Genshin Impact 5.2 Characters Tier List: Ranked Best to Worst

With Genshin Impact constantly evolving through new character releases and game updates; keeping track of the strongest characters can be challenging. In this guide, we’ll break down the complete character tier list for Version 5.2, explaining why each character deserves their ranking and how you can best utilize them in your team compositions.

Note: This tier list reflects our analysis based on general performance, but your experience may vary.

Genshin Impact 5.2 Characters Tier List Overview

Here’s a complete rundown of all the characters ranked by how they perform across different game modes like Spiral Abyss, boss battles, and open-world exploration in Genshin Impact’s latest version:

Tier	Characters
SS	Arlecchino, Bennett, Chasca, Clorinde, Furina, Kazuha, Mualani, Nahida, Neuvillette, Xilonen, Yelan, Zhongli
S	Alhaitham, Baizhu, Emilie, Fischl, Hu Tao, Kinich, Raiden Shogun, Xiangling
A	Ganyu, Kokomi, Lyney, Navia, Nilou, Ororon, Tighnari, Wanderer, Wriothesley, Xianyun, Xiao, Xingqiu, Yae Miko
B	Ayaka, Ayato, Charlotte, Chevreuse, Chiori, Cyno, Dehya, Eula, Gaming, Jean, Keqing, Kirara, Shenhe, Sigewinne, Venti, Yoimiya
C	Albedo, Arataki Itto, Barbara, Beidou, Diluc, Diona, Gorou, Kachina, Klee, Layla, Lynette, Mona, Qiqi, Sethos, Sucrose, Thoma, Yaoyao
D	Aloy, Amber, Candace, Chongyun, Collei, Dori, Faruzan, Freminet, Kaeya, Kaveh, Lisa, Mika, Ningguang, Noelle, Razor, Rosaria, Sayu

Let’s examine each tier in detail to understand why characters are ranked as they are.

Genshin Impact 5.2 SS Tier Characters

These characters don’t just bring power to the game but they completely shake up how you tackle challenges. They are considered the best in the current meta:

Arlecchino

• Rarity: 5-Star
• Element: Pyro
• Weapon: Polearm

Delivers exceptional damage even without relying on reactions, which is pretty rare for a Pyro character. Her Normal Attacks effectively clear groups of enemies while maintaining significant single-target damage. While her high-risk playstyle demands skill, it rewards mastery with outstanding performance.

Bennet

• Rarity: 4-Star
• Element: Pyro
• Weapon: Sword

Bennet remains the ultimate support in Genshin Impact 5.2. He has massive ATK buffs, reliable healing, and Pyro resonance all in one character slot. His low-cost burst makes him invaluable in almost any team composition.

Chasca

• Rarity: 5-Star
• Element: Anemo
• Weapon: Bow

She has transformed energy management in teams by providing the ability to battery multiple characters while offering strong buffs, making team building more flexible.

Clorinde

• Rarity: 5-Star
• Element: Electro
• Weapon: Sword

She has fast Normal Attacks that support off-field teammates and has the ability to fight from a distance. She also can sustain herself with frequent self-healing.

Furina

• Rarity: 5-Star
• Element: Hydro
• Weapon: Sword

Furina is a standout support option, known for her strong off-field damage, team buffs, and unique HP manipulation abilities. The flexibility to switch between offensive buffs and defensive healing makes her irreplaceable in many team compositions.

Kazuha

• Rarity: 5-Star
• Element: Anemo
• Weapon: Sword

Kazuha continues to be one of the strongest in the meta because of his masterful crowd control and elemental damage buffing. His mobility is impressive, and he also offers strong personal damage and unique amplification through double-swirl. His low energy requirements and quick swap potential make him an extraordinary character to choose.

Mualani

• Rarity: 5-Star
• Element: Hydro
• Weapon: Catalyst

She has strong Hydro damage and can deal impressive hits when timed right. She works well in both single-target and AoE scenarios. Plus her shark mechanics make her fun to play.

