 3.
Why Bennett is ranked at 3rd?
Although Bennett is a 4 star, his ability of buffing ATK and healing had come in handy for almost everyone who plays in the Spiral Abyss. He is just too good.
2. Zhongli
Zhongli (Morax), Geo Archon and Consultant at Wansheng Funeral Parlor
The CEO of GEO comes next with irreplaceable perks. He is an archon and that is exactly what he brings into the table. Zhongli is one of the most used Geo characters in the spiral abyss.
The shield he provides with his elemental skill (hold) scales with his HP and it is almost unbreakable. Despite being nerfed for corrosion by Rifthounds, Zhongli’s shield does more than you think.
Once you usethe elemental skill (hold), it creates a stone stele and a shield (Jade Shield) for you. This shield not only protects you but also decreases physical and elemental RES of the surrounding enemies within its relatively small vicinity. Not only that but also the stone stele drains Geo RES from enemies and deals Geo DMG.
Ah, you wish it were over but sorry to disappoint you, there is more. Zhongli’s burst (Planet Befall) scales massively as the talents level up. At the talent level 10, it would deal 899.72% DMG while at level 13 it would deal 1084% DMG. Not only that but also, this burst petrifies enemies for a few seconds just like the frozen reaction. In fact, Zhongli is the only character that can petrify enemies like this.
Zhongli’s constellations are super cracked. Notably, C2, C4 and C6. At the C2, Zhongli’s burst grants shields to all the team members on the field. If you were going Co-Op to clear a domain, it would be impossible for your enemies to kill you. At the C4, Zhongli’s burst AoE increases by 20% and the petrification duration of enemies is increased by 2 seconds. At his C6, Zhongli’s shield absorbs the incoming DMG and heals the current character by 8% of their HP.
Why Zhongli is ranked at 2nd?
Zhongli’s shield is everything. He provides an unbreakable shield that will protect you against any enemy except for the Rifthounds. Not only that but also his burst scaling is very high and it petrifies enemies, which is highly useful in the Spiral Abyss. So, almost everyone uses him for the most of the Spiral Abyss floors.
1. Kaedehara Kazuha
Kaedehara Kazuha, Samurai
Probably you saw this coming miles away. Yes, our very own Kaedehara Kazuha, the poet with the pen and the killer with the sword, is the most used character in Genshin Impact spiral abyss. That is for a good reason.
Kazuha is an Anemo character, which means, he deals ‘swirl’ elemental damage. As you may already know that, the EM is the form factor for elemental reaction DMGs. Kazuha builds with EM and his talent scaling and constellations are especially designed to do insane reactions.
Let me throw around some facts here for you to understand. His elemental skill (hold) draws in surrounding enemies, takes him a little up in the air and deals AoE Anemo DMG. In addition, if some other element were applied in its vicinity, it would absorb that and make a swirl reaction. Even a medium build Kazuha can evaporate enemies like nothing with this skill.
Kazuha’s burst also scales insanely and deals AoE AnemoDMG while reacting with other elements as well.
Moreover, his passive talent called “Soumon Swordsmanship” lets his skill DMG deal 200% more ATK with that swirl reaction.
Why is Kazuha ranked at 1st?
Kazuha helps mostly in crowd control, which is most crucial in the Spiral Abyss. In addition, the swirl DMG he does can kill any enemy with ease. Anemo is one of the best elements in the game, which can deal DMG infused with other elements. Kazuha’s scalings are basically made for killer level DMG. Almost everyone uses him because he never ceases to disappoint you in the Spiral Abyss.
