Elemental Reactions Explained in Genshin Impact
Elemental reactions are a cornerstone of combat in Genshin Impact, offering players the ability to amplify damage, control crowds, and strategize effectively. Understanding how these reactions work is essential for optimizing your team and tackling the game’s most challenging content.
What Are Elemental Reactions?
In Genshin Impact, each character wields one of seven elements: Pyro (fire), Hydro (water), Electro (electricity), Cryo (ice), Anemo (wind), Geo (earth), or Dendro (nature). When two different elemental effects interact on an enemy or environment, they trigger an elemental reaction, producing various effects such as increased damage or status changes.
Types of Elemental Reactions
Amplifying Reactions
These reactions multiply the damage of attacks:
- Melt: Combining Cryo and Pyro. Applying Pyro to a Cryo-affected enemy deals 2x damage; applying Cryo to a Pyro-affected enemy deals 1.5x damage.
- Vaporize: Combining Hydro and Pyro. Applying Hydro to a Pyro-affected enemy deals 2x damage; applying Pyro to a Hydro-affected enemy deals 1.5x damage.
These reactions benefit from high Elemental Mastery and can critically hit.
Transformative Reactions
These reactions deal independent damage based on the character’s level and Elemental Mastery:
- Overloaded: Electro + Pyro; causes an explosion dealing AoE Pyro damage.
- Electro-Charged: Electro + Hydro; deals Electro damage over time.
- Superconduct: Electro + Cryo; deals AoE Cryo damage and reduces enemy physical resistance.
- Swirl: Anemo + Pyro/Hydro/Cryo/Electro; spreads the element and deals AoE damage.
- Crystallize: Geo + Pyro/Hydro/Cryo/Electro; generates a shield absorbing damage of the triggering element.
- Burning: Dendro + Pyro; deals Pyro damage over time.
- Bloom: Dendro + Hydro; creates Dendro Cores that explode after a delay or when triggered by other elements.
- Hyperbloom: Dendro Core + Electro; transforms the core into a homing projectile dealing Dendro damage.
- Burgeon: Dendro Core + Pyro; causes the core to explode, dealing AoE Dendro damage.
Catalyze Reactions
These reactions involve Dendro and Electro, leading to further effects:
- Quicken: Dendro + Electro; primes the target for subsequent reactions.
- Aggravate: Electro applied to a Quickened target; increases Electro damage.
- Spread: Dendro applied to a Quickened target; increases Dendro damage.
Catalyze reactions scale with Elemental Mastery and can critically hit.
Maximizing Elemental Reactions
- Elemental Mastery (EM): Increases the potency of reactions, especially transformative and catalyze types.
- Character Level: Affects the base damage of transformative reactions.
- Team Composition: Building teams with complementary elements enables consistent triggering of powerful reactions.
- Artifacts and Weapons: Equip gear that boosts EM, elemental damage bonuses, or reaction-specific effects to enhance performance.
Understanding and utilizing elemental reactions is crucial for mastering Genshin Impact’s combat system. By strategically combining elements and optimizing your team’s build, you can overcome even the toughest challenges Teyvat has to offer.