Finding the best choice for Anemo can be difficult for some; this best anemo character tier list can help with that.
Anemo is the first element that was introduced to us in Genshin Impact, all the way back into patch 1.00. Since then, there have been a total of 11 anemo characters in the game, with the latest being Lynette in patch 4.1.
New additions to this element are bound to happen sooner or later, so players, especially new ones, can get caught up to wonder what is the best anemo character that they should build.
And that is exactly what this tier list is all about. In this Genshin Impact tier list, I will rank all the characters from Anemo, and there will be a main tier list along with sub-tier lists that will cover different aspects & roles and rank the characters according to those said requirements.
Read more: Genshin Impact: Best DPS Characters Tier-List
I have used spiral abyss data, my personal experience & overall community feedback on these characters.
Tier-list & Ranking Explained
Take a look at the following to understand my reasoning behind each tier:
| Tier | Description |
|---|---|
| SS | Characters placed in this tier are meta-defining. They are being used in the spiral abyss by the majority of players and offer unique mechanics, support & DPS potential than any other, making them a game changer if you can use them in your teams. |
| S | The S-tier is for characters that excel extremely in most teams and are part of the Genshin meta. But some cons hold them back from getting to the SS tier. Like having a constellation requirement or High DPS & low support potential or vice versa or not being versatile enough to be effective in every type of spiral abyss run. |
| A | A tier is a place for characters with excellent DPS or Support qualities but only excel at one role perfectly or aren’t versatile enough to be used varietally. |
| B | This tier is dedicated to characters that will require good investments and offer better performance with constellations. They are a standard choice at C0 but truly shine at C6 with proper gears. The characters in this tier list are able to provide good support or DPS output in most combat scenarios. |
| C | Characters in the C tier don’t have the best mechanics and do not have many team synergies. Their damage and support output is decent but nothing meta-defining, but with heavy investments and specific team comps, they can hold out a decent performance. |
| D | This tier is for characters that offer a standard damage and support output, which can easily be neglected as there are better alternatives in the game. |
Best Anemo Characters in Genshin Impact
Here’s my pick on the best anemo characters currently available in Genshin Impact:
| Character Name | Role | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Kazuha | Support, Buffer, Debuffer, Burst DPS | SS |
| Wanderer | Main DPS, Driver | S |
| Xiao | Main DPS | |
| Faruzan | Burst Support, Buffer | |
| Jean | Healer, Support, Burst Support | A |
| Sucrose | Buffer, Debuffer, Burst DPS, Driver | B |
| Heizou | Main DPS, Sub DPS, Burst DPS | |
| Lynette | Burst DPS | |
| Venti | Burst Support | |
| Sayu | Healer, Burst Support | C |
| Traveler (Anemo) | Burst Support | D |
11. Traveler
Spiral Abyss Usage Rate (As of Phase 2 Version 4.2): 2.4%
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Talent Priority | Elemental Burst > Elemental Skill > Normal Attacks |
| Best Supports | Faruzan, Bennet, Xiangling, Xingqui, Fischl |
| Team Role | Burst DPS/Driver |
| Artifacts | 4-piece Viridescent Venerer |
| Stat Priority | Elemental Mastery, Crit-Rate, Crit Damage |
Ranking 11th on the overall list, Anemo Traveler is on the D tier due to their lack of damage and support capabilities.
It is not the fact that the anemo traveler is extremely weak, and you can’t build a good team around him/her. The other anemo options are simply better.
But for small groups of enemies, his elemental Skill and burst can be quite effective, especially if you are in the early game and don’t have enough anemo units at your disposal.
That is why anemo traveler is suited for a driver or burst support role at best. Going with the national team or any variations of it while equipped with the Viridescent Venerer artifact piece is going to provide the best results.
Pros
- F2P friendly
- Constellations are obtained from Archon Quests
- Provides resistance shred at C6
- Offers crowd control
- Good Viridescent Venerer applicator
Cons
- Long cooldown time on Skill & burst
- Low damage multipliers
- Negligible crowd control abilities
10. Sayu
Spiral Abyss Usage Rate (As of Phase 2 Version 4.2): 0.3%
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Talent Priority | Elemental Burst > Elemental Skill > Normal Attacks |
| Best Supports | Faruzan, Bennet, or any Anemo unit to generate particles |
| Team Role | Burst Support/Healer |
| Artifacts | 4-piece Noblesse Oblige |
| Stat Priority | HP, HP percent |
Next up on the list is Sayu, ranked at number 10. She is in the C tier, in my opinion, as while she fills the role of a healer decently, she doesn’t provide any significant buff, nor does she offer good overall damage through her Skill or burst.
