In the fantasy open-world game Genshin Impact, the vast continent of Teyvat is home to seven elements that “flow and converge.” These elements affect and even constitute multiple aspects of the Traveler’s abilities and environment. From their current status and combat skills to the gods that each have their way of presiding over their nations.
Fire, water, wind, lightning, nature, frost, earth—it’s no secret that all Genshin Impact elements offer immersive and mysterious lore. But for starters, Travelers should know what exactly these elements are and how they can work to defeat enemies, maximize a party, and make powerful reactions. Or simply light up torches and sweep leaves.
With that, we curated a handy guide on Genshin Impact elements, elemental reactions, and elemental resonances for you.
Table of Contents
The Seven Elements
There are seven elements in Teyvat, which are Pyro, Hydro, Anemo, Electro, Dendro, Cryo, and Geo. Each of these Genshin Impact elements has their respective god or Archon and hence, an associated nation. Aside from Archons, some individuals possess the power to wield a specific element called a Vision. All playable characters in the game, except for the Traveler and the Archons, are Vision holders.
Pyro
Pyro (fire) is an element whose Archon is Murata, honored as the God of War. Not much is known about the Pyro Archon except that she is female and leads the nation of Natlan.
Aside from combat, pyro is used in a variety of in-game features such as lighting torches and stoves. This element is the most convenient to have when you’re traveling to Dragonspine due to the Sheer Cold mechanic in the region.
Hydro
Hydro (water) is an element whose Archon is the currently unnamed God of Justice. She is also female and presides over the region of Fontaine.
Hydro can easily apply a “wet status” to your character once you step on a puddle, swim in a body of water, or get soaked in the rain. 4-star Hydro catalyst user Barbara’s elemental skill also does the same to your party’s characters. While it does not deal any damage, it can be a bit tricky when combined with another reactive element.
Anemo
Anemo (wind) is an element whose Archon is Barbatos or the God of Freedom. The Anemo Archon is playable under the disguise of “tone-deaf bard” Venti, a 5-star Anemo bow user. Barbatos or Venti silently watches over his nation which is Mondstadt, the first unlocked region in Teyvat.
Anemo is also the first element the Traveler has resonated with and wielded. In some quests especially in Mondstadt, you can be asked to sweep a pile of leaves. This is an easy task as long as you have an Anemo character in your party.
Electro
Electro (lightning) is an element whose Archon is Beelzebul or the God of Eternity, more commonly known as Raiden Shogun. The Electro Archon is playable as a 5-star Electro polearm user. She openly rules over the city of Inazuma.
Applying the Electro status to your own characters outside combat can be difficult. A possible way to inflict Electro damage is through a lightning hit during thunderstorms. Also, in Inazuma specifically in Kannazuka, there are Thunder Sakura trees which can cause AoE Electro damage.
Dendro
Dendro (nature) is an element whose Archon is Kusanali or the God of Wisdom. Her domain is the currently locked region of Sumeru where the renowned Sumeru Academiia sits.
As of the 3.0 update, Baizhu, Tighnari, Collei, and the Traveller are the only Dendro characters in the game. Many more coming soon!
Cryo
Cryo (frost) is an element whose Archon is the Tsaritsa presiding over the nation of Snezhnaya. There is still no known information about the Archon other than she is female and leads the Fatui, a group of loyal diplomats. Most Snezhnayan characters serve as the main antagonists in-game.
Your character can be applied with a Cryo status even outside combat with a Mist Flower Corolla, a flower enclosed with ice. In general, once you’re affected by Cryo, your overall movement and attack speed will be reduced by 15%.
Geo
Geo (earth) is an element whose Archon is Morax or the God of Contracts. He used to rule the city of Liyue until he retired and adopted the persona of Zhongli, a playable 5-star Geo polearm user. He now works as a consultant for the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
Like Anemo, the Geo status will not have any effect to your characters. However, only in-game enemies like Geo slimes and and Geovishaps can inflict a Geo status as well as damage.
Elemental Reactions
Elemental Reactions are the effects of applying multiple elements on targeted enemies. Depending on which a certain element reacts with, reactions can multiply damage (DMG), decrease enemies’ resistance (RES), and even create a shield for the characters. They can also damage environments which can put both party members and enemies in danger.
Melt
A Melt reaction occurs when Pyro meets Cryo. For Reverse Melt, if you first apply Pyro on the enemy and Cryo triggers the reaction, it gives a 50% DMG Bonus. On the other hand, if Pyro is the triggering element, it gives a 100% DMG Bonus. This is the original Melt reaction.
Melt is recommended for players whose main Damage-per-Second (DPS) is a Pyro character like Diluc or Hu Tao. This reaction greatly amplifies your damage and is commonly used for showcasing your party’s damage potential.
