Ranking all the Genshin Impact characters released in 2022: Who takes the top spot?
With so many new faces in Genshin Impact this year, there were bound to be a few game changers
It’s safe to say that 2022 was a very eventful year for Genshin Impact players, with the release of Sumeru, Dendro, and tons of new characters!
This year saw the addition of 16 new characters, nine of which were 5-stars while seven were 4-stars. How did they fare against previously-released characters? Were their kits great additions to the game? Are they worth pulling for and building up?
Read on for our ranking of all the new characters Genshin Impact released in 2022!
16. Dori (4-star Electro)
With the release of the 4-star Electro Claymore healer Dori, we thought that The Bell, arguably the most useless 4-star weapon, would finally find someone that can use it.
However, it took us only a few moments to realise that The Bell truly will remain forever the most useless weapon in game, as even she can't use it effectively.
Dori, unfortunately, also suffers from a kit that is clunky.
She can heal and provide energy for her teammates, but that is tied to her high-cost burst, making her an unreliable support unit in your team.
You have to balance having enough HP and Energy Recharge to use Dori effectively, but you're much better off using Kuki Shinobu, Barbara, or Sangonomiya Kokomi if you want a healer.
Let's just hope that Dori gets the weapon she deserves. We still love her Mora song though (especially in the JP dub)! Sing with me now, rarara watakushi wa Mora~
15. Candace (4-star Hydro)
Candace is a 4-star Hydro polearm character who is a niche support, buffing Normal Attacks but giving them Hydro infusions at the same time.
She also scales off of HP.
What makes her 15th for us however, is that her kit isn't really needed by any playable character right now.
We're hoping, however, that in future versions, just like Thoma and Kuki Shinobu, she would find her place in the metagame.
14. Collei (4-star Dendro)
Collei is the first 4-star Dendro support, released alongside Tighnari during the debut of the region.
Players also got her for free during the Graven Innocence event or by completing Floor 4-3 of the Spiral Abyss.
She is a good Dendro support, especially for melee characters, but not as good compared to Dendro Traveler or Nahida due to the wonky internal cooldown of her abilities, putting her on the 14th spot.
But of course, Collei is still #1 in our hearts!
13. Nilou (5-star Hydro)
Don't be deterred by this 5-star Hydro sword user's low ranking in this list, as Nilou is the best of the best in her niche.
What puts her in the 13th spot for us is exactly what makes her so unbeatable: the niche she is in limits her team compositions so much that she cannot function outside of Bloom teams.
It's not a problem, however, as she is easy to build, only needing HP to create powerful Bountiful Cores that blow away your enemies in no time at all
12. Kuki Shinobu (4-star Electro)
Kuki Shinobu felt a bit out of place during her release, as she only seemed to work in Electro-Charged or Physical teams.
But with the release of Sumeru, this 4-star sword user quickly found her place in Dendro teams as a versatile support and reaction trigger.
She slots in well with teams that focus on Quicken, Hyperbloom, Spread, and offers nice heals. She also scales off of HP and Elemental Mastery, making her quite easy to build.
Shinobu's kit isn't that beginner friendly, as she sacrifices a portion of her HP to heal her teammates, which bumps her down to number 12.
11. Faruzan (4-star Anemo)
Faruzan is a niche support character who only works with her element. As such, being a 4-star Anemo bow user, Faruzan is the Anemo buffer we've all been waiting for.
Faruzan gives an amazing DPS increase to your Anemo character by buffing Anemo DMG and lowering the Anemo RES of your enemies.
Her buff also scales with her base ATK, making her quite an easy character to build, only needing tons of Energy Recharge for her high-cost burst. She can also work as a sub-DPS with her kit, buffing herself for more DMG.
What puts Faruzan at number 11, however, is that much of the power of her buffing is locked away in her constellations, with C6 increasing the Crit DMG of your Anemo characters.
10. Shenhe (5-star Cryo)
Like Faruzan, Shenhe is a 5-star Cryo Polearm who excels in her niche as the premier Cryo support character.
