Genshin Easy Mode

These guides provide you with the minimum you need to know to play every character. No damage formulas, no frame perfect combos and no deep dives into confusing details. Just which buttons to press and in what order to get going!

Will this max your potential damage? No. But will it give you enough to get started with any character in the game? Absolutely! This is specifically written to just be a great starting place. If you ever want to take it further and deep dive, check out KeqingMains or Youtube, they have it all. And if you're wondering whether a character is actually any good? The Prydwen tier list is a great reference.

New to the game, or coming back after a long break? How combat works explains the words these guides use in about five minutes.

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All characters · 127 of 127 written

Aino

Her Burst drops a water-spraying duck that keeps Hydro on the enemy for 14 seconds while somebody else reacts with it. Skill to hook in, Burst, swap off.

Albedo

· Off-field Damage

His Skill plants a flower for 30 seconds. Anything hurt inside it sets off a Geo hit every couple of seconds while he's off the field, all of it scaling off Defence.

Alhaitham

His Skill hands him floating mirrors that turn his sword Dendro and fire off blasts of their own. Stack Elemental Mastery and swing.

Aloy

· Off-field Damage

Skill for the team's attack buff, then Burst for one heavy area hit of Cryo damage. The ice state on her Normal Attacks is a bonus rather than the plan.

Alyosha

Tag enemies with his Skill, then Burst to send his companion out. It heals whoever is on the field and buffs their attack when it hits a tagged enemy.

Amber

· Off-field Damage

Throw the bunny to pull enemy attention, Burst for a shower of Pyro arrows, then swap off. Both are cheap enough to press every rotation.

Arlecchino

Skill to mark the enemies, Charged Attack to swallow the marks, then Normal Attack for enormous Pyro hits. While that runs nothing but her own Burst can heal her.

Ayaka

Her Burst is a snowstorm that does most of her damage. Freeze things first so it all lands.

Ayato

His Skill gives him six seconds of fast Hydro slashes. Burst, Skill, swing for six seconds, repeat.

Baizhu

His Burst puts up a small shield that renews itself every couple of seconds for 14 seconds, healing whoever is on the field each time. Stack Max HP.

Barbara

Skill for 15 seconds of party healing, Burst when someone is about to die. Max HP is the only stat she wants.

Beidou

· Off-field Damage

Her Burst gives your active character a lightning bolt on their Normal Attack hits for 15 seconds, plus less damage taken. Hold Skill and release it into an enemy, Burst, swap.

Bennett

Drops a circle that heals your team and buffs their attack. Stand in it.

Candace

Her Burst turns your melee damage dealer's Normal Attacks Hydro for 9 seconds and adds a damage bonus scaled off her Max HP. Skill, Burst, swap fast.

Charlotte

Hold her Skill until the viewfinder finishes to mark up to five enemies with 12 seconds of Cryo ticks, then Burst for a quick team heal. Her healing scales off Attack.

Chasca

Skill to take off, then hold the attack button to load six shells and let go to fire. The back half of them change element to match your teammates, which is most of her damage.

Chevreuse

In a party of nothing but Pyro and Electro, every Overloaded reaction loads her musket. Hold her Skill to fire it and the party gets a big attack bonus.

Chiori

· Off-field Damage

Skill, then Skill again straight away: she swaps herself out and leaves her doll striking alongside your damage dealer. Build Defence.

Chongyun

His Skill leaves a frost field that turns sword, claymore and polearm attacks Cryo. Skill, cheap Burst, swap to your melee damage dealer and fight inside the ring.

Citlali

Skill for the creature, Burst to push her meter past halfway, then swap. She keeps Cryo on enemies and cuts their Pyro and Hydro resistance.

Clorinde

Her Skill turns her Normal Attacks into pistol shots that fill the red bar over her health, then pressing it again spends that bar on a lunge that heals her. Three shots then a lunge, three times over.

Collei

· Off-field Damage

Her Skill throws a Dendro ring that hits on the way out and on the way back. Her Burst leaves a doll bouncing around doing the same for 6 seconds, so it's Skill, Burst, swap.

