Familiarizing yourself with Genshin Impact elements is almost as important as building your dream team tier list. That’s because knowing how to utilize your Genshin Impact elements can help you best enemies and make parties more efficient. They’re also crucial if you want to make powerful reactions and know which artifacts are best for your character.
How many elements are there in Genshin Impact? Moreover, what are the elements of Genshin Impact, and what makes each one unique? Let’s list and examine each one in detail in the following sections.
All Genshin Impact Elements Guide
Similar to the four real-world elements, all elements in Genshin Impact tie in with some sort of, well, “element.” These include the classic four: wind, water, fire, and earth. However, Genshin Impact does add unique elements including lightning, nature, and frost. Each one has a unique name and properties which we’ll discuss below.
In addition, Genshin Impact elements link to specific gods, called “Archon,” and associate with specific nations. Hence, elements give additional lore to the world and its characters apart from simply introducing effects and reactions for gameplay.
So, how many elements are there in Genshin Impact? There are seven in-game elements in Genshin Impact so far. These are the Pyro, Cryo, Hydro, Electro, Geo, Dendro, and Anemo that govern the seven nations of Teyvat.
1. Anemo (Wind)
All Genshin elements link to one specific element and for Anemo, this is wind. Barbatos is its Archon, also known as the God of Freedom. This Archon masks itself as Venti, a 5-star playable archer dubbed as the “tone-deaf bard.”
Venti guards Mondstadt, known by most as the first nation you can unlock as a player in Teyvat. Hence, Anemo will be the first element the Traveler can resonate with. It’s also the first one you can wield when you begin the game.
With these links to Mondstadt, it’s unsurprising that Anemo characters can more easily accomplish side quests within the region. For example, some quests will require the player to sweep piles of leaves which an Anemo character can accomplish swiftly.
However, while other Genshin Impact elements have status effects, Anemo is one of the handfuls that don’t. Nonetheless, it is powerful by itself and, when you use it alongside other elements, multiplies the efficacy of your actions. Moreover, you can even enhance its power.
2. Cryo (Ice)
Some Genshin Impact elements have names that give away their element. In Cryo’s case, it’s unsurprising for most that the element it represents is frost. Tsaritsa, its Archon, guards the kingdom of Snezhnaya.
Unfortunately, nobody knows much about Tsaritsa. We only know she’s female and is the head of a loyal group of diplomats named “Fatui.” Moreover, from what we’ve seen so far, the characters who come out of Snezhnayan serve as villains or antagonists.
Apart from this, Cryo is one of the Genshin Impact elements that comes as a status effect. It can diminish a character’s speed so you may notice your character animation slows down by 15%. Moreover, this speed reduction also stacks with Attack and Movement Speed.
You can implement the Cryo status on your character outside battles using a Mist Flower Corolla. Fortunately, you can easily recognize the flower as it’s distinctly encased in ice.
3. Dendro (Nature)
While Anemo and Cryo have common elements, Dendro is one of the more unique Genshin Impact elements in the game. That’s because its element is nature, which is a little harder to quantify if you’re unfamiliar with the game.
However, Dendro is fairly useful during gameplay. That’s because its main effect comes through elemental resonance (more on that later). Using this effect will allow you to create sprawling greenery, enhancing your party’s Elemental Mastery by 50.
Apart from this, there’s not much we know about Dendro. The information we have is that its Archon is Kusanali, known as the God of Wisdom. Moreover, she protects the nation Sumeru — which is still locked within the game. However, what we do know is that a well-known establishment exists there called the Sumeru Academia.
Furthermore, there are only a handful of Dendro characters in Genshin Impact. These include Traveller, Tighnari, Baizhu, and Collei. However, HoYoverse has promised that more are coming in future updates.
4. Electro (Electric)
As the name implies, Electro has to do with the electric element of lightning. Beelzebul is its Archon, also known as the God of Eternity or Raiden Shogun. She oversees the nation of Inazuma.