Her kit fully focuses on buffing Cryo and Physical DMG, as well as lowering resistances of enemies, making her the number one option as support for the likes of Kamisato Ayaka, Ganyu, and even Eula.
Her buffing also fully scales off of her maximum ATK, making her pretty easy to build.
But Shenhe's role as only a Cryo buffer bumps her down to the 10th spot in this list, as she is locked behind her element and cannot be added to other teams.
9. Cyno (5-star Electro)
Cyno is a powerful Electro Polearm DPS, with one of the longest burst durations in game, allowing him to dish out Electro DMG for an extended period of time.
But Cyno's kit is quite complicated, and he needs more investment than all of the characters in this list, making him one of the most expensive characters to get in the game so far.
The only character who can match his long burst time is Nahida, and he shines best when equipped with his 5-star best-in-slot weapon.
He also needs a shielder like Zhongli, or a crowd-control character like Venti when fighting mobs.
Cyno is also a character that's made for fighting in the Spiral Abyss, and isn't overworld friendly, which makes him take ninth spot in our list.
8. Tighnari (5-star Dendro)
As the first Sumeru Dendro character to be released along with the region, Tighnari is a 5-star bow user who didn't get a lot of love during his debut.
But he has proven himself to be a capable Dendro DPS that can deal massive damage with his burst and charged attacks.
Tighnari is one of the easiest characters to build on this list, working well with 4-star bows while having a variety of great artifact set options like the 4-piece Wanderer's Troupe, Deepwood Memories, and Gilded Dreams.
What makes Tighnari number eight on our list is that while he's a formidable Dendro DPS, he cannot take support roles, as compared to his Archon.
7. Shikanoin Heizou (4-star Anemo)
As the first male catalyst user to be released, don't be fooled by Shikanoin Heizou only being a 4-star.
He can easily pack a punch (pun intended) and his damage output can rival some of the 5-stars out there.
His Anemo alignment also plays to his favour, giving him additional DMG each time he Swirls the elements of his team.
He's relatively easy to build, only needing Anemo DMG bonus, and lots of ATK, allowing you to experiment in artifact combinations. He can also thrive with 4-star weapons like The Widsith or Solar Pearl, whichever you prefer to use.
While he's not as selfish a DPS like Wanderer, they both have kits that aren't beginner-friendly.
Since Heizou needs to charge his stacks to perform a powerful punch with his skill, he will need to be protected from enemies, and is suitable for being a quickswap DPS, making him 7th on our list.
6. Wanderer (5-star Anemo)
As the last 5-star character to be released this year, the Wanderer reinvigorated the Anemo element with his unique kit as a Catalyst DPS, centred on dishing out tons of Normal ATK DMG buffed further by his skill.
Wanderer takes support from other elements by buffing his kit with the help of his passive.
As such, he's a selfish DPS who needs as much field time as possible, with his teammates taking on off-field roles.
He's fairly easy to build, and can easily become powerful with a variety of artifact sets and a 4-star weapon, but his playstyle can be a little too technical for beginners.
He also has no support capability, which is why he takes the 6th spot on our list and not any higher.
5. Yun Jin (4-star Geo)
Yun Jin, a 4-star Geo Polearm user released during this year's Lantern Rite, was a game-changer for players who mained Physical DMG or Normal Attack-focused characters.
With her kit catering towards boosting Normal Attack DMG with her low-cost burst, Yun Jin is one of the few universal supports in the game. She can also be a self-sufficient Sub or Main DPS who can buff herself, as her attack strings are fast enough for her to buff her own Normal Attacks and dish out some real hurt.
What bumps down Yun Jin to number five on our list is that her element does not farewell in the current metagame of Genshin Impact, which rely on a ton of reactive DMG.
She also has no dedicated weapon, as her buffing depends completely on her DEF. She's only usable in teams that rely on Normal Attack DMG, of which there are a lot, but still does not cater to everyone.
4. Yae Miko (5-star Electro)
As Raiden Ei’s faithful servant and Guuji of the Grand Narukami Shrine, Yae Miko is a 5-star Electro catalyst user that boasts powerful attacks from both on and off-field.
