My Genshin Impact tier list for patch 6.5 Luna VI is finally finished, and the Nod-Krai meta has flipped half my old rankings. Linnea dropped, Zibai is still cracked, and a few of my old favorites quietly slipped a tier. Here’s what’s actually worth your primos right now.
Inside this guide:
- The full S-to-D tier breakdown with character tables
- Best Main DPS, Sub-DPS, and Support rankings split by role
- F2P 4-stars that are still meta in 2026
- Why Lunar-Crystallize teams broke my Abyss runs in a good way
- Real answers to the questions I keep seeing on Reddit
I’ve been playing since 1.0, cleared every Abyss rotation since Fontaine, and just finished testing Linnea across both Luna VI phases. So this isn’t theorycraft — it’s what I’m actually running.
Table of Contents
How I Ranked Every Character (My Honest Criteria)
I’m not gonna pretend my rankings come from some spreadsheet of damage formulas. They come from three things: how the character performs in Spiral Abyss Floor 12 right now, how flexible they are across team comps, and how much investment they need to be useful.
A character locked behind C2 and a signature weapon to be S-tier? They’re not S-tier on this list. I’m ranking C0 with craftable or 4-star weapons unless I specifically say otherwise. Bennett doesn’t suddenly drop because someone got him at C6 — he’s listed at the value he provides every single account.
I also separate roles. Furina sitting in the same column as Arlecchino makes no sense — one heals and amps team damage, the other shreds bosses. So you’ll see a combined tier list first, then dedicated tables for Main DPS, Sub-DPS/Support, and F2P 4-stars further down.
Full Genshin Impact Tier List (Patch 6.5 Luna VI)
This is the master table. I’ll break down the SS and S tiers in detail below, and then split into role-specific tables further down for clarity.
| Character | Tier | Element / Role | Why It’s Here |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linnea | SS | Geo / Sub-DPS Support | Geo RES shred, Lunar-Crystallize amp, team heal in one slot |
| Zibai | SS | Geo / Main DPS | Highest Geo damage ceiling in the game right now |
| Columbina | SS | Hydro / Lunar Enabler | Best Lunar reaction enabler, fits everywhere |
| Mavuika | SS | Pyro / Main DPS | Pyro Archon, still the gold standard for raw damage |
| Neuvillette | SS | Hydro / Main DPS | C0 hypercarry, dominant Floor 12 clear rate |
| Furina | SS | Hydro / Support-DPS | Damage amp plus heals plus personal DMG |
| Kazuha | SS | Anemo / Support | Grouping plus VV shred plus ATK buff, forever good |
| Bennett | SS | Pyro / Healer-Buffer | Six-star kit hidden in a 4-star body |
| Nahida | SS | Dendro / Support | Off-field Dendro app that enables half the meta |
| Flins | S | Electro / Main DPS | Cracked in Lunar-Charged comps with Ineffa |
| Arlecchino | S | Pyro / Main DPS | Best self-sufficient Pyro DPS, no Bennett needed |
| Skirk | S | Cryo / Main DPS | Replaces older Cryo DPS in Freeze and Melt teams |
| Varka | S | Anemo / Main DPS | Mondstadt Claymore that buffs the whole team |
| Lauma | S | Dendro / Lunar-Bloom Enabler | Best-in-slot for Nefer and Bloom comps |
| Nefer | S | Hydro / Lunar-Bloom DPS | Insane numbers when paired with Lauma |
| Alhaitham | S | Dendro / Main DPS | Hyperbloom and Spread workhorse |
| Yelan | S | Hydro / Sub-DPS | The 5-star Xingqiu, basically |
| Hu Tao | S | Pyro / Main DPS | Still top-tier Vape DPS for single targets |
| Raiden Shogun | S | Electro / Flex | Battery, sub-DPS, hypercarry — does it all |
| Xilonen | S | Geo / Support | Best DEF-shred support, fits Linnea teams perfectly |
| Zhongli | S | Geo / Shielder | Most reliable shield in the game, period |
| Xiangling | S | Pyro / Sub-DPS | Free 4-star that out-damages most 5-stars |
| Xingqiu | S | Hydro / Sub-DPS | Vape and Hyperbloom backbone, costs nothing |
| Wriothesley | A | Cryo / Main DPS | Solid Cryo carry, slightly outclassed by Skirk now |
| Cyno | A | Electro / Main DPS | Quickbloom king, still rips in Hyperbloom |
| Wanderer | A | Anemo / Main DPS | Air-based DPS, buffed nicely with Faruzan |
| Yae Miko | A | Electro / Sub-DPS | Off-field Electro that scales with crit |
