Genshin Impact: 10 Best Characters For Beginners

Genshin Impact offers a vast world to explore, filled with intriguing lore and a diverse cast of characters. With regular updates introducing new characters through limited-time banners and a permanent roster, it can be overwhelming for new players to decide which characters to focus on.

As a beginner, you might be unsure about which characters to add to your team or invest resources in. Even if you’ve already unlocked several characters, choosing the right ones to prioritize can make a significant difference in your early-game experience. Some characters stand out for their versatility, ease of use, and ability to give you a strong start.

In this guide, we’ll highlight the 10 best characters for beginners in Genshin Impact. Whether you’re exploring Teyvat for the first time or optimizing your early roster, these characters are guaranteed to help you progress with ease. Let’s dive in!

#10: Thoma

Thoma, originally from Mondstadt, has made a new home in Inazuma, where players can recruit this likable and dependable four-star character. As a Pyro polearm user, Thoma brings versatility to any beginner’s team, particularly as a Sub-DPS. His Elemental Burst allows for consistent Pyro application, making him an excellent enabler for elemental reactions.

Thoma’s true strength lies in his ability to trigger and sustain reactions, ensuring your team can maximize their damage potential. His Pyro abilities not only generate Energy for his Burst but also synergize well with other Pyro DPS characters, unlocking the Pyro Elemental Resonance bonus for an ATK boost.

With his blend of utility and damage, Thoma is a valuable addition to any starting roster, providing reliable support and reaction opportunities for early-game progression.

#9: Kaeya

Kaeya is one of the most accessible characters in Genshin Impact, earned for free early in the game by progressing through the main storyline. This makes him an ideal choice for beginners, especially when exploration is a top priority.

Kaeya’s utility shines when it comes to traversing the expansive world of Teyvat. His Elemental Skill allows players to freeze water, creating a temporary pathway to cross rivers and lakes, unlocking new areas for exploration. With its short cooldown, this ability is incredibly practical, especially when uncovering Statues of the Seven and teleport waypoints.

Beyond exploration, Kaeya is a versatile character with a solid skillset that grows even stronger with constellations. His Cryo abilities make him an excellent enabler for reactions like Freeze and Superconduct, adding value to both combat and exploration. Kaeya is a must-have in any beginner’s team for his utility and versatility.

#8: Shikanoin Heizou

When it comes to Anemo characters, the Swirl reaction is often the highlight of their utility due to its exceptional effectiveness in combat. While many Anemo users excel as reaction enablers, Shikanoin Heizou stands out as one of the few who can take on the role of a primary DPS.

As the only four-star Anemo DPS, Heizou brings a unique playstyle to the table. First introduced during Kazuha’s rerun, Heizou quickly gained popularity for his straightforward yet impactful abilities. His Elemental Skill allows you to charge it for greater damage output, making it a flexible tool for single-target or AoE situations. Meanwhile, his Elemental Burst becomes even more potent when it triggers a Swirl reaction, delivering impressive damage.

Heizou’s blend of Swirl-focused utility and direct damage makes him a strong option for beginners looking to experiment with Anemo DPS mechanics, offering both versatility and power in early-game team compositions.

#7: Barbara

Barbara is a standout among Genshin Impact’s four-star characters, particularly for her exceptional healing capabilities, making her an ideal choice for beginners. She is easily obtainable early on, and her abilities provide consistent and reliable support in both combat and exploration.

Barbara’s Elemental Skill offers continuous healing over time, ensuring your active character remains sustained during intense battles. Her Elemental Burst takes it a step further by healing your entire party, giving your team a much-needed reset to keep fighting.

What makes Barbara even more valuable is her scalability. As you unlock her constellations, her healing abilities become more powerful. At Constellation 6, she gains a game-changing mechanic: the ability to automatically revive a fallen character, making her an invaluable asset for challenging content like the Spiral Abyss.

Barbara’s unmatched healing and utility make her a must-have for any beginner team, providing both safety and peace of mind as you progress through Teyvat.

#6: Bennett

Bennett is one of the most versatile and beloved four-star characters in Genshin Impact. While his cheerful personality and heartfelt backstory make him endearing, his true value lies in his incredible utility and power in combat. He is a character who can single-handedly elevate your entire team’s performance.

Bennett is exceptional as both a support and a sub-DPS. His Elemental Skill deals solid Pyro damage and has a short cooldown, allowing for frequent elemental attacks and efficient energy generation for his Elemental Burst. When his Burst is activated, Bennett creates a field that heals characters standing within it and grants a significant ATK boost to those with HP above 70%.

This combination of healing and damage enhancement makes Bennett one of the most valuable characters in the game, especially for beginners. Whether you need sustain or a substantial damage boost, Bennett brings unparalleled versatility to any team composition, making him a must-have for early-game and beyond.

