Genshin Impact glossary
Elements, weapon types and roles — quick definitions for new players.
Elements, weapon types and roles — quick definitions for new players.
Elemental Reactions
Hydro meets Pyro: deals 1.5× DMG if Hydro is applied first and Pyro triggers it, or 2× if Pyro is applied first and Hydro triggers it.
Pyro meets Cryo: deals 2× DMG if Cryo is applied first and Pyro triggers it, or 1.5× if Pyro is applied first and Cryo triggers it.
Pyro meets Electro: deals AoE Pyro DMG and strongly knocks back enemies near the blast.
Cryo meets Electro: deals AoE Cryo DMG and reduces affected enemies' Physical RES by 40% for 12s.
Electro meets Hydro: deals DMG over time and can chain to nearby wet enemies.
Anemo meets Hydro/Pyro/Electro/Cryo: spreads that element to nearby enemies, dealing extra Anemo DMG scaled by Elemental Mastery (EM).
Geo meets any element: creates an elemental shield that absorbs DMG for the on-field character.
Hydro meets Cryo: freezes the enemy solid, immobilizing it for a short time.
Dendro meets Hydro: creates a Dendro Core that explodes after a short delay, dealing AoE Dendro DMG.
Dendro meets Pyro: deals continuous Pyro DMG over time and can spread to nearby flammable terrain.
Dendro meets Electro: deals small direct Dendro DMG and applies the Quicken status, enabling Aggravate and Spread.
Electro hits a Quickened target and triggers the reaction: adds a FLAT DMG bonus to that very Electro hit (including Normal Attacks, not just Skill/Burst), with the bonus scaling off Elemental Mastery (EM).
Dendro hits a Quickened target and triggers the reaction: adds a FLAT DMG bonus to that very Dendro hit (including Normal Attacks, not just Skill/Burst), scaling off EM, typically with a higher multiplier than Aggravate.
Electro hits a Dendro Core: the core fires ranged Electro DMG, scaled by Elemental Mastery (EM) and character level.
Pyro hits a Dendro Core: the core detonates for large AoE Pyro DMG, scaled by Elemental Mastery (EM) and the triggering character's level.
Team Composition Roles
The character responsible for most of the team's damage, usually staying on-field the longest in a rotation.
A character who briefly comes on-field to trigger reactions or deal extra DMG, then quickly swaps out.
A character providing buffs, debuffs, shields, or healing for the team, rather than being a primary damage source.
A character who generates elemental particles/energy for teammates so they can use Elemental Burst every rotation.
A character who continuously applies an element to enemies to keep "driving" elemental reactions throughout the rotation.
A character who makes a specific mechanic or playstyle viable, e.g. Kazuha using Swirl RES-shred to "unlock" high-damage Vaporize/Melt builds.
A character who increases teammates' stats or DMG (ATK%, DMG Bonus, Crit, etc.) via their Skill/Burst.
A character who restores the team's HP, essential in content with heavy sustained or one-shot damage.
A character who creates DMG-absorbing shields for the team, reducing the risk of interrupted combos or death from heavy hits.
Artifact Set Abbreviations
2pc: +20% Elemental Burst DMG. 4pc: using an Elemental Burst grants the whole party +20% ATK for 12s (does not stack with itself).
2pc: +15% Anemo DMG. 4pc: Swirl reduces enemies' RES to the swirled element by 40% for 10s.
2pc: +20% Energy Recharge. 4pc: increases Elemental Burst DMG by 25% of ER exceeding 100%, capped at +75%.
2pc: +15% Pyro DMG. 4pc: increases Vaporize/Melt DMG by 15%; using an Elemental Skill boosts the 2pc effect by another 50% for 10s, stacking up to 3 times.
2pc: +20% HP. 4pc: using an Elemental Skill grants the party +20% ATK and +30% Shield Strength for 3s, refreshable.
2pc: +15% Hydro DMG. 4pc: after using an Elemental Skill, Normal/Charged Attack DMG increases by 30% for 15s.
2pc: +15% Cryo DMG. 4pc: attacks against Cryo-affected enemies increase CRIT Rate by 20%; if the enemy is Frozen, CRIT Rate increases by a further 20% (total +40%).
