The bow is one of the various weapon types available in Genshin Impact, and it has a couple of elements that make it unique. Unlike characters who use swords, claymores, or polearms, bow wielding characters are able to attack enemies from a long distance. Bows additionally allow you to enter an aiming mode to perform charged shots, which is great against enemies that fly high above the ground like the Aeonblight Drake.
Not all bow characters are created equal, however! Here are the top 10 bow characters in Genshin Impact as of version 5.0.
10. Sethos (4 star)
Sethos is an Electro bow character who should primarily be played as an on-field Aggravate or Hyperbloom DPS. Sethos is unique in that he can sacrifice some of his Energy to greatly increase how fast he charges his charged shots, or he can use his Burst once his Energy is full to infuse his normal attacks with Electro. He’s able to take advantage of the 2 distinct play styles that on-field bow characters can assume; most bow DPS characters are limited to one or the other, but Sethos can do both very well.
Sethos’ strengths are:
- Great Flexibility: Because Sethos has 2 different ways you can play him, he is an extremely flexible character. Depending on the enemy that you’re facing, you can choose to use the play style that works best for the specific situation.
- Not Constellation Dependent: Because 4 star characters can be pulled from any banner, they tend to be much more dependent on higher Constellations to unlock their full potential than 5 star characters. That isn’t really the case with Sethos. His Constellations increase his damage output a bit, however he still feels like a complete character at C0.
9. Tartaglia (5 star)
Tartaglia, also known as Childe, is a Hydro on-field DPS. He’s unique in that he can swap between a ranged and melee stance via his Skill, allowing him to attack enemies up close or from a distance. As a bow character, this makes Childe very unique. He’s not limited to ranged attacks and can also perform melee strikes as well.
Childe is a great option for these reasons:
- Fast Hydro Application: Childe’s melee stance applies Hydro very quickly, allowing him to keep up with other characters like Xiangling who apply their own elements quickly.
- High AoE Damage: Childe’s Burst deals very high damage AoE damage. This combined with his unique Riptide debuff allow him to deal a lot of damage to multiple enemies at once.
8. Faruzan (4 star)
Faruzan is a support character dedicated to buffing Anemo damage. Her Burst increases your team’s Anemo damage as well as decreasing enemies’ resistance to Anemo damage. Because she uses a bow, she’s able to use the extremely strong support weapon Elegy for the End to further amplify what she brings to the team.
She’s a great support option because:
- Huge Anemo Buffs: Combining both an Anemo damage bonus and Anemo resistance shred, Faruzan is hands down the best support for any Anemo DPS. She is an irreplaceable character who should be slotted into any Anemo DPS team and greatly improves the performance of characters like Wanderer and Xiao.
- Additional Buffs Unlocked at C6: If you have Faruzan’s 6th Constellation unlocked, she provides your team with an additional 40% Crit Damage on all Anemo damage dealt when her Burst is active. Her Burst also allows her to generate a lot more energy once she is C6. She is extremely Constellation reliant, and feels much worse to play at C5 and below. Prior to C6, she will usually need to build upwards of 300% Energy Recharge.
7. Gorou (4 star)
Gorou is a dedicated buffer for Geo damage. His Skill provides buffs to the team based on the number of Geo characters in the party. For the duration of his skill, Gorou creates a circle that characters must stay within to receive these buffs; his Burst deals additional damage and provides the same buffs as his Skill, but without the restriction of staying within the circle. Although you’ll usually want to run Gorou on the Favonious Warbow, if the rest of your team’s Energy needs are met then you can opt for Elegy for the End for even more teamwide buffs.
Gorou is worth considering for the following reasons:
- Strong Geo Buffs: Gorou provides Geo teams with really strong buffs - with 1 Geo character he provides a Defense bonus, with 2 he provides resistance to interruption, and with 3 he provides a Geo damage bonus. In mono Geo teams, he is an irreplaceable team slot that greatly increases the team’s damage. He’s a huge boost for characters like Itto and Noelle.
- Additional Support with Constellations: At C4, Gorou gains a small amount of healing during his Burst that scales on his Defense. At C6, his burst adds a Crit Damage buff for Geo damage based on the number of Geo characters in the party, with a maximum of 40%.
6. Ganyu (5 star)
Ganyu is a Cryo on-field DPS. She excels at dealing high Cryo damage through her Charged shots. She’s a character who can be used in either Melt or Freeze teams and perform very well. Like all charged shot reliant bow characters, her fully charged shots are unique. They deal an extra instance of AoE damage after hitting their target, which is extremely nice to have on an otherwise single target archetype.
Ganyu’s strengths are:
- High Damage Capabilities: Ganyu’s fully charged shots deal high damage as well as an additional instance of AoE damage. Crit damage is her ascension stat, so her naturally high crit damage also increases her damage output.
- Support Abilities: Ganyu also has some supportive capabilities built into her kit. Her Skill creates a flower that taunts nearby enemies. Additionally, her Burst grants all party members with a 20% Cryo damage bonus. If you want to use her as an off-field support, you can build ER on her to support another Cryo DPS with her Burst.