#5: Diona

In Genshin Impact, shielding characters play a critical role in protecting your team from taking damage, and Diona excels in this category. While healers like Sangonomiya Kokomi are great for sustaining your team, preventing damage altogether can often be even more effective—especially with Diona’s ability to both shield and heal simultaneously.

Diona’s Elemental Skill generates a shield that scales with her HP, and when held, it creates a stronger shield that can absorb even more damage. This makes her invaluable for mitigating incoming attacks. Additionally, her Elemental Burst provides a healing field that restores HP to allies standing within it while also dealing consistent Cryo damage to enemies.

Diona isn’t just a defensive powerhouse—her Cryo application makes her an excellent enabler for elemental reactions like Freeze and Superconduct, enhancing both your team’s utility and damage output. Her unique combination of shielding, healing, and Cryo support makes her a versatile and reliable addition to any beginner’s roster.

#4: Beidou

For players who enjoy action-packed gameplay or have experience with timing-based mechanics, Beidou is an excellent choice for your Genshin Impact team. Her Elemental Skill revolves around countering attacks—absorbing incoming damage and unleashing a powerful strike in return, making her highly effective against tough enemies and groups of mobs.

Beidou’s abilities shine when facing multiple foes, as her Skill not only deals massive Electro damage but also reduces the damage she takes, increasing her survivability. Her Elemental Burst further enhances her capabilities, providing a shield and dealing continuous Electro damage to nearby enemies, making her an invaluable asset in crowd-control situations.

In addition to her combat prowess, Beidou brings unique utility to exploration. As an adept swimmer, she consumes less stamina than other characters, allowing you to traverse large water bodies more efficiently without the risk of drowning. This combination of combat power and exploration efficiency makes Beidou a fantastic all-around choice for beginners and experienced players alike.

#3: Xingqiu

Despite being a four-star character, Xingqiu is widely regarded as one of the best units in Genshin Impact, often rivaling five-star characters in utility and effectiveness. His Elemental Skill and Elemental Burst provide excellent damage mitigation and consistent Hydro application, both of which remain active even after switching characters, making him an outstanding enabler for elemental reactions.

Xingqiu’s rapid attack speed allows him to deliver a barrage of strikes in a short period, maximizing his damage output. When paired with Pyro or Cryo characters like Klee, Chongyun, or Kaeya, he becomes an elemental reaction powerhouse, enabling devastating combinations such as Vaporize or Freeze to deal immense damage before enemies can retaliate.

With his versatility and ability to fit seamlessly into many team compositions, Xingqiu is an invaluable addition to any roster, particularly for beginners looking to unlock the full potential of elemental reactions.

#2: Sucrose

Sucrose is one of the most versatile and accessible Anemo characters in Genshin Impact, making her an excellent choice for beginners. As a four-star character, she’s relatively easy to obtain and brings immense value to any team. Her Elemental Skill and Elemental Burst excel at controlling crowds of enemies, making her a go-to option for tackling challenges like the Spiral Abyss with ease.

Sucrose’s utility extends beyond combat. Her Anemo abilities are invaluable for certain exploration tasks, such as gathering Dandelion Seeds, which require Anemo to farm. Additionally, having Sucrose on your team enhances the Elemental Mastery of your entire party by 20%, amplifying the power of elemental reactions.

As a bonus, Sucrose offers an economic advantage: when crafting enhancement materials, she has a chance to produce extra items at no additional cost, further increasing her value. With her crowd control, elemental synergy, and practical benefits, Sucrose is a top-tier choice for both combat and exploration.

#1: Diluc

Diluc is a powerful five-star character and a fantastic choice for beginners fortunate enough to pull him. As a standard banner character, he’s more accessible than limited-time units, making him a viable long-term option for new players aiming to build a strong roster.

While Diluc’s Claymore makes his attack speed slightly slower, his critical damage scaling more than compensates, ensuring he deals devastating hits as you level him up and ascend him. His Elemental Skill is a standout feature, allowing him to unleash multiple Pyro-infused attacks in quick succession. These strikes not only deal significant elemental damage but also interrupt enemy actions, reducing the risk of taking damage during combat.

With his powerful Pyro abilities and consistent damage output, Diluc remains one of the most reliable and impactful DPS characters in Genshin Impact, making him an invaluable asset for beginners and veterans alike.

Conclusion

Choosing the right characters as a beginner in Genshin Impact can greatly enhance your early-game experience, making exploration, combat, and progression much smoother. From versatile four-star supports like Sucrose and Bennett to powerhouse DPS characters like Diluc, the characters on this list provide a solid foundation for building a strong and efficient team.

Whether you’re focusing on elemental reactions, healing, or sheer damage output, these beginner-friendly characters offer a blend of utility and power to help you conquer Teyvat’s challenges. As you continue your journey, investing in these characters will not only improve your gameplay but also set you up for success in tougher endgame content. Good luck, Traveler, and may your pulls bring fortune!