Sayu can be a very exciting and important unit when it comes to over-world exploration and material gathering. Her passive Skill allows her party to receive zero hostile treatment from animals. This becomes extremely helpful when you are roaming around the world to catch crystal flies, butterflies, and frogs.
But she shines the most when you are exploring as her elemental Skill will allow you to roll around at high speed without consuming any stamina for 10 seconds, but it will come with a cooldown cost of 11 seconds.
She is a versatile option when it comes to team building, as there aren’t any specific teams catered for her. But due to her having long cooldowns and high burst cost, pairing her up with another anemo unit is the best option out there.
You should play her as a burst support, meaning building up her burst with your character rotations and executing it with proper timing.
Her burst offers AoE healing for your team and also deals swirl damage, but it isn’t as effective as other anemo characters that you should put Viridescent Venerer and hopes for the resistance shred. Due to these reasons, she is ranked low in this tier list.
That being said, when it comes to in-game exploration, she is placed in the SS tier without any doubt.
Pros
- The best character for exploration
- AoE healer & Swirl damage dealer
- Great exploration passive
Cons
- Low damage potential
- Requires constellations for best healing effect
- Very long cooldown on elemental Skill
9. Venti
Spiral Abyss Usage Rate (As of Phase 2 Version 4.2): 10.1%
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Talent Priority | Elemental Burst > Elemental Skill > Normal Attacks |
| Best Supports | Faruzan, Bennet |
| Team Role | Burst DPS/Driver |
| Artifacts | 4-piece Viridescent Venerer |
| Stat Priority | Elemental Mastery, ER, Crit-Rate, Crit Damage |
Ranking at number 9 and placed in the B tier is Venti. Now, you are probably blown away seeing the Anemo archon himself placed so low in this tier list, but Venti isn’t the all-powerful god that he used to be.
Like losing his gnosis, Venti came down from being the go-to Anemo driver/enabler/support to a decent option for those who don’t have better support units.
One of the biggest reasons for this shift is due to the change in enemies in Genshin Impact. Back in patch 1.00, on Genshin’s release, Venti was able to group every enemy in the game with his burst. Combined with the elemental resistance shred from Viridescent Venerer piece, it made Venti unstoppable.
There was no other anemo unit in the game that could group enemies as effectively as Venti. But as new patches start to come out, the enemy’s weight and size increased, and Venti couldn’t group the enemies the way he could. His crowd control is still quite effective but not as good.
Another fact that made him a difficult choice is that he would group small enemies in the air, so if your DPS can’t reach that zone, then you are losing out on a lot of damage.
And apart from the resistance shred from Viridescent Venerer, and Venti doesn’t provide any additional debuff to your opponent or buff to your team like Kazuha or Sucrose.
But he still is a strong 5-star anemo unit that can group small to mid-sized enemies, offers good damage with his elemental Skill, and has passives that can improve your exploration. His personal damage also increases with constellations.
Venti plays the role of burst support and enabler in a team. So, pairing him up with an elemental-focused team is the best option. He works exceptionally well in freeze comps as well.
Pros
- Great crowd control
- Good exploration passive
- Works as an anemo battery
- Versatile weapon options
- Don’t require too much investment
Cons
- Can’t lift up heavy enemies
- Groups enemies in an elevated position that some character attacks can’t reach.
8. Lynette
Spiral Abyss Usage Rate (As of Phase 2 Version 4.2): 0.8%
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Talent Priority | Elemental Burst > Elemental Skill > Normal Attacks |
| Best Supports | Faruzan, Bennet |
| Team Role | Burst DPS/Driver/Support |
| Artifacts | 4-piece Viridescent Venerer/Noblesse Oblige |
| Stat Priority | Crit-Rate, Crit Damage, Energy Recharge |
The first Fontane 4-star that we are able to gain in the game is none other than Lynette. This magic assistant is not only a great support character but also completes the role of a support DPS, which is why she is at B tier, securing the 8th position on this list.
