Dendro is the latest and final core element to be added to the world of Genshin Impact. Since launch, several types of enemies have been able to access Dendro but the first taste for players has come with Sumeru, the Region of Knowledge. This land is governed by the Dendro Archon and so, as such, we have finally been able to play around with it.
Compared to the other elements in the game, Dendro can be pretty difficult to wrap your head around. It has many more moving pieces and interconnected facets of its design that can throw players off. Additionally, just being a new element being introduced after 2 years can in and of itself be perplexing. Dendro isn’t an element that can be slotted into a team: you must build the team around Dendro.
As more and more of Dendro is fleshed out in both story and gameplay, and as we get access to more characters with Dendro Visions, we thought it best to do a thorough breakdown of Dendro. This includes what characters can wield it, how it and its Reactions are best utilised, what artifacts work best with Dendro and more.
Here’s everything you need to know about Dendro in Genshin Impact.
Want more Genshin Impact content? You can find more here on KeenGamer:
- Genshin Impact: How to Unlock Every New Sumeru Crafted Weapon
- 6 Secret Genshin Impact Achievements and Chests You Likely Missed in Sumeru
- Genshin Impact: All Sumeru City Riddle Answers and Locations
- Genshin Impact Version 3.1 Livestream Overview and Anniversary Information
What is Dendro?
Dendro is the element of life in Genshin Impact. It is the native element of the lands of Sumeru, the Region of Knowledge. Its symbol is denoted by a heart-shaped plant with some additional ornamentation.
The way that Dendro is depicted through gameplay and visual connotations is through foliage and plant life. Dendro can most accurately be compared to other synonyms like growth, plants or such examples. As such, most manifestations of Dendro come in the form of a vast abundance of plants or flowers. For example, Samachurls use Dendro to create walls of sharp thorns that will impede your progress and damage you on contact.
It is the seventh and final element of the 7 core elements that make up Teyvat. These elements are:
- Pyro
- Cryo
- Hydro
- Electro
- Geo
- Anemo
- Dendro
Dendro is also a very reaction-heavy element. Unlike most other elements, many of Dendro’s reactions are interlinked and interconnected. Most cannot be triggered until prior reactions have occurred and primed the target. As such, Dendro is a very unique and special element that will likely be the centrepiece of a team, rather than a complimenting factor like other elements.
The Element of Life
All Characters With Dendro Visions
So far, as of Version 3.1, there are 3 available Dendro characters in Genshin Impact.
The first is the Dendro form of the Traveller. As with all other regions, once you make it to the first Statue of the Seven in Sumeru, the Traveller may attune to it. Doing so grants them access to the Dendro element. When wielded by the Traveller, Dendro is used primarily as support. Their Elemental Skill provides instant Dendro application while their Burst is an AoE that can absorb and imbue itself with other elements. This makes Dendro Traveller a perfect pick for a supportive unit that acts as a catalyst for reactions.
Tighnari
The second character is the 5-star Tighnari. He is a Bow wielding character who uses Dendro in the most aggressive form of any of the available characters. His Skill is a taunt and Dendro applicator whereas his Burst is a large Burst of damage that sustains over several seconds through several hits. Compared to the Traveller, Tighnari is the one who will be making use of the Reactions to deal big damage. His main role is DPS and his use of Dendro allows him to deal insanely high damage – if the circumstances allow. You can get Tighnari through the Standard Event Banner or as a 50/50 loss 5-star starting in Version 3.1.
Finally, there is the 4-star Bow Collei. She is an interesting character, sitting roughly between Traveller and Tighnari in terms of usage. Compared to Traveller, she is far more damage oriented, with a Skill and Burst that deal considerable damage, especially when paired with other Reactions. On the other hand, her Skill and Burst are both constant and numerous sources of Dendro application, making her a prime candidate for Dendro support. You can get Collei as an available 4-star on any Banner or you can get a free copy of her from clearing the 4th floor of the Abyss in Version 3.1.
