The Most Game-Changing Constellations in Genshin Impact

If you want to take your Genshin Impact characters to the next level, constellations are the biggest source of power. But between the low gacha rates and limited primogems, most players only ever get to C1 or C2 on 5-star characters.

So which constellations provide the biggest bang for your buck? Based on amplifying damage potential, smoothing out caveats, and fundamentally changing a character‘s playstyle, these are the absolute most game-changing constellations in Genshin Impact:

• Raiden C2
• Kazuha C2
• Hu Tao C1

Let‘s dive into why these specific constellations are so coveted and transformative for the respective characters.

Raiden C2 – Insane DMG Spike

Raiden‘s C2, Steelbreaker, increases her Burst DMG by 30% of her Energy Recharge exceeding 100%. To put into perspective how massive this damage spike is:

• With 300% ER, Raiden‘s burst damage is essentially doubled
• Only ~10% of Raiden havers have her at C2 based on player surveys
• Her hypercarry team DPS rivals top tier main DPS at C2

This ER conversion gives Raiden essentially unlimited scaling. The more ER she stacks from weapons and substats, the higher her damage goes.

Raiden with Engulfing Lightning and 300% ER can easily hit for over 150k initial slash damage at C2. Her average burst DPS reaches levels comparable to other C6 hypercarries.

C2 also enables Raiden to recharge team bursts much faster thanks to the Resolve stacks boost. This allows for more frequent rotations to dish out huge numbers.

For F2P players, getting C2 Raiden may seem impossible. But for whales, C2 is where Raiden truly starts to shine as one of the top DPS in Genshin Impact. Her damage ceiling is almost limitless when combined with her signature weapon and heavily invested teams.

Kazuha C2 – Massive Swirl Spike

Kazuha‘s C2, Yamaarashi Tailwind, increases his Elemental Skill DMG bonus from 200% to 300% of his EM. This results in over a 50% damage amp for his Swirl damage at 1000+ EM.

With triple EM main stat artifacts and an EM weapon, Kazuha can easily hit 1200+ EM to skyrocket his Swirl DMG to astronomical levels. He essentially acts as a second main DPS blowing up entire groups of enemies.

Very few supports can match the raw damage output of a C2 Kazuha. He also buffs his teammates‘ Elemental DMG by 40% with his A4 passive. This gives him tremendous personal and team damage in reaction comps.

C2 Kazuha has become one of the most coveted constellations due to his versatility and ability to boost any elemental DPS by huge margins. Getting him to C2 takes a tremendous amount of primogem savings for low spenders though.

Hu Tao C1 – Addresses Stamina Issues

Hu Tao‘s C1, Crimson Bouquet, removes the stamina cost of performing Charged Attacks. This may not seem like a big deal, but it completely transforms her combat flow and ramping damage.

Without C1, Hu Tao players have to carefully manage her skill cooldown and stamina. Her Charged Attack damage is gated by how much she can dash cancel. C1 removes this restriction allowing for much higher combo uptime.

In practical combat, C1 results in 30-40% more Charged Attack damage over a full rotation by eliminating stamina downtime. Hu Tao also gains access to new attack combos and animation cancels that are not possible at C0 due to stamina limits.

For mobile players especially, C1 makes a massive difference in quality of life. Hu Tao‘s playstyle feels far smoother with the freedom to dash and charge attack at will. Her full power is much easier to access.

Are Constellations Stronger Than Weapons?

To give some perspective on the power spikes from these top constellations, let‘s compare them to C6 5-star weapons – the biggest power boost weapons can provide.

Based on the damage increases, Raiden C2 and Hu Tao C1 are comparable to C6 Engulfing Lightning and C6 Staff of Homa respectively.

Kazuha C2 likely surpasses Freedom Sworn C6 due to the sheer amount of raw Swirl DMG added on top of team buffs.

So these particular constellations stand above even 5-star weapons in terms of amplifying character power. They single-handedly transform their power level and playstyle.

Constellation Ownership Rate

According to player surveys on popular communities like Reddit, less than 5-10% of 5-star character havers actually have them at C2. For F2P players, getting multiple copies is essentially impossible without tremendous luck and saving.

Even for moderate spenders or "dolphins", these constellations are difficult to attain. Targeted constellation unlocking generally requires spending hundreds if not thousands of dollars when factoring in multiple pities.

So while these constellations seem overpowered, they are extraordinarily rare. For the vast majority of players, C0 or C1 is the realistic ceiling. But the potential is there to push characters to new heights through cons.

Additional Notable Constellations

Here are some other noteworthy constellations that don‘t quite make the absolute top tier list but are still highly coveted:

Ganyu C1 – Massive boost to Charged Shot damage through Cryo DMG bonus after shots. Makes her damage output even more ridiculous.

Eula C6 – Removes the delay on her Burst explosion, frontloading her nuke damage. Extremely powerful but niche.

Shenhe C2 – Major boost to ATK buffs provided by her Skill. Great for Cryo DPS.

Yelan C6 – Transforms her into on-field DPS by removing limits on Breakthrough. Very expensive though.

Ayaka C4 – Cooldown reduction on her Burst allows much better uptime and damage.

Xiangling C4 – Effectively removes her Energy requirements, enabling consistent Pyronado.

Constellation Evaluation Factors

There are a few key factors to consider when determining a constellation‘s value:

• Damage amplification – Direct DMG bonuses or scaling increases are ideal

• Mechanic change – Altering skill cooldowns, costs, limitations

• Limit removal – Lifting restrictions like Hu Tao stamina

• Rotation flow – Allowing more uses of skills/burst

• Future proofing – Retains value for all current/future teams

• Availability – Ease of obtaining copies as F2P or low spender

• Team role – Supports generally benefit more than DPS

Based on these criteria, constellations that provide the largest increase in overall team DPS are the most valuable. Supports like Kazuha C2 can boost a wide variety of teams for years to come.

Practical Value vs Potential

In theory, some constellations like Raiden C2 provide near limitless scaling. But the practical damage gains require investing heavily into Raiden and her team to see the massive numbers showcased in videos.

For players with well-built teams and 5-star weapons, these constellations push characters into OP territory. But at low/medium investment, the gains may be less noticeable compared to improving artifacts or supports.

As a low spender myself, I decided C0 Hu Tao with Homa was enough to 36 star the Abyss comfortably. The C1 quality of life was enticing, but improving my supports‘ artifacts ultimately gave me better returns for my primogems.

But for whales and veteran players who already have godly artifacts, constellations are the next frontier to maximize characters. It ultimately depends on your progression and priorities.

Closing Thoughts

At the end of the day, constellations are never required in Genshin Impact. But a select few like Raiden C2 and Hu Tao C1 provide such enormous spikes in power that they feel mandatory if pursuing the maximum potential of those characters.

Obtaining those C2 and C3 levels remains extremely difficult though, even for moderate spenders. This limits the constellations‘ real world impact outside of whales.

But their sheer game-changing power when unlocked shows the heights characters can reach through cons. For the majority of players however, investments into weapons, artifacts, and team synergy will give more tangible gains over chasing elusive constellations.