Lynette’s kit also allows her to be an effective explorer in your team. The hold version of her elemental Skill allows you to run over surfaces without costing stamina, which is quite similar to how Yelan’s elemental skill works.
Not only that, but if you are struggling with the new Fontaine boss battles, then Lynette’s pneuma attacks can’t be quite effective. Her elemental burst reacts to any other corresponding elements and does DoT. Furthermore, her passive also increases her party member’s ATK up to 20%
Her constellations also improve both her support and personal damage, so it can be a good investment for the future as well. You can place her in multiple team comps.
She fits the driver role perfectly and can be used as a burst DPS/driver or as a support. Just make sure to have more than 1, preferably 2 different elements in your team comp for maximum damage impact.
Pros
- Good for world exploration
- Offers mobility in combat
- Good burst damage
- Provides passive buff to the team
- Don’t require high investment both weapon & artifact-wise
Cons
- Quite high energy requirement & cooldown cost
- ATK buff depends on the number of different elements in the team
- Elemental Skill has an HP consumption mechanic
7. Heizou
Spiral Abyss Usage Rate (As of Phase 2 Version 4.2): 0.7%
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Talent Priority | Normal Attack > Elemental Burst > Elemental Skill |
| Best Supports | Faruzan, Bennet, Xiangling, Xingqui, Fischl |
| Team Role | Burst DPS/Driver |
| Artifacts | – 4-piece Viridescent Venerer – 2-piece Noblesse Oblige + 2-piece Viridescent Venerer |
| Stat Priority | Crit-Rate, Crit Damage, Elemental Mastery |
Ranked 7th placed and in the B tier is Heizou. He is the first male catalyst user in the game who quite literally blows away his enemies with his fists. Heizou is able to fill multiple roles in a team comp. He can be the main DPS on field enable or burst support, depending on your preferred playstyle.
I prefer to use him as on-field DPS with a 4-piece Viridescent Venerer paired with good elemental support. This allows Heizou to decrease the resistance of his enemies easily and land them with devastating blows.
You can also put him up as your burst support as his burst has a very good multiplier, and his passive talent also allows him to provide elemental mastery buff to his teammates.
He shines quite well in the National Team or any other element-focused teams. His effectiveness with the Dendro element is still a bit meek, but otherwise, he is a good 4-star anemo DPS/Support that you shouldn’t ignore.
Pros
- Very strong anemo DPS
- Can be used as a burst support
- Provides elemental mastery buff
- Versatile team comps
- Very high damage multipliers
- Have excellent 4 star & 5 star weapon options
Cons
- Requires a shielder in the team
- Needs good investment in artifact stats
6. Sucrose
Spiral Abyss Usage Rate (As of Phase 2 Version 4.2): 1.1%
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Talent Priority | Elemental Burst > Elemental Skill > Normal Attacks |
| Best Supports | Faruzan, Bennet |
| Team Role | Burst Support/Driver |
| Artifacts | – 4-piece Viridescent Venerer |
| Stat Priority | Elemental Mastery |
The last character belonging to the B tier and placed at rank 6 is none other than Sucrose. She is one of the earliest characters released in Genshin Impact, and her kit is all about providing the maximum support and damage buff to her team.
Sucrose significantly increases the overall elemental mastery of your party. That’s why many players try to stack as much elemental mastery as possible on her. Pair that up with Viridescent Venerer, and you get magnificent elemental support.
But that is not all. Due to Sucrose being a catalyst user, she is able to use ‘Thrilling Tales of Dragonslayers,’ a catalyst that can boost your ATK percent up to 48%.
Also, her crowd control ability from both burst and elemental Skill is also rare. What’s more, unlike Venti, all of her opponents get grouped on the surface, not in the air, which allows all the attacks from your other supports and DPS to hit without any issue.
Due to all of these factors, there are many who compare this shy alchemist to a 5-star in a 4-star disguise. You can also build your Sucrose as a main DPS, but that will require a lot of dedication toward getting the best stats for each artifact on her.
