Genshin Impact Beginner's Guide 2026

Best Starter Characters

While every character in Genshin Impact can be viable with enough investment, some 4-star characters punch far above their rarity and remain relevant through the most difficult content. Here are the six best starter characters to invest in:

1. Xiangling (Pyro Polearm)

Despite being a free character earned from clearing Spiral Abyss Floor 3, Xiangling is widely considered one of the strongest off-field DPS units in the entire game. Her Elemental Burst, Pyronado, deals massive Pyro damage in a wide area and has no internal cooldown on reactions. Paired with Bennett and Xingqiu, she forms the core of the "National Team" archetype that has been meta-relevant since launch. Build her with The Catch (free weapon from fishing) and Emblem of Severed Fate artifacts.

2. Xingqiu (Hydro Sword)

Xingqiu is the gold standard for off-field Hydro application. His Rain Swords provide damage reduction, minor healing, and interruption resistance, making him a defensive utility powerhouse on top of his excellent damage. He enables Vaporize, Freeze, and Bloom reactions for nearly every team archetype. His best early-game weapon is the Skyrider Sword (3-star), and his best artifact set is Emblem of Severed Fate at higher levels.

3. Bennett (Pyro Sword)

Bennett is arguably the best support character in Genshin Impact. His Elemental Burst provides a massive ATK buff based on his base ATK and heals the active character rapidly. He enables Pyro resonance, cleanses Elemental debuffs, and fits into almost any team composition. Level him to 90 and upgrade his Burst talent as high as possible — his C1 is his most impactful constellation.

4. Sucrose (Anemo Catalyst)

Sucrose is a budget Kazuha who provides enemy grouping, Elemental Mastery sharing, and Viridescent Venerer RES shred. At C1 she gains a second Skill charge, and at C6 she provides a team-wide Elemental DMG bonus. She is an excellent driver for reaction-based teams and excels in Taser and National variants. Build her with full EM and the Thrilling Tales of Dragon Slayers (3-star) catalyst for team buffing.

5. Fischl (Electro Bow)

Fischl's Elemental Skill summons Oz, who deals consistent off-field Electro damage for 10-12 seconds. She is the best Electro battery in the game and enables Aggravate, Hyperbloom, and Taser teams. Her A4 passive deals additional damage whenever an Electro-related reaction is triggered. At C6, Oz attacks alongside the active character, making her an even stronger sub-DPS.

6. Kuki Shinobu (Electro Sword)

Kuki Shinobu was underrated at launch but has become a top-tier Hyperbloom trigger. Build her with full Elemental Mastery (Gilded Dreams or Flower of Paradise Lost) and as much EM as possible — her ring of healing triggers Hyperbloom on nearby Dendro cores, dealing massive transformative damage while keeping your team alive. She is self-sufficient, easy to build, and requires minimal field time.

Resin Management — What to Spend Resin On

Original Resin is a regenerating resource (1 per 8 minutes, cap of 200) that gates all meaningful progression. Using it wisely is the single most important habit for a beginner. Here is the daily priority order:

Daily Priority Order

1. Weekly Bosses (AR 20+): Complete your three discounted weekly boss fights (30 Resin each). These drop talent materials and billets for crafting weapons. Key early bosses: Stormterror, Andrius, and Childe.
2. World Bosses for Ascension: Spend resin on the elemental bosses that drop ascension materials for your main DPS and support characters. Do not pre-farm for characters you do not own yet.
3. Talent Domains: Upgrade talents for your main team — they provide guaranteed power increases unlike artifacts which are RNG-dependent.
4. Weapon Domains: Ascension materials for your characters' equipped weapons. Weapon upgrades are cheap and provide reliable stat increases.
5. Ley Lines (Mora/EXP): Only if you are running low. Early AR levels provide plenty of Mora and EXP from quests and exploration. Reserve Ley Lines for when you are desperate.
6. Artifact Domains: Only after reaching AR 45, when the highest domain level guarantees a 5-star artifact per run. Before AR 45, use whatever artifacts you find from bosses and chests.

Progression Roadmap

AR 1-15: The Opening Hours

Follow the main story quest (Archon Quest) and explore the Mondstadt region. Focus on understanding elemental reactions — the core combat mechanic. Your starting party (Traveler, Amber, Kaeya, Lisa) is sufficient for all early content. Do not spend Primogems yet. Unlock the map by activating Statues of the Seven and Teleport Waypoints. Complete daily commissions as soon as they unlock.

AR 16-30: Building Your First Team

By now you will have earned enough Primogems for your first 5-star character from the limited banner. Play the trial run before pulling to see if you enjoy their playstyle. Start leveling your core 4 characters evenly (keep them within 10 levels of each other). Focus on one main DPS and three supports. Begin tackling world bosses for ascension materials. Start collecting Anemoculus and Geoculus for Statue upgrades that grant Stamina.

