Hydro
Best Hydro Characters in Genshin Impact 2026
The enabling element — Hydro sets up the reactions other elements detonate.
How Hydro Works
Hydro rarely deals the biggest numbers itself, but almost every strong team needs it. Hydro enables Vaporize, Freeze, Bloom, and Electro-Charged, which means Hydro units are the connective tissue of most team compositions. Xingqiu, Yelan, Furina, and Kokomi appear across nearly every archetype for exactly this reason.
Hydro Reactions
Best Hydro Teams
Hyperbloom
Nahida or Dendro MC + Xingqiu + Kuki Shinobu + flex
Hydro plus Dendro creates cores, and Electro detonates them. The cheapest archetype that clears endgame content.
Freeze
Ayaka or Ganyu + Shenhe + Kazuha + Kokomi or Mona
Hydro aura keeps enemies frozen so the Cryo carry gets free CRIT Rate and free crowd control.
Vaporize carry teams
Hu Tao, Arlecchino, or Yoimiya + Xingqiu or Yelan + Zhongli + flex
Hydro application lets every Pyro hit Vaporize, which is the core of the highest single-target damage teams.
Furina amplifier teams
Furina + team-wide healer + carry + buffer
Furina's damage buff plus off-field Hydro improves almost every team that can run a healer.
All Hydro Characters
- F S Furina Support / Sub-DPS
- Y S Yelan Sub-DPS
- N S Neuvillette Main DPS
- X S Xingqiu Sub-DPS
- N S Nilou Support / Driver
- K S Kokomi Support / Healer
- T S Tartaglia (Childe) Main DPS
- A S Ayato Main DPS
- M S Mualani Main DPS
- M A Mona Support
- S A Sigewinne Healer
- B B Barbara Healer
- C B Candace Support
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Hydro character should I build first?
Xingqiu. He has the highest off-field Hydro application rate in the game, provides damage reduction and interruption resistance, and he is a 4-star you get from events and the shop.
Furina or Yelan?
Furina if your team has a healer and you want the biggest damage increase. Yelan if you want plug-and-play Hydro application with a ramping buff and no healing requirement.
Can Hydro work as a main DPS?
Yes — Neuvillette, Tartaglia, Ayato, and Mualani are all strong Hydro carries. But even in those teams, a second Hydro unit is usually needed for energy and application.