Sumeru seems to be following a similar trend. Collei and Dori have gotten a pretty lukewarm reception as their kits are inferior to those of other characters. While some players still include them in their team comps, many in the community slot in more viable options. As unfortunate as this all is, it might be what players should expect for every new four-star character in Genshin Impact.
RELATED: Genshin Impact’s Standard Banner Needs an Overhaul Following Tighnari’s Addition
Are Genshin Impact’s Four-Star Characters Getting Worse?
Four-star characters in Genshin Impact are generally regarded as useful, but not to the same extent as five-star characters. Even then, some four-stars are viable replacements in case a player doesn’t have a five-star of a similar playstyle. Other four-star characters, notably Bennett, Xiangling, and Xingqiu, are even regarded as pseudo-five-stars for their usefulness in most team comps. That said, the game has yet to get a four-star character with the same brokenness as the staples of the National Team – one of the best team comps for Genshin Impact’s Spiral Abyss.
This all started with the Inazuma update. Most players agree that the four-stars of Inazuma in Genshin Impact simply don’t hold a candle to those from Mondstadt and Liyue. For the most part, this is true. Sayu and Kuki Shinobu are decent healers, while Kujou Sara is great at buffing Attack. However, they’re outclassed by Bennett alone. As for Thoma and Gorou, they’re extremely niche, meaning they’re only useful in specific team comps. In contrast, characters like Diona and Sucrose fit in many different compositions.
Genshin Impact Shikanoin Heizou stands apart from the other Inazuma four-stars because his kit is good, and he’s very fun to play. Unfortunately, he’s still a four-star DPS, so his damage output will always be inferior to five-star DPS characters. In short, then, Inazuma’s four-star characters don’t really cater to the meta – very much unlike some Mondstadt and Liyue four-stars that perform amazingly to this day.
The Genshin Impact Sumeru Four-Star Characters
And it looks like this trend will carry over to Sumeru, possibly beyond. Take a look at Collei, a free character from Genshin Impact 3.0. While no one can deny that her design and backstory in the Genshin Impact manga are interesting, her playstyle leaves much to be desired. As a Dendro applicator, she’s outclassed by none other than the Dendro Traveler, who is also a free character. Of course, the fact that Collei is a free unit gives her somewhat of a pass for having a subpar kit, though it doesn’t change the fact that she’s not a good four-star.
Genshin Impact’s new character Dori suffers from the same problem as Collei because she fills the same role as Kuki Shinobu. That means people are less likely to use her in their team comps. Even then, if a player needed an Electro applicator, there are plenty of better options. Raiden Shogun is a top-tier Electro sub-DPS. As for players who don’t have the five-star Archon, they can also slot in Fischl, who’s gotten a massive power spike since the introduction of Dendro to the game. Her ability to deal Electro damage off-field enables players to deal extra damage with Catalyze, Spread, and Aggravate.
This, of course, is only a prediction about the future of Genshin Impact. Perhaps HoYoverse will release a more powerful four-star in the coming updates. Genshin Impact’s four-star Candace, in particular, appears promising. Time will tell if Genshin Impact’s four-star quality is truly on the downward trend.
Genshin Impact is available now for Mobile, PC, PS4, and PS5. A Nintendo Switch version is in development.
MORE: Why the Genshin Impact Anime is a Great Idea
