Alright, Genshin Impact fans, let’s explore Elemental Reactions. Sometimes teams feel weak, other times they obliterate enemies. We aim to decode Genshin’s elemental combat, from reactions that boost damage to those that fall flat. Let’s dive in.
Elemental Reactions: The Power of Vaporize
Here’s the deal: Vaporize reigns supreme. This reaction is powerful enough to transform healers into damage beasts. You hit a Hydro enemy with Pyro or the other way around. That’s how it works. Vaporize greatly boosts the damage of the attack triggering it. Use it wisely.
Melt vs. Vaporize: The Pyro and Cryo Duel
Now, let’s compare Vaporize and Melt. These reactions amplify damage differently than Transformative Reactions like Overload. Transformative Reactions scale with Elemental Mastery; Melt and Vaporize amplify the original damage. Imagine a gentle breeze versus a full hurricane.
Melt happens if you apply Pyro on Cryo or Cryo on Pyro. Like Vaporize, it magnifies damage. But applying Pyro to Cryo yields a larger bonus than vice versa. Reverse Melt is the less exciting version. It’s still invited, but doesn’t have the same flair.
Now let’s bring Ganyu into play. Freeze teams work great, especially with Ganyu. Why? Frozen enemies can’t strike back. Unless they’re immune to freezing. In that case, you’re in trouble. Melt Ganyu requires skill and good timing, exposing her more than Freeze Ganyu.
When it comes to raw damage, Melt often surpasses Freeze. Yet in real combat scenarios, characters who bypass cooldowns like Yoimiya and Furina are game-changers. Furina raises team damage to insane levels, overshadowing Melt setups in sustained fights.
Elemental Resonance: Fervent Flames – Boosting Team ATK
Never underestimate Elemental Resonance. Two Pyro characters grant Fervent Flames. This resonance reduces Cryo application duration by 40% and boosts team ATK by 25%. That’s a permanent buff for your whole team. Free stats are always a win.
Dendro Reactions: A New Element Emerges
Version 3.0 introduced Dendro, shaking up the meta dramatically. Dendro reactions center around Quicken. This occurs when Dendro meets Electro. Quicken doesn’t cause direct damage but applies a Quicken Aura to foes, preparing the stage for major Dendro hits.
Next is Hyperbloom. When a Dendro Core (from Bloom) gets struck by Electro, it can create deadly projectiles. These homing projectiles deal Dendro damage. It’s like explosive guided missiles targeting enemies.
We also have Aggravate. When hitting a Quicken-targeted enemy with Electro, it adds bonus Electro damage. It’s simple and effective, turning Electro characters into formidable damage dealers. Think Raiden Shogun hitting harder – that’s Aggravate.
Then we have Burgeon. This reaction also involves Dendro Cores but requires Pyro. Hitting a Dendro Core with Pyro causes a large explosive area effect. Caution: Burgeon may harm your characters, but if triggered correctly, self-damage is reduced. Be careful near those fireworks.
Dendro and Cryo don’t interact directly. Cryo is like that awkward friend at a Dendro gathering. A useful tip: Hydro shields are weak to Dendro, and Dendro shields are weak to Pyro. Always useful to keep elemental weaknesses in mind.
Geo Reactions: Crystallize – Shields Galore
Now to Geo. Its only elemental reaction is Crystallize. Geo’s combination with other elements creates Crystallize shards. Picking them up grants shields to your active character. You can have three shards at once that persist about 15 seconds. But honestly, they don’t change the game.
Anemo Reactions: Swirl – A Control Element
Anemo gives us Swirl, its sole reaction. When Anemo meets other elements it spreads that element to nearby foes and removes it from the initial target. Swirl deals Area-of-Effect damage based on the swirled element. Anemo acts like an elemental blender, causing chaos.
Freeze Reaction: Ice Control
Freeze is about crowd control as mentioned. It doesn’t inflict direct damage but incapacitates enemies, turning them into targets for your team’s attacks. Its strength lies in shutting down enemy actions while giving you time to unleash damage unopposed.
The Strongest/Weakest Elements
Let’s tackle the strongest and weakest elements now. Some consider the strongest element to be Water (Hydro). It’s widely known as versatile, allowing potent reactions like Vaporize and Bloom.
On the flip side, we find Geo. It’s often labeled the “weakest” due to its limited interactions. Crystallize offers shields but lacks offensive capabilities compared to other elements. While others deal damage, Geo focuses on defense.
Anemo (Air), while not directly damaging, provides strong support. Anemo excels at crowd control and elemental reactions, but lacks raw damage output itself.
Traveler Elements: The Multi-Element Specialist
The Traveler is capable of resonating with various elements, showing their versatility. Here’s a fun ranking of their elemental forms:
- Dendro Traveler: Effective in Dendro reaction teams.
- Support capabilities are solid.
- Geo Traveler: Provides decent Geo support. They can make Geo constructs and deal some damage, but dedicated Geo characters often outshine them.
- Electro Traveler: A good energy battery. They help teams that struggle with energy recharge. Their Electro application is useful, though not overwhelming.
- Anemo Traveler: Powered by the Viridescent Venerer artifact set. Their strength lies in shredding elemental resistance with VV. They make a valuable support unit.
- Hydro Traveler: …Bubbles. Hydro Traveler’s offensive abilities are not known for destruction. They simply exist.
Other Elemental Interactions: Electro-Charged and Pyro-Anemo Synergy
Let’s touch on a couple more elemental interactions. Electro-Charged occurs when Electro meets Hydro. This reaction deals continuous Electro damage. What’s neat is that it can “chain”. If an Electro-Charged enemy is close to “Wet” enemies, it will electrify them as well.
Lastly, Pyro and Anemo. Anemo + Pyro = Swirl. This synergy works well for Pyro teams. Anemo characters can Swirl Pyro, spreading it to enemies. If they have Viridescent Venerer, they will shred enemy Pyro resistance. This amplifies your Pyro damage.
There you have it – a quick tour of Genshin Impact’s elemental reactions. This should help you navigate the often-confusing world of elemental combat. Now go forth, experiment, and vaporize (or melt, or swirl) your enemies into oblivion!
