Genshin Impact: Best builds to start

Genshin Impact has a diverse selection of characters, allowing players to level up each of them at their own pace. However, for newcomers to the game, there are starting characters they can build that may serve them well through the more difficult game stages.

At the start of Genshin Impact, there are four playable characters only, so it is critical to master these as much as possible to have an early advantage in the game. Setting yourself up for success with the best possible builds for these characters is one way to do this.

Building a character in Genshin Impact requires gathering the necessary artifacts, leveling up the relevant talent books, picking the perfect weapon, and spending a lot of Mora and XP books on getting them all up to the next level. Depending on how the gameplay goes, this can sometimes take a long time, so early-game players will definitely want to select some powerful units that they can focus their attention on.

When building a Genshin Impact winning team, keep in mind that each character specializes in one element, except for the Traveler, who can wield both Anemo and Geo at the same time. Using a diverse selection of characters and using a variety of elements in succession may yield some impressive results, therefore we encourage doing so.

Some of the Genshin Impact characters excel at doing damage, while others are more suited to serving as a team’s linchpin. Depending on your choice of character build, you may make the most of each character’s unique strengths and weaknesses to your advantage. To enhance their abilities, you need to equip your characters with Genshin Impact artifacts and Genshin Impact weapons.

If this is the first time you are about to play Genshin Impact, let’s get started with the best starter builds for the four major characters – Traveler, Amber, Kaeya, and Lisa.

Traveler

The Traveler is your all-in-one jack-of-all-trades. You can choose a male or a female character for this one, and level it up to the maximum. Your Traveler’s ranking will rise as soon as you complete the main mission.

The Traveler’s element may be changed from Anemo build to Geo build at the halfway of the game. In our opinion, however, you should stay with Anemo since the Traveler has a sufficient set of abilities to fill in the Anemo slot, such as spells, attacks, and AoE elemental burst, so, sticking with that will serve you well in the game ahead.

Anemo Build (Damage and Support)

Anemo and Swirl both benefit from the Viridescent Venerer artifact, which boosts their damage output. Instructor comes in a close second, enhancing your and your allies’ elemental mastery.

Palm Vortex, an elemental skill of the Anemo Traveler, may be used to both draw in and spread elemental auras and applications to nearby foes. It is a dual-purpose skill that is useful for creating large chains of Swirl and other elemental reactions.

Geo Build (Area Control)

If you want to swap to a Geo build, our first recommendation is to get a Gambler artifact, which resets the cooldown for all elemental skills while also increasing the amount of damage they deliver to the target.

In addition, the geo Traveler has the ability to lift themselves, their friends, and their enemies into the air. You should use this build with caution since this is a disruptive one.

An Elemental Skill called “Starfell Sword” allows Geo Traveler to summon a large stone pillar from the ground. For Bow and Catalyst users, standing atop a pillar will provide them the opportunity to do damage that isn’t inside the range of their foes.

The best build for the Genshin Impact Traveler:

Anemo build

  • Iron Sting – When used to deliver elemental damage, the weapon Iron Sting increases all damage dealt.
  • Viridescent Venerer or Instructor artifacts

Geo Build

  • Sacrificial Sword
  • Gambler artifacts

Amber

The game’s archer, Amber, is a useful addition to your melee hero. Pyro-charged bullets, an exploding puppet, and a powerful Elemental Burst super move dubbed Fiery Rain are just some of the abilities she has at her disposal. The majority of the game’s tasks and Pyro-based puzzles may be completed with her as a starting character.

Amber’s Charged Attack is an excellent early-game skill for taking out enemies’ heads and other vulnerable spots through aiming and shooting. The Ruin Guard, Ruin Grader, and Ruin Hunters may be stunned for a short time if you strike their weak spots with this.

Using Amber’s abilities, you’ll inflict CRIT DMG on your foes if you strike them at their weak place while at the same time staying out of melee range, and doing a lot of damage before the enemies get near enough to harm you.

However, in the long run, Amber isn’t worth having in your core characters team. When compared to the other starter characters, Amber’s damage output and scaling in her elemental talents are both modest. Fiery Rain is lovely, but it won’t help you win Domains or battles at the highest level.

So, our tip here is, if you’re searching for a DPS character, it’s best to change her once you acquire a stronger Pyro character. Even so, she’s worth sticking around for the exploration and discovery of Genshin Impact’s mysteries because of her glider stamina reduction bonus.

Sharpshooter build

The player must have some aiming ability in order to play Amber. Aim for the enemy’s weak spot, which will result in more damage.

The Amber DPS build makes use of a lot of items. We suggest the Prototype Crescent Bow (or the Sharpshooter’s Oath) and the Wanderer’s Troupe as an artifact, which enhances charged attack damage and elemental damage.

Pyro Build (Support)

The best strategy for Amber as a Pyro Support is to play her as an AoE character. Before you may switch characters, you’ll be able to use her to control a certain area of the region. The Lavawalker artifact is a no-brainer here since it increases the damage dealt to burnt foes.

