Why Hydro Is The New BEST Element In Genshin Impact

Hydro's development as an element throughout Genshin Impact's timeline has been arguably the most favorable of the seven. At no point was it ever in a weak or impractical state, yet it continued to receive improvements from new characters, to the inclusion of Dendro, etc. reaching a point where it's now raising the question of if it's the new strongest element in the game.
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#Genshin #Hydro #Elements

[@chunyuchu_2U]

I feel like hydro has the same blessing that characters have. Its a support element, so it ends up more valuable in the long run.

[@danish2.012]

hydro's value is more than that, it can be on-field dps, off-field dps, support and healing

[@qwertysysysyysysysyzz]

@@danish2.012 ayato is the only real hydro dps.

[@Eternity116]

​@@qwertysysysyysysysyzz ??? Childe?

[@chunyuchu_2U]

@@danish2.012 you can say that about any element, though. You're right, but i was talking more generally ^v^

[@Gellaini]

@@Eternity116 Childe is good dps but his biggest value is his hydro application so he can enable sub dps characters like xiangling

[@denden6316]

Hydro had ALWAYS been the best element. We only thought pyro was good because we didn't initially understand the fundamentals of the game. But looking back at the meta teams pre-dendro it was either a form of national, freeze, or taser, all of which required hydro to function.

[@cryo3305]

I couldn't agree more!

[@itsdomd0misticn00b7]

I'd say it's on par with Anemo pre-2.x era, because it had the least characters at that time (excluding Dendro). As the game progressed, it instantly became better than Anemo, especially if we consider the fact that Anemo at the moment is at it's peak, while Hydro still doesn't have their Hydro buffer and their own Archon.

[@f4llenleaves]

Dendro made anemo less universal to an extent (you can still swirl when your dendro character has weak application). On the other hand, it made hydro even more preferable to use. As if vape wasn't enough here we have all the bloom variants

[@felipebraga5159]

Pyro IS good, it's on 3 of the most meta (used) teams in the game. National Raiden, International Raiden, and double hydro HuTao.

[@itsdomd0misticn00b7]

@@felipebraga5159 It's good, but not good enough to compete against Hydro, Anemo, Dendro, and Electro. The two team you mentioned are just two teams that cannot carry the entirety of Pyro, especially if you consider the fact that the mentioned elements have a lot more utility than Pyro has. Double Hydro Hu Tao is good, but it is not the best anymore, as Alhaitham and Nahida quickbloom exists now.

[@dustinabigan2776]

I feel like Hoyoverse did Hydro a big favor when 1) It made it's elemental resonance about an HP% increase, a lot of Hydro characters scale with HP in some way or another. and 2) Bloom got introduced which opened another whole set of powerful reactions (especially if you have Nilou). The number of possibilities for the element especially in reactions just made the element very useful. You can Vape, Electro-Charge, Freeze, Bloom, Swirl, and Crystallize with Hydro. The only other element that has that many possibilities is Electro and Pyro (but both those are with the caveat that those 2 elements' reactions count Burning and Superconduct).

[@bibizyan]

wow, so pyro characters usually do damage and their resonance is about atk%.. crazy

[@dustinabigan2776]

@@bibizyan Point being?

[@dylanclark9038]

Hydro used to be considered bad because of the resonance. It wasn't until a couple years after launch that hydro resonance was finally useful

[@dustinabigan2776]

@@dylanclark9038 Yeah in retrospect using incoming healing as Hydro's elemental resonance would work for some units but not all, not to mention there's really not much content that necessitates giant amounts of healing. It just covers more Hydro units and use cases to have it be HP% increase instead.

[@morgan0__o]

Ironic thing is that, for some reason, Hydro has the worst swirl.

[@baguette_connoisseur]

Hydro benefits from two things at once: 1. The fact that it's a necessity in "meta" reactions and team archetypes. 2. The fact that the overall kit and strength of the current Hydro characters are amazing: Xingqiu, Yelan, Childe, Ayato, Kokomi and Nilou are all A+ tier characters or above.

[@DekaFathurRahman]

Is like all hydro characther is good, no one was a bad characther just have different role

[@danielferrieri7434]

They really make a Splash

[@foto-nio2913]

Cyno jokes have gone way to far...

[@killallchadspfpusers9158]

*ba dumm tss*

[@koharuyuuki3162]

Imagine if Focalors combined ALL of Hydro's strength into one package, from healing to damage augmentation and facilitating reactions I don't think Kazuha and Bennet combined would be able to compete

[@mlkywine6852]

I just hope she doesn’t directly take the other Hydro’s value specifically Kokomi

[@pepita2437]

I read in a leak, that she will have HP draining skills. It's just a leak, but we got a lots of Hp/healer/shield character the last months, so idk. I find it suspicious...

[@ezioauditore5616]

@@mlkywine6852 You are comparing kokomi vs an archon..