Her skill makes her an excellent Electro applicator while her burst lets her deal tons of damage, making her a staple option for teams that thrive off of Electro-related reactions.
As such, Yae Miko can easily be placed in a variety of teams, even with just little investment!
A simple build that gives her ample Energy Recharge, Elemental Mastery, and Electro DMG bonus is more than enough to bring out her devastating potential.
Although Yae Miko has cemented herself as quite a formidable character, she only lands fourth in this list as her Electro application can be quite clunky when compared to the likes of the Raiden Shogun or Fischl.
But only sitting behind the two best Electro characters in the game is as good a place as any.
3. Nahida (5-star Dendro)
As the fourth Archon to be released, Nahida, also known as Lesser Lord Kusanali, is a 5-star Catalyst Dendro user that elevated the Dendro element to the top of the meta.
What makes the Dendro Archon an amazing off-field Dendro applicator is her skill, which allows her to link enemies together and deal damage to them as you trigger elemental reactions.
Her burst also buffs your entire party, giving buffs depending on the elements of the other characters on her team while also giving a massive Elemental Mastery buff.
Whether she's your party's Main DPS, Sub DPS, or support, the Dendro Archon will surely excel in her role.
As such, Nahida is the go-to character for any team that relies on Dendro and its many reactions, like Aggravate, Spread, Bloom, Burgeon, and Hyperbloom.
Nahida is also relatively easy to build, with her damage scaling on both her ATK and Elemental Mastery. She can also make do with cheaper alternatives for weapons, like the craftable Mappa Mare.
Make no mistake, Nahida rightfully deserves her title as the Dendro Archon with her ability to make any Dendro team nigh-unstoppable.
However, Dendro being limited to only reacting with Electro, Hydro, and Pyro is what places Nahida at number three on our list.
2. Yelan (5-star Hydro)
Yelan is a mysterious figure in Liyue’s Ministry of Civil Affairs, and she’s also a 5-star Hydro Bow user who has rocked the metagame since her release.
Yelan is more than just the 5-star version of Xingqiu, as her consistent Hydro application, huge damage potential, and buffs all work well in a variety of team compositions where she acts as the Sub-DPS. Her DMG also scales off of her Max HP, which is a big plus when it comes to building her.
Yelan is a great driver in reactive team compositions like Vaporize, Freeze, Electro-Charged and Bloom, and her DMG numbers are also nothing to scoff at.
What makes Yelan second to our number 1, though, is that she's not as beginner-friendly due to her more technical kit and that it takes higher investment for her to reach her full potential.
With that said, she is definitely one of the best characters to have in the entire game.
1. Kamisato Ayato (5-star Hydro)
Kamisato Ayato is the head of the Kamisato clan and older brother of Kamisato Ayaka. He is also a 5-star Hydro sword user whose drip marketing broke Twitter a few months back!
Kamisato Ayato boasts a unique and beginner-friendly kit that focuses on his elemental skill DMG, further buffed by his burst that increases Normal Attack DMG and Hydro application in a wide area-of-effect.
As such, Ayato is a flexible character who can act as your Main DPS, Sub-DPS, or even as a Normal Attack buffer to your team.
He is also very easy to build, and can make do with a variety of artifact builds and 4-star weapons. Building a team for him is also easy, as you only need a sub-DPS like Fischl, a Normal ATK buffer like Yun Jin, and a healer or shielder, whichever one you need most!
Ayato also works well in Freeze, Vaporize and Electro-Charged compositions given the long duration and wide areas covered by his abilities.
And while he isn't the best fit with Dendro, he still works well enough in Bloom-based teams.
With his flexibility and low investment requirement, Kamisato Ayato takes the number one spot on our list.
TL;DR:
Kamisato Ayato
Yelan
Nahida
Yae Miko
Yun Jin
Wanderer
Shikanoin Heizou
Tighnari
Cyno
Shenhe
Faruzan
Kuki Shinobu
Nilou
Collei
Candace
Dori
Yan Ku is a full-time dog parent, part-time (gacha) gamer, and part-time writer.
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