Genshin Impact, the popular action role-playing game developed by miHoYo, is known for its diverse roster of playable characters. One such character that has captured the hearts of players is Ganyu, a Cryo Bow user hailing from Liyue. With her unique abilities and impressive strength, Ganyu is a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield. And yet we’ve seen an active decline in her usage rates in the Abyss and overworld in recent times- all due to her belonging to the Cryo element.
Ganyu is currently having her rerun in the latest banner of Version 3.6 and this article is to help players understand her value and viability so that they can be clear about their decision to pull or skip her character.
The State of Cryo in Sumeru
Cryo used to be one of the best elements in Genshin Impact, but ever since Dendro was introduced, it has lost its relevancy in the meta. That’s because Dendro has reactions with Pyro, Electro, and Hydro, but not with Cryo. That means Cryo characters can’t benefit from the new reactions like Aggravate, Spread, Hyperbloom and so on which deal massive damage and have unique effects.
While Cryo can still be somewhat used in Bloom or Burgeon comps to set up Melts and maintain Freeze, there are limited Cryo characters who can function in such comps and more often than not it’s more trouble than it’s worth. Even in the Spiral Abyss where Ganyu and Ayaka used to dominate, combat has become less suited for Cryo users since a majority of the enemies in the hardest floors are immune to Freeze which vastly reduces the crowd control utility of Cryo.
Additionally, the element of Cryo is limited in its potential by only having one artifact set dedicated to it, namely- the Blizzard Strayer. While it’s a great artifact set in its own right, it requires a Freeze comp to be fully effective and is thus not universally preferable. On the other hand, Dendro has multiple artifact sets dedicated to it which not only makes the powerful element more versatile but also allows players to mix and match to get their own favourite personalised builds and team comps.
Is Ganyu Still Worth Pulling
Ganyu’s relevancy in the current Dendro meta is largely dependent on the recent state of Cryo in general. Ever since Sumeru dropped and Dendro was introduced, Cryo has declined in popularity not only due to it not having any reactions with Dendro but also being actively harmful in Dendro comps due to its tendency to steal reactions from Dendro by readily reacting with Electro, Pyro and Hydro before Dendro can have a chance to react.
That said, Ganyu possesses several powerful abilities that make her a formidable character. Her Elemental Skill taunts enemies and deals Cryo damage. This provides both offensive and defensive advantages, allowing her to control the battlefield and protect her teammates. Her Elemental Burst summons a blizzard of ice crystals that rain down on her enemies, dealing massive Cryo damage. The damage output of Celestial Shower is particularly devastating when combined with Ganyu’s Charged Attacks, as they deal AoE Cryo damage and can be charged for increased damage potential.
Ganyu’s strength lies not only in her abilities but also in her synergy with other characters. Her Elemental Skill and Burst create Cryo reactions, which can be triggered by other characters with Hydro or Electro abilities, resulting in powerful Frozen or Superconduct effects. This makes Ganyu a valuable asset in team compositions, as she can amplify the damage output of her allies. So while she may not be relevant now, you can be sure her value will skyrocket in Fontaine which is the Hydro nation and will expand on our roster of Hydro characters.
