The META, or the most effective tactics available, in Genshin Impact usually consists of nothing more than the best character combinations that can put out the highest numbers. That's because it's a game about grinding and killing enemies over and over again to get results. So being able to kill them fast saves you a lot of time and nets you more rewards per minute spent playing.
Of course, when it comes to the Meta, certain characters are more favored than others due to their simplicity, huge damage numbers, or ability to enable both of those. It might not sound important yet but come Adventure Rank 50 when enemies are tougher or teammates are in a hurry, following the Meta helps a lot. Moreover, it will help you finally clear the final floor of the Spiral Abyss with all three stars.
Updated March 30, 2022, by Sid Natividad: The Meta in Genshin Impact is as turbulent as the skies and waves of Inazuma. They rage where the wind takes them and change the landscape ever so constantly. Now, we have speedrunners who can clear the Spiral Abyss as if they're domains and characters vying for the world record.
Of course, you don't even have to abide by that sort of mentality. Simply following the Meta (if only a little bit) can save you some precious grind time in Genshin Impact that you can devote to other games (as soon as you run out of resin or endurance for the Spiral Abyss). As such, we further expanded this roster of must-have characters if you want to be as efficient as possible.
The Genshin meta is ever-changing. But those who have been considered as some of the best have always remained relevant. With new characters and updates on the horizon, it's time to re-evaluate the Genshin Impact meta once more to see which characters have claimed their spot at the top of the Spiral Abyss usage stats.
20 Raiden Shogun
- Role: DPS carry/Sub-DPS/Support
- Massive energy generation
- Good damage
- Good team synergy
As usual, an Archon character will always have a place in the meta. Initially, players had trouble finding a spot for Raiden Shogun in their established teams but months went by and she proved her worth. Not only is she the most reliable energy battery now, but she also has teams built around her.
It's all thanks to the immense damage capabilities of her Elemental Burst as well as the consistent DPS increase granted by her Elemental Skill. At the moment, she's one of the most versatile characters in the game since she can fill in many roles at once.
19 Ayaka
- Role: DPS carry
- Low-maintenance Cryo damage
- Elemental Burst deals massive single-target damage
- Impressive Freeze capabilities
Ayaka quickly shot her way to the top as she's currently one of the most used or preferred characters in the Spiral Abyss. In the previous Spiral Abyss iterations, she's always been near the top due to her Freeze and Melt synergy. It's easy to build Ayaka for a permanent elemental reaction team.
It's all thanks to her charged attacks which can easily be infused with Cryo just by dodging into the enemy. This makes Ayaka the most competent Cryo applicator in Genshin Impact and at times, can even rival Ganyu in terms of damage output, depending on the team.
18 Yun Jin
- Role: Support/Sub-DPS
- Gives a shield similar to Zhongli's
- Gives a Geo damage trigger similar to Albedo's
Yun Jin is a two-for-one as her Skill and her Burst are a culmination of the best parts of Zhongli and Albedo. That very well means Yun Jin is a support. Her shield produced with her Elemental Skill absorbs both Physical and Elemental damage, so she's a good budget alternative to Zhongli.
Meanwhile, her Elemental Burst augments other characters' attacks by adding Geo damage on top of the original damage dealt. Her usefulness increases even more as she obtains more Constellations, further reinforcing her role as a Sub-DPS.
17 Albedo
- Role: Sub-DPS
- Adds impressive Geo damage on top of the original damage
- Great effortless passive damage
There's nothing to hate or dislike about Albedo, to be honest. Everything he does is helpful to any team and that makes him an unobtrusive and perfect Sub-DPS. His Elemental Skill lays down a flower on the ground which sets up an AoE field. Any attack to an enemy done in that field gets added Geo damage.
We're not talking about a measly four-digits of Geo here, but five. Albedo's damage increase ranges from 20,000 to 30,000 around every other attack or damage trigger. That's huge and any team will be lucky to have him.
16 Kazuha
- Role: Support/Sub-DPS
- Can Swirl two elements
- Grouping and crowd control potential is highly valuable
- Incredible damage increase for any elemental team
It's hard to deny it now; Kazuha has dethroned Venti as the quintessential Anemo support in Genshin Impact. He combines Venti and Sucrose's strongest points and can Swirl more than one element if you're good enough with the swapping sequences.
