The Dangers Of Hybrid Scaling Characters | Genshin Impact

Genshin Impact sports a good number of characters with properties that grow in power and/or effectiveness based on a secondary attribute. This kind of occurrence is quite common in video games with a focus on using a lot of different units, and I wanted to discuss the gameplay implications of Hybrid Scaling in the context of Genshin.
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#GenshinImpact #Hybrid #Scaling

[@JoeMama-hu3wd]

Hybrid scaling can go wrong. Xinyan is an example. Her ATK and DEF stats shouldn’t have been split. They should’ve supplemented each other.

[@omaral-majed3834]

She is also a pyro phys dps so she cant work as good as razor or eula

[@JoeMama-hu3wd]

@@omaral-majed3834 Exactly.

[@omaral-majed3834]

@@JoeMama-hu3wd i wish she was all pyro she could be good in quick swap as a burst support shild vv shred but sadly no

[@FARTPOP]

damn her whole kit is just a real mess huh

[@zed60k47]

Xinyan is supposed to be built atk%, she scales considerably better off it, def% just grants her more damage based on a stat that is typically dead on your artifacts. The game just didn't want you to be able to have a shield build Xinyan that can also dps, characters that can do that tend to have strong restrictions, especially 4 star ones. Ayato similarly gets bonus damage from HP stats but he deals a lot more damage if built atk%. The only exception to this afaik is Zhongli who has a passive that makes his pillar and meteor deal increased damage that scales off his HP% in a way that building him either atk or hp has a negligible difference in damage output.

[@nhaan4178]

"Def is easier to get" unless you're farming the Husk domain, then all you get is EM, healing bonus and ER

[@adam.n-steve]

Same with Maiden and Ocean Hued. You get no healing bonus. Just def and crit.

[@Oyogitsune]

@@adam.n-steve and when you do get crit in Ocean hued domain it rolls into mf crit.

[@adam.n-steve]

@@Oyogitsune or Def sub stats and hit only def. No crit. No ER. Just Def.

[@adam.n-steve]

@@Oyogitsune At least crit is good on Barb and Qiqi.

[@hugshugs3390]

OMG yes! EM in Husk domain, Def in VV domain. PAIN😩

[@diogoschneider2479]

Another example of failed hybrid scaling is Thoma, he ascenda with atk, his shield is based on HP and his atk scaling abilities are very low but not compensated by his HP conversion passive (also he needs a huge amount of ER to function )

[@nhaan4178]

I don't know what Miyoho thinks when they make Thoma ascends with attack, Gorou with Geo damage bonus, Diona with cryo damage bonus. The only 4* ascension stat I like so far is Yunjin (ER).

[@yououttapocket]

Just shieldbot him like every normal person

[@MetalRenard]

And he only functions with constellations otherwise he's useless.

[@kagakai7729]

@@yououttapocket then you're running full hp, which means no ER for burst uptime. It doesn't work

[@yououttapocket]

@@kagakai7729 Literally just run favonius lance 5head, thats enough to battery him

[@nhaan4178]

This is why I love Ayato: his hybrid scaling of Attack and HP doesn't make or break his C0 gameplay (like Xinyan). It's just make Hp rolls less copium

[@Aki-hb1jy]

Ayato isn’t hybrid scaling though. He’s a pure atk dps that wants atk. HP is just an additive bonus and not considered hybrid/split scaling.

[@bhavya5692]

@@Aki-hb1jy their point was because of his hp scaling bonas he can use the hp% that often almost always rolls into crit artifacts

[@Nokyyyyy]

Yeah, it's like 3% less copium since he has a bonus that takes like 0,013% of his hp

[@Vladumere]

@@Nokyyyyy nah, hp% rolls are like worth around half a crit role or atk% role in terms of damage for Ayato. Imo it isn’t split scaling but it does make it so he can be less picky with artifacts so it isn’t as bad as you make it out to be lol.

[@Nokyyyyy]

@@Vladumere okay, thank you !

[@rb8258]

I'm kept up at night thinking as to why Albedo's ult scales with attack instead of defence

[@yashsarda2263]

I dont get it. You need C2 or something to make his ult scale with defence I think. I never got a geo goblet and put albedo on a def goblet instead, so while his E is strong his ult is just useless doing less dmg than a single E proc.

[@Ben-vg6ox]

So you are compelled to pull c2

[@yashsarda2263]

@@Ben-vg6ox on the other hand we have Itto who does split scaling perfectly. Dont need any constellations to benefit from defence like Noelle or Albedo. You could argue that Noelle is a 4 star and that would be okay I guess but theres no reason Albedo ult shouldnt scale with Def at C0. Maybe Hoyoverse just realized that it was a bad implementation of hybrid scaling and fixed it in future characters like Itto.

[@Ben-vg6ox]

@@yashsarda2263 I think they made Itto work well because if they didn't it would break his Kit Even though Albedo has split scaling issues he's still a good unit

[@pyro5159]

@@yashsarda2263 form VV for an anemo goblet you'll get geo every time at least I do

[@QueenoftheHorizon]

Several characters I enjoy playing use hybrid scaling, like Albedo, but it's always been a feature I've never quite been sure how I feel about. On one hand, I can see the merits: every character has artifacts with up to 5 stats, so being able to increase damage by focusing on two areas for scaling sounds really nice, plus it can greatly benefit certain playstyles (Albedo, for example, can be a great support if you lean into defense). If both high attack and high defense give more power, why not build both? But on the other, I can see how it can be an issue because stats are finite, so you can potentially lose out and have a worse build trying to pay attention to both, since scaling isn't necessarily equal or well implemented. As always, I'm so hype to see the video tomorrow go into depth :D

[@artaizen1613]

if a character is hybrid I think it is a must that every skill is a hybrid type also, if a hybrid is just skill A is ATK based and skill B is DEF based that would be so bad cause in genshin literally there's only 2 skills on other games, like RPG where there are selection of skills or ways to change loadout of skills, that kind of branching is okay cause you can switch things up but char like Albedo are just kind of 75% efficient at max, cause his burst is just gonna be mediocre at best unless in the future there's way that his burst gonna be useless aside from noblesse trigger (then again there's a more fitting artifact set for him that also totally ignores his burst)

[@walter1824]

No way to like it, his burst should have 3000% scaling to make up for it.

