Key things
- The Sumeru release brought Dendro units to Genshin banners, including the 5-star standard.
- Despite the lack of Bloom teams, Kaveh can burst Dendro Cores while Collei shines early game for Dendra reactions.
- Nahida is arguably the best Dendro character you can have in the current meta due to her overall flexibility and utility.
For the first two to three years of Genshin Impact, players could only play with six of the seven elements because Dendro was nowhere to be found. However, this changed with the release of Sumer, and the HoYoverse began flooding banners with various Dendro units, with one five-star even joining the Standard Banner.
Just like any other game where characters have different abilities, not all of these characters are the best. As a F2P or low-spending player, you need to make sure you're spending your resources on the right character.
Updated on October 5, 2024 by Sanyam Jain: After releasing a ton of Dendro characters throughout the Sumeru arc, Genshin Impact slowed down those releases as it focused on other elements. However, with the release of Kinich in the 5.0 update, the element returned to the meta, which also brought one of its reactions.
11 Kaveh
- weapon – Claymore
- Area – Sumerian
While he may not have been in the main story, Kaveh was still teased as Alhaitham's roommate from the very beginning. This character's set is quite unique, as both the Skill and Burst can cause the Dendro cores created by Bloom's reaction to explode instantly, increasing their damage at the same time.
The reason it's at the bottom of this list is because of the lack of good Bloom teams. The only reason to use this reaction in the endgame is if you have Nilou, but her Dendro cores are already exploding immediately, resulting in Kaveh not having a proper spot in the game at this point.
10 Kirara
- weapon – Sword
- Area – Sumerian
Most of us have probably traversed both the treacherous mountains of Liyue and Sumeru and come to despise climbing in Genshin Impact because of it. For such people, Kirara is a breath of fresh air, as you can use her skills to quickly climb any mountain without wasting your stamina.
Aside from the mobility provided during exploration, however, Kirara doesn't have much to do. Sure it can protect your party and protect them from damage, but many characters can do that and more.
9 Collie
- weapon – Bow
- Area – Sumerian
Collei is a free four-star unit obtainable through Spiral Abyss and is great for building teams based on Dendro's reactions in the early game. Both her Skill and Burst can apply a ton of Dendra to enemies.
Unfortunately, she doesn't have much else going for her as a support unit. Even after you get all of her constellations, you won't provide any buffs to your party members, which is quite a detriment compared to the other Dendra support characters mentioned further down the list.
8 Dendro the traveler
- weapon – Sword
- Area – Unknown
HoYovers usually don't like giving a decent set to Traveler in Genshin Impact, but it seems they've decided to change it up a bit with Dendro Traveler. Not only do their abilities provide good value, but they're also fun to use with the different effects you can have on your Burst based on the element used.
Plus, he's the only character you can get for free in Constellation Six just by exploring Sumer and completing the Archon Quest. They provide a phenomenal amount of Dendro application in a large AoE while increasing your party's Elemental Mastery for better reactions.
7 Tighnar
- weapon – Bow
- Area – Sumerian
Released as the first limited time banner in Sumer, Tighnari was later added as the only Dendro character in the Standard Banner roster. His charged attacks work similar to Ganyu where they have two instances of charge and the second instance deals more damage while creating some other objects.
Tighnari's Skill can taunt enemies and increase his charge rate, while the extra DMG from his Burst makes him feel like a complete character. Just put it next to a couple of off-field elemental applicators and you'll see good damage.
6 Yaoyao
- weapon – Polearm
- Area – Liyu
Yaoyao, who was released alongside Baizhu and is the only four-star character from Liyue, held her own quite well in Genshin Impact. She is a healer who throws out a bunny with her skill, and this bunny heals nearby party members if they are below 70 percent health, and deals damage to the enemy if not.
After activating her Elemental Burst, you can run around the field and use both of her skill effects at the same time. Dendra also allows some characters to deal additional damage with her constellations, making her a perfect support.
5 Emilie
- weapon – Polearm
- Area – Fontaine
Emilie's first release wasn't met with much enthusiasm, but her overall value during release was quite a surprise. It's an off-field Sub-DPS that leaves a tower on the field with its Elemental Skill that buffs for a while after using its Elemental Burst. This tower deals one target Dendro DMG at regular intervals.
However, this damage can get a massive boost along with some AoE aspects if you have Burning enemies near it. While this doesn't necessarily improve Burning's reaction as Nilou on Bloom, it does make it a viable reaction to use in endgame content, as Emilie can destroy it when used correctly.
4 Kinich
- weapon – Claymore
- Area – Natlan
While Claymore characters have a bit of a stigma in Genshin Impact due to their clumsy playstyle, Kinich rises above all of these to become not only one of the best Dendro characters, but one of the best characters in general. He's also one of the most detailed characters in a long time with his claws and other animations.
Kinich can deal a ton of single target damage that can also convert to AoE if enemies are close together. He gets a massive buff when you use the Burning reaction with him, which also brings the reaction into the meta after not being used for a long time. Fortunately, Kinich also doesn't get a significant nerf to his abilities outside of Natlan.
3 Baizhu
- weapon – Catalyst
- Area – Liyu
Baizhu was first revealed during the initial Archon Quest of Liyue, and HoYovere prevented the character's release for a long time. While some people may not be happy with the nerf given to his muscles, he's still a phenomenal support unit in the game, especially if you're teaming Bloom with Nila.
Not only does it keep your characters up at all times, but it also provides a two percent increase in Bloom DMG. It is also one of the best candidates for use with Furina due to its holistic healing.
2 Alhaitham
- weapon – Sword
- Area – Sumerian
Alhaitham is one of the coolest characters in Genshin Impact both during the main story and when you play him. His Elemental Skill allows him to teleport to a nearby location while charging his Dendro weapon. This character is easy to deal with constant Dendro DMG if you manage him properly.
This unit is fun to play and takes quite a bit of skill to master. But the best thing about him is that his playstyle changes quite a bit if you manage to get some of his constellations.
1 Nahida
- weapon – Catalyst
- Area – Sumerian
Finally, who else would be worthy of the ultimate Dendra character crown than the Dendro Archon herself? Nahida has everything you could need in a Dendro character, from the long duration of both Skill and Burst to the fun aspect with different effects depending on the characters you use.
Her skill will leave a mark on all nearby enemies and marked enemies will take Dendro DMG whenever they are reacted. It has the highest Dendro application in the game right now and you can use it as a reaction trigger as well as an off-field support.
