Meta chasing is a trap. Honestly, if you’re looking at a Genshin character tier list just to see who has the biggest numbers, you're probably missing the point of how Natlan and the new Nod-Krai region have completely upended the game.
It used to be simple. You’d slap Bennett and Xiangling on a team, add a Hydro enabler, and call it a day. Not anymore. With the arrival of characters like Mavuika, Columbina, and the "Lunar Reaction" system, the gap between "good" and "broken" has shifted from raw attack stats to how well a character interacts with specific regional mechanics like Nightsoul or Moonsigns.
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The Top Dogs of the Current Meta
Right now, the S-Tier is dominated by the Pyro Archon. Mavuika isn't just a heavy hitter; she’s basically the glue for every top-end Melt team. If you’ve paired her with Citlali, you already know the screen basically stays white from all the numbers. Citlali provides that essential shield and EM scaling that makes Mavuika’s "Flamestrider" state feel like a cheat code.
Then there's the Hydro King, Neuvillette.
He hasn't moved. Even in 2026, he remains the most self-sufficient unit in the game. You don't even need a full team for him to clear Floor 12 of the Spiral Abyss. He heals himself, he blasts through shields, and his HP scaling is still the gold standard.
Lunar Reactions and the New Power Creep
If you haven't pulled for Columbina yet, you might feel the struggle in the latest endgame content. She’s the primary enabler for Lunar Reactions (Lunar Bloom, Lunar Electro-Charged, and Lunar Crystallize). Basically, these reactions ignore traditional DMG% buffs, making old-school supports less effective.
- Zibai: The Geo Main DPS who actually makes Crystallize useful. When paired with Columbina and Illuga, her team DPS hits upwards of 150,000. It's wild.
- Skirk: She’s incredible, but she’s a "handcuffed" unit. You basically must run her with Escoffier. Without that 55% Cryo shred, Skirk’s damage feels surprisingly average.
- Lauma: Currently the undisputed champion of Dendro. Sorry, Nahida, but Lauma’s Lunar-Bloom integration is just smoother for the 5.x and 6.x cycles.
Why Some "Classic" S-Tiers Are Falling Off
It’s painful to say, but Kazuha isn't the auto-include he used to be. Don't get me wrong, he’s still a god for grouping and VV shred. But in teams focused on Lunar damage or mono-element Natlan comps, his buffs sometimes don't apply to the primary damage source.
Venti, however, has had a weird resurgence. Because of the "Hexenzirkel" buff introduced in the Mondstadt expansion, he’s actually viable as a DPS now. It’s sort of a "what year is it?" moment for veteran players.
The "Don't Sleep On Them" Tier
- Fischl: Still the queen of off-field Electro. Oz hasn't aged a day.
- Bennett: The developers tried to powercreep him with Iansan, but the flat ATK buff is still too universal to die.
- Kuki Shinobu: Still the low-investment Hyperbloom GOAT. You basically just stack EM and win.
- Gaming: The strongest 4-star DPS. Period. If you have his constellations, he genuinely out-damages some 5-star units like Diluc or Klee.
How to Actually Use a Genshin Character Tier List
Stop looking at characters in a vacuum. A character like Varesa might look like an A-tier on paper, but in an Overload comp with Chevreuse and Durin, she’s easily hitting S-tier performance.
The game is moving toward "wheelchair" comps—teams where one specific 5-star support (like Escoffier for Skirk or Columbina for the Nod-Krai cast) is the only reason the DPS works. If you don't have the "wheelchair," the DPS is basically C-tier.
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Actionable Strategy for Your Account
If you're looking to future-proof your roster, prioritize Mavuika or Columbina on their next reruns. They are the enablers. A Main DPS is replaceable, but an Archon or a unique reaction-enabler stays relevant for years.
Check your Xilonen builds, too. Her resistance shred is one of the few things that still works across both old and new reaction types. If you’re F2P, focus on the "Liyue Big Three" supports—Xingqiu, Xiangling, and Bennett—as they still form the backbone of the "National" variants that can clear any content when you're in a pinch.
Lastly, stop benching your Sucrose. With the meta shifting back toward Elemental Mastery for Lunar teams, her EM sharing is actually becoming more valuable than Kazuha's DMG% buff in very specific, high-end niche builds.