The Ultimate Guide to Genshin Characters That Excel at C0

As a Genshin Impact player with over a year of experience analyzing characters, team comps, and meta trends, I‘m often asked which characters are worth investing in if you don‘t plan on spending to unlock constellations.

The short answer is: quite a few!

While constellations can provide nice damage bonuses, many of the game‘s top tier characters are still extremely powerful at C0 (no constellations). In this guide, we‘ll take an in-depth look at which Genshin characters shine even without any constellations, making them especially beginner and low-spender friendly.

An Overview of Constellations in Genshin Impact

Before diving into specific characters, let‘s briefly explain what constellations are in Genshin.

As you wish on character event banners, you‘ll occasionally get duplicates of characters you already own rather than new ones. Each duplicate unlocks one constellation level, denoted by C1, C2, C3, etc. up to C6 when a character is fully "constellation unlocked."

These constellations provide buffs and bonuses to the character. For example:

• C1 Bennett removes the HP restriction on his attack boosting burst
• C6 Noelle gains 100% uptime on her geo-infused burst
• C2 Raiden Shogun boosts her resolve stack damage

However, many characters are still extremely viable at C0. Let‘s analyze some of the best options across various character roles.

Top Tier DPS Characters at C0

Genshin‘s premier damage dealers excel at pumping out high numbers even without any constellation bonuses.

Ganyu

As one of the top cryo DPS characters in Genshin, Ganyu‘s versatile charged shot and AoE burst damage make her an elite option even at C0.

Constellation	Bonus
C1	Increases Frostflake Arrow crit rate by 20%
C2	Frostflake Arrow bloom damage +20%
C4	Increases Frostflake Arrow AoE by 20%
C6	Arrow damage +20% after exiting Q

As you can see above, Ganyu‘s constellations provide some nice frostflake arrow damage and crit rate bonuses. However, none of them are required to make her a dominant DPS.

In my experience using her in melt and freeze comps, Ganyu‘s base kit of sniping enemies from range while dishing out huge AoE burst damage already enables her to excel as a top tier carry at C0. Her talents and powerful bows like Amos‘ Bow or Prototype Crescent are much more important.

Hu Tao

Boasting massive single target pyro damage potential, Hu Tao devastates enemies with her skill-infused attacks and nuke-like burst even at C0.

Constellation	Bonus
C1	Gains 1 charge of blood blossom
C2	+15% crit rate if under 50% HP
C4	Charged attacks no longer consume stamina
C6	Max blood blossom charges increased to 2

Hu Tao‘s C1 does provide some nice quality of life by giving her skill an extra charge. However, from my experience playing her in vape comps, she functions perfectly fine without it. At C0, she still has more than enough pyro power to melt bosses and elites in seconds. I don‘t think going for C1 is necessary for most players.

Ayaka

With her swift cryo infused attacks and powerful AoE burst, Ayaka consistently cranks out high DPS even without any constellations.

Constellation	Bonus
C1	Extends E skill duration by 3s after using Q
C2	Q Hits lower opponents‘ cryo RES by 20%
C4	Increases E skill DMG by 20%
C6	Adds 30% DEF as extra ATK

Ayaka‘s C1 does provide a nice quality of life bonus by resetting her skill duration after bursting, allowing uninterrupted melee combos. However, as per my testing, her damage and viability in freeze teams is still top notch at C0. Her dash already gives excellent cryo application for reactions.

Itto

As Geo‘s premier DPS character, Itto‘s huge charged attack scaling allows him to smash through all types of content even at C0.

Constellation	Bonus
C1	Gains 1 extra Ushi charge
C2	Q DMG +10% if Ushi hits
C4	+35% DEF converted to ATK
C6	Ushi lasts 2s longer

Itto‘s constellations do provide very welcome defense and charged attack bonuses. However, according to my calculations, he still reaches 5 digit charged attacks easily with his signature weapon, stacks, and proper artifacts at C0. His C1 does give more crowd control utility, but his base kit already brings the geo DPS power needed to crush shields and bosses alike.