Pros
- High elemental mastery buffs
- Good crowd control
- Can wield Thrilling Tales of Dragon Slayers
- Good 4-piece Viridescent Venerer option
- Very strong burst damage
- It is a good pick for any elemental damage-focused team
Cons
- Movement & and pacing is quite slow, especially for normal attacks
- High energy cost burst
- Will require practice to optimally time her burst
5. Jean
Spiral Abyss Usage Rate (As of Phase 2 Version 4.2): 18.7%
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Talent Priority | Elemental Burst > Elemental Skill > Normal Attacks |
| Best Supports | Faruzan, Bennet |
| Team Role | Burst DPS/Driver |
| Artifacts | – 4-piece Viridescent Venerer – 2-piece Noblesse Oblige + 2-piece Viridescent Venerer – 4-piece Noblesse Oblige |
| Stat Priority | Crit-Rate, Crit Damage, HP |
The current grandmaster of the Knights of Favonius is up next, and she is ranked 5th on this list and belongs to the A tier.
Jean is a great choice if you are looking for an Anemo support who will not only fill the role of Viridescent Venerer damage shredder but will also provide healing and good burst damage.
Her elemental burst opens up an AoE that will instantly and gradually heal your character during its active period. That is not all, and her burst will also cleanse any effect on the party.
Jean’s elemental Skill allows her to group her enemies and throw them up in the air. Once they are up in the air, they will take fall damage when they hit the ground. This fall damage doesn’t depend on Jean’s level. It’s quite a fun mechanic to play around with.
As she fills multiple support roles, Jean is a versatile option that will boost the damage and effectiveness of any team. Her constellations also support her in these roles. That’s why she is arguably the best character you can get in the standard banner after Mona.
Pros
- Good support
- Fills both the role of healer & driver
- High-damage burst multipliers
- Various artifact options
- Decent swirling capabilities
- Good constellations
Cons
- The normal attack follows push-back mechanics that can disrupt rotations
- Very high cooldown on the elemental burst
- Can’t swirl heavy enemies
- The best support passive is locked behind constellation (C4)
4. Faruzan
Spiral Abyss Usage Rate (As of Phase 2 Version 4.2): 5.2%
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Talent Priority | Elemental Burst > Elemental Skill > Normal Attacks |
| Best Supports | Bennet |
| Team Role | Support |
| Artifacts | 2-piece Noblesse Oblige + 2-piece Emblem of Severed Fate |
| Stat Priority | Energy Recharge |
The state of Anemo DPS forever changed when Faruzan was introduced. Before her, there wasn’t any dedicated Anemo support, and I believe MiHoyo will have to do something big for Anemo if they want to top her performance.
Faruzan not only increases the Anemo damage of her party but will also provide Crit Damage buff and swirl on every anemo hit. But most of her exquisite support capabilities are locked under constellations.
She also has some of the biggest energy recharge requirements in the game. But that also improves when you start to unlock her constellations. At C6, Faruzan becomes a 5-star unit that will drastically increase your Anemo DPS outputs. That is why she belongs in the S tier and is ranked 4th in this best anemo character tier list.
Pros
- Best support character for the anemo element
- Very good constellations
- Good crowd control
Cons
- Constellation dependent
- High energy requirement
- Only viable for anemo units
3. Xiao
Spiral Abyss Usage Rate (As of Phase 2 Version 4.2): 4.8%
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Talent Priority | Elemental Burst > Elemental Skill > Normal Attacks |
| Best Supports | Faruzan, Bennet, Zhongli |
| Team Role | Main DPS |
| Artifacts | – 4-piece Vermillion Hereafter – 2-piece Viridescent Venerer + 2-piece Vermillion Hereafter – 2-piece Vermillion Hereafter + 2-piece Gladiator’s Finale – 2-piece Viridescent Venerer + 2-piece Vermillion Hereafter |
| Stat Priority | Crit-Rate, Crit Damage, ATK, Energy Recharge |
Regarded as one of the best DPS characters ever released in Genshin Impact, Xiao has been the only dedicated Anemo DPS until the release of Wanderer. The Conqueror of Demons is capable of dashing out high damage numbers with his plunge attacks when he dawns the Yaksha mask in his elemental burst.
