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Last Updated on June 17, 2025 by Dante

Genshin Impact isn’t just about hitting things harder. It’s about using the right elements — Pyro, Hydro, Cryo, Electro, Geo, Dendro, and Anemo — in smart ways. When two different elements touch, they create something called an Elemental Reaction.

These reactions do big damage, and learning how they work can make your team feel way stronger, even if you don’t have five-star characters.

In this guide, we’ll break down four of the most important reactions in Genshin Impact: Melt, Vaporize, Overload, and Bloom. We’ll also explain a special stat called Elemental Mastery that makes some of these reactions much more powerful.

Let’s start with the basics.

What Are Elemental Reactions?

When two different elements touch in combat, they combine into a reaction.

For example:

• Pyro + Hydro = Vaporize
• Cryo + Pyro = Melt
• Pyro + Electro = Overload
• Hydro + Dendro (green nature energy) = Bloom
• Anemo + Any (except Geo) = Swirl

Each reaction works a little differently. Some boost your attack, others explode or deal area damage. Some use your character’s strength, while others depend mostly on a stat called Elemental Mastery (EM for short).

So, what’s the difference between them? Let’s go through each one step by step.

Swirl – The Utility Powerhouse

Swirl is an Elemental Reaction triggered when Anemo (wind) comes into contact with Pyro, Hydro, Electro, or Cryo. It doesn’t boost damage the way Melt or Vaporize does.

Instead, it spreads the element around and deals a burst of damage to nearby enemies.

Example:
If an enemy is burning with Pyro, and Kazuha uses his Elemental Skill (Anemo), the fire will Swirl, damaging the enemy and spreading Pyro to others nearby.

Swirl Mechanics

• Can be triggered by applying Anemo to an enemy affected by Pyro, Hydro, Electro, or Cryo
• Cannot be triggered the other way around (those elements can’t swirl Anemo)
• The element that gets swirled is the one already on the enemy, not the one coming from Anemo
• Swirl damage is AoE (area of effect) and spreads the original element to nearby enemies

Swirl Damage Scaling

Swirl is a Transformative Reaction, so it behaves like Overload or Bloom:

• Scales with:
  • The Anemo character’s Elemental Mastery
  • The Anemo character’s level
• Does not scale with:
  • Crit Rate / Crit Damage
  • Attack

This means EM-focused builds are ideal for Anemo swirl supports.

What Makes Swirl So Good?

1. AoE Element Spread – Makes elemental reactions easier to trigger across multiple enemies
2. Elemental Resistance Shred – With Viridescent Venerer 4-piece set, Swirl reduces enemy resistance to the swirled element by 40%
3. Enables Reaction Teams – Essential for setups like International Team or Sunfire Jean

Best Characters for Swirl

Character	Why They’re Great for Swirl
Kazuha	Increases team Elemental DMG bonus based on his EM. Great grouping and Swirl uptime.
Venti	Large AoE crowd control with consistent Swirl on grouped enemies.
Sucrose	Buffs EM for the entire team and can trigger frequent Swirls with skills and bursts.
Jean	Good healing support with the ability to Swirl and enable Sunfire comps.
Yumemizuki Mizuki	This is a super underrated pick, and one of my favorites as she can float and deal continual Anemo AoE damage which can Swirl.
Heizou	Melee-style Anemo unit with quick Swirl potential, especially in Overload or Electro-Charged comps.

Best Artifact Set for Swirl

• Viridescent Venerer (4-piece)
  • +15% Anemo Damage
  • Reduces enemies’ elemental resistance by 40% to the element Swirled
  • One of the strongest support sets in the game

Example Swirl Team: Kazuha National

• Kazuha (Anemo EM build) – Swirl and buff team’s elemental damage
• Xiangling (Pyro) – Pyronado for fast Pyro application
• Xingqiu (Hydro) – Rain swords apply Hydro
• Bennett (Pyro + Heal/ATK buff) – Amplifies damage further

How it works: Kazuha swirls Pyro or Hydro repeatedly, reducing enemy resistances and spreading elements to set up Vaporize reactions and boost the team’s overall DPS.

Melt and Vaporize: The Power Boosters

These reactions don’t deal their own damage. Instead, they make your attack hit harder.

Melt

• Happens when Cryo (ice) and Pyro (fire) meet.
• If you hit an enemy with Cryo first and then Pyro: your Pyro attack does double damage.
• If you hit them with Pyro first and then Cryo: your Cryo attack does 1.5× damage.

Example:
Let’s say Ganyu (ice archer) shoots an enemy, then Xiangling (fire polearm) hits with her flame attack. Because fire hit second, the attack does double damage.