| Lyney | A | Pyro / Main DPS | Charged-shot Pyro, great in mono-Pyro |
| Ayaka | A | Cryo / Main DPS | Freeze queen, still clears most content |
| Ineffa | A | Electro / Support | Lunar-Charged enabler for Flins |
| Aino | A | Cryo / Support | Newer 4-star, surprisingly useful for Lunar-Frozen |
| Sucrose | A | Anemo / Support | VV shred plus EM buff, post-6.5 buffs help a lot |
| Chevreuse | A | Pyro / Support | Overload teams suddenly relevant again |
| Citlali | A | Cryo / Support | Hydro and Pyro RES shred is rare and useful |
| Mualani | A | Hydro / Main DPS | Surge stacking, fun and strong |
| Kinich | A | Dendro / Main DPS | Niche but powerful with Mavuika |
| Ganyu | A | Cryo / Main DPS | Charged shots still hit hard in Melt teams |
| Tighnari | A | Dendro / Main DPS | Reliable Spread DPS, easier than Cyno |
| Ayato | A | Hydro / Main DPS | Solid alternative if you skipped Neuvillette |
| Diluc | B | Pyro / Main DPS | Has aged a lot, still works in Vape |
| Itto | B | Geo / Main DPS | Linnea pulls him up to A in Geo teams |
| Albedo | B | Geo / Sub-DPS | Off-field Geo, decent but eclipsed by newer kits |
| Eula | B | Physical / Main DPS | Niche, but the niche is fun |
| Klee | B | Pyro / Main DPS | Hard to play, decent in Vape |
| Yoimiya | B | Pyro / Main DPS | Single-target Pyro, struggles with crowds |
| Fischl | B | Electro / Sub-DPS | Still the best F2P Electro applier |
| Heizou | B | Anemo / Main DPS | Punchy 4-star, niche use |
| Kuki Shinobu | B | Electro / Hyperbloom | Best F2P Hyperbloom trigger |
| Diona | B | Cryo / Healer-Shielder | Cute, useful, slightly outdated |
| Rosaria | B | Cryo / Sub-DPS | Crit Rate buff is nice |
| Layla | B | Cryo / Shielder | Free shielder for Freeze and Cryo teams |
| Faruzan | B | Anemo / Support | Mandatory for Wanderer and Anemo DPS |
| Mika | B | Cryo / Support | Niche Physical buff support |
| Dehya | B | Pyro / Sub-DPS | Improved over patches, finally usable |
| Kaveh | C | Dendro / Sub-DPS | Pure Bloom enabler, very situational |
| Razor | C | Electro / Main DPS | Outdated kit, hard to recommend |
| Beidou | C | Electro / Sub-DPS | C6 saves her, otherwise meh |
| Ningguang | C | Geo / Main DPS | Replaced by literally every newer Geo unit |
| Jean | C | Anemo / Healer | Healer-only, Kazuha replaces her |
| Sayu | C | Anemo / Healer | Niche heal-bot |
| Yanfei | C | Pyro / Main DPS | Charged-attack Pyro, fragile |
| Yun Jin | C | Geo / Support | Itto-only, very narrow use |
| Kaeya | C | Cryo / Sub-DPS | Free, fine for early game |
| Barbara | C | Hydro / Healer | Replaced by basically every other healer |
| Gorou | C | Geo / Support | Itto-only support |
| Kirara | C | Dendro / Shielder | Cute, niche |
| Lisa | C | Electro / Sub-DPS | Free, decent in Aggravate, that’s about it |
| Amber | D | Pyro / Main DPS | Sorry Amber, you tried |
| Xinyan | D | Pyro / Sub-DPS | Buffed multiple times, still bottom |
| Aloy | D | Cryo / Main DPS | Free 5-star with no real role |
| Candace | D | Hydro / Sub-DPS | Niche infusion buffer |
| Dori | D | Electro / Support | Energy battery, otherwise nothing |
| Qiqi | D | Cryo / Healer | Healing only, no scaling, no synergy |
That’s the full breakdown. If your favorite is in C or D — build them anyway. Genshin lets you clear endgame with literally any unit if you put in the artifact farm. This is just where they sit on raw efficiency.
Why SS-Tier Is Suddenly Stacked With Nod-Krai Units
Three of my SS picks are from the last six months of releases, which is wild. Linnea, Zibai, and Columbina aren’t just strong — they redefined what supports and DPS are supposed to do.
Linnea drops 30% Geo RES, converts Hydro Crystallize into Lunar-Crystallize, heals the team off her DEF, and buffs Elemental Mastery. That’s four roles compressed into one character slot. I unbenched Itto purely because she made him relevant again.
Zibai is the kind of carry I haven’t seen since Hu Tao dropped. He hits Geo numbers no other DPS comes close to, and his rotation works with both Crystallize and Lunar-Crystallize. Pair him with Linnea and Illuga and you have one of the strongest teams in the game right now.
