Best DPS Characters in Genshin Impact

In Genshin Impact, different characters excel at different things, and some of them are simply top-tier when it comes to doing damage. In this article, we will run through the best damage dealing characters in Genshin Impact, and why they are so good at reducing your enemies to ruins.

You should also keep in mind that having four party members means being able to combo abilities is an important factor, so you might end up being a little surprised with some of the names on the list.

This list will be updated regularly, as updates to the game and new characters change how we feel about certain abilities and combinations.

Ganyu

Ganyu, the queen of Cryo, surprised the entire Genshin Impact community when she turned out to be an absolute S-Tier damage champion. When built to take advantage of her incredible charged shot, her damage output is second to none.

Diluc

Diluc is on this list for his Dawn ability. This will call in a great flaming phoenix that does damage to enemies before exploding for massive area-of-effect damage. As a Pyro character, this will also add damage over time into the mix, and then you can really get the party started by switching to…

Venti

Yes, Venti is a bard, but he is an incredibly powerful one. His standard ability causes a massive area of Wind damage to hit any enemies all around him, and will then remain there for a long time. He can also fire an insanely powerful Wind’s Grand Ode attack with his bow, causing a vortex of wind. If you combine with Diluc’s, then the result is a massive vortex of Swirl that sucks in enemies and destroys them with ease.

Childe

Childe is an interesting character because his damage will absolutely go off if you can get even his first constellation open. He feels like a bit of a damp squib at C1 because of the downtime on his Elemental Skill, but pair him up with the right team means that won’t matter, because everything will already be dead. Might we interest you in a Childe/Beidou combo?

Xiao

Xiao is a greedy on-field DPS character who will want support from three off-fielders, but if you have the characters to put together a solid team for him, he is an absolute monster. His ability to quickly traverse a fight, easily dodge enemies, and put out huge volumes of Anemo damage makes him an incredible option as the main DPS.

Klee

She may be small, but Klee packs a punch. Gifted with Pyro damage, one of the strongest elements in the game, Klee will drop bombs on enemies until they beg for mercy. He Elemental Burst sets of a sustained hail of Pyro damage that will nuke most enemies in the game.

Keqing

Keqing can take a little work, but once you figure out the nuance of this character you will find that she can do impressive damage. Her Stellar Restoration ability causes her to throw a lighting shoe (for real) that will deal electro damage. She can then either quickly activate the attack again to do a slashing teleport or hold it to perform multiple slashes. It can all add up to impressive damage if you land them on the right target. She can unleash even more damage with her Starward Sword, a devasting blast of Electro energy.

Xiangling

Xiangling can fill the DPS slot if you are lacking a Diluc and need some solid Pyro in a fight. She can summon a small panda that will breathe fire on anything that gets to place, allowing you to easily switch to other characters to take advantage of elemental fusion, and her Pyronado ability will do a wide circle of Pyro damage. Switch to her from Venti after using his wind vortex ability for some fantastic stacked damage. Don’t forget that after her Panda disappears it will leave behind a chili pepper, and the character who picks it up will gain increased ATK for 10 seconds.

Razor

A lot of people slept on Razor when the game launched, while some of us saw the potential and have mained him all this time. Thanks to his Claymore and the added speed and Electro damage from his Elemental Burst, Razor will absolutely bury any enemy in the game, especially with a solid support cast of characters in the party.

Honorable Early Game Mention: Noelle

While I realize Noelle will not stand out for a lot of people, when it comes to the hard slog of hitting people with a giant sword, she is superb. If you have a large group of enemies that need to be taking out with physical damage, her Swwping Time ability with arm her with a massive Geo weapon that crunches through them. This will also scale off her DEF stats, so you can build a supertanker and then bust out insane group damage just when you need it. It’s a mistake to ignore the value of this kind of damage output, especially in Domain and Abyss runs.