A meta unit commonly exists in games, so people can also expect that from Genshin Impact. There’s currently no competitive feature in the game, so the “meta” of a character is measured by how often they’re utilized in the Spiral Abyss.
The Spiral Abyss is currently the hardest content in the game, so units that bring ease to it are the ones that are considered “useful”. Even though the meta-list of Genshin Impact mostly consists of 5-star units, the Holy Trio; Xingqiu, Xiangling, and Bennett are one of the rare few that break this boundary. Other than that, here are some of the most meta characters in Genshin Impact.
Updated March 15, 2023, by Nahda Nabiilah: The meta of Genshin Impact has gone through plenty of changes since its initial release on September 2020. Not only there are about twice more characters than it first has, but a new Element, Dendro, also becomes available with the land of wisdom, Sumeru. The existence of Dendro causes a large shift in the meta, where it increases the viability of Electro characters along with other units like Thoma. Dendro even makes an entirely new gameplay with the Bloom reaction, where players can wreak havoc by watching the produced Dendro Cores explode. Taking into consideration all the significant changes, this article is updated to include some more characters that accompany many people's team comp.
13 Nahida
Interestingly, all four Archons of Teyvat made it into the list of meta characters in Genshin Impact. This is understandable, as, apart from their undeniable popularity, the Archons so far never disappoint. Nahida brings a great feature as an Archon, where she performs as both a sub-DPS and Elemental Mastery buffer. By wielding a Catalyst, she also performs excellently in teams that require sufficient Dendro application.
One bad thing about Nahida is her squishiness, where players must be careful not to get one-shot by dangerous enemies.
12 Venti
Venti was the first premium 5-star in Genshin Impact, and he's later revealed as the Anemo Archon. Up until now, he remains the best crowd controller in the game, where he can easily pull small enemies into his vortex, completely disabling them. Other than his top-tier CC, Venti also offers many other utilities for his team:
- RES reduction for Cryo, Hydro, Pyro, or Electro via Viridescent Venerer
- Battery for Cryo, Hydro, Pyro, or Electro via Elemental absorption
- Notable damage that allows faster completion of time challenges
- Wind current from Elemental Skill is incredibly handy for exploration
11 Ganyu
Ever since her release in version 1.2, Ganyu remains one of the most used characters in the game. She can deal large damage effortlessly via her Charged Attack, she's a part of one of the best team comp, the Morgana, and her Burst has large AoE and 100% uptime. All in all, Ganyu is an all-rounder unit that can bring a lot to her team.
When Dendro was released, it may not be reacting with Cryo, but Ganyu surprisingly can use the Element to make a Melt team. Simply pair Nahida, Bennett, and another Pyro enabler, and players can enjoy Melt reaction on each of Ganyu's Charged Attack.
10 Sangonomiya Kokomi
Kokomi was initially a mere 5-star Barbara, but thanks to Ocean-Hued Clam and the buff to Hydro Resonance, her viability skyrocketed. Then, once the Bloom reaction is released, Kokomi becomes even more crucial, where she can provide both Hydro application and healing at the same time.
In battle, Kokomi can fulfill multiple roles, making her one of the most versatile units. The Watatsumi Priest can act as a dedicated healer, Hydro enabler, buffer, or even DPS. The number of utilities Kokomi brings to her team easily makes her a meta unit in Genshin Impact.
9 Beidou
Beidou has always been one of the most popular characters in the game. Her ability to grant protection via her Electro shield, dish out large damage off-field, and apply Electro sufficiently, is still unmatched in Genshin Impact. Typically, she's used in an Electro-Charged team with Childe, but with the existence of Dendro, her potential increases significantly. For example, players can play Cyno + Beidou + Yaoyao to make an amazing Quicken team. Cyno will benefit from both Beidou's shield and Yaoyao's healing.
However, Beidou does still have an issue with her Energy, so players should invest in Energy Recharge when playing her.
8 Kamisato Ayaka
The Kamisato Princess has always been widely anticipated due to her existence in Genshin Impact CBT, so players have really high expectations of her. Luckily, upon Inazuma’s arrival, she was able to impress the community and soon climb her way up to the list of meta characters.
