Genshin Impact: How good were the Sumeru 5-star characters in version 3.x?

With Genshin Impact version 3.8 looming on the horizon, our time in Sumeru is coming to an end, and no new playable characters from the region are set to be released.

With that, it’s a good time for us to look back at all the characters added to the game in Sumeru and evaluate them against the rest of the roster from different regions.

Let’s start with the 5-stars of Sumeru, by order of release:

Dendro Traveler

Grade: B

Every time the Traveler steps into a new region, they gain new powers from that region’s paired element. In the case of Sumeru, the Traveler gained the ability to control Dendro and unleash its many powerful reactions.

Despite being Genshin Impact’s protagonist, the Traveler’s kits from the first three regions – Anemo from Mondstadt, Geo from Liyue, and Electro from Inazuma – have all been underwhelming. That changed with Sumeru, with the Dendro Traveler actually becoming a good character worth slotting into any team.

With how much the Dendro element has changed the metagame of Genshin Impact, the Traveler’s ability to trigger Dendro reactions was enough to make them a good character. The Dendro Traveler’s kit being geared towards driving reactions and acting as an energy battery is really just icing on the cake.

I’m sure many of us were happy to actually build up the Dendro Traveler to help our parties navigate the early stages of our adventures in Sumeru. And while better Dendro characters have since been released, the Dendro Traveler still has a good place in any Dendro team.

Here’s to hoping the Hydro, Pyro, and Cryo Traveler’s abilities can be as impactful in the future.

Tighnari

Grade: B

Tighnari was the first 5-star character players could pull for in Sumeru, being featured in the event banner of version 3.0 and getting added to the Standard Banner afterwards.

While most Standard Banner characters get a bad rep, Tighnari is among those few that some players would actually be happy losing the 50/50 to.

Obviously, one of the biggest reasons why Tighnari is a good character is because of his Dendro alignment, letting him take advantage of the powerful Dendro reactions.

That said, his quickswapping, Charged Attack-centric playstyle and Elemental Mastery scaling also makes him a solid DPS option at both high and low investment levels.

If I were to rank all of the DPS characters released during the Sumeru versions, I’d say Tighnari would be right in the middle of the list.

While other characters can outshine him in terms of damage output or ease of use, you can’t go wrong with having Tighnari leading your party.

Cyno

Grade: B

Cyno is unlike most other Genshin Impact characters in that his kit seems to have been designed with endgame content, like the Spiral Abyss, in mind.

His burst, which can last up to a whopping 18 seconds, isn’t really meant to be used against Overworld enemies that die in a hit or two.

Instead, the General Mahamatra is built for slugging it out against the toughest of opponents.

While that makes him perfect for the Spiral Abyss, that does mean you’re really only making good use of him there.

Don’t get me wrong, Cyno is a very strong DPS when built and utilised correctly, especially in teams where he can make use of the Aggravate and Hyperbloom reactions. However, the fact he really only shines in endgame content is a knock against him. Other characters with similar damage output can still thrive in the Overworld after all.

While we did grade Cyno with a B, that’s just for his gameplay.

If we’re rating him as a character, then he’s solidly in S-tier. I mean, he’s someone who takes his work very seriously but still has a funny side to him that loves cracking corny dad jokes and gushing over Genius Invokation TCG. What’s not to love?

Nilou

Grade: A

Nilou is arguably the most niche character in Genshin Impact, with a kit that can only work in a team built on driving the Bloom reaction.

That said, Nilou is very, very good at what she does that you wouldn’t really mind the restrictions she comes with.

As the dancing queen of Blooms, Nilou excels at dealing with mobs of enemies that lets her create tons of her supercharged Dendro Cores, though she’s still great against single targets.

And since Nilou’s buffs to Dendro Cores scale off her Max HP, she’s much easier to build compared to most other characters. Just get HP-boosting artifact set bonuses, HP% main stats, and you’re good to go.

While her team building restrictions can be unappealing to some, the fact that you won’t have to grind artifacts pretty much cancels it out.

You would think that a niche character can’t be that good because of their lack of versatility, but Nilou is just so good at what she does that she can still be a meta character regardless.

Nahida

Grade: S

The Archons are (almost) always the strongest characters of their respective elements, and Nahida is no exception.

Whether she’s your on-field Main DPS or off-field support, she enables Dendro teams like no other and has firmly cemented herself atop the metagame, as fitting for the God of Wisdom.

Nahida just brings so much to the table. As a Catalyst user, her Dendro-infused normal attacks are enough to drive reactions even if she’s the only Dendro character in your party.

