Best Pyro Characters in Genshin Impact, Ranked

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Reviewed by Ashley Johnson

There are so many characters in Genshin Impact that it can be overwhelming to decide which ones are worth wishing for. There are so many elements that add value to your current team, but Pyro is hands-down one of the most helpful. Whether you come across a torch puzzle while exploring or want to take advantage of powerful elemental reactions, you want to have at least one pyro character in your rotation.

With this in mind, we’re ranking the best Pyro characters in Genshin Impact. No matter your play style or how far you are in the story, there are plenty of options to fit your needs. We’ll rank the current Pyro characters, as well as their weapon type and the most useful role they’ll play in your team.

Let’s get started!

This list is primarily based on how helpful each character is in general teams. Depending on how you build your team, you may find that someone lower on the list is more helpful than characters higher up on the list. That’s perfectly fine — play to your preferred style and preferences.

I’ve ranked the Pyro characters below from worst to best. Without further ado, let’s crack on starting with #10!

#10 Amber (4* — Sub DPS)

First up on our list of best pyro characters in Genshin is the Outrider herself, Amber! Amber is one of the default party members and the first character you actually meet in-game (not including the traveler and Paimon). She is a bow user and incredibly handy to have while out exploring Teyvat.

Amber’s strengths lay in being easy to use for new players and drawing aggro from enemies with her elemental skill, Baron Bunny. Her elemental burst is also great for mobs, since it rains down fire arrows in an AOE. Unfortunately, it can be tricky to land her burst in the right spot and you may find yourself missing enemies frequently.

When building Amber, it’s important to prioritize her burst and Energy Recharge. That means setting her up with four-piece 5* Emblem of Severed Fate/Noblesse Oblige artifacts, or four-piece 4* Instructor artifacts. These will boost her burst damage and give you more control over enemy mobs.

You can also boost her Energy Recharge with weapon sub stats too. Her best weapon is the 5* bow Elegy for the End, but the 4* Favonius Warbow is also a good option. Some players have had huge success with their Amber builds, but we’ve ranked her this low for her overall lower damage and lower attack stat.

#9 Thoma (4* — Support)

Next up is the Problem Solver of Inazuma, the pyro polearm Thoma! What’s great about Thoma is that he has a fighting style you don’t see with other Genshin characters, and his elemental skill and burst both create a shield that scales off his HP. His utility as a support and ease of use earn him a higher spot.

Having a shield on your team is always a good idea (unless you’re facing husks), and Thoma’s not a bad choice for that. His shields also stack damage absorption from previous shields so you can refresh them and actually make them stronger in battle. In addition to shielding your party, at Constellation 6, Thoma also increases your party’s Normal, Charged, and Plunging Attacks. The drawback with Thoma is that his shields aren’t very strong and can easily be broken through.

The best artifacts to pair with Thoma are the two-piece 5* Emblem of Severed Fate and the two-piece 5* Tenacity of the Millelith. You can also swap out 4* The Exile if you haven’t unlocked the right domains yet. The main idea is to boost HP and Energy Recharge in order to maximize shield strength and bursts.

As with pretty much any polearm character, the best weapon for Thoma is going to be the 5* Staff of Homa. You can also give him the 4* polearm The Catch if you’re willing to do some fishing.

#8 Xinyan (4* — Support)

At number eight on the list, we have Genshin’s OG Rock n’ Roller! Xinyan may have a bit of a scary face, but she’s got a heart of gold and fire in her soul. Just like Thoma, Xinyan is another Pyro character ready to shield your party at a moment’s notice.

For this rocker’s elemental skill, she swings her weapon and creates a pyro shield which scales based on both her defense and the number of enemies she hits. That does make it kind of tricky to know how strong her shield is going to be if you miss some enemies. It’s also not great if you’re only facing off against one enemy at a time instead of a mob.

Once you’ve hit all your enemies with Xinyan’s skill, you can then blow them away with her burst. It creates a brief blast that deals both physical and Pyro damage.

Depending on what you want to use Xinyan for, you can prioritize either her shield or her burst. For a stronger shield, it’s a good idea to equip her with a two-piece 5* Husk of Opulent Dreams and a two-piece 5* Retracing Bolide to increase her defense and shield strength. For her burst, a four-piece 5* Emblem of Severed Fate is the way to go to boost her energy recharge.