Nahida

• Rarity: 5-Star
• Element: Dendro
• Weapon: Catalyst

She deserves her spot here for how she revolutionized Dendro reactions. Nahida is a very strong character, and her skill’s duration is so long that you can focus on your rotations without worrying about reapplying Dendro. Plus her burst creates some wild EM scaling opportunities.

Neuvillette

• Rarity: 5-Star
• Element: Hydro
• Weapon: Catalyst

Neuvillette is a Hydro Catalyst character in Genshin Impact who redefined what we expect from Hydro DPS. His charged attacks deal powerful damage without stamina issues, and he doesn’t require much team support to perform well, making team building flexible when you have him on your roster.

Xilonen

• Rarity: 5-Star
• Element: Geo
• Weapon: Sword

Serving as a universal support character, Xilonen has changed team compositions with her resistance shred capabilities. Having those debuffs persist between enemy waves means you’re not constantly reapplying them, and combining that with healing frees up another team slot for more damage.

Yelan

• Rarity: 5-Star
• Element: Hydro
• Weapon: Bow

Yelan is a sub-DPS with strong Hydro application and high damage scaling. Her burst is consistent, her skill adds mobility and energy generation and her passive boosts damage in longer fights. She can also use Elegy for the End for extra support and flexibility.

Zhongli

• Rarity: 5-Star
• Element: Geo
• Weapon: Polearm

The Geo Archon’s shield offers top-tier protection and boosts all damage types, while his low-maintenance abilities suit mobile players or those wanting easy gameplay. His burst provides crowd control, but his shield is stronger and more important.

Genshin Impact 5.2 S Tier Characters

These characters excel at what they do, even if they don’t quite reach the game-changing levels of SS tier:

Alhaitham

• Rarity:
• Element: Dendro
• Weapon

Alhaitham is a powerful on-field Spread DPS unit. Once you get the hang of managing Alhaitham’s skill, he pumps out consistent damage while enabling reactions. His EM scaling also makes him a great long-term investment.

Baizhu

• Rarity: 5-Star
• Element: Dendro
• Weapon: Catalyst

Baizhu combines healing with valuable Dendro application. Having both roles in one character slot makes team building much more flexible, and his interruption resistance keeps your carries safe. Moreover, he is also a free-to-play support character.

Emilie

• Rarity: 5-Star
• Element: Dendro
• Weapon: Polearm

Emilie specializes in consistent off-field damage and excels in Burning teams by enabling unique damage setups without relying heavily on reaction triggers. Her application is so consistent that you can build entire teams around Burning reactions, which opens up some interesting damage possibilities.

Fishcl

• Rarity: 4-Star
• Element: Electro
• Weapon: Bow

Fischl still proves her worth after all this time. Oz provides a reliable Electro application while needing barely any field time, and those A4 bonus attacks during reactions add up fast.

Hu Tao

• Rarity: 5-Star
• Element: Pyro
• Weapon: Polearm

Hu Tao maintains her position through raw single-target damage potential. Her HP management creates unique scaling opportunities. Additionally, her charged attacks hit like trucks when you master her animation cancels, making her a fan favorite.

Kinich

• Rarity: 5-Star
• Element: Dendro
• Weapon: Claymore

Kinich excels in Burning and Burgeon teams through clever scaling. His grappling hook makes positioning a breeze, and his Nightsoul mechanics reward skillful play.

Raiden Shogun

• Rarity: 5-Star
• Element: Electro
• Weapon: Polearm

Raiden Shogun can make energy problems disappear while providing serious damage to the enemies. Her ability to recharge the whole team while buffing burst damage creates some incredibly smooth rotations. She is also a very powerful on-field player.

Xiangling

• Rarity: 4-Star
• Element: Pyro
• Weapon: Polearm

Xiangling keeps proving why she’s a cornerstone of National teams. She is valued because of her excellent off-field Pyro damage and consistent reactions due to Pyronado’s lack of ICD. You can obtain a free Xiangling by clearing Floor 3 of the Spiral Abyss.

Genshin Impact 5.2 A Tier Characters

These characters perform excellently in their niches, even if they’re not quite as universally strong as S tier.