The best Genshin Impact build for Amber:

DPS build

  • Prototype Crescent or Sharpshooter’s Oath
  • Wanderer’s Troupe artifacts

Support build

  • Stringless bow
  • Lavawalker Noblesse Oblige artifact set

Kaeya

When it comes to combat in anime RPGs, Kaeya is the pretty guy with the eyepatch that is a solid performer. This character is valuable for several Cryo-based puzzles during the game where you’ll need him the most. Frostgnaw, his main attack, has a short cooldown and effectively applies the Cryo status. Kaeya’s Elemental Burst and Glacial Waltz are decent shields, although they have a restricted range. For such attacks to work and take effect, you need to get very close to your opponents.

Kaeya is a great character to master because of his ability to freeze opposing strikes but it will be difficult to use him at higher levels when you have access to more powerful Cryo damage characters. The facilitator role that Kaeya plays is very valuable at the beginning of the game since it allows him to apply the Cryo status on other party members, who can then execute elemental exploits.

Let’s take a look at some builds for Kaeya’s elemental, which lets him freeze foes and is especially useful in the wet.

Freezing Build (Support)

The Sacrificial Sword is a wonderful weapon for Kaeya because of his power to freeze things. You may be able to instantly thaw out your opponent.

The Instructor artifact increases Kaeya’s elemental strength and gives him the ability to help his friends even more.

Knockback build (DPS)

If you want to go for this build, it is good to remember that Kaeya may cause a lot of damage in the early game if she gets five consecutive hits. For this reason, make increasing attack damage a top priority. Gladiator’s Finale might be a suitable artifact for this purpose.

Kaeya’s usefulness versus various foes may be enhanced by playing The Flute. With the help of this weapon, you can increase the damage on the fifth hit on nearby foes.

The best Genshin Impact build for Kaeya:

Support build:

  • Sacrificial Sword
  • Instructor artifact set

DPS build:

  • The Flute
  • Gladiator’s Finale artifact set

Lisa

Lisa’s strong elemental reaction help her to integrate nicely with other early-game characters like Kaeya and Amber, generating Superconduct and Overloaded reactions. But, there are a few more reasons why Lisa is a wonderful early-game character to build around.

As a powerful free character, Lisa is the “witchy” librarian, that is a must-have not only for the main quests but for the rest of the game. If you build her from the beginning until the end, she provides great burst damage and gains more power over time.

Violet Arc, her elemental skill, allows her to fire homing lightning orbs and apply a short cooldown effect. When you press the skill key, she unleashes an electro-damage shockwave that does massive AoE damage. The more conductive status an enemy has, the more damage they take, therefore it’s ideal to employ Violet Arc’s hold ability to end the fight with enemies. Lisa’s Lightning Rose’s burst has an effect within a large radius and applies Electro status to anyone in there. Due to the fact that she uses Electro in all of her strikes, it’s critical to concentrate on her elemental strength.

Overall, Lisa is a character we would recommend you to keep and make use of her secondary talents to help other characters in their battles.

Electro Damage Build (AoE)

Nearby foes might take a beating from Lisa’s Elemental skill and Elemental burst. The Blackcliff Amulet is a solid starting point for enhancing her burst damage. The Thundering Fury artifact is ideal for Lisa if you have it too. If not, then Gambler will be a great replacement.

Full Mondstadt (Support)

For teams with Mondstadt characters in mind, this build is a must-have item. All city-dwellers benefit from the Wine and Song catalyst, which boosts their attack and speed. The Noblesse Oblige is an excellent choice for the build’s support section.

Lisa’s Genshin Impact best build:

Electro build

  • Blackcliff Amulet
  • Thundering Fury or Gambler

Support build

  • Skyward Atlas or Favonius Codex
  • Noblesse Oblige set or Thundering Fury set

How to get more characters in Genshin Impact?

The Wish system in Genshin Impact allows players to obtain characters by spending in-game cash and gambling for new additions in their winning team selection. While it’s possible to receive an excellent 5-star character, it’s more likely that you’ll get a 4-star character that you’ll need to develop. Of course, a 5-Star character should be prioritized above other characters if the player manages to get one early! In addition to the three starter characters, Amber, Kaeya, and Lisa, players may get Xiangling and Barbara by completing tasks in the Spiral Abyss early on.

Barbara

Barbara is a Hydro Catalyst character that you can obtain for free in the Baptism of Song Event by finishing the quest A Long Shot in the Prologue Act III: The Song of the Dragon and Freedom.

By obtaining Barbara, you get a healer in your team that is best used as a supporting character because of her healing powers and ability to immediately resurrect other characters at constellation level six. We highly recommend pairing her with another hydro character, like Genshin Impact’s Mona, to take advantage of hydro elemental resonance, which enhances healing by 30%.

