Genshin Impact has over thirty different characters to choose from, with the latest, Rosaria, recently released in version 1.4. Hu Tao, released at the end of version 1.3, has now been in rotation long enough to solidify her standing in rankings. Zhongli also received some significant buffs a while back, turning him from an okay character into a powerhouse.
Where does that leave the Genshin Impact character tier list? Rosaria's placement is tenuous at the moment, as players figure out exactly where she fits into the grand scheme of things, while Zhongli moves up a tier and Hu Tao finds her place. Xiao and Ganyu have proved to be invaluable party members, while Childe barely holds on to his placement.
SS Tier Characters
These Genshin Impact characters fall a bit outside the tier lists, which typically place them in S Tier. Each represents the absolute best of their category, Main DPS, Sub DPS, and Utility.
Bennet (Utility) - Found on almost every team composition, Bennet combines the best of DPS, character support, and healing in a single character.
Ganyu (Main DPS) - A powered-up Ganyu has the ability to fire tactical nukes into groups of enemies, dealing insane amounts of damage while inflicting Cryo upon them.
Zhongli (Sub DPS) - While initially, Zhongli was a bit underwhelming, miHoYo granted the Geo Archon some buffs that turned him into a defensive powerhouse.
S Tier Characters
Diluc (Main DPS) - Still a highly sought-after character, Diluc remains one of the best Main DPS characters in Genshin Impact with the ability to pump out consistent Pyro damage to cut through large swathes of foes.
Hu Tao (Main DPS) - A relative newcomer, Hu Tao's damage scales based on how little HP she has. A bit fickle to play as she is capable of racking up an insane amount of damage in a short time.
Klee (Main DPS) - Klee makes things go boom. When they go boom, they die.
Mona (Sub DPS) - Mona is one of the few Hydro characters in Genshin Impact, and is a great support to many Main DPS dealers.
Tartaglia/Childe (Main DPS) - Once the cream of the crop, his usefulness has dropped a bit with the addition of several more powerful characters. He barely maintains his S Tier ranking.
Venti (Utility) - A close call when it comes to the best Utility in the game, Venti has excellent crowd control, with the ability to swirl other elements to damage groups of enemies at once.
Xiao (Main DPS) - Xiao combines the deftness of a Polearm user with massive damage output and incredible speed.
Xinqiu (Sub DPS) - A perfect blend of damage, Hydro support, and minor healing. If it were not for Zhongli, Xinqiu might be the best Sub-DPS in the game.
A Tier Characters
A Tier characters are all great in their own right, especially if Genshin Impact players do not have an S Tier character for the role they are looking to fill. Each offers different benefits depending on team composition and is especially good during early to mid-game. Many free-to-play gamers will most likely end up with some combination of these characters for a majority of their time playing Genshin Impact, possibly supplementing their part with one or two characters from the above tier.
Albedo (Sub DPS)
Diona (Utility)
Fischl (Sub DPS)
Jean (Utility)
Keqing (Main DPS)
Ningguang (Main DPS)
Qiqi (Utility)
Razor (Main DPS)
Rosaria (Sub DPS)
Sucrose (Utility)
Xiangling (Sub DPS)
B Tier Characters
B Tier characters are a strange lot. They are not the best in the game, but they are decent picks. Barbara is probably the first healer many players will receive in the game since miHoYo seems to love giving her away for free. If Beidou's counter was not so tricky for many players to use, she would probably find herself in the A Tier. Xinyan compliments many party compositions well but has a hard time finding her place as the Main DPS of a party when so many other easily-obtained characters fit the role so much better.
Barbara (Utility)
Beidou (Main DPS)
Chongyun (Sub DPS)
Kaeya (Sub DPS)
Xinyan (Main DPS)
C Tier Characters
C Tier characters are generally unused unless absolutely needed, though sometimes a party composition may call for one specifically, like the Geo Traveler in a Zhongli party. Noelle certainly plays the defensive role pretty well, but so many other characters put up a better shield than her.
Lisa (Sub DPS)
Noelle (Utility)
Traveler (Anemo - Sub DPS / Geo - Utility)
D Tier Characters
Amber (Sub DPS) - Genshin Impact's Amber is useful to solve some initial puzzles in but is quickly replaced once better Pyro and Bow characters or obtained.
Genshin Impact is available now for Mobile, PC, and PS4, with PS5 and Switch versions in development.