Vaporize
A Vaporize reaction occurs when Pyro meets Hydro. For Reverse Vaporize, if you first apply Hydro on the enemy and Pyro triggers the reaction, it gives a 50% DMG Bonus. On the other hand, if Hydro triggers the reaction, it gives a 100% DMG Bonus. This is the original Vaporize.
Like Melt, Vaporize is another straightforward yet powerful reaction that will maximize your DPS potential. However, this works best if you have a Hydro main DPS like Tartaglia or a support like Mona.
Frozen
A Frozen reaction occurs when Hydro meets Cryo. There is no required order of application here since the reaction itself does not deal any damage. However, it makes enemies frozen or simply immovable for a short period of time. You can also inflict an additional Physical DMG called ”Shatter” when you hit frozen enemies with heavy attacks, which include claymore, plunging, and Geo-infused attacks. Explosions can also cause ”Shatter.”
Frozen is recommended for players who want to render enemies almost permanently immobile throughout combat. However, keep in mind that this reaction does not work with bosses like any of the Hypostases, Azhdaha, Dvalin, and even Childe. This can also be tricky especially when your characters are Wet and hit with Cryo attacks.
Superconduct
A Superconduct reaction occurs when Electro meets Cryo. There is no required order of application to create Superconduct. This reaction deals AoE Cryo DMG and reduces enemies’ Physical RES by 40% for 12 seconds.
This reaction is ideal for teams whose main Damage-per-Second (DPS) specializes on Physical DMG, like 5-star Cryo claymore user Eula and 4-star Electro claymore user Razor.
Overloaded
An Overloaded reaction occurs when Pyro meets Electro. This reaction causes an AoE explosion that deals Pyro DMG. With that, it can also knock back enemies, momentarily cancelling their attacks.
Overloaded is recommended for players who want to maximize their Electro and Pyro DPS together. This works best for Raiden Shogun or Fischl who can consistently apply Electro even when they’re off the field, and Klee or Yanfei who can continuously deal Pyro DMG. Just avoid being in contact with Electro and Pyro simultaneously as it can also send your character flying back and possibly taking fall DMG.
Electro-Charged
An Electro-Charged reaction occurs when Electro meets Hydro. While the order of the elements’ application does not matter, it’s better to apply the Wet status to the enemies first by using Hydro attacks or luring them near bodies of water. Once you hit at least one of them with an Electro-infused attack, Electro-Charged will deal continuous Electro DMG and spread the effects to nearby Wet opponents via electric currents.
This unique reaction is recommended for players who want to deal consistent Electro DMG with Hydro. It also keeps the Electro and Hydro status among enemies, which allow more reactions like Overloaded and Superconduct. Additionally, water can also be Electro-Charged the way grass can be Burning.
Swirl
A Swirl reaction occurs when Anemo meets Pyro, Cryo, Hydro, or Electro. This reaction spreads the elemental damage of the non-Anemo element it comes contact with to nearby opponents. For Swirl to occur, Anemo must be the triggering element. In addition, Swirl DMG should not be confused with that of elemental absorption, where Anemo skills with a relatively long duration can absorb Pyro, Cryo, Hydro, or Electro. This can deal two elemental DMG at a time, which are Anemo and the non-Anemo element absorbed.
Swirl is recommended especially for teams that utilize Anemo characters for crowd control like Venti, Sucrose, and Kazuha. If you take advantage of the elemental absorption mechanic, you can take down small enemies in no time!
Crystallize
A Crystallize reaction occurs when Geo meets Pyro, Cryo, Hydro, or Electro. This reaction does not have any effect on enemies. However, it creates an elemental shard or crystal which the character can get for a temporary Elemental Shield.
Crystallize is ideal if you have a Geo character in your party like Yun Jin or Arataki Itto but no shielder. Elemental shards created from Crystallize can also give a 35% Elemental DMG Bonus if you use a 4-piece Archaic Petra artifact set, which is good for support Ningguang.
Burning
A Burning reaction occurs when Pyro meets Dendro. Dendro objects include grass, shrubs, haystacks, wood, barrels, and even the characters themselves. This is why characters burn when they get too close to lit bonfires and torches such as those in Dragonspine. Once ignited with Pyro, Burning will deal continuous Pyro DMG.
This reaction is slightly difficult to use in your favor since you need to be fighting enemies on a grassland. And if you are, you will most likely also burn and deal damage to yourself along with your enemies. Burning grass can definitely drain the last HP of your enemies, though.