[@amari7782]

@@ezioauditore5616 yea no like the archons are meant to be the best supports ( unless you’re ei but then again the best support is a dead enemy) especially in this day and age either she does everything or she does nothing

[@mlkywine6852]

@@ezioauditore5616 I’m not. I don’t even know the hydro archon’s kit so how the hell could I even make a comparison 💀

[@ssslawz]

I put back Yelan in my over-world team after a long break since I recently got Yoimiya, I was reminded of how an amazingly well designed fluid unit she is. She arguably has one of the top 3 Elementary skills in the game. Shes's so good. Focalors has big shoes to fill

[@aakhozam]

1000%. I didnt expect her to be so fluid and well designed since everyone said shes just 5 star xingqiu... shes more than that

[@andresmiltongutierrezorteg2764]

There's only one thing Xingqiu's skill is better and that is that is able to hit constructions like the elemental totems or some phases of enemies that Yelan's skill can't detect like the Raiden's clones or the pieces of those dessert machines

[@sezzomon6625]

Yelan didn't leave my team since her release...

[@ecovrse]

@@andresmiltongutierrezorteg2764 yelan can literally just shoot the totems with her bow lol

[@haruyanto8085]

​@@andresmiltongutierrezorteg2764 one shot of her btb destoys all nearby totems

[@devam8192]

Hydro also merits from the fact that all hydro character are atleast A+ tier(excluding Candace and barbruh). Probably the most consistent element when it comes to having good characters.

[@ra6765]

Because excluding Candace and Barbruh the only 4 star hydro has is Xingqiu while the rest are 5 stars so thats maybe why they are all A+ tier lol

[@isaacledesma2557]

I think it's more of hydro being hydro that any decent character easily gets A tier since without hydro, you are just locked away from effectively all of the best reactions.

[@Puppetmaster2005]

Hey hey.... Barbara can at LEAST hold TTDS. And she carried me through many abyss 12 (36 stars) in the past. She's definitely still viable. ...Candace on the other hand.... well. I til this day believe Hoyo was racist against Candace. She is such a huge disappointment that it hurts me physically to think about it. I LOVE her design, I LOVE the fact that she hits stuff with her shield.... but she just does so little.... -.-

[@jayhill2193]

​@@ra6765 Xinqui however is a 6* so that balances out

[@ThangNguyen-mt3tb]

barb is great with nilou

[@Fgtr4Life]

I cant wait to see what gets done with Hydro when we get to Fontaine. Its going to be interesting to see. Also, choosing "Neath Dark Waters" as the song for this video was clever.

[@MCHR92]

They didn't do anything to electro when we got to Inazuma, except from adding new characters, no artifact set, no resonance change, nothing, we saw more changes to electro thanks to dendro than the region. Honestly, if they left it untouched in favor of actually getting something done to pyro, physical and geo that are in dire need of attention, it will be better.

[@torbjornlindholm4098]

@@MCHR92 Imo Pyro is still pretty good, it just needs more variety and niches, no need for any direct buff like a resonance change or reaction change, just a bit more attention (I’d like a good off field E based Burgeon trigger that scales from EM and applies 0.5U Pyro to make the Burning gauge weaker, also a dedicated Pyro buffer might be cool). On the other hand Geo and Physical desperately need a rework.

[@MCHR92]

​@@torbjornlindholm4098 Pyro without hydro is on a terrible spot, they are the "damage" element and the only one rejoicing of being a good dps is Hutao and Xiangling, and that's because they got the privilege of having no ICD on their damage dealing skill (catalyst also have no ICD on charge attack but their cost twice as much stamina and can't use it as fast as spear). If we put standard ICD to Hutao and Xiangling the element will be truly the weakest. Dehya, Klee, Diluc, Yanfei, Thoma, Amber, Xinyan, Yoimiya don't exactly blow the competition when compared to the "non damage" elements. And imagine if Bennett was hydro, anemo or cryo....

[@Yanaro-pi8pt]

@@MCHR92 Bennett self infuse so pyro is probably the second best element for him, only behind anemo.

[@crocworks]

The reason why Hydro and Anemo are both the best is because they cannot ruin any team comps and thus are the most flexible to fit in any team. Anemo swirls help spread reactions even more and don't eat up element auras that much. Hydro is always the desired element in Vape, Freeze, Electrocharge, and the dendro related reactions, but if you try to run a melt team it's also fine because you're either getting a melt or vape depending on the order your attacks hit which doesn't conflict with the team's goals, while if you're going for overload or quicken teams, hydro can coexist with electro as electrocharge so you're still achieving the original goal of the team.

