Dendro has always been a mysterious element since the start of the game since it has ironically never played a big role. We only knew one character with a Dendro vision (Baizhu) and only a few Dendro enemies who didn’t reveal much about the element itself. All we knew is that it was plant-based. With the upcoming Sumeru region in Genshin Impact’s Sumeru update, we’re finally expecting to see Dendro work in full swing.
What Do We Know About Dendro in Genshin Impact?
Several leaks have confirmed that Dendro will finally be a playable element and will have its own unique interactions and reactions with the other elements in the game. This opens up whole new possibilities and combat mechanics for players to try out. With HoYoverse’s history of strategic gameplay changes with character and region releases, it’s also expected that the Dendro element will shift the current meta to urge players to pull for Dendro characters.
Dendro’s release has been long-awaited since we have seen this element appear in loading screens since the start of the game. Dendro slimes and Dendro Samachurls have both shown unique Dendro abilities which we hope to see more of in the Sumeru region. The Wooden Shield Mitachurls are also infamous for tanking whole elemental bursts from Archons and other heavy hitters alike.
Leakers have also claimed that since the Dendro element isn’t easily overridden or cleared in elemental reactions, players will have elemental reactions with three elements- which opens up a whole new gameplay for players to experience and enjoy. This is also hinted at by other leaks which suggest Dendro artifacts and characters to be buffing, benefitting or based on Elemental Mastery.
Dendro Elemental Reactions in Genshin Impact
Below are the leaked elemental reactions involving Dendro. Among these, we’ve always known and even experienced and used one since the start of the game. Can you guess which?
1. Burning
When Pyro meets Dendro, Burning is caused. Leakers say enemies and characters affected with Burning deplete health faster than Corrosion. When your own character is Burning, it can be stopped by switching characters, unlike Corrosion which carries over. This Burning status can also apparently be stacked like Corrosion. This reaction could be an ideal way to deal with tanky enemies that have damage reduction and specific resistances in their kit.
2. Intensify
When Electro meets Dendro, they Intensify- releasing one electro particle per tick in the process and debuffing enemies against Electro and Dendro damage for 7 seconds. The extra Electro particle released can be ideal for your Electro characters who have ER issues and will help keep their bursts up in time.
3. Overgrow
When Hydro meets Dendro, Overgrow occurs- releasing seeds that soon sprout mushrooms. When these mushrooms again come in contact with Hydro, they burst like explosives- releasing AoE Dendro damage. This could be ideal in dealing with large groups of enemies and even setting traps for enemy groups.
As you can already tell, among the reactions stated above, we have already experienced Burning to an extent from the Dendro fields cast by Dendro Samachurls or when we ourselves set Thorns and Wooden Shields of Mitachurls on fire using a Pyro character or explosive.
There are also further elemental reactions involving 3 elements and as the leak says- UNKNOWN is not a new element but just one we don’t know among the existing ones. Thus it could be any of the primary four elements or even Anemo and Geo. Leakers however also claim that Dendro doesn’t react with Cryo, Anemo and Geo elements so it’s still unclear how Dendro will interact with almost half of the other elements. Currently, only Anemo and Geo don’t interact with each other.
It should also be noted that Dendro reactions will also affect the players themselves if they are in contact with the elements or in range of their AoE. This urges players to be cautious not to have the Dendro status on them before casting their skills and bursts and in turn harming themselves. That said, players are already looking forward to using Dendro and have come up with their own unique twists and theories as to how it might function in battle.