The best Genshin Impact skills to unlock first are the talent that deals your character’s main damage, followed by the skill or Burst that keeps their rotation running. For a main DPS, that normally means leveling the relevant Normal Attack, Charged Attack, or Elemental Skill first; for a support, it usually means the Elemental Burst or Skill. Do not spend early Mora and talent books evenly across all three talents.
Genshin Impact does not use a traditional class skill tree. “Unlocking a skill” usually means ascending a character to reveal passive talents, then upgrading their Normal Attack, Elemental Skill, and Elemental Burst in the Talents menu. Constellations are separate upgrades and should not be treated as a starting priority. The right order depends on how a character actually contributes damage, healing, shielding, energy, or buffs to your team.
How Genshin Talent Priority Works
Every character has three combat talents. The Normal Attack talent covers normal, charged, and plunging attacks; the Elemental Skill is the ability activated with the skill button; and the Elemental Burst consumes Energy. Some characters also have passive talents unlocked through Ascension. The first passive usually unlocks at Ascension Phase 1, while the second unlocks at Ascension Phase 4.
1. Level the talent responsible for most of the damage
Start with the talent that appears most often in your rotation. Neuvillette’s main damage comes from his Charged Attack: Equitable Judgment, so his Normal Attack talent is the priority even though his Skill and Burst create Sourcewater Droplets. Arlecchino also wants Normal Attack: Invitation to a Beheading first because her Bond of Life converts normal attacks into powerful Pyro attacks. Hu Tao’s Normal Attack: Secret Spear of Wangsheng is normally first for the same reason.
Characters whose damage is concentrated in an ability follow a different order. Raiden Shogun generally prioritizes Secret Art: Musou Shinsetsu, her Burst, because the initial slash and Musou Isshin attacks define her on-field window. Nahida usually prioritizes All Schemes to Know, her Elemental Skill, because Tri-Karma Purification repeatedly deals damage and applies Dendro to marked enemies.
2. Upgrade the support talent that affects the whole team
Bennett’s Fantastic Voyage is one of the most valuable early upgrades in the game because it heals active characters and grants an attack bonus based on Bennett’s Base ATK. Xingqiu’s Guhua Sword: Raincutter adds coordinated Hydro sword attacks while another character attacks, making it the key talent in Vaporize, Bloom, and Electro-Charged teams. Xiangling’s Pyronado remains active after she leaves the field, so it is normally her first major investment.
For off-field supports, do not automatically level Normal Attack. Fischl’s Nightrider summons Oz, and Kuki Shinobu’s Sanctifying Ring heals while applying Electro around the active character. Both characters can leave the field immediately after using their Skill. Sucrose’s Astable Anemohypostasis is more important than her basic attacks because it groups enemies and triggers Swirl while sharing Elemental Mastery through her passives.
3. Unlock Ascension passives before chasing expensive talent levels
Ascension Phase 1 and Phase 4 passives can change a character’s usefulness more than a small talent-level increase. Kuki Shinobu’s Heart’s Repose increases her healing based on Elemental Mastery, while Nahida’s Compassion Illuminated grants the active character Elemental Mastery based on the highest Elemental Mastery among party members. Check the character’s Talents tab after every ascension instead of assuming only raw levels matter.
For detailed resource planning, compare this approach with our beginner resource-saving tips. The same principle applies: invest in the tools that improve your actual rotation, not every available upgrade.
Best First Skills by Character Role
The following ranking is the safest starting point for common teams. It is not a universal tier list: a character’s best talent changes when their build, constellation, weapon, or field time changes.
S-Tier priority: the talent that defines the character
- Neuvillette — Normal Attack: prioritize this for Equitable Judgment Charged Attacks. His Skill, O Tears, I Shall Repay, and Burst, O Tides, I Have Returned, mainly create droplets that enable more Charged Attacks.
- Arlecchino — Normal Attack: Invitation to a Beheading is the centerpiece of her Bond of Life-enhanced attacks. Level her Skill next for Blood-Debt Directive application, then her Burst for healing and emergency damage.
- Hu Tao — Normal Attack, then Skill: Secret Spear of Wangsheng controls her charged-attack damage, while Guide to Afterlife converts her attacks to Pyro and increases damage based on her Max HP.
- Raiden Shogun — Burst, then Skill: Musou Shinsetsu is the priority for an on-field carry. Transcendence: Baleful Omen is more important first when Raiden is used mainly as an off-field Electro support.
- Nahida — Skill, then Burst: All Schemes to Know applies Dendro and triggers Tri-Karma Purification; her Burst, Illusory Heart, improves the field based on Pyro, Electro, and Hydro party members.