[@unknownmothergoose7909]

the only place I can see hydro being bad is in Burn teams because they kill the burn quickly, but the hydro vapes might end up doing more damage then what Burning can peak at rn

[@yuzzo92]

@@unknownmothergoose7909 and ironically, hydro is not really bad in burning per se, but it's bad mostly because burning itself is nowhere near good :/

[@haruyanto8085]

​@@unknownmothergoose7909 burning comp isnt real

[@CryoflareTheWolf]

​@@unknownmothergoose7909 well there's also aggrevate/spread teams but adding hydro would just turn them into hyperbloom/burgeon so not really ruined but also ruined?

[@unknownmothergoose7909]

@@CryoflareTheWolf Quickbloom teams are amazing because their damage goes hard, so it only really ruins Tighnari’s teams because he can’t enable bloom-based reactions well

[@lunamiko9536]

I think it'd be interesting to get a hydro crowd control character, maybe creating a whirlpool or something Some teams, like Nilou's, could find it useful

[@Ocean-Waters]

Yelan has a bit of crowd control with her skill, however I suppose it isn't too effective against heavier enemies. Would be really cool if the hydro archon, or another hydro from Fontaine had an ability like what you describe

[@MCHR92]

Hopefully a hydro claymore, a skill that buffs their charge attack and allows them to make a whirpool, sounds fun lol. Cause I don't think they will create an offield hydro aoe with CC.

[@f4llenleaves]

Wasn't that Ayato's speculated kit a year ago? xD Ah memories

[@anyaaa2801]

I play Nilou bloom and yeah you're right. A crowd controller is DESPERATELY needed for her team. I'm *hoping* Focalors solves this issue.

[@mate6043]

Wasn't it always the best? And it keeps getting better. Almost all characters have amazing personal dps. Best supports in both dps and healing for eg. and without hydro there is no freeze, there is no vaporize, there is no bloom, not to mention things like superchirge is pretty good too

[@nationalgeografic7687]

Anemo was the best before 3.0

[@chimezie7]

I agree with you, I always thought it was better than anemo. Anemo is strong af don’t get me wrong, but a lot of its power I feel comes from VV. If hydro ever gets a set anywhere near that strong it won’t even be close. Hydro has always been important for nearly every team comp bc it seems like it always was the best support element for the main dps focused elements. It has literally been meta since 1.0, and while you can kinda say the same for anemo I think it’s more so VV strength PLUS anemo strength that pushed it there and even then I think it was close enough comparison wise that you could have always made an argument for either. Imo.

[@aritra2116]

@@chimezie7 Anemo always felt like an element that derived its strength far more from the general quality of the roster of its characters rather than the element's own base characteristics, supplemented on top by VV. So I do agree that Hydro has been in essence the best element in the game all along.

[@pepelarrza3877]

​@@aritra2116 yep without Kazuha or Sucrose anemo would be mid

[@Axterix13]

I wouldn't say it was the best. It was a vaporize dominated meta at the start, which hydro definitely played a part in, but really, that was Xingqiu, rather than hydro. Not that the other hydros were bad, but the focus was on the pyro DPS. But since then, it has grown a bit more, with Kokomi in freeze teams, and so on, until we got Yelan, so hydro now had one of the strongest DPS sources. And then dendro made pretty much every hydro viable. So as time has passed, hydro characters have gotten more and more viable. Sort of the reverse of anemo's situation, where the more anemo we get, the smaller percentage of it gets played. Because when we say anemo, we really mean "group buffer who wears VV and groups up mobs". Or, in other words, Kaz or Sucrose, and sometimes Venti. Any anemo who doesn't have strong grouping currently has very low pull value.

[@kirigherkins]

NAHHH BRO YOU CAN'T JUST HIT ME WITH THE AMAUROT MUSIC WITH NO WARNING ;-;

[@anyanP]

On forward and reverse vaporize: reverse vape was and is prioritized because it’s more consistent, not just because pyro units are more offensive-oriented. Childe shines as enabler for reverse vape, his forward vape nuke is more of a pleasant bonus

[@anyanP]

@bird yeah, that is what makes reverse vape more consistent than forward

[@oceeta]

It's crazy to think that while we have a stacked roster of Hydro characters, the Hydro Archon hasn't even been released yet. I can't even imagine what her abilities are gonna be like, but she might just end up being one of the most powerful characters yet.

[@redlok3455]

I hope she becomes a hydro claymore Eula with crowd control abilities

[@Konomidebanshouwashikisesur]

​@@redlok3455she's sword

[@Furankos]

I think the Hydro arcon playstyle should be similar to fischl or nahida that way we get an off-field support who is not reliant on energy recharge like xinqiu and yelan and that can be a way to make niche to new artifacts since this new region should come with some new we can get a 4 pieces oriented on elemental skill amplification (like gambler set but 5star)

[@faufaufau]

The only downside of using hydro I can think of is the 'wet' status on certain characters after using their skill. On late game, this isn't much of a problem anymore. But for those who just started, getting frozen can be a matter of life/death.

