Ranking the best elemental reactions in Genshin Impact

Elemental reactions are one of Genshin Impact's principal mechanics to win a battle. There are seven elements in the game: Pyro, Hydro, Anemo, Electro, Dendro, Cryo, and Geo. Unfortunately, players can only play six of the said elements in the current version.

Travelers can inflict an elemental reaction by inflicting the two elements mentioned above on an enemy. This combat system can be utilized to make their skills and attacks more powerful. This article will rank the elemental reactions in Genshin Impact.

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Elemental reactions in Genshin Impact, ranked

1) Vaporize (Pyro + Hydro)

Hu Tao and Xingqiu in Abyss (Image via HoYoverse)

The elemental reaction between the Pyro and Hydro elements in Genshin Impact causes vaporization. Hu Tao and Xingqiu pair are great examples of this. Adding cherries to the top, Hydro is also one of the easiest elements to apply, as enemies can get wet even if players are using a pool of water in the game.

The damage dealt is also affected by the order of the elements. If the order is Hydro continued after Pyro, the damage dealt is 1.5x of the actual damage. However, if Hydro is the one triggering the reaction, the total damage will be twice the original damage.

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2) Melt (Pyro + Cryo)

Ayaka and Xiangling combo versus Primo Geovishap (Image via Hoyoverse)

Melt is almost similar to Vaporize, swapping from Hydro for Cryo. The overall damage output also depends on the order of the elements used. For example, if Pyro triggers the reaction on a Cryo-affected enemy, the outcome will be twice the original damage.

On the other hand, if it's in the opposite order, the damage will only be multiplied by 1.5x. One of the best examples would be Xiangling and Kaeya in Genshin Impact. Both their Elemental Burst can easily trigger the Melt elemental reaction.

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3) Swirl (Anemo + Pyro/Electro/Hydro/Cryo)

Players gradually realized Swirl's potential, especially after the Genshin Impact 1.6 update. The Swirl reactions increased, making characters from Anemo types more important.

The reaction between an Anemo and a Pyro, Electro, Hydro, or Cryo-affected enemies causes Swirl. If the triggering character has a 4-piece Viridiscent Venerer's outfit, it can even deal extra damage and apply a debuff.

Swirl is perfect against multiple enemies because they will be gathered and inflicted with numerous elements. It is also essential to know that the damage from Swirl comes from Elemental Mastery.

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4) Superconduct (Cryo+Electro)

Genshin Impact players may think Superconduct is not a big deal because it only deals Cryo damage in an AoE when triggered. But they shouldn't dismiss this elemental reaction because the physical DPS character shines the brightest during this moment once it's activated.

If players get inflicted by both Cryo and Electro, their Physical resistance will be reduced by 40%. This reaction benefits characters like Keqing, Razor, and Eula, who can be built to do massive physical damage.

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5) Electro-Charge (Electro+Hydro)

Kokomi triggering Electro-Charge (Image via HoYoverse)

Aside from Swirl, Electro-Charge is another reaction that will provide Genshin Impact players with excellent crowd control over smaller enemies such as Hilichurls and Treasure Hoarders. This is because when these two elements are combined, they produce continuous Electro damage and even affect nearby foes who are wet.

This elemental reaction has one unique feature: Electro-charged opponents will preserve both elements throughout the reaction. This means that Electro-charged can cause Frozen or Overloaded effects.

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6) Overload (Pyro + Electro)

Overload is an elemental reaction that isn't as strong as the others, but it still has its benefits in Genshin Impact. For example, Overload causes Pyro damage in an AoE. One of the minor advantages of this reaction is that gamers don't have to worry about the order in which they apply the elements as it makes no difference which element strikes the opponents first.

The amount of damage your character takes from this reaction is solely determined by the character's level and Elemental Mastery. It is important to note that it does not deal Critical Damage. The drawback of this reaction is it may knock enemies back, which will disrupt the player's damage cycle as they need to sprint after the blown away enemies.

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7) Frozen (Cryo + Hydro)

The most straightforward reaction on the list is Frozen, which freezes foes in place by combining Cryo and Hydro. While it sounds simple, it allows Travelers to freeze enemies on the spot, which is extremely beneficial. However, this reaction will be in the lowest spot in terms of damage because it didn't do any damage at all.

If Travelers have a Cryo or Hydro DPS in the team, then that is a whole other story as their damage to frozen opponents won't get interrupted. In addition, Cryo DPS will get extra Crit Rate if they are equipped with Blizzard Strayer and Cryo Resonances.

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8) Crystallize (Geo + Pyro/Electro/Hydro/Cryo)

Ningguang attacking Childe with Geo attacks (Image via Genshin Impact)

Another reaction that was undervalued in previous versions of Genshin Impact was Crystallization. This reaction became more meaningful after a Geo buff, making it much better on a Geo resonance (two Geo characters in the team).

Crystallize is a reaction from the elemental reaction between the Geo element and Pyro, Electro, Hydro, or Cryo. When a Crystallize reaction happens, it creates elemental shards that players can use to create a shield for 15 seconds that absorbs damage. The shield's damage capacity is proportional to the character's level, and it is 250% more powerful against its own element.

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Creating a team requires some knowledge about the elemental reaction to deal the optimum damage. With this guide, Genshin Impact players are now ready to create a team with their characters.