Genshin Impact: Best Hydro Team Compositions Guide

Best Hydro team compositions Guide: When Genshin Impact debuted in September 2020, it was met with the unjust designation of a “Breath of the Wild clone” by many players and critics. Although there are undeniable similarities between the two titles, the distinctive features and gameplay mechanics present in Genshin Impact merit recognition.

Genshin Impact features a unique element-based combat system, characterized by the original elemental abilities and powers of its diverse characters. This aspect significantly diversifies the gameplay and enhances the complexity and depth of the game’s foundational systems, which may not be immediately evident.

The combat system in Genshin Impact comprises seven distinct elements, each capable of interacting with one another in unique and often destructive manners. While the system is straightforward to understand, achieving mastery over it presents a significant challenge. Among the various elements, Hydro is often overlooked; however, it boasts several powerful and effective characters worth considering.

Also read: Best Xianyun Team Compositions Guide in Genshin Impact

Best Hydro team compositions Guide

1. Furina

Rarity: 5-star
Weapon: Sword
Best Role: Off-field support

Furina, who has been highly anticipated, is now available for play following the release of the version 4.2 update in the Fontaine region. She has emerged as one of the most adaptable Hydro characters introduced to date. Her gameplay mechanics reveal a remarkable blend of off-field damage per second (DPS), healing, and support capabilities, establishing her as a notable enhancement to the character lineup. A key aspect of Furina’s design is her ability to alter her appearance and summon through a straightforward charged attack, providing players with the versatility to effortlessly transition between DPS and healing roles.

Her Elemental Burst grants a team-wide enhancement based on the percentage of HP gained and drained, exceeding the support potential of characters such as Kazuha. This versatile playstyle enables Furina to make substantial contributions to both offensive and supportive roles within the team, even in the absence of constellations. Additionally, her capacity to employ both Arkhe variants introduces an added dimension of utility during exploration and puzzle-solving, highlighting the complexity of her abilities. In summary, Furina emerges as a character that provides a novel and innovative approach to Hydro gameplay, establishing herself as the premier Hydro character to date.

2. Neuvillette

Rarity: 5-star
Weapon: Catalyst
Best Role: Main DPS

Neuvillette, recognized as the Iudex of Fontaine among his various responsibilities, plays a crucial role in the Fontaine Archon quest and wields significant power within the game’s narrative and mechanics. He is distinguished as an exceptional main DPS character, featuring a unique ability that enables him to hover and maneuver while executing his charged attacks. These charged attacks release a formidable water beam that inflicts substantial damage on any adversary in its trajectory. When optimized appropriately, Neuvillette is currently regarded as the premier Hydro DPS character, outshining Ayato and Tartaglia, due to his straightforward and user-friendly charged attack. This characteristic enhances the overall gameplay experience for players.

Furthermore, Neuvillette’s scaling with HP, along with his HP drain and self-healing abilities, allows him to take full advantage of Hydro Resonance. He integrates effortlessly into numerous team compositions that utilize various elemental reactions, rendering him a flexible option for players aiming to expand their character selections. Given these factors, Neuvillette stands out as a formidable and distinctive DPS character, providing a captivating and enjoyable gameplay experience that justifies his prominent position.

3. Sangonomiya Kokomi

Rarity: 5-star
Weapon: Catalyst
Best Role: Healer

Kokomi Sangonomiya, the head priestess of Watatsumi Island, is recognized in the narrative as the strategic mastermind who spearheaded the Resistance against the Inazuma Shogunate. Yet, among Hydro users, she embodies more than mere tactical prowess. Kokomi excels as a healer, adeptly applies Hydro abilities, and possesses relatively few vulnerabilities.

It is important to acknowledge that Kokomi is not entirely devoid of drawbacks. She possesses a passive ability that diminishes her critical hit rate in return for enhanced healing capabilities; thus, players should not anticipate utilizing Kokomi as a critical hit damage dealer in the near future. Nevertheless, Kokomi does exhibit some redeeming qualities through her passives and elemental burst. During her elemental burst, Nereid’s Ascension, both her healing and attack power are augmented in proportion to her HP, and her fourth passive further amplifies this effect based on her Healing Bonus.

Kokomi demonstrates exceptional proficiency in both support and healing capabilities, effectively combining the two roles. Her healing is intricately linked to the bake-kurage generated by her elemental skill, Kurage’s Oath, which not only restores health to nearby allies but also engages her adversaries.