[@nicopz4270]

This problem only exist because hydro Is so broken that having the wet status Is a mayor advantage even for them. 😂

[@Axterix13]

@@nicopz4270 Well, the same thing applies to a couple of the other elements. I mean, electro status sucks, because of overload and, to a lesser degree, super-charged. Pyro status sucks, because overload. Basically, things that cause you lose control of your character suck.

[@danielcarrilho5217]

It's still a problem against triple kenki or cryo lawachurls in the abyss.

[@DekaFathurRahman]

Nah, wet status is just Bother in Barbara, all hydro characther don't get wet status in long time

[@Samurai78420]

Your content is amazing. Thanks, Bro. I'm almost 4 months in, playing Genshin. You help a lot.

[@melfeasance.]

Every time you use Neath Dark Waters as the background music for your videos I have to stop and cry ;-; man that song still hurts its so beautiful.

[@lynndylan4674]

i love the fact that you've been using xiv music in ur background. great analysis as always.

[@colorlessguard]

from day one i’ve always believed in hydro supremacy 😤😤😤 absolutely can’t wait for Fontaine and Focalors 🥰✨

[@tobiasradmacher]

same

[@alistairt7544]

Anemo and Hydro have always been my fav elements in any game. I just love versatile these two elements are, and happens that my fav characters in Genshin posses these elements ☺️

[@33melonpaws77]

Same!

[@alexander5468]

Every Hydro character after Tartaglia fulfilled some kind of distinct role that separates them from each other. Kokomi provides huge healing and consistent Hydro application Ayato has consistent DPS instead of huge numbers Yelan is a perfect Sub DPS and fits in almost any team comp, especially with Xingqiu Candace is Nilou capitalizes on Bloom reactions instead of pushing out huge numbers by herself

[@JoyceGL]

Childe's role is also distinct from the other hydro as he's both a dps and a very effective enabler. Mona's a hydro buffer

[@Azaleaaah]

I would argue that Ayato is the only one who doesn't have a distinct role, unless if you count being good at everything but not the best at anything as a role. Tartaglia's role is being the best ON FIELD enabler with good damage.

[@aresx3749]

Ayato is a jack of all trade master none. Consistent damage, consistent hydro application.

[@moonmilkgalaxy]

As someone who vouched for hydro on the anemo video i definitely think its at the top but easy to over look. Thank you for summarizing it all! After i pull kazuha next banner im all in for Hydro archon! I have every Hydro character except Childe and low key consider myself a hydro main 😂 I'll have Childe one day!

[@SisterCasendra]

Whatever Hydro Archon does, I think her abilities are going to rely in some way on the total hp of the party. I'm guessing that running her optimally will require at least 2 other HP scaling characters in any team comp - Yelan, Dehya, Zhongli, maybe Kuki and Hu Tao, etc.

[@studiesinflux1304]

Hmm that would make for an unforgiving Abyss for people running all attack scalers like a classic National team. The enemies will all hit for over 15k HP combos because they want you to have a party of the new HP scalers which will all have 32k or higher HP built with that newer artifact set from version 3.6. (I’m expecting it to happen lol, given how Abyss is promoting hyperbloom these days)

[@therranolleo468]

I really do hype Focalor's eventual release, seeing that Yelan and XQ are already in par in terms of in-game power with the Archons of other elements, one can only imagine how powerful the God of water must be

[@euphoxia]

i feel like focalor will have an ability similar to clotted cream coookie from crk just imagine marking enemies with her skill and trapping them in a bubble in her burst and seeing them burst and the mobs dying after the waiting time

[@Tiepo01]

Vars… Was it a coincidence you chose music from the Amaurot in ffxiv because the recreation of the ciry of Amaurot is from the tempest below the waters and the song being called “Neath dark waters” with this video talking about hydro. If it was intended, you sir are a badass!!!

[@DJ-se5pl]

I kind of hate that like all my team comps require kokomi. I love her definitely one of my favorite characters but I don't ALWAYS want to use her. My xingqui and yelon aren't hugely invested into and ayato is just when he's the main carry. I agree that it feels like you basically have to have hydro in every team comp. So I agree it's the best element

[@masculineguy37]

what a beautiful voice you have, relaxed with a nice deep base 👍

[@grumpygflower]

I'm not sure if it's your editor or you that chooses it but I love hearing ffxiv music in this guides fhaisdgsa It's so calming and gets together 2 of my favourite games

[@kylegivens3120]

The very second I laid eyes on Yelan when the Genshin Impact Twitter post I knew she was going to be on my team permanently, at all times possible. After having to wait so long for Yelan from Ayaka's banner being extended, I pulled for Yelan, got her, and the rest is history, she'll never leave my team.

[@studiesinflux1304]

0:18 I did come back from version 1.2ish to 3.1, and I didn’t feel too “outdated”. Quests and exploration still performed the same (other than of course having two regions I didn’t touch), and the Xiangling I had from before quitting was still strong.