Moreover, unlike other Genshin Impact elements, there is a playable 5-star Electro character. It’s none other than Raiden Shogun herself, the Archon, who uses a polearm. However, remember that using Electro’s status effect apart from battles may prove to be challenging.
One method you can apply is by using a lightning hit when there’s a thunderstorm. Furthermore, you can even use the Thunder Sakura trees within Kannazuka in Inazuma to inflict Area-of-Effect (AoE) Electro damage.
5. Geo (Earth)
Unsurprisingly, the Geo element has to do with the element of earth. Morax is its Archon, dubbed the God of Contracts. He’s a fairly distinct Archon in that he’s a retired ruler. In the past, he used to oversee the city of Liyue.
After retiring, he took up a new name: Zhongli, a playable 5-star character who wields a polearm. While Zhongli may be a retired god, he still works at the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor as a consultant.
Unfortunately, while Genshin Impact elements usually have a status effect, the Geo element does not. Moreover, only in-game foes like Geovishaps and Geo slimes can exact Geo damage or a Geo status.
6. Hydro (Water)
The element of water exists within Genshin Impact as the element called “Hydro.” Its Archon has no known name as of the latest update. All we understand about her is that she’s the God of Justice and that she’s female. She also guards the nation of Fontaine.
Your character gains a “wet status” upon using a Hydro status effect. This occurs whenever you walk in puddles, swim in the water, or go out in the rain. Moreover, you can apply this effect by using the 4-star character Barbara’s elemental skill. This inflicts the wet status on all of your party members.
Unfortunately, this technique doesn’t yield any damage points so it doesn’t harm adversaries or enemies. Nonetheless, it does have some uses when used in tandem with other elements. However, the application method is slightly difficult.
7. Pyro (Fire)
The Pyro element has to do with fire and Murata, or the God of War, is its Archon. Like many mysterious Archons of the Genshin Impact elements, we don’t have much information about Pyro. We only know she’s female and oversees the region of Natlan.
Apart from this, players can use Pyro in several ways. For example, you can use it in battle effectively as it reacts with every other element. Moreover, many in-game mechanics use the element in essential actions like igniting torches and stoves.
With that said, Pyro is the most convenient and useful element if you’re journeying to the Dragonspine region. That’s because it has a Sheer Cold mechanic so the fire will undoubtedly be helpful during the expedition.
What Are the Elemental Reactions in Genshin Impact?
Two or more different Genshin Impact elements can mix to create elemental reactions. These reactions may occur when swapping characters, attacking using complementary elements, or using environmental factors and mechanics.
What you must remember is that these reactions increase in power depending on your Elemental Mastery. You can boost this by employing different weapons or artifacts. Moreover, the triggering character’s level plays a part in how strong (and long-lasting) the reaction will be. With that said, you’ll find the different elemental reactions below and how to perform them:
Burning
If you implement Pyro on Dendro, it will trigger the Burning effect so enemies will get damage over time. This effect makes the Pyro attack’s damage 2.5 times stronger.
Crystallise
You can implement the Crystallise reaction by pairing Geo with one of four other Genshin Impact elements. These include Pyro, Electro, Cryo, or Hydro. Once your Geo attack lands, it will produce a Crystal that you can collect. If you collect it, the Crystal will implement a shield that can defend you from elemental damage of that kind.
Electro-Charge
As the name implies, you can apply Electro-Charge using the Genshin Impact elements Electro and Hydro. Doing so will inflict Electro damage twice to your desired selected opponent. Afterward, it should bounce to all the wet characters in your AoE.
Freeze
As you might expect, you can use the Freeze effect by using Cryo and Hydro together. The order also matters as you can only cast Cryo on Hydro to trigger it. Afterward, your targets cannot move or attack.
However, remember that how long the Freeze lasts will depend on the triggering character’s level. Hence, it’s best to use higher-level characters to trigger the Freeze. Moreover, you can shatter the frozen targets with a Claymore. This deals 20% more physical damage.