Columbina

She rewrites the team's Electro-Charged, Bloom and Hydro-Crystallize into lunar reactions, then makes them hit harder off her Max HP. Skill, Burst, swap out.

Cyno

Burst, then 10 seconds of Electro spear work, stretched to 18 by pressing his Skill each time his stance shifts. In a Polestar Field those Skill presses fire Stellar-Conduct bolts off his Elemental Mastery.

Dahlia

Tap Skill, press Burst, swap away. Your damage dealer gets a shield that replaces itself when it breaks plus up to 20% more attack speed.

Dehya

Her Skill drops a ring of fire for 12 seconds. Whoever fights inside it resists interruption, takes their damage spread over time and gets a Pyro hit thrown in every 2.5 seconds.

Diluc

Burst to set his sword on fire, then loop two Normal Attacks into his Skill until it goes out. No resource to track.

Diona

Hold her Skill for a shield, Burst for a puddle that heals anyone standing in it, then swap out. After her Witch's Revelation quest the paws keep firing at whatever your team reacts on.

Dori

Her Burst links a beam to one character, healing them and refilling their Energy for 12 seconds. Skill for the Energy refund, Burst, swap to whoever is starving.

Durin

· Off-field Damage

His Burst sends out a Pyro dragon that follows your active character for 20 seconds. Press Skill twice for the wide one, or Skill then one attack for the single target one.

Emilie

· Off-field Damage

She plants a Dendro case that fires on its own while she's off the field. Bring a Pyro character, because Burning enemies are what upgrade it.

Escoffier

Skill for a machine that follows your active character firing Cryo, Burst to heal the party. The Hydro and Cryo resistance she strips off enemies grows with every Hydro or Cryo character you bring.

Eula

Her Burst hangs a sword over her head that charges as she attacks and lands after 7 seconds, so everything before that is set up. Her damage is Physical.

Faruzan

Burst for the party's Anemo bonus, Skill then one charged shot for the resistance cut, then swap to your Anemo damage dealer. She needs a mountain of Energy Recharge.

Fischl

· Off-field Damage

Her Skill puts a raven on the field that shoots things while you play someone else. Press it, swap, forget about her.

Flins

Skill puts him in a form where his spear turns Electro and the Skill becomes a spear volley you loop into a cheap Burst. Needs a Hydro teammate and a second Nod-Krai character.

Freminet

Press Skill, then Skill again straight away, over and over, without swinging in between. His Burst cuts that cooldown hard for 10 seconds.

Furina

Her Burst is a large team-wide damage buff, fed by your team's health bars moving up and down. Skill, Burst, swap off and bring a healer.

Gaming

His Skill throws him into the air and the plunge on the way down is a big Pyro hit. His Burst keeps resetting the Skill while he stays above half health.

Ganyu

Hold the aim until the arrow frosts over, then let go, over and over. Freeze things so they hold still while you aim.

Gorou

He buffs Geo characters and nobody else, with more on offer the more Geo characters you brought. Skill, Burst, swap to your Geo damage dealer.

Heizou

Every Swirl he sets off banks a stack on his Skill, up to four. At four the next strike is much bigger over a wider area, so it's punch, punch, hold the Skill.

Hu Tao

Her Skill costs her health and turns her attacks Pyro for 9 seconds. Skill, then Charged Attacks, staying under half health.

Iansan

Her Burst drops a scale that hands your active character a large attack bonus for 12 seconds. Keep that character moving to keep the bonus at full strength.

Ifa

His Skill lifts him into a hover where his Normal Attacks become darts that heal the whole party. Up there he also raises your team's Swirl damage.

Illuga

His Burst hands the party stacks that make every Geo hit land bigger, scaled off his Elemental Mastery. Skill, Burst, swap out.

Ineffa

Skill for a shield and a little robot, Burst to hurl the robot at the enemies. Every Electro-Charged reaction your team triggers becomes Lunar-Charged (the moon version) instead, powered by her Attack.

Itto

Swing to bank stacks, then hold the attack button to spend them on big slashes. Burst first and build Defence instead of Attack.

Jahoda

Steals whatever element is on the enemy and fires it back off the field, though only with a second Nod-Krai character in the party. Her Burst leaves two robots that shoot and heal.