[@Riwul]

My theorie for the Hydro archon has always been the same. Focalors ideals speak about everything and everbody being judged the equally no matter if its her or anyone else. This always gave off the impression to me that their abilitys would tie into one of 2 categories or even both at the same time: 1. After using the skill or burst every characters health pools are linked by . Lets say every character has 10k hp and you would sustain 4k damage in 1 hit meaning every character would lose 1k hp. SImilar to the destruction path in star rail. In my mind this would also inflict a coordinated attack on the enemy that hit you similar to raidens E when you hit the enemy. Them being judged for their comitted sin or maybe even a wave around you everytime you take damage which seems like a thing they would do with dehya in mind but i lost hope in that. This would also tie in with hydro having a large health pool to share with the team 2. the burst summons a room somewhat like nahidas garden. The entire room would be filled with a whirlpool sucking enemys towards the middle while making it harder for them to walk out of it while applying hydro everytime they try to move or struggle against the archons judgement getting the enemys tighter into their grasp. This would also tie into hydros element of flow and controling the battlefield in a somewhat similar way to how freeze would work tho the enemy can still attack. funny enough this would have anti synergy with freeze while having great synergy with overvape comps or character that have alot of stagger and knockback by virtue of forcing enemys to move. Maybe even a little synergy with shatter if you count that stagger as moving which would be neat. Seeing as hydro is already really diverse in which ways it supports the team both of these seem like breaths of fresh air while i got the idea for the 2nd one from the pull in effect of yelans skill. I could see any of those also involving some kind of healing or HP leech from enemys.

[@koelazer737]

So glad I have all the hydro 5*. I build all of them to lv 90, and their talents at least 9, now I’m working on to build Candace and Barbara to complete my Hydro Royal Family. My favorite hydro characters are Xingqiu, Kokomi, Yelan and recently playing a lot with Nilou

[@nhaan4178]

The advantage of hydro is how flexible is it. Look at the current hydro characters, they can enable reactions, they can deal damage, they can boost damage and they can heal. They play best with other characters of the different elements (don't monohydro me), it's the total opposite of geo.

[@LunarCloudyAgreste]

Hydro is my favorite element, and my best built characters are hydro, I guess I lucked out 😂

[@NandhaKumar-eo8qr]

Same

[@foto-nio2913]

We belive in Hydro supremacy🙏🙏😃

[@nhaan4178]

I'm lucky to have all of the hydro characters and I set my eyes of the hydro archon

[@ValCalExtra]

I've been waiting for this one ever since you started the Element series, and it makes me even more excited for Fontaine! From the hints and vibes I get from Fontainian NPCs, I can tell that healing will be a necessity in the nation (which concerns me cuz I don't have a 5* healer yet lol). I have heard rumors that Focalors will create a domain that will continuously drain your character's HP while giving insane buffs. I don't really like the idea of the domain since it's too similar to Nahidas for my taste, but the concept of draining HP and giving buffs is an interesting one. I'm all for ironic characters and having the Archon of the main healing element actually deal damage to you instead fascinates me. I just hope she's very powerful and versatile- not too niche. Either way, I'm already obsessed with Focalors’ concepts as a character in lore, and I can’t wait to meet her in-game. Definitely pulling!

[@danish2.012]

If that's the case then focalor would be very broken for hutao

[@avious7641]

It's a genius way of making Focalors unique from her subjects and not need to compete with healers in the hydro element all she needs now is to be able to have good hydro application and buffing and she's gucci, like why be a healer when your people can do the healing for you kind of thing ,she has big shoes to fill to somehow surpass Xinqiu Yelan and Kokomi ticking healing off the list makes it easier for her to make her different from the 3, if the rumors are true anyway.

[@Gellaini]

yeah kinda ironic that god of healing element is taking her own team hp to buff them but since she is judge taking hp fits

[@studiesinflux1304]

I started saving for the hydro Archon after I got Yelan during the Chinese New Year event, so I’m going all in for Fontaine characters as well. (I lost a 5 star 50/50 in the previous Ganyu banner, so I’m not pulling until then to keep my guarantee) We already had HP draining domains: anything with a rifthound in it 🐶, so I’m not concerned with also only having 4* healers. It would take out every player except whales and 1 year+ vets if the HP drain through shields can outdamage Barbara’s charged attack heal or Yaoyao’s burst.

[@ethem9933]

0:20 THAT PERSON IS ME! i quit the game in 2021 and when i came back a few months ago i did not even know what dendro was lmao. the last character i got to see was eula, just imagine.