AR 30-45: The Mid-Game Grind

This is where the game slows down. Your characters will be around level 60-70. Focus on ascending characters, leveling talents to level 6, and leveling weapons to 70-80. Do not farm artifact domains yet — use the Gladiator's Finale and Wanderer's Troupe pieces dropped by world bosses. Continue exploring, completing world quests, and unlocking domains. If you hit a difficulty wall, focus on leveling talents and weapons — these are guaranteed upgrades.

AR 45+: The Endgame Begins

At AR 45, artifact domains guarantee one 5-star artifact per 20 Resin run. This is when you start farming dedicated artifact sets. Focus on resin-efficient domains — Emblem of Severed Fate/Shimenawa's Reminiscence in Inazuma and Marechaussee Hunter/Golden Troupe in Fontaine are excellent starting points. Work toward clearing Spiral Abyss, which resets every two weeks for Primogem rewards. Build a second team for Abyss content once your first team is comfortable.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Spending Primogems on the Standard Banner

The Wanderlust Invocation (standard banner) contains all standard 5-star characters and weapons, but you will eventually acquire standard banner pulls for free through the Battle Pass, character ascension rewards, and monthly shop resets. Limited character banners feature time-exclusive 5-star characters that may not return for a year or more. Always use Primogems on limited banners.

2. Spreading Resources Across Too Many Characters

Genshin Impact is resource-intensive. The materials to level one character to 90 with level 9 talents require weeks of dedicated resin. Focus on 4 characters for your main team and only start building a second team when your first team can comfortably clear world content. Having eight half-built characters is far weaker than having four well-built ones.

3. Farming Artifacts Before AR 45

Artifact domains at AR 40-44 do not guarantee a 5-star artifact per run, making them resin-inefficient. The 4-star and 5-star artifacts you get from world bosses and quest rewards are sufficient to carry you to AR 45. Save your Fragile Resin items for artifact farming at AR 45+ — many players use 30-50 Fragile Resin on their first day of artifact farming.

4. Ignoring Talents and Weapon Levels

New players often fixate on character levels and artifact RNG while neglecting their talents and weapons. Talents provide guaranteed, predictable damage increases. A level 8 talent does significantly more damage than a level 6 talent. Weapons are cheap to level compared to characters and provide the base stats that all other bonuses multiply. A level 90 weapon on a level 80 character does more damage than a level 70 weapon on a level 90 character.

5. Using All Fragile Resin Immediately

Fragile Resin is a consumable that restores 60 Original Resin. New players are tempted to use it to speed up progression, but its value scales with Adventure Rank. Using it at AR 20 for world bosses is far less efficient than saving it for AR 45 artifact domains. Stockpile your Fragile Resin until you reach the endgame — you will thank yourself later.

Should You Spend Money? — F2P vs Welkin vs Battle Pass

Free-to-Play (F2P)

Genshin Impact is completely playable without spending a single dollar. F2P players earn approximately 50-70 Primogems per day from commissions and events, translating to roughly one 5-star character every 2-3 patches. You will not own every character, but with careful planning and skipping banners, you can acquire the characters you want most. All story content, exploration, and events are fully accessible. The only content that tests F2P players is the final floors of Spiral Abyss, which reward a modest number of Primogems but are not required for a complete experience.

Welkin Moon ($4.99/month)

The Welkin Moon is widely considered the best value purchase in Genshin Impact. It provides 90 Primogems per day for 30 days (2,700 total) plus 300 Genesis Crystals upfront. This nearly doubles your daily Primogem income and allows you to pull for a new 5-star character roughly every patch. If you play Genshin daily and want to expand your roster without spending heavily, the Welkin Moon is the sweet spot. Many players treat it as a subscription for a game they spend dozens of hours in each month.

Battle Pass — Gnostic Hymn ($9.99/patch)

The paid Battle Pass provides a large amount of Mora, EXP books, talent materials, and a selection of powerful 4-star weapons (Serpent Spine, Deathmatch, etc.). It is the best way to solve material shortages in the early-to-mid game. The weapon selection is excellent — some Battle Pass weapons rival or surpass 5-star options at high refinement. The Battle Pass is worth it if you want to build multiple characters faster or need a guaranteed powerful weapon.

Our recommendation: Play F2P for the first month. If you enjoy the game and play daily, add the Welkin Moon. If you reach AR 30+ and want to accelerate progression, add the Battle Pass. Never spend on Primogems directly (outside of the first-time buyer bonus) — the cost per pull is extremely inefficient compared to the Welkin+Battle Pass combo.

Frequently Asked Questions