Genshin Impact is a game based entirely on teamwork and tactical gameplay. Every team of four complex characters has an intricate set of specialized tasks that each character excels in. DPS, or Damage Per Second, and healers get a lot of respect from the community. While some frown on supports as apparently mediocre characters, a good one is the lifeline of any DPS's damage output by setting up crowd attacks and elemental reactions.
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There are a lot of definitions for what a support character is, with many lumping other positions like enablers into the group. Generally speaking, the most inclusive way to define a support character is anyone who doesn't excel at DPS or healing.
Updated July 30th by Scott Vengel: After many months of waiting, fans have finally been given the chance to explore the island nation of Inazuma. Likewise, both the roster of diverse characters and the difficulty of opponents increased incrementally. As such, this article will update to include a few more support characters that have left an impression on gameplay. From Inazuma's Kamisato Ayaka to Mondstadt's own bard Venti, there is a lot of characters that shouldn't be overlooked as players enter the new region. Hopefully, players will find this guide helpful, as they look for the best support in Genshin Impact.
14 Lisa
Free characters are among the most common support types to be abandoned in the early game. However, this is a fatal mistake, as Lisa is among Genshin Impact's best support characters. Granted, her skills take some time to learn, but after fixing some common mistakes, she becomes a force to be reckoned with.
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Despite strong opinions from the community, Electro can make for some destructive elemental reactions like overload and superconduct. With Lisa's attacks and her burst which automatically applies Electro status in an area of effect, she makes for one of the best supports in Genshin Impact for overload reactions. And in the worst case, Lisa can also make for a strong DPS and sub-DPS with her lightning attacks.
13 Albedo
When it comes down to it, kill-zoning is a valuable skill for Genshin Impact support characters like Bennett and Diona. It's this very skill that Albedo specializes in, helping to down opponents by creating AoE zones rather than through direct attacks.
Albedo does this with his elemental skill, creating a zone that releases Geo energy. Combined with a Pyro, Cryo, Electro, or Hydro character, this makes for a perfect recipe for devastating damage and incredible shield production. And, Albedo's 4th ascension passive which increases team elemental mastery doesn't hurt either.
12 Venti
Crowd control makes for a fair niche area of support skills, however, Venti does show the strength of this skill in particular. Some in the community would even call Venti the best support character in Genshin Impact.
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With a burst that sucks opponents in and a skill that launches them in the air, moving the battle is Venti's specialty. In fact, the only concern for Venti is accidentally downing his foes, but few players will find this to be a true downside. For best results, players should pair Venti with a Pyro, Cryo, Electro, or Hydro enabler to boost swirl damage.
11 Ayaka
Few characters introduced with Inazuma have left quite the impression that Kamisato Ayaka has. One of the ruling siblings of the Yashiro Commission, Ayaka is better known for her Cryo DPS potential. However, for players that already have a good DPS, Ayaka can also double as a Cryo sub-DPS or support.
With a sprint that activates her Cryo infusion, Ayaka has perhaps the easiest access to Cryo in the game. This comes in addition to her crowd attacking elemental skill and burst, creating fierce winds of ice and snow. And, at the end of the day, Ayaka's natural strength is never a downside even as a support character.
10 Sucrose
The queen of elemental reactions herself, there are a lot of different builds that players can choose for Sucrose. Sucrose falls very uniquely into the support category because she uses skills that can work for crowd control and elemental reactions.
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Many in the community would disagree, however, saying that Sucrose has enough damage potential to qualify as a DPS. Nonetheless, a character that can be used for damage and support can still qualify as the latter, and Sucrose does both very well.
9 Traveler
The Traveler gets a lot of criticism, despite being the only free 5-star character in the game. People aren't particularly happy that the main character isn't a natural-born DPS character. In reality, the Traveler has a marvelous support build, with crowd-controlling bursts of air in Anemo form, barriers in Geo, and energy recharge boosts in Electro.
The Traveler also brings a level of fine-tuning that is not possible in other supports. The player can experiment with the Traveler because they can effectively be any element, changing elemental resonance over time to choose the best reactions for their playstyle.
8 Zhongli
The Geo Archon himself received a major buff in the 1.2 update to increase his damage potential, but that doesn't make Zhongli any less of a great support character. No other character in the game can compete with Zhongli's defensive capabilities after all.
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Zhongli's potential as a support is perhaps the most straightforward of all the characters on this list. With the best defensive capabilities in the game, he can take the brunt of enemy attacks while the skills of other characters are in recharge.
7 Barbara
Barbara is the idol of all Mondstadt, and everybody seems to love her (as the recent Hangout Event has made very clear). But when it comes to her own skills, she is mediocre in a few areas: her base healing components are rather low for a healer, she doesn't boast a huge amount of damage, and her skills often make her afflicted by wet status.
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That said, Barbara may shine the brightest as a support instead of a healer. Depending on what someone defines as a "support", Barbara would be more suitably called an enabler. Her attacks make the enemy wet, which is a major asset when coupled with a Cryo or Electro DPS character.
6 Diona
Everybody's favorite bartender is also an easy-to-use support. Diona makes enabling easy for the player by using a skill that homes in on the enemy to apply cold status.
This makes Diona a perfect enabler for frozen, superconduct, or melt reactions, maximizing the output of a mixed DPS team. Add this to a small, mobile model and passive healing properties, and the end result is a versatile character who can support the team in multiple ways.
5 Xingqiu
The bookworm Xingqiu is an A+ support character. With an elemental skill that creates rain swords around the character, Xingqiu can easily apply wet status to any enemy he meets.
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What makes Xingqiu an even better support is that his swords will transfer to anybody on the field, effectively making any player able to apply wet status. Creating a chain of elemental reactions with every elemental attack, Xingqiu elevates the normal attacks of Electro, Pyro, and Cryo characters to new heights.
4 Ningguang
The Tianquan of the Liyue Qixing is more often than not underappreciated among Genshin Impact support characters. Granted, her burst does make it easier to build her as more of an offensive character, but Ningguang's other assets give her the potential to create some of the most situational defenses for a tactically-minded player.
Ningguang's elemental skill, Jade Screen, creates a wall created from Geo energy. Opponents will find it impossible to get projectiles past this wall, making Ningguang the sworn enemy of all Hilichurl Archers. Couple this with Ningguang's passive talents and the player has a character that actively supports the entire team. Team composition-wise, player will find the results when pairing Ningguang with at least one other Geo character.
3 Jean
Jean is for the kinds of players who love throwing Hilichurls around with the Anemo Traveler's elemental skill. What makes Jean great is that her skill can be aimed much better than the Traveler's, making her a queen of crowd control.
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Furthermore, Jean offers more versatility than most other characters. Her burst makes her a top-tier healer, not to mention that she has potential as a DPS. Jean is a master of all trades, including as a support.
2 Noelle
To many, Noelle is like a free Zhongli. Her shielding is among the best in the game, making her the queen of all defensive characters.
More specifically, Noelle is a support healer, or a character that can complete minor crowd control/DPS tasks while providing healing in the meantime. Given this, Noelle is a support that can be built in a variety of ways, making it easy to fine-tune her to your team's exact needs.
1 Bennett
Jean may be a master of all trades, but Bennett is far more efficient than Jean is. 4-star constellations are easier to get than those for 5-star characters, so Bennett enjoys a lot of boosts that are impossible for the average 5-star owner.
Bennett is also a Pyro user, meaning that he can apply elemental status to opponents for reactions. Top of all, Bennett uses a very supportive elemental burst which heavily boosts team damage and offers minor healing.
NEXT: Genshin Impact: Mistakes Players Make When Using Chongyun