His elemental skills also offer good damage multipliers. Xiao is a selfish DPS, so he needs support to help him get his burst back up as soon as possible. When running Xiao in your team, you will need to have a shielder or healer or both.
This is because when his burst is active, he will start to lose HP over time, and he is also quite vulnerable, so he needs proper protection if you want to deal damage with him.
His constellations aren’t that good, but his C6 completely transforms him into a different character.
But all of his cons can be forgotten when you see the damage numbers start to pop up on your screen. With proper investment, you should able to do 70k to 100k damage per plunge with your Xiao.
For that reason, I regard him as one of the best characters from Anemo and have placed him in the 3rd position and at the S tier.
Pros
- One of the strongest characters in the game
- Extremely high damage multipliers
- Unique playstyle
- Good burst uptime
Cons
- Requires dedicated supports
- HP drain mechanic
- Heavy energy cost
- Bad constellations
- No decent 4-star weapon option
2. Wanderer
Spiral Abyss Usage Rate (As of Phase 2 Version 4.2): 9.9%
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Talent Priority | Elemental Skill > Normal Attacks > Elemental Burst |
| Best Supports | Faruzan, Bennet, Zhongli, Thoma |
| Team Role | Main DPS |
| Artifacts | – 4-piece Desert Pavilion Chronicle – 2-piece Viridescent Venerer + 2-piece Desert Pavilion Chronicle – 2-piece Vermillion Hereafter + 2-piece Gladiator’s Finale – 2-piece Viridescent Venerer + 2-piece Vermillion Hereafter |
| Stat Priority | Crit-Rate, Crit Damage, ATK |
Wanderer took the crown as the best anemo DPS from Xiao upon his release back in patch 3.3. Fatui characters are always exciting in Genshin, and Wanderer is no different. His elemental Skill allows you to dish out massive, fast-paced anemo damage, and his elemental burst offers very high multipliers.
The cooldown for both his Skill and burst is very short, and the energy requirement isn’t that high either. What’s more, you have very good 4-star weapons that may even outmatch some of the 5-stars out there.
He is also exceptionally good at exploration, as his elemental Skill allows him to fly. You can also name him whatever you want, as long as it follows Genshin’s rules & restrictions.
The constellations of Wanderer are also quite good. Due to all of these positives, he belongs in the S tier, and I have placed him second on this list.
Pros
- Highly effective main DPS
- Fast-paced attacks
- Excellent damage multipliers in normal, charged, elemental Skill & burst
- Good constellations
- Various 4 star & 5 star weapon options
Cons
- Easily interrupted without a shield
- Needs good artifact stats
1. Kazuha
Spiral Abyss Usage Rate (As of Phase 2 Version 4.2): 76.8%
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Talent Priority | Elemental Burst > Elemental Skill > Normal Attacks |
| Best Supports | Bennet |
| Team Role | Support/Burst DPS/Driver |
| Artifacts | 4-piece Viridescent Venerer |
| Stat Priority | Elemental Mastery, Crit-Rate, Crit Damage |
When it comes to Anemo, there isn’t any other character that is as loved or as combat-effective as Kazuha. This traveling samurai has it all. From damage buff to world exploration, he offers it all.
Primarily played as a support/driver, Kazuha easily shreds through the opponent’s defense & resistance and offers an elemental mastery buff to everyone in the party. With a 4-piece Viridescent Venerer equipped, you will be able to perform double swirl with Kazuha, making element resistance shred work all at the same time.
Moreover, his elemental Skill and burst both have good multipliers, and when you level up his normal attacks, his plunge damage will take care of small mobs of enemies with ease.
Kazuha is also one of the few characters in Genshin Impact that can perform mid-air elemental skill deployment. This allows Kazuha to reach great distances without losing stamina and momentum.
You can fit Kazuha into any team, and he will fit right in. Due to this versatility, high damage support, personal damage multipliers, and overall expertise, I have picked Kazuha in the SS tier and placed him at the top of this best anemo character tier list.
Pros
- Arguably the best support in the game
- Provides elemental buff & defense shred
- Extremely high swirl damage
- Great crowd control ability
- A versatile character that can be placed on any team
Cons
- Swirling the right element might require a bit of practice
Read more: Upcoming Characters in Genshin Impact Version 4.2 to 4.5
