Highlights
- With a large cast of sword-wielding characters in Genshin Impact, some stand out as worth building, like Jean and Kamisato Ayato, who offer a mix of support and damage.
- Kuki Shinobu shines as a healer and DPS with the Hyperbloom mechanic, but may not be as useful for other teams that require different roles.
- The Traveler, Alhaitham, Keqing, Xingqiu, Ayaka, Bennett, and Kazuha all have unique strengths and abilities that make them valuable additions to any team in terms of versatility and damage output.
Out of all the weapon types in Genshin Impact, the sword has the largest cast of characters, coming in at 17 swordsmen so far. More sword-wielders are sure to come as Hoyoverse continues to develop the game, and when they do, they'll have to compete with all the amazing characters that already exist. Needless to say, that competition is already pretty big.
With such a large cast, some characters are bound to stand above the rest. This list will help you to know which sword characters are worth building, so you can know who is best for your account.
10 Jean
Starting this list is the Acting Grandmaster of the Knights of Favonius herself. Jean is a great mix of support and damage, giving you the freedom to build her however you want. Her Elemental Burst is an AOE instance of damage, and it will heal your entire party to full health.
The most fun part of her design is her Elemental Skill, which will let you launch opponents. It only works on smaller enemies, but it's always hilarious to send a hilichurl flying. She is, unfortunately, a standard character, so she'll never have her own rate-up banner.
9 Kamisato Ayato
If you want consistency, a character you can default to when you can't decide, then Ayato is a reliable choice that won't let you down. With a skill that gives him Hydro infusion, he is also able to deal great damage while activating reactions and off-field effects.
Because his main source of damage is from his skill, he does have a cooldown you'll need to play around. There will be moments he can't do much, but as long as your character rotations are good, it won't happen that often.
8 Kuki Shinobu
When Sumeru released in patch 3.0 with the introduction of the Dendro element, a few unpopular characters found new life in the new mechanics, and Kuki was one of them. The reason is Hyperbloom. By triggering Hyperbloom, Kuki effectively becomes both the healer and the DPS of the party. You only need to increase her level and build Elemental Mastery.
That being said, Kuki doesn't do much for other teams. Very rarely will you need just healing from a character, and there are better off-field Electro appliers. However, Hyperbloom is the strongest team in the game currently.
7 Traveler
You can't talk about sword users without the Traveler. The twins are by far the most versatile characters in the game for the sole fact that they can change elements, and your options will only grow as the game progresses. A Dendro main character is a great choice for consistent Dendro application and has seen much success since Sumeru was released.
If the Traveler had higher stats and multipliers typical of other 5-star characters, they would probably be much more widely used. Unfortunately, that's not the case, but what they lack in damage, they usually make up for in utility.
6 Alhaitham
If you want a hard-hitting Dendro DPS, Alhaitham is one of the best out there, boasting great attack multipliers, mobility, and range. His Elemental Skill creates mirrors that attack enemies as he does, allowing you to target the opponent you're next to and those behind them at the same time. With the Spread reaction, his already great numbers get even higher.
All that power does come with a drawback, however. His cooldowns are long, and his effects go away when he's swapped out. To make the most of Alhaitham, your character rotations need to be very precise.
5 Keqing
When it comes to play style, Keqing is similar to Alhaitham in many ways, to the point where their animations are even comparable. She's able to teleport, do AOE attacks, and infuse her basic attacks like Alhaitham, except she is Electro. With the Aggravate reaction, her damage numbers can be just as high.
The biggest difference is that Keqing allows you more freedom since her cooldowns aren't as long, meaning you can swap whenever you want. She also may be harder to build since she's a more traditional DPS but still wants a good amount of Elemental Mastery.
4 Xingqiu
When it comes to Hydro application, no one can beat Xingqiu. Since the launch of Genshin Impact, he's been known as one of the best sub-DPS in the game because he can do Hydro damage off-field, increasing your active character's power and reactions. His abilities also provide a decent amount of defense and healing, so you have space in your party for other characters.
Of course, he can't replace a dedicated healer or shielder, but with the right character combos, you can cover those weaknesses. With a great mixture of support and damage, Xingqiu is one of the best-designed characters in the game.
3 Kamisato Ayaka
When it comes to character popularity, Ayaka is a clear front-runner. Due to leaks before the game's launch, she was the most anticipated character to release, and for good reason. Ayaka is the best Cryo DPS in the game, having great range and great damage multipliers. She's also one of the few characters to have an alternate sprint.
Her Elemental Burst is incredibly strong as well, literally blowing enemies away if they aren't frozen, which could be a problem if they go too far away. However, wIth its high energy cost, you may have trouble building it in the first place.
2 Bennett
Some say Bennett is the true Pyro archon given his powerful kit and his flexibility to be put in any team. With a mix of support and healing, Bennett can double any team's damage, providing up to at least 700 extra points of Attack to anyone affected by his Elemental Burst. With a little investment, you can have that buff indefinitely.
Bennett's only downside is in his sixth Constellation, which adds Pyro infusion to the buff and can make doing certain reactions harder. However, that is completely optional, so you can choose whether to activate it.
1 Kazuha
Crowd control, damage buffing, high uptime, Kazuha has it all. The wandering swordsman from Inazuma is by far one of the most useful characters in the game. His abilities allow him to increase the party's elemental damage, gather enemies into one spot, and do AOE damage himself. With the Viridiscent Veneerer artifact set, he can also debuff enemies.
Kazuha is the complete package when it comes to support. The only thing he can't do is heal, but if the enemies are dead, do you really need a healer?