2pc: +18% ATK. 4pc: if the character wields a Sword, Claymore, or Polearm, Normal Attack DMG increases by 35%.
2pc: +15% Normal/Charged Attack DMG. 4pc: when the character's current HP increases or decreases, CRIT Rate is increased by 12% for 5s, stacking up to 3 times.
2pc: +15% Dendro DMG. 4pc: hitting with Elemental Skill/Burst reduces enemies' Dendro RES by 30% for 8s.
2pc: +18% ATK. 4pc: when using an Elemental Skill with 15 or more Energy, 15 Energy is consumed and Normal/Charged/Plunging Attack DMG is increased by 50% for 10s.
Weapon Abbreviations
A common 3-star Catalyst used as a Battery/Buffer weapon: even after swapping off, it grants the next character bonus ATK for 10s (R1 = 24%, up to R5 = 48%).
A 4-star Claymore from the Battle Pass: every 4s on-field, DMG dealt and taken both increase, stacking up to 5 times, but stacks are lost if the wielder stays off-field too long.
A weapon chosen purely for its high base ATK rather than its passive effect, typically used on Sub-DPS/Support who don't rely on a specific passive.
A weapon series (Sword/Claymore/Bow/Catalyst — Sacrificial Fragments) with a chance to reset the Elemental Skill's cooldown on hit, a popular budget Battery choice.
A weapon series with a chance to generate elemental particles on CRIT Hit, a classic Battery choice nicknamed by the community as a "power bank" weapon.
A weapon's refinement level, from R1 (base) to R5 (max), which ONLY strengthens the weapon's passive effect; the sub-stat scales with level/ascension, not refinement, and base ATK doesn't change either.
Character Leveling
The process of using materials and Mora to break a level cap, unlocking higher levels for a character/weapon, across 6 ascension phases.
A character's skills: Normal Attack, Elemental Skill, and Elemental Burst, leveled from 1 up to a base cap of 10 (higher with buffs/Constellations).
A chain of 6 permanent upgrades (C0-C6) unlocked by obtaining duplicates of a character, boosting power or adding new mechanics.
A limited resource spent to claim rewards from Domains, Bosses (both Weekly and regular world Bosses), or Ley Lines, which regenerates over time.
The main Resin gauge, regenerating 1 point every 8 minutes, capping at 200 points at once.
An item crafted from spare Original Resin; using it consumes 40 Original Resin's worth but doubles rewards in certain farming content.
Materials used to level up Talents, dropped from Talent Domains on a fixed 2-day-per-week schedule per region, with all domains open on Sunday.
Items used together with Mora to level up characters; the most common is "Hero's Wit," the highest-tier EXP material.
Gacha / Wishing
A mechanic guaranteeing a rare item after a set number of pulls, so a player cannot pull forever without getting one.
Starting around pull 74 (character banner) or ~63 (weapon banner), the 5-star rate ramps up sharply each pull until Hard Pity.
The 90th pull (character banner) or 80th pull (weapon banner) is guaranteed to be a 5-star if none was obtained earlier.
When a 5-star drops on a limited banner, there is a 50% chance it is the featured item and 50% it is a standard 5-star; losing guarantees the featured item next 5-star pull.
A mechanic since Version 5.0: after a genuine 50/50 loss (accounting for the guarantee), the next 5-star pull gets a special chance to be "saved," reducing long unlucky streaks.
The rotating limited banner featuring a rate-up 5-star character, alongside several rate-up 4-star characters.
The limited weapon banner has an Epitomized Path: pick one of two featured 5-star weapons to "lock in"; since Version 5.0, just 1 Fate Point from a 5-star pull is enough to guarantee the next Hard Pity is the chosen weapon.
The permanent banner ("Wanderlust Invocation"), with no 50/50 mechanic, and its own separate pity counter from the Character/Weapon Event banners.
The main premium currency, exchanged for Intertwined/Acquaint Fates or spent directly in the shop, earned via quests/achievements/events.
Tickets used to pull: Intertwined Fate is used on the two event banners (Character/Weapon), while Acquaint Fate is only usable on the Standard banner.
Stats & Attributes
The probability a hit becomes a CRIT Hit, defaulting to 5% for most characters.
