Keqing players love Genshin Impact’s new Dendro element

The cat queen is a hero. Keqing, the 5-star most popular character in 5 star ownership Genshin Impact, finally has a favorable place in the game’s meta. Thanks to the Dendro element, her days as an overlooked Electro 5-star are over… for now.

Many electro characters can cause elemental reactions, other than Keqing. She just stands out because she’s many players’ first 5-star character and she’s constantly available on the standard banner. The Aggravate reactions that Elemental Burst causes are far more powerful than those of other budget options. When Dendro is present, Keqing-havers will notice a dramatic increase in their damage output.

In the days before Dendro, the usual Keqing experience went like this: You’d get her after losing a 50/50 on an event banner, or as a 5-star from the standard banner. If you were lucky, she could take you to the 12th floor in the Spiral Abyss. Keqing would disappear if enough gems were saved for an OP. Goodbye cat girl, hello sword boob lady!

“Keqing is the best Electro for any newbie. Rapid cooling. Electro infusion. Traversal. Fast attack. Can use Black Sword. Can use Black Sword. Kawaii,” GenshinPolygon was told by John Veldad, player. “In terms of damage, she is average. In terms of versatility, she is top-tier.”

The following was the prior version. Genshin Impact community generally treated Keqing like a “beginner DPS” — a character to use until you could get someone better. In a Reddit thread that kicked off by describing her as the “worst 5-star DPS,” players listed their gripes, including the high stamina cost for her skills, her tendency to knock back enemies, her undesirable constellations, and her element: Electro.

Other GenshinLowe Toserero was a player who shared the same thoughts as Polygon regarding what it was like playing Keqing in those days. Genshin Impact’s earlier days.

“She is much more viable now compared to when players used her for Overload and Electrocute comp. Now that the Dendro reaction has been added, her lack of DPS is covered by the Dendro reaction,” Toserero said. “I used Keqing around 1.2-1.3 but her Burst multiplier is quite low and her only high-output attack is the charged attack. Now, I’m using her for a longer bit of time.”

Keqing struggled to match Raiden Shogun’s more powerful characters. Raiden Shogun is a much better player than Keqing, thanks to her Electro application and energy particle generation as well as buffs. She’s a 5-star Electro character like Keqing, but her Burst scales with the amount of damage her teammates do with their Bursts. Keqing isn’t meant to fill the same niche, though. She’s always been advertised as a Physical DPS or Electro DPS.

Her role as an Electro DPS can now compete with other top picks when she’s paired with Dendro teammates. One Twitter user showcased Keqing’s synergy with Dendro TravelerThe Magatsu Mitake Narukami No Mikoto boss. When Keqing pops her Burst, the Aggravate damage from combining Electro with Dendro eats at least half of the boss’ remaining health. To be more specific, her teammates and the new Dendro reactions have unofficially “buffed” her.

“Keqing, Fischl, Dendro MC, Kazuha/Sucrose makes Keqing viable and actually quite strong due to Keqing’s attack speed. Keqing mains winning this patch fr,” said Braxophone, a Genshin ImpactCreator of content, in post on Twitter. He also believes she must have Fischl in order to realize her potential.

“Sure, she’s good on her own with Dendro now, but the reason I say she’s actually busted is because of her Fischl interactions on top of her new regular power level,” he explained in another tweet. Despite those critiques, he generally saw the update as a general “win” for Keqing mains. Also, Keqing isn’t the only 5-star DPS who relies on Elemental Reactions. Many do, such as Hu Tao and Diluc.

As one Twitter userIt should be included in an upcoming thread. Genshin Impact’s meta: “Keqing needs Dendro the same way Hu Tao needs Hydro. If Hydro… or even if XQ didn’t exist, Hu Tao would be an awful character.” Hu Tao mainly relies on Pyro DMG from her Elemental Skill in combination with Hydro/Vaporize reactions. In this case, Dendro Traveler is Keqing’s Xingqiu.

It’s hard to predict whether Keqing will stay in favor with the rumored 5-star Electro polearm user Cyno over the horizon. When asked about the longevity of her popularity, Keqing main Ralph Marbibi said she probably wouldn’t last for long.

“I think those who understand Dendro and those who like to try other comps would still use her,” said Marbibi, who has mained Keqing since Genshin Impact 1.0, “but to be honest, a lot of people like seeing bigger numbers and I feel like a lot of people would still stick to things like Vaporize comps.”