With Genshin Impact finally released, we can start building our perfect teams. There are many characters available to choose from. Although the game is still shiny and new, there is already a clear difference in character levels. Every character in the game can become a WMD with enough work, but some simply start out stronger than others. Here's our tiered list of all the characters currently available in the game and some we hope to see later.
Five Star Characters
The five-star character level is the lowest currently available. Characters at this level are the strongest currently available in the game and can hold their own in almost any situation. If you are lucky enough to get one of these characters, they can easily slip into any slot on your team.
Klee
Mondstadt's adorable Spark Knight wields a Catalyst and Pyro Vision. She is one of the best Pyros currently available in the game. Her talents extend her reach and deal massive area damage. She can easily handle large groups of enemies on her own.
keqing
Keeqing is a major Qixing player in Liyue. The stubborn fighter wields a sword and possesses Electro Vision. His talents are designed to overcome the short range of a sword. She can throw knives and unleash strong AoE attacks. Like most swordsmen, she tends to take more damage.
Dilute
Diluc is the zealous owner of Mondstadt's Dawn Winery. He uses a Claymore and the Pyro Vision. He deals massive Pyro damage with his talents. It focuses on using high power knockback attacks. It pairs well with any Anemo Vision like Venti or the player character to deal massive amounts of Elemental Burst damage.
Jean
Jean is the commander of the Knights of Favonius. She uses a sword and an Anemo Vision. The Dandelion Knight is one of the strongest characters currently available and pairs well with almost any other element. Her talents focus on AoE attacks that deal massive wind damage.
Qiqi
Not to be confused with Goku's wife, this QiQi's name is spelled differently. She wields a sword and possesses Cryovision. The Pharmacist Apprentice can do massive damage with her AoE skills. She focuses on creating Cryo blasts that damage enemies and set up elemental blasts.
Mona
Mona is an astrologer from Mondstadt. She uses a catalyst and has Hydro Vision. Like most other Hydro fighters, Mona's skills are mostly geared towards setting up Elemental Burst reactions. She can also do decent AoE damage which pairs really well with Cryo or Electro characters.
Winds
Venti is a former being from Mondstadt. He uses a bow and Anemo vision. Venti can be a bit tricky to get, but it's available early on. His attacks aren't too different from those of most other archery fighters. He's good at setting up elemental reactions with other characters. His talents are aimed at helping players traverse the region and control the battlefield.
Xiao
Xiao is a Liyue veteran. He uses a Polearm and an Anemo Vision. His talents and moves focus on precise, high-powered attacks. He can transform into a demon which increases his damage and range.
Four star characters
Four-star characters make up the majority of those currently available in the game. They are great starting characters, but you should definitely focus on building a five-star team. While all of these characters tend to be more utilitarian, there are certainly notable exceptions, like Noelle and Lisa, that can make some of them invaluable.
Noelle
Noelle is one of the best tanks you can get into early in the game. She uses the Geo element and a Claymore as her primary weapon. His talents focus on chaining together multiple attacks and increasing defense. Her breastplate talent is invaluable in mitigating elemental damage from the toughest enemies.
rasoir
Everyone's favorite werewolf, Razor wields a Claymore and possesses Electro Vision. He can be found in the forest outside of Mondstadt as you progress through the campaign. His attacks focus on using Claymore's wide attack arc to deal increased Electro damage. It also gives players access to a boss challenge that can be used to grind and test out new characters.
ningguang
Ningguang is a wealthy ruler of Liyue. She uses a catalyst and has Geo Vision. His fighting style revolves around collecting Star Jade. She generates Star Jade by dealing damage and gains boosts as she collects them. Her talents make her good in a supporting role. She can reduce incoming damage while granting bonus damage to other characters.