That's an astonishing damage increase for parties with Hu Tao, Diluc, Ganyu, Xiangling, Raiden, or Ayaka as their DPS carry. Kazuha's purpose doesn't stop there as he also makes it easy for characters to hit multiple enemies since he has a miniature version of Venti's clustering ability.
15 Diona
- Role: Support
- Has a shield
- Also heals
- Decent Cryo application
Ever wished that another character like Bennett exists but with a different element? Well, look no further than Diona, or as some people might regard her: Cryo Bennett with a shield. Diona fills in so many roles in the party that she's pretty much necessary in some team compositions.
Her shield also makes her a viable alternative to Zhongli who's an expensive character. Her shield isn't as good as Zhongli's of course, and her heal isn't as fast or as available as Bennett's but you'll no doubt need her, especially if those two aforementioned characters are already sitting in another team.
14 Xiao
- Role: DPS carry
- Deals massive amounts of Anemo damage
- Fun playstyle
Xiao remains a consistent force to be reckoned with. His unique playstyle can be offputting to some, but it's incredibly enjoyable once you get to grips with it. If you've been ignoring Xiao then stop doing that.
He's among the top five best DPS characters in the game. With the arrival of new artifacts from Inazuma, some Xiao builds can even deal six digits of damage per plunge. Needless to say, that kind of character makes quick work of any enemy.
13 Fischl
- Role: Support/DPS carry/Sub-DPS
- Electro application ensures reliable Superconduct reactions
- Can be a good DPS carry at C6
- Generates good energy
A character that can fill in multiple roles needn't be expensive as is proven by someone like Fischl. At any constellation lower than C6, Fischl can provide generous Electro application for any party thanks to her posh and attentive raven, Oz.
Come C6, however, Fischl becomes a physical DPS machine gunner that you can take anywhere. Give her the right bow and she can shred any enemy with an unbelievable attack speed for a bow user. Beyond those capabilities, she's also a good energy generator. Amazing for a four-star.
12 Xiangling
- Roles: DPS carry/Sub-DPS
- Has incredible area damage that can either be Melt or Vaporize
- Free character
Speaking of Xiangling, here's a pyro DPS you can bring to battlefields if the gacha gods still haven't blessed you with a five-star pyro DPS. Xiangling can and has proven to be a capable damage dealer, especially when paired with someone who lets her trigger the Vaporize or Melt reaction.
That would either be Xingqiu or Kaeya with plenty of other alternatives. It's all thanks to Xiangling's 360-degree sweeping Elemental Burst makes it easy for her to clear packs of enemies and even deal with bosses without relying on attacks.
11 Eula
- Role: DPS carry
- Deals amazing amounts of physical damage
- Has the strongest Elemental Burst in the game
- Highest damage recorded in Genshin Impact
There is one problem with relying on certain elements or elemental reactions in Genshin Impact. Some enemies are resistant or immune to certain elements. Your best if you don't want to go through the trouble of retreating or swapping out characters is pure physical damage. In that category, no other character does better than Eula.
She currently holds the record for the single highest damage dealt in the game. The best part is that this damage is indiscriminate and will kill everything around it. So if you have Eula lying around in the character roster, then dust her off and give her the best.
10 Ningguang
- Role: DPS carry
- Can generate shields
- Deals surprisingly good Geo damage
- Relatively easy to acquire
Due to the recent geo element buff, Ningguang and most other geo characters are in style right now. Out of all the four-star ones, she's a frequent sight in level-90 domains due to her ranged attacks and ability to create shields.
To that end, Ningguang can fill in both the support and the DPS role without sacrificing either aspect. Apart from that, she deals tons of damage and in some cases, can even out-damage five-star characters if given the right artifacts (ones that focus on geo damage).
9 Zhongli
- Role: Support
- Best shield in the game
- Has a panic button for crowd control
- High HP means he's tanky
Zhongli is by far the most consistent shield-giver out of all the characters in the game thanks to his Stone Steles. They damage the enemy while also giving some shield particles in the process. That makes an automatic addition in the high levels of Spiral Abyss especially if your main character is Hu Tao or Xiao.
When not providing some much-needed defenses for other characters, Zhongli as a burst-damage dealer is also decent in his own right. His Elemental Burst, Planet Befall, deals a truckload of damage while incapacitating the enemies for a few seconds.
8 Diluc
- Role: DPS carry
- Easiest DPS carry to use
- Abilities have little to no downsides
- Has a claymore for a weapon
By far the simplest and easiest DPS character to use in the game (and also among the top tier), Diluc always yields consistent results in the Spiral Abyss. Some players who have him even insist that they only made it to Floor 12 thanks to Diluc.
