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Ranging from charmingly cute Dendro slimes to the gargantuanly difficult Primo Geovishap, the player will never find themselves searching for too long for a new foe to fight. Nonetheless, with great levels of diversity found in Genshin Impact, there are a lot of opponents that are outright annoying to have to fight throughout Mondstadt and Liyue. That said, there are quite a few different strategies to learn that make fighting these opponents easier.

Updated on January 5, 2022, by Scott Vengel: As fans approach one of Genshin Impact’s most anticipated annual events, the Lantern Rite Festival, the game has picked up a lot of steam with its new additions and updates. Not only will the new characters of Shenhe and Yun Jin be introduced in the next update, but version 2.4 will also rerun three of the game’s most popular characters: Xiao, Ganyu, and Zhongli. That said, the Inazuma front has not been silent either. Leaks suggest that 2.5 will offer another return to the region, with leaks supporting the release of the much anticipated Yae Miko. With developments in Inazuma continuing to increase with each new update, this article has been updated to include some of Inazuma’s most annoying opponents.

15 Tartaglia

It may seem a little funny to start with a boss fight, but Tartaglia’s boss fight is legitimately tricky. The Eleventh Harbinger of the Fatui, Childe acts as the final boss fight of the Liyue parts of the storyline. This fight is marked by tricky fast-paced movements in the second part, heavy-hitting attacks in the third, and having to dodge whales in the first. It’s a very difficult situation for players that are only just getting to the thirties and forties in adventure rank.

If players are having trouble fighting Tartaglia, a few strategies can make the fight more manageable. Sticking close to the boss can make damage with swords, claymores, and polearms easier than risking being hit while charging a bow. Dodging will be the player’s biggest asset, so practicing the sprint function and memorizing Tartaglia’s attack patterns is key to making this fight easier.

14 Rifthounds

A new opponent found in Genshin Impact’s Inazuma region, Rifthounds have the potential to be very tedious opponents. Most prominently found on Tsurumi Island, Rifthounds come in either Electro or Geo variants. However, their most annoying feature is a unique status effect called Corrosion, which will eat at an entire team’s health regardless of shielding. This makes characters known for their shielding abilities, like Zhongli and Xinyan, effectively useless.

Instead, to best fight Rifthounds, players will want to bring a healer along instead of dodging damage with shields. That said, adult Rifthounds also have fairly high health for an overworld boss, making them all the more difficult to fight.

13 Mirror Maiden

Like the Rifthound, Mirror Maidens are often found in Inazuma. However, Mirror Maidens will appear all over the islands of Inazuma. These enemies have a proclivity to use some tricky attacks that restrict movement, which make them particularly difficult to fight.

Most notably, the Mirror Maiden has an attack that traps the player in a small sphere, followed quickly with a fairly high-damage Hydro attack. In order to fight Mirror Maidens in Genshin Impact, players will need to utilize quick reactions rather than continuous movement.

12 Perpetual Mechanical Array

In Inazuma, the Perpetual Mechanical Array may be one of the first overworld bosses that the player will encounter. Located in the underground of Araumi on Narukami Island, the Perpetual Mechanical Array isn’t particularly hard to find. However, the robotic boss is definitely difficult to fight, using highly defensive Ruin Sentinels to do its bidding.

The Perpetual Mechanical Array divides its boss fight into two phases: an Offensive phase during which the player can attack the Array and vice versa, and a Defensive phase, during which the Array becomes invulnerable and releases four Ruin Sentinels. The Ruin Sentinels can be tricky to fight, requiring a fast-moving player to avoid taking too much damage. That said, should the player down a specific Ruin Sentinel (marked by a circle surrounding it), the phase will end.

11 Kairagi

While Nobushi, the samurai opponents in Inazuma’s overworld, are particularly annoying in their own right, it’s the Kairagi that really take the cake for most annoying. Like their smaller counterparts, Kairagi share the same tricky movements that often bring them outside of the field character’s elemental burst radius and deal unexpectedly high damage.

However, what’s even more difficult is their infusion and placement: Kairagi come in either Electro or Pyro. More often than not, these two Kairagi spawn together, making for easy overload reactions that fling the player. And to make matters worse, when one Kairagi falls in battle, their partner enters the Avenger state, infusing them with their element and restoring their health. To avoid unnecessary damage, players are advised to avoid their elemental attacks and bring a character that can create a reaction with their element.

10 Specters

Like Rifthounds, Specters can be found on the outer islands of Inazuma. However, unlike Rifthounds, Specters can be particularly hard to hit: they are small, durable, and can fly. This makes them particularly difficult to handle for bow users, as both moving and small targets.

In addition, Specters will often enter a fury state, which will make the Specter grow in size and deal more damage. Once Specters enter the fury state they become very difficult to defeat, so players are advised to defeat them before they have the chance to fill their fury meters.

9 Whopperflowers

A common opponent found all around Teyvat, Whopperflowers have a habit of hiding where the player least expects. These pesky flowers are known for their annoying burrowing movements, as well as entering a charging phase protected by their respective element. Of course, it’s easy for players to avoid these pesky critters if they pay attention; notice that hidden Whopperflowers have a different icon than the standard one for picking up a sweet flower.