Lisa
Lisa is a bit of a glass cannon. She is a witch in Mondstadt who uses a Catalyst and an Electro Vision. She can do huge damage but must be kept at a distance. His talents all focus on AoE attacks which can be combined with other elements to unleash devastating reactions. This is one of the first Electro characters players will have access to and should be used to learn how to deal with the element and use elemental reactions.
kaeya
Kaeya is one of the first characters you can add to your team in Mondstadt. He uses a sword and possesses Cryovision. His talents are a good balance between attack and support skills. He is one of the first Cryo characters players will encounter and is a good character to use to get used to the element.
fischl
Fischl uses a bow with electro vision. The mysterious adventurer of Mondstadt has talents that focus on her raven named Oz. Oz can act as a summonable, controllable companion and AoE attack. Players can take control of Oz to deal Electro damage while taking less damage themselves, or let him loose to freely track enemies.
chongyun
Chongyun is an exorcist from Liyue. He uses a Claymore and possesses Cryo Vision. Like all Claymore characters, his attacks have a wide arc and can do quite a bit of damage on their own. His talents focus on area damage and increasing the speed of your characters.
Bennett
Benny has a bad luck streak that he hopes you can solve. He's a likeable character from Mondstadt. Bennett wields a sword and possesses Pyro vision. His talents are a mix of support and DPS skills that make him a very useful member for your team. Some of his talents can increase survivability by creating inspiration circles.
Beidou
Beidou is the captain of the Crux in Liyue. She wields a Claymore and possesses Electro Vision. Like most other Claymore wielders, Beidou's attacks do a lot of damage and have a wide range. His talents are a combination of wide-ranging multi-strike attacks and defensive counterattacks. She can fit in well with most teams as a tank and is very useful for whittling down stronger enemies.
Barbara
Barbara is a Hydro Vision which is best used for healing. She is a local idol and a deaconess at the church in Mondstadt. Barbara uses a Catalyst as her primary weapon, and her talents focus on supporting other characters. His attacks do little damage but can slow down enemies giving them Wet status which can be used in elemental reactions. She is very useful as a healer.
ambre
Amber is one of the first playable characters available in the game, and the first to use a bow. She is the Knight Outride of Favonius and uses Pyro vision in battle. Even while on the rise, Amber doesn't deal much damage. She is primarily a utility character who is invaluable for navigating the game world. Amber's bow and pyro skills can be used to move around the world with ease.
sucrose
Sucrose is an alchemist in the Knights of Favonius. It's an Anemo Vision that uses a catalyst. Like most spellcasters in Genshin Impact, Sucrose focuses on area damage. She's a great choice for players who need a wind user to stack elemental attacks. Sucrose doesn't deal much damage with its attacks, but when stacked with a Pyro Vision, it can take down tough enemies very quickly.
Xiangling
Xiangling is a fan favorite that has appeared several times during closed betas. It's a Pyro Vision that uses a Polearm. Xinagling is the chef and waitress at a famous restaurant, Wanmin, in Liyue. As a result, many of his quests and quirks involve cooking. His Pyro attacks focus on area damage with his fire-breathing panda. While his attacks are extremely useful, especially when stacked with other elements, they don't deal huge amounts of damage.
Xing Qiu
Xingqiu is a polite but adventurous fighter from Liyue. He uses a sword and has the Hydro Vision. Xinqiu is the only Hydro carrier currently in the game that doesn't use a Catalyst. Of all the Hydro users, he is also the most reliable in a fight. Her talents use the element's ability to slow enemies. Her talents create Rain Swords that fall on enemies.
Future updates
Similar to miHoYo's previous game, Honkai Impact, more characters are going to be added to Genshin Impact with future updates. Here is a list of characters that should be added in future updates. Some of these characters have been confirmed or already seen in closed beta testing.
Zhongli
Zhongli was first seen in the third closed beta as an NPC and is expected to return as a playable character. He is from Liyue and associated with Wangsheng Funeral Home. Zhongli uses Geo Vision.
baizhu
Baizhu was considered an NPC in the third closed beta. He is a playable character coming with the rare Dendro or Nature Vision. He is from Liyue and is associated with Bubu Pharmacy.
ganyu
Ganyu is a playable character who was first introduced as an NPC during the third closed beta test. She has a Cryo Vision but her weapon is still unknown. She is from the Liyue region.
childe
Childe was only seen in the third closed beta test. He uses the Hydro element but we don't know what his weapon is yet. Players are hoping that he will return to the game as a possible player character. It is located in Snezhnaya.
Ayaka
Ayaka was available in the first closed beta and many players are hoping for her to return later in the game. She wields a sword and has Cryovision. Ayaka was found in Inazuma.
