Highlights

• Catalyst characters in Genshin Impact are excellent for Elemental reactions and dealing Elemental DMG through their Normal Attack.
• Some catalyst characters have conditional downsides, such as not being able to defeat certain enemies or World Bosses.
• Having various elements in the party can help mitigate the downsides and maximize the effectiveness of catalyst characters in battle.

Catalyst characters in Genshin Impact are those who can deal Elemental DMG through their Normal Attack by default. This makes them an excellent candidate for Elemental reactions in battle, although there are some conditional downsides. For example, Klee won't be able to kill Pyro Slimes because they are immune to Pyro. This also applies to World Bosses, like the Pyro Hypostasis. Thus, to avoid this downside, it's always best to have various Elements at the party.

Luckily, this is an easy feat considering there's a catalyst character of every Vision. Just like other weapons, some catalyst characters are better than others. To know which one is the best, read on.

Updated on February 2, 2024, by Nahda Nabiilah: Catalyst users are known to be one of the best Supports in Genshin Impact. In fact, one of the main reasons for that is the amount of supportive catalysts that help increase their kit’s value. For example, weapons like Hakushin Ring and Thrilling Tales of Dragon Slayers are F2P, yet, allow many catalyst users to shine as supports even if they weren’t dedicated to playing that role. For that, this piece will be updated to include the new catalyst characters and fix the ranking.

17 Barbara

A Decent 4-star Healer

Barbara is the second free catalyst character that Genshin Impact players can obtain. This Favonius Church Sister is a Hydro Vision holder. It is said that Barbara has an angelic voice, one with healing properties. This is likely why Barbara is a healer.

While she fully excels in this job, she, unfortunately, doesn't offer much else to a party. Her Elemental Skill solely heals, as does her Elemental Burst. The only addition she offers is a minor Hydro application. However, it's worth noting that with constellations, Barbara is a decent support for Hydro DPS. She also can revive a fallen character with full HP.

16 Lisa

Underused But Can Still Be Viable

Lisa's main feature as a DPS is her Hold Skill. To master this, players need good management between using her Charged attacks and Tap Skill. Timing her Hold Skill perfectly is also crucial to get the most out of it. On the other hand, Lisa is much easier to use as a support. For this role, players simply have to cast her Elemental Burst and then swap her out.

Lisa is one of the free characters that players can obtain early on. Like the other first F2P characters, it is hard to get Lisa’s constellations, making the Resident Librarian a not popular pick among the player base.

15 Shikanoin Heizou

Great Driver, Underwhelming DPS

There might be speculations about whether Shikanoin Heizou is a good DPS or not. But one thing is for sure, he has such good gameplay. Although Heizou is a catalyst user, he still operates as a melee unit, driving his team’s reaction DMG while inflicting some decent DMG himself.

Shikanoin Heizou’s main DMG source comes from his Elemental Skill, where he charges its DMG by stacking up to four Declension to land some decent shots at enemies. Overall, Heizou doesn’t offer that much as a DPS and many other characters perform better than him, even someone like Wanderer who’s also an Anemo catalyst unit.

14 Yanfei

Pyro DPS But Is Often Used As A Shielder

Yanfei is another Pyro DPS in Genshin Impact. This Liyue character has a similar (but much smoother) playstyle to Ningguang, where players have to do a fixed rotation between her Normal and Charged Attack. Because Yanfei is a Pyro character, this means that she can be played in both Vaporize and Melt comp to amplify her DMG. While this may seem great, it also means that Yanfei needs a specific team to perform her best.

Furthermore, Yanfei is also a selfish DPS. She shines best when her Elemental Burst is active, yet her Elemental Skill is not the best battery. So, players who wish to play Yanfei have to build a team around her. This lack of flexibility puts Yanfei at the lower end of the list. However, players who don't mind using her in an unusual manner can try unlocking Yanfei's fourth Constellation and using her as a shielder.

13 Charlotte

Say Cheese!

Other than being a healer, Charlotte is a decent Cryo user who can continuously apply Cryo with her Elemental Skill. Her utility can be helpful in Freeze teams where she can apply Cryo and help freeze enemies. Being a Catalyst user, Charlotte can operate as a support and wield weapons like Thrilling Tales Of Dragon Slayers to notably buff their ATK% or Favonius Codex to help her team regenerate their Elemental Bursts back.

12 Klee

Fishes Aren't The Only Thing She Eradicates

Klee may be young and small, but she shouldn't be underestimated. Just like Yanfei, Klee is also a selfish DPS. When her Elemental Burst is active, she can't be swapped out; or else the Burst will disappear. Klee doesn't offer much support, except for the little mines left by her Elemental Skill.

The Spark Knight's range is the shortest among the other characters, yet she has one of the highest DPS counts among the catalyst users in Genshin Impact. That alone earns Klee a spot in almost the middle ranking.

11 Ningguang

Should've Been A 5-Star

The Tianquan of the Qixing may be a 4-star character, but Ningguang is actually one of the best catalyst DPS in Genshin Impact. After players get used to Ningguang's clunky Charged Attack, they will find that this unit packs a hard punch.

Not only that, but Ningguang is also highly flexible to use. With her Elemental Skill, she can deal decent DMG, battery herself, and grant a Geo DMG buff. Because she's a Geo character, players don't have to pair her with any Elemental reactions to shine. However, Ningguang is only viable as a DPS with her first constellation; after getting her full constellations, Ningguang simply enters a new level of DPS.