5. Venti (5 star)
Venti is an Anemo off-field DPS and support. As an Anemo character, he can hold the Viridescent Venerer set to shred enemy resistance while also providing crowd control support through his Burst. As a support character, his ability to hold the Elegy for the End bow is a huge boon and helps to further enhance his capabilities.
Venti’s best strengths are:
- Strong Crowd Control: Venti’s Burst is the strongest crowd control ability against light enemies in the game. It creates a vortex that pulls enemies in and deals Anemo damage. When the Spiral Abyss or Imaginarium Theater have floors with several light enemies, Venti makes these stages significantly easier.
- Energy Support: When Venti’s Burst ends, it refunds 15 energy to him. Additionally, it also restores 15 energy to any character in your party whose element was Swirled in his Burst. This helps your entire team get their Bursts back faster, provided they are Swirlable elements.
4. Tighnari (5 star)
Tighnari is a Dendro on-field DPS who relies on his charged shots to deal damage. He excels in Quicken teams and has the potential to deal high damage through the Quicken reaction. His charged shots are what solidify his unique playstyle as a bow DPS. After his shots hit their target, they fire off additional homing attacks to his nearby enemies. This will go off even if your charged shot misses an enemy and hits the ground instead.
He’s a great DPS option for these reasons:
- High Single Target Damage: Although Tighnari doesn’t have access to AoE attacks, his damage in single target is very high. He excels in Spiral Abyss floors with bosses and can shred through them with ease.
- Quick Charged Shots: Tighnari’s Skill gives him a buff that allows him to charge his next 3 charged shots more quickly. This allows him to be played in teams with fast rotations where he comes in, fires off his 3 charged shots, and then switches out so his teammates can use their abilities.Elemental Mastery Scaling: One of Tighnari’s passive talents increases his damage based on his EM. This is great for Tighnari because building EM provides both a damage bonus and it increases the damage that he deals through reactions.
3. Lyney (5 star)
Lyney is a Pyro character with a kit designed for mono Pyro teams. He deals 60% increased damage to enemies affected by Pyro, and this damage boost increases by an additional 20% for each Pyro character other than himself on the team to a maximum of 100%. He’s an on-field DPS with a charged attack focused playstyle. His fully charged shots are very strong in addition to providing taunt support, making him a very strong DPS.
Lyney excels at:
- High Damage Scalings: You might be worried about Lyney’s damage output because his kit is designed to be played with other Pyro characters and not triggering reactions. But to compensate for that, his damage scaling is extremely high, and they only get higher the more Pyro characters you have in your party.
- HP Manipulation: Lyney’s kit allows him to consume and heal his own HP, allowing him to easily use the Marechaussee Hunter artifact set. This set gives a massive 36% crit rate boost at max stacks. Lyney also has crit rate as his ascension stat, so you can focus your stats on building attack and crit damage.
- Taunt Support: Lyney is primarily a selfish on-field DPS who wants buffs from the rest of your team. However, he does have a little support for the rest of the team via the Grin-Malkin Hat created by his charged attacks. These hats taunt opponents and will deal Pyro damage when they expire, even if Lyney is off-field.
2. Fischl (4 star)
Fischl is an Electro DPS who deals her damage from off-field via a raven named Oz that she summons with her Skill. Oz’s duration can be refreshed with Fischl’s Burst, so her off-field damage has great uptime. As a bow character, she has access to several great weapon options like Skyward Harp, Aqua Simulacra, and Polar Star.
Fischl’s strengths are:
- Fast Electro Application: When Oz is on the field, he is constantly attacking nearby enemies and applying Electro to them. Additionally, her Ascension 4 passive launches an additional Electro attack whenever your on-field character triggers an Electro-related reaction.
- High Energy Generation: Fischl generates a lot of Electro particles, so she’s a great battery for energy hungry Electro characters.High Damage Potential: Fischl has the potential to deal a lot of damage. In the right teams, Fischl’s damage rivals and sometimes even exceeds 5 star off-field DPS characters like Yae Miko.
1. Yelan (5 star)
Yelan is a Hydro off-field DPS character with similarities to Xingqiu. And with Xingqiu being one of the strongest characters in the game, being similar to him is definitely a good thing! They both apply Hydro from off-field, but Yelan trades Xingqui’s defensive utility for higher damage output. Being a bow character provides Yelan with great build flexibility. If you want her to assume a more supportive role, then she is a great holder of Favonious Warbow or Elegy for the End. If you want to invest completely in her damage, then Aqua Simulacra or Stringless are great options.
Consider Yelan if you need:
- Off-Field Hydro Application: Like Xingqiu, Yelan is a character who deals off-field Hydro damage through her Burst when your active character uses Normal attacks. Her Hydro application is slower than Xingqiu’s, but her damage output tends to be higher. Hydro is a very strong element that a lot of teams need, so she’s an incredibly flexible option to have.
- Damage Buff to Active Character: While Yelan’s Burst is active, your active character will receive a damage buff starting at 1% and increasing by 3.5% every second, capping at 50%. This is a nice support ability to have in addition to her high damage output.
And that’s a wrap for the top 10 bow characters in Genshin Impact! Did your favorite make the list? Let us know in the comments which bow characters you like to play!