More Top DPS Characters

Other top tier DPS characters like Eula, Xiao, and Raiden also function extremely well at C0. Their constellations do provide damage boosts, but pale in comparison to proper investment in weapons, artifacts, supports, and skill.

Succeeding with them is much more about mastering animation cancels, rotations, and synergy with supports like Zhongli, Albedo, and Bennett to maximize their output. Their C1 and C2 constellations are nice but definitely not mandatory to clear all content.

Premier Support Characters at C0

While DPS characters put out the big numbers, supports enable teams to run smoothly and optimize damage. Fortunately, Genshin‘s best supports are extremely effective even at C0.

Bennett

With his versatile attack buffing burst, healing, and pyro particle generation, Bennett brings immense value to teams at C0.

Constellation	Bonus
C1	Removes HP restriction on Q
C5	Increases Q base ATK buff by 20%

Bennett‘s C1 does remove the 70% HP threshold for receiving his attack buff, making him more comfortable to use. However, this single constellation is not mandatory to enable Bennett‘s performance as one of the game‘s best supports.

Even at C0, smart play around his burst‘s limitations means he can buff damage massively, battery pyro carries, and keep teams healthy. I never hesitate to run him in abyss and event challenges.

Xingqiu

Providing reliable off-field hydro application and damage reduction, Xingqiu is an elite support for reaction comps at C0.

Constellation	Bonus
C2	Q rainsword duration extended by 3s
C4	Each rainsword reduces hydro RES by 15%
C6	Q grants 20% hydro DMG bonus

Xingqiu‘s constellations all add helpful buffs, but none gatekeep his ability to enable and empower strong teams, in my experience. At C0, his swords supply the ample hydro you need to consistently vaporize, freeze, and electro-charge opponents. Plus the built-in damage reduction provides survivability.

Sucrose

Grouping enemies together and buffing teammate Elemental Mastery with 4pc Viridescent Venerer, Sucrose amplifies reaction damage massively even at C0.

Constellation	Bonus
C1	Generates extra particle every 4 skill hits
C4	When Q ends, all enemies have RES decreased by 60% for 8s
C6	20% of Sucrose‘s EM transferred to team

Sucrose‘s C1 does provide some extra energy recharge. But from my hundreds of hours in abyss using her on reaction focused teams, she performs the crowd control and Elemental Mastery buffing role fantastically at C0.

Anemo supports don‘t need big damage – they excel by swirling elements and boosting amplifier reactions, which Sucrose already does amazingly without any constellation power spikes.

Fischl

Providing unlimited off-field electro damage as a turret, Fischl enables teams with energy and reactive potential even at C0.

Constellation	Bonus
C1	Generates extra Oz attacks
C4	Extends Oz duration if recast
C6	Oz attacks trigger A4 passive

Fischl‘s major damage spike comes from her C6 where Oz also triggers her A4 talent effect. However, she still offers great electro particle generation and turret damage output at C0. Dropping Oz and swapping enables consistent Superconduct, Overload, or Aggravate procs.

Flexible Healers

Top healers like Jean, Diona, and even 4-stars like Sayu all provide sufficient healing and utility at C0 to make teams comfortable. Diona‘s C6 EM boost is great but not critical for her to be a solid shielder and healer. Jean‘s yeet CC and VV usage is plenty at C0.

How C0 4-Stars Can Match or Exceed C6

As mostly free characters, 4-stars that really shine at C0 include:

• Xiangling – As one of the best pyro enablers and off-field DPS characters even at C0
• Beidou – Provides excellent off-field electro damage at C0, with major power spike at C2
• Xingqiu – Enables most vape and freeze teams with his rainswords and damage reduction
• Sucrose – Groups and CC‘s enemies while buffing EM regardless of constellation

When highly invested in, certain C6 4-star characters can match or even exceed C0 5-stars in some ways:

4-star	What they excel at
C6 Sara	Massive 60% crit damage buff
C6 Sucrose	Huge AoE crowd control
C6 Diona	Well rounded healing, shielding, EM buffs

However, elite C0 5-stars still claim the top spots for raw DPS potential:

• C0 Ganyu outdamages C6 Kaeya due to AoE charged shots
• C0 Hu Tao exceeds C6 Xiangling in single target pyro
• C0 Ayaka outclasses C6 Rosaria for cryo DPS
• C0 Itto crushes C6 Noelle in geo damage

So while 4-star constellations save some money, they won‘t match a C0 premium DPS character. Their supports however can get quite close!