Jean

Skill for particles, Burst to heal everyone at once. Her healing scales off Attack, so she gets built like a damage dealer.

Kachina

· Off-field Damage

Her Skill leaves a spinning drill slamming the ground for Geo damage while you play somebody else. Everything she and the drill do scales off Defence.

Kaeya

· Off-field Damage

Skill for particles, Burst to leave three icicles spinning around your carry, then swap out. He keeps Cryo landing for about 8 seconds after he has gone.

Kaveh

He turns wet enemies into a floor of Dendro cores and then pops them all with his Skill, healing himself as they burst. Elemental Mastery first, then enough Energy Recharge for the 80 cost Burst.

Kazuha

Pulls enemies into a pile and hands the team a damage bonus off his Elemental Mastery. Two buttons, then swap off.

Keqing

Throw the dagger, Burst, then press Skill again to blink in with Electro on her sword. Swing until the Skill is back.

Kinich

Swings off a grapple line and fires a big Dendro cannon over and over. Needs a Pyro teammate to keep enemies on fire.

Kirara

Press her Skill for a shield off her Max HP, Burst for a scatter of Dendro bombs, then swap. Come back every 12 seconds for the next shield.

Klee

Normal Attacks are Pyro explosions that hand her a spark about half the time. Charged Attack whenever the spark shows up, since that version is free and much bigger.

Kokomi

Her Skill plants a jellyfish that heals the team and keeps Hydro on enemies. She cannot crit at all, so never build her for it.

Kuki Shinobu

Kuki Shinobu4★

Her Skill puts a healing ring around whoever is on the field that zaps enemies with Electro. Stack Elemental Mastery and those zaps trigger Hyperbloom for you.

Lan Yan

Her Skill dashes into an enemy for a shield that takes on whichever element they were carrying, which makes it soak that element far better. Otherwise she is there to hold Viridescent Venerer.

Lauma

Hold her Skill for the extra hit, then Burst and swap off. The Burst hands out stacks that make everyone else's Bloom damage bigger for 15 seconds.

Layla

Her Skill is a shield that comes back as the last one runs out and fires Cryo stars at things by itself. Build Max HP.

Linnea

· Off-field Damage

Her Skill sends her companion Lumi out to hammer things while you play someone else, or tap it five times for one big hit now. All of it scales off Defence.

Lisa

· Off-field Damage

Her Burst plants a rose of lightning that hits everything nearby for 15 seconds and cuts their Defence by 15%. Tap the Skill three times, hold it, Burst, swap off.

Lohen

Skill turns his swings Cryo and lets him fire three empowered strikes. Your off-field damage dealer decides how hard they land.

Lynette

Her Burst hands the party up to 20% Attack for 10 seconds and drops a box that soaks enemy attacks. Skill, Burst, swap.

Lyney

Every fully charged shot costs him health and banks a stack. Five stacks then Skill, which spends the lot and heals him back up.

Mavuika

Her Burst runs on a meter your teammates fill, not Energy. Tap the Skill, let them charge it, then Burst and ride the bike.

Mika

His Skill gives the party attack speed and, aimed at a crowd, a Physical damage bonus. His Burst heals everyone, then keeps healing off your carry's Normal Attacks.

Mizuki

Let the team put their element on the enemies, then Skill and steer her drift through them. Everyone's Swirl damage goes up while she floats. After her Witch's Revelation quest her own drift hits get big too.

Mona

Her Burst bubbles the enemies, then the first hit that pops it leaves a mark that makes everything hurt them more for five seconds. Skill, Burst, swap.

Mualani

Her Skill puts her on a surfboard: ride into enemies for three momentum stacks then bite. Everything scales off her Max HP.

Nahida

· Off-field Damage

Her Skill marks enemies, then every reaction your team triggers sets off free Dendro damage on all of them. Stack Elemental Mastery.

Navia

Her Skill fires a shotgun made of crystal. Walk over the shards your team drops and the shotgun gets bigger.

Nefer

Skill puts her in a dance state where her Charged Attack costs no stamina and hoovers up the seeds your team's Blooms leave behind. Three of those is the rotation, which needs a Hydro teammate to make Blooms at all.