And speaking about pairing, there is a set of artifacts that you should use for Barbara to help her become the finest healer she can be. We recommend searching down the whole set of Maden Beloved artifacts. If you can’t locate four of them right away, use an Instructor set instead, as it’ll help you with the elemental reactions.

The best Genshin Impact Barbara build:

Support build

  • Thrilling Tales of Dragon Slayers or Prototype Amber
  • Maiden Beloved artifact set

Elements in Genshin Impact

In Teyvat, the six elements Pyro, Cyro, Electro, Hydro, Anemo, and Geo, symbolize fire, ice, electric, water, wind, and earth. Nature is represented by a seventh, Dendro element, although it can only be found for the time being in barriers constructed of wood, such as shields and other wooden buildings.

It is possible for all elements to interact with each other in a variety of ways. Pyro, Cyro, Electro, and Hydro are the primary elements that interact with each other in different ways while Anemo and Geo react with them in more of a support role.

ElementReaction to other elements
HydroElectro: Electro-Charge — Wet channels Electro, dealing extra damage.
Pyro: Melt — Causes Cryo enemies to lose their Cryo resistance or prime Electro-Charge. Deals damage.
Cryo: Freeze — Freezes enemies and can also be used to prime Superconduct.
ElectroPyro: Overload — Triggers an elemental explosion. The damage is Pyro-based and may come as a surprise.
Electro: Electro-Charge — Wet channels Electro, deals additional damage to the target.
Cryo: Superconduct — Deals a significant amount of additional Cryo-based damage.
PyroCryo: Melt — Self-explanatory, causes Cryo enemies to lose their Cryo armor and deals damage.
Hydro: Vaporize — Deals damage in a certain radius.
Electro: Overload — Triggers an elemental explosion. The damage is Pyro-based and may come as a surprise.
CryoPyro: Melt — Self-explanatory, causes Cryo foes to lose their Cryo armor, plus deals damage.
Electro: Superconduct — Deals a significant amount of additional Cryo-based damage.
Hydro: Freeze — Freezes enemies, can be used to prime Superconduct.
AnemoAnemo reacts with all main elements and may be used to respond. Anemo activates the Swirl effect, which transforms non-elemental strikes into elemental explosions. An excellent element for combining crowd control with tremendous area-of-effect destruction.
GeoGeo reacts with all the above elements. When the Crystallize effect is triggered, a similar kind of crystal appears, much like the ones that Traveler (Geo) summons in his Ultimate ability. For each element they come into touch with, these crystals take on the attributes of that element and inflict damage and provide shields for your teammates.

There are a variety of combinations you can make with the various Elements, and each one has a unique reaction to any other elements it may come in touch with.

Elemental reactions in Genshin Impact

When it comes to fighting in Genshin Impact, understanding the Elemental Reactions is a cornerstone to mastering the combat system.

When two elements come in touch with each other, an elemental reaction occurs, which creates a complicated and a bit confusing fighting cycle with the creatures of Tevyat. You may significantly speed up the battles, avoid silly deaths, and cause serious damage by simply mastering the Elemental Reactions Chart.

To better explain how each element interacts with the others, we’ve created this table.

Elemental ReactionElements needed for a reactionEffect
BurningDendro + PyroDeals Pyro DMG over time.
Swirl
Anemo + Pyro, Electro, Hydro, or CryoA whirled enemy takes elemental damage and spreads it to all enemies within range.
ShatterFrozen + Heavy attackIn this reaction, just the character’s Elemental Mastery level is taken into account, while the ATK of the attacker and DEF stat of the one being attacked is ignored. This reaction’s damage can not be crit.
CrystallizeGeo + Pyro, Electro, Hydro, or CryoCreates an elemental shard that when picked up gives the corresponding element an elemental shield.
MeltCryo + PyroIncreases DMG (x2)
Reverse MeltPyro + CryoIncreases DMG (x1.5)
OverloadedElectro + PyroCauses a small AoE that deals Pyro DMG.
Frozen
Cryo + HydroFreezes the target, attacking them with a heavy attack (Claymore weapons Plunging attacks, Geo DMG, and explosions) that results to Shatter.
VaporizeHydro + PyroIncreases DMG (x2)
Reverse VaporizePyro + HydroIncreases DMG (x1.5)
Electro-chargedElectro + HydroDeals electro damage over time to afflicted enemies and those that are Wet within range.

In battle, it’s essential to know how the elements can work both in your favor and against you. Ultimately it’s all about what monster you’re up against as an element and what element counteracts it.

If you have an enemy that is fire, for example, it’s important to learn how a Hydro character makes a reaction with that element and how a Cryo character can make the enemy even weaker when you switch to it.

When let’s say, you are facing a monster that is a water element and you decide you are going to beat it with a fire character when you beat it with fire, this reaction “Vaporize” appears and when you already have “Vaporize”, you can immediately switch to an electric character which additionally gives an Electro-charged reaction, which does further damage. To win, the idea is to switch more elements in order to accumulate more reactions to the monster you are fighting and defeat it in this way.