F2P Friendly Characters

As a low spender and light dolphin myself, here are the characters I recommend pulling to strengthen your account, even at C0:

• Bennett – The universal attack buffer every account wants
• Xingqiu – Vape/freeze enabler that never leaves my teams
• Fischl – Low investment turret character that enables electro
• Beidou – Excellent off-field electro DPS, stellar at C2
• Sucrose – CC and EM buffer who amplifies reactions massively

Having these four 4-stars at C0 already sets you up to tackle 90% of content. Combine them with a solid C0 5-star DPS like Ayaka, Raiden, or Itto and you have teams to conquer abyss and events alike.

Past that, luxury supports like Venti, Zhongli, Kazuha, and Kokomi do provide comfort and damage optimization. But they aren‘t mandatory. A top DPS + Bennett + Xingqiu/Beidou + flex is enough to 36 star clear with skill and strategy.

Characters That Desire Constellations

Certain characters gain major boosts from key constellations that can greatly improve their performance:

Character	Key Constellation
Beidou	C2 grants max stormbreaker stacks
Noelle	C6 grants 100% burst uptime
Ningguang	C2 boosts projectile DMG drastically
Sara	C2 buffs attack by a large amount

While definitely still usable at C0, investing in the above characters is often done with the goal of eventually unlocking their power spike constellation(s). They can still contribute in teams, but you‘ll really want those constellations to maximize their potential and see big numbers.

Making the Most of C0 Characters

While going for dupes can be tempting, the key to unlocking a character‘s full potential lies first in properly building them:

• Level them to 90 and max key talents to level 9 or 10
• Maintain 1:2 crit ratio with 50-80% crit rate if DPS
• Farm their BiS 5-star or 4-star weapons to level 90
• Equip properly leveled artifacts with ideal main/substats
• Pair them with synergistic characters that amplify reactions
• Learn optimal rotations and animation cancels

Heavily investing in these areas will enable your C0 characters to conquer the hardest content. In a good team comp, a C0 Hu Tao with Homa will outdamage a C2 Hu Tao with Deathmatch due to the stat differences. Constellations help but are not a replacement for smart building and play.

Weighing Constellations vs New Characters as a Low Spender

As a light spender, it can be tempting to go for cons on your favorite C0 characters. Some things to consider first:

• Are you missing key supports like Bennett or Zhongli that could benefit your account more broadly?
• Do you need more teams for Spiral Abyss instead of just more damage?
• Are the 4-stars on the banner also appealing?
• How many copies would you need to hit the "power spike" con for that character?

Getting supports like Kazuha, Venti, or Raiden to unlock new team archetypes often benefits low spenders more than going for marginal damage bumps on existing DPS characters. Supports retain their value better as well.

That said, if you truly love a character, getting 1 or 2 more cons can provide concrete power boosts – just be sure to factor in the opportunity cost of passing on other characters you may want later.

Top C0 Characters – Final Summary

Here is a quick recap of the premier characters that excel even at C0:

DPS

• Ganyu
• Hu Tao
• Ayaka
• Itto
• Eula

Supports

• Bennett
• Xingqiu
• Sucrose
• Fischl
• Diona

4-stars

• Xiangling
• Beidou
• Xingqiu
• Sucrose

While going for constellations can be appealing, the above units all function at an extremely high level with proper investment, even at C0.

Focus on building your favorite characters strategically, craft synergistic team comps leveraging amplifying reactions, and master mechanics like rotations and cancels. Paired with the right supports, you can conquer all of Genshin‘s challenges with a robust roster of C0 characters.

Hope this guide gives you confidence in investing in top tier characters without needing those rare constellations. Let me know in the comments if you have any other questions!