Genshin Impact Elemental Reactions: All Elemental Reactions and Resonances
Including the new Dendro element
What Elemental Reactions does Dendro have in Genshin Impact 3.0? Elements are a key feature of Genshin Impact, taking centre-stage in terms of both story and gameplay. In-story, the seven elements of Pyro, Cryo, Hydro, Electro, Geo, Dendro, and Anemo govern the seven nations of Teyvat and are characteristic of the seven Archons (gods) who rule them. In your playable party, your characters' innate elements (known as their Visions, granted to them by said Archons) can be applied to enemies to deal damage and trigger special reactions when used in combination.
Thanks to this, combat in Genshin Impact can feel like anything from a seven-way game of rock-paper-scissors to messing about with an extremely overpowered chemistry kit, with a delightful range of spectacular results. And with the arrival of Version 3.0 and the newly-playable Dendro element, there are even more variations to play around with! Read on for details of the elements in Genshin Impact and all their effects, including a full list of their reactions and resonances when used in combination.
On this page:
- Genshin Impact Elemental Reactions
- Genshin Impact Elemental Resonances
- The seven elements of Genshin Impact explained
Genshin Impact Elemental Reactions
When two elements combine while attacking an enemy, an Elemental Reaction takes place. These can impact both the player and the enemy, so you should learn them to become an expert on the right moves to use and avoid in every situation.
Here's a list of all the Elemental Reactions and their effects:
| Reaction name | Formed by | Effect(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Bloom | Dendro + Hydro | Drop explosive seeds that will either explode for Dendro DMG after 6 seconds or react again with another applied element for a Compound Reaction (see below) |
| Burning | Dendro + Pyro | Deals Pyro DMG over time |
| Catalyze / Quicken | Dendro + Electro | Provides a buff that allows the player to trigger Aggravate or Spread for the next 8 seconds (see below) |
| Crystallize | Geo + Cryo/Electro/Hydro/Pyro | Drops a crystal of the non-Geo element, which acts as an elemental shield |
| Electro-Charged | Electro + Hydro | Deals Electro DMG over time |
| Frozen | Hydro + Cryo | Freezes the target (they can't move) |
| Melt | Cryo + Pyro | Afflicted enemies take extra damage: double if Pyro triggers Melt, and 1.5x if Cryo does |
| Overloaded | Electro + Pyro | Deals AoE Pyro DMG |
| Superconduct | Electro + Cryo | Deals AoE Cryo DMG and reduces DEF |
| Swirl | Anemo + Cryo/Pyro/Electro/Hydro | Deals extra damage of the non-Anemo element over a wider area |
| Vaporize | Hydro + Pyro | Afflicted enemies take extra damage: double if Hydro triggers Vaporize, and 1.5x if Pyro does |
Compound Reactions
What we might term a "Compound Reaction" will occur when certain follow-up attacks are performed on enemies already affected by an Elemental Reaction. Here's how to trigger each one and what they do:
| Reaction name | Formed by | Effect(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Aggravate | Catalyze + Electro | Deals elemental DMG |
| Burgeon | Bloom + Pyro | Increased AoE to Pyro DMG |
| Hyperbloom | Bloom + Hydro | Generates homing Dendro arrows |
| Shattered | Frozen + blunt attack | Deals extra DMG (warning: may break the target out of the Frozen state early) |
| Spread | Catalyze + Dendro | Deals elemental DMG |
Genshin Impact Elemental Resonances
Elemental resonance is a passive effect that triggers when your party members fulfil elemental requirements. You don't need to do anything to activate them other than going to Paimon's menu and sorting out your party with 'Party Setup'. Even better, every member of the party benefits from the effects of a resonance, even if they don't directly contribute to it.
Here's all the Elemental Reactions available at the moment in Genshin Impact:
| Resonance name | Formed by | Effect(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Enduring Rock | 2x Geo | Interruption resistance up, when you have a shield attack damage up by 15% |
| Fervent Flames | 2x Pyro | Cryo affects you for 40% less time, ATK up by 25% |
| Soothing Waters | 2x Hydro | Pyro affects you for 40% less time, healing increased by 30% |
| Impetuous Winds | 2x Anemo | Decrease stamina consumption by 15% |
| High Voltage | 2x Electro | Hydro effect active for 40% less time; Superconduct, Overload, and Electro-Charged have a 100% chance to generate an Electro elemental particle |
| Shattering Ice | 2x Cryo | Electro effect active for 40% less time, CRIT rate up 15% against Frozen or Cryo-effected enemies |
| Sprawling Greenery | 2x Dendro | After triggering Burning, Catalyze/Quicken, or Bloom reactions, all nearby party members gain 30 Elemental Mastery for 6 seconds. After triggering Aggravate, Spread, Hyperbloom, or Burgeon reactions, all nearby party members gain 20 Elemental Mastery for 6 seconds. The durations of the aforementioned effects will be counted independently. |
| Protective Canopy | Any 4 unique elements | All elemental resistance up 15% |
It's worth remembering that story characters available as demos during missions do not impact Elemental Resonance.
The seven elements of Genshin Impact explained
Each of the elements in Genshin Impact corresponds to one of the seven gods of the world of Teyvat, which is ever-expanding. Currently, the available regions are Mondstadt (Anemo), Liyue (Geo), Inazuma (Electro), and Sumeru (Dendro), but the three remaining nations of Teyvat are planned to be added in future updates. Here's all the elements in Genshin Impact and their corresponding nations (along with their projected release dates):
- Anemo (Wind/Air) - Mondstadt (in the game since launch)
- Geo (Rock/Stone/Earth) - Liyue (in the game since launch)
- Electro (Lightning/Electricity) - Inazuma (added Summer 2021)
- Dendro (Grass/Wood/Plants) - Sumeru (added Summer 2022)
- Hydro (Water) - Fontaine (planned addition for Summer 2023)
- Pyro (Fire) - Natlan (planned addition for Summer 2024)
- Cryo (Ice) - Snezhnaya (planned addition for Summer 2025)
Elemental hazards and area debuffs
When exploring Genshin Impact's many domains (dungeons), some elements present can inflict Ley Line Disorders within an aura without any specific enemy applying them to the members of your party. These debuffs force you to change up your combat style, or at least plan a little differently to work around the issues they cause. These are:
| Name | Element | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Condensed Ice | Cryo | Increases stamina consumption |
| Engulfing Storm | Electro | Drains energy recharge |
| Slowing Water | Hydro | Increases skill cooldown time (around 80% slower) |
| Smouldering Flames | Pyro | Inflicts damage over time |
It's sometimes possible to temporarily cleanse the effects of these debuffs while they're active within an aura, usually by applying an elemental skill that reacts with the debuffing element, since self-application of an elemental skill does not deal damage to the user. Some Electro/Hydro/Pyro/Cryo shield characters can provide this level of protection to their entire party for a brief span of time.
That's all for our Elemental Reactions guide! Hopefully you're all ready to rumble with your party's elemental abilities. If you're still not sure what party members you need, you could always check out our Genshin Impact tier list page, or find out how to get more stuff with Primogems and Wishes.