Genshin Impact Tier List - Best 4-Star Characters (April 2024)

Genshin Impact is the popular open-world, live service RPG that features a diverse roster of characters with varying strengths and rarities. We have featured a separate tier list for limited and permanent 5-star characters. 4-star characters aren't necessarily weak or lacking; in fact, they can be powerful additions depending on the desired team composition. However, not all 4-star characters are created equal. It's still important to understand their strengths and weaknesses to make the most out of their abilities and what they have to offer.

Genshin Impact Tier List - Best 4-Star Characters (April 2024)

In this page, we will take a closer look at some of high tier 4-star characters in the game, provide some insight or quick summary about their key abilities, and how they can be utilized in gameplay. For the tier list of 5-star characters, please refer to our separate tier list exclusively for the limited and permanent 5-star characters in Genshin Impact.

Genshin Impact Featured 4-stars vs Permanent 4-stars

There are two types of banners in Genshin Impact, namely limited-time and permanent banners. The limited-time banners are only available for a certain period and showcase powerful characters that are not found in the permanent banners. While the limited characters may have re-runs, they often occur after several update patches, which can take several months or even years.

On the other hand, the permanent banners offer characters that are always available. If you fail to obtain a limited character while making a wish, you will receive one of the seven permanent characters that are currently accessible. Moreover, if you do not win the 50/50 chance in a limited wish, you need not worry because you will receive the limited character the next time you trigger the appearance of a 5-star character under the limited banner.

Each limited banner features one 5-star character and three 4-star characters with higher appearance rates for the duration of the banner. The two limited banners also share the same set of featured 4-star characters. Typically, new 4-star characters are first featured in limited banners before being added to the ever-expanding pool of permanent 4-star characters. As a general rule, if you're aiming to get specific 4-star characters, the best time to try to obtain them is when they're featured in conjunction with limited characters.

Take note that some 4-star characters appear in the monthly starglitter shop so if there's a banner with featured 4-star or 5-star characters you don't really like, that's the best time to save your primos and wait until a banner you want is available.

Genshin Impact 5-star Tier List

Our tier list covers all currently available 4-star characters in Genshin Impact. Since 4-star characters are somewhat easier to obtain than 5-star characters, you'll likely have more chances to get copies of them and increase their constellation, slowly unlocking permanent improvements and enhanced potential to their skill kit. Some 4-star characters might start off as low-tier at their zero or lower constellations but can be elevated instantly to high-tier status once they've unlocked their full potential.

We aim to evaluate the characters' performance based on their kit's design and intended role in Genshin Impact. Every character in Genshin Impact is usable and can be enjoyable though each player's mileage may vary. Top tier characters are usually potent and effective right from the start, whereas lower tier characters may require significant investment or resources for them to perform satisfactorily. Ultimately, your own satisfaction and experience matters most, so feel free to build and use your characters as you desire.

Our tier list is subjective, so there is no need to worry if it differs from your own. To learn more about our choices, please scroll down for further descriptions.

SS Tier

• DPS:
• Sub-DPS: Xiangling
• Support: Bennett

S Tier

• DPS:
• Sub-DPS: Xingqiu, Fischl
• Support: Kuki Shinobu

A Tier

• DPS:
Yanfei, Noelle, Heizou,
• Sub-DPS: Rosaria, Sucrose
• Support: Dori, YaoYao, Diona

B Tier

• DPS:
Razor, Kaeya, Lisa, Ningguang
• Sub-DPS: Chongyun, Collei, Beidou
• Support: Barbara, Sayu, Thoma, Yun Jin, Layla, Mika

C Tier

• DPS:
Amber, Xinyan
• Sub-DPS: Chongyun
• Support: Kujou Sara, Gorou, Faruzan, Candace

Best 4-star Descriptions

Bennett

Element: Pyro

Weapon: Sword

One of the OG 4-stars in the game that has retained his place as one, if not the most overpowered 4-star in the game not in terms of raw damage but the amount of utility he can provide to the team. Bennett's cream of the crop is his Burst that rapidly heals anyone inside the AoE on the field up to a certain amount while boosting their attack at the same time. Equipping him with the Noblisse Oblige artifact set further stacks up the ATK boost to his allies. And since he's a pyro character, pairing him with another pyro character will activate the "Fervent Flames" elemental resonance which boosts the atk of party members by a significant 25%.