[@aurorasurrealis1032]

I don't enjoy albedos atk scaling burst that only get's better with constellations. It should have been defense scaling from the start. Using his burst is a big dps loss and it makes me sad.

[@QueenoftheHorizon]

@@artaizen1613 Ooo! That would definitely help several characters, like Albedo and Xinyan. Although, I can also see how that could potentially be game breaking with all the multipliers, so I understand why Mihoyo hasn't yet done something like that. Still, with effort to balance, it would certainly help in several instances :D

[@artaizen1613]

@@QueenoftheHorizon balancing numbers is no easy feat but for example albedo, even 20-30 boost from def is okay though to be honest why not just make when he uses his burst in e skill area we get 7 bloom right? just calculate the damage as e skill damage , I mean it's burst and his e is already unreliable enough being a geo construct, some places just can't have geo construct not to mention most boss attacks just erases the construct anyway.

[@spiderninja_1]

I find that hybrid-scaling works well when the multiple stats go towards a common outcome, like how Raiden, Kokomi, and Zhongli have their hybrid skills all go into damage. Characters like Yae and Ayato have weaker versions of this where the secondary stat provides so little benefit that it’s just a pillow to land on if you roll the wrong stats. The issue I find is split-scaling, as you mentioned, where you’re forced to pick between two distinct play styles, invest in one, and then the character feels incomplete. As everyone mentions, Xinyan is a good example. I play her solely as a DPS, so I invested into ATK, but without the DEF stats, she doesn’t have a good shield, and I can’t utilize her kit to the fullest. Albedo also has this issue where his skill is DEF and burst is ATK, but I find that investing in the skill has a much better damage output than the burst, especially with his recent 2.3 buffs, so it’s easier to choose where to pool his stats. I like how we’ve been seeing a rise in alternate-scaling like Yun Jin and Yelan. Yun Jin’s skills and burst scale completely on DEF, both in damage and support. Yelan’s skill, burst, and special charged attack (according to her leaks) will all scale on HP to deal damage, so investing in ATK will actually be pointless unless you plan to play her as an auto-attacker.

[@bhavya5692]

Actually ayato even without giving him hp% , he still gives good DMG and hp artifacts aren't necessary on him but image doing that to zhongli, u can't u need the hp main stat for him do do the DMG as well as hu tao

[@silverbro13]

Just putting this out there, but Zhongli's HP scaling for his damage output is abysmally low compared to just building him as a regular DPS with Attack/Geo Damage/Crit. If you're using him for anything other than shieldbot, that is.

[@ruhmankhalid6675]

I didn't find split scaling that forces you to pick between two or more different playstyles as the issue here. It's just that for xinyan the numbers aren't justifiable. For example, kazuha, EM mainstat with great subs are difficult to come by, therefore most just neglect classic offensive stats. you either go crit kaz or EM kaz those are two very distinctive playstyles but both feels very complete, cos the numbers are justifiable. Some are confused on where to invest on albedo due to his split scaling nature, and how does hoyoverse fix that? Crank the number on one of his kit thru cinnabar spindle.

[@sylas3265]

I think every character who got left behind bc of their awful scaling should get a patch adjusting their stats. Thoma and Xinyan are fantastic characters personality wise, but not that great when you try to run both their scaling stats and that’s terrible! Plus Yae Miko who happens to be a 5* and cost those monies

[@lolosh99]

Actually Raiden wasn’t the first great unit that scaled of both ATK and Energy Recharge. Mona converts 20% of her Energy Recharge to hydro damage bonus. Ofc Raiden has a much better version but you get what I mean.

[@zackyman3639]

"Great"

[@joshuacardenas7956]

@@zackyman3639 Mona is a great character but not because of that passive

[@zackyman3639]

@@joshuacardenas7956 she for sure isnt great

[@Darkneonflame13]

@@zackyman3639 as a support who boosts damage output especially in freeze comps yeah she’s actually pretty great

[@joshuacardenas7956]

@@zackyman3639 she's a premier character for freeze teams due to the massive DMG buff from omen and it's extension from the freeze reaction. She also works well for nuking.

[@lolosh99]

Itto scaling on Def made him my most easy character to build. He is dealing way more damage than my Raiden and lvl 90 Diluc. Plus the fact that Gorou doesn’t need investment to be amazing.

[@nhaan4178]

Exactly, my boy unga bunga everything 🤣🤣🤣. His high def means that even though he has 20% reduction in physical and elemental res in his burst, he can still tank everything. Shields aren't there to protect Itto, it's there to trigger geo resonance.

[@hansquintos701]

IKR???!! I love Itto. My time in the Ocean Hued clam domain is never a waste of time. While trying to build my Kokomi and Qiqi, my noelle, albedo, and itto gets good artis cuz of the opulent artifacts I also get.

[@Naestrith]

Indeed IttoxGorou is the ultimate ship (meta speaking).

[@lolosh99]

@@sera8648 well… at high investment and C2 (Itto C1 is decent damage increase and his C2 is energy helpge) Raiden is freakishly strong then. They did not think it through on that one.

[@Watching_Koi]

I think hybrid scaling will be helpful for artifact farming since it allows some artifacts to be useful in different builds compared to the typical atk/element/crit builds. With that said, I really want more hp and def scaling characters that aren't geo. I just want my many double crit hp/def sands to be useful eventually instead of gathering dust in my inventory.

[@dbzsonic1069]

Yelan: hello there

[@applel2.043]

Ayato and Yelan scale with hp so we should expect a def scaling character that is not geo .

[@lolosh99]

Yelan and Kuki are on the way

[@Greatbabyred]

@@applel2.043 Ayato is only 25% HP scaling and 75% ATK scaling so i wouldn't say he's a dedicated HP scaler. However you can also add Hu Tao, Kokomi, Barbara, Diona, Kuki, and Thoma to the list

[@Watching_Koi]

@@dbzsonic1069 Yelan is definitely a step in the right direction for me since her can use an hp sands. But I realize she's like sub-dps albedo where she'll still need an element cup and crit helm. What I realized after rereading my initial comment is that I really want are more Shenhes that don't need a elemental cup/crit helm. When I first saw Shenhe's kit from leaks I didn't even need to farm for her cause I had all the stuff in my inventory already. So I basically want more def/def/def characters that aren't geo (like gorou or yun jin) or hp/hp/hp characters that aren't hydro healers (like kokomi).

