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However, despite the general mechanics of the game, Genshin Impact utilizes HP values to scale some characters’ kits more significantly than just for survivability. Numerous main-DPS-focused characters, such as Ayato or Hu Tao, require a higher HP value than the ATK value to reach their peak potential. This list only features 5-star characters with one exception, Beidou, as these characters tend to have higher base values than their four-star counterparts.
Note: All characters are listed with level 1 and level 90 base-attack stats.
15 Shenhe (1011/12992)
Shenhe is a powerful Cryo Polearm character from Liyue who provides a potent mix of both high-level support and sustained DPS. Her signature elemental skill, Icy Quill, applies a stacking Cryo damage buff to nearby teammates, significantly increasing their overall damage output.
Although Shenhe has great base stat values both in HP and ATK that could be well-utilized on-field, she is generally considered a support character who mostly stays off-field. Her Icy Quill ability adds more damage if more than one opponent is hit, doubling the modifier for both enemies. This also makes Shenhe quite a niche character with specific team composition.
14 Beidou (1094/13049)
Beidou stands out amongst the rest as the only 4-star character on this list, which is only fitting considering her immense strength and her position as captain of The Crux - a renowned crew in Liyue. Her power and reputation make her a truly unique and remarkable character.
In terms of gameplay, Beidou’s high HP value is incredibly beneficial and makes perfect sense, as her shield - whether generated by holding her Elemental Skill or otherwise Elemental Burst, if players have unlocked her first constellation - both scale with her HP.
13 Tartaglia (1020/13103)
Tartaglia, also known as Childe, is one of the best Hydro DPS characters to date, boasting impressive HP scalability and sheer ATK power. His mastery of almost every weapon is legendary, and he is said to use the one he is worst at for training purposes.
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He is a truly unique character due to his ability to swap between melee and long-range combat, thanks to his Elemental Skill, which transforms his bow. This makes Tartaglia one of the most tactically flexible and versatile characters in the game, with his high HP scaling providing exceptional survivability in either style of play.
12 Keqing (1020/13103)
Surprisingly, Keqing is also one of the most potent DPS characters in Genshin Impact, sharing the same base HP stats as Childe. Since the release of the Sumeru update, which introduced Dendro Reactions, Keqing’s popularity has skyrocketed, as this update has made Electro a much more viable option than before and has further enhanced Keqing’s appeal. Despite being one of the oldest characters in Genshin Impact, Keqing is now more popular than ever.
Although Keqing’s fast-paced melee gameplay style does not directly benefit from HP scaling, her high HP can help to reduce gaps in her gameplay as she could otherwise need to dodge more often and ensure she does significant damage in each moment.
11 Eula (1029/13225)
Eula makes for one of the most suitable physical DPS characters. Alongside being one of the best heavy hitters with her normal attacks as well, and her Elemental Burst is well-known as the biggest single hit up to date, Eula also makes an appearance for one of the sturdiest characters in Genshin Impact.
Overall, Eula is an incredibly well-rounded DPS character with high ATK and HP, and she can make up for her lower DEF value by stacking her Elemental Skill. Despite the current meta in Genshin Impact not favoring her play style, Eula remains one of the strongest characters when used with the right team composition.
10 Albedo (1029/13225)
Another surprisingly powerful character when it comes to HP value is Albedo. As he scales with his high DEF value, the addition of a high HP value makes him one of the toughest characters in the game, and he can further bolster his defenses by using his Crystallize reaction to generate a protective shield. This makes him an incredibly resilient character, capable of withstanding even the strongest of attacks.
Additionally, this high HP provides more than simply survivability. Up until his signature weapon, the Cinnabar Spindle, became available, Harbinger of Dawn was deemed one of Albedo’s best weapons. Generally, having a high HP ensured the passive effect of the weapon stayed active, thereby increasing Albedo’s overall strength.
9 Kaedehara Kazuha (1039/13225)
Kaedehara Kazuha is widely regarded as one of the most powerful support characters in Genshin Impact. This Anemo sword user gives teams an incredible boost with its endless array of support abilities, including buffing the team’s Elemental DMG, debuffing enemies’ resistance, crowd-control, consistent Swirl, and being a battery. Any team that has him on their side is sure to reap the benefits.
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Interestingly, Kazuha’s kit scales with Elemental Mastery rather than HP. Despite this, he is a well-rounded character who is relatively tanky and capable of dealing significant damage while gaining a great benefit from full Elemental Mastery artifacts. His kit is designed to maximize the buff from these artifacts while still providing impressive damage output, and overall he is regarded as one of the strongest characters in the game.