Kamisato Ayaka excels as both the main DPS and sub-DPS in the team, where she performs awesomely in compositions like the Morgana comp. Many people even pair her with other meta units like Hu Tao.
7 Xiangling
Xiangling may be a F2P unit, but her power should never be underestimated. The Liyue Chef is undoubtedly one of the best off-field DPS characters, and she literally defies the law of Internal Cooldown in the game. Unlike some units that need to wait 2.5 seconds or three hits to apply Element on an enemy, Xiangling casually does this on every hit. Because of this, she’s one of the best units for Elemental Reactions.
However, what makes her super meta is the fact that she performs amazingly with some other meta units like Xingqiu, Yelan, Raiden Shogun, and Bennett.
6 Raiden Shogun
Although at first many people deemed Raiden Shogun as weak, her banner still has one of the highest sales of all time. But as time has gone by, people have started to understand her better and have come to see her true power. Not only does she have amazing supportive kits that earn her the top spot as the best Battery in Genshin Impact, but the Electro Archon also provides great damage on the battlefield.
As if that’s not good enough, the community soon finds out that she works perfectly on the National team. With Raiden Shogun in it, however, the name soon changes to “Rational Team”.
5 Xingqiu And Yelan
Since the two have similar roles, it’s hard to put them in different rankings. Both Xingqiu and Yelan are amazing off-field DPS that own a top-tier Hydro application. Yelan fits perfectly in any of Xingqiu’s team compositions, except for Hu Tao’s team.
Because Xingqiu is always paired with Hu Tao, many Travelers express their relief for owning Yelan. Now, they can play with two Xingqiu in the Spiral Abyss; Xingqiu with Hu Tao, while Yelan with another team, like the Genshin Impact National or Rational team composition.
4 Hu Tao
Even though it has been a very long time since Hu Tao’s debut in version 1.3, this eccentric character remains one of the best DPS in the game. With the classic Xingqiu + Hu Tao pairing in Genshin Impact, the duo consistently wreaks havoc on the battlefield.
However, one downside of Hu Tao is that her performance highly relies on the availability of Xingqiu. Unlike the Guhua Disciple that shines in many other team compositions, the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor Director won’t function properly without him. Because of this, many people feel limited with one Xingqiu, as it’s only reasonable to save him for Hu Tao.
3 Kazuha
The release of Kazuha in Genshin Impact may not be as glorious as that of units like Yelan, but the Wandering Samurai quickly drowns people who skip his banner in regret. Kaedehara Kazuha proves himself to be highly worthy in the meta, where his ascension passives make him one of the best supports in Genshin Impact.
By stacking Elemental Mastery on this unit, players can get a massive Elemental DMG bonus for the whole party. Unfortunately, Kazuha’s potential is limited to only Hydro, Cryo, Electro, and Pyro characters, so he has to settle with #3 on the list.
2 Zhongli
Zhongli’s existence has been proven to lower players’ skills in dodging. When his shield is active, anyone will go berserk on the enemies, not worrying about getting a single hit. Due to the convenience Zhongli provides, it’s no surprise that he’s a highly used character in Genshin Impact.
Apart from an everlasting shield, Zhongli can grant ATK buff if he’s equipped with a 4-piece Tenacity of the Millelith. The Geo Archon’s Burst also has decent damage, on top of providing brief petrification, allowing it to be a panic button in emergency situations.
1 Bennett
As the best buffer in Genshin Impact, it's no surprise that Bennett is the most meta of the meta units. The unlucky adventurer can provide a lot to the team, making him one of the most popular characters of all time.
The star of Bennett's kit is obviously his Elemental Burst. Inside his field, a character will gain ATK buff, healing, and cleansing. Additionally, for those pairing Bennett with a Pyro unit, the adventurer can also act as their Genshin Impact Battery. All this makes Bennett a full pack of everything Travelers need from a support.
Genshin Impact is now available on Mobile, PC, PS4, and PS5. A Switch version is in development.