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Of course, it isn’t always possible to avoid Whopperflowers. Regardless, it’s easy to defeat them if their charging phases are interrupted by a strategically picked elemental attack, or by making them immobile with Anemo attacks like the Anemo Traveler or Jean’s skill.

8 Fatui Skirmishers

Slightly easier to fight than their Fatui Agent counterparts, Fatui Skirmishers are the basic Fatui opponent that can be found roaming Liyue and Dragonspine in great numbers. A common foe in the Spiral Abyss, these elemental specialists may not be difficult alone but can pack a punch when fighting in numbers. With a powered-up phase, shielded by their respective element, elemental mastery is a must-have for any Traveler looking to pick a fight with a Skirmisher.

When in doubt, players should target the Hydro Fatui Skirmisher first if present. The only Fatui opponent to have healing properties, these Skirmishers can single-handedly extend any fight longer than players would like. Luckily, the shields of a Hydro Skirmisher are easy to destroy with an Electro character like Keqing, or a Cryo character like Ganyu or Chongyun.

7 Fatui Agents

Fatui Agents are more difficult than the average Skirmisher, with Pyro attacks that are fast-paced. Lacking an elemental shield, all attacks against these will hit for standard damage. However there is a catch, the Agent’s invisibility can be difficult to handle and their ultimate attack can be heavy-hitting, with many consecutive hits in quick succession like Keqing’s elemental burst.

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Dealing with Fatui Agents can be difficult, but feasible with a few steps. If found near a body of water, then the process is simple for players; using either Jean or the Anemo Traveler’s elemental skill, pushing the Fatui Agents into the water could end their fight almost instantly. Of course, if combat is unavoidable, using Pyro, Cryo, Electro, or any other status element, will color the Agent’s silhouette during their invisible phase.

6 Oceanid

Found near Stone Gate to the West of Qingce Village, many players struggle with the Oceanid boss fight even late in the game. With illusions that hit hard and regenerate health quickly, as well as attacks that can drown some player character’s instantaneous, the Oceanid is perhaps the most difficult boss to fight at the current moment.

That said, if the player wants to ascend any Hydro character in the game, then the Oceanid is going to be a necessary evil. There is no easy way to beat the Oceanid, just pure grit and skill. However, the fight becomes a lot easier with a high-leveled Electro or Cryo character, and with a fine-tuned healer.

5 Abyss Mages

Granted, Abyss Mages are not especially difficult but they are a very annoying opponent to face when compared to others. With an elemental shield that takes significantly longer to break than that of the Fatui Skirmishers and a quick regeneration when it’s destroyed, these Mages are especially difficult early game.

Lucky for players, a fight with a group of Abyss Mages is infinitely easier with a calm and strategic mind. Targeting one mage at a time is essential for these fights, because it allows the player to defeat the mage before it has a chance to regenerate its shield.

4 Geovishaps

There are three types of Geovishaps in the game: Hatchlings, Adults, and the new boss, the Primo Geovishap. All are very difficult to defeat, perhaps the most difficult standard foe in the game, but Geovishap Hatchlings are by far the most common. Located in Liyue, these youthful foes boast rollie-pollie-like attacks with insane damage and burrowing movements like the Whopperflower.

Once again, there is no easy way to win a fight with a Geovishap of any kind. That said, shields are essential, knocking the opponent over during certain attacks. It’s during these periods that attacking is most effective, and the Traveler should target these times if they want any chance of survival without low HP.

3 Regisvines

The Cryo and the fiery Pyro Regisvine are bosses on the map that players will flock to if they have any Pyro or Cryo characters. With a rough set of patterns and quickly changing attacks, these foes are especially difficult for players just beginning the game.

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Luckily, fighting Regisvines becomes incredibly easy by identifying their weak points. Located at the root and around the plant’s corolla, hitting a Pyro and Cryo Regisvine’s weak point when activated (which the game will alert the player about) with a stronger element makes the vicious flower fall over for a brief time. During this time, attack damage increases heavily.

2 Ruin Hunters

Another of Liyue’s notoriously difficult over-world opponents, the Ruin Hunter is the quicker, more deadly cousin of the commonly found Ruin Guard. Though they may look similar, the Ruin Hunter is more tedious to deal with considering their difficult-to-target weak spots and tricky-to-dodge quick attacks.

For Ruin Hunters, although many players may think differently, their flying missile attack is the best time to strike; it’s during this time that their eye is easiest to target. Otherwise, learning the time for a Ruin Hunter’s attacks will make attacking with a ranged character between attacks easier.

1 Andrius

The Wolf of the North, Andrius is perhaps the most difficult boss fight in Genshin Impact so far. With both Cryo and Anemo immunity, lowering the wolf king’s HP proves a challenge for even veteran players.

With constant attacks from all angles in the second half of the fight, many players actively avoid this weekly boss. Nonetheless, with a strong Pyro or Electro character (preferably one with strong shielding abilities like Beidou), Andrius becomes less tricky to fight in solo mode. And of course, where all else fails, a good supply of boosters, food, and friends will do the trick.

Genshin Impact is available on mobile, PC, PS4, and PS5.

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