Genshin Impact Version 4.5 may be one of the quieter patches we’ve experienced in Genshin, largely on account of Lantern Rite just passing, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t anything to look forward to. For one, 4.5 sees the arrival of Chiori as a new playable character. We’ve known about Chiori for a little while now but we first met during the Roses and Muskets flagship event in Version 4.3. Now that’s playable, the blunt and esoteric Chiori is a 5-star Geo Sword character looking to snag to place in your party with her high off-field damage.
However, as yet another Geo damage dealer, a lot of people may be wondering whether Chiori is worth the hype or not, especially when 4.5 seems rather stacked in terms of valuable and desirable characters in its latter half. With Geo being such a cumbersome element to build around, how valuable is Chiori to both non-Geo fans and mono-Geo enthusiasts?
In this article, we’ll take a look at Chiori’s kit pre-release of Genshin Impact 4.5 to decide whether or not she’s worth pulling on. This will include a look at her kit in detail before examining her major strengths and flaws as well as whether any of the other 5-star in 4.5 are more worthy of your attention.
Want more Genshin Impact content and guides, including a look at what’s coming in the 4.5 update? Then you can find more here on KeenGamer:
- Genshin Impact 4.5 Livestream Overview
- Genshin Impact Xianyun (Cloud Retainer) Build Guide
- Genshin Impact Chevreuse Build Guide
- Genshin Impact Furina Build Guide
- Genshin Impact: Ayamiya (Yoimiya + Ayaka) Genius Invokation TCG Deck Guide
Chiori, 5-Star Geo Sword
Should You Pull Chiori in Genshin Impact 4.5?
Chiori Kit Overview
Chiori is the blunt and analytical owner of the Chiroiya Boutique, a fashion label famous all across Teyvat for its ambitious, flamboyant designs. As an Inazuman currently living in Fontaine, Chiori has grown to be rather cutthroat when it comes to her business, leading to a somewhat ominous air about her. In gameplay, she’s our second 5-star Geo Sword character and will happily prove that she knows how to use a blade outside of the sewing room.
Chiori is intended to be an off-field Geo DPS but, thanks to a few things we’ll mention later, she’s pretty flexible and can fit into multiple DPS categories. She mainly does this through her Elemental Skill, Fluttering Hasode, which will cause Chiori to dash forward with her blades, summoning a Geo puppet in the process. This puppet, whose name is Tamoto, will deal Geo DMG every few seconds to nearby enemies with a pretty high set of attack multipliers: additionally, if Chiori casts her Skill near a Geo Construct like Zhongli’s pillars or Ushi, it will summon a second Tamoto for double the damage.
The Thundering Seamstress
Things get even more interesting when you factor in Chiori’s Ascension Talents. One allows her to either switch into the next character in the party or infuse her attacks with Geo straight after casting her Elemental Skill, whereas the other increases her Geo DMG by 20% if she’s standing next to a Geo Construct. As you can see, Chiori benefits a lot from being in compositions with other Geo characters, effectively making her a side-grade to Geo’s current best off-fielder, Albedo.
When looked at as a whole, Chiori is rather excellent as a unit in isolation. She synergises well with other Geo characters but can also be used rather well in select non-mono-Geo teams like a Navia Crystallize comp. Chiori also has some excellent damage multipliers for an off-fielder and her playstyle is unique yet familiar, making her rather simple to pick up and play. However, while Chiori shines bright on her own, it’s when you look at her in the current game where things get a bit murkier.
Chiori’s Little Helper
Pros
First and foremost, Chiori is simply a very strong character with some impressive modifiers for an off-field DPS. Chiori’s Geo puppet Tamoto is an excellent off-field damage dealer, capable of dealing high amounts of Geo burst damage every few seconds. If you pair Chiori with a consistent construct character like Zhongli, her off-field damage will essentially double because of the dual Tamoto spawns. Unlike a lot of off-field DPS who rely on Elemental Reactions for the majority of their damage, Chiori’s damage is frontloaded and she doesn’t have to rely on Crystallize, making her a straightforward and effective damage dealer.
Secondly, Chiori is a relatively easy unit to build, making her a great pick for newer players or those wanting a less stressful character-shaping experience. Because Chiori uses both ATK and DEF for her damage, she’s able to utilise two of the most common stats in the game without issue, making artifact farming for her a breeze compared to more specialised units. This also opens up the amount of artifact set bonuses she can make use of, widening her ease of use and potential even further. While Geo itself may be a pretty unwieldy element, Chiori is one of the best and easiest units to use within it.
Snip, Snip, Snip
Cons
The biggest roadblock to Chiori’s success, and a place in your roster, is that she’s another sub-DPS, off-field Geo unit. Who does that remind you of? Everyone’s favourite forgotten character, Albedo, plays almost the exact same role as Chiori. Granted, while Chiori’s playstyle is a lot less terrain dependent – seeing as Albedo’s flower can seemingly be broken by the tiniest pebble getting in your way – and can is a bit more straightforward, it’s still a very similar style of play, especially for Geo.
Additionally, while Chiori certainly can work outside of mono-Geo teams, such as a Navia Crystallize composition where Chiori will actually work brilliantly, her main role will be in solo Geo comps, largely because of her unique interactions with Geo Constructs. Many people who want to play mono-Geo will likely already have all the characters they need to enable that style of play, making Chiori a harder sell because she’s simply an Albedo side-grade: while some people may appreciate the change in gameplay, others who were hoping for a more substantial boost to the Geo playstyle will be disappointed.