Ganyu

• Rarity: 5- Star
• Element: Cyro
• Weapon: Bow

Ganyu maintains relevance in the Genshin Impact 5.2 meta through consistent charged shot damage and versatile burst support. Being able to function as both main DPS and support gives her great team flexibility.

Kokomi

• Rarity: 5- Star
• Element: Hydro
• Weapon: Catalyst

Sangonomiya Kokomi combines reliable healing with consistent Hydro application. Her jellyfish provides steady off-field Hydro while healing, and her burst windows actually deal respectable damage in the team.

Lyney

• Rarity: 5-Star
• Element: Pyro
• Weapon: Bow

Lyney brings unique mechanics to Pyro DPS through his prop system. His ability to maintain high damage in mono-Pyro teams means you don’t always need to chase reactions.

Navia

• Rarity: 5-Star
• Element: Geo
• Weapon: Claymore

Navia delivers powerful frontloaded Geo damage and remains versatile in any team composition. She doesn’t require a full Geo team to perform well, offering various team-building options.

Nilou

• Rarity: 5-Star
• Element: Hydro
• Weapon: Sword

Nilou focuses on boosting Bloom teams when you build around her. Those Bountiful Cores hit way harder than regular Blooms, making specialized Bloom teams actually competitive in the game.

Ororon

• Rarity: 4-Star
• Element: Electro
• Weapon: Bow

Ororon masters Electrocharged teams with that artifact set synergy. In AoE scenarios, he can actually outperform Fischl, which is a pretty awesome achievement.

Tighnari

• Rarity: 5-Star
• Element: Dendro
• Weapon: Bow

Tighnari excels in quick-swap Dendro teams. His rapid charged attacks make Spread reactions consistent, and his burst adds nice damage.

Wanderer

• Rarity: 5-Star
• Element: Anemo
• Weapon: Catalyst

Wanderer is a strong on-field player who brings unique aerial combat that’s actually effective in battles. His Normal Attacks also make positioning easier and more reliable.

Wriothesley

• Rarity: 5-Star
• Element: Cyro
• Weapon: Catalyst

He delivers powerful Cryo damage through unique catalyst gameplay, by using enhanced Normal and Charged Attacks. His close-range combat style offers aggressive positioning, and his Burst offers both damage and utility.

Xianyun

• Rarity: 5-Star
• Element: Anemo
• Weapon: Catalyst

Xianyun makes Plunging Attack teams viable through smart support design. She enables aerial combat while providing teamwide healing, which creates unique gameplay opportunities.

Xiao

• Rarity: 5-Star
• Element: Anemo
• Weapon: Polearm

Xiao maintains his position as an AoE powerhouse in Genshin Impact 5.2. His plunging attacks might be simple, but they’re devastatingly effective when built right.

Xingqiu

• Rarity: 4-Star
• Element: Hydro
• Weapon: Sword

In the game, Xingqiu provides a strong single-target Hydro application and off-field damage. His Rain Swords not only apply Hydro but also offer damage reduction and interruption resistance.

Yae Miko

• Rarity: 5-Star
• Element: Electro
• Weapon: Catalyst

Yae Miko delivers consistent Electro damage through clever positioning. She also delivers good off-field Electro damage and powerful Burst.

Genshin Impact 5.2 B Tier Characters

These characters are reliable performers who might need more specific support to really shine:

Ayaka

• Rarity: 5-Star
• Element: Cyro
• Weapon: Sword

She has a straightforward playstyle, strong burst potential, and good energy generation. Her unique dash infusion delivers consistent Cryo damage, with her Burst dealing heavy damage in Freeze teams. Just like Hu Tao, Ayaka is also a fan favorite.

Ayato

• Rarity: 5-Star
• Element: Cyro
• Weapon: Sword

Kamisato Ayato combines reliable Hydro application with solid personal damage. His skill provides good damage windows, and his burst offers useful area control. His unique kit makes him a flexible unit that fits well in most Hydro teams.

Charlotte

• Rarity: 4-Star
• Element: Cyro
• Weapon: Catalyst

Charlotte handles emergency healing well through her stance changes. Her healing becomes particularly effective at higher constellations.

