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Learn all about the Element types and how they affect you in Genshin Impact

Every character is a master of an Element in Genshin Impact. Using an Element at the right time can give you an advantage in battle.

Water, Earth, Fire, Air. Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony...oh wait. Wrong fandom. Genshin Impact is a magical game where every playable character is the master of an Element. The way that these Elements interact with each other sometimes results in added effects or damages. So, you'll definitely want to take advantage of certain Elemental combinations in order to defeat enemies more efficiently.

Depending on what Elements the characters in your party have can also result in party bonuses. Here's everything you need to know about Genshin Impact Elements, Status Effects, Elemental Reactions, and Elemental Resonance.

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Genshin Impact Elements

There are currently seven different Elements in Genshin Impact, though it's possible that more will be added into the game as time goes on. Different nations across Teyvat worship different members of The Seven. The individuals who make up The Seven are Archons who bestow elemental powers on their followers.

Element Nation Archon
Anemo (Wind) Mondstadt Barbados (Venti)
Cryo (Ice) Snezhnaya The Tsaritsa
Dendro (Nature) Sumeru God of Wisdom
Electro (Lightning) Inazuma The Immortal Shogun
Geo (Earth) Liyue Rex Lapis
Hydro (Water) Fontaine God of Justice
Pyro (Fire) Natlan Murata

Status Effects

When cast on enemies, certain elements can cause status effects:

Element Status Effect
Cryo The opponents Movement Speed gets reduced.
Electro Electro spreads in water and affects any enemies who are Wet.
Hydro When a character or enemy touches water they become Wet, which opens up the possibility for an Elemental Reaction.
Pyro Burns the affected individuals and causes damage for a certain length of time.

Ley Line Disorders

There are some enemies and challenges that emit elemental auras. If players get too close, characters on the field will be affected with the following Disorders.

Disorder Element Status Effect
Condensed Ice Cryo Makes it so you consume more Stamina.
Engulfing Storm Electro Makes it so your Energy Recharge constantly drains.
Slowing Water Hydro Makes CD take much longer by -80%, so you have to wait an extended period for a move to be usable again.
Smoldering Flames Pyro Makes it so you get damaged by burns repeatedly over a certain amount of time.

Elemental Reactions

When some Elements collide with other Elements it can result in an Elemental Reaction that can cause added damage or other effects to those nearby.

Reaction Elemental Combinations Effect
Burning Dendro + Pyro Inflicts Pyro DMG to the affected individual over time.
Crystalize Geo + Cryo, Electro, Hyrdo, or Pyro Creates floating crystals on the battlefield. When picked up, these create an Element shield around the player.
Electro-Charged Electro + Hydro Continuously inflicts Electro DMG to the affected individual over time.
Frozen Cryo + Hydro Temporarily freezes the target in place.
Melt Cryo + Electro Deals extra DMG to those affected.
Overloaded Electro + Pyro Inflicts those within its influence with AoE Pyro DMG.
Superconduct Cryo + Electro Reduce the target's Physical RES by 50% while dealing AoE Cryo DMG.
Swirl Anemo + Cryo, Electro, Hydro, or Pyro Spreads any Elements that the wind comes in contact with and deals extra Elemental DMG.
Vaporize Hydro + Pyro Does more DMG than usual.

Elemental Resonance

Elemental Resonance is a passive effect that happens when certain combinations of elemental characters fill your party.

Reaction Elements Effect
Enduring Rock 2 x Geo Your interruption resistance goes up and if your characters are protect by a shield, their Attack DMG increases by 15%.
Fervent Flames 2 x Pyro Increases your ATK by 25% while making it so Cryo effects last 40% less of their usual time.
High Voltage 2 x Electro Superconduct, Overloaded, and Electro-Charged Reactions will always generate an Electro Elemental Particle with a CD of 5s. Additionally, any Hyrdro effects will last 40% less of their usual time.
Impetuous Winds 2 x Anemo Decreases Stamina Consumption by 15%, reduces Skill CD by 5%, and increases Movement SPD by 10%.
Protective Canopy Four unique Elements
Shattering Ice 2 x Cryo Increases your Party's CRIT Rate against Cyro Frozen enemies by 15%. Also, reduces the effect time of Electro by 40%.
Soothing Waters 2 x Hydro You party's incoming healing increases by 30% while any Pyro effects last 40% less of their usual time.

Genshin Impact Elements

There's a lot to discover while exploring Genshin Impact's massive open world. Hopefully knowing more about each type of Element and how it reacts to others will help you along your journey.

Genshin Impact


by Rebecca Spear