You will notice that most Dendro characters fall into one of two camps: those who create reactions and those who utilise them. This is roughly split into support and DPS units, but they can cross over, such as with Collei. Dendro characters will often need to be the centre of the team or a subsidiary to an appropriate character (such as a Pyro, Hydro or Electro main DPS) if they aren’t backing up another Dendro character.
If you wish to learn more about Tighnari and Collei and how you can best build them, you can find guides for both Tighnari and Collei on KeenGamer.
Collei
All Dendro Reactions
As previously stated, Dendro’s reactions are very interconnected and they overlap a lot. Many of the later and more potent reactions cannot be triggered unless a prior reaction has been activated first.
It is also worth noting that Anemo and Geo remain as they do with other elements: no special mechanics here. However, it should be said that Cryo does not interact with Dendro at all. There are no available reactions between Cryo and Dendro.
The other available Reactions are for Electro, Hydro, Pyro and Dendro itself.
Hydro
Hydro is the first Genshin Impact element that should be discussed as it links the other elements of Dendro. When Hydro and Dendro meet, they embody the idea of creation through life. As such, there are a lot of different parts related to creating new aspects on the battlefield with Hydro.
The main reaction here is Bloom. Bloom is simply when Dendro and Hydro meet. Upon the activation of Bloom, a small green seed known as a Dendro Seed will appear on the battlefield. This seed can interact with other elements for further effects and reactions, but if left alone will explode after a short time. This deals Dendro AoE damage.
Bloom Dendro Seed
Pyro
The next set of reactions is Pyro. When Pyro and Dendro meet, they embody the idea of decay and death more than anything. By combining these, you will output the most direct source of damage for your opponents.
The first reaction is Burning. This was in the game before 3.0 and players could utilise it under the right circumstances, but they can now apply it on their own. By simply combining Pyro and Dendro on the same target, they will begin to Burn. Upon activation, they will take Pyro damage every second until the Burning status fades. This is a good way to get DOT damage on targets.
Burning
The other reaction involves the Dendro Seed generated by Bloom. When you hit a Dendro Seed with Pyro you cause a new reaction called Burgeon. Burgeon causes the Dendro Seed to explode immediately with Pyro AoE damage in the radius around it, Burning any who get hit.
Burgeon Explosion
Electro
Electro is the most complex set of reactions for Dendro in Genshin Impact. It embodies the idea of empowerment and amplification, of supercharged life and energy. Depending on how you combine the reactions of Dendro and Electro, you can either play debuffer or play big DPS.
The first reaction is Hyperbloom. This involves the Dendro Seed spawned by Hydro. Upon hitting a Dendro Seed with Electro, it will go into Hyperbloom which spawns a tracking orb of Electro energy from the Seed which attacks a nearby opponent. Upon hit, they will be afflicted with the Quicken reaction and take Electro dmg.
Hyperbloom
The next reaction is Quicken. Combining Electro and Dendro on the same target will cause them to become Quickened. When this happens, they will take Electro damage every few seconds, lightly stunning them. The main thing to know here is that Quicken is a branching point for further reactions: when it is applied to a target, you can do one of two things to lead to a new reaction.
If you hit a Quickened target with Dendro, it will cause Spread. This cause Dendro damage and it will buff the damage of the Dendro attack that caused the reaction.
If you hit a Quickened target with Electro, it will cause Aggravate instead. Similar to Spread, this will deal with Electro damage and it will buff the damage of the Electro attack which caused the reaction.
Quicken Reaction
All in all, Dendro can be a very complicated element, especially if you are juggling a lot of different elements. While Hydro, Electro and Dendro can provide the highest possible damage (with Hyperbloom paired with Spread and Aggravate) it may lead to a lot of micromanaging of your elements. If you want to use the power of Dendro without worrying about that, try and focus on one element match and go from there.
Best Gear for Dendro Characters
Due to the unique nature of Dendro, many of the characters who will be benefitting from it will require special tools and equipment. There are even some weapons specifically built to support and aid Dendro’s reactions.