[@swai_see4066]

Such are the words of Rhodeia of Loch "Coveting the shapes of the living, pure water can take on many forms. In this way shall water deliver your punishment." "The power of water is its ability to take any shape..." "One who is ignorant of water's treasures fails also to comprehend its horrors..." Hydro in general

[@cryo3305]

Once we get the Hydro Archon we will show Oceanid what The True Power of Water really is

[@agareverie]

You made a great explanation of how hydro changed as an element yet instilled a similar purpose, though we can’t ignore that that purpose used to be an accident, not accounted for. Half of the hydro characters before version 2 have some sort of healing ability, and Mona could be paired with prototype amber, more importantly, the Hydro Resonance having used to give incoming healing bonus instead of HP%. The problem is, there’s practically no benefit to an increase in healing with hydro characters at the time. Barbara can already somewhat overheal, Xingqiu’s healing was too minuscule, and even later on Kokomi choosing to increase damage from Healing bonus instead of Incoming healing. Using Barbara’s scaling and Xingqiu’s playstyle as a guideline, Hydro characters post version 2 embraced this new “A lot of Off field damage scaling with HP%” playstyle. HP became so interconnected and associated with Hydro that even Ayato whose kit doesn’t even need the bonus damage from HP% has it. The change was solidified in version 3.0 with the resonance finally changing to HP% (This change actually gives Kokomi more burst damage too, since she didn’t scale off incoming healing). Not only did the healers still get a boost in healing, but now, most hydro characters can benefit from this change. Double hydro became broken, Hu Tao teams got a resurgence, Ayato got the slightest bit of damage increase, and while Childe got the short end of the stick, if he ends up with another hydro on his team, it’s likely that the partner will be a great benefit to him. (Just like Xingqiu and Yelan). There’s also a slightly noticeable fall post 3.0 with the Anemo Element. Everything was fine at first, after all, Anemo IS the EM Element, but as new characters were introduced: Nilou’s team ‘lock’, Nahida’s broken C2 that made all bloom type reactions ‘Crit’ plus the EM buffing, and Cyno and Alhaitham finding a place in the meta as Quickbloom drivers, there was no longer really an incentive to use any other Dendro team than Hyperbloom and Normal Bloom. (Essentially, making the rest of the Dendro reactions underrrated, and turning Dendro into the element carried by ‘bloom’, not ‘reactions’, I’ll maybe explain it further but it’s clear Dendro is nowhere near the best element.) Back to Anemo, With 3 slots already filled in a hyperbloom team, people are quick to realize the fourth character needed to be a second Dendro, because Hydro already had fast application, only one electro is needed for it, and Dendro Resonance is great for the team. And so Anemo didn’t really have a place in this new meta, that’s why Wanderer and Faruzan were created on the notion that Anemo might become a non-reaction Hypercarry DPS element in the future, while still keeping their crowd control aspect and potential as a driver. Anemo’s role (minus crowd control), might be getting swapped with Electro and Dendro later on, that’s exactly why analyzing elements can be so interesting, they change in the most unexpected ways possible. Perhaps it’s to imitate pre 1.6 when Xiao was prominent and Venti had a Crit Build?, making Anemo the Atk% element because all the others scale of HP, DEF, EM, etc. This new notion makes anemo harder to rank, but because it might be getting less support focus, it might just fall off from the number 1 spot.

[@BoomgoC4]

I have to say your editor is a man of culture

[@thebrigade7684]

Well hydro was and is the best element since day 1 not just patch 3.0+

[@brooksyang5834]

Next you should do a series where you discuss the weapon categories. It would be pretty interesting considering how different they are

[@strawberrymilk607]

Claymores are the worst weapon type in the game right now with no advantages over sword and polearms other than that they look cool..

[@Senorgato029]

Hydros strength comes from the nessesity of its presence and the sheer variety in its units, this variety and lack of set role makes me the most curious for the hydro archon as unlike prior archons who you could get the gist of there kit before release by looking at the elemental resonance the hydro archon (for those not looking at leaks) remains a mystery

[@deathmetalalchemist5861]

very well done video

[@umber8904]

Since hydro characters convert hp into more damage for themselves personally (usually, i think?) Itd be neat if focalors somehow did that for the entire team. Itd probably be broken as hell, but itd be thematic. Like Bennetts burst zone giving everyone atk according to his atk, yknow.

[@jhmoxl]

if I'm thinking of what Focalors could do that would set her apart it would be a shielding with stronger aoe or mulitarget application than Kokomi particularly off field.

