Genshin Impact’s best standard 5-star characters, ranked

There are seven 5-star characters in Genshin Impact in the standard pool. Normally, you get them at random when you pull on banners, so it’s impossible to target a specific character. Still, it can be nice to know who’s worth building or who you should pick as your free anniversary 5-star. Here’s every standard 5-star character in Genshin Impact, ranked from best to worst.

1. Jean – Genshin’s best standard 5-star

Jean is Genshin Impact’s best standard 5-star character overall. She’s a potent healer, capable of topping off your entire team at once with a single input. Her Burst also provides healing over time to the active character. Jean’s healing capabilities synergize well with many of the newer Fontaine characters who have HP-draining aspects to their kits.

As an Anemo character, Jean can also equip the 4pc Viridescent Venerer artifact set. This set lowers enemies’ elemental RES when she triggers Swirl, making them weaker to the Swirled element. 

Jean’s Constellations are quite good, too. Her second Constellation buffs your team’s movement speed – useful for exploring Teyvat’s massive open world. Her fourth Constellation is a rare source of Anemo RES shred, which boosts your team’s Anemo DPS.

2. Tighnari – the strongest standard 5-star DPS

Tighnari is a 5-star Dendro Bow user who deals significant Dendro damage. Pair him with Electro teammates like Fischl for the best results. Tighnari has a unique Charged Shot playstyle whereby he casts his Skill, then aims three quick Charged Shots at his opponents. Each attack can trigger Spread, increasing Tighnari’s damage based on his Elemental Mastery. 

Furthermore, Tighnari’s Skill and Burst have very short 12-second cooldowns, allowing for extremely quick rotations and fun combos. Tighnari’s damage output and unique playstyle makes him the second-best standard 5-star in Genshin Impact.

All of Tighnari’s Constellations improve his damage capabilities to varying degrees. His sixth Constellation allows him to trigger Spread more often, significantly improving his damage. If you enjoy Tighnari’s playstyle, his Constellations are nice to have.

3. Keqing – a fun DPS option

Like Tighnari, Keqing is a damage dealer. The introduction of the Dendro element improved Keqing significantly, making her an agile Aggravate DPS. With proper Dendro teammates like Nahida, Baizhu, or Dendro Traveler, Keqing can use her Skill to dash into combat and overwhelm enemies with a flurry of Electro hits. Her Burst also deals multiple instances of Electro damage, and its flashy animation is one of my favorites in Genshin Impact.

Keqing’s Constellations modestly improve her damage. Her fourth and sixth Constellations provide the biggest damage increases. Keqing’s second Constellation was notoriously bugged for a long time, but the issue has been patched, and she should properly generate Energy now.

4. Diluc – the original Pyro DPS

Diluc was Genshin Impact’s very first 5-star Pyro DPS unit. While his damage is now overshadowed by newer Pyro units, Diluc is still viable against most enemies. His unique Skill and Normal Attack combos give his playstyle a certain rhythm that I find enjoyable. Diluc may not be the hardest-hitting Pyro DPS in Genshin Impact, but he’s still fun and reliable. 

Diluc’s Constellations are not very useful until C6. Constellations 2 and 4 in particular can be tricky to take advantage of. C6 Diluc improves his combo’s damage, but it’s hard to recommend Diluc’s Constellations in general.

5. Mona – good for screenshots

Mona is most notable for briefly granting a massive DMG buff with her Burst. Her off-field Hydro application may be limited, but Mona shines as a niche unit to enable screenshots with big numbers. Stack buffs with other supports, cast Mona’s Burst, swap to your DPS unit, and watch their damage skyrocket. This playstyle is incredibly impractical for most content, but it is a fun way to flex your favorite character’s damage capabilities.

Mona’s Constellations are not worth pulling. Her first Constellation is bugged and doesn’t actually increase Freeze duration. Constellation 4 is probably the best one, since it increases CRIT Rate against enemies affected by Mona’s Burst.

6. Dehya – a niche support

Dehya provides a mixed bag of defensive utility and off-field Pyro application. She absorbs some of the damage taken by her teammates, but without a healer, she can die in the process. She’s able to apply some off-field Pyro with her Skill, but Xiangling is better for this purpose. I only recommend playing Dehya if you need a source of off-field Pyro and Xiangling is unavailable.

Dehya’s Constellations improve her damage if you want to play her as an on-field DPS. C6 Dehya is capable of respectable damage, but many players find her Burst clunky to use. Try playing around with Dehya’s Burst before you commit to building her for damage.

7. Qiqi – good at healing, but not much else

Qiqi is a potent healer. That’s pretty much it. She’s good at keeping your team alive, but she can’t generate Energy, she can’t reliably apply Cryo, and she doesn’t have any innate team buffs. I only recommend using Qiqi if you have no other healer available. It’s unfortunate that Qiqi has so little utility, but there’s a reason she’s considered one of the worst characters in Genshin Impact.

Qiqi’s Constellation 6 is notable for reviving dead teammates – an ability only shared with one other character: Barbara. Still, it’s definitely not worth trying to obtain C6 Qiqi to unlock this effect.