Ganyu or Ayaka, Who is the Best Cryo DPS in Genshin Impact?

Himel Mahmud
By Himel Mahmud
9 Min Read

Ganyu and Ayaka are the two most popular Cryo characters in Genshin Impact. But who is the better DPS?

Genshin Impact is an online-RPG game developed by the Chinese game studio miHoYo and published by HoYoverse worldwide. Since its release in September 2020, Genshin Impact has garnered millions of players worldwide for its unique storyline and characters.

Currently, Genshin Impact has more than 63 playable characters, and it is common in the community to compare new and old characters, especially DPS-focused characters. Ganyu and Kamisato Ayaka are two of the strongest characters in the game, and players regularly argue about who is the better character overall, pointing out their strengths and weaknesses.

Here are our thoughts on Ganyu and Kamisato Ayaka and which of them you should pull for in Genshin Impact.

Read More: Genshin Impact: National Teams Explained

Ganyu or Kamisato Ayaka, Which Character is Better?

Playstyle of Ganyu

Ganyu is a 5-star Cryo Bow character from Liyue in Genshin Impact. She serves as the secretary for the Liyue Qixing. Ganyu is a half-human, half-Adeptus known for her calm and collected manner in Liyue.

Ganyu. Credit: HoYoverse
Ganyu. Credit: HoYoverse

One of the first main DPS characters in Genshin Impact, Ganyu is still regarded as one of the strongest in the game because of her powerful kit. Ganyu is mainly known for her powerful charged attacks, which can deal massive AoE Cryo damage when fully charged.

Ganyu’s elemental skill is called “Trail of the Qilin,” which summons a Cryo Lotus that taunts enemies and will deal damage to enemies when it is either destroyed or explodes. Her elemental burst, “Celestial Shower, will rain down shards of ice on enemies dealing AoE Cryo damage.

Ganyu is typically played as a Main DPS, focusing on either Melt or Freeze team compositions. Most players use Ganyu in Melt team comps, where she can deal an absurd amount of damage. Melt Ganyu teams are still one of the most powerful, versatile, and popular team comps in the game, even to this day. In addition, Ganyu is a friendly free-to-play character, making it simple to level her up using 4-star weapons and little artifact farming. On top of that, Ganyu can also be played as a Cryo support for other Pyro or Hydro characters for reverse melt and freeze teams.

Read More: Genshin Impact: Kamisato Ayaka Build Guide

Playstyle of Kamisato Ayaka

Kamisato Ayaka is a 5-star Cryo Sword character who hails from Inazuma. Ayaka is in charge of the internal and external affairs of the Kamisato Clan and earned the title Shirasagi Himegimi and is considered a model of perfection in Inazuma.

Kamisato Ayaka. Credit: HoYoverse
Kamisato Ayaka. Credit: HoYoverse

Kamisato Ayaka was one of the first characters from Inazuma, and she is known for her combat skills. Just like Ganyu, Ayaka has a strong kit, and she does damage with her normal and charged attacks. She is known for her elegance and grace and is also skilled in combat. Ayaka’s Elemental Skill is called “Kamisato Art: Hyouka,” where she summons blooming ice to launch nearby opponents, dealing AoE Cryo DMG. Her Elemental Burst is called “Kamisato Art: Soumetsu,” which deals Cryo damage in a large area and freezes enemies in its radius. Due to her quick and agile swordplay, Ayaka is often used as a main DPS or sub-DPS character in many teams. Additionally, her Cryo abilities can freeze enemies, providing crowd control and additional damage output.

Read More: Genshin Impact: Should You Trust Character Tier Lists?

Who is Better, Ganyu or Ayaka?

Ganyu or Ayaka, who is the better Cryo character in the game, is an ongoing debate in the Genshin Impact community. Both characters are strong DPS characters with exceptionally strong talents and skills. In addition, Ganyu and Ayaka are easy-to-build and free-to-play friendly characters.

It all comes down to each player and which character they prefer to play with. Ganyu, with her all-powerful charged shots, can deal massive constant AoE damage. With the Melt team comp, she can be an exceptionally powerful damage dealer and capable of clearing even the strongest domains in the game. She can also be played in Freeze team comps and also be played as a Cryo support for her powerful elemental burst. For players who just started playing Genshin Impact, Ganyu can be a pretty good option as she can defeat enemies quickly, and farming her ascension materials is easier. The downside of playing with Ganyu is that players will always require a support character who can provide a strong shield for her because she has really low HP, and her other party members need to be strong as well.

Ganyu's attack animation. Credit: HoYoverse
Ganyu’s attack animation. Credit: HoYoverse

On the other hand, we have Kamisato Ayaka, a powerful Cryo character from Inazuma. Ayaka is an outstanding DPS character mainly played in Freeze teams because of her kit and talents. Her normal attacks and elemental skills do decent damage, but her elemental burst is broken as it sends a mighty blizzard that deals massive damage to all enemies in its path. Ayaka is an excellent character for late-game players because she is a strong unit who can easily clear the Spiral Abyss and any other domains in the game and permanently freeze the enemies with Hydro supports. But the downside of pulling for Ayaka is her ascension materials can only be found in Inazuma, which is a bit difficult for early-game players because the game will require you to play the Archon quests even to unlock the Inazuma region. So, Ayaka may not be the best option for players who just started the game, but late-game players who have Inazuma unlocked can pull for her.

Ayaka's attack animation. Credit: HoYoverse
Ayaka’s attack animation. Credit: HoYoverse

Now the big question is, who is the overall better character? Well, that is a bit hard to answer because both characters are powerful and unique in their own ways. If we are talking purely about strength, Kamisato Ayaka will come out on top, but that doesn’t mean that Ganyu is less powerful. Ganyu is the most versatile character in the game, even though she came out almost two years ago in the version 1.2 update, and to this day, she is ranked as one of the best characters in the game.

If you are new to Genshin Impact and looking for a solid character to play with, the best option is Ganyu because she is a strong character and will make the gameplay experience less hard. But suppose your Adventure Rank is high, and you’re looking for a powerful DPS character to carry your team in the Spiral Abyss. In that case, we suggest pulling for Kamisato Ayaka because she will be reliable with properly built teams in the Spiral Abyss.

Ganyu is currently available on the limited-time banner “Adrift in the Harbor, ” which is now available for the second half of the Genshin Impact version 3.6 update.

Read More: Most Popular Teams In Genshin Impact

Genshin Impact is now available for Android, iOS, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Windows PC. Keep an eye on GameRiv for more character build guides and future Genshin Impact content.

By Himel Mahmud Guide Writer
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Himel Mahmud is a Staff Writer and Social Media Manager at GameRiv. A former FIFA Professional, Himel has been playing video games forever. He plays video games passionately, loves football and an avid music listener.