Build your first Genshin reaction team around a combination you can apply reliably, not four unrelated damage dealers. Freeze helps hold susceptible targets still; Swirl spreads elemental effects over an area. For Dendro teams, learn whether you are making a Core or setting up Quicken before deciding who should act next.
This guide covers selected foundational reactions and a practical way to learn a team. It is not an exhaustive chart of every current mechanic, a damage calculator or a tier list.
Which reactions should a beginner understand first?
Start by identifying what is applied to the target and what your next attack adds. HoYoverse’s introductory combat article demonstrates switching party members to combine elements and explains how Swirl expands elemental effects. Use that to learn the idea, not as a complete modern reaction chart. HoYoverse’s combat introduction on PlayStation Blog.
| Reaction | Combination | What to watch |
|---|---|---|
| Freeze | Hydro + Cryo | Immobilizes susceptible targets. Use the opening to practice positioning; do not assume every target can be held still. |
| Swirl | Anemo + an applied Cryo, Electro, Hydro or Pyro effect | Expands elemental effects over an area. Useful to learn how one applied element can affect a wider group. |
| Bloom | Dendro + Hydro | A Dendro Core is created. |
| Hyperbloom | Electro applied to a Dendro Core | The core becomes a homing attack. |
| Burgeon | Pyro applied to a Dendro Core | The core produces area Dendro damage. |
| Quicken follow-ups | Dendro + Electro, then another qualifying application | Electro on a Quickened target triggers Aggravate; Dendro triggers Spread. |
The Dendro sequences come from the official version 3.0 reaction notes. For Hyperbloom and Burgeon, the intermediate core is the important distinction: do not treat either as an ordinary two-element reaction directly on an enemy.
How do you choose a first team without a perfect roster?
Our recommendation is to start with one reaction you can recognize and assign a simple job to each character. Who applies the first element? Who supplies the follow-up? Who makes the sequence comfortable to play? Choose from your actual roster rather than assuming a guide’s limited character or equipment is replaceable without changing the plan.
Read the skill descriptions before assigning those jobs. Ask whether a skill needs its owner to stay active, what it affects and when it becomes available again. These questions help you compare characters without pretending that every character of the same element works the same way.
A fourth slot should solve an observed problem. If you keep interrupting your sequence to recover, consider an available defensive option. If an exploration task calls for a different tool, adjust for that task. This is a planning framework, not a guaranteed strongest formation.
A repeatable exercise to learn a reaction
- Pick a familiar encounter and one reaction from the table.
- Keep your equipment stable for the test and choose the relevant characters.
- Apply the starting element, observe the target, and use the intended follow-up.
- Watch for the reaction result instead of judging only the biggest damage number.
- If the result differs, check the hit, target, timing and skill description before changing the whole team.
- Repeat until you can explain the sequence, then add the rest of your party’s actions.
For a core-based experiment, the observation you need is whether a core was created and whether the intended follow-up reached it. For a direct reaction, note the target’s state before your follow-up. A short note about what actually happened is more useful than calling the whole team weak.
Common first-team questions
Is the biggest damage screenshot the best beginner team?
Not necessarily. A screenshot can hide the required setup, equipment and enemy conditions. For your own comparison, ask whether you can repeat the sequence comfortably with the characters and resources you have. This guide does not benchmark specific teams.
Can I use old reaction-damage charts?
Check their version and scope. The official version 5.2 notes increased the base damage of Overloaded, Superconduct, Electro-Charged and Shatter. An older chart may therefore use values from before that adjustment. We do not publish numerical multipliers here without current verification. Official version 5.2 adjustments.
Does this table include Lunar reactions?
No. Later mechanics can have additional character or state requirements. The official Luna I notes, for example, describe conditional Lunar-Bloom. Use the current character’s instructions for those systems; the table above is deliberately a foundational selection.
Choose your next guide
For another style of team combat, read ZZZ Daze and Chain Attack practice. Do not transfer its timing rules into Genshin. The Spixla anime RPG collection helps you compare broader gameplay styles.
Method: researched from named publisher sources, not hands-on testing. Historical sources are dated foundations, not a claim that every later mechanic is covered. No current search-volume, ranking or damage-performance claim is made.