Who were the best Genshin Impact 4-stars released during version 3.x?

With Genshin Impact version 3.8 looming on the horizon, our time in Sumeru is coming to an end and no new playable characters from the region are set to be released.

We’ve talked about how good the Sumeru 5-stars were, and to continue off on that tangent, how good were the Sumeru 4-star characters? Let's take a look at them in order of release:

Collei

Grade: B

Collei was the first free 4-star who hailed from the region of Sumeru and wielded the Dendro element. Her kit, which is support-oriented, definitely helped during Sumeru’s early days when there was a deficit in Dendro supports.

However, with Fontaine right around the corner, and a slew of better Dendro supports released, Collei wouldn’t be the first option to choose now. Regardless, she’s still fun to play and is a consistent off-field Dendro applicator when you’re in need of one.

Dori

Grade: C

On paper, Dori brings a lot to the table as a support. She provides good Electro application as well as healing and energy regeneration from off-field. That makes her a good pick for a support, especially for Dendro teams. However, when compared to other Electro supports already available before she released, Dori kind of pales in comparison.

When it comes to Electro application and energy regeneration, Raiden Shogun and Fischl are far better. As for healing, the likes of Sangonomiya Kokomi and Yaoyao outpace her while belonging to stronger elements. That pushes Dori to the lower tier of support options, even if she is innately a good character.

Candace

Grade: C

In her brief appearance during the Sumeru version 3.1 Sumeru Archon Quests, Candace honestly stole the show with her elegant design and endearing character as a fierce guardian with a gentle heart. However, her kit as a playable character honestly doesn't do her justice. We'd even put her in the same boat with her bestie Dehya as delightful characters who got a bit shafted by their kits.

But unlike Dehya, Candace's kit actually looks good on paper. She deals decent damage with her skill and can both infuse party member's normal attacks with Hydro, which should make her a good pick for Vaporize teams. However, she pales in comparison when compared to Yelan and Xingqiu, who are so good that Candace is often just ignored as an option.

Hopefully, with the impending release of Fontaine, new characters can be released that will synergise better with Candace to give her a better place in the meta. Our queen deserves better.

Layla

Grade: S

Layla is hands down one of the best 4-star shielders in the game, offering both offensive and defensive capabilities. Although she doesn’t fit with the current meta of Dendro reactions due to her Cryo alignment, she still helps pack a massive punch in teams that focus on Frozen, Melt, Physical DMG, or with Wanderer as your DPS (as he gains Crit Rate from swirling Cryo).

Layla's shield — which is her primary selling point — is definitely among the Top 3 of the strongest in the game, and can be a good replacement for Zhongli.

Faruzan

Grade: A

If you don’t have Faruzan for your Anemo team, then you’re totally missing out on some massive DMG. Faruzan is the only dedicated Anemo buffer in-game (Jean doesn’t count because you’d need her C4), and can boost your Anemo DPS’s DMG to insane levels.

Granted that her max capability can only be achieved through completing her constellations, a C0 Faruzan is more than enough to help Xiao, Wanderer, or Heizou become absolutely powerful units. I’d place her higher in the grading scale if my personal bias would allow me as an Anemo main, but Faruzan is practically useless in non-Anemo teams… a very hard pill to swallow.

Kaveh

Grade: B

Kaveh’s unique kit mirrors that of Nilou’s, focusing on the DMG generated from the Bloom reaction. So in that regard, we can also consider Kaveh’s DPS capability as being niche.

The main difference however, is that Kaveh acts as the trigger for Bloom, and the DMG number of the reaction will also depend on the Elemental Mastery of your Hydro support, effectively rendering Kaveh as a DPS-type only set to trigger and buff the reaction. You could definitely say that he’s a DPS with the kit of a support. But if you’re bored and want to spice up your gameplay with a tinge of the unconventional, Kaveh is a great option.

Special (non-Sumeru) mentions

Yaoyao

Grade: S

Yaoyao is the only 4-star Dendro Healer, which automatically gives her a higher grade considering that majority of the reactions you can get from Dendro can inflict self DMG (press F for all the times Nilou faded away because of her own Bountiful Blooms), or that most of the 4-star healers, like Diona, Sayu, Bennett, and Noelle, don’t synergise well with Dendro teams.

Yaoyao also does great as a Dendro applicator with the help of Yueguei, and her burst is totally adorable. Even if she hails from Liyue, Yaoyao should get honorary Sumeru citizenship for just how good she is as a Dendro support.

Mika

Grade: D

Physical DMG continues to be neglected by HoYoverse. Not only did it take Eula over 500 days to get a rerun, Mika, her so-called 'dedicated support', isn't even that good with her.

The ATK Speed buff from Mika's skill is negligible and the Physical DMG buff from his talent falls of massively against single targets, and even against mobs of enemies it isn't anything to write home about. Finally, the healing from his burst isn't quite enough to sustain you against the high-damage enemies you're bound to encounter in endgame content like the Spiral Abyss.

If you're looking for a support for Eula, you're better off going with Raiden Shogun, Shenhe, Rosaria, Kuki Shinobu, and even Layla. Hopefully another Physical carry gets released soon so Mika can have a better place in the meta.

Kirara

Grade: S

Kirara, Inazuma's resident catgirl courier, is the game's first 4-star Dendro shielder, and boy does she deliver (pun intended). Being Dendro is enough to make Kirara at least a B-tier character, but her defensive utility and potential as a quickswap Sub-DPS pushes her into S-tier status. The fact that she also greatly eases exploration with her (very cute) catbox form is just the cherry on top.

Kirara is especially potent in Bloom teams, where she can mitigate the damage received by party members from exploding Dendro Cores. But she is also a very good pick in other Dendro compositions, providing shields and decent Dendro application to let you slot in more offensive-minded characters in your other slots.

If we had to nitpick, the only knock we can think of against Kirara is that she was only released in version 3.7. She would have been very, very good early on in our adventures in Sumeru. But we won't complain, after all, who wouldn't want a catgirl in their party?

Genshin Impact is currently in the second half of version 3.7, which will run until 4 July, with version 3.8 coming out the next day on 5 July.

Meanwhile, the highly-anticipated release of Fontaine in Genshin Impact version 4.0 will be in mid-August.

But more than just adding a new region, version 4.0 will also add a new dimension to Genshin Impact's gameplay by introducing underwater exploration and combat! While we're definitely excited for version 3.8, we're also looking forward to the release of version 4.0 and Fontaine.

Yan Ku is a full-time dog parent, part-time (gacha) gamer, and part-time writer.

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