Columbina is the Lunar enabler. Hyperbloom, Burgeon, Lunar-Charged, Lunar-Crystallize — she fits every reaction-based team I’ve built since she dropped. And she only really needs HP. That’s it. Easiest 5-star to gear in years.
Older SS picks like Furina, Kazuha, Bennett, and Nahida earned their spots through pure longevity. They’ve been in 90%+ of Abyss clears for over a year, and there’s no reason to think that changes when 7.0 hits Snezhnaya either.
Best Main DPS Tier List (May 2026)
Main DPS units stay on-field, so I rank them by raw damage ceiling, ease of use, and how flexible their team comps are.
| Main DPS | Tier | Element | Best Team Archetype |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mavuika | SS | Pyro | Mono-Pyro, Lunar-Vape |
| Neuvillette | SS | Hydro | Hypercarry with Furina + Kazuha |
| Zibai | SS | Geo | Lunar-Crystallize with Linnea + Columbina |
| Arlecchino | S | Pyro | Mono-Pyro with Bennett + Kazuha |
| Hu Tao | S | Pyro | Vape with Xingqiu + Yelan |
| Skirk | S | Cryo | Freeze, Melt |
| Flins | S | Electro | Lunar-Charged with Ineffa |
| Nefer | S | Hydro | Lunar-Bloom with Lauma |
| Alhaitham | S | Dendro | Hyperbloom, Spread |
| Varka | S | Anemo | Anemo DMG, Swirl teams |
| Wriothesley | A | Cryo | Melt, Freeze |
| Cyno | A | Electro | Aggravate, Quickbloom |
| Lyney | A | Pyro | Mono-Pyro |
| Ayaka | A | Cryo | Freeze |
If you’re starting fresh and want to pick one main DPS to invest in for 2026, I’d point at Mavuika or Neuvillette. They’re the most future-proof. Zibai is incredible but locks you into the Geo Lunar-Crystallize niche.
Best Sub-DPS and Support Tier List (May 2026)
Supports age better than DPS in this game. Always. The four-stars from 1.x are still meta in 6.5, and that’s because their kits got designed before HoYo started being careful about power creep.
| Support / Sub-DPS | Tier | Element | Why You’d Run Them |
|---|---|---|---|
| Furina | SS | Hydro | Damage amp + heal + personal DMG |
| Kazuha | SS | Anemo | VV shred + grouping + buffs |
| Bennett | SS | Pyro | ATK buff + heal + battery |
| Nahida | SS | Dendro | Off-field Dendro app + EM buff |
| Linnea | SS | Geo | Geo RES shred + heal + Lunar-Crystallize buff |
| Columbina | SS | Hydro | Lunar reaction enabler |
| Xilonen | S | Geo | DEF shred for physical and Geo teams |
| Yelan | S | Hydro | Off-field Hydro app + ramping buff |
| Xingqiu | S | Hydro | Best F2P Hydro applier |
| Xiangling | S | Pyro | Off-field Pyro damage king |
| Lauma | S | Dendro | Lunar-Bloom enabler |
| Ineffa | A | Electro | Flins enabler, Lunar-Charged |
| Sucrose | A | Anemo | F2P VV shred + EM |
| Chevreuse | A | Pyro | Overload buff for Pyro/Electro |
| Citlali | A | Cryo | Pyro and Hydro RES shred |
| Faruzan | B | Anemo | Wanderer-mandatory |
| Fischl | B | Electro | Off-field Electro app for F2P |
| Kuki Shinobu | B | Electro | Best F2P Hyperbloom trigger |
F2P 4-Star Tier List That Still Carries in 2026
This is the table that matters most for new and returning players. You don’t need a single 5-star to clear 36 stars in Abyss. You need these.
| 4-Star | Tier | Role | F2P Acquisition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bennett | SS | Pyro Support | Standard banner / event reruns |
| Xiangling | SS | Pyro Sub-DPS | Free from Spiral Abyss Floor 3-3 |
| Xingqiu | SS | Hydro Sub-DPS | Standard banner / event reruns |
| Sucrose | S | Anemo Support | Standard banner / event reruns |
| Fischl | S | Electro Sub-DPS | Standard banner / Adventure Rank reward |
| Chevreuse | S | Pyro Support | Limited 4-star |
| Kuki Shinobu | S | Hyperbloom Trigger | Limited 4-star |
| Faruzan | A | Anemo Buffer | Limited 4-star |
| Yaoyao | A | Dendro Healer | Limited 4-star |
| Layla | A | Cryo Shielder | Limited 4-star |
| Lynette | A | Anemo Sub-DPS | Free from Fontaine quest |
| Diona | B | Cryo Healer | Standard banner |
| Rosaria | B | Cryo Sub-DPS | Standard banner |
| Heizou | B | Anemo DPS | Standard banner |
| Collei | B | Dendro Sub-DPS | Free event reward |
| Kaeya | C | Cryo Sub-DPS | Free starter |
| Barbara | C | Hydro Healer | Free starter |
| Lisa | C | Electro Sub-DPS | Free starter |
The National Team — Xiangling, Xingqiu, Bennett plus a flex slot like Sucrose or Kazuha — still clears Floor 12 with less investment than most premium 5-star comps. I tested it last week to make sure, and yeah, it works.