[@Absolumdan]

as a supportive passive talent and in keeping with the theme of justice for the archon, instead of just shielding damage it could divert the damage back to the enemy. Tidal rertribution

[@_Kaiki]

now we'll just have to wait for focalors and with that hydro's seat as the best element is cemented

[@shinkuu9870]

I think the hydro archon will have a playstyle that enhances the other elements similar to kazuha/sucrose or Nahida's burst. It would symbolize it's supportive nature and ability to change into anything according to circumstances

[@kinokochouchou]

I am kinda exited for hydro mc. with big shoes to fill I wonder what abilities they would have. I dont think they would be as strong as dendro mc, but I hope they will do something interesting

[@innocentcoffeelover6638]

heres my two cents on how i would like focalors to play. i think having her play like the oceanid in tcg would be really interesting, having her skill create a hydro mimic that fights for you. her burst could be an AOE blast of hydro damage that deals more for every mimic that you have on field. with these mimics she would have AOE hydro application while off-field with a high damage burst in a similar vein to miko i just think that'd be neat

[@orsaluma2794]

Hydro is really versatile and i like it 😁 I set up all of my team comps so each team have different purposes like for quest / boss fight / domain farm / explore / etc., and 7 out of 10 team have at least 1 different hydro unit in them 😆

[@lussiellie]

I know it wasn't intentional but that introduction to hydro (with how its both alike to geo and anemo) was so beautifully poetic

[@closeted-skeleton]

according to some rumours i herd apparently hydro archon may have the ability to put enemy's in bubbles like how the hydro abys mage dose it which i think would be interesting but will unfortunately end up like venti where it will only work on small-medium enemy's. obviously this could be changed or may have been a lie to start with but i think it is an interesting concept that we haven't seen a character outside of anemo do.

[@thomas_the_cat]

i mean, since 1.0 hydro has been a favorite of a lot of players, especially meta andys... the most famous comps always has had hydro even before dendro came (vapo, electro-charge, freeze)

[@bazookaward3859]

Well here is a really interesting observation someone realized. All Archons and their slimes have something in common. Air slimes fly like Venti, Earth slims have heavy shield like Zhonjli, they are 2 varients of electric and dendro slims just like their Archons, and now we have the Water slime. It's signature ability is that water bubble that traps you in space. Like Gravity manipulation. Not to mention it can also damage and trap its allies. She could be a Crowd Control hydro character that may damage her allies but grants them buff in return. This is my best guess

[@Richinnameonly]

Someday I hope you have to make one of these on geo. Geo, The new new new new new new best element.

[@Gabriel_custodio195]

It would be soo cool if the Hydro Archon, Focalors, could switch from a healer/support to a main/sub dps. It would make sense for her to have that ability since her ideal is justice.

[@studiesinflux1304]

Yeah, I’d be up for a true stance or mode change character where you want to use both modes for equal time.

[@sleet9289]

i really do like hydro, it might be my favourite element but it can be hard to decide, either way i like it enough to want to use mono hydro, let's hope it gets a dedicated buffer when Fontaine comes out.

[@buttermanaws4693]

It stayed so good because it's main role in the game is support to everything (aside from geo)

[@pixelpudding3914]

TL;DR The power of water is its ability to take any shape

[@Romashka_Sov]

Now I want to see your view on how elements and combat have changed in players' minds since 2020, somewhere in the next year, as it will be a halfway point for Genshin. Maybe as a retrospective, but just a comparison will be fine too!

[@leosabat4636]

with the music at the beggining i got distracted by the feels

[@khoamai2072]

Shout to water keeping me alive

[@arraine]

The fact that hydro has a relatively small roster also makes it feel better - we're not tired of it and we're still excited about new units.

[@Kenxiee9]

Nice to hear FFXIV endwalker OST here. So soothing nice work as always Vars

[@floofthedoof]

I've always said that hydro is the best element, and now you have worded it out for me so thank you! Also, I am really hoping focalors or future hydro characters have a vortex type of attack and thus taking up the crowd control as well, because hydro deserves it lol. Now the real question is... when will Hoyo buff its other elements especially geo?!

[@mistypig]

I like this video; It has Yelan's Valentine's art on the thumbnail In all seriousness, very interesting points

[@SM-ys8lw]

the only meta reaction that doest require hydro is quicken, keep that in mind

[@redlox2]

I love my Keqing and Dendro teams. I get the vibe of using hydro and Dendro for the bloom and possibly hyperbloom but I like to usually stick with Keqing and Dendro mostly.

[@Lunarelise]

I always love hydro/water element in any games, second to none if there's light element (not lightning/electro). Percy Jackson, Avatar 2, whatever water involved, I instantly love it. Not to mention, Avatar the last Airbender and Spongebob is the cartoons I grew up with.

[@tart804]

I always loved hydro, all my hydro characters except Candace (friendship level 8) are at friendship level ten, I hope I win the 5050s for Kokomi and Focalors, I've loved their designs since I laid my eyes on them, and I know it has nothing to do with gameplay, but design has a really huge factor of who I decide to pull for too :D

[@SonnyFRST]

5:30 Editor-san gets a headpat for doing gud.