8 Alhaitham (1039/13225)
The newest addition to Genshin Impact with Patch 3.4, Alhaitham, the scribe and Acting Grand Sage of Sumeru Akademiya, offers an exciting new Dendro DPS character to the game. With impressive ATK and HP values, Alhaitham is capable of dealing massive Dendro Damage with ease, while his skill scaling is primarily based on Elemental Mastery.
Players may find this character difficult to start with since they need to manage Chisel-Light Mirrors, but once mastered, he has the ability to be one of the strongest characters in Genshin Impact for quite some time. His high HP value can be further bolstered by using Primordial Jade Cutter, one of his top weapon choices.
7 Sangonomiya Kokomi (1048/13470)
Sangonomiya Kokomi is the first character on this list that actually has her kit scale primarily with HP stat among the other characters. Primarly being a healer character, Kokomi also applies Hydro to the enemies quite effectively, making her a perfect character to use in teams that focus on Hydro reactions and potentially require healing, such as Bloom.
In addition, her being a Hydro user allows her to boost her HP with elemental resonance if there is another Hydro character in the group. Over time, this character, who was once not widely played, has gained popularity, becoming one of the most flexible and powerful healers in Genshin Impact.
6 Kamisato Ayato (1067/13715)
Kamisato Ayato has caused an uproar in the Hydro ranks since his arrival, rivaling Tartaglia as the top Hydro-DPS Character. His swift, hard-hitting moves have demonstrated Ayato’s strength as a DPS character, providing both damage and support in team composition.
While scaling with HP, Ayato utilizes his Elemental Skill that offers multiple swift slashes that infuse his normal attacks with Hydro and an Elemental Burst that creates a large AoE, making it perfect for passive Hydro applications. He is a great choice for both the Hydro resonance buff and the Primordial Jade Cutter as a weapon, which adds even more damage output to his already powerful character.
5 Yelan (1124/14450)
Yelan is widely regarded as one of the best Hydro supports in the game, renowned for her impressive Hydro Application and ability to dish out considerable damage even when off-field. Her elemental skill also provides a fast-sprint such as Mona or Ayakas but even faster, allowing players to move around much faster during exploration - making it a great asset for traversing the game world.
Her Elemental Burst, which scales with HP, is particularly noteworthy, dealing huge Hydro damage when used with a character’s normal attack and, more importantly, applying Hydro. She is a very versatile character that can fit into many different team formations and is especially useful in Vaporize and Bloom teams.
4 Zhongli (1143/14695)
Zhongli is an invaluable asset for players seeking to build a support character. As the Geo Archon, his shield abilities are unparalleled, and his utility is highly versatile across a variety of content, allowing him to buff the team and debuff the enemies. He is one of the best characters players can pull for.
As he scales entirely with HP when it comes to his Shield strength, he is relatively easy to build. When built with HP and supplemented with Crit stats, he can provide considerable burst-DPS support. Unsurprisingly, nothing less is expected from an Archon.
3 Jean (1143/14695)
Jean, the Acting Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius, is an important character in the Traveler’s journey. In terms of gameplay, Jean is a powerful support character who can heal, buff the party, and deal significant damage all at the same time.
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Interestingly, although her skills scale entirely with ATK value, Jean also has HP scaling matching that of Zhongli. This could be beneficial for players who may prefer using Jean as a main DPS instead, allowing her to remain in top shape until she can use her Elemental Burst to heal and regenerate her HP.
2 Nilou (1182/15184)
Nilou is the latest addition to the Hydro user roster whose kit also happens to scale with HP, and she’s quickly become a popular choice due to her powerful Bloom reaction. Her special ability offers her team immense damage potential, but it also limits her to very specific compositions.
It can be difficult to differentiate between the various abilities she has to offer due to the lengthy text descriptions of this niche character. Nevertheless, if crafted correctly, she has one of the most enjoyable gameplay and is incredibly powerful in her intended role.
1 Hu Tao (1210/15552)
When it comes to HP scaling, Hu Tao is unrivaled; she is one of the best characters in Genshin Impact and can perfectly utilize this HP scaling with a very consistent kit, coupled with her signature weapon, the Staff of Homa. When built right and paired with characters such as Yelan or Xingqiu, Hu Tao can do massive damage with her Vaporize reactions, making her an invaluable asset in any team.
Hu Tao demonstrates the importance of character kits in Genshin Impact, highlighting that having the highest base ATK value does not necessarily make one the best-DPS character. Despite having the highest base HP scaling in the game, her ATK scaling is the worst.
Genshin Impact is available for mobile, PC, PS4, and PS5. A Switch version is currently in development.
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