Should you pull for Yelan or Hu Tao in Genshin Impact?

Another set of banner reruns is taking place during the second half of Genshin Impact’s Version 3.4 update. The five-star Hydro Bow character Yelan and the five-star Pyro Polearm character Hu Tao will be running at the same time which means that players will need to carefully consider both characters to decide which one they want to spend their precious Primogems on.

Related: Genshin Impact unites the four Archons in a special video celebrating Lantern Rite

Choosing between two powerful five-star characters is never an easy task, but is one almost all Genshin players must regularly face since wishing is a costly task. Luckily, there are many factors that players can take into account to make the decision easier when deciding which character to wish on and whether either character is even worth pulling for at all.

Is Yelan worth pulling for in Genshin Impact?

Yelan first launched in May 2022 and immediately wowed players with her immense versatility combined with her impressive power. Her Hydro skillset is best suited to either performing as a secondary damage dealer or as a support unit but she is also a fairly solid primary damage dealer.

Few characters are as versatile and powerful as Yelan, which makes her one of Genshin’s strongest characters. Regardless of how players are hoping to utilize the Hydro archer on their team, Yelan is one of the best recruits that players can choose and easily fits in just about any team lineup.

The timing of her abilities works well with a primary damage dealer since she is solid at filling in the gaps between a primary damage dealer’s cooldowns. Her elemental burst is also great for a secondary damage dealing or support role because she can apply its effects and then leave the battlefield. Her burst increases the damage dealt by the active character.

In addition to her skillset in battles, Yelan also comes with one of the most helpful exploration abilities in all of Genshin. This can be applied to dodging foes in battle too, but her elemental skill is generally more recognized for its exploration potential. Activating Yelan’s elemental skill allows her to move immensely fast in a unique shrouded Hydro state and is perfect for quickly moving around Teyvat or navigating across tricky areas.

Yelan’s elemental skill sprint also doesn’t consume stamina, which allows her to utilize that plus a full stamina bar before she has to slow down. This makes her incredibly quick and she is perhaps the fastest playable character in Teyvat with this combination.

The Hydro archer’s special sprint also lets her easily escape tricky situations. If players find themselves trapped by the Mirror Maiden’s Mirror Cage, stuck in a corner, or otherwise in a frustrating situation, Yelan can easily get them out of it since her elemental skill sprint allows her to phase through and get away.

Yelan is immensely well-rounded and incredibly designed. She is one of a select few characters (the other ones including the five-star playable Archons Raiden Shogun and Nahida) that perform so well that she almost feels broken because she’s simply that powerful.

Is Hu Tao worth pulling for in Genshin Impact?

When it comes to Genshin’s playable character roster, Hu Tao is one of the oldest characters released in the game. She first debuted in March 2021 and has only had one rerun since which has many fans ecstatic for her long overdue third run in the second half of the Version 3.4 update.

Hu Tao is regarded by the Genshin community as a Pyro powerhouse. She is only built for one role, which is as the primary damage dealer on a team, but she is one of the most powerful characters of this role type.

The fiery polearm character comes with a high base critical damage, health points, and defense which makes her a strong asset right away. Her elemental burst and charged attack dish out such high numbers that she makes damage dealing look easy.

Hu Tao’s Pyro application is very consistent which is helpful for dealing damage and creating powerful Pyro elemental reactions. Hu Tao may be among the first Genshin characters to have been released, but she certainly stands the test of time and is still a top choice for players that are seeking a brutal damage dealer.

Although Hu Tao is powerful, she does come with a complex health-draining skillset that makes her a dangerous but powerful asset to play. Her elemental skill consumes health points to dish out fiery damage which can make keeping her alive a struggle.

However, her elemental burst does heal, and certain parts of her skills are amplified when her health points are below 50 percent. If you’re familiar with the five-star Anemo Polearm character Xiao’s skillset and playstyle, then you probably have a decent understanding of how Hu Tao functions as well.

If you’re looking for a powerful Pyro recruit, no other character of this elemental type can beat Hu Tao’s skillset. Hu Tao is currently the most powerful and efficient playable Pyro character in all of Teyvat. Another Pyro character is on the way, which will be the five-star Pyro Claymore character Dehya, which means that there is a chance Hu Tao’s spot as the reigning Pyro champion could be stolen, but it is rather unlikely.

Should you wish for Yelan or Hu Tao in Genshin Impact?

Comparing any two of Teyvat’s characters is never easy to do because every one of Genshin’s playable characters boasts a unique skillset. It can sometimes be relatively doable to compare characters of the same element, weapon, or role type, but with two drastically different recruits like Yelan and Hu Tao, players will have to take many different factors into account.

Depending on what factor players value the most in making this decision, the answer over whether players should pull for Yelan or Hu Tao varies. Ultimately, which character you should pull for will always come down to your own playstyle, the other playable characters you already have, and what kind of team you are hoping to build.

If you are simply seeking which of the two is objectively better, then the answer is Yelan due to her versatility. Hu Tao may be a stronger primary damage dealer but only just barely, and Yelan can still function extremely well in this role while also being even better as a secondary damage dealer and support.

This means that wishing on Yelan is the better decision overall since she can fit well in any role, and will thus function powerfully in nearly any team lineup. Hu Tao will require a precise team built around her role as the primary damage dealer and will also need to be carefully managed due to her health-draining skillet. The Pyro Polearm character is objectively more difficult and less versatile which makes Yelan the stronger recruit.

While a general look at the duo’s skillset results in Yelan as the best choice, any player set on finding a powerful damage dealer may instead want to wish on Hu Tao. Yelan can be a powerful primary damage dealer too, but Hu Tao is certainly better.

If you’re wondering what the primary damage dealer skillset difference between the two is, think of Hu Tao as an SS-tier primary damage dealer while Yelan would be an S-tier one. This means that they are both among the best of the best, but you may want to skip Yelan in favor of Hu Tao if a primary damage dealer is what you are currently seeking.

Players focused on finding supporting assets for their primary damage dealer should instead wish on Yelan. She can fill in the cooldown periods of the primary damage dealer, work as a dynamic support unit, apply Hydro consistently for elemental reactions, and seamlessly perform however players need her to.

When it comes to world exploration, Yelan is also the best in this category. Both Hu Tao and Yelan have unique sprinting abilities but Hu Tao’s is simply decorative and surrounds her with butterflies, while Yelan’s works through her elemental skill and has actual gameplay benefits.

Ultimately, all players seeking to increase the power of their team lineups should be wishing on one of these two featured banners if they have the Primogems to do so. Regardless of whether you choose Yelan or Hu Tao, you’ll be obtaining one of Genshin’s strongest recruits and a powerhouse within their respective elements.

Yelan’s “Discerner of Enigmas” banner and Hu Tao’s “Moment of Bloom” banner will be live from Feb. 7 to Feb. 28 for the second half of Genshin’s Version 3.4 update. After both banners have come to an end, the Hydro and Pyro characters will likely become unavailable for at least six months, but could perhaps be unattainable even longer as was the case with Hu Tao, who has been unavailable for over a year.