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Aside from the availability, Genshin Impact also has a huge, constantly-updated open-world to explore, as well as a unique combat system that only takes a while to get used to but dozens of hours to master. It all revolves around the combinations of different elements. There are seven elements in Genshin: Geo, Electro, Anemo, Hydro, Pyro, Cryo, and Dendro (there are no playable Dendro characters yet). One of the first elements players come acrossis Anemo, which, aside from the protagonist, is the element of many powerful, playable characters.

Updated on December 22, 2022, by Elara Leclair: The latest update to Genshin Impact’s expansive world with the Sumeru region continues to bring a variety of new characters and content to the game. While Dendro element may not be interacting with Anemo, the latest update has seen a number of additions to the Anemo roster, including a character, Wanderer, that has been expected to be released for a long time. With new characters that have fun and powerful abilities, Anemo elements have been given a major boost in the latest update, allowing players to explore Teyvat in new and exciting ways. Currently, there are 10 playable Anemo characters in total.

10 Anemo Traveler

Anemo Traveler is the first character players use in the game, as well as the protagonist of Genshin Impact’s main plotline. As such, he/she does not need a background introduction. Even though he/she is the main character of the game, his/her combat abilities are definitely inferior to those of some other characters. When it comes to combat, the Traveler makes for a very powerful early-game character. The Palm Vortex Elemental Skill is useful for pushing away multiple enemies at once, whereas using the Gust Surge Elemental Burst creates a destructive tornado that pulls enemies in, dealing repeated Anemo DMG and making them extra susceptible to elemental damage combinations.

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When it comes to the Traveler’s Anemo skills, it’s worth remembering that he/she is the only Genshin Impact character that can adapt to use different elements. For now, the Traveler can use Anemo, Geo, Electro, and Dendro, and out of these Anemo is seemingly the least valuable to include in the team composition. This is because there are quite a number of Anemo support characters that can bring much more utility than the Traveler.

9 Sayu

The little ninja from the Shuumatsu-ban in Inazuma, Sayu was added shortly after Inazuma’s release in Genshin Impact. With generally her skill set, Sayu is best used in the healer slot of team composition. Her elemental burst, Mujina Flurry, automatically damages nearby opponents with Anemo damage bursts and heals.

In addition, Sayu’s skills can also be used largely for utility purposes. Her elemental skill, Fuuin Dash, allows Sayu to enter a whirlwind state that increases transport speed (faster than most sprints). In addition, via her passives, the Fuuin Dash can also be used for healing purposes. Sayu also can sneak up on small animals without startling them, a skill perfect for players looking to collect crystal flies. Although her passive and fast travel, unfortunately, Sayu doesn’t provide much more over her healing abilities, making her one of the least popular Anemo characters on the list.

8 Heizou

Heizou is a groundbreaking addition to the game as the first male catalyst character, and players were thrilled to see his unique way of using this weapon. Heizou is a powerful DPS and elemental-reaction driver character, making him ideal for both primary DPS and supportive roles. His base Attack is higher than average for a 4-Star character, allowing him to deal immense Anemo damage. His Swirl-focused play style works wonderfully with other Anemo characters, and he excels at Elemental Reactions, but in order to make the most of these abilities, you will need equally invested teammates on the field.

However, players should be aware of some of Heizou’s shortcomings. His Elemental Burst will explode on the first enemy hit, so proper positioning is key for using it effectively. When using Heizou, holding his Elemental Skill can be necessary sometimes; however, this will be leaving him open to attack and, if hit, cancel the skill.

7 Faruzan

Faruzan is an exciting new 4-Star Anemo Bow character in Genshin Impact’s latest update, Patch 3.3. She is one of the two new Anemo characters, alongside the Wanderer, to be introduced in this update. Faruzan’s primary strength is her ability to boost Anemo Damage and decrease enemy Anemo Resistance. This makes her a valuable asset for any Anemo-focused team, as she can help to maximize the damage potential of the team. Additionally, her Elemental Skill and Charged Attacks all provide minor crowd control, allowing her to help keep enemies at bay while her team focuses on dealing damage. Furthermore, Faruzan’s sixth constellation Buffs Anemo Crit DMG is similar to that of Electro Character Sara.

Despite her strengths, Faruzan does have some key weaknesses to consider. As an Anemo-focused character, she is only truly valuable when used on a team with a primary Anemo DPS character. This limits her overall appeal in comparison to other elements, as Anemo DPS characters are quite rare in Genshin Impact. Additionally, her Elemental Burst has a high energy cost, and her Elemental Skill generates a few elemental particles, both of which can be a bit of a hindrance.

6 Jean

Jean is the Acting Master of the Knights of Favonius, and as such, plays a huge role in the lore of Genshin Impact, particularly in the beginning stages of the story, but she is also a 5-star character who has a lot of strengths when it comes to supporting the team. Thanks to her Elemental Skill, she is able to function as a crowd controller, pushing enemies away and interrupting their attacks. What’s more, her Normal Attacks have the added bonus of healing the party whenever they land a hit. Jean’s Elemental Burst is especially powerful. Not only does it deal AoE damage, but it also provides a Burst Heal to the party, as well as a cleansing effect that can get rid of any negative effects.