Neuvillette

Neuvillette5★

Hold the attack button and a river comes out. Stay near the water droplets so they get pulled in.

Nicole

One Skill for a party-wide attack buff and a shield, one Burst so your damage dealer gets free extra hits. Build her for Attack.

Nilou

Only does anything in a party of nothing but Hydro and Dendro. Finish her Skill dance and every Bloom your team makes gets bigger and faster.

Ningguang

Normal Attacks bank gems and the Charged Attack fires the lot for free. Put the screen up, walk through it for the Geo bonus, then Burst while it stands.

Noelle

Free claymore who shields, heals and does the damage herself. Burst, then swing for 15 seconds.

Odette

· Off-field Damage

Her Skill leaves a dancing double behind: press it again straight away, since that second press is where the damage is. She also buffs the team's Stellar reactions.

Ororon

· Off-field Damage

Skill, Burst, swap off. Most of his damage is a free Electro hit that fires by itself whenever your team sets off an Electro-Charged reaction.

Prune

Swirl something with her Skill, then press it again for the hammer kick that buffs the team. The buff is sized off her Attack.

Qiqi

Her Skill spirit heals the party off her sword swings. After her Witch's Revelation quest it also makes the team's Stellar-Conduct hits 50% harder while it's out, so keep it up and swap off.

Raiden Shogun

Raiden Shogun5★

Her Burst puts her on the field for seven seconds of very hard hits that refill the rest of the team's Energy. Cast it last and stack Energy Recharge.

Razor

Tap the Skill for sigils, Burst for the wolf, then Normal Attack for 15 seconds of Physical damage. Bring Cryo for Superconduct.

Rosaria

Skill to blink behind the enemy for Crit Rate, then Burst to hand a slice of that Crit Rate to the rest of the team. That order matters, then swap off.

Sandrone

Charged Attack sends out a machine that fires beams, Skill makes it dump the charge into one big shot. Repeat three times, then Burst.

Sara

Skill, then a fully charged aimed shot to drop a feather where the enemies are. Whoever stands on it picks up an Attack bonus scaled off her base Attack.

Sayu

Her Burst is the heal and scales off Attack. Rolling through enemies with an element on them tops the party up between Bursts. Hold Skill, roll through the group, Burst, swap.

Sethos

Skill for the Energy a reaction pays back, then stand still and fire piercing arrows. His Energy is what makes them charge fast.

Shenhe

Burst, tap Skill, swap out. Everything she gives the party only makes Cryo damage bigger, so she needs a Cryo character to buff.

Sigewinne

Tap Skill so the bubble bounces around healing the party, walk over the droplets it drops, then Burst. Everything she does scales off Max HP.

Skirk

Her Skill puts her in a state on a timer where she hits much harder. Charged Attack near the Cryo rifts floating around to top that timer back up.

Sucrose

Hoovers enemies into a pile and hands the whole team a lump of Elemental Mastery. Build nothing else.

Tartaglia

His Skill trades the bow for water blades for up to 30 seconds. The cooldown grows the longer he stays, so ten seconds in, Burst, get out.

Thoma

His Burst hands your active character a fresh shield every time their Normal Attacks land for 15 seconds, so it's Skill, Burst, swap off. Build him for Max HP and Energy Recharge.

Tighnari

Hold the bow until the shot reaches its second charge level and it splits into homing arrows. Bring Electro so they land as reactions.

Traveler (Anemo)

Traveler (Anemo)5★

Hold the Skill, drop the Burst on the pile, swap away. Both swirl whatever is on the enemies, which with Viridescent Venerer strips that element's resistance for everyone else.

Traveler (Cryo)

Traveler (Cryo)5★

· Main Damage / Support

Skill puts a star out and every crystal that connects is a Burst stack. Two playstyles: with Electro they stand on the field swinging, with Anemo they put the star out and swap off.

Traveler (Dendro)

Traveler (Dendro)5★

· Off-field Damage

The Burst plants a lamp that ticks Dendro onto everything nearby for 12 seconds and hands your active character Elemental Mastery. Plant it, swap off, react with it.