The tricky thing with Xinyan is that you have to focus on multiple attributes while building her. She’s a fun character to play, but if you want a more efficient shield, there are plenty of better choices out there.

#7 Yanfei (DPS)

If you ever need a lawyer in Genshin Impact, you’ll definitely want to call up our next spot on the list. Yanfei is a powerful catalyst user who is fantastic for exploring and solving Pyro-related puzzles. On-command elemental attacks are always useful, even more so for Pyro.

Yanfei may not be the best Pyro character, but she’s a reliable mid-range fighter who deals high elemental damage. Her charged attacks even have a small AOE, which is helpful for dealing with enemy mobs. If you aren’t careful, though, you can deplete your stamina before you know it and end up not being able to dodge enemies when they get too close.

Despite her attacks being mid-range, make sure you get up close when using Yanfei’s elemental skill and burst attacks since their range is much shorter and likely to miss if you’re too far from the nearest enemy.

While building Yanfei, it’s best to focus on making the most of her elemental attacks and reactions. Equipping her with a four-piece 5* Crimson Witch of Flame artifact set will allow her to do high damage. The 4* set Martial Artist is a good alternative if you’re having trouble finding good 5* artifacts.

For weapons, the 5* Lost Prayer to the Sacred Winds catalyst will be most beneficial, but you can also use the 4-* Oathsworn Eye.

#6 Diluc (5* — DPS)

You didn’t think we forgot the Dark Knight Hero, did you? Sitting at number six on our list of best Pyro characters is the master of the Angel’s Share tavern, Diluc! The edgiest man in Monstadt is a 5* Pyro claymore user whose hair is as fiery as his temper.

Just like most claymore characters, Diluc’s attack speed isn’t the best. He makes up for it a little with his elemental skill, which can be used three times in quick succession. When you hit his cooldown, though, it can feel like he’s swinging his sword at a snail’s pace. It does help that his base Crit Rate rises as you ascend him, so even if he’s slow to hit, he’s more likely to make each one count.

Diluc’s elemental burst takes the form of a swooping phoenix that can knock back small enemies in a straight line and deals Pyro damage to all enemies in its path. Despite his powerful burst, you’re better off upping his Pyro damage rather than his Elemental Recharge. If you want to lean into him being a heavy hitter, you can also boost his attack stats.

His best artifacts are the 5* Crimson Witch of Flames and Gladiator’s Finale. You can either use two pieces from each set or go for a four-piece set, depending on how you want to play him. For a 4* alternative, Berserker also works.

#5 Klee (5* — DPS)

Taking the fifth on our list of best Pyro characters is Monstadt’s tiniest demolitions expert, Klee! She’s a Pyro catalyst user obsessed with things that go boom and is great for exploring the world of Teyvat. Having a Pyro catalyst user is handy for any and all Pyro-related needs, from elemental reactions to lighting cooking fires. She’s even helpful for mining ores!

Klee is an explosive character when used correctly (or sometimes incorrectly). She also has a high base damage. She can even knock back small enemies with her bomb attacks. Unfortunately, she can also be a little slow if you’re not used to jumping or dodging through her attack animations to cancel them. Getting stuck in her animations can leave you open to attacks from enemies and is just annoying in general.

For obvious reasons, you’ll want to focus on upping her Pyro damage, which means setting her up with four pieces of 5* Crimson Witch of Flames artifacts. Wanderer’s Troupe isn’t a bad set for her either, boosting her elemental mastery and elemental reaction damage. Resolution of the Sojourner is a decent 4* artifact alternative to up her attack and crit rate.

Klee’s best weapon is the 5* Lost Prayer to the Sacred Winds catalyst, which also boosts her crit rate. It also gives her a speed and elemental damage boost, which helps compensate for her long animations.

#4 Yoimiya (5* — DPS)

If you like bubbly personalities with a tendency for pyrotechnics, then our fourth pick is right up your alley. We’re talking about Yoimiya! As a Pyro bow user, Yoimya stands out thanks to her high single-hit potential and burst buff. It doesn’t hurt that her passive talent can also refund furnishing materials.