Chevreuse

• Rarity: 4-Star
• Element: Pyro
• Weapon: Polearm

Chevreuse specializes in supporting Overloaded teams. She provides valuable buffs like ATK% and resistance shred for Pyro and Electro, making her essential in the right team composition.

Chiori

• Rarity: 5-Star
• Element: Geo
• Weapon: Sword

Chiori serves as valuable Geo support with consistent crystallize generation. She excels in teams with Navia or Itto, helping their teams run much smoother with her ability to generate shields and maintain damage output.

Cyno

• Rarity: 5-Star
• Element: Electro
• Weapon: Polearm

Cyno operates as an Electro hypercarry in Aggravate teams. His extended burst duration needs careful team building, but his damage ceiling in proper teams is impressive. He shines in Aggravate and Hyperbloom teams but requires careful team building to maximize his burst uptime and support.

Dehya

• Rarity: 5-Star
• Element: Pyro
• Weapon: Claymore

Dehya is a character who offers defensive utility, including teamwide damage mitigation, and self-healing, while also dealing damage with her Burst. Her ability to prevent interruption while providing consistent Pyro application makes her valuable, but only in certain team compositions.

Eula

• Rarity: 5-Star
• Element: Cyro
• Weapon: Claymore

In Genshin Impact 5.2, Eula maintains relevance through powerful burst mechanics and dealing high Physical damage. However, her damage is more focused at the end of her burst, which can be challenging against mobile enemies.

Gaming

• Rarity: 4-Star
• Element: Pyro
• Weapon: Claymore

Gaming brings unique plunging attack mechanics to the four-star roster in Genshin Impact. However, his reliance on his burst for optimal damage requires careful energy management, making him deserve the spot only in B-tier in this list.

Jean

• Rarity: 5-Star
• Element: Anemo
• Weapon: Sword

Jean is known for her strong healing and decent damage in the meta. She offers valuable healing and support through the Viridescent Venerer set, making her a versatile team member.

Keqing

• Rarity: 5-Star
• Element: Electro
• Weapon: Sword

Her fast attacks and mobility help trigger reactions, and her skill gives her good positioning and infusion options. While her base damage is pretty average, her reaction-based damage makes her more effective and makes her shine in Aggravate teams.

Kirara

• Rarity: 4-Star
• Element: Dendro
• Weapon: Sword

Kirara is a 4-star Dendro character who provides unique utility through shield mechanics and mobility. Her defensive capabilities prove particularly valuable in Dendro reaction teams.

Shenhe

• Rarity: 5-Star
• Element: Cyro
• Weapon: Polearm

Shenhe functions as a specialized Cryo support. Her quill mechanics significantly amplify Cryo damage, making her irreplaceable in freeze teams only.

Sigewinne

• Rarity: 5-Star
• Element: Hydro
• Weapon: Bow

Sigewinne offers comfortable healing while buffing off-field skills. Her healing might have some downtime, but those buff supports make up for it.

Venti

• Rarity: 5-Star
• Element: Anemo
• Weapon: Bow

Venti maintains relevance through powerful crowd control. While his crowd control abilities have become less effective against larger enemies, his ability to group enemies for increased damage remain valuable in the game.

Yoimiya

• Rarity: 5-Star
• Element: Pyro
• Weapon: Bow

Yoimiya excels in single-target scenarios. Her rapid-fire normal attacks might be simple, but they’re devastatingly effective with proper animation canceling. However, she lacks AoE abilities, which is why we put her in the B-tier.

Genshin Impact 5.2 C Tier Characters

These characters need specific situations or investment to really perform, but can still contribute meaningfully in Genshin Impact:

Albedo

• Rarity: 5-Star
• Element: Geo
• Weapon: Sword

Albedo provides consistent off-field Geo damage. His flower construct works great for supplemental damage, even if boss attacks can destroy it. However, he has limited team synergy beyond Geo team compositions.

Arataki Itto

• Rarity: 5-Star
• Element: Geo
• Weapon: Claymore

Itto functions as a Geo hypercarry but needs specific team support. His flexibility in team compositions is limited, as the Geo element lacks powerful reactions.