Catalyze
A Catalyze reaction occurs when Electro meets Dendro. Enemies inflicted with this combo are Quickened. When this enemy is once again hit by either Electro or Dendro, Aggravate or Spread occurs, respectively. Aggravate boosts the DMG of the Electro attack that causes it by adding a constant value that scales with the characters Level. Spread does the same, but boosts a Dendro attack instead. Spread recieves a greater boost than Aggravate.
Bloom
The Bloom reaction occurs when Hydro and Dendro react. Producing a green fruit called a Dendro Core. Only 5 Dendro Cores can exist at a time. Surpassing this limit will cause any existing Cores to explode and deal Dendro DMG to the enemy and travller alike. The same is true whenever a number of Cores have remained on field for around 6 seconds.
Bloom has a few other followup reactions, lets discuss them in detail.
Hyperbloom
When these Dendro Cores come into contact with Electro, they will transform into homing Sprawling Shots that also deal Dendro DMG.
Burgeon
On contact with Pyro, the Cores explode instantly, dealing greater AoE Dendro DMG.
This is a high risk/reward reaction since it does massive AoE DMG at the risk of greatly damaging the player.
Elemental Resonances
Elemental Resonances are effects from the synergies of the same or different elements present in the same party. These effects occur when there are at least two or four characters in a party.
Fervent Flames
The resonance Fervent Flames occurs when there are two Pyro characters in the same party. This reduces the duration of Cryo’s effects on a character by 40% and increases ATK by 25%.
This is a recommended resonance if you main a Pyro character and want to buff the ATK of all your party members. By far, this is the simplest yet one of the most beneficial resonances in-game since the effects do not require any condition.
Soothing Water
Soothing Water refers to a resonance wherein there are at least two Hydro characters in the same party. This reduces the duration of Pyro’s effects on a character by 40% and increases incoming healing by 30%.
This is a recommended resonance if you run a healer in your party like Kokomi or Qiqi and want to keep your HP to the maximum level during difficult boss fights.
Impetuous Winds
Impetuous Winds is a resonance wherein there are at least two Anemo characters in the same party. This reduces stamina consumption by 15%, increases movement speed by 10%, and reduces skill cooldown by 5%.
This is a recommended resonance if you want your characters to move faster or even glide longer. If you want to reach the Nameless Island in Mondstadt by gliding from Starsnatch Cliff, be sure to use this resonance together with the Outrider Amber.
High Voltage
High Voltage is a resonance which occurs when there are at least two Electro characters in the same party. This reduces the duration of Hydro’s effects on a character by 40%. In addition, Superconduct, Overloaded, and Electro-Charged reactions have a 100% chance to generate an Electro Elemental Particle with a cooldown of 5 seconds.
This is a recommended resonance if you want to spam your Electro characters’ Elemental Bursts, their Bursts require a lot of energy, or they lack in Energy Recharge.
Shattering Ice
Shattering Ice refers to a resonance in which there are at least two Cryo characters in the same party. This reduces the duration of Electro’s effects on a character by 40%. It also increases CRIT Rate against Frozen or Cryo-inflicted enemies by 15%.
This is a recommended resonance for players who just ran out of luck in rolling good CRIT Rate substats or main stat for a Circlet. If you’re still lacking in CRIT Rate, you can run a 4-piece Blizzard Strayer Artifact set for your Cryo characters like Aloy, Ganyu, and Shenhe.
Enduring Rock
The resonance Enduring Rock occurs when there are at least two Geo characters in the same party. This increases shield strength by 15%, damage dealt by 15%, and decreases enemies’ Geo resistance by 20% for 15 seconds once damaged. These effects apply to shield-protected characters only.
This is a recommended resonance for players who often use a shielder like Zhongli and Noelle or would like to maximize Crystallize reactions during combat.
Protective Canopy
Protective Canopy is a resonance which occurs when there are four unique elements in the same party. This increases the party members’ Elemental and Physical RES by 15%.
This is a recommended resonance if you want to maximize the elemental reactions you can make with four different elements. It also reduces the damage your characters take by providing resistance buffs.
Sprawling Greenery
Sprawling Greenery occurs when the player has two (or more) Dendro Characters in their party. The party enjoys a 50 point boost in Elemental Mastery, having the potential to gain a further 30 when triggering Dendro based reactions, and 20 more when followup reactions such as Burgeon, Aggravate, Hyperbloom or Spread are procced.
Conclusion
Which Genshin Impact element, elemental reaction, and elemental resonance do you think are the best or most overpowered (OP)? Comment down below your favorite combinations and even your damage output with these resonances and reactions! Let us know anything you want to add about these Genshin Impact elements.
We hope you enjoyed this guide on Genshin Impact elements, reactions, and resonances and found it helpful for your adventures in Teyvat! Thanks for reading this article!