The other big issue with Chiori is simply timing. In the latter half of 4.5, two of the most meta characters in Genshin Impact are getting rerun. The first is Neuvillette, easily one of the strongest main DPS in the game who belongs to Hydro, one of Genshin’s most versatile elements. Meanwhile, the other is Kaedehara Kazuha, perhaps the Anemo element’s best Swirl support and a must-have character for most players. In comparison, Chiori’s more limited playstyle and role leave her feeling a bit meek in comparison to these mainstream heavyweights.
Weapons of War and the Wardrobe
Final Verdict
Chiori is a really good character held back by her element. Despite having high modifier numbers, a fun and straightforward playstyle which allows her to comfortably be a main or sub-DPS, and easy stats to build around, Chiori’s existence as yet another off-field Geo character, unfortunately, limits her. Players who like Geo likely already have Albedo, a unit that is extremely similar to Chiori in terms of role and playstyle, whereas people who don’t like Geo won’t want to pull on a unit that requires other Geo characters to be most effective. If Chiori was a different element, like Pyro, for example, she would easily become a meta, must-have pick.
However, if you’re able to look past all of that, Chiori really is quite excellent. She has flashy animations, is incredibly flexible, and provides a lot to a mono-Geo team, especially with her raw damage output and ease of use increase over Albedo. Her ability to seamlessly switch to other characters with her Skill, while providing them with a decent damage buff, will allow for new sorts of tactics with characters like Itto, perhaps revitalising mono-Geo in the process. She’s also an excellent pairing with one of Genshin’s most popular recent releases, Navia, capable of spawning tons of Crystallize Shards without taking away from Navia’s damage.
While she certainly isn’t a must-pull character and her Geo vision will limit what sort of teams she most effectively works in, Chiori is a powerful unit who will put in a lot of work in the right composition. If you already have a mono-Geo team or a Navia Crystallize team and are looking to spice things up, or if you want to dip your toes into the interesting Geo playstyle, Chiori is a great pick-up and someone who will serve you well in the Abyss and beyond.
Should You Pull Chiori?
Genshin Impact 4.5: Chiori, Reruns, or Save?
As we alluded to earlier, Chiori is going to have some trouble attracting attention during Genshin Impact 4.5, despite being the new featured 5-star. The main reason for that is simply the characters she’s running against. In phase 1, Chiori will be available alongside the one and oni Arataki Itto, one of Chiori’s best pairings in Geo. Then, during phase 2, she’s going up against Iudex Neuvillette and wanderer Kaedhara Kazuha, two of Genshin’s sleeping giants.
Neuvillette is an incredibly strong DPS, to an almost boring degree. His constant, neverending stream of Hydro DMG is absurdly good, allowing him to confidently clear even the toughest challenges on his own, at low Constellations. In terms of other Hydro DPS, or DPS in general, there are very few who can rival him in any area. As such, if a good damage dealer is your goal, Neuvillette should be your number one priority, especially if you’re a newer player.
Then, running alongside him, is Kazuha, another stupidly good character who’s been haunting meta Genshin Impact teams since people skipped his banner back in 1.6. Anemo is already one of the best neutral elements to slap into a composition but Kazuha’s ability to increase the Elemental DMG of whichever element he Swirls, potentially improving the DPS of your main damage dealer considerably, is too good to pass up. This is alongside some excellent grouping abilities with his Skill and some decent damage on his end. If you don’t already have Kazuha, you are missing out.
4.5 Character Event Wishes
In comparison to those juggernauts, Chiori and Itto just don’t seem that impactful. Itto is the cornerstone of many mono-Geo teams and can be one of the highest sustained damage characters but, at the end of the day, he’s a Geo unit, locking a lot of his utility behind other Geo characters and Chiori is very similar.
In summary, if you’re a newer player looking for some strong units to build up your roster or you’re someone who follows the meta, either of the two 5-stars running in phase 2 of Genshin Impact 4.5 are more worthy of your Primogems than Chiori. They are, simply put, must-have units on either the main DPS or support end of the spectrum, whereas Chiori’s more refined playstyle places her comfortably in a certain niche.
A Loyal Customer
Like many of the recently released Genshin Impact characters, a lot of Chiori’s value is going to be for veteran players who already have characters like Zhongli, Itto or Gorou. For people who already like Geo and already have the main units used in mono-Geo comps, Chiori is safer to pick up because you already have the foundations to make her work. If you’re a fan of Geo but want to see it in a new light, Chiori may be the best 4.5 pick for you.
However, at the end of the day, pull for who you want. If you’re a favourite first kind of Traveler and you love Chiori for her blunt personality, fantastic design and flashy animations, don’t let this stop you from spending every Primogem you have on her. Consequently, if you’re a meta-chaser, pull for whoever makes your team the strongest.
Perfect Embroidery
That was our breakdown of whether or not you should pull on Chiori, the new 5-star Geo Sword unit, in Genshin Impact 4.5. If you’d like to learn more about Chiori, specifically how to build her, check back in on KeenGamer once Version 4.5 launches to see our Chiori build guide.
