'Genshin Impact' Guide: How Do Elemental Reactions Work?

Triggering elemental reactions is the core of “Genshin Impact’s” combat, and it is what makes the game fun to play. Players are introduced to this system the moment they start playing, but they’re left with only a very basic guide on how elements work.

Players who spend enough time with the game will already know how elements react with each other, but there are still some subtle nuances that not everyone might know. Knowing these nuances is essential to maximizing damage output in “Genshin Impact.”

Here’s a short overview of how elemental reactions work.

Elemental Combos and Effects

Certain elemental combos produce unique effects. Redditor u/Samurai_LoR has compiled a detailed list of all elemental reactions and their intricate effects here.

• Swirl (Anemo + any element): Creates an AoE elemental damage field
• Crystallize (Geo + any element): Creates a damage-absorbing shield
• Superconduct (Cryo + Electro): Reduces Phys RES by 50%
• Melt (Cryo + Pyro): Deals bonus damage
• Freeze (Cryo + Hydro): Freezes enemies
• Vaporize (Hydro + Pyro): Deals bonus damage
• Electro-charge (Hydro + Electro): Deals two procs of Electro damage
• Overload (Pyro + Electro): Deals bonus AoE damage
• Burn (Dendro + Pyro): Deals strong damage over time

Priming and Triggering

There are two ways in how elemental effects are applied: they are either used as primers or triggers. A “primer” refers to the first element applied to a status-free enemy, while the “trigger” is the element that causes a reaction to the primer element.

For example, an enemy can be primed with Cryo then hit with Electro as the trigger element to create a Superconduct reaction. The order in which these elements are applied can be switched, but the end result will remain the same.

Melt and Vaporize

Knowing the difference between primer and trigger is important for the Melt and Vaporize reactions because the damage that either reaction deals depends on the Trigger Element.

Melt deals more damage when triggered by Pyro, while Vaporize deals more damage if triggered by Hydro.

Applying elements in the correct order for Melt or Vaporize team compositions is crucial for maximizing damage. The Elemental Mastery stat will also drastically affect the strength of these reactions, but EM deserves its own guide on how to be used effectively as it involves a lot of complicated math and preparation.