Barbara

• Rarity: 4-Star
• Element: Hydro
• Weapon: Catalyst

Provides reliable healing and close-range Hydro application. Her revival ability can save teams, but she is outclassed by most other healers and lacks significant utility beyond healing.

Beidou

• Rarity: 4-Star
• Element: Electro
• Weapon: Claymore

Beidou offers strong off-field Electro damage and engaging counter mechanics. She performs optimally against two targets but has high energy requirements, which limits her versatility in the game.

Diluc

• Rarity: 5-Star
• Element: Pyro
• Weapon: Claymore

represents straightforward Pyro DPS design. His combo style might be simple, but it’s reliable and accessible.

A straightforward Pyro DPS with a simple and accessible combo style, but has been severely overshadowed by newer characters, resulting in a lower damage ceiling compared to his alternatives.

Diona

• Rarity: 4-Star
• Element: Cyro
• Weapon: Bow

Diona offers both shielding and healing with good Cryo particle generation but just like Diluc, she is outpaced by newer support characters. She’s a jack of all trades, but not the best in any area.

Gorou

• Rarity: 4-Star
• Element: Geo
• Weapon: Bow

Gorou is a specialized Geo support character who focuses on defense buffs. He’s most useful in Itto or Geo teams, but his utility is limited outside of those compositions.

Kachina

• Rarity: 4-Star
• Element: Geo
• Weapon: Polearm

Kachina offers moderate off-field damage and can enable certain artifact set effects. However, she lacks standout features and is outclassed by better alternatives for all roles.

Klee

• Rarity: 5-Star
• Element: Pyro
• Weapon: Catalyst

Klee offers unique gameplay, but her mechanics are clunky and require difficult animation cancels. As a result, her damage is lower compared to the effort needed to perform well.

Layla

• Rarity: 4-Star
• Element: Cyro
• Weapon: Sword

Layla provides strong shielding and off-field Cryo application, with good scaling as you invest in her. However, she competes with better Cryo support options and has limited utility beyond her shielding capabilities.

Lynette

• Rarity: 4-Star
• Element: Anemo
• Weapon: Sword

Lynette provides crowd control, fulfilling a basic Anemo support role. But she is outclassed by other Anemo characters and doesn’t stand out in any specific area in Genshin Impact 5.2.

Mona

• Rarity: 5-Star
• Element: Hydro
• Weapon: Catalyst

Mona provides a valuable debuff for damage amplification and shines only in freeze teams. However, her use is limited outside of specific team compositions, and she requires precise timing and setup to maximize her effectiveness. So we put her in C tier.

Qiqi

• Rarity: 5-Star
• Element: Cyro
• Weapon: Sword

Qiqi provides the strongest healing in the game but lacks utility beyond that. She doesn’t generate energy and can provide overkill healing without adding other benefits to the team.

Sethos

• Rarity: 4-Star
• Element: Electro
• Weapon: Bow

Sethos presents interesting flexibility with dual gameplay modes and consistent charged attack damage without energy requirements. However, he lacks outstanding damage or utility, making him less impactful in the meta.

Sucrose

• Rarity: 4-Star
• Element: Anemo
• Weapon: Catalyst

Sucrose offers Elemental Mastery sharing and can hold the 4-piece Thundersoother set for buffs. However, she is generally outclassed by Kazuha in most situations and has limited crowd control compared to other Anemo characters, so sadly have to put her in C tier.

Thoma

• Rarity: 4-Star
• Element: Pyro
• Weapon: Polearm

Thoma finds his niche in Burgeon teams, providing shields that require maintenance and involve complex shield stacking mechanics. However, his utility is limited outside of specific roles, making him less versatile in other team compositions.

Yaoyao

• Rarity: 4-Star
• Element: Dendro
• Weapon: Polearm

Yaoyao combines healing with Dendro application through her unique mechanics. However, she’s mediocre at both. You can find better alternatives available for these roles.

Genshin Impact 5.2 D Tier Characters

These characters face some tough challenges in the current meta, though they can still contribute in specific situations:

Aloy

• Rarity: 5-Star
• Element: Cyro
• Weapon: Bow

Aloy suffers from limited constellation access. Her Cryo infusion needs a specific setup that often feels unreliable and also limits her damage potential.

