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The best 5-star heroes in Genshin Impact
J
Jess Reyes
Here are the best 5-star characters to play in the game's key roles of main DPS, sub DPS, shield, and healer. Note that Genshin characters aren’t officially split into these named roles, but the community generally refers to them with these terms for clarity. If you’re just starting out, you might also want to take a look at our Genshin Impact beginner’s guide. Even if they’re not on this list, most 5-stars should help you clear content faster than the average 4-star.
The best main DPS 5-star characters in Genshin Impact
Main DPS refers to your main damage dealer. This character spends most of their time on the field while their teammates support them, whether they're healers, shields, or sub-DPSes. The usefulness of your main DPS depends a lot on your overall party composition. For example, you might not succeed with Arlecchino without a character capable of shielding her because she cannot heal from teammate abilities. That said, these DPS characters are still popular months after their debut because they continue to perform through the different iterations of the Spiral Abyss.
Hu Tao
Wangsheng Parlor director Hu Tao is one of the best examples of a character who needs an ideal sub-DPS for maximum damage. Her best Vaporize teams include popular Hydro sub-DPSes like Xingqiu or his 5-star counterpart, Yelan. She has no internal cooldown (ICD)—a mechanic that limits how many times an ability can apply elemental effects on a target—which means she can consistently trigger elemental reactions without waiting in between strikes. Instead of building her with high attack like many other DPS characters, you should prioritize her Pyro damage first and foremost.
Ayaka
Ayaka, a Cryo swordswoman, stands as an ideal Freeze (an elemental reaction caused by the combination of Cryo and Hydro) team lead with a graceful playstyle that charms players. Her quick-freezing Skill and Elemental Burst (often shortened to just "Burst") make her well-suited for these Freeze teams, especially when paired with Cryo-enabling teammates and support. You can also use her as a sub-DPS because her Burst stays on-field when you switch her out. She and her brother Ayato both make strong DPS characters, but he is more suited to Taser (the Electro-Hydro elemental reaction) in comparison.
Xiao
Xiao appeals to players with his versatility and aloof-yet-caring personality. He’s an Anemo (Genshin's wind element) 5-star character that doesn’t rely on elemental reactions to deal damage. If you want a Swirl master, you’d be better off with someone who continuously spews Anemo like Scaramouche. Despite Xiao’s inability to trigger reactions, his Burst's wide area of effect and ability to deal damage multiple times makes him a viable DPS to this day. However, his playstyle might be off-putting for some players because of its “pogo stick”-like nature.
Alhaitham
Alhaitham has been the most powerful Dendro (Genshin's nature element) DPS since his debut. His kit works similarly to standard 5-star Keqing’s: for example, his Skill teleports him forward to slash enemies with Dendro, and his Burst inflicts Dendro-infused slashes. Compare Alhaitham's playstyle to archer (and fellow Dendro DPS) Tighnari to see how their playstyles vary.
The best standard main DPS 5-star characters
Diluc, Keqing, and Tighnari are the most popular main DPS characters out of the standard 5-stars. Diluc is a hard-hitting Claymore user with raw power, even if his Pyro abilities aren't as good at triggering reactions as some others. Keqing and Tighnari both work best in Dendro reaction teams because of their elemental affinities. Their Skills don’t stay on the field once they switch out and they don’t have support abilities, so they can’t fit into the other categories.
The best sub-DPS 5-star characters in Genshin
Sub-DPSes typically play secondary roles in your team to amplify the damage of your main DPS through elemental reactions. These characters have Elemental Skills and Bursts that deal elemental damage and persist when you switch characters.
Raiden Shogun
Since her debut, Raiden Shogun has served as one of the most popular DPS and sub-DPS characters in all of Genshin Impact. However, she’s best known as a sub-DPS because of the large number of teams she can work with in that role. Her Skill enables your active character to deal Electro damage with their attacks, which makes her ideal for triggering Electro-based elemental reactions. Her abilities also enable her to act as a battery: a character who generates a lot of energy for Burst-reliant teammates. Yae Miko, her best friend, also makes a good Electro sub-DPS for anyone who prefers a pink foxy lady as a character.
Yelan
Yelan best serves Pyro characters in Vaporize (the Hydro-Pyro elemental reaction) teams because her Skill applies Hydro to every attack. Therefore, if a Pyro DPS activates a Pyro-dealing move after she pops her Skill, it will mean a Vaporize fiesta. If you can’t spare the Primogems to pull for Yelan, you might consider raising her 4-star counterpart, Xingqiu.
Nahida
Nahida is the ultimate Dendro reaction artist. Before Nahida, players needed to generate Dendro applications through Collei, Dendro Traveler, and other creative methods. Nahida does enough on her own because of how often she can apply Dendro to enemies through her normal attacks, Skill, and Burst.