The linking mechanic of her skill also lets her deal with mobs of enemies with relative ease, even if they are scattered across the opposing ends of the battlefield.

Nahida’s utility and damage scaling off her Elemental Mastery also makes her fairly easy to build up, requiring lower investment to shine compared to most other characters.

Really, I could go on and on about Nahida’s powerful kit and great characterisation.

Our beloved divine radish is the only 5-star in this list that we’re giving an ‘S’ grade to, and it’s a no-brainer decision.

There are very few characters in Genshin Impact that we can consider a ‘must-pull’, and Nahida is definitely one of them.

Wanderer (or whatever you called him)

Grade: A

Our favourite Fatui Harbinger-turned-Hat Guy was one of the better 5-stars released during the game’s Sumeru versions, even if his Anemo alignment prevents him from being a part of the strong Dendro meta.

The Wanderer’s kit boasts both fast attacks and hard hits, which makes him a strong pick for your party’s Main DPS.

While most other DPS characters rely on some form of elemental reaction to reach their full damage potential, the Wanderer isn’t as restricted.

His skill’s unique elemental absorption mechanic means he doesn’t need highly-contested supports to be effective, though he does shine with them.

While a character’s ease of use in the Overworld is rarely considered a strength, the Wanderer’s ability to quickly fly through or across obstacles other characters would dread going through is just another plus.

Besides, who doesn’t love a cocky villain-turned-reluctant party member?

Alhaitham

Grade: A

No matter how many times Alhaitham says he’s merely a ‘feeble scholar’, he is undeniably one of the strongest DPS characters in the game, bringing both brains and brawn to the battlefield.

While Alhaitham’s Dendro alignment is enough to make him good, his ability to consistently drive reactions with his barrage of Dendro-infused attacks makes him a great driver for reactions.

Of course, his personal damage output is nothing to scoff at either.

If you haven’t tried it already, we recommend fielding Alhaitham in a Hyperbloom team, which has quickly become one of the strongest compositions in the current metagame.

If there’s one thing that we can say is a knock against Alhaitham, it is his lack of versatility. His kit is fully tailored towards being a Main DPS, so you won’t get good use out of him if you’re not giving him field time and the right supports.

In any case, this Dendro husbando is definitely worth the Primogems you spend for him.

Alhaitham should remain one of the strongest main DPS characters in the game, even when the meta no longer favours Dendro.

Dehya

Grade: D

We’re not gonna lie, HoYoverse really did Dehya dirty.

She became a fan-favourite character as a headstrong mercenary with a gentle heart, so much so that Chinese Genshin Impact fans even started a charity drive after becoming inspired by her character teaser trailer.

But man, Dehya’s kit really does not do her character any justice.

Her damage reduction mechanic is simply inferior when compared to running dedicated shielders or healers. Not only that, her burst not synergising with that of Yelan or Xingqiu severely limits her damage potential.

We won’t deny that there was a clear idea for how Dehya’s kit would work, but man was it executed so poorly.

With sadness in our hearts, we give Dehya the only ‘D’ grade in this list.

While it may be futile to hope for a rework to make her competent, the best ‘buff’ we can hope for Dehya are future characters to be released that can somehow work with her kit.

Special (non-Sumeru) mention

Baizhu

Grade: A

While Liyue’s resident doctor isn’t exactly a Sumeru character, we’re still including Baizhu in this list because he was released during a Sumeru version. He’s Dendro aligned too, so it still checks out.

It’s only fitting that Baizhu is a doctor, as his arrival was basically what Dendro needed: a healer AND a shielder that also buffs Dendro reactions. Baizhu is just what the doctor ordered.

Sure, Baizhu’s healing and shielding aren’t quite as strong when compared to other characters who are dedicated to either role, but his ability to fulfil all those needs by himself is a game-changer.

Some of the best characters in Genshin Impact earned their title for their versatility, and Baizhu can definitely count himself among them.

Genshin Impact is currently in the second half of version 3.7, which will run until 4 July, with version 3.8 coming out the next day on 5 July.

Meanwhile, the highly-anticipated release of Fontaine in Genshin Impact version 4.0 will be in mid-August.

But more than just adding a new region, version 4.0 will also add a new dimension to Genshin Impact's gameplay by introducing underwater exploration and combat!

While we're definitely excited for version 3.8, we're also looking forward to the release of version 4.0 and Fontaine.

Yan Ku is a full-time dog parent, part-time (gacha) gamer, and part-time writer.

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