4. Xingqiu

Rarity: 4-star
Weapon: Sword
Best Role: Support

Xingqiu is a remarkably adaptable 4-star character who has consistently been a key component in numerous teams, frequently serving as a substitute for 5-star characters. His Elemental Skill creates rain swords that encircle him, inflicting Hydro damage on adversaries while simultaneously offering a defensive mechanism: whenever the active character sustains damage, a rain sword will break, mitigating the damage incurred. Additionally, this skill enhances the character’s resistance to interruptions.

Her Elemental Burst represents a highly advantageous attack, bearing resemblance to Yelan’s burst. This ability summons rain swords that execute normal attacks on the active character. While the damage output of these attacks may not match that of Yelan’s, Xingqiu offers a more reliable application of Hydro. Additionally, his passive skill provides a minor healing effect to the active character upon the expiration of the rain swords.

As a 4-star character, he is also more accessible for obtaining constellations, which enables him to lower Hydro resistance on enemies affected by the swords, thereby enhancing damage output. Consequently, he is regarded as the premier 4-star Hydro character, owing to the utility and versatility he contributes to the team, along with the relative ease of his build.

5. Yelan

Rarity: 5-star
Weapon: Bow
Best Role: Sub-DPS & Support

Yelan, another character in the Hydro bow category alongside Childe, offers a unique play style. Her elemental skill provides a quick sprint feature, which allows players to navigate the game world more efficiently during exploration. In addition, this skill creates a string that Yelan can use to ensnare foes, applying Hydro damage and causing considerable damage.

In summary, her abilities significantly enhance the downtime of Main DPS characters. Notably, her Elemental Burst excels in delivering substantial Hydro damage when combined with an Active character’s normal attack, while also providing Hydro application. She is an excellent addition to various team compositions, particularly excelling in Vaporize and Bloom setups. To fully optimize her performance, acquiring a few constellations may be necessary to address her shortcomings, including energy regeneration and the somewhat erratic Hydro application from her burst.

6. Kamisato Ayato

Rarity: 5-star
Weapon: Sword
Best Role: DPS

Kamisato Ayato, introduced in version 2.6, has significantly altered the Hydro hierarchy, echoing the influence of Tartaglia’s release in version 1.1. As a natural DPS character, Ayato is recognized for his rapid and forceful attacks, making him a Hydro DPS character of exceptional caliber. Players of Genshin Impact can trust Kamisato Ayato to fulfill both DPS and support roles effectively.

The elemental skill of Kamisato Ayato allows him to deliver a series of quick Hydro slashes, along with an elemental burst that establishes an effective area of effect (AoE) beneficial for passive applications. Once he activates his Kamisato Art: Kyouka, he is capable of executing as many as 15 Hydro slashes, which replace his usual attack. This ability significantly enhances his attack damage and speed, in addition to producing an explosive illusion.

In terms of elemental bursts, Ayato summons a garden of purity that unleashes blades infused with Hydro damage, reminiscent of Ganyu’s elemental burst. Beyond the evident damage and Hydro application, Ayato’s burst enhances the normal attacks of all allies within the area. This feature enables Ayato to integrate seamlessly into any team composition that necessitates the Hydro element.

7. Tartaglia

Rarity: 5-star
Weapon: Bow
Best Role: DPS

Tartaglia, known as Childe and originally from Sheznaya, is a remarkable addition to any party in search of a Hydro main DPS character. He boasts formidable DPS capabilities, allowing players to opt for either Ayato or Childe, depending on their personal liking. His normal attacks are characterized by ranged bow shots, with the ability to perform as many as six consecutive strikes.

His Elemental Skill transforms every attack into a Hydro DMG strike, incorporating a remarkably potent Riptide effect. Tartaglia’s Elemental Burst, known as Havoc: Obliteration, can manifest in three distinct forms. The first, Flash of Havoc, involves launching an arrow infused with Hydro energy. The second, Light of Obliteration, delivers a powerful slash that inflicts significant Hydro DMG on all nearby foes, applying the Riptide effect to each target. Lastly, the Riptide Blast detonates enemies affected by the Riptide effect. Additionally, he proves to be a valuable contributor to reactions involving Dendro Elements.

8. Nilou

Rarity: 5-star
Weapon: Sword
Best Role: DPS & Sub DPS

Nilou, a graceful performer at the Zubayr Theater, has endeared herself to numerous admirers through her charming demeanor, active participation in the Archon quest, and distinctive gameplay approach. Her dedication to the art of dance is clearly reflected in her performances, and her fervor during the Archon quest serves as a source of motivation. In terms of gameplay, she offers a truly unique experience. As a sub-DPS character focused on Bloom reactions, she is capable of inflicting substantial area-of-effect damage through her Bountiful Cores, a special type of Dendro core she generates. Additionally, her second constellation provides a significant debuff to adversaries, diminishing their Hydro and Dendro resistance. Her Elemental Skill’s application allows for varied utilization strategies.

