A Genshin Impact Hydro characters ranked list looks different than other Genshin rankings. Unlike Electro characters, the Hydro hierarchy is pretty flat, except at the bottom, where it drops out rapidly. Hydro characters excel at filling fluid (ha) roles, sliding between support, DPS, and sub-DPS depending on who else is in your party. That means most of them function pretty much the same way – applying Hydro and setting up reactions – though some manage to do their duty more easily and with less fuss than others.
Our Genshin Impact Hydro characters list lays out what makes the best water fighters so good and where the others fall flat.
Hydro Traveler
The Hydro Traveler is a good idea in theory, but in practice, they’re really awkward. Their skill is slow and does such a small amount of damage without the right build and all your Hydro constellations. The Hydro Traveler’s burst is handy, but it takes careful positioning and a bit of luck. If the enemy moves, you just wasted all that energy for nothing.
Candace
I think Candace was supposed to be Hydro Bennett, or maybe Yunjin or maybe nobody. Who knows. HoYoverse nerfed her attack, so she can only support, and she doesn’t do it that well. Her supports are meant to buff normal attacks, but they also infuse them with Hydro. That limits her usefulness quite a bit. On top of that, it takes a lot of prep work with Candace’s HP to get her buffs to a point where they’re even practical.
Barbara
Barbara is (probably) your first healer, though that doesn’t mean she’s the best. Barbara heals a lot, but not often. Her talents have very long cooldown timers, and her skill comes with an extra drawback: It applies Hydro to your active character. That leaves them open to enemy elemental attacks, and it kind of defeats the purpose of healing. On the bright side, if you unlock her final constellation, Barbara will revive fallen party members once during a battle.
Childe
Childe deals a hefty amount of damage with his skill and burst, but that utility comes at a cost. His skill – the main source of his damage and Hydro application – takes a long time to cool down if you let it stay active for the full duration. You eventually get into a rhythm, but he needs a good team to make the most of his talents.
Nilou
Nilou works particularly well in Bloom teams, but she has usefulness in setting up Hydro reactions in general. Nilou’s skill can create a Hydro aura that applies the element to any nearby enemy, and it stays active when she’s off field. That gives you room to apply Dendro, Cryo, or whatever other element your main DPS uses. She’s not as dynamic as some Hydro characters, but she helps get the job done.
Mona
Mona does what Nilou can, but slightly better. Her skill draws enemies in and applies Hydro, and her burst deals a large amount of Hydro damage. What makes her a bit better than Nilou is how her damage scales with energy recharge, which means she can pull off her burst more often. It helps that she uses a catalyst as well – easy Hydro application without skills.
Kokomi
Kokomi is one of Genshin’s top healers. Her skill remains active off-field and heals at intervals without making your characters wet, so you won’t get frozen or electrocuted. Her burst is a little counterintuitive, admittedly. It heals when Kokomi uses her attacks, but you don’t really get much use from those unless you’ve set up reactions for her to cause. Still, her talents give her an HP boost and refresh her skill after her burst activates, so it’s a small annoyance to deal with.
Kamisato Ayato
With the right Artifacts, weapon, and energy recharge, Ayato is a powerful fighter who can set up reactions with his burst. Those first few words are also what make him less useful than someone like Yelan or Neuvillette. Ayato needs Artifacts to boost his damage, energy recharge to trigger his burst more often, and something like the Black Sword to restore his HP while he’s on the field.
Xingqiu
Xingqiu is yet another excellent support character, one you’ll usually find in most meta teams. Despite his ubiquity, he does take some setup to work properly. Xingqiu’s big draw is his Rain Sword talent, which activates with his skill and burst and deals Hydro damage when the active character attacks. He’s one of the best ways to apply Hydro and deal extra damage while your main DPS goes to town.
Neuvillette
Neuvillette is one of the best main DPS units in Genshin Impact, even though he can take a bit of getting used to. He deals extensive Hydro damage with his charged attacks, but you need to get into a rhythm of using his skill and burst to create the droplets he needs to charge his charged attack quickly. Once he gets going, though, it won’t take long to clear the field – especially if you set up some strong elemental reactions. Neuvillette is a greedy DPS and doesn’t do well setting up reactions for others.
Yelan
Yelan is what you’d get if Xingqiu was a 5-star and a woman… and a spy. Anyway, she’s a top-tier support character who deals a respectable amount of damage on her own and supplies Hydro with her burst. Yelan’s skill groups enemies together and produces a fair amount of energy, and then her burst triggers an effect that launches Hydro damage when the active character uses their attacks. With the right Artifacts, she can help your party deal with imposing foes quickly.
Furina
Furina is amazing, and that’s not just recency bias. Her skill deals powerful damage or heals the party, and the creatures it summons stay on the field while Furina switches out. That makes her brilliant at setting up Hydro reactions, but it also means you can take advantage of her burst. Furina’s burst powers up the party’s healing and attack when their HP changes from damage or healing. It requires a tight rotation, but the payoff is exceptional.
Written by Josh Broadwell on behalf of GLHF
