Genshin Impact: Mastering Elemental Reactions for Beginner Teams

Welcome, Traveler! Embarking on your adventure in Teyvat can feel overwhelming, especially when faced with the complex world of elemental reactions in Genshin Impact. This guide is designed to help beginner players understand and utilize elemental reactions effectively, even with basic teams. Mastering these reactions is key to overcoming challenging enemies and progressing smoothly through the game. We'll break down the basics, offering practical advice for building effective teams and maximizing your damage output.

Understanding the Fundamentals of Elemental Reactions in Genshin Impact

Before diving into team compositions, let's first lay the groundwork. Elemental reactions are the core combat mechanic in Genshin Impact. They occur when you combine different elements (Pyro, Hydro, Cryo, Electro, Anemo, Geo, Dendro) to trigger powerful effects. These reactions can significantly boost your damage, apply status effects, or even control the battlefield. Understanding these fundamental interactions is crucial for success.

This game uses a system where elemental damage types are matched against each other. Knowing what works well with what is crucial for team building. A simple example is how Pyro (fire) vaporizes Hydro (water) for increased damage. We will delve into each reaction in detail later in this guide. But the key takeaway here is that understanding these interactions is vital for any player wanting to do more than just basic attacks.

Pyro Reactions: Burning Bright (Pyro Team Compositions)

Pyro, the fire element, is a popular choice for many beginners due to its high damage potential. The key Pyro reactions are:

• Overload (Pyro + Electro): Creates an explosion that deals AoE Electro damage. Great for crowd control but not the highest damage reaction.
• Burning (Pyro + Dendro): This reaction creates an area of effect of burning that does Pyro Damage over Time (DoT). This reaction requires Dendro reactions (new as of Sumeru update).
• Vaporize (Pyro + Hydro): A crucial reaction that deals significant Pyro damage. Aim for Pyro on the enemy then apply Hydro. This deals significantly more damage than simply applying Hydro and then Pyro.
• Melt (Pyro + Cryo): Another high-damage reaction that deals significant Pyro damage. Similar to Vaporize, applying Cryo then Pyro is best.

Building a Pyro team often involves a main DPS who uses Pyro attacks, supported by characters that trigger Vaporize or Melt reactions. Consider using a Hydro character for Vaporize or a Cryo character for Melt.

Hydro Reactions: The Wave of Power (Hydro Team Builds)

Hydro, the water element, is essential for triggering both Vaporize and Freeze reactions. The key Hydro reactions are:

• Vaporize (Hydro + Pyro): As mentioned above, this is a high-damage reaction. Applying Hydro first is less effective; Pyro first is better.
• Electro-Charged (Hydro + Electro): Deals AoE Electro damage. This reaction can be effective against multiple enemies, and is particularly useful in pairing with other Hydro reactions.
• Freeze (Hydro + Cryo): Freezes enemies, making them vulnerable to increased damage from physical attacks and other elemental reactions. This is a great way to control the battlefield and set up subsequent attacks.
• Bloom (Hydro + Dendro): Creates Dendro Cores. This reaction is unique and introduces Dendro's new mechanics. This allows for secondary damage later in the fight.

A common Hydro team composition includes a Hydro DPS character, a Cryo character for Freeze, and either a Pyro or Electro character for further reactions.

Cryo Reactions: Freezing the Battlefield (Cryo Character Synergies)

Cryo, the ice element, is excellent for crowd control and maximizing damage output. Its key reactions are:

• Freeze (Cryo + Hydro): As discussed earlier, this reaction freezes enemies. It's incredibly effective against single targets or smaller groups and allows for a higher damage output.
• Melt (Cryo + Pyro): A high-damage reaction that deals significant Pyro damage, but is dependent on Pyro application being second.
• Shatter (Cryo + Geo): Although low damage output, it serves as a method for AoE interruption of enemy attacks.

Cryo teams often focus on Freeze strategies, utilizing characters that can apply both Cryo and Hydro effectively.

Electro Reactions: Shocking Results (Electro Team Strategies)

Electro, the lightning element, offers a unique blend of damage and control. Its key reactions are:

• Overload (Electro + Pyro): Creates an explosion with AoE Electro damage. Although it doesn't do the highest damage, it's a great method for AoE crowd control.
• Electro-Charged (Electro + Hydro): Deals consistent AoE Electro damage.
• Superconduct (Electro + Cryo): Reduces enemy Physical RES, making them more vulnerable to physical attacks. This is incredibly useful against enemies with high physical defense.
• Aggravate (Electro + Dendro): Increases the damage of Dendro Cores.
• Quicken (Electro + Dendro): Increases the damage of other electro attacks.

Electro teams can be built around either high damage output from Electro-Charged or damage amplification via Superconduct.

Anemo Reactions: The Master of Control (Anemo Team Builds)

Anemo, the wind element, is unique because it doesn't directly deal elemental damage but instead enables powerful reactions with other elements. Its reactions include:

• Swirl (Anemo + any other element): Deals AoE damage of the swirled element and spreads it to other enemies. This is a strong crowd-control mechanism that can be used to create chained elemental reactions.

Anemo characters are often used as supports to spread elements and trigger reactions, making them highly versatile additions to any team.

Geo Reactions: The Foundation of Strength (Geo Character Compositions)

Geo, the earth element, focuses on creating defensive structures and triggering Crystallize. Its key reactions are:

• Crystallize (Geo + any other element): Creates elemental shields that absorb damage of the corresponding element. These shields offer a great defense mechanism, especially in the later stages of the game.

Geo characters are often used as supports or sub-DPS, providing both shielding and damage.

Dendro Reactions: The New Element of Growth

The newest element, Dendro, adds significant depth and complexity to the game. Its core reactions include:

• Burning (Dendro + Pyro): Creates a sustained area-of-effect burn.
• Bloom (Dendro + Hydro): Creates Dendro Cores.
• Quicken (Dendro + Electro): Increases the damage done to the enemy affected by this reaction.
• Aggravate (Dendro + Electro): Increases the damage from subsequent Electro reactions.
• Spread (Dendro + Anemo): Spreads Dendro damage to surrounding enemies.
• Hyperbloom (Dendro Core + Electro): Triggers a large Dendro explosion.

Understanding these reactions is crucial for mastering team compositions involving Dendro.

Building Your First Effective Team

Now that you understand the basics of elemental reactions, let's talk about building your first team. The key is synergy. Try to combine elements that trigger powerful reactions. A good starting point might be a team consisting of:

• Main DPS: A character with high damage potential in their chosen element.
• Sub-DPS: A character who can deal significant damage while triggering elemental reactions.
• Support: A character that provides buffs, heals, or crowd control.

Experiment with different team compositions to find what works best for you. There are no hard and fast rules, and the most fun is finding what works best with your play style.

Advanced Team Building Strategies and Character Synergies

As you progress, you'll want to refine your team compositions further. This involves understanding individual character kits, their constellations (obtained through gacha system), and weapon refinements. Certain characters synergize incredibly well together. Researching character guides and team compositions online can be invaluable.

Conclusion: Embrace the Elemental Power

Mastering elemental reactions in Genshin Impact is a journey, not a destination. By understanding the fundamentals and experimenting with different team compositions, you'll unlock the true potential of your characters and conquer even the toughest challenges. Remember to always refer to in-game descriptions and online resources to deepen your understanding. Happy adventuring, Traveler!