Genshin Impact character tier list: what makes a character S-tier and how to evaluate pull value before a banner

Genshin Impact is a lot of fun, but it is also a serious time and resource commitment. Unless you have a pretty large budget, each pull on a character banner means you have to commit your Primogems wisely. To give you an idea of the type of resource management you will have to do, with the new community updates, the community gets flooded with discussions about character tier rankings in Genshin Impact. Everyone wants to know about the “broken” characters, the “mid” characters, and maybe even the characters that will help you finally achieve 36 stars in the Spiral Abyss. It is also important to note that an S-Tier character doesn’t mean you should blindly pull that character, as that would likely result in a bad investment and a lot of upset.

You will have to learn this the hard way, just like I did. I saved up all of my Primogems, not pulling for any characters on the banners that were up to Hu Tao’s rerun, to pull on her banner for the sole purpose of adding her to my team. I was very excited when I saw that for every tier list, she was ranked as the number 1 S-Tier character. After I finally got Hu Tao and added her to my team, it felt awful. I was left with a character that was, in my opinion at least, a C-Tier character. After that, it was a pretty rude awakening that just because a character was ranked S-Tier, that did not just mean you could pull that character and expect to have a great time.

How to Identify S-Tier Characters

Each Genshin Impact player has their own theories for assessing S-Tier characters and their pull value. More often than not, their theories and evaluations prove to be correct! Here is a list of common traits that players attribute to S-Tier characters.

Characteristics of S-Tier Characters

S-Tier Characters definitely do not provide the most serious damage in a game known for its flashy damage showcases. The best S-Tier characters also provide the best damage, have high support flexibility, can be used in any game content, and do not require extensive grinding to obtain and level.

Damage Ceiling vs. Support Flexibility

Characters that provide the best support and most serious damage are often the most flexible and easiest to use. S-Tier characters combine all of these traits in the best way. For example, Neuvillette and Alhaitham can easily defeat enemies with little effort and a few basic commands.

Support Utility: The True MVPs

The characters that are often the best in the game are the best supports and sub-DPS characters. Zhongli, Kazuha, Furina, and Nahida are all S-Tier. A character that deals serious damage is often very mediocre without quality supports. This is why support utility is often valued much higher than character damage when players rank characters.

Content Flexibility

Can a character have a few different roles? S-Tier characters are flexible. Nahida can fill roles in multiple team styles like Bloom, Hyperbloom, Aggravate, and Melt. Kazuha can fit in nearly all elemental team setups aside from Geo or Dendro. Characters like Nilou, who can only fit in a Dendro or Hydro team due to her restrictions, are usually placed lower on the tier list regardless of how powerful that team is.

Evaluating Pull Value

Before spending Primogems, there are a few things besides character tier lists to consider regarding a banner’s value.

What is the “Constellation Cost”?

Some characters are S-Tier at C0 (constellation level 0), while others only truly function at C1 or C2. For instance, Raiden Shogun at C0 is a fine support/sub-DPS, but she becomes a top-tier dedicated main DPS only at C2 due to the significant bump of 40% to her overall damage. If a character has low constellation pull value, they drop even further on the tier lists.

What is the Weapon and Artifact Availability?

Are the character’s best Artifacts and Weapons readily available, or are they reliant on their exclusive 5-star weapon? If a pull-required character has a solid 3-star weapon that all players can access, then they can be pulled for free. However, if the character is reliant on a 5-star weapon, then the cost of pulling them has increased significantly.

Which Character can get you 4-Stars?

When you pull for a 5-star, you can expect to get some of the featured 4-star characters. The 4-star characters of worth can include Bennett, Xingqiu, or Kuki Shinobu; just to name a few, these characters being featured on a banner is beneficial and good value. However, if the 4-star characters of the banner are underwhelming, then more Primogems will need to be used.

The Pull Value Evaluation Framework

Use the table to evaluate characters before you use your wishes:

Conclusion

Tier Lists are great references and tools, but not an absolute. S-Tier characters are among the top characters because of high utility, great design and flexibility. If you have no interest in their playstyle, or you can’t build a team around them, their utility won’t feel S-Tier to you. Look through your own characters, use the trial run, and see how F2P friendly the banner is and wish for characters that will bring you more enjoyment when playing the game.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Is there a chance a C0 character can be truly S-Tier?

They absolutely can! Some of the best characters build C0 like Neuvillette, Nahida, and Kazuha and can all be built to 90% of their potential with no constellations. Their constellations do help, but are not needed to clear the end-game content like the Spiral Abyss.

Why are supports ranked higher than DPS characters?

DPS characters can all be replaced. It can be easily seen that if a new character who can do damage comes in the next patch, an old character who can do damage will be bench DPS. On the other hand, supports like Bennett, Xingqiu, and Furina make a better team and support each DPS and hence are versatile.

Is it better to pull for a character’s C1/C2 or their signature weapon?

Usually, it is better to pull for a character’s C1 or C2 constellations instead of pulling for the weapon banner. The weapon banner is extremely risky, and you can end up with a weapon that is not good. It is recommended to see character guides, since it is true that some sig. weapons in their kits offer a ton of potential.

What is the value of the Spiral Abyss in determining a character’s tier?

Most tier lists are built around the Spiral Abyss for this specific reason, as most content requires a lot of damage as well as optimized teams. If you care about playing in the overworld, it doesn’t matter which list you use, as you are free to play how you want.

Can a B-tier or C-tier character clear end-game content?

Totally! With good enough equipment, skills, and team builds, ANY character can complete the Abyss Spiral in Genshin Impact. Tier lists just show who can do it easiest.