Elemental powers are common in the world of Genshin Impact, but only your character has the ability to swap between them. Each element grants you several types of talents, abilities, reactions, and passives that can have a major impact (pun intended) on your playstyle. There is a lot to unpack and break down in each element you can pick from, so if you're unsure which one you should be investing your time into, this elements guide will clear up any confusion.
Genshin Impact: Elements Guide
There are seven total elements in Genshin Impact with unique names but are all familiar to traditional elements in RPGs. These are:
- Anemo: Wind
- Cryo: Frost
- Dendro: Nature
- Electro: Lightning
- Geo: Earth
- Hydro: Water
- Pyro: Fire
At the moment, your character can only use and swap between Anemo and Geo, but the rest are expected to be added to the game over time. Your companions, however, can have some of these other elements to allow you to utilize their unique abilities and reactions in combat.
Anemo
The wind element is the first you will be introduced to in Genshin Impact. This style has two passive abilities and three combat talents, and generally has more utility for combat and creating reactions with other elements. Anemo's main ability is Swirl, which combines your wind with other elements in the area. For example, if your Swirl interacts with the Pyro element, it will deal fire damage to the target.
Your two passives are:
Slitting Wind - This ability buffs your final attack in a combo with wind energy to deal an additional 60% damage to any enemy within range.
Second Wind - Getting a kill with the Palm Vortex talent will give you 2% health regen for five seconds.
The combat talents are:
Foreign Ironwind- Boosts your normal combo to deal five hits, and your charged attack to hit twice with a wind damage buff while taking very little stamina.
Palm Vortex - Attack with a small ball of wind in your palm that deals damage and knocks back all enemies ahead of you, and can also react to any element in that range.
Gust Surge - Create a small tornado that slowly moves forward and sucks in enemies. If it hits any other element while moving, it will absorb it and deal additional damage, finally exploding when it finishes.
Geo
Geo, the Earth element, is more focused on defense and mobility, but can still give you some damage buffs. Where Geo really shines is in how effective it is, compared to the other elements, at breaking through shields, barriers, and environmental blockers you encounter while exploring Teyvat. Crystalize is Geo's equivalent to Anemo's Whirlwind. This reaction has two main functions: creating an elemental shield and debuffing enemy damage. Each strike you land while equipped with Geo has a chance of crystalizing the enemy, automatically reducing their magic power, as well as create shards that you can pick up with certain shield abilities to increase your defense.
Just like Anemo, Geo has two passives and three talents.
Geo's passives are:
- Shattered Darkrock - This is a simple two-second cooldown reduction on your Starfell Swords talent.
- Frenzied Rockslide - You will deal 60% AOE Geo damage to enemies on the final hit of your combos.
Geo's combat talents are:
- Foreign Rockblade - This is functionally identical to Foreign Ironwind, only your charged attack is buffed with Geo damage instead of Anemo.
- Starfell Sword - Call down an asteroid to land wherever you target, exploding in a big AOE. You can also use the asteroid as a platform after it lands to reach higher areas outside of combat.
- Wake of Earth - A wide range attack that knocks all enemies back, deals Geo damage and crystalizes all enemies it hits. A wall is also created you can use for cover.
Elemental Reactions
Even though you yourself can only wield two of the seven elements, that doesn't mean there won't be plenty of opportunities to combine or use other elements through your party members. Experimentation is key here, but there are plenty of reactions players have found between elements you should look to take advantage of when building your party.
- Burning - A DOT effect caused by Pyro attacks
- Electro-Charged - Shocks the enemy for electric DOT by combining Electro and Hydro damage on a target.
- Frozen - Freezes an enemy by hitting them first with Hyrdo and then Cryo damage.
- Melt - Deal a ton of damage by hitting a target with Cryo followed up by Pyro.
- Shattered - Hit an enemy with a heavy attack after they've been frozen to deal massive damage.
- Overloaded - Makes a massive Pyro AOE by combining it with Electro.
- Superconduct - The same as Overloaded, only instead of Pyro you combine Cryo and Electro to deal AOE damage and debuff enemies defense.
- Swirl - Mentioned in the Anemo section, this will amplify the range of any other element it comes in contact with.
- Vaporize - Extinguish a Pyro spell with Hydro for a ton of instant damage.
For more Genshin Impact guides, be sure to check out our Genshin Impact complete guide and walkthrough.