The main thing to note is that if you want to focus on reactions (especially those like Aggravate, Spread and Hyperbloom) then the main stat you need is Elemental Mastery. This stat boosts your reaction damage. It is important for other characters and elements, but it is almost a necessity on Dendro due to how much of a focus the entire element has on reactions.
Weapons
The new Sumeru range of crafted weapons is mainly geared towards Dendro characters or those who will be involved in their reactions. Many of the weapons apply buffs and additional effects that cause high Elemental Mastery and Energy Recharge, allowing characters like Collei or Tighnari to keep in the thick of the action while still dealing good damage.
Some examples include the King’s Squire Bow. This Bow generates a buff called the Teaching of the Forest upon Elemental Skill or Burst cast. Teaching of the Forest buffs Elemental Mastery by up to 140 points for 12 seconds, massively increasing the reaction damage of characters like Tighnari. When this effect ends or the character switches off the field, it will deal additional damage to one nearby target.
The King’s Squire
Another is the Sapwood Blade Sword. This Sword will spawn a Leaf on the battlefield upon causing a Dendro reaction (similar to the Chilli spawned by Xiangling from her Constellations). When picked up, this gives the holder 60 Elemental Mastery for 12s. This effect can be generated even if the wielder isn’t on the field, making it perfect for a supporting character like Dendro Traveller to buff the main DPS like Tighnari or an Electro DPS.
Other Sumeru-crafted weapons will also help you out. If you want a full breakdown of every Sumeru-crafted weapon, including how to get them all, check out our guide on KeenGamer.
Aside from the crafted weapons, anything that will buff Elemental Mastery will take you far. Aside from that, keeping ability uptime high with Energy Recharge weapons like the Favonius series will make sure that you can always cause the reactions that Dendro is so prized for.
The Sapwood Blade
Artifacts
As for the artifact sets most suited to Dendro, there are two main ones in Genshin Impact. Both of these were introduced with the 3.0 update that bought us Sumeru.
The first is the Deepwood Memories set. This is like the other Elemental affinity artifact sets that can be found around Teyvat such as the Crimson Witch set for Pyro. At 2-pieces, this will provide you with a 15% bonus to all forms of Dendro dmg. This applies to all Skills, Bursts and even Charged Attacks for Bow characters, making it a no-brainer for any character continuously dealing Dendro damage.
At 4-pieces, it will decrease the Dendro Resistance of any enemy hit by a Burst or Skill by 30%. When paired with the two-piece and a stable suite or reactions like Spread, this can do insanely high damage consistently. Altogether, Deepwood Memories can either be a good piece for a sole Dendro DPS (so that they can operate efficiently without support) or for a supportive Dendro character (so that they can effectively prime the targets for the heavy hitters).
Artifact Domain
The other set is the Gilded Dreams set. This shares some similarities with the Wanderers’ Troupe set and the two can be intermingled for some good bonuses. At 2-pieces, this will grant users 80 additional points of Elemental Mastery. Of course, this will directly benefit any Dendro character who is continuously popping off and spawning reactions, making their damage increase by several leagues.
At 4-pieces, Gilded Dreams will generate different bonuses depending on your team set-up whenever you trigger a reaction. For each member of a matching element (Dendro in this case), they will receive 14% additional ATK. For each member of a differing element, they will instead get 50 Elemental Mastery. Altogether, in a party of 2 Dendro and 2 Electro, the user will get 100 extra points of Elemental Mastery and 14% ATK. This will buff both their main damage and their reaction damage greatly, and it is on a relatively short cooldown. On the other side, a team of 4 different elements will grant up to 150 Elemental Mastery.
While these are not the be-all and end-all, they are a good starting point for nearly every Dendro character. So far, each of them falls in such a way that one of these sets will help them in abundance. If you want to farm these artifacts, you can find the associated Domain nearby the entrance to Sumeru and the border to Liyue.
That’s everything you need to know about Dendro in Genshin Impact.
