Genshin Impact - Combat Tips
Genshin Impact isn't a terribly difficult game, but its enemies get tougher the longer you play it and as your world level increases. This makes sense as a progression system, but it can also create gnarly difficulty spikes that are hard to overcome, particularly if you play the game without spending any money.
The immediate response to heightened challenge should be to grind out whatever you need to increase your fighting strength, whether that be via weapon enhancements, character ascensions, or talent leveling. Sometimes this grind isn't all that rewarding, though, and it might not fully compensate for all the problems you're facing in combat. With that in mind, we're putting together tips and tricks all focused around Genshin Impact's combat, for those situations where grinding is not enough. Read on to sharpen your combat skills.
No characters are broken
The first thing I want to be really clear about for this guide is that if you're having trouble in combat, the gacha machine is not the answer to your problems. There is no one character or weapon that is so necessary--or even good--that it magically makes the game easier. Genshin Impact is designed such that every character has their own strengths that justify why you might want them on your team*, while weapons help you tailor said characters to specialize a little further.
Players in the Genshin Impact community have proven this to be true time and time again with showcases of healers acting as dps machines and using "low-tier" Amber as a deadly sniper. There's a way to build up anyone in the game to be effective in combat, and it's likely easier to do that with characters you already know and have invested in, rather than trying to roll and build up a shiny new five-star from scratch.
* - Only exception to this is Zhongli.
Use all your tools
Genshin Impact gives you four character slots for your party, so make sure you use them, and all to their fullest potential! Just because you have a strong character doesn't mean they can do everything alone. This game is built around elemental reactions, and the only way for your adventurers to mix and cause these reactions is by switching party members often to use Elemental Skills and Bursts regularly.
If you find yourself generally sticking with one character in a fight, your encounters will be longer, and longer encounters create the situations where you slip up and die, run out of food, or--if you're lucky--grind out an unsatisfying victory. With very few exceptions, there isn't a reason to keep auto-attacking with a character if another party member has an elemental skill or burst ready to be deployed. It will almost always deal more damage, if not set up an elemental reaction that will lead to more damage. Use everyone and everything you have in every fight, whenever you can.
Crit above all else
If you think you've got a good team with decent strength and are triggering elemental reactions frequently but still seem to be having trouble, then you may want to look at whether your characters have the right gear. Outside of weapons, artifacts can make a huge difference in adventurer performance, and tweaking the right stats on the right character could very well be the key to solving your problems.
Currently, Genshin Impact's combat design rewards high damage output above all else, and the best way to achieve high damage numbers is through critical hits. Pretty much regardless of which adventurer you're outfitting and the role they fill on your team, placing artifacts that boost their critical hit rate or damage is the most efficient way to make them more capable fighters.
Study your enemies
Using all the tips above won't amount to much if your approach to combat in Genshin Impact involves mashing mindlessly away on the attack button. This works early in the game, but harder enemies have shields, team mates, and attack patterns that are best dealt with using some prior knowledge and strategy.
Did you know, for example, that the electro fatui's shield can be burst down by cryo attacks, or that dashing forward toward his lunge attacks will make him attack behind you? Did you know that abyss mages of different elements can be clumped together to pop each other's shields? What about the fact that electro cincin mages always teleport right behind you when they move?
Knowing and internalizing this information is key to your ability to overcome Genshin Impact's toughest challenges. Some of this requires repetition and observation, but you can also learn a lot from other players. The Genshin Impact community is constantly uncovering new combat strategies, like the ability to rack up fall damage using Jean, or fun combos with Albedo's elevator construct, all of which can help you have a more enjoyable (and easier) time with the game.
Looking for more Genshin Impact tips? Check out our Adventurer's Guide!