Genshin Impact features seven different elements for you to mess around with, and one of the strongest elements in the game is undoubtedly the Hydro element. As the name implies, Hydro draws on the power of water, with powerful elemental reactions such as Vaporize or Freeze that consistently dominate the game’s metagame. Hydro is also home to some of the strongest characters in the game. If you’re a fan of Hydro characters in Genshin Impact, here are the five best Hydro characters for you to keep an eye on.
Best Hydro Characters To Use in Genshin Impact
The Hydro characters in Genshin Impact run the gamut between supports, main DPS, and healers. Some incredible Hydro characters excel at each role, but there are several characters you should focus on if you are looking to add some Hydro characters to your team. Here are the five best Hydro characters to use in Genshin Impact.
5: Tartaglia / Childe
Tartaglia (best known as Childe in the community) is an old, yet historically strong Hydro unit. His main strength comes from his Elemental Skill, which turns all of his Normal Attacks into Hydro attacks. This allows you to constantly imbue enemies with the Hydro element, which opens them up to various Elemental Reactions, such as Vaporize or Electro-Charged. His most popular team, Tartaglia, Bennett, Sucrose or Kazuha, and Xiangling is incredibly free-to-play friendly and is consistently one of the best teams in the game.
We recommend pulling for Tartaglia if you are a free-to-play player. The team above consists of mostly 4-star characters who all function at lower constellations. If you are lucky enough to have Kazuha, you can sub out Sucrose, who is slightly worse than Kazuha.
4: Xingqiu
Xingqiu is infamous for being one of the best characters in the game period, despite only being a 4-star character. This is because his Elemental Burst is highly valued in the community. Xingqiu creates rainswords that hover over your active character. When your active character auto attacks, the rainswords will automatically attack the closest enemy. This makes Xingqiu an excellent Hydro applicator, and he is invaluable to many Vaporize and Hyperbloom teams, some of the strongest in the game. He’s also usable in many Freeze teams, such as with Wriothesley.
Xingqiu also comes with some defensive properties as well. His rainswords can provide some mediocre heals to your active character, which if you play well, can be sufficient enough to sustain your team. He also provides the active character with interruption resistance, making them less susceptible to being interrupted while attacking.
3: Yelan
Yelan is, essentially, a 5-star version of Xingqiu. Her Elemental Burst works in virtually the same way. The main difference between Yelan and Xingqiu is her higher damage. It’s not extremely significant but is something you can consider when deciding to use Yelan or Xingqiu. Instead of the defensive utility that Xingqiu provides, Yelan instead provides some decent offensive buffs, raising the ATK of the active character.
Generally, however, you can pretty much consider Yelan and Xingqiu to be tied. Both characters are extremely strong. Additionally, some of Yelan and Xingqiu’s strongest teams actually incorporate both of them, meaning if you can, getting both Yelan and Xingqiu will benefit your account greatly.
2: Neuvillette
Neuvillette is easily one of the strongest main DPS characters in the game. He creates Hydro orbs that can charge his insane Charged Attack. Neuvillette’s Charged Attack creates a geyser in front of him that pummels enemies, inflicting massive damage. Neuvillette also heals when he absorbs the Hydro orbs he creates, making him self-sufficient as well. There’s a reason why Neuvillette is one of the best characters to use when soloing the Spiral Abyss.
Neuvillette, however, is a main DPS, meaning he will fit on fewer teams overall. You’ll have to create a team around him. Fortunately, due to the strength of Neuvillette’s kit, you can pretty much slot in any support you want, and they’ll do an acceptable job of keeping Neuvillette strong and healthy.
1: Furina
Furina is the Hydro archon in Genshin Impact, so it’s only natural that she takes the top spot. Easily one of the best Hydro characters in the game, and one of the best characters in the game in general. Furina provides some insane damage with her Elemental Skill, working as an off-field Hydro applicator. Additionally, Furina can buff your team significantly with her Elemental Burst, turning virtually any character into an insane damage dealer.
One downside to Furina is you’ll need to pair her with a healer to make the most use of her kit. Furina drains the HP of her entire team, so you need a source of healing to keep them healthy. Additionally, Furina’s damage buffs will not proc if your team’s health is too low. This makes Furina teams somewhat restrictive, as you can’t run shielders or other defensive units as your sole source of defensive utility. Still, Furina’s raw power easily makes her one of the most important Hydro units in Genshin Impact to obtain.