[@asdqwertyonly09]

Hydro has been and will always be the best element. People only took Pyro as the best at the start since most DPS are from that element

[@HideInYou_Val]

I am a returning player. I played when it first launched. I got to level 27 and then just quit lol. Now I’m playing again after like 2-3 years. I’m pretty excited to play. One of the main reasons I’m playin again is cuz there’s like nothing to do in Honkai star rail after you reach around 35-37 rank

[@xade8381]

Journey from Hoyoverse to Hydroverse, nicely described there

[@kuchigyz6231]

I'm fairly new to the game but I've built one very strong character of each element (Hu Tao, Ayaka, Nahida, waiting for Raiden and Zhongli, getting Kazuha in 18 days). In contrast, I have built 4 hydro characters so far (Nilou, Yelan, Mona, XQ) and the list will go on with the release of Fontaine or a Kokomi rerun.

[@gustykraken]

im convinced that the hydro archon will be a one woman hydro crowd controller, using something like flowing waves to coral and trap enemies in a prison (similar to the slimes and abyss mages) ofc with busted scaling and great application. i dont think she'll work well in bloom teams as a trade off

[@despairiac1404]

I think focalor is gonna have a life steal mechanic that could grant bonus dmg if ur overhealed

[@panjimartiandaru3081]

I can't wait to see hydro Traveller! Sooooo when fountaine drops again?

[@Justmyselfyt]

Personally I feel like the slimes are a version of the archons power and lore anemo both fly, geo both sheild, electro both colors for the Raiden twins, dendro still do idea. So if you see the hydro slime attacks they can bubble us

[@magiclover9346]

Other than Geo where i pulled every released five star because of the one team comp. Cryo and Hydro are tied for the most pulled 5 stars on my account though i give the award to hydro because Eula (technically is physical and ive never been successful in the abyss she's just too damn hard to play right). Vars is spot on its the versatility of hydro that stands out.

[@Ethonra]

It is neat to see a support role so high on the ladder. Also, not sure if you chose it purposefully or not, but Full Fathom Five is an excellent choice for multiple reasons. Clever, even.

[@crisx3358]

In regards to hypnosis for hydro archon playstyle. I'm not sure what type she be, don't really have guess there. But I do think her weapon might possibly be a claymore. To my knowledge there isnt a hydro claymore user. And I think that be cool to see.

[@kathhoho7667]

another thing that makes hydro so op is the fact that its not a super invasive element while also having characters with super high hydro application. it enables things like overvape by being able to coexist with electro, and things like freeze bloom with how much hydro the characters in the element apply. like whether its on field or off field, i can't think of a hydro character that doesn't apply an insane amount of it. with hydro also being a support element, this high application makes sure that usually its the one enabling reactions, so that other characters can shine without having reactions mixed up among characters, you can be sure that your hydro isn't accidentally triggering the reactions.

[@ash-id9ss]

that amaurot theme~~~~~

[@dighad3824]

I only watch Vars videos to hear him pronounce "Xingqiu". So therapeutic

[@YumiSumire]

the poetry opening was unexpected, but welcome.

[@velconx15]

The EDITOR has the KZbinr in the basement? Now that's new.

[@perfectdragon8038]

I would like the future hydro archon to well, buff specifically burst dmg since well Dehya kinda needs it.

[@openendings]

That background music is driving me insane - is it supposed to be a cover of Ruu's theme? I've relistened several times now and I can't tell 😭😂

[@LuckyLucifer25]

I think hydro needs more four star units that are f2p friendly. Right now it's really only xinqiu and Barbara, but most would argue Barbara is only good at c6 due to her revive capabilities. And candace is only playable at c6. We definitely need more 4 star hydro characters and hopefully Fontaine gives us that.

[@klashking332]

i feel like the hydro archon will be an off feild, mid hydro applicator with a new niche. i think it would be cool if they could do something like increase the maximum amount of dendro and bountiful cores + buff their dps.

[@LuNeCxX]

Do I heard FFXIV music in the background? Tempest areamusic I believe

[@somelove9872]

I feel like Hydro Archon would give you huge support buff/debuff enemies at appropriate cost hence the goddess of justice That would make her balanced and tuned in to her lore

[@vibe-rent3062]

i went from being cursed with too many hydro characters (I didnt have a good pyro dps for a while) to being blessed with it once dendro came out

[@catdogslice]

The way I was tripping out while playing ffxiv and listening to this video. Good ost choice

[@Erlow]

apparently there's been a leak about focalor's burst, no idea how reliable that is but supposedly she will create a field that increases the damage of characters in it but makes them take continuous damage (basically your active character becomes xiao), nothing about her skill or normal/charged attacks though aside from that, I really enjoyed what zajef came up with in his "april fools" video where the main thing about her is that she has slow but strong application, allowing her to be a good bloom trigger while also removing any pyro the enemy might be affected by, which makes her a prime burgeon support

[@thebrigade7684]

Shouldn't bring up those they are pretty much fake now just like how Raiden shogun had time stopping ability