10 Yae Miko

Right Here. Right Now. Emerge!

Yae Miko can easily be considered one of the most popular characters in Genshin Impact. Her wit and sassy personality alongside the number of hilarious scenes she participated in are enough to make her that popular.

But during combat, Yae Miko wasn’t what fans expected. Her DMG is underwhelming, and she consumes a lot of time on the field as a sub-DPS. The introduction of Dendro reactions in Genshin Impact improved her viability a little, but still, Yae Miko remains underperforming against other Electro sub-DPS units.

9 Xianyun

Niche But Very Good At What She Does

Xianyun is a very unique Anemo Catalyst user in Genshin Impact. Her gameplay involves applying new mechanics on the battlefield that allow all characters to behave differently during combat. When activating her Elemental Burst, Xianyun grants other characters the ability to jump higher and Plunge attack. She will also buff their Plunge attack damage and heal them based on her ATK%, which makes it important for her to wield a catalyst that boosts that stat.

Although Xianyun’s utility is very promising and unique, her being an Anemo user who can run 4pc Viridescent Venerer is still one of her most important features since it allows her to shred enemies’ resistance and further helps her team deal more damage.

8 Wriothesley

First Cryo Catalyst

Wriothesley is the first Cryo Catalyst in Genshin Impact, and he uses his fist to annihilate enemies. His damage is okay, but he can't fulfill any other role except the main DPS. His mechanic is somewhat similar to Wanderer; he needs his Elemental Skill for his Normal Attack to deal good damage (but unlike the Harbinger, Wriothesley's Skill deals no damage), and his Elemental Burst is a simple damage ability. Wriothesley also wants people to use his Charged Attack every once in a while, just like the ex-Fatui.

7 Baizhu

One Of The Best Healers

Baizhu is a 5-star shielder/healer who bears the Dendro Vision. He heals with his Skill and Burst, and the latter also provides a small shield that breaks and comes back every three seconds. Although his shield is rather mediocre since it can break easily and isn't reliable to avoid interruption, his healing is great, and he comes with some crazy buffs for Dendro-related Elemental reactions.

6 Mona

A Great Buffer

Mona is a support Hydro character; however, she's not a healer. Instead, Mona's role is to taunt, battery, and amplify the team's DMG with her Omen, a debuff on enemies created by her Elemental Burst.

Mona can deal great DMG with her Burst while allowing her teammates to do even greater DMG. This is why Mona is often paired with Sucrose, another character that can enhance the team's overall DPS. Other than support, Mona is also viable as a DPS in her own right, making her one of the stronger catalyst characters.

5 Sucrose

Insane Elemental Mastery Buff

So far, Anemo is the best support Element for Hydro, Pyro, Electro, and Cryo. With Viridescent Venerer, Sucrose can lower the enemy's Elemental resistance. Considering Sucrose should have a maximum amount of Elemental Mastery to perform on a high level, her DMG shouldn't be underestimated. All her Swirls will inflict some decent DMG thanks to her high EM stat.

As if that's not enough, Sucrose also crowd controls the enemies, generates a lot of Elemental Particles, and inherits her Elemental Mastery to the team. Thanks to her long list of supportive abilities, Sucrose easily takes one of the top spots for the best catalyst.

4 Wanderer

Amazing Driver, Amazing DPS

Wanderer’s mechanics are such a breath of fresh air in Genshin Impact. His flying combat style and the way he moves give players the freedom any Anemo character should have. Of course, fans waited for a long time to put their hands on Scaramouche, the Sixth of the Eleven Fatui Harbingers, and he did not disappoint. His personal DPS is decent, and he can drive the team's DMG, which makes him super useful as an Anemo character.

3 Neuvillette

Can Solo Abyss, Now That's Hardcore

Neuvillette is an excellent DPS in Genshin Impact, and he's simple to use. He works best with multiple Elements that react with Hydro, but even without it, he can be a one-man army; he has a large pool of HP, great damage, amazing range, and even self-sustain from his healing ability. The only downside from the Iudex is the fact that he can't really play in any other role except from a DPS.

2 Sangonomiya Kokomi

Astonishing Healer And Hydro Enabler

Kokomi is often called a 5-star Barbara, and there's a rational reason behind it. Just like the Church Sister, Kokomi is a Hydro healer, but of course, the Watatsumi Priestess outperforms Barbara in most ways. Kokomi's Elemental Skill has a wide Hydro application that deals decent DMG; moreover, she becomes a sub-DPS when her Elemental Burst is active.

Once she’s equipped with 4pc Ocean-Hued Clam, Kokomi turns into a top-tier sub-DPS, over-healing her teammates while continuously inflicting significant DMG. After multiple non-targeted buffs (like the existence of Ocean-Hued Clam, and Hydro Resonance buff), Kokomi quickly became one of the best characters in Genshin Impact.

1 Nahida

She's Broken

Without a doubt, an Archon would make her way into the top tier among all catalyst users in Genshin Impact. Not only that, Nahida is currently the best Dendro character as well. The Dendro Archon can offer anything a Dendro Support would offer while dealing some good off-field DMG. Nahida provides a great Elemental Mastery buff and becomes significantly stronger as both a damage dealer and support with her Constellations.

Not to mention, Nahida is a great world map companion since she can collect plants from a distance using her Elemental Skill. All in all, Nahida can do everything but healing to her team, which puts her above most of Genshin Impact’s roster in terms of usefulness.