There's a trend going on in Genshin Impact right now where the old characters are getting mostly ignored because let's face it, they probably don't bring in as much revenue as the newer and shinier 5-stars. The result is that they're all overshadowed by the latest characters who will all probably make the older ones obsolete as time goes on.
For some characters, the fix is rather easy. One merely needs to tweak some aspects that make them weaker than others or just plain outdated. Elemental Skills, for that matter, are the most obvious weak links for some characters. The older ones, in particular, need some improvements to their aging abilities.
10 Xiangling's Guoba Attack
Xiangling isn't that bad as her Elemental Burst is actually one of the most in-demand in reverse Melt compositions right now. However, her Elemental Skill, Guoba Attack has always had an inherent problem of being immobile and having randomized targeting AI.
This makes Guoba a clunky ability to use. In instances with multiple enemies, the damn bear can end up attacking the wrong one, such as a Fatui Cicin Mage's flies instead of their master. If enemies also move around a lot, then don't even bother trying to set up Guoba for reliable damage. If they can make Guoba mobile, then that already solves some of its major problems.
9 Qiqi's Adeptus Art: Herald of Frost
Here we go, one of the worst 5-star characters right now thanks to her terribly long cooldowns. Qiqi isn't bad in the early game but she falls off fast in the face of more accomplished healers like Bennett. Her most reliable healing ability, Herald of Frost, is pretty lackluster.
Its cooldown is too long, its cryo application is too poor, and its healing has long intervals as well. To make matters worse, it also doesn't generate energy for Qiqi. At best, it's a mediocre ability. In domains or places that increase cooldowns, forget about using this skill.
8 Barbara's Let the Show Begin
As a healer, Barbara is surprisingly a bit better than Qiqi and that says a lot about the needed improvements for our poor 5-star zombie. Still, Barbara's Elemental Skill, Let the Show Begin has the same inherent problem as Qiqi's Heral of Frost: the long cooldown.
While Barbara's Elemental Skill is better for healing, players will need to fixate usage to her if they want to maximize the skill's healing. Its hydro application is also poor since characters have to be in melee range. The worst part about this skill is that it also makes the characters wet, making them susceptible to Frozen reactions or even Vaporize.
7 Tartaglia's Foul Legacy: Raging Tide
Speaking of long cooldowns, Tartaglia is probably the worst offender out of all the characters. His Elemental Skill, Foul Legacy: Raging Tide has a 45-second cooldown which is the current record-holder for the lengthiest cooldown ever in the game.
That makes Tartaglia a complicated character to play and certainly not intended for newbie players. Even the developers are aware that the only thing holding him back is his cooldowns; that's likely why his constellations are aimed at reducing those numbers.
6 Anemo Traveler's Palm Vortex
One of the reasons why the Anemo Traveler is often unused and is considered as the worse version of the character. The abilities are rather lackluster. The Elemental Skill, Palm Vortex is just too weak and only hits enemies in front of the character.
Hence, the Traveler's Anemo application for Swirl reactions is also subpar; that is compared to bonafide supports like Sucrose. The hold variant of the Elemental Skills somewhat fixes the problem by making the area of effect larger. Still, it doesn't have any notable crowd-control effects.
5 Xinyan's Sweeping Fervor
Xinyan is already an unpopular character despite being a pyro claymore user due to her abilities. They lack focus and synergy compared to other characters. Her Elemental Skill, Sweeping Fervor creates a shield that scales off her DEF stat.
Meanwhile, the shield's effects and benefits depend on how many enemies she hits with her skill. That makes Sweeping Fervor an inconsistent shield skill, especially in boss fights. Furthermore, since it scales off her DEF, the shield doesn't last that long.
4 Beidou's Tidecaller
Beidou's famous for only one ability and that's her Elemental Skill, Tidecaller. The press variant is pretty bland and useless but the hold variant lets Beidou counter any attack at melee range. That's one of the problems, against ranged enemies and bosses, it doesn't do much.
Moreover, the damage still goes through as Beidou can only absorb a set amount of damage before her counter shield dissipates and players are forced to release the hold. Meanwhile, the cooldown makes it so that the skill can't be consistently used.
3 Lisa's Violet Arc
Yet another Electro character that needs a buff, Lisa is a long way from being a party staple. Her abilities contradict her playstyle and her Elemental Skill is no exception. Violet Arc's press variant is pretty useless if players have Fischl since she applies Electro better.
The hold variant, while powerful, is too long and makes Lisa highly vulnerable and open to interruptions. Most of the time, players probably won't be able to pull off a complete hold variant of the skill without getting interrupted. The cooldown is also too long for the hold variant.
2 Amber's Explosive Puppet
Amber, in general, needs more than just an Elemental Skill buff. Her stats are some of the worst and lowest in the game. She's the first free character though so that's to be expected. Hence, her Elemental Skill, Explosive Puppet, leaves a lot to be desired.
Quite frankly, it's a worse version of Ganyu's taunt skill, The cooldown is 15 seconds, meaning Amber is a sitting duck during that duration since the skill's Baron Bunny doesn't last long. It only inherits up to 41 percent of Amber's HP, and even that is pretty low already.
1 Kaeya's Frostgnaw
Kaeya is also one of the first few free characters the game hands out. Like Amber, his abilities are also lackluster. Kaeya's Elemental Skill, Frostgnaw is pretty simple and basic that it makes him look like a chump. That's not a fitting image for the Cavalry Captain of the Knights of Favonius.
Frostgnaw merely blasts enemies in front of Kaeya with a cryo breeze. The damage is not much better than his attacks and the range is laughable. The cooldown isn't bad but if only they gave it a hold variant as they did with Bennet's skill, then Kaeya would have been a more exciting character to play. As it is, Frostgnaw is basically just Kaeya throwing shaved ice at the enemies' faces.