Genshin Impact characters tier list (August 2026) — every playable character ranked after 5.8

How we ranked them

This Genshin Impact tier list is current to Update 5.8 (shipped August 2026, second half of the Natlan cycle) and the first phase of 5.9. The list reflects Spiral Abyss Floor 12 clear rates from the current cycle plus the standard Spiral Abyss usage stats from the official HoYoLAB data.

We ranked every playable character by:

• Spiral Abyss usage rate — the share of Floor 12 clears that include the character
• First-half vs second-half — some characters are first-half-only picks (one side of the Abyss) and rank lower when the other side is featured
• Constellation impact — characters with strong C0 value rank higher than characters who need C2 or C6 to be meta
• Team enabling — characters that enable multiple strong teams (like Bennett, Zhongli, Furina) rank higher than single-team specialists
• Resin efficiency — how much Spiral Abyss value you get per character invested

The list is split into four sections: on-field DPS, off-field sub-DPS, support, and standard banner 4-stars. The S-tier overall — the characters you should always pick or save for — are Furina, Bennett, Zhongli, Xingqiu, Yelan, Neuvillette, Arlecchino, Navia, Mavuika, and Skirk.

On-field DPS

S Tier

Neuvillette — The 5-star Hydro catalyst DPS who has been the most-picked on-field carry in Genshin since his release in 4.1. Neuvillette's charged shot DPS is the highest in the game and the team-building is forgiving — he works with any Hydro or Hydro-adjacent support. The C1 is a big power spike but C0 is fully competitive on Floor 12.

Arlecchino — The 5-star Pyro polearm DPS from 4.6 who is the meta Pyro carry. Arlecchino's normal-attack-based DPS is the highest in the Pyro class and the self-healing makes her the most forgiving carry to play. The C1 is a small power spike; C0 is fully meta.

Mavuika — The 5-star Pyro claymore on-field carry from 5.3 who replaced Arlecchino as the top Pyro carry in Natlan-era content. Mavuika's Fighting Spirit mechanic is the strongest burst-window DPS in the game and the cycling speed is the best. C0 is fully meta; C2 is a small power spike.

Skirk — The 5-star Cryo sword DPS from 5.7 who is the current top Cryo carry. Skirk's skill-based burst damage is the highest in the Cryo class and the team-enabling with Shenhe and Furina is the strongest Cryo team in the game.

A Tier

Hu Tao — The 5-star Pyro polearm who was the top Pyro carry from 1.3 to 4.6. Hu Tao is still a strong pick but Mavuika and Arlecchino have powercrept her in pure DPS. Hu Tao's strength now is her C0 value and her synergy with double Hydro — the lowest-investment Pyro carry to build.

Wriothesley — The 5-star Cryo catalyst from 4.1 who is the second-best Cryo carry after Skirk. Wriothesley's normal-attack-based DPS is strong and the team-enabling with melt teams is decent. The C1 is a small power spike.

Navia — The 5-star Geo claymore from 4.3 who is the top Geo carry. Navia's burst-window damage is the highest in the Geo class and the synergy with Zhongli and Chiori is the strongest Geo team in the game. C0 is fully meta.

Wanderer (Scaramouche) — The 5-star Anemo catalyst from 3.3 who is the top Anemo carry. Wanderer's mid-air DPS is the highest in the Anemo class and the team-enabling with Faruzan is strong. The C6 is a big power spike; C0 is mid-tier.

B Tier

Ayaka — The 5-star Cryo sword who was the top Cryo carry from 2.0 to 4.0. Ayaka is powercrept by Skirk in pure DPS but the freeze-team enabling is still the best in the game. Ayaka is a strong pick for new players who don't have Skirk.

Yoimiya — The 5-star Pyro bow from 2.0 who is the top single-target Pyo carry. Yoimiya is outclassed by Hu Tao and Arlecchino in general use but the single-target DPS in boss fights is still the best. Yoimiya is a niche pick for Abyss cycles with single-target bosses.

Tartaglia (Childe) — The 5-star Hydro bow from 1.0 who is the top Hydro carry in international teams. Childe's normal-attack-based DPS is strong but the team-building is restrictive. Childe is a strong pick if you have the international team built (Childe + Xiangling + Bennett + Kazuha).

C Tier

Keqing — The 5-star Electro sword from 1.0 who is the top Electro carry in aggravate teams. Keqing is powercrept by every newer Electro carry but the aggravate-team enabling is still decent. Keqing is a budget pick for new players.

Diluc — The 5-star Pyro claymore from 1.0 who is the original Pyro carry. Diluc is fully powercrept. The only reason to play Diluc is nostalgia.

Eula — The 5-star Cryo claymore from 1.5 who is the top physical carry. Eula is powercrept in physical teams by the new physical supports and the Cryo meta has moved on. Skip for Abyss.

D Tier

Dehya — The 5-star Pyro claymore from 3.4 who is the worst 5-star DPS in the game. Dehya's defensive kit is useless in Abyss and the offensive kit is fully outclassed. The only reason to build Dehya is for her exploration utility in Natlan.

Off-field Sub-DPS

S Tier

Furina — The 5-star Hydro sword sub-DPS from 4.2 who is the most-picked character in the game. Furina's team-wide damage% buff and the off-field Hydro application is the best in the game. Every team wants Furina; every Spiral Abyss clear rate is higher with her.

Xingqiu — The 4-star Hydro sword sub-DPS who has been the most-picked sub-DPS in the game since 1.0. Xingqiu's rain swords are the best Hydro application in the game and the damage reduction is a free survivability boost. The C6 is a big power spike; C0 is fully meta.