The unique skill of Nilou is marked by a critical limitation—she can only produce her Bountiful Cores when the team is formed with Dendro and Hydro characters. This situation can be advantageous yet also perilous, as the AoE damage from the cores can significantly harm foes, but it may endanger the team if a dedicated healer is not present. As a result, Nilou is classified as a niche character, given that the limited availability of Dendro units and suitable healers constrains her flexibility.

9. Mona

Rarity: 5-star
Weapon: Catalyst
Best Role: Support

Mona stands out as a peculiar character. As an astrologist, a valid profession in the Genshin Impact universe, she is known for her exceptional intellect and direct approach. Her straightforward nature is often met with disapproval from other astrologists, which results in her conducting the majority of her research alone. While her intellectual capabilities are significant, she is not particularly skilled in business, leading to frequent financial challenges.

She stands out as one of the four five-star Hydro characters within the game, showcasing impressive combat capabilities. Her standard attack, Ripple of Fate, sends forth water splashes towards enemies, akin to Barbara’s method, yet Mona’s impact is considerably more forceful than anything Barbara can unleash.

The Elemental Skill of Mona, known as Mirror Reflection of Doom, grants her the ability to confuse opponents by generating explosive Phantoms that cause substantial damage. Furthermore, with her Elemental Burst, Stellaris Phantasm, players can encase enemies in illusory bubbles, immobilizing them and exposing them to heightened damage.

10. Barbara

Rarity: 4-star
Weapon: Catalyst
Best Role: Healer

In the context of Genshin Impact’s storyline, Barbara holds the position of Deaconess at the Church of Favonius. Her role involves providing care and support to those in need, making her a beloved figure in Mondstadt. Many characters in the game highlight her inherent kindness and dedication, which extends beyond the Knights of Favonius to encompass the entire city. As Jean’s younger sister, Barbara is determined to assist her in every way she can.

Barbara does not excel in combat situations. Her basic attack consists of launching water droplets that cause moderate damage, even to the weakest adversaries. In terms of her Elemental Skill, she has the ability to generate a swirling water shield that provides healing over time for herself and her teammates. Players should keep in mind that this skill also inflicts a wet status on the active character, which can be somewhat troublesome if they are affected by another elemental force. Furthermore, the short range of this skill limits her Hydro application capabilities.

Although Barbara may not excel in offensive strength, she is far from being insignificant. Her Elemental Burst, called the Shining Miracle, is particularly beneficial as it promptly restores more than fifty percent of the party’s health.

Also read: Genshin Impact – Best Team Compositions For Lisa

11. Candace

Rarity: 4-star
Weapon: Polearm
Best Role: Support

Candace is one of the recent characters added in the Genshin Impact 3.1 update, focusing on Hydro abilities. As a support character, she contributes a diverse array of powerful skills to the team, making her a delightful choice for team compositions. Her most significant asset is her capability to enhance the Elemental Normal Attacks of her allies via her Elemental Burst. Furthermore, she features a robust shield and a parry system reminiscent of Beidou, which can effectively reduce damage and shield the team from threats. With her Elemental Burst, she can act as a valuable supplemental damage dealer, and at her sixth constellation, she becomes an exceptional off-field Sub-DPS.

On the other hand, she has several critical weaknesses that lead to other Hydro units receiving superior rankings. Her buff effectiveness is below the standard set by other characters, and her low Elemental Particle generation poses challenges in leveraging her Elemental Burst, which represents her greatest strength. Moreover, the Hydro infusion produced by her Elemental Burst can be counterproductive for certain team configurations.

12. Hydro Traveler

Rarity: 5-star
Weapon: Sword
Best Role: Sub-DPS

The Hydro Traveler, despite being a free character for players, may not satisfy the lofty expectations associated with some of the newly introduced Hydro characters. In comparison to their Dendro counterpart, who is a robust free-to-play alternative for other Dendro characters, the Hydro Traveler’s performance is inferior. While the Hydro Traveler is intended to serve as a Sub-DPS character, their limited damage modifier hinders their potential in this function.

Additional constellations of the Hydro Traveler do provide certain support abilities, rendering them a suitable team member for particular configurations, such as a Bloom team featuring characters like Nilou. While this arrangement allows the team to take advantage of Hydro resonance and some supportive skills, its effectiveness is somewhat restricted. This limitation arises mainly from the Hydro Traveler’s inadequate Hydro application capabilities in comparison to other characters, which reduces their overall utility.