[@byeguyssry]

I think they should introduce hybrid scaling to open up different playstyles, like maybe DEF for more off-field DMG but normal attacks deal enough to warrant building ATK for on-field DMG

[@irgiefarras2159]

uhh, albedo?

[@byeguyssry]

@@irgiefarras2159 When Albedo's played as on-field DPS, DEF still ends up dealing more damage than ATK. Some still build ATK but DEF actually still wins out. The main appeal of playing Albedo on-field is the double flower technique. Basically, his Skill can only proc DEF-scaling damage once every 2s. However, if you proc his Skill, place a second one, then hit the enemy again you will proc the DEF-scaling damage again instantly even before the 2s is up. So on-field Albedo is basically the same as off-field Albedo except that your flower deals 50% more damage.

[@hiro_444]

That doesn't really make sense, why would you want to build def on an off field character? I know albedo works like that but it doesn't really make sense to do that in terms of gameplay

[@desertdust6969]

@@zeosummers3984 Absolutely 🤣🤣

[@byeguyssry]

@@hiro_444 True. Technically though every DPS could have their health and DEF stat changed to 1 and it wouldn't matter bcoz of shields (barring corrosion), Freeze etc.

[@jakeail1995]

pre video cmt: - as a Xinyan main, i hate split scaling so much (let me get out of the way first) - as much as i hate seeing char with hybrid scaling due PTSD from Xinyan and even Zhongli pre buff, i can't deny the benefit that hybrid scaling can bring to both gameplay and char design but also the risk it carry as it is a double edge sword. - imo there is 2 way to go with hybrid scaling: 1. The hybrid scaling manage to convert into 1 single goal/purpose or into each other at the end (for example Hutao scale off on both HP and ATK but it all for her dmg at the end) 2. The hybrid scaling that make char have 2 different role when focus on one of them, this way can be good cause it give char different playstyle/role if both is as good as each other and good compare to other char with the same role but you know how it go with Xinyan, they did tried but fail so bad (also i doubt mhy will really make a good char with this type of scaling cause it will make that char too good/OP and mhy is stingy as well) - If in the future, when we get more hybrid scaling char, i hope mhy make type 1 like i said above cause they proven to us they bad at making type 2 hybrid scaling but ofc they might give us a surprise and actually make a good type 2 hybrid scaling char, let keep the copium up for now

[@ReaperCet]

Type 1 (dual scaling) characters are good, possibly even OP. Type 2 (split scaling) characters would need way higher multipliers for both stats in order to compete with type 1. But then xinyan runs the risk of being way too strong with something like a redhorn. But if type one characters are allowed to be op, then so should type 2 characters.

[@jakeail1995]

@@ReaperCet thanks, i didn't know the correct term

[@NexTySCOL]

@@ReaperCet This. incidentally, there are only two true split-scaling characters in the game: Xinyan and Albedo. Albedo's split scaling on DEF and ATK was weird on his release but it was clear he was meant to be an off-field dps. Then he got the kokomi/zhongli treatment and was given a tailor made weapon wich kinda consolidated his playstyle. on the other hand Xinyan's initial role as a unit is really unclear, she's a shielder but then her shield is kinda weak. Her elem skill and burst have okay multipliers but then is split in damage type (pyro and physical). her buffs to physical damage are good but then her element is pyro which makes it uncomfortable to play her as a physical support. it feels like she's trying to be an all purpose unit but her kit contradicts itself.

[@ReaperCet]

@@NexTySCOL and albedo was only fixable with a bandaid that was made specifically for him. MHY knows that split scaling doesn't work. They need to just give xinyan the albedo treatment and call it a day.

[@AbdullachWML]

@@ReaperCet Come on, pre cinnabar Albedo was still a decent character. Cinnabar+Husk treatment just made him into a top tier but he was still a viable choice before and the only chara with 3* BiS weapon which made him low cost/high reward option.

[@nastaboikpopdance]

I consider Yae Miko's EM scaling and Kamisato Ayato's HP scaling specifically to be more like "so rolling that stat doesn't feel useless". Maxing that stat will most likely decrease the overall damage because of the low scaling, but having some sub stats here and there will do the trick.

[@yamennish]

Speaking of scaling, some characters feel suboptimal from what the game gives them in terms of Ascension stat. Characters with hybrid scaling can be fun but when you give them an ascension stat thats irrelevant to the character's mainly built role it just feels off putting. Take Gorou, with his defense scaling but Geo damage bonus ascension (for himself, not buffing the geo comp entirely), or sucrose who scales amazing with EM but has anemo dmg ascension. Some DPS characters are given a pass for being given a crit rate/dmg ascension stat (Hu Tao, Itto, Ayato, etc.) but that just distracts from the problem. These are great characters but some feel too spread out I mean look at thoma, his stat is attack but you need hp and ER to make him worth using in one single comp. Some ascension stats just feel like they were slapped on for the sake of it, literally 4/7 geo chars have Geo dmg bonus. Yes I feel very strongly about ascension stats, worth a thought.

[@ParafrostV]

Thing about Gorou, the only thing that scales with his def is his healing from c4 and ascension passive, but since his E already gives a lot of defense, purely focusing on defense for him is kind of copium unless u want more heals. His E still scales with atk and geo, but def is not a bad sub to have. He does need ER so you really only need favonius with 150%+ ER and since you're going to run mostly geo, then he's going to get enough energy particles. You could still use def main stat for sands/helm as long as you can manage to get 50% crit with sub stats, goblet having more of the crit, with 100% crit dmg. My shenhe uses full atk and still has a 1/2 crit ratio with 3.6k atk cause of jade spear, but i can get 50% crit/110% crit dmg if i got a better helm with crit and crit dmg. Atk subs are already high too and she hardly needs more than 135% ER to get her ult back up with Ayaka providing a lot of particles.