Yoimiya can be an incredibly handy character to have on your team. Her elemental skill grants her regular attacks Pyro damage for a short amount of time. The drawback is that she auto-targets enemies, so if you’re facing off against more than one, you might find her switching to another enemy before you’ve finished off the last one.

For artifacts, you can either go with four-piece 5-* Shimenawa’s Reminiscence or 5* Crimson Witch of Flames. If you want a 4* alternative, you can also equip her with the Martial Artist set.

The best time to use Yoimiya is when you’re against a single foe. She has high damage potential, but unfortunately doesn’t do well against mobs. Unlike other bow characters, you’ll want to focus more on her regular attacks rather than her charged. Bows like the 5* Thundering Pulse or the 4* Rust will be most helpful in that respect.

#3 Xiangling (4* — Sub DPS)

At number three on our list is Liyue’s best chef, Xiangling! Aside from Amber, Xiangling is the only other character on our list you can get without wishing. As long as you’re able to clear Floor 3 of the Spiral Abyss, you can get her for free.

Since she’s a free character, Xiangling is underestimated by a lot of players, but she can pack a surprising punch as a Sub DPS for any team needing some firepower. Her elemental skill summons her bear sidekick, Guoba, who spits fire at enemies and continuously deals Pyro damage. When paired with her spinning “Pyronado” burst, which stays on the field even after she’s switched out, Xiangling is not a character to take lightly.

When you ascend Xiangling and unlock her talent “Beware, It’s Super Hot!”, Guoba will even drop hot peppers that temporarily boost your party’s attack (super helpful for your main DPS!). Plus, her quick attacks and a lingering elemental burst make her a great addition to any team.

When building her, you’ll want to focus on upping either her Energy Recharge or her Pyro damage so you can really take advantage of her burst. That means her best artifacts are going to be a four-piece 5* artifact sets like Emblem of Severed Fate or Crimson Witch of Flame. The Exile is also a decent 4* substitute.

#2 Bennet (4* — Support)

Next up is the scrappy adventurer who is no stranger to our Genshin ranks, Bennet! This poor boy may not be the luckiest person in Monstadt or even the best Pyro character, but he is arguably the best support character in the game. He’s also a must-have if you want to build the best team possible.

Bennet’s burst hits enemies with a Pyro attack and creates a large inspiration field that heals party members up to 70% HP. It also boosts their attack if their HP is over 70% (after Constellation 1, attack is boosted at any HP percentage). Both his damage boost and healing scales with his HP. This damage buff is super useful to any team regardless of what elements you’re using.

Since most people want Bennet for his attack buff, it’s best to prioritize Energy Recharge when building your Benny. We recommend giving him the four-piece 5* Noblesse Oblige with high Energy Recharge sub stats. For a 4* alternative, you can also choose The Exile to directly boost his Energy Recharge.

For his weapon, you can really give him whatever you want, as long as it has a high base attack stat!

#1 Hu Tao (5* — DPS)

In the number one spot on our list of the best pyro characters in Genshin Impact is the Director of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, Hu Tao! It shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone that Hu Tao takes the top spot. Her unique character definitely makes her memorable, and her damage potential is absolutely insane.

Like most 5* characters, Hu Tao is a limited run character that’s incredibly powerful if you’re lucky enough to have her. The biggest downside is that her elemental burst drains HP. She can be high risk, high reward because of this. If you’re looking to build a strong Hu Tao team, you’ll want to add a strong shield support for her. Healers should be avoided unless you’re okay losing the damage boost from Hu Tao’s second passive, which only kicks in when she’s under 50% HP.

Even without getting super meta with her build, Hu Tao is still a high damage dealer and has some of the highest base stats in the game. You can also easily give her an extra boost with a four-piece 5* Crimson Witch of Flames or 4* Berserker set.

You’ll want to focus on increasing her HP and equip her with the 5* polearm the Staff of Homa. Her elemental skill damage scales based on her HP, and the Staff of Homa also boosts her attack based on her max HP. If you’ve ever seen someone popping off 200K damage in a single attack, there’s a solid chance they were playing Hu Tao.

Join the High Ground

That’s our guide for the best Pyro characters in Genshin Impact! Hopefully this gives you an idea of which Pyro character to add to your team and the basics on building them. Is there someone you would put higher or lower on the list? Let us know in the comments below, and don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter for more content like this.

Happy gaming!