It's all thanks to the innate pyro damage as well as his weapon of choice. Pyro is currently the strongest element in the game when paired with cryo or hydro. On top of that, Diluc's low-cooldown abilities often end up saving the day as far as clutch moves go.
7 Hu Tao
- Role: DPS carry
- Best pyro DPS in the game
- Has a self-heal
- Also has tons of HP
Too bad Diluc couldn't keep his throne as top pyro DPS. Hu Tao has already been clocking in astronomical damage numbers. As such, those who have her would do well to make her their primary DPS in the Spiral Abyss.
Hu Tao will need her support though as well as someone who can provide a shield for her in case her health goes too low. Still, she's a safer bet than Xiao and can produce more damaging elemental reactions compared to him.
6 Ganyu
- Role: DPS carry/Support
- Not reliant on abilities to do damage
- Best consistent DPS in the game
- Has a taunt ability
Possibly tied with Hu Tao for the top damage-dealer in Genshin Impact, Ganyu is one heck of a Cryo goddess. She lacks any of Hu Tao's conditional DPS increase and all she has to do to get things done is perform some charged shots with her bow.
Paired with the ranged combat, Ganyu can well become untouchable. The most unfair part about her is her independence. She doesn't need any support to deal tons of damage, unlike other DPS characters. She makes everything easy, be it open-world content or domains.
5 Xingqiu
- Role: Sub-DPS
- Fits perfectly in the Meta elemental reaction teams (Freeze/Vaporize)
- Has a bit of healing
- Can also fill in for the DPS carry role
Xinqiu is the most desirable DPS support right now because his element, hydro, is flexible. It provides a Vaporize setup for pyro DPS such as Diluc and Hu Tao and also gives Ganyu some additional Crit Rate due to the Frozen reaction.
But wait, isn't Melt more powerful than Vaporize for pyro DPS characters? Well, it is, but Xinqiu applies hydro status effects more efficiently and frequently than any character who can apply cryo effects. That's why Diluc setups often favor Xinqiu over cryo supports like Chongyun or Diona.
4 Mona
- Role: Support/Sub-DPS
- Can easily produce Vaporize or Freeze reactions
- Elemental Burst gives out a huge damage buff
Mona is in demand for the same reason as Xingqiu except she's a five-star and has better DPS potential. Vaporize is actually more powerful if the triggering element is Hydro which is why you'll see some videos of Mona dealing up to one million damage or more.
Beyond that, Mona's Hydro application is more steady or affordable than Xinqiu's. Childe is also a good contender for this spot but seeing as he's a limited character that's trickier to use, Mona seems to be the more practical hydro character.
3 Sucrose
- Role: Support
- Grants a debilitating debuff for enemies using the Viridescent Venerer
- Reliable Swirl applicator
- Good crowd control
Once people started finding out that the elemental reaction Swirl can cause as much as a 40 percent damage increase, Sucrose pretty much soared to the top as must-have support for reaction teams. It's the Viridescent Venerer artifact set that enables her potential.
Many Diluc and even Hu Tao teams have at least Sucrose or Jean but since the latter is a five-star, the former is more accessible. Moreover, she applies Anemo Swirls more consistently. Apart from that, her grouping ability makes most Elemental Bursts shine brighter.
2 Venti
- Role: Support
- Has the best crowd control ability in the game
- Grants an excessive amount of energy
- Abilities have great utility even outside of combat
Speaking of grouping abilities that clump together enemies while taking them out of combat, no other character is better at that than Venti. He's the most popular character in the Spiral Abyss and it's easy to see why.
Once Venti clumps up all the enemies in the Spiral Abyss, it's easy for Diluc or any other DPS characters to hit them all, therefore, making the Elemental Burst worth it. Of course, he also applies Swirl reactions so having him around is a huge damage boost.
1 Bennett
- Role: Support/Sub-DPS
- Best healer in the game
- Healing also gives ATK buff
- Good energy generation
- Hilariously low ability cooldown
There he is, everyone's favorite adventurer. Bennett is a one-man army and an all-around team member. It's mostly his Elemental Burst that's sought after since it heals and boosts damage at the same time.
For some teams, Bennett also acts as the second pyro character for that sweet resonance. Thankfully, he's super easy and cheap to acquire, adhering to the Meta by having him shouldn't be too difficult.