Yelan — The 5-star Hydro bow sub-DPS from 3.0 who is the second-best Hydro sub-DPS after Xingqiu. Yelan's team-wide damage% buff and the off-field Hydro application is comparable to Xingqiu. Yelan is a strong second pick for double-Hydro teams.

Xiangling — The 4-star Pyro polearm sub-DPS who has been the top off-field Pyro carry since 1.0. Xiangling's elemental burst damage is the highest in the game and the C4 is a big power spike. Xiangling is the second-most-picked character in the game after Bennett.

A Tier

Nahida — The 5-star Dendro catalyst sub-DPS from 3.2 who is the top Dendro sub-DPS. Nahida's team-wide Dendro application and the C2 damage bonus is the best in the Dendro class. Nahida is a strong pick for any Dendro reaction team.

Raiden Shogun — The 5-star Electro polearm sub-DPS from 2.1 who is the top Electro sub-DPS. Raiden's elemental burst damage and the team-wide energy regeneration is the best in the Electro class. C0 is fully meta; C2 is a big power spike.

Kazuha — The 5-star Anemo sword sub-DPS from 1.6 who is the top Anemo sub-DPS. Kazuha's elemental damage bonus and the crowd control is the best in the Anemo class. C0 is fully meta; C2 is a small power spike.

Xingqiu's — Note: already covered above. The double-Xingqiu-with-Yelan combo is the meta Hydro sub-DPS pair.

B Tier

Fischl — The 4-star Electro bow sub-DPS who has been the top Electro sub-DPS for single-target since 1.0. Fischl's Oz damage is the highest single-target Electro damage in the game and the C6 is a big power spike. Fischl is a strong second pick for aggravate teams.

Beidou — The 4-star Electro claymore sub-DPS from 1.0. Beidou's elemental burst damage is high but the energy cost is restrictive. Beidou is a strong pick for taser teams but outclassed in general use.

Rosaria — The 4-star Cryo polearm sub-DPS from 1.4. Rosaria's off-field Cryo application and the critical rate buff is decent. Rosaria is a budget pick for new players who don't have Shenhe.

C Tier

Lisa — The 4-star Electro catalyst sub-DPS from 1.0. Lisa is powercrept by every newer Electro sub-DPS. Skip unless you love Lisa.

Barbara — The 4-star Hydro catalyst from 1.0. Barbara is a healer, not a sub-DPS. The only reason to build Barbara is the C6 for the revival mechanic.

D Tier

Amber — The 4-star Pyro bow from 1.0. Amber is the worst character in the game by every metric. Skip.

Support

S Tier

Bennett — The 4-star Pyro sword who has been the most-picked character in the game since 1.0. Bennett's attack buff and the healing is the best in the game. C1 is a big power spike; C6 is actively bad for some teams. Bennett is the single most important character in Genshin.

Zhongli — The 5-star Geo polearm support from 1.1 who is the top shielder. Zhongli's shield is the strongest in the game and the resistance shred is the best support passive. C0 is fully meta; every team wants Zhongli.

Kokomi — The 5-star Hydro catalyst healer from 2.1 who is the top healer in Taser teams. Kokomi's healing and the off-field Hydro application is the best in the healer class. C0 is fully meta.

A Tier

Diona — The 4-star Cryo bow healer/shielder from 1.1. Diona's shield + healing combo is strong and the C6 damage% buff is a power spike. Diona is the budget Zhongli for new players.

Jean — The 5-star Anemo sword healer from 1.0. Jean's healing and the fall-damage revival is unique. Jean is a strong pick for specific Abyss cycles.

Sayu — The 4-star Anemo claymore healer from 2.0. Sayu's healing and the exploration utility is decent. Skip for Abyss.

B Tier

Qiqi — The 5-star Cryo sword healer from 1.0. Qiqi is powercrept by every newer healer. The only reason to build Qiqi is for the meme standard-banner-pull.

Noelle — The 4-star Geo claymore healer/shielder from 1.0. Noelle is a main-DPS, not a support. Skip this section for Noelle.

C Tier

Thoma — The 4-star Pyro polearm shielder from 2.0. Thoma's shield is decent for Hu Tao teams but the energy cost is restrictive. Thoma is a niche pick.

D Tier

Dori — The 4-star Electro claymore healer from 3.0. Dori is the worst 5-star-equivalent support in the game. Skip.

Standard Banner 4-Stars

The standard banner has a fixed pool of 4-stars. The current meta picks from the standard pool:

A Tier (build for any team)

• Xingqiu (covered above) — the single most important 4-star
• Bennett (covered above) — the second most important 4-star
• Xiangling (covered above) — the third most important 4-star
• Fischl (covered above) — the best Electro sub-DPS

B Tier (situationally strong)

• Sucrose — Anemo support with the highest Elemental Mastery buff
• Chongyun — Cryo support for melt teams
• Noelle — Geo DPS for mono-Geo teams
• Beidou — Electro sub-DPS for taser teams

C Tier (favorites only)

• Razor — physical DPS
• Ningguang — Geo DPS
• Lisa — already covered
• Kaeya — Cryo sub-DPS
• Amber — already covered
• Barbara — already covered

What's next

The next major update (Update 5.9 second half) is expected to add a new 5-star character and rebalance the meta. The next tier list will be updated after the patch lands.

For the team comps that use these characters, the Genshin Impact Spiral Abyss guide covers the meta teams for every element.