Vaporize

• Happens when Hydro (water) and Pyro (fire) meet.
• Water first, then fire = double damage
• Fire first, then water = 1.5× damage

Example:
Hu Tao (fire spear user) hits with her charged attack right after Xingqiu (water swords) activates his water blades. That fire hit will deal almost double the usual damage.

Do Melt and Vaporize use Elemental Mastery?

Sort of. The extra damage comes mostly from how strong your character is (Attack, Critical stats), but Elemental Mastery gives a small bonus.

So you can add a little EM, but don’t build your whole team around it for these reactions.

Best Stats to Focus On:

• Attack
• Crit Rate / Crit Damage
• Pyro or Cryo or Hydro Damage Bonus

Overload and Bloom – The Explosive Reactions

These reactions do damage on their own, based on your character’s Elemental Mastery and level, not Attack or Crit stats.

Overload

• Happens when Pyro (fire) and Electro (electricity) meet.
• Causes a small explosion around the enemy.
• Deals area damage and pushes enemies back.

Example:
You use Lisa (Electro mage) to zap an enemy after Bennett (Pyro sword) sets them on fire. Boom — explosion damage.

Note: Overload can be strong, but sometimes it knocks enemies away, which can be annoying if you’re trying to keep them grouped.

Bloom

• Happens when Dendro (nature) and Hydro (water) meet.
• Creates a Dendro Core that explodes after a few seconds.
• If you hit the core with Pyro, it becomes a Burgeon explosion.
• If you hit it with Electro, it becomes a Hyperbloom homing shot.

Example:
Use Barbara (water healer) to soak enemies, then switch to Collei (Dendro archer) to create Bloom reactions. Add Raiden Shogun (Electro) to trigger Hyperbloom.

Do Overload and Bloom use Elemental Mastery?

Yes, completely. Their damage has nothing to do with Crit or Attack stats. It’s all about:

• Your character’s Elemental Mastery
• Their level (higher = stronger reactions)

Best Stats to Focus On:

• Elemental Mastery (as much as possible)
• HP% (for Bloom characters like Nilou)
• Energy Recharge (for more skills)

Which Reactions Scale with Elemental Mastery?

Reaction	Damage Comes From	Uses EM?	Uses Crit/Attack?
Melt	Your own attack, boosted	A little	Yes
Vaporize	Your own attack, boosted	A little	Yes
Overload	Separate explosion damage	Yes	No
Bloom	Separate explosion damage	Yes	No
Burgeon	Explosion from Dendro Core	Yes	No
Hyperbloom	Homing Dendro projectile	Yes	No

Reaction	Elements Involved	Scales With EM?	Crit/ATK Scaling?	Resistance Shred?
Swirl	Anemo + Pyro/Hydro/Electro/Cryo	✅ Yes	❌ No	✅ Yes (w/ VV)

What Characters Are Best for Each Reaction?

Check out this information to learn about the best characters for each elemental reaction in Genshin Impact:

Melt / Vaporize Teams:

• Hu Tao (Fire): Big damage with Vaporize
• Ganyu (Ice): Great for Melt teams
• Xiangling (Fire): Easy to use with supports
• Xingqiu / Yelan (Water): Strong Hydro application
• Rosaria / Kaeya (Ice): Good Cryo support

Overload / Bloom Teams:

• Kuki Shinobu (Electro): Great for Overload and Hyperbloom
• Raiden Shogun (Electro): Triggers reactions constantly
• Nilou (Dendro): Turns Bloom into massive damage
• Nahida (Dendro): Easy Dendro trigger with EM scaling
• Barbara / Kokomi (Water): Fast Hydro application
• Thoma (Fire): Can trigger Burgeon safely with shields

Gear and Artifacts for Reaction Teams

Check out the following gears and artifacts to supplement your reaction teams:

For Melt / Vaporize (Crit builds):

• Crimson Witch of Flames (Pyro bonus)
• Blizzard Strayer (Cryo bonus + Crit)
• Heart of Depth (Hydro damage)
• Use weapons that give: Crit Rate, Crit Damage, or ATK%

For Overload / Bloom (EM builds):

• Gilded Dreams: Boosts Elemental Mastery
• Flower of Paradise Lost: Perfect for Bloom damage
• Instructor (for 4-star sets): Adds EM to whole team
• Use weapons that give: Elemental Mastery (ex: Iron Sting, Sacrificial Fragments)

Final Tips for Elemental Reactions:

• Think of Elemental Reactions like elemental combos. The second element you use often decides how strong the result is.
• Melt and Vaporize scale best with Crit and Attack. Use your strongest damage dealers here.
• Overload and Bloom are all about Elemental Mastery and character level. Build EM-focused supports to trigger these reactions.
• Try to control who triggers the reaction, only their stats will matter.

Elemental Reactions Genshin Impact: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)