[@Sylvastier]

Gorou's ascension stat is completely meaningless because he doesn't actually scale with Def outside of his c4's healing ability. His skill/buffs are entirely based on skill level. The only useful substat he could have ascended into would have been ER. The better examples for terrible Ascension stats would be the Shield/Healers. Like it or not Sucrose Anemo bonus is still a fitting edition to her Kit and she can work as a anemo dps without her focus on EM sharing. She is not at all slowed down by that ascension excluding the meta wanting her to be completely EM, which mihoyo doesn't care for. (Also there's a clear theme that catalyst users are the most likely to scale into their element bonus stat). The same cannot be said for Thoma's Atk scaling and Diona's Cryo scaling, even at their best dps builds they are nowhere near the potential of other 4*'s and that doesn't even put into the fact that they have the lowest base health pools despite their entire kit wanting as much HP scaling as possible.

[@kimkardashi-un2.051]

Diona got the same problem as well, they gave her cryo bonus. For what? They want us to charge shot with Diona or smt? 🙂

[@ParafrostV]

@@kimkardashi-un2.051 well at least she has Shenhe. My E does 8k per hit with Shenhe buff lol.

[@Oxygen1004]

@@ParafrostV and Bennett can do +80k every 2 seconds with his E, Diona was never meant to be a DPS and her cryo% scaling makes no sense

[@B00mt00b]

Hybrid scaling would be resolved if Artifacts were more consistent. I got a Gladiator CRate circlet that rolled into CDmg and Def% to the point where I used it on Noelle who used it wonderfully. If we could have more control over the stats that we get from Artifacts, then we could take adavantge of Hybrid scaling more often and less characters would suffer because of it. However, cases like Xinyan -where her scaling just isn't good enough even with well-rounded artifacts- won't be fixed. At least in the overworld and for DPS check events, she's totally fine.

[@aatb3719]

This is why I want C2 Albedo. That shit is mad op.

[@rirururu4697]

C2 Albedo also gets a little flower that follows him. I love it.

[@theinfantmetroid]

Ah yes, I love the 5 weapon types; Bow, Claymore, Polearm, Bow and Catalyst

[@arocomisgamusclademork1603]

But Catalyst isn't Meta weapon type than skill burst and passives

[@dylan3746]

Sword characters be like: I don't exist, im just an illusion

[@mayday2502]

leme just use my ranged prototype:anger

[@kirin1230]

@@arocomisgamusclademork1603 Wut

[@arocomisgamusclademork1603]

@@kirin1230 why not just play Catalyst character to see what I mean that

[@ReaperCet]

Dual scaling = coolio (hu Tao, itto) Split scaling = poopoo (xinyan)

[@snapedu9166]

True i love itto 💛💛💛

[@snapedu9166]

I read it first as kool aid💀

[@ReaperCet]

@@snapedu9166 same, I love my mans running around with 3k atk and defense. And the enemies are like, "bro, why??"

[@nhaan4178]

@@ReaperCet Unless he faces off geo slimes and spectres, then we'll play physical Itto

[@ReaperCet]

@@nhaan4178 yeah, thankfully geo slimes/spectres are rare and Geo shields are actually weak to Geo. Or it'd be a bad time.

[@bazookaman1353]

Having someone with a game design background talking about the game is a blessing.

[@RagingPeanutButter]

So I just finished building my Xinyan for fun today and I actually feel like she's not that bad at C6. Her C6 actually allows her to not loose out on that much damage when her DEF stat values are being invested into. So she is actually kind of like Hutao where she can be both tanky and deal dmg at the same time. Her dmg output is probably at around the same tier of other 4 stars non-Xiangling level dps, such as Chongyun or Yanfei. My problem with Xinyan comes down to 2 points. Her element being pyro, and her C6 being locked behind her charged attacks. The beyblade style charge attack is just so bad to use. You sacrifice all of your mobility to do it + it has an annoying startup animation. If the C6 bonus was given leeway into her other abilities and not only for her charged attacks, she will end up being very solid character and nowhere near overpowered.

[@lolosh99]

I think if you invested the same amount into Noelle it would probably be better. Not to mention Husk exists so…

[@volodyan7780]

MrCode Xinyan with c6 r5 5* and perfect arts, cant outdps my yanfei with 4* weap and above average artifacts, so it is copium (maybe mono pyro yanfei or overload is camparable, but not vape). At good investment even amber could perform decent, it doesn't make her good character.

[@periwinkle1136]

The thing about her C6 is that it doesn't just increase charge attack damage but it increases at ATK by 50% of her DEF so it would increase the damage of her lvl3 shield during her charged attack. I don't think this would increase the damage of her burst because the buff may go away before the burst can be activated, though I never tested.

[@skybattler2624]

Xinyan's downfall isn't just about her hybrid acalong, but the fact she is a Physical-centric PYRO character in a game where Electro and Cryo are needed to create Superconduct. If Xinyan was Electro or Cryo, she would be a very good Noelle Alternative.

[@chanulweerasekara3368]

@@periwinkle1136 i think there is a slight delay with the attack decrease so with good timing you can still get the buff

[@snapedu9166]

7:00 BRUHHHHH.. I just wanted to put it out there💚💚 sucrose💚💚 is one of there first good hybrid scalling checters that still hold up well.her em shareing allows her to stack all em to not only help her but her teammate, ps it really benfits her more cus of her low scalling swirl only relys on lvl and em so she can do so much damgg even with low scalling and talent lvl👍👍

[@snapedu9166]

(Sorry for my bad English) 🙏🙏

[@yummykebab6711]

Sucrose scales only on em though? Since atk isn't necessary for swirl

[@snapedu9166]

@@yummykebab6711 sorry my wording is off 🙏🙏 🙏 u r right she dosent i was talking About her lvl not talent lvl and the swirl damge not her atk damge

[@omaral-majed3834]

She is like kazoha 👍

[@snapedu9166]

@@omaral-majed3834 yes😁😁

[@Runawayturist]

To me, hybrid scaling is how the developers justified having "varied" artifacts. This is both a good and bad thing because, until a character is announced and examined we used those dead artifacts to level other ones and then having to search again for what we used to call dead artifacts for the new hybrid character.

[@Svenir]

I just hope the many recent dual-scaling characters aren't only there so they can just not fix the terrible artifact system... this might sound crazy, but I genuinely wouldn't put it past them.

[@JustinStewart]

Very well thought out video. Great job!