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And as Jean is a standard 5-star character, her constellations are relatively easier to obtain, and they provide powerful buffs to the team and debuffs to enemies. Of course, Jean does have her weaknesses. Her Elemental Burst has a long cool down, meaning that it won’t be available for use as often as some of the other characters. Additionally, especially if players are using her normal attack often, her combos tend to push enemies away, which can be a bit of a nuisance if the team wants to keep them in the same place.

5 Sucrose

Sucrose brings great utility and some interesting backstory to Genshin Impact. She is a 4-Star Anemo Catalyst character who has been available since the start of the game and allows players to showcase massive DPS numbers thanks to her great buffs, such as boosting the party’s Elemental Mastery. Her Elemental Burst is a powerful AoE attack that pulls enemies together, and she is also great for creating Elemental Reactions since the charged Skill can hit multiple enemies multiple times.

Despite her great support potential, she does have some weaknesses. Her Elemental Burst does not interact with Elemental Auros and has a high energy cost. Additionally, her grouping isn’t as great as some of the other Anemo characters, such as Venti. Overall, Sucrose is a great free-to-play friendly support unit and is even comparable to some of the other 5-Star Anemo supports. Overall, Sucrose is only ranked this low due to other characters bringing more unique gameplay utilities or styles.

4 Xiao

Xiao has been the only Anemo main DPS character for quite some time until Heizou and the Wanderer’s arrival. Popularly known for his speedy plunge attack style, Xiao can deal tremendous damage during his Elemental Burst, even without any constellations. His elemental skill and the fact that he takes no damage from plunging from any height make him an ideal character for exploration.

Some of the drawbacks of using Xiao come from the fact that he drains HP to boost his DMG during Elemental Burst. This means that he needs to have a healer in the party to keep him sustained. His plunge attack can push back certain enemies, making it a little difficult to hit them in combat. Additionally, he is considered a “selfish DPS” character as his Elemental Burst ends when switching to another character, and he does not provide any combat support skills or buffs for the party.

3 Venti

Being an Archon, Venti is one of the most popular characters among Genshin Impact players. Venti is an incredibly versatile character who can easily fit into any team composition. His high Energy Recharge, powerful Elemental Skill, and potent Crowd Control from his Elemental Burst make him a great asset to any team. What makes Venti especially appealing is that he doesn’t need any constellations to make the most of his supportive utilities, making him a great free-to-play friendly character.

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However, although Venti can bring significant damage, especially with further constellations, he does not provide the same level of support as other Anemo support units. His biggest weakness is that his Elemental Burst does not perform as well against enemies with Elemental Auras or Shields. While his Crowd Control is effective against smaller and less mobile enemies, it can be less effective against larger and more mobile enemies. However, this can still be an advantage if paired with melee units, as it allows enemies to stay on the ground instead of floating.

2 Wanderer

The highly anticipated Wanderer, formerly known as Scaramouche, has arrived with the 3.3 patch and is the only player character that players can rename besides the Traveler. With an intriguing backstory, unique role, and fun play style, it’s easy to see why so many players are excited to play as Wanderer. Similar to Heizou, he can be used as a main DPS or an elemental reaction enabler. When it comes to his normal attacks, Wanderer has a wide AoE, and they can home in on enemies. Wanderer is also capable of doing an infinite number of strong charged attacks when he is floating. Similarly, different elements can give Wanderer different buffs, making him incredibly versatile and fun to work with in different team compositions. In addition to this, Wanderer has low cooldowns, giving him a flexible rotation. Finally, his toolkit for exploration is amazing.

However, Wanderer also has some weaknesses that players should be aware of. His base damage is relatively low without buffs or reactions, and he has a low base HP and Defense, making him vulnerable to damage. Additionally, since he can’t resist interruption when floating, if he gets hit, he will fall back to the ground and potentially take quite a lot of damage. It’s recommended to have at least one shielder or healer in the team comp to avoid unnecessary dodging.

1 Kazuha

As one of the most popular characters in Genshin Impact, Kazuha has captivated players with his character and play style. He’s currently considered to be the best Anemo character simply because of the overall utility he provides, being very easy to build, and can fit in very well with many team compositions. Kazuha’s Elemental Skill can be used to group up enemies, making it even easier to take them out with a powerful burst. His Elemental Burst has an average energy cost and buffs the party’s Elemental Damage with Swirls. Moreover, Kazuha has high swirl damage, especially with high Elemental Mastery.

Alongside his many strengths, Kazuha’s only real weakness is that his Elemental Burst can be unreliable when there are enemies with static status, such as slimes or some bosses like the Hypostasises. Although his Elemental Burst range is massive, if there is one static enemy affected by the desired element, Kazuha’s burst will still turn into the static element. This can be a bit problematic as it can mess up some reactions, but overall it is not that severe in comparison to the myriad of benefits he provides. He is also not a great DPS unit unless he has all his six constellations unlocked, but he is still extremely valuable without any constellations.

Genshin Impact is now available on Mobile, PC, PS4, and PS5. A Switch version is in development.

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