The bonus DMG% applied when a CRIT Hit occurs, defaulting to 50% for most characters.
A sub-stat that increases ATK by a percentage of the character's base ATK, rather than adding flat ATK.
A sub-stat that increases HP by a percentage of base HP, important for builds that scale DMG off Max HP.
A sub-stat increasing DEF%, rarely prioritized except for niche builds that scale DMG or shields off DEF.
The rate of building Elemental Energy to use a Burst, defaulting to 100%, often needing to be higher for Burst-reliant characters.
A stat that boosts elemental reaction DMG: the bonus multiplier for amplifying reactions (Vaporize/Melt) ≈ 2.78×EM/(EM+1400), and for transformative reactions (Superconduct/Swirl, etc.) ≈ 16×EM/(EM+2000).
A stat increasing the % of HP restored by healing skills, only useful on characters filling a Healer role.
A Goblet main-stat that increases DMG% dealt by a specific element (e.g. Pyro DMG), which does not stack across different elements.
Combat Mechanics
A hidden cooldown between activations of an effect (reaction, DoT, weapon passive, etc.), preventing that effect from triggering repeatedly too fast.
A mechanic that locks in buff/stat values at the exact moment a skill is triggered; buffs applied afterward do not affect the already-calculated DMG.
Whether a character is being directly controlled (on-field) or waiting in the back row (off-field); many buffs only work in one of the two states.
The fixed, repeatable sequence of actions/skills a team performs to optimize DMG and buff uptime.
A technique of rapidly swapping characters between attacks to cancel animations and trigger multiple effects almost simultaneously.
The proportion of time a buff/debuff remains active throughout a fight; higher uptime means a more consistent team.
The ability to resist being knocked back or staggered when hit by an enemy; some Skills/Bursts grant high interruption resistance or brief invulnerability (i-frames).
When a character uses their Skill/Burst, off-field teammates sometimes automatically perform an extra Normal Attack, which can trigger additional reactions.
Community Slang & Nicknames
The player-controlled protagonist (Aether/Lumine), who can change elements upon unlocking a new Vision in each story region.
Community shorthand for the Traveler based on their current element, e.g. AMC = Anemo Traveler, EMC = Electro Traveler, DMC = Dendro Traveler.
The classic Xiangling - Xingqiu - Bennett - Chongyun team, exploiting continuous Vaporize at low build cost, widely seen as the easiest team for new players to assemble.
Slang for a player's favorite female/male character, often the main reason to build or pull for them regardless of raw power.
A player who spends a large amount of money (community estimate: hundreds of USD/month or more) on gacha pulls, Battle Pass, and Welkin Moon.
A moderate-spending player (community estimate: tens of USD/month, e.g. Welkin + Battle Pass), between a Whale and F2P.
A player who spends no or almost no money, using only Primogems earned for free in-game to pull.
An unusual, "for fun" build not aimed at optimal DMG but at a humorous effect or experimentation, the opposite of an optimal (meta) build.
World & Progression
The main account level, raised by earning Adventure EXP, which unlocks content/World Level and increases max Resin.
The overall difficulty of the open world, rising with Adventure Rank, which determines enemy strength and reward quality.
An instanced area for farming Ascension materials (Forgery Domain) or Talent materials (Talent Domain), costing Resin each entry.
A challenge mode with increasingly difficult floors, time limits, and a 4-character team per half; since Version 4.4, rewards reset monthly (on the 16th), alternating month by month with the Imaginarium Theater; the most common benchmark for team strength.
A farming point for Mora or character upgrade materials (Blossom of Wealth/Revival), with no daily limit — it consumes Resin each time, so you can farm as much as your Resin allows.
A freely decoratable personal housing space that generates Companionship EXP for rewards, and allows planting/crafting certain items.
A structure used to raise max Stamina and freely restore HP/Energy, activated with regional Oculi (Anemoculus/Geoculus, etc.).
A mechanic introduced with Natlan (Version 5.0): characters absorb Nightsoul points to temporarily enter an empowered state or interact with special regional mechanisms.