[@Kurinth]

I think Shenhe's design is the way to go, specific use cases that dont break the game as a whole

[@RA-ux3fu]

no. not for 5 stars. not everyone has the resource to use on average 90+ pulls to get a " niche" character

[@0xVENx0]

nah shenhe is terrible, she is literally perfect as a 4 star, thats why gorou sint bad. like gorou id easily one of the worst m the game, but him being a 4star, makes his niche ability okay, bc when he gets his team hes strong but not shenhe, yunjin is better and shes a 4star, bc yunjin works with all characters in the game, some better than others while shenhe already works with a small amount but to top it off shes a 5star

[@Oxygen1004]

@SharinganSakura That's what they said tho? All they were saying is the fact she's a 5* is what they think makes her "bad"

[@kaka-gz4qg]

@bird she doesn't buff 2 characters in the whole game, with chongyun she can buff any melee character technically, besides, I hope you realise that she buffs all cryos and not ganyu/ayaka

[@GT-xw7rg]

@bird she doesn’t buff 2 characters, she buffs an entire element, which will only scale better as the game goes on, there’s nothing wrong with element specific buffers 4 or 5 star, strength of the buffs matter more than how widespread the buff is.

[@sebastianheck49]

Stat conversion ---> alternative stat scaling. You avoid the issue of split scaling this way (Xinyan *cof cof*). Take C6 Noelle for example, for burst mode only, it converts her DEF into ATK and added to whatever ATK she had before, so she can have the best of both worlds. Despite DEF% scaling harder, if you get ATK% substats it doesn't hurt that much because she can use both. Same for Raiden, Zhongli, Hutao. They can use both their ER into Electro DMG or HP into ATK, and ATK% itself. Kokomi is "kinda" the opposite. Because she can't crit, CR and CD substats are dead stats on her, and we all know this game has a desire sensor and gives you CR,CD,ER,ATK on HP% and Healing Bonus pieces lol. Also why is Xiangling so broken? Snapshot, no ICD, pyro and she can use 5 out of 7 freakin stats: ATK, CR, CD, ER, and EM. Only HP and DEF are useless on her (and the holy trinity of flat_atk, flat_def and flat_hp that is useless on everyone lol).

[@AbdullachWML]

Actually if you do the math flat DEF is more beneficial for C6 Noelle then ATK%. She's scaling so hard off DEF that you want flat DEF on your arties. EDIT: That of course if you can keep your ULT uptime 100%.

[@senpajishere6203]

For 4 star dps tho, i would argue having some levels going to the flat atk sub isnt bad and could even be better then Atk%

[@vedantkandhare6870]

Your video quality is just awesome Subscribed🙌

[@maryanntheconqueror]

This was a really solid vid. In some ways, Mihoyos general openness towards any character being used is quite nice, allowing people to use characters they like on a personal level over what’s meta, which in turn is more friendly towards F2P/low spenders. Even with the “worst” units like Amber and Xinyan, if you give them some good supports they can clear most content (I still see Amber abyss clears from time to time). However, like you mentioned, it results in a lack of proper challenge or incentive to use these new units. The main way Genshin has been increasing the challenge of spiral abyss is just by shoving more and more HP on the enemies. At this point abyss can still be cleared by players of any spending range, but if taken to an extreme this can result in only “whale damage” being viable, with strategy mattering very little, which could completely destroy the initial “play whoever you want” benefit for non-spenders. The one time I recall them truly adding something to push for certain character usage was corrosion, which while I was skeptical of at first, I will give them the credit of keeping the mechanic in game rather than just a one-time Kokomi ad. It created a reason to want Kokomi, but for people who couldn’t roll for her characters like Barbara and Qiqi were still possible, as long as you made sure the rest of the team did enough damage with a pure healer support. That all being said, I hope they take some time to make characters of the element/weapon types we still don’t have, especially with Dendro coming up. I do have a theory that maybe they want archons to be the first to use certain weapon with their respective element-which could be totally be proved wrong any time soon, btw-but even then there’s still gaps. Ok essay over.

[@sasha8578]

another wonderfully put video. I don't mind hybrid scaling but at the cost of crit rate is kinda ridiculous to the point where they need to make an artifact set that can really only be used on kokomi and qiqi and whatever niche uses. Raiden artifact set can be used on so many characters and it's the only domain I farm right now. PS, love your voice.

[@buttermanaws4693]

Really hybrid scaling has only three levels Works - Hu-Tao, Raiden, Kazuha,Itto Does not work - Xinyan, Toma Not needed/ ignored - Yae, Ayato Most work but the few that don't stand out

[@nhaan4178]

Zhongli should be added to the "work" group.

[@buttermanaws4693]

@@nhaan4178 look there were so many works that I didn't want to add another, like I said many of the units work it's just the few that don't that make us question it

[@Firelava88.]

kokomi is best girl

[@JoeMama-hu3wd]

Fr

[@QueenoftheHorizon]

She is an incredible girl! I love having her on my team

[@JoeMama-hu3wd]

@@QueenoftheHorizon She is insanely useful.

[@QueenoftheHorizon]

@@JoeMama-hu3wd I'm one of the only people in my little corner of the genshin community with a Kokomi, so on co-op nights, I'm almost always playing as her because I provide healing while still contributing some decent attack numbers. Next time her weapon is available, I'll definitely be pulling for it to try to make her an even better asset to myself and my friends :D

[@lesbiandazai]

@@QueenoftheHorizon just a warning is that her signature weapon is only a tiiiiny bit better then prototype amber when it comes to damage, and also can fall behind prototype amber in energy refund so unless if you really really like koko or are a whale i wouldnt reccomend

[@Blue967]

I did not understand too much, but, I really like this type of content! :))

[@midwestairway]

Keep up the good content, love your videos

[@Urkikk]

I like the hybrid scaling in Genshin, as much as how strangely or questionable some character designs are to me. they’re like riddles to solve rather than having generic pure ATK scaling, add a bit of confusion to get people busy for a while, and it’s pretty fun to look at. Who knows maybe we can get more out of Xinyan when we figured out

[@fitakot4723]

I’m sorry but there is no saving grace for Xinyan, she is just a failed attempt

[@Urkikk]

@@fitakot4723 doesn’t mean I’ll just stop and walk away all these time.

[@AziSlays]

5:06 clearly you've never played competitive pokemon ever before in your life because no, type matchup does not determine the battle's outcome. Type matchup is very important but experience with a given team, the mental game (predictions/knowing how smart your opponent is), (when applicable) the general power of the pokemon in your team, and most simply of all literally just the various speed stats of your team (it's better to be faster or slower in different situations) are all drastically more important factors when it comes to winning a battle. If you know what you're doing you can beat a mono-fire team with mono-grass and it won't even be that hard.

