There are tons of different playable characters available in Genshin Impact, but some are better for new players than others. Genshin Impact has been one of the biggest free-to-play games since its release and has continually received substantial updates that have expanded the playable content and character roster. It may be a bit intimidating to jump into the game now since there are so many playable characters available in the game, and financial investment in procuring characters can be a concern. Players can build a strong team without spending any money by learning the best Genshin Impact characters for new players.

Characters in Genshin Impact can be broken down into two principal categories. The first is the characters that can be earned as completion rewards when progressing in the game, while the second comes in the form of Wish characters. These characters can only be obtained by making a Wish on one of the available banners. Wishes themselves can cost the player money to invest in enough materials to make them. New players might prefer to focus on the free-to-play characters since they haven't invested enough time to want to purchase the Wish characters.

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The Traveler

Genshin Impact's Lumine stands on the left and Paimon floats to the right. In the background is the Liyue landscape.

All Genshin Impact players start with the Traveler, the playable protagonist of the game. The Traveler can come in the form of either Aether or Lumine, male and female twin siblings that can be selected at the start. Players can change the element of the Traveler as they progress, a unique feature not offered by other characters. Unlocking all the Constellations for this character will also provide tons of buffs and new abilities for the player. Investing in them will teach players the ropes of the game, making the Traveler a relevant choice even as players begin to unlock more characters to play.

Lisa

Genshin Impact Electro Catalyst Lisa wearing a purple hat superimposed over a Mondstadt landscape.

The Genshin Impact prologue, an extended series of early quests, unlocks several playable characters for players. One of these characters is Lisa, an Electro who can prove a solid pick for newcomers. To unlock her, the player will need to participate in the "Sparks Amongst the Pages" quest in Mondstadt. Lisa is one of the minority of Genshin Impact characters to be categorized as a Catalyst, meaning she inherently deals Elemental damage through her normal attack. While her DPS is fairly low, Lisa can be paired with a number of other characters who focus on AoE Elemental attacks, which can combo well with her Elemental Burst.

Xiangling

Genshin Impact Pyro  Xiangling holding a polearm.

To unlock Xiangling, players will need to reach Adventure Rank 20 and unlock Genshin Impact's Spiral Abyss. Finishing Floor 3, Chamber 3 of this special domain will make this superior free character available. Although completing these requirements is a significantly greater time investment than characters like Lisa require, Xiangling is worth the effort. She hits fairly hard and is great as the Pyro character for your team, working well in most scenarios and featuring solid AoE abilities. Xiangling is a much stronger Pyro character for serious play than the earlier free Pyro Amber, and can easily take over the role of solving puzzles in the overworld along with combat.

The best thing about all the best characters for Genshin Impact beginners is that it doesn't cost a dime to unlock them. Each of them is unlocked by participating in the story but features a strong enough skill set to make a solid pick generally. At some point, players will collect enough materials to roll for a Wish character, at which point they will have to rely on luck to bless them with a good pull. Until then, making use of the best free Genshin Impact characters will help them triumph over all of Mondstadt's challenges.