Real usage examples for key terms
A dry definition is hard to remember; seeing how each term is used in real player conversation sticks faster. Below are sample sentences for the most common terms.
| Term | Sample sentence players say |
|---|---|
| VV | "Put VV on Kazuha so his Swirl shreds 40% elemental RES for the whole team — Vaporize/Melt teams hit much harder." |
| Battery | " Fischl acts as a Battery — even off-field she generates enough energy for the main DPS to burst every rotation." |
| Enabler | "Kazuha is a top Enabler: he groups enemies and shreds RES, unlocking high-damage Vaporize teams." |
| Driver | " Xingqiu drives as a Hydro Driver, constantly applying Hydro so the Pyro main DPS triggers Vaporize consistently." |
| Snapshot | " Bennett bursts before swapping out: his ATK buff is Snapshotted, so teammates keep it even after he leaves the field." |
| Quickswap | "A Quickswap team rotates characters every 1-2 seconds to stack damage, with almost no one staying on-field long." |
| Soft pity | "I only got my 5-star around pull 74-80 — that's the Soft Pity zone where the rate spikes." |
| National Team | "The National Team ( Xiangling, Bennett, Xingqiu,  Chongyun) is the classic Vaporize combo — cheap yet strong." |
| ICD | "Because of ICD, not every Fischl Electro hit triggers a reaction — only once every 3 hits or 2.5 seconds." |
Official in-game terms vs community slang
Not every word on this page exists in-game. There are three kinds: official terms shown verbatim in the game, community abbreviations for those official names, and pure community slang players invented. Knowing which is which saves you from hunting for "Battery" or "National Team" in the in-game menus — they simply aren't there.
| Type | Examples | How to spot it |
|---|---|---|
| Official (in-game) | Vaporize, Melt, Ascension, Talent, Resin, Spiral Abyss, Primogem, Elemental Mastery, Energy Recharge | Appears verbatim in the game UI or skill descriptions. |
| Community abbreviation of an official name | VV, NO, EoSF, CW, ER, EM, CR, CD, ATK%, AMC/EMC | Meaning is standard, but the abbreviation was shortened by players for speed. |
| Pure community slang | Main DPS, Sub-DPS, Battery, Driver, Enabler, National Team, Stat stick, Whale, Dolphin, F2P, Meme build, Soft/Hard Pity, 50/50 | Not in the game; coined by the community to describe roles, playstyles, or player types. |
For newcomers, remember this: if you look for a word in-game and can't find it, it's most likely community slang — use this glossary instead of digging through menus.
A-Z index: look up an abbreviation fast
Need to look up one term without reading the whole page? Type it into the Search box at the top, or scan the A-Z index below — every term is sorted by the first letter of its abbreviation/English name.
| Letter | Terms |
|---|---|
| 0-9 | 50/50 |
| A | Aggravate, AMC/EMC (Traveler nicknames), AR (Adventure Rank), Ascension, ATK%, Abyss (Spiral Abyss) |
| B | Battery, Bloom, BS ( Blizzard Strayer), Buffer, Burgeon, Burning |
| C | CD (Crit DMG), CEW (Character Event Wish), Coordinated ATK, Cons (Constellation), CR (Crit Rate), CR (Condensed Resin), Crystallize, CW ( Crimson Witch of Flames) |
| D | DEF%, DM ( Deepwood Memories), DMG Bonus, Dolphin, Domain, Driver |
| E | EC (Electro-Charged), EM (Elemental Mastery), Enabler, EoSF ( Emblem of Severed Fate), ER (Energy Recharge) |
| F | F2P, Fates (Intertwined/Acquaint), Favonius, Freeze |
| G | GF ( Gladiator's Finale) |
| H | Hard pity, HB (Healing Bonus), Healer, Hero's Wit, HoD ( Heart of Depth), HP%, Hyperbloom |
| I | ICD (Internal Cooldown) |
| L | Ley Line |
| M | MC (Traveler), MDPS (Main DPS), Melt, Meme build, MH ( Marechaussee Hunter) |
| N | National Team, Nightsoul's Blessing, NO ( Noblesse Oblige) |
| O | OL (Overload), On/Off-field, OR (Original Resin) |
| P | Pity, Poise, Primogem |
| Q | Quicken, Quickswap |
| R | R1-R5 (Refinement), Radiance (Capturing Radiance), Resin, Rotation |
| S | Sacrificial, SC (Superconduct), Shielder, Snapshot, Soft pity, Spread, SR ( Shimenawa's Reminiscence), SS (Serpent Spine), Standard Wish, Stat stick, Statue of the Seven, Sub-DPS, Support, Swirl |
| T | Talent, Talent books, Teapot (Serenitea Pot), ToTM (Tenacity of the Millelith), TTDS |
| U | Uptime |
| V | Vaporize (Vape), VV (Viridescent Venerer) |
| W | Waifu/Husbando, WEW (Weapon Event Wish), Whale, WL (World Level) |
English term cross-reference for multiplayer/co-op
Random co-op lobbies in Genshin often mix players from many countries; most people type chat in English since it is the most widely understood common language. The table below lists the standard English names for elements, reactions, and a few commonly abbreviated stats, so you can read and type them yourself when playing with foreign players.