[@alvinyu5387]

Regarding electro healing mentioned stuff 8:20, Kuki is slated to fill that spot. It’s really nice to see new unit types, which will open more team options.

[@nevadachi]

Genshin is apparently simple, but the whole elemental reaction, ICD, is surprisingly deep.

[@RA-ux3fu]

yes, but the issue is that the games difficulty is elementary, hence there is no need to get a deep understanding of the mechanics.

[@shadcroly]

To anyone curious, the music during the video is "Far From Home", the theme of the Drowned City of Skalla from Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood.

[@TheProswagonist]

2:22 I know that's not Brave Frontier, but it reminded me of it, and I wanna say RIP to my first gatcha.

[@humanish4042]

I really enjoyed the music in this video

[@froid1384]

I recently built my Albedo. I was hesitant at first because I wasn't sure what to do with his ATK and DEF scaling. His burst still deals a decent amount of damage without me actually focusing for ATK, so I suppose he is okay.

[@johnjasper3216]

In my opinion, hybrid scaling allows for people to play characters differently. By prioritizing one stat over the other and vice versa to play a completely different play style.

[@thezard7013]

also allows easier builds. like if you don't get the desired stats you at least have the other.

[@johnjasper3216]

@@thezard7013 exactly! Like, I *love* to play Xinyan. Her split scaling isn't the bad thing about her, it allows you to play her as a damage dealer or sub DPS shielder. But it's her scaling and other factors like her unfixed bugs that is the problem. Or Albedo! His skill is on Def but his burst is on atk, but do note that I don't have Albedo so I might be wrong about this

[@Stormraider821]

@@johnjasper3216 Albedo's burst does run that way unless you unlock his constellation, in which case it also partially scales off Def. Edit: To be more specific, C2 constellation.

[@AdamCDagg]

3:40 Interesting, I've never tried Sacrificial Bow on my sword wielders before

[@CurtisCreates]

Appreciated the Star Wars reference 2:53

[@schnelle_gazelle]

Love how there is a sac. bow instead of the sword and Homa as the spear.

[@sakurasensations4786]

Proud Shenhe main here-when co-oping with a friend, she was quickly convinced to roll on a Shenhe rerun because mine buffed her Ganyu and Ayaka so well. So she’s definitely a great investment and her affects on a full Cryo team are fantastic! I’d recommend her to everyone. (I pair her with Diona and Chongyun. Wonderful trio!)

[@coolgabe555]

Btw if you want to run a fun build try ER Keqing out. She gets 15%er and crate whenever she bursts and has a cdmg accension so its very easy to stack high cdmg crate and 200% er with an emblem set and just spam her kit out. Can even use Skyward_Blade on her and she uses most of its niches well.

[@ben-taobeneton3945]

There is a lot to work here. Yes, I agree. Btw what's the background sound there? Those scotish-pipes made this video even better?

[@slavikcrusader96]

3:42 Thats a funky looking sword there

[@KariMusic0116]

3:41 ah yes, my favourite sword, sacrificial bow

[@RognarB]

Using the ost of the last good dungeon from XIV, nice.

[@Deus_Star]

I love how you are using FFXIV music in this! Good choice man!!

[@ThatChrisG]

Didn't think I'd hear the Skalla theme in a Genshin vid good taste

[@LeviathanCove]

Good call out on Shenhe. You’re right it’s kind of a unique twist on alternate scaling.

[@impendio]

Hey Vars, here’s a suggestion for a video, badly designed/incomplete characters that just happen to be good and see play because they have enough numbers. Or characters where their element just simply doesn’t really matter to their functioning. My first volunteer would be Xiao, which is extremely popular, reasonably strong on a vacuum, but honestly really broken in the bad sense of the word where him being Anemo is just flavor and having a whole bunch of internal or external problems, same with Eula being Cryo and all the problems with physical damage, etc. Raiden or Zhongli would also pretty much fit this category but you already went through their existences on why everyone plays but could be an unifying factor for poorly designed characters that are not bad by any mean or even pretty meta.

[@Tiepo01]

Omg you used The Drowned City of Skalla ost from Final fantasy xiv!!! Take my like and follow sir :)

[@kevinjustlikett]

I havent seen brave frontier in a HOT minute omg…

[@omaral-majed3834]

Btw xainyn the not only has weird def x atk split scalling she is a pyro x phycal /dps x Support 😢😢

[@njb982]

She doesn’t have support capabilities, she can be used as a support but DEF shields are specifically made for protecting the caster since DEF general scales lower than HP. Although noelle is good as a support shielder that’s cause of her element giving a bonus to her shield and insane base DEF. which is supposed to make her the f2p carrier.

[@limitedhangoutlive]

MHY went in the right direction with forcing team splits in abyss but there needs to be affixes that force you to experiment with different comps and elements. Imagine a floor where shields simply don’t work as an example. Or, a debuff if you trigger an interaction that would otherwise be really good for that floor. There is an artifact domain where at higher levels it doesn’t matter but if you try doing 90 at a lower level, the affix HURTS. It’s against frost abyss mages but if you melt or something (I forget which interaction), you start getting obliterated by random damage. They should build on this.

[@JohnSmith-xo9te]

That’s the domain where it gives archaic Petra and retracing bolide. If player triggers melt reactions, player’s character suffers true damage. If player triggers superconduct, enemies take true damage.

[@Ki_Vladilena_Milize]

I think we need more characters like Shenhe and Yunjin. Dmg boost they give is really really good.

[@Hoolahups]

I also think we should definitely have some more really niche supports. Shenhe, while only specifically useful for 3 characters (ganyu, ayaka, and chongyun) is also supporting 2 of the best 5 star characters and one of the best 4 star characters. With shenhe support, my chongyun can hit harder than my Eula's normal attack by a decent margin, but it doesn't feel gamebreaking either.