Xiangling

Element: Pyro

Weapon: Polearm

The first polearm user of the game and free unit obtainable by newbies, Xiangling holds strong as an amazing off-field pyro applicator and sub-DPS. Her skill summons Guoba, which deals pyro damage in a limited range and stays on the field for a few seconds even after you switch her out. Her burst activates a spinning pyro spear that orbits around the active character, dealing significant pyro damage and application in a small AoE around the character. Xiangling's raw pyro damage isn't stellar but the ease of using her skills and low burst cost allows you to trigger her abilities easily. She shines well in elemental reaction-heavy compositions like melt and vaporize.

Xingqiu

Element: Hydro

Weapon: Sword

Xingqiu is one of the OG 4-star characters known for their ease of use and significant contribution to the team. His bread and butter is his burst that summons several hydro swords that stay with the active character even if he's switched out. These swords home in on an enemy whenever the active character performs a normal attack. This mechanic opens up a lot of attack opportunities, especially for characters that enable elemental infusion with their attacks like Yoimiya and Hu Tao. His burst is very similar to Yelan (5-star limited hydro) but at C6, Xingqiu comes close to her in terms of performance. Giving him a Sacrificial Sword gives him a chance to reset his skill that has a long cooldown, and allow him to collect more energy to get his burst up easily.

Fischl

Element: Bow

Weapon: Electro

Fischl is also one of those early 4-star characters that are built differently but efficiently. She's a great sub-DPS whose main damage comes from her ability to summon Oz. Oz also stays on the field even after Fishcl is switched out, dealing rapid and consistent electro damage at great range. Using her burst will reset Oz's timer on the field as well keeping his uptime for a long time. Her off-field damage output will only get better as you unlock more of her constellations.

Kuki Shinobu

Element: Electro

Weapon: Sword

Kuki covers two roles rolled into one: healer and sub-DPS. The main highlight is her skill that creates a small AoE that applies electro and damages enemies while healing the active character. The skill takes a small portion of her HP but the amount she heals increases significantly when she's low HP. The electro ring her skill produces also unleashes its AoE field in regular intervals, making it easy to trigger electro-based reactions while keeping the offensive. She's an ideal party member for powerful dendro team comps like hyperbloom, aggravate, and quicken teams. She's also a great addition for physical-based teams that rely on Superconduct to increase their damage output.

Honorable Mentions

Diona

Element: Bow

Weapon: Cryo

Diona is an amazing cryo support unit that fulfills three roles: a shielder, an AoE healer, and cryo applicator. Her burst produces a small AoE that heals characters inside it while dealing a small amount of cryo damage and applies cryo on enemies within it - making it easier to trigger cryo reactions like Freeze and Superconduct while getting healed at the same time. The heal and shield she can produce boosts the team's survivability significantly. And since she's cryo, she can activate cryo elemental resonance with another (preferably DPS/Sub-DPS) cryo character that boost the party's crit rate by a significant amount.

Sucrose

Element: Catalyst

Weapon: Anemo

If you don't have powerful 5-star anemo characters that can do elemental resistance shreds and crowd control like Venti and Kazuha, Sucrose will be your reliable go-to 4-star character to cover that role. Her skill has a small AoE that deals anemo damage and swirls other reactions while her burst creates a mid-sized AoE that sucks enemies towards the center, swirling reactions. Like most anemo-support units, she'll perform significantly well with the full Viridescent Venerer set equipped.

Beidou

Element: Electro

Weapon: Claymore

Beidou is the only character that has the "counter" mechanic that just further establishes her character as an absolute badass. Players who can perform her "perfect counter" will enjoy flashy damage negation and devastating damage against the attacker, which is always quite a sight to see. Her cream of the crop is her powerful burst that decreases incoming damage while dealing/applying electro damage even when she's off field. At C1, this burst will also give her a shield. Like other 4-star characters in this list, her full potential is unleashed once she reaches C6.