Kazuha
Kazuha is the best Anemo sub-DPS because of his crowd control and Swirling abilities. Swirl—the Anemo elemental reaction that mixes with Pyro, Electro, Hydro, or Cryo—amplifies and spreads the effect of its specific element. His Elemental Burst Swirls enemies even when he’s off the field, leaving other damage dealers to finish the job.
The best standard sub-DPS 5-star characters
Many 4-star characters will outdo standard 5-stars as sub-DPSes because more of them fill that role. For example, Xiangling stands as one of the most popular sub-DPSes that you can get for free. However, if you must pick a standard 5-star that you can pull at any time, Mona and Dehya technically work. Both have Skills that stay on the field even after you switch them out.
Mona is the better of the two because of the buffs that her Ult offers. Still, if you’re looking for a Hydro sub-DPS, you’d be better off with Yelan or Xingqiu. Dehya’s Skill intermittently hits enemies with Pyro damage. However, the rest of her kit pushes her in the direction of being a DPS/tank hybrid. This clash between her Skills is one of the reasons she’s considered one of the worst 5-stars.
The best shield 5-star characters in Genshin
Genshin Impact doesn’t have many 5-star shielders. Zhongli and Baizhu are currently the only two 5-star shielders, and their shields have completely different applications from each other. Even then, Baizhu’s shield is more of a healing ability than a purely defensive one. Therefore, Zhongli stands as the best shield in the game since 2.0. However, if you can't pull for him, I've listed a few alternatives. We’ll talk about Baizhu in his proper category: healing.
Zhongli
Zhongli is Genshin’s ultimate shielder. Holding his Skill deploys a shield that protects teammates from elemental and physical damage based on his max HP and also lowers the elemental resistance and physical resistance of nearby opponents by 20 percent. His survivability, shield strength, and buffs make him hands-down the best shield in the game. Plus, his defenses work in co-op because it can apply to other parties. Baizhu, the only other 5-star “shielder,” can only pop his shield with his Ultimate, and it only applies to your party.
The best Zhongli alternatives
Many 4-star shielders like Noelle can protect teams from tons of damage without any issues. Of course, they won’t be as strong as Zhongli, but they are perfectly serviceable for most content. Noelle is the most free-to-play-friendly option because you’re guaranteed to pull at least one of her through the beginner banner (which is a limited-time event that allows players to use in-game currency to obtain specific characters, weapons, or items from a randomized selection). Other popular shields include Diona and Thoma. Diona comes with healing built into her Burst and Thoma can reliably trigger Pyro reactions like Overload and Burgeon with his shielding abilities.
The best healer 5-star characters in Genshin
Healers restore HP to keep your team alive through tough boss battles. For the most part, any character that can restore HP can be a healer, but not all of them are equally efficient. Their effectiveness depends on what stats their heals scale on and if they have any other uses outside of pure healing.
Kokomi
Kokomi originally debuted as a character with both DPS and healing capabilities in one, but she’s since crossed the bridge to either being used for healing or Hydro application specifically. The Ocean-Hued Clam set, one of her best artifacts, deals area-of-effect damage based on outgoing healing. However, it only works when Kokomi is on the field to enjoy the benefits of the bubble that bursts after healing ends. Her secondary role is as a Hydro applicator. Catalysts—the mages of the Genshin Impact world—can easily trigger reactions thanks to their element-infused normal attacks.
If you can’t pull Kokomi, free-to-play healer Barbara fills a similar role with a big discount on Primogems. Unfortunately, Barbara’s Skill also applies Hydro to the active character. Be careful not to run into a Cryo enemy at the wrong time, or it’ll freeze you.
Baizhu
Baizhu, Liyue’s most famous pharmacist, also happens to be one of the best healers thanks to his Skills and Burst. These abilities heal active characters based on his max HP. His Burst also shields characters while healing them, so he can work as a two-in-one shielder if you build up his energy recharge. That way, his Burst is ready to deploy during the times you most need it. None of the 4-star characters even come close to the same level of shielding and healing capabilities as Dr. Baizhu.
The best standard healer 5-star characters
Jean, acting leader of the Knights of Favonius, is one of the Traveler’s first allies in Teyvat. She also happens to be a unique support with an Elemental Burst that deals Anemo damage while healing allies. Her Elemental Burst deploys a regenerative field where allies can heal themselves by standing within the area of effect. Meanwhile, the same field will harm enemies that come within its bounds. It scales off of her attack, so there’s no need to sacrifice one of her stats to make the most of her elemental damage and healing either.
Jean appears on the standard banner, so you have a chance of getting her at any time or when you inevitably lose a 50/50 on the limited banner. Qiqi (another standard 5-star) also works as a serviceable healer, but isn’t as versatile as Jean.
That about does it for our guide to the best 5-star heroes in Genshin Impact. We hope it helps you conquer any of the game's many challenges—and good luck with those banners.
Genshin Impact is available on the Epic Games Store.