[@alexegoleanu942]

I think this special scaling makes sense on characters, geo represents crystalize/shieldin/protection so it makes sense for a geobcharacter to scale on def, in Zhongli's case hp makes him more durable because he's a tank and doesn't have to die too fast, Hu Tao makes also sense cuz she works at the Funeral Parlor, Shogun scales of energy recharge cuz electro element simbolises energy and also the electro resonance gives you more energy, many of them makes sense in my opinion and is nice to have more diversity in our build and learn about each character

[@hasincobb7376]

Did anybody notice that when he was naming the weapon types he put down two bow as the pictures

[@njb982]

I think there need to be a distinction between split scaling and hybrid cause those aren’t the same. A few people in comments are bringing up albedo and xinyan as examples of hybrid scaling but they aren’t since ATK or DEF will push in favor for a specific part of their kit unlike raiden which is actually hybrid. Koko is also an example of hybrid scaling but the dramatic issue with her kit is that it has trade-offs instead of just supplementary benefits. Having any type of trade off for a stat you can build for yourself creates pretty underwhelming performance although it dose shifts the focus of building to make it easier. For kokomi I’m specifically talking about her dmg capabilities, her healing is great obviously. Hybrid scaling seems like a difficult thing for MHY tho; miko scaling ability is underwhelming, kokomi has trade-offs, it seems like they hit the mark on raiden and are trying to hard renovate it. Tho the value of the DEF -> ATK type of scaling for noelle was kept basically consistent with itto even if he does have trade offs in his kit.

[@salceds]

Miko's scaling is supposedly for the Dendro reaction, you'll see

[@njb982]

@@salceds I keep hearing that but I can’t be comfortable with that excuse since there is so much stuff they should have given her so she is perfectly functional on release instead of 3 patches after along with the scaling not being high enough to be effective without reactions. AOE would have fixed her c2 problem, electro sherd would have improve her sub dps value, or even team wide cool down reduction would have given her better synergy with raiden and especially Sara since Miko can’t snapshot, MHY had the idea of cool down reduction abilities in the beta testing but they keep taking it out of characters kits. If I remember correctly Sara and Ayato had cool down reduction abilities but Sara’s got nerfed and Ayato’s removed.

[@kingdoom5022]

Kokomi isn't a damage dealer but her damage is very high considering she's also support and the new set , that's why kokomi is the best driver for off field DPS in the game along with sucrose

[@hanolley4443]

@@kingdoom5022 if it wasn't for Kokomi being good in freeze team I don't think she'd be meta at all and that's all thanks to ToTM and her hydro application not clam (clam set does not.make.her meta at all) what makes her meta is that she makes basically one of the most broken dps team in the game even stronger (ayaka, shenhe, kazuha) her electro-charged team isn't meta and sukokomon require 1- low latency fast internet 2- high quality hardware 3- perfect and strict execution with 0 mistakes that's unrealistic for 98% of players so I'd not count that team are part of "meta" if not everyone can use it and get decent results

[@nhaan4178]

What sort of trade offs in Itto's kit? I'm just curious

[@olixil68]

I do like your comparison of Venti and Kazuha since Venti still has a niche in freeze teams as Kazuha shatters with his E.

[@godogeman6466]

Was that background music from ffxiv, why you got to tease me like this

[@renhisui222]

3:42 "Swords" proceeds to show a bow. XD

[@orlandosanchez1925]

I like it cause it makes certain artifacts you have more viable than being trash or being an exp for your good pieces lime a hp percentage with great sub stats might look like trash but you might keep it because later on who knows if there will be a character that might be able to use it

[@someoneweird9705]

Man, Brave Frontier popping up at 2:13 really just hit me with a wave of melancholy. One of the biggest victims of power creep I have ever seen, it still holds a special place in my heart as my first gacha game. RIP Brave Frontier

[@sativaoryza8648]

More hybrid scaling please, I need someone to make use of those godly substats, DEF/HP/EM main stats artifacts

[@TNinja0]

5:27 There aren't many dungeon that requires a specific strategy, but that ONE Ice Domain in Mondstadt sure is picky about what elements it wants me to use. Anyone who isn't Pyro or Electro have little use there, and Hydro is suicide.

[@VidGaMeR777]

While this wasn't an artifact video one thing i think that could help out maybe, unless it is already the case just so weak its barely noticed, but having flat stats taken into account on artifacts before the percentages. possibly buffing how much flat stat we get on rolls if its too weak but having all the flat rolls being added in and then the percentages take from that total, it could be like a Yae situation where you won't go for EM outright but you wouldn't look at an EM substat on an artifact and see it as a completely dead stat like we do currently for flat att, def and HP. if that was the case my Kokomi wouldn't have just under 40k Hp (39,898) and would have like 48k~HP , mostly from the flower main stat being almost 5k flat hp, and they could tweak them a bit by making Flower and Feather main stats less powerful but making substat rolls higher cause i could see, at least hp, being a problem with such strong Hp scaling Characters like Zhongli and Hu Tao. it would take some messing around but i think it could be a viable option so its not a total waste getting flat stats on artifacts. side note, obviously no change to characters like Bennett, Sara, etc. they're damage buff being strictly from weapon and character base att is fine cause they're already powerful, although Shenhe would be a weird case and idk how to work it around her without her being absolutely busted in any cryo team.

[@realrahzz]

9:15 Yeah.. Then there's me, who is trying to get a good hp piece on witch for hu tao since couple of millennia.

[@lolk7726]

This is so true!

[@uddiptojana7884]

I think 90% of genshin's problems can be traced back to the artifact system: currently we can only get Crit rate, Crit damage and Healing bonus on the circlet slot, Damage bonus only on the goblet slot while the flower and feather is fixed to flat HP and ATK. Imagine if this restriction wouldn't have been there and you could get any desired stat on any slot many of the weapons and characters out there that have so called 'problems', wouldn't have been problematic. Imagine if you could have crit rate in one slot crit damage in another, atk% weapons like unforged wouldn't be considered bad. Imagine if you could have artifacts like atk%, def%, phys bonus, crit, rate crit damage as artifact main stats may be xinyan wouldn't have been as bad as she is.

[@uddiptojana7884]

@bird The comparison between amos and unforged is totally invalid because aimed shots of bow users can hit weak points in which case they always score a critical hit. That is why atk%, damage bonus and crit damage stats are better than crit rate for aimed shot DPS units. As for Unforged the passive is 'bad' you say, but you might as well try to reason why is it 'bad' in the first place. The reason it is bad because the substat is atk% the passive also gives atk%, feather slot will give flat atk while my sands will also give atk% if it is an atk scaling unit (not sure why you would put unforged on them otherwise) . You just end up with too much atk% which gives dimishing returns. But if the artifact main stats weren't rigid and you could put any thing on any slot you would have the opportunity to focus on offensive stats other than atk, because the unforged already would take care of the atk portion of the damage formula.

