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One of the reasons that the hit gameGenshin Impactbecame so popular was its ability to make complex, yet simple to learn, mechanics. From a simple team composition system with a lot of components tolots of rare items, there’s plenty for players to learn. However, of these interesting mechanics, one has proven infinitely important for combat matters: elemental reactions.
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There are seven elements in theGenshin Impactuniverse: Pyro, Cryo, Electro, Dendro, Geo, Anemo, and Hydro. Each of these elements has its own unique statuses and effects, however, where it gets fascinating are the elemental reactions created when two or more are combined.
Updated on July 24th, 2023, by Nahda Nabiilah: For around two years, Genshin Impact players were left to wonder what kind of reactions will they get when Dendro is finally released. Before then, they can only settle with the Burning reaction that triggers when Pyro meets Dendro. Fortunately, when Sumeru, the land of Dendro was released, so did the element. To celebrate, a free Collei is given to ensure players have easy access to the plant-element, along with the Traveler that can change their attribute by touching the corresponding Statue of the Seven. Additionally, a new Dendro character called Tighnari is also added to the Standard Banner, which is quite curious considering there’s still no Geo unit there.
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Vaporize
One of the most basic reactions inGenshin Impact,Vaporize reactions are created whenPyro meets Hydro(or vice versa.) Among Hydro reactions, this reaction is an especially heavy-hitting elemental reaction.
Vaporize reactions are a special reaction inGenshin Impactbecause they multiply the damage of the triggering attack (the second attack to hit the opponent). That said, players need to be aware that the triggering attack will have a different damage multiplier;Pyrohas a1.5 multiplierwhileHydrohas a2 multiplier.
However, despite Pyro having a lower multiplier, triggering Vaporize by hitting Hydro-affected enemies with Pyrotakes less Hydro aurafrom the enemy as opposed to hitting Pyro-affected enemies with Hydro, which commonly consumesall Pyro aura.
Overloaded
OfGenshin Impact’shigh damage reactions, Overloaded is a little less common. The Overloaded reaction is triggered whenElectro and Pyro combine.
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While uncommonly used (becauseElectro using charactersare used less than other elements), the Overloaded reaction can be especially devastating againstboth crowds and individual opponents. The reaction causes an area-of-effect Pyro explosion, often sending light opponents flying. Due to its crowd-control nature, players need to be careful when using this reaction; it’ll be a waste of time if they end up having to chase enemies around as they’re thrown to the other side of the battlefield.
Melt
Unlike Overloaded, the Melt reaction is amongGenshin Impact’smost used reactions. The reaction is triggered by combiningPyro and Cryo attacks, making the reaction very accessible givenhow many charactersbelong to these elements.
Melt reactions work like the Vaporize reaction by applying a damage multiplier based on the triggering reaction.Cryoapplies a1.5 multiplierwhilePyroapplies a2 multiplier, so usinga Pyro characterfor thesecond attackwill optimize damage output. Although, of course, Cryo commonly doesn’t consume all Pyro aura, so characters like Ganyu can easily deal double Melt using her Charged Attack (one from her normal hit, and another from her Frostflake Bloom).
Electro-Charged
Few elemental reactions target crowds of enemies inGenshin Impactas the Electro-Charged reaction does. Created with a simple combination ofElectro and Hydro, Electro-Charged works better when there are more enemies present.
Unlike other elemental reactions, the Electro-Charged reaction can allow for a third element to be applied. This is because both Hydro and Electro aura must persist together for the reaction to occur. The Electro-Charged will stop occurring once the aura is fully drained. In this way, a third elemental reaction can be used to further increase damage output. For instance, playing Electro-Charged + Superconduct can easily be done since the three Elements can exist together.
Frozen
The Frozen reaction inGenshin Impactisn’t a DPS elemental reaction by itself, rather it’s a handicap used to make fighting opponents easier. In other words, the elemental reaction formed betweenHydro and Cryodoes not deal any additional damage.
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However, in place of damage, the Frozen reaction does exactly what it sounds like; it freezes opponents in place for a brief moment, making it impossible for them to attack. This reaction is perfect forbow and catalyst usersthat are prone to interruptions. However, note that some heavy hits like thosedone by claymore usersor Geo element will triggerShattered, which removes the Frozen debuff and deal Physical damage, scaling with the Elemental Mastery of the character that triggers the Shatter.
Superconduct
Superconduct is an interesting reaction in that it uses a complex set of effects to increase damage output. By combiningCryo and Electro, the elemental reaction will deal area-of-effect Cryo damage to nearby opponents.
However,the damage is negligible as the primary use for this reaction is to reduce the Physical resistanceof enemies in the AoE. This effect lasts for12 secondsfor an effect of40%, which is a perfect amount of time for PhysicalDPS characters like Eula.
Swirl
The Swirl reaction is one of themost flexible elemental reactionsinGenshin Impact. A Swirl reaction cannot be utilized unless the elements in the reaction are applied in a specific order. First, the elementPyro, Cryo, Hydro, or Electro, thenAnemo.
However, despite this narrow application, Swirl is one of the best reactions for creating massive chains of elemental reactions, as the element will be applied to all opponents affected by Anemo. In this way,Genshin Impactplayers can create additional elemental reactions immediately after the Swirl reaction.
Crystallize
To be fair, Crystallize is the only defensive elemental reaction inGenshin Impactto date. CombiningCryo, Hydro, Electro, and PyrowithGeo, the elemental reaction has the effect ofcreating a shield around members of the player’s team.
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This makes it a greatsupport reaction, despite it not causing any additional damage in itself. Players are recommended to utilize the Crystallize reaction with teams prone to taking a lot of damage or with characters that aren’t built with defense in mind.
Dendro-Related Reactions
Dendro has some of the most interesting reactions inGenshin Impact, mainly for the fact that it often has two-stages of the reaction. Here’s a brief overview for each of them:
Genshin Impactis now available for mobile, PC, PS4, and PS5.
