Genshin Impact currently features 85 characters as of patch 5.1. Some characters sit at the top of tier lists, allowing players to easily clear all content, while others, though not bringing much new, are simply loved by the community. However, there are also heroes who can be absolutely fantastic in single-player but become quite ineffective or even detrimental in co-op mode due to their specific abilities. This article focuses on these characters.
Thoma, the personal assistant to the head of the Kamisato Clan and arguably the best “housekeeper,” can be a decent shielder for both beginners and more experienced players. Yet, in the game`s co-operative mode, this solid support often turns into a liability, unable to deal significant damage (unless specifically built as a damage dealer, which is quite challenging). While other characters gain the ability to share shields with co-op teammates upon obtaining constellations, Thoma appears to be a “greedy” hero who lacks the means to help his fellow players.
The only things the Kamisato Clan`s servant can realistically provide his teammates are minor Pyro application and a buff at C6, which itself is difficult to acquire. Consequently, in multiplayer, Thoma offers little utility and often becomes a hindrance, occupying a valuable slot despite having decent abilities in solo mode.
The Geo Archon, Zhongli, is also not particularly favored in co-op mode, despite his virtually impenetrable shield. Players dislike Zhongli for the same reason as Thoma: at C0, his shield is exclusively for himself, completely ignoring other party members. Of course, there`s a solution to this “greed”: pulling his C2. However, obtaining two constellations for a limited 5-star character is not easy and can be quite expensive.
Unfortunately, players controlling Zhongli very often disregard this formality and bring their favorite character into co-op. When other characters in the party die from a lack of protection, the unfortunate teammates are left with nothing to do but watch the Geo Archon slowly chip away at the boss`s health for what feels like an eternity. To avoid being seen as such an unhelpful player, it`s better to secure the necessary constellations or focus on building his damage output before joining co-op sessions.
Many characters in Genshin Impact have elemental infusion: a special effect that colors their weapon with one of the seven elements, turning their normal attacks into elemental damage. Characters like Ayaka, Keqing, Kaveh, Ayato, Candace, and many others possess this. At C6, even Bennett gains this effect, but many players dislike it and intentionally avoid activating the constellation, believing it spoils the gameplay for certain characters. However, the truly inconvenient infusion belongs to another hero—Chongyun.
This Cryo character possesses an unavoidable normal attack infusion that activates after using his Elemental Skill. Unlike Bennett, who is considered one of the most useful 4-star characters, Chongyun doesn`t deal high personal damage. Instead, his Elemental Skill interferes with a whole range of heroes: Keqing, Candace, Dori (C6), and Kazuha (C6). Because of this, the exorcist from Liyue is often unwelcome in co-op; there`s a significant chance he will ruin the team`s damage output due to his troublesome infusion.
The game contains many highly specialized supports whose buffs are only useful to a small number of characters or even just one. However, characters like Gorou, for example, are useful not only for Itto but also for several other characters, and Faruzan synergizes well with all Anemo DPS characters (not just Wanderer), making them more flexible and desirable.
Sara is a different case. The Shogunate Army General is not only loyal to Raiden Shogun in lore but also devoutly serves the Electro Archon on the battlefield, as all her abilities are exclusively tailored to support this specific character.
Sara`s drawback lies precisely in her overly specialized buff, which is also difficult to apply effectively. She provides an ATK buff, but its effect depends on character switching (primarily relevant in solo mode) and requires the active character to be within the area of effect left by her charged shot, which isn`t easy even in the open world, let alone multiplayer. Sara is effective in *carefully constructed* teams, which are highly unlikely to be formed with random players in domain challenges.
Nilou is an excellent character who can function as both a main and sub-DPS. Her damage primarily stems from reactions involving Dendro (specifically her unique Bountiful Cores from Bloom). Despite her relatively straightforward gameplay and good damage numbers, Nilou is a capricious and demanding character, requiring a *specific team composition* and character leveling. It`s almost impossible to fully utilize her potential in co-op mode.
Firstly, a large portion of the dancer`s damage relies on the elements of the characters in the party: all heroes must be either Dendro or Hydro to maximize damage from Bountiful Cores. Secondly, the characters need to be built with high Elemental Mastery and leveled to level 90, which further complicates finding suitable teammates for her party. While some of Nilou`s shortcomings can be managed in solo mode, random players in co-op are unlikely to go to such lengths to find compatible allies for Nilou.
For a long time, Hu Tao was considered one of the strongest DPS characters, capable of casually dealing millions of damage. She still can, but building her and extracting those millions isn`t simple, and for inexperienced players, she can become a major problem rather than a strong DPS. Often, these are the players who bring Hu Tao into co-op, causing headaches for the rest of the team. The main issue is that the polearm user must constantly balance on the brink of life and death with minimal HP, which needs to be maintained at a level just high enough to not die from a stray enemy hit.
Unfortunately, coupled with her complex animation cancellation techniques and the constant struggle with managing HP, Hu Tao isn`t widely favored. Healing her is generally undesirable (as it reduces her damage), but without healing, the character can quickly die, leaving the rest of the team vulnerable. While many characters manipulate HP (Xiao or Wriothesley are more survivable due to self-healing and because their damage depends on HP *fluctuation*, not reduction), Hu Tao was not as fortunate in this regard, and she remains somewhat unpopular in co-op mode.
Finley Holt