Five Genshin Characters That Still Hold Up in 2026

I’ve been playing Genshin Impact on and off since launch. I’m AR55 now with multiple level 90 characters, and I’ve watched the meta shift more times than I can count. Every patch brings something new. New regions, new banners, new “must pull” characters. And over time, some of the characters that used to carry our accounts slowly get pushed to the side.

Not because they stopped working. Not because they suddenly became bad. Just because something newer came along.

Looking back at my own roster, there are a few characters I used to main that I genuinely think people moved on from too quickly (including me lol). They might not headline tier lists anymore, but they still clear content. They still bring value. And honestly, some of them are just more fun to play than whatever is trending that month.

Here are five characters I think were benched a little too fast.

Beidou – Still One of My Favorite Playstyles

Beidou is one of my all time favorite characters, not only for her fun playstyle but also her bold personality and incredible design. When I first started playing Genshin, she was one of the first characters I kept consistently on my team, and she carried me through a lot of early content.

What still makes her stand out is how satisfying her kit feels. Her counter actually rewards timing and awareness. Landing a perfect Tidecaller and watching enemies get punished for attacking you never really gets old. It is not just button mashing. You have to pay attention.

Her Elemental Burst is also incredibly strong in fights with multiple enemies. In the right team, she can clear groups quickly and feel surprisingly powerful. Even now, she remains one of the most enjoyable characters for me to play.

Qiqi – Simple, Reliable, Effective

Qiqi was a character I acquired early on. I used her for a bit, cycled her out, and then eventually put her back on my team where she has stayed ever since. She is easily one of the best healers in the game. When she is built correctly, she will heal you through just about anything.

She might not be flashy, and I know she gets memed a lot, but her consistency is what makes her so strong. You do not have to stress about dodging every single hit or playing perfectly. She keeps your team alive through chaotic fights, bosses, and moments where things start to fall apart.

Once I invested in her more seriously, especially with sets like Ocean Hued Clam, she felt even better. She is not there to top damage charts. She is there to make your runs comfortable and stable. And honestly, that kind of reliability is underrated.

Jean – One of the Most Reliable Supports

Jean was a character I pulled more in the mid-game part of my journey. I used her for quite some time as a partial healer, leveled her up to 70, and then eventually she got swapped out as I built other teams.

Looking back, I think I forgot how solid she actually feels to play. She heals consistently, she brings Swirl reactions, and she just makes teams feel stable. There’s something nice about having a character that does her job without needing a complicated setup.

She isn’t flashy, and she does not put up huge damage numbers on her own, but she fits into almost any team without feeling awkward. Simple, flexible, and reliable. Sometimes that is exactly what you need.

Chongyun – Easy to Build, Easy to Use

Chongyun, like Beidou, was another character that stayed on my team from the beginning all the way through early and mid-game content. I really enjoyed his playstyle, and his burst felt flashy and satisfying to use.

His skill changes your normal attacks to Cryo, which made team setups feel different and fun to experiment with. He worked especially well in Freeze teams, and his rotations always felt smooth and easy to manage. Nothing overly complicated, just straightforward and reliable.

I eventually built other characters and rotated him out, but that does not erase how consistent he felt. Chongyun still does exactly what he is designed to do, and he does it well.

Mona – The One I Used to Rely On

Mona was my very first 5 star that I pulled. I used her all the way into late game, and I truly relied on her to get me through some of the tougher fights early on. She was one of those characters I built entire teams around.

I would not necessarily call her underrated, but she does feel overlooked at times. Her burst still brings strong setup potential, and when timed right, it can make a noticeable difference in damage. She works especially well in Freeze teams, and her Hydro application is still consistent and easy to manage.

She takes a little planning compared to some more straightforward characters, but that was part of what made her fun to use. I eventually moved on to other options, but Mona was never a weak link. She just stopped being the center of my teams.

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