Amber

• Rarity: 4-Star
• Element: Pyro
• Weapon: Bow

Amber has significant scaling limitations, a basic taunt mechanic, and a charged shot playstyle that struggles in the late game. Her low damage multipliers further limit her effectiveness in Genshin Impact.

Candace

• Rarity: 4-Star
• Element: Hydro
• Weapon: Polearm

Candace provides Hydro infusion utility, but very few characters benefit from it. Her limited team compositions and better alternatives make her less versatile overall.

Chongyun

• Rarity: 4-Star
• Element: Cyro
• Weapon: Claymore

Outside of niche teams, Chongyun’s forced Cryo infusion is limited, and he can even harm team synergy in some setups. Chongyun is not worth pulling.

Collei

• Rarity: 4-Star
• Element: Dendro
• Weapon: Bow

Collei suffers from limited Dendro application range and a small burst AoE, with short skill duration and rotation timing issues, making her deserve her spot in D tier.

Dori

• Rarity: 4-Star
• Element: Electro
• Weapon: Claymore

Dori has awkward energy support mechanics and a unique but very inefficient design. Her energy generation is unreliable, and better alternatives exist.

Faruzan

• Rarity: 4-Star
• Element: Anemo
• Weapon: Bow

Faruzan requires high constellations to excel and faces energy management issues in her base kit. Her full potential is unlocked only at higher constellations, making her need more grinding in the game.

Freminet

• Rarity: 4-Star
• Element: Cyro
• Weapon: Claymore

His scaling is split between Physical and Cryo, with a long charged attack setup time. He suffers from an identity crisis in the game and has inefficient damage output.

Kaeya

• Rarity: 4-Star
• Element: Cyro
• Weapon: Sword

Kaeya offers reliable Cryo application and good particle generation with his skill but is outclassed by more specialized alternatives. He lacks the unique utility to justify his place in most teams.

Kaveh

• Rarity: 4-Star
• Element: Dendro
• Weapon: Claymore

Kaveh really struggles with inconsistent Dendro applications and finds tough competition as a Dendro driver. He lacks team utility and just like other characters in this tier, is outclassed by better alternatives.

Lisa

• Rarity: 4-Star
• Element: Electro
• Weapon: Catalyst

Lisa has high energy requirements and long setup times for her abilities. Her defense is difficult to maintain, and her gameplay mechanics can feel clunky. She is not worth pulling in this meta.

Mika

• Rarity: 4-Star
• Element: Cyro
• Weapon: Polearm

Mika fills in on a narrow Physical support role with limited team utility. His buffs are only effective in specific compositions, and better support options are available.

Ningguang

• Rarity: 4-Star
• Element: Geo
• Weapon: Catalyst

Deals solid single-target damage but requires significant investment. Her effectiveness is limited by Geo’s lack of reactions and struggles in most AoE situations.

Noelle

• Rarity: 4-Star
• Element: Geo
• Weapon: Claymore

In Genshin Impact 5.2, Noelle offers reliable shielding but needs high constellations to reach her full potential. She faces long shield downtimes and energy generation issues too.

Razor

• Rarity: 4-Star
• Element: Electro
• Weapon: Claymore

Razor faces limitations as a Physical carry. His selfish playstyle limits team composition options, and he falls off in late game with little flexibility.

Rosaria

• Rarity: 4-Star
• Element: Cyro
• Weapon: Polearm

Rosaria provides useful Crit sharing and quite a decent Cryo application but is outclassed by newer Cryo supports and lacks standout unique features.

Sayu

• Rarity: 4-Star
• Element: Anemo
• Weapon: Claymore

Sayu combines awkward healing and Anemo support roles with limited combat utility. Better alternatives exist for either role, and she’s more useful for exploration than combat.

That’s all for our tier list. Remember that these rankings reflect current meta performance, but team composition and personal playstyle will always make a huge difference. Even lower-tier characters can shine with the right investment and team synergy. Genshin Impact keeps evolving with new characters and mechanics, so these rankings will likely shift as new strategies emerge.