Is Raiden Shogun Still Worth It in Genshin Impact? An In-Depth Character Guide

As one of the most powerful and popular characters in Genshin Impact, Raiden Shogun has been a top tier pick for many players since her debut over a year ago. But with new characters and content updates constantly shifting the meta, is the Electro Archon still worth investing in during the current Spiral Abyss endgame?

In this comprehensive character guide, we‘ll analyze Raiden‘s strengths, best teams, current usage rates, and future prospects to determine if she remains a worthwhile pickup. Whether you‘re a new player or veteran, this deep dive will provide all the information you need to decide if the Raiden Shogun is still worth wishing for.

An Overview of Raiden Shogun‘s Kit

Before evaluating Raiden‘s current meta standing, let‘s briefly go over what she brings to the table in terms of abilities:

• Elemental Skill: Her skill, Eye of Stormy Judgment, deals AoE Electro damage and generates Energy for the whole team over time. This provides excellent passive battery capabilities.

• Elemental Burst: Secret Art: Musou Shinsetsu is a powerful AoE nuke that also buffs Raiden‘s Normal Attacks. It costs 90 Energy but can be fully recharged by her Skill.

• Passives: Raiden regenerates additional Energy during her Burst. She also buffs team Burst DMG based on her Energy Recharge.

This combination of sustained damage, burst nuking, and energy restoration makes Raiden incredibly versatile in her potential team roles and rotations. Next we‘ll see how this versatile kit translates into meta success.

Raiden Remains a Core Meta Character

Raiden Shogun has been a dominant force in the Spiral Abyss meta ever since her introduction in version 2.1:

• According to data aggregated by SpiralAbyss.org, Raiden National Team has maintained 80%+ usage rates on Floor 12 since 2.5, reaching as high as 95% usage in version 2.8.

• She has ranked at the top of character usage charts in every iteration of Floor 12 for the past year.

• Raiden enables multiple top meta comps including Raiden National, Hypercarry Raiden, Eula comps, Sukokomon, and more.

• Theorycrafters consistently rate her as S+ tier in Spiral Abyss rankings, even at C0.

This data shows that Raiden remains one of the most dominant and universal characters for quickly clearing the hardest content. She integrates seamlessly into many different team archetypes thanks to her flexible hybrid DPS/support capabilities.

Her sustained success is partly thanks to continued additions that synergize well with her kit:

• Dendro reactions like Quicken and Hyperbloom enable new Raiden team options.

• Characters like Yae Miko provide extra damage in Raiden‘s downtime.

• Supports like Yelan add more buffing and off-field damage to amplify Raiden‘s potential.

Let‘s take a closer look at why Raiden continues to excel in the current meta.

Why Raiden Remains A Top Pick

Flexible Team Roles

One of Raiden‘s biggest advantages is her ability to fill multiple roles:

• Main on-field DPS in Hypercarry comps
• Sub DPS damage amp in National comps
• Universal battery for expensive team costs
• Burst nuke

This flexibility means she can fit into many team archetypes and adapt to future meta shifts. Players don‘t have to rigidly adhere to one playstyle.

High Damage Output

Raiden‘s mix of sustained Electro damage and heavy frontloaded nuke damage allows her to excel in both single-target and AoE scenarios:

• Her Elemental Skill delivers consistent Electro application for amplifying reactions.
• Her Burst hits harder than most main DPS abilities when fully stacked. At C2+ it rivals top nukes in the game.
• She enables strong offensive synergies like Overload and Hyperbloom on top of her personal damage.

In a typical rotation she outpaces dedicated main DPS characters, while also charging the rest of the team‘s bursts.

Universal Battery

With her excellent Energy generation, Raiden unlocks team options that would otherwise struggle with high rotation costs:

• She enables expensive 80 energy carries like Xiangling and Beidou.
• She reduces dependency on batteries like Fischl or Diona.
• She allows for fewer ER substats on artifacts.

Battery capabilities give Raiden teams much more flexibility in team building.

F2P Friendly Options

As an Archon, Raiden has multiple F2P-friendly weapon choices:

• The catch is an excellent free to play 4-star weapon with an ER substat.
• Craftable 4-stars like Prototype Starglitter also work well.
• The 5-star Engulfing Lightning isn‘t required for huge damage.

Her best artifact set also doesn‘t require any gacha drops. This makes Raiden a great accessible option even for low spenders.

Raiden Continues To Excel in Spiral Abyss

To demonstrate Raiden‘s continued dominance in a practical sense, let‘s look at how she performs in the current Spiral Abyss rotation (November 2022):

Chamber	Recommended Teams	Role
First Half	Raiden Hypercarry	On-field DPS
Second Half	Raiden National	Sub DPS/Battery

First Half – Raiden Hypercarry

With the lack of interruptible enemies on Floor 12-1-1, Raiden Hypercarry shines since it doesn‘t rely on reactions for damage:

• Raiden remains on field during her skill and burst, attacking continuously with buffed normal attacks.
• Supports like Sara, Bennett, and Kazuha buff Raiden‘s damage during downtime.
• Minimal swapping allows Raiden to brute force through the Chamber efficiently.

Raiden‘s role as a self-sufficient on-field carry makes her perfect for Chamber 1.

Second Half – Raiden National

On the second half, Raiden National demolishes the Cryo Hypostasis:

• Xiangling and Xingqiu break the Hypostasis core with amplified Vaporize.
• Raiden recharges their bursts quickly in downtime.
• Her skill and burst contribute big damage during the vulnerable phase.

With her battery ability and burst damage, Raiden supercharges this elite meta composition.

Raiden continues to enable easy 36 star clears in Abyss thanks to her versatility. She can adapt to handle any challenge Mihoyo throws at us.

Is Raiden Shogun Worth Pulling?

Given Raiden‘s sustained top tier performance across a variety of metrics, is she worth trying to acquire for new or returning players? The answer is an emphatic yes.

Here‘s a quick rundown of why Raiden remains one of the most valuable characters to wish for:

• Future-proof – As an Archon, Raiden will likely remain a top pick for the long term.
• High damage – Her burst nuke and skill DPS deliver great results.
• Flexible teams – She works in many team archetypes.
• Easy to build – Strong F2P weapons and easy artifact farming.
• Fun to play – Mixing normal attacks and burst mode is enjoyable.

Raiden unlocks speedrunning potential for the hardest content while also being beginner-friendly. She‘s one of the best all-around investments you can make whether starting fresh or min-maxing endgame teams.

Conclusion

Over a year into Genshin Impact‘s lifecycle, Raiden Shogun remains unmatched in terms of versatility, power level, and future potential. She continues to enable some of the strongest and most popular team compositions in Spiral Abyss.

Raiden brings a uniquely stacked kit that delivers on all fronts: excellent damage, battery capabilities, flexibility, and amplified reactions. Mihoyo has continued to introduce new characters and content that complement Raiden‘s strengths rather than replacing her.

For any Genshin Impact player looking to amplify their account, Raiden Shogun should be at the top of the wishlist. She‘s the definition of a universal staple character that can fit into any account. Pulling Raiden is a long-term investment that will pay dividends across all current and future content.