Yes, Ganyu Remains the Strongest Character in Genshin Impact

As a day one Genshin Impact player, I‘ve had the chance to play with every new 5-star DPS character released over the past year. And none come close to matching Ganyu‘s insane damage potential, versatility, and ease of use. She completely dominates as a Cryo ranged carry.

Let‘s dig into the details on why Ganyu sits comfortably on her throne as queen of the Genshin Impact meta.

Ganyu‘s Charged Shots Hit Like a Truck

Ganyu‘s Frostflake Arrows are no joke. At talent level 10, each Bloom explosion deals 307.2% ATK as AOE Cryo damage.

For comparison, other powerful bow character‘s charged shot multipliers:

With the 4-set Wanderer‘s Troupe‘s 80% charged shot bonus, Ganyu‘s Frostflakes can easily hit over 100k damage per shot on a well-invested build:

Ganyu dishes out RIDICULOUS frontloaded ranged AOE damage. And she can animation cancel to shoot off Frostflake Arrows incredibly quickly!

Ganyu Obliterates Packs of Enemies

Thanks to the small AOE of her Frostflakes, Ganyu excels at demolishing groups of enemies. Her elemental burst Celestial Shower also constantly rains Cryo in a huge area.

This gives her great crowd control for the Spiral Abyss. Usage data shows she is used in ~45% of Abyss teams. No other DPS comes close to that dominance of end game content.

And in overworld exploration, I love bringing Ganyu to effortlessly wipe out camps of Hilichurls or treasure hoarders. No need to deal with individual enemies when you can eliminate them all at once!

She Unlocks Frozen and Melted Devastation

Ganyu enables some crazy strong team comps thanks to her Cryo element. She‘s the queen of both Freeze and Melt variations:

Freeze – Pair with Xingqiu/Mona/Kokomi + Venti/Kazuha for perma-Frozen foes

Melt – Vaporize away enemies with Xiangling/Bennett/Kazuha for 2x damage

I‘ve tried every possible combination, and Ganyu‘s Melt comp stands above the rest. Her Frostflake damage ceiling surpasses any burst-reliant carry when allowing Pyro reactions.

Her Damage Uptime Is Nearly 100%

Unlike carries like Xiao or Hu Tao who enter downtime after casting bursts, Ganyu provides continuous Cryo destruction.

She can fire off Frostflake Arrows constantly, only limited by her charge time. But even accounting for charging, Ganyu‘s damage uptime nears 100% in most rotations.

No need to worry about energy, HP thresholds, cooldown timers. Just pew pew dead enemies from any distance!

Has Anyone Surpassed Ganyu‘s Power Level?

In over a year since Ganyu‘s release, has any new DPS character matched her potential? Let‘s quickly compare the top contenders:

• Ayaka comes the closest with her insane burst, but lacks Ganyu‘s flexibility or ranged gameplay.

• Hu Tao can reach higher numbers but is much harder to play optimally. Single target focus.

• Itto is geo-limited. His DEF scaling burst can‘t react for big melt numbers.

• Xiao costs HP and has downtime. Anemo lacks amp reactions.

• Raiden is more of a sub-DPS. Costs energy that could fuel Xiangling instead.

The numbers don‘t lie – no one can consistently match a well-played Melt Ganyu‘s raw AOE destruction. Ganyu has withstood the test of time.

Some Minor Flaws

Of course Ganyu isn‘t perfect. Her biggest weakness is her low HP and defense. She‘s quite fragile and heavily relies on shields or freezing foes to avoid interrupts.

Also, her charged shot gameplay is aim intensive. Missing shots or failing to animation cancel will tank her DPS. I admit it can feel repetitive compared to more dynamic playstyles.

But these are small prices to pay for the insane damage Ganyu provides!

My Verdict as a Veteran Player

Even after acquiring every 5-star DPS unit, I still believe Ganyu is the most valuable character to have in Genshin Impact. Here‘s why:

• She easily clears the Spiral Abyss with her versatile team comps
• Her ranged kit makes her extremely comfy for exploration and bosses
• Any account lacking her misses out on massive Cryo potential
• She reduces the skill needed to 36 star thanks to froneloaded damage
• Powercreep has not even come close to catching up over a year later

I think every player should absolutely wish for Ganyu on her rerun banner. And if you‘re lucky enough to have her, invest heavily to maximize her broken Frostflake scaling!

Ganyu has been my go-to carry for all content since release day. And I foresee her remaining on top in the future as the undisputed queen of Genshin Impact DPS.

Let me know if you have any other questions! I could gush about Ganyu all day.