[@igorfoux1717]

I play FGO and, although I know it has its problems (im looking at u small indie company shennanigans), it does encourages you to have different units to different content. Of course u have the units that go well with every content, but those tend to not be the best for every challenge quest nor farming. The class advantage system makes u have at least 1 character of each class invested, being a gacha, I found myself sticking to f2p units much more than genshin's, also, theres not much difference between some f2p and 5-stars (maybe a bit less damage), but viability and attention from the lore are top notch

[@leelareyes4508]

Is that a double cleave in RTA at 2:07!? Mad respect for drafting rose in 2022

[@pedrosilva-di4lg]

3:42 Oh yes! Sac bow is a sword!

[@arocomisgamusclademork1603]

Whatever characters are same functions elemental damage or scaling stats to use passively somewhat drawback. Also, Catalyst never used Meta time challenge dps as Vars said. Players wanted use characters look aesthetic or gameplay consistency. Stats are depending specifically character needed instead universal helpfulness.

[@tikhonbatkovic]

Early at game, I was lucky enough to pull hybrid-scalers specifically, so I felt really weird building classical atk% damage dealer later!

[@wellberightback4861]

3:42 Swords... also known as Melee range bows I guess

[@farannazar155]

wanted to put out albedo as well. he scales based on def for elemental skill whereas attack for burst(I know you can get c2 but really who would go for his c2 when there is shogun). It frustrates me that one tick on his elemental skill is more than his burst damage. my albedo has 3k def and 1.2k attack with crit ratio 54/120. albedo should scale off his def for both his e and q....

[@ceyx1201]

Albedo is a SHE. SHE'S A LADY! Not a HE.

[@nivi-ec4px]

@@ceyx1201 what? Albedo is a guy, i have no idea how you thought he was a girl

[@nhaan4178]

@@ceyx1201 What are you smoking? Albedo is a guy

[@spiderninja_1]

After they introduced that 2.3 sword, his role in damage was definitely solidified to be a skill-based role rather than burst-based

[@farannazar155]

@@spiderninja_1 But my point was that he should scale off on his def for his burst as well so that his overall damage goes up. i mean scaling off on different stats for his e and q is absolutely ridiculous and I am saying this as someone who has used albedo for quite a while

[@insertword1730]

for one of the first story domains that you can repeat you need a pyro bow character or you just can't progress

[@veraducks]

3:37 I think doing a video on the weapon-element diversity issue would be a good thing to touch on. We're inching towards 3.0 and still don't have a cryo catalyst, hydro claymore, or hydro polearm. The four most recent characters, as well as both upcoming characters, are all retreads of what we've already seen. That's half a year. When Dendro releases, are we going to sit around for 3-6 months with a single 5* dendro sword? It's not even so much the number of characters released. It's more that the wave of Pyro and Cryo units was annoying in the short term, but has consistently bothersome effects even today. Oh, we're finally getting a new Hydro character? ...oh it's *another* 5* bow.

[@BeeBeeBones]

I hear that XIV backround music :eyes:

[@BaselardFE]

I've always enjoyed the hybrid scaling with Albedo, Noelle and Kokomi. I just wish Xinyan's scaling was better, hers don't really harmonize that well

[@ramtosantosa7661]

If only her shield based off physical damage bonus😿

[@marklokimorr8709]

Shoutout to the nonexistant sacrificial polearm in 3:44

[@user-jh6vt8vx4v]

Im actually will welcome swiss knife character like Noelle. I think she is hybrid scale as well, and on the broken side. Because healing and burst attack are a scaled from def. With long burst duration. Energy recharge is never too big of issue while you can hording def on main stat and distribute all other sub stat to crit damage/rate, attack and energy recharge. It is almost like it will work regardless what artifect you throw at her. And it get occational renew of interest with new weapon. I decided to pull the unforge because it comes with 20% boost with shield strenght. It comes in very handy while I can free up 1 artifect kit ability for other used (healing, def boost, or energy recharge, or even attack related boost when I want to build a dps Noelle). It is funny that despite my personal attachment, I found Noelle has lot more to tinker with compare to others like Hutao or GanYu.

[@orpheedupas3859]

3:40 That's a weird looking sword mr Vars

[@Samsamsam6969]

3:43 that sacrificial sword is looking slightly off x)

[@rockypaoloandal994]

What're the names of the gacha games that were shown on the video?

[@themangix357]

Mihoyo needs to look at KOEI TECMO for inspiration---especially Warriors Orochi 3. Hundreds of characters to choose from, almost everyone is unique with very little useless or cloned characters. All the while retaining the simplicity of the game.

[@tengogamer2666]

gorou is a example, scaling with def in your ult but atk in his Q, ascend bonus geo and have an bad constelation

[@364-unbirthdays8]

The thing about hybrid artifacts (getting main hp/def etc stat on artifacts) is that because artifact 4pc/2pc bonuses matters so much, any artifact that manages to land that double crit but doesn't fit into that specific character's best artifact set is automatically useless anyways.

[@MShenko]

3:42 i found the double bow really funny LMAO

[@deepfriedmochi]

about there being no electro healer, Kuki Shinobu was leaked to have healing abilities.

[@Saneec]

miko is crazy happy rn

[@xidjav1836]

Been a long time since I played but. If Xinyan's shield split converged her ATK and DEF like Shield health scales to base ATK% (maybe reduce shield damage by DEF%) and converts base DEF% to ATK. This way her buff last longer the more offensive you get and be more offensive by increasing her defense. This makes her a bruiser who could deals as much damage as she takes. But there ain't no way she can be salvaged with a Physical DMG with a puro class

[@Kefla361]

3:42 Ah yes my favorite 5 weapons. Bow Claymore Polearm Bow Catalyst

[@waren78657]

Most of my high invested heroes are hybrid scaled like Raiden, Yelan, Geo Daddy, Itto so I'm into it, tho my most invested is Xiao, but he also is diffrent from the rest of the roster