| Group | English terms used in international chat |
|---|---|
| The 7 Elements | Anemo · Geo · Electro · Dendro · Hydro · Pyro · Cryo |
| Common reactions | Vaporize · Melt · Freeze · Overload · Superconduct · Swirl · Electro-Charged · Crystallize · Bloom/Burgeon/Hyperbloom (Dendro-Hydro-Electro group) · Burning · Quicken/Aggravate/Spread (Catalyze group) |
| Commonly abbreviated stats | HP · ATK · DEF · CR (Crit Rate) · CD (Crit DMG) · EM (Elemental Mastery) · ER (Energy Recharge) · DMG Bonus · HB (Healing Bonus) |
| Team roles | Main DPS · Sub-DPS · Support · Battery · Healer/Shielder |
| Common quick chat | GG (good game) · TY/THX (thanks) · GL HF (good luck, have fun) · AFK (away from keyboard) · BRB (be right back) |
Tip: if a foreign player types an abbreviation you do not recognize, check the A-Z Index section above — most international abbreviations are listed there.
Detailed term cards: word origin, how to read, links to deep-dive pages
Abbreviations look arbitrary until you see where they came from. The cards below break down word origin, how players usually read the abbreviation aloud, and link to the full page on this site for a deeper dive.
| Term | Word origin | How to read | Related page |
|---|---|---|---|
| Viridescent Venerer (VV) | "Viridescent" is a rare English adjective meaning "becoming green," from the Latin root "viridis" (green); "Venerer" is close to the archaic word "venery," meaning "the art of hunting." | Players read the abbreviation VV letter by letter: "vee-vee." | Artifact set list |
| Noblesse Oblige (NO) | A French phrase literally meaning "nobility obligates," implying people of high rank carry a matching duty. | NO is read letter by letter: "en-oh." | Artifact set list |
| Crimson Witch of Flames (CW) | "Crimson" is a deep red, borrowed through Old Spanish "cremesin," ultimately tied to a red dye made from the kermes insect. | CW is read: "see-double-u." | Artifact set list |
| Emblem of Severed Fate (EoSF) | "Emblem" comes from Greek "emblema," meaning "an inserted/inlaid ornament." | Usually read letter by letter: "ee-oh-ess-eff." | Artifact set list |
| Vaporize | An English verb combining "vapor" (Latin "vapor" = steam/heat) with the suffix "-ize" (to turn into), literally "to turn into vapor." | /ˈveɪ.pə.raɪz/. | Character tier list |
| Battery | From French "batterie," from the verb "battre" (to strike) — originally a military term for a group of guns; the gaming community borrowed it to mean "a character who supplies energy to others." | Read: "BAT-uh-ree." | Team suggestions |
| National Team | A literal English compound meaning "a country's representative team," borrowed by the community for a cheap, widely available lineup everyone can build, as if it were the game's "default national squad." | Read as normal English words. | Team suggestions |
| Pity / 50-50 | "Pity" is the English word for compassion; the community likens the guarantee system to the game "taking pity" on a player after many empty pulls. "50/50" is simply the mathematical 50%-50% odds of getting the featured 5-star versus a random standard one. | Read the numbers as "fifty-fifty." | Pity tool |