Melt
You can trigger Melt by using Pyro and Cryo attacks together. However, the order matters as which goes first will determine how strong the ensuing damage will be. For example, using Cryo on Pyro should inflict 1.5 times more Cryo damage to your opponent.
Meanwhile, if you cast Pyro on Cryo, the Melt effect deals twice the initial Pyro damage. Hence, casting Pyro on Cryo is more effective if you can accomplish it.
Overload
You can trigger Overload when the Genshin Impact elements of Electro and Pyro mix. These elements will react regardless of the order you use, so it’s useful in a pinch. Overload will generate a huge AoE blast using Pyro damage.
Superconduct
Triggering the Superconduct is easy as long as you mix the Genshin Impact elements Electro and Cryo. It triggers regardless of order and inflicts an AoE Cryo damage to nearby enemies. Moreover, the effect diminishes your opponents’ physical defense by half.
Swirl
You can implement Swirl by using an Anemo attack with one of four different elements: Cryo, Hydro, Pyro, or Electro. If your attack hits, you’ll make a swirl that distributes the element across a larger surface area. This enhances your attack by inflicting AoE damage.
Vaporise
You can use the Vaporise effect by using Pyro and Hydro together. Like Melt, the order determines how strong the attack damage is. For instance, if you use Pyro on Hydro, the Vaporise effect will deal 1.5 times the Pyro damage.
On the other hand, casting Hydro on Pyro will double the initial Hydro damage you implement. Hence, casting Hydro on Pyro is the most effective way to use Vaporise.
What Is Elemental Resonance in Genshin Impact?
While reactions concern interactions between different elements, resonance occurs when there are multiple of the same elemental characters in a party. These occur as passive bonuses that reflect on the team.
| Elemental Resonance | Element | Effects |
| Enduring Rock | Geo | When two Geo characters combine, this enhances your party’s resistance to interruption. If you have a shield, you can even gain a 15% enhancement in your attack damage. |
| Fervent Flames | Pyro | You can trigger Fervent Flames by having two Pyro characters. This is affected by Cryo for 40% less time and increases attack by 25%. |
| High Voltage | Electro | When two Electro characters combine, High Voltage is affected by Hydro for 40% less time. Moreover, this effect guarantees an Electro Elemental Particle when applying Superconduct, Overloaded, and Electro-Charged. However, the Particle will have a five-second cooldown. |
| Impetuous Winds | Anemo | As the name implies, this requires two Anemo characters in a group. The effect should diminish Stamina consumption by 15%. Moreover, Impetuous Winds will give you a 10% enhancement in movement speed. It should also provide a 5% reduction in skill cooldowns. |
| Soothing Water | Hydro | When two Hydro characters are in a party, Soothing Water occurs and is affected by Pyro for 40% less time. This effect grants a 30% enhancement to incoming healing. |
| Shattering Ice | Cryro | Two Cryro characters within a party may trigger an increased crit rate to frozen enemies by 15%. Affected by Electro for 40% less time. |
| Sprawling Greenery | Dendro | When two Dendro characters are in your party, nearby members will gain 30 Elemental Mastery for 6s when Burning, Quicken, or Bloom reactions are triggered. If Aggravate, Spread, Hyperbloom, or Burgeon reactions are triggered, they will gain 20 Elemental Mastery for 6s. |
| Protective Canopy | Any 4 Unique Elements | The Protective Canopy triggers if you have four unique elements in a party. This will give you a 15% boost on every elemental and physical resistance. |
The Bottom Line
Mixing, matching, and learning how to use the different Genshin Impact elements is crucial to effective gameplay. It’s essential if you want to maximize the enhancements you can use with elemental reactions and resonances. Moreover, having these interactions in mind is important if you want to build the ultimate party.
Ready to play Genshin Impact? Click this link to download Genshin Impact to your device.