Traveler (Electro)

Traveler (Electro)5★

The Skill leaves charms that hand a lump of Energy to whoever swaps in next. The Burst keeps feeding that character Energy while they attack, whatever their element.

Traveler (Geo)

Traveler (Geo)5★

Skill, Burst, Skill, then park your damage dealer inside the ring of walls for the free 10% Crit Rate. Both buttons are cheap and back off cooldown constantly.

Traveler (Hydro)

Traveler (Hydro)5★

Hold the Skill and spray aimed Hydro for six seconds, which is exactly what a Bloom team wants. It costs health and the water drops it leaves give the health straight back.

Traveler (Pyro)

Traveler (Pyro)5★

· Off-field Damage

Tap the Skill and a ring of fire follows whoever is on the field, applying Pyro every few seconds. Burst to keep it alive, then swap away.

Varesa

Loop Skill, one Normal Attack and a plunge until she lights up her fiery state. From then on every landing hands you a cheap Burst that keeps it running.

Varka

Skill puts him into a two-claymore mode with a heavy special strike. His damage depends on who else is in the party.

Venti

His Burst is a tornado that piles the small enemies into one spot and holds them there. Two buttons and he is off the field again.

Vesna

Skill starts a 15 second mode where the same button levels up with each press: two setup presses, then three big ones. Bring an off-field Cryo teammate or most of that damage is missing.

Vodyanitsa

Skill, then swap off. A horn follows your active character for 16 seconds, healing them and stripping Hydro and Cryo resistance. Every point of Max HP past 40,000 becomes flat bonus damage on the team's Hydro, Cryo and Stellar Swirl hits.

Wanderer

His Skill lifts him into the air and steals a buff off whatever element it touches. Hover and attack until his meter runs out.

Wriothesley

Wriothesley5★

His Skill gives him 10 seconds of upgraded Cryo punches that cost his own health. Uppercut when it lights up to heal it back. In a Polestar Field the punches and uppercut hit again as Stellar-Conduct damage.

Xiangling

· Off-field Damage

Her Burst is a spinning ring of fire that follows whoever is on the field for 10 seconds. Skill for the bear, Burst, swap off.

Xianyun

Turns your team's Plunging Attacks into real damage and heals while she does it. Only worth it if someone plunges.

Xiao

Burst for the mask, then jump and slam into the ground for 15 seconds. Pure Anemo damage, no reactions, bring something that heals.

Xilonen

Her Skill puts her on rollerblades: attack twice to lower enemy resistance to your team's elements, then Burst to heal and swap off. She is cheap to build.

Xingqiu

· Off-field Damage

His Burst rains swords on whatever your on-field character is hitting. His Skill soaks up some damage for the team, so it's Skill, Burst, swap.

Xinyan

Her Skill shields off her Defence, bigger the more enemies the swing catches. Everyone holding it deals 15% more Physical damage.

Yae Miko

· Off-field Damage

Drop three lightning turrets close together, then swap off. Burst calls them down as a big strike and refunds the charges. Her Witch's Revelation quest makes them last 24 seconds and pay out on Stellar-Conduct.

Yanfei

She collects seals off her Normal Attacks and spends them on a Charged Attack that grows with each one. Three seals then charge, over and over.

Yaoyao

Her Skill leaves a rabbit lobbing radishes that heal off her Max HP for 10 seconds. Her Burst is a party heal, but she has to stay on the field and keep moving.

Yelan

· Off-field Damage

Her Burst fires off Hydro damage every time your on-field character swings and buffs them more the longer it runs.

Yoimiya

Her Skill sets her arrows on fire for 10 seconds. Stand there tapping Normal Attacks until it runs out, then swap off.

Yun Jin

Her Burst bolts bonus damage onto your party's Normal Attacks for 12 seconds, sized off her Defence. Skill, Burst, swap to whoever spends the fight on Normal Attacks.

Zhongli

Hold Skill for a shield that almost never breaks. It lowers enemy resistance while it is up.

Zibai

Skill flips her into a Geo mode, then it is four swings and a special strike on repeat. Build full Defence and bring a Hydro teammate plus a second Nod-Krai character.