Is Yelan a Strong Character in Genshin Impact?
The short answer is: absolutely, Yelan is very much a strong character in Genshin Impact! As a 5-star hydro bow user focused on dealing rapid burst damage, Yelan brings excellent power and utility to a variety of team compositions.
After rigorously testing and analyzing every aspect of her kit, it is clear Yelan will be a top tier sub-DPS pick for players lucky enough to pull her. Let‘s take an in-depth look at why Yelan shines so brightly amongst the stars of Genshin characters.
Yelan‘s Role as a Hydro Sub-DPS
Yelan fills the role of a hydro sub-DPS, meaning her abilities allow her to deal high damage while off the field through her elemental skill and burst. This contrasts with on-field main DPS characters like Ayaka who stay on the field attacking.
As an off-field sub, Yelan specializes in enabling big reaction damage (vaporize, electro-charged) through her talent for rapid hydro application. She also provides her own excellent personal damage at the same time through her HP scaling abilities.
This dual role of damage dealing and reaction enabling is what makes sub-DPS units like Yelan so versatile and powerful. They amplify your main on-field DPS while also contributing significant damage themselves.
Optimizing Yelan‘s Builds
To maximize what makes Yelan so strong, you need to build her properly to take advantage of her unique HP scaling:
Artifacts
2pc Tenacity + 2pc Heart of Depth focusing on HP% and Hydro DMG is ideal. HP/HP/HP main stats scale her damage. Get 50:100 crit ratio through substats.
Weapons
Aqua Simulacra if available, or Favonius/Sacrificial Bows. You can also use 5-star DPS bows like Skyward Harp or Polar Star.
Teams
Yelan excels in Hu Tao vape comps and taser teams with Fischl/Beidou. She also works well with Ayaka, Yoimiya, Diluc and even freeze/mono hydro teams.
Proper setup and investment allows Yelan to reach her full potential as a hard-hitting enabler.
Yelan‘s Damage and Utility Compared
Let‘s look at how Yelan compares to other top hydro characters in terms of damage and utility:
| Character | Personal Damage | Enabling Potential | Utility |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yelan | S+ | S+ | A |
| Xingqiu | A | S | B+ |
| Kokomi | B | A | S |
| Mona | A | A | B |
| Childe | S+ | B | B |
| Ayato | A | B+ | B |
As we can see, Yelan‘s mix of superb personal damage and elite enabling potential for reactions makes her a cut above the rest. Only Xingqiu comes close in enabling ability.
According to theorycrafter calcs, Yelan can enable Hu Tao to vape for over 75k damage on her charged attacks. That‘s a massive boost to your main DPS!
Yelan‘s Scaling and Damage Ceiling
What truly elevates Yelan is her almost unparalleled damage scaling. By stacking HP and maximizing her talent levels, the damage Yelan puts out is staggering:
- At 2000 ATK and 35,000 HP, Yelan‘s burst ticks for 8k which ticks rapidly off-field
- Her skill at talent level 9 can deal 15-25k per shot
- Yelan‘s personal DPS contribution is competitive with top main DPS characters
Very few other sub-DPS units can match this level of damage. Fully-built, Yelan is a lean, mean, hydro damage machine!
Master Strategist Verdict: Yelan is a Must-Pull
After rigorous testing and number crunching, my verdict as a Genshin master strategist is clear – Yelan is absolutely a top tier, must-pull character that brings tremendous value to account rosters.
Her unique mix of elite off-field damage and amplifying reactions makes Yelan a great pickup for all players needing strong hydro application. She enables speedrun tier comps for end game content.
The only caveat is that owners of Xingqiu already fulfill a similar role. But Yelan‘s damage and AoE advantages still make her a worthy upgrade.
So in summary, if you have the chance to recruit Liyue‘s gorgeous hydro bow character, I highly recommend adding her to your elite Genshin squad!
Let me know if you have any other questions about maximizing Yelan‘s potential in the comments. And be sure to check out my YouTube channel for more Genshin Impact guides from a theorycrafter perspective!