If you’ve ever stood in front of the Spiral Abyss entrance staring at your party screen for 10 minutes trying to pick the right units, or argued with your co-op friends for hours over which limited 5-star is worth saving primogems for, you’ve definitely asked who is the best character in Genshin Impact. The truth is, there’s no universal answer that works for every player. Genshin has such a wide range of content, from open-world puzzle solving to high-stakes endgame combat, that a character that’s perfect for one player might be totally useless for another. We’ve tested every character in the game across all content types, from casual exploration to the highest Abyss floors, to break down the best picks for every use case.
How We Determine Who Is the Best Character in Genshin Impact
We don’t just pull rankings from random community tier lists or go off of viral damage showcase clips. All our picks are tested first at C0 (base constellation) with easily accessible 4-star weapons, because the vast majority of players don’t have maxed constellations or limited signature weapons. We weigh four core factors when evaluating characters: combat ceiling, utility outside of battle, ease of build, and team flexibility.
A lot of players make mistakes when searching for the best character for their account, and these common missteps can lead to wasting hundreds of primogems on units that don’t fit their playstyle:
That means we don’t rank characters based on what they can do if you sink thousands of dollars into constellations and signature weapons, we rank them based on what the average player can actually get out of them. For example, a C6 5-star DPS might hit 2 million damage per screenshot, but a C0 4-star that works in every team comp will give you far more value long term.
Top Characters for Meta Spiral Abyss and Endgame Combat
If you’re focused on clearing the Spiral Abyss’s highest floors or taking down tough weekly bosses like Apep or the All-Devouring Narwhal, you’ll want characters that fit well into meta team comps and offer consistent high damage or support. Bennett is almost universally at the top of every endgame tier list, even though he’s a 4-star. His burst gives a massive ATK buff, heals the entire party to full in seconds, and can apply Pyro for reactions with almost no downtime. Even at C0 he’s usable, though C1 removes the HP restriction on his ATK buff making him even more powerful.
Zhongli is another staple for endgame play, especially for players who don’t want to worry about dodging every enemy attack. His shield absorbs 90% of all incoming damage, resists interruption so you can cast skills without getting knocked back, and shreds enemy resistance to all elements, making every team he’s on significantly easier to play. For main DPS options, Nahida is the undisputed queen of Dendro reactions, making teams like Hyperbloom, Quicken, and Burgeon hit far harder than any other Dendro character can. She also works perfectly at C0, so you don’t need to pull for extra copies to get her full value.
It's worth noting that even the strongest endgame characters are useless if you don't build them properly, so make sure you're investing in the right artifact sets and leveled talents for your chosen units. Even a top-tier character with unleveled artifacts will underperform a properly built 4-star.
Best Characters for Casual Exploration and Open-World Play
A lot of tier lists ignore that most Genshin players don't spend 90% of their time grinding the Spiral Abyss. If you're just here to collect chests, solve puzzles, and wander through Teyvat's new regions as they drop, the best characters for you will look very different from the meta picks. Wanderer is a game-changer for exploration because he can fly for extended periods, letting you cross gaps, climb up high cliffs without stamina, and reach hidden chests you'd never be able to get to otherwise. His passive that reduces party stamina consumption while gliding is just an extra bonus.
Yelan is another top pick for exploration, as her swift sprint lets you cross long distances in seconds, run past enemies you don't want to fight, and even cross shallow water without drowning. She also works great as a sub-DPS in combat, so she pulls double duty if you want to use her for both exploration and Abyss runs. Don't sleep on 4-star options like Lynette either, her Anemo sprint works almost as well as Yelan's for fast travel, and she can activate Anemo monuments without needing to switch to another character.
I've had Wanderer on my main exploration team since he came out, and I've not once regretted pulling for him, even if he's not the strongest pick for the current Abyss meta. Being able to fly over entire mountain ranges instead of climbing them saves me so much time when I'm hunting for chests or questing in new regions.
Top F2P-Friendly Characters That Don't Require Constellations
If you're a free-to-play player who only gets primogems from events, quests, and daily commissions, you don't want to waste your pulls on characters that need multiple copies to be good. All the picks on this list are powerful at C0, work with 4-star weapons, and fit into a wide range of team comps so you don't have to pull for specific supports to make them work.
Xiangling is easily the best 4-star character in the game for F2P players. You get her for free after clearing the Spiral Abyss Floor 3, her burst deals massive consistent Pyro damage off-field, and she fits into some of the strongest meta teams in the game like National, Vaporize, and Burgeon. All she needs is The Catch, a 4-star polearm you can get for free from fishing, to be top tier. Then there's Kuki Shinobu, another 4-star that works amazing at C0. She's the best healer for Hyperbloom teams, deals consistent Dendro reaction damage off-field, and can even heal your party while you're exploring, so you don't have to carry around as much food.
Noelle is another great free pick you get from the beginner banner, she works as a shield, healer, and main DPS all in one, making her perfect for new players who don't have a big roster yet. I've used Xiangling on my Spiral Abyss teams for over two years now, and she still outperforms most of the 5-star DPS characters I've pulled since, even at C0. You really can't go wrong investing in her.
At the end of the day, the answer to who is the best character in Genshin Impact will always depend on what you care about most in the game. If you're chasing Abyss clears, go for meta staples like Bennett, Nahida, and Zhongli. If you just want to explore Teyvat at your own pace, Wanderer or Yelan will make your experience way more fun. If you're F2P, you can't go wrong with picks like Xiangling that offer massive value without any extra investment. Don't let tier lists or community arguments pressure you into pulling for characters you don't actually like, either. The character you have the most fun playing is always going to be the best pick for your account.