Linnea, Zibai, and the Lunar-Crystallize Wave I Got Caught In
I wasn’t planning to pull Linnea. I had Mavuika built, my National Team running, and I was saving for Nicole in 6.6.
Then I watched a friend run Zibai + Linnea + Illuga + Columbina and saw a 1.4 million damage hit on a Floor 12 boss. I caved and pulled. Got her at 78 wishes.
Here’s what I learned the hard way: Linnea is not a plug-and-play unit. Her DEF scaling means you’re farming a completely different artifact set than what you’ve been running on basically anyone else. I used my old Husk of Opulent Dreams pieces from when I built Albedo two years ago, which saved me a lot of resin pain.
The team rotation is also tight. You tap her Skill once, then mash it to feed Lumi for the big hit, swap to Columbina for Hydro, swap to Illuga for crit buffs, then Zibai dumps damage during the Lunar-Crystallize window. Miss the timing and your damage tanks 30%.
Once it clicked, though? It clicked hard. I went from 33 stars in Abyss to 36 in a single week. If you have Zibai, Linnea is the easiest “yes” since Furina dropped.
Three Big Tier Movements I Did Not See Coming
Tier lists shift with every patch, but a few movements in 6.5 surprised me.
- Itto jumping back into A-tier. I had Itto rotting in B-tier for over a year. Linnea’s Geo RES shred and Lunar-Crystallize support pulled him out of the meta graveyard. He’s not S-tier, but he’s playable again, which I never thought I’d say.
- Chevreuse climbing into A-tier supports. The 6.4 Overload buffs were huge. Pyro and Electro teams suddenly clear way faster than they used to, and Chevreuse went from “interesting 4-star” to a real meta pick.
- Wriothesley sliding to A-tier. Skirk’s release pushed him down. He’s still a great Cryo DPS, but Skirk’s kit is just cleaner and works in more team comps. If you have Wriothesley built, keep playing him — but if you’re choosing between them, Skirk is the better invest.
Genshin Impact Tier List FAQ
Should I pull Linnea if I don’t have Zibai?
Yes — but only if you have Navia, Itto, or even C6 Noelle. Linnea works with any Geo carry, not just Zibai. If you have zero Geo DPS and you’re not interested in building one, skip her and save for Nicole.
Is Linnea actually replacing Zhongli?
No. They do completely different things. Zhongli shields, Linnea heals and shreds RES. I run them together in some teams. The whole “Linnea is replacing Zhongli” panic on the forums is overblown.
Are 4-star characters like Xiangling and Bennett still meta in 2026?
Absolutely. Bennett is in 90%+ of Floor 12 clears. Xiangling’s Pyronado snapshots Bennett’s buff and out-damages most 5-star Pyro DPS. The National Team still works. F2P is not dead.
Is Mavuika or Neuvillette better right now?
Neuvillette has a higher solo carry ceiling and works at C0 with Prototype Amber. Mavuika has a stronger team buff and fits Lunar-Vape comps. If your account already has Furina and Kazuha, pick Neuvillette. If you want a Pyro hypercarry, Mavuika.
Will Linnea constellations be worth it?
C1 is a small DPS bump, C2 is a sizeable jump, but neither is mandatory. Save the wishes. Constellations on Linnea aren’t game-changing the way Raiden C2 or Nahida C2 are.
Can F2P teams still clear 36-star Spiral Abyss?
Yes, and I do it most rotations. Hyperbloom with Kuki, Xingqiu, and a Dendro unit clears one half. National Team clears the other. Total 5-star count needed: zero.
Is Bennett’s C6 still considered a downgrade?
Yes. C6 locks his attack infusion to Pyro, which destroys him for any team that needs a different infusion (like physical or Cryo carries). Stop at C5 if you can.
What’s the next big banner I should save for?
Nicole in 6.6 is shaping up to be huge based on leaks, and 7.0 brings Snezhnaya, which historically means a ton of meta-defining units. If you’ve already pulled in 6.5, start saving now.
The Short Version
If you take nothing else from this Genshin Impact tier list: build supports first, pick a carry your roster can actually enable, and don’t sleep on the 4-stars from the standard banner. Patch 6.5 Luna VI made the Geo and Lunar-Crystallize meta absolutely cracked, but the old guards — Bennett, Xiangling, Furina, Kazuha — are still the safest investments on your account.
I’ll update this list after Phase 2 wraps and once Nicole’s full kit drops in 6.6. Until then, happy pulling, and may your 50/50s be ever in your favor.