A-Tier priority: universal supports and reaction enablers
- Bennett — Burst first: Fantastic Voyage is the reason he fits so many teams. Level his Skill afterward for personal damage or Energy generation. His Normal Attack can remain low unless he is played on field.
- Xingqiu — Burst first, Skill second: Raincutter provides sustained off-field Hydro application, while Fatal Rainscreen generates a large amount of Energy and deals strong single-target damage. His Skill has a long cooldown, so use it before his Burst to funnel particles.
- Xiangling — Burst first: Pyronado snapshots many buffs and continues after Xiangling swaps out. Guoba Attack is a secondary priority, while her Normal Attack is rarely worth early books.
- Fischl — Skill first: Nightrider summons Oz for reliable off-field Electro damage. Midnight Phantasmagoria can refresh Oz, but it is usually less efficient to level first than the Skill.
- Kuki Shinobu — Skill first: Sanctifying Ring controls her healing and repeated Electro application. In Hyperbloom, prioritize character level and Elemental Mastery as heavily as the Skill because reaction damage scales with level and EM.
- Yelan — Burst first: Depth-Clarion Dice creates coordinated Hydro attacks during the active character’s normal attacks. Lingering Lifeline is useful next for energy and personal damage, but it is not the core team contribution.
B-Tier priority: useful, but heavily build-dependent
- Jean — Burst first: Dandelion Breeze heals the party and cleanses certain elemental auras. Level her Skill next if she is played as an Anemo damage dealer.
- Noelle — Normal Attack or Burst: Breastplate is the priority for shield and healing support, but Normal Attack and Sweeping Time become more important when Noelle is the on-field Geo DPS.
- Kaeya — Burst first for Cryo support: Glacial Waltz follows the active character and applies Cryo off field. Level Normal Attack first only if Kaeya is your early-game physical or on-field carry.
- Traveler — choose by element: Anemo Traveler’s Palm Vortex is mainly a grouping and Swirl tool, while Dendro Traveler’s Razorgrass Blade and Frictionless Blade support Dendro reactions. Do not spend rare Crown of Insight resources on Traveler before your core team is complete.
For broader character-investment context, our early-game character guide covers the same mistake players make in other RPGs: spreading upgrades across too many units instead of finishing a functional core.
Recommended Upgrade Order for Your First Team
Once you have four characters, use this practical order rather than leveling every talent whenever Mora is available.
Step 1: Reach the useful talent breakpoint
For a new account, take the key talent to level 4, then level 6 when the domain becomes available and your character reaches the necessary ascension. Level 6 is an efficient stopping point for most early Abyss teams. A level 6 Bennett Burst, Xingqiu Burst, or Xiangling Burst provides meaningful value without consuming the steep material costs of levels 7 through 10.
Step 2: Finish the main damage talent
For your on-field DPS, aim for level 8 on the primary talent before investing heavily in secondary abilities. A Neuvillette player should focus on Normal Attack, an Arlecchino player on Normal Attack, and a Raiden carry on Burst. Raise the second talent only after it affects the rotation enough to justify its cost. A support’s Skill may stop at level 6 if its damage is unimportant, while a healer may need only enough levels to meet your survivability needs.
Step 3: Match weapons, artifacts, and energy to the skill order
Talent upgrades cannot fix a broken rotation. Xingqiu needs enough Energy Recharge to cast Raincutter consistently, often around 180-220% in teams without another Hydro character. Xiangling commonly needs around 180-220% Energy Recharge without Bennett funneling particles. Bennett wants a high Base ATK weapon, such as Sapwood Blade or Alley Flash where available, because Fantastic Voyage’s attack buff scales from Base ATK rather than total ATK.
For reaction characters, character level can outrank talent levels. Hyperbloom Kuki Shinobu wants level 90 and as much Elemental Mastery as possible because Hyperbloom damage uses the triggering character’s level and EM. An Anemo Swirl support such as Sucrose also gains significant value from level 90 and EM. In those cases, do not empty your Mora into Normal Attack talents that never appear in combat.
Step 4: Crown only a talent you use every rotation
A Crown of Insight raises a combat talent from level 9 to level 10 and is permanently limited by events and major progression rewards. Crown Bennett’s Burst, Xiangling’s Burst, Neuvillette’s Normal Attack, or a favorite main DPS talent only after you have tested the character in the Spiral Abyss. The damage gain is real, but it is not an early-game requirement.
HoYoverse lists character and combat-system information through the official Genshin Impact character pages, while the official HoYoLAB Genshin community provides announcements about events and resource availability. Use those sources to verify current character details before spending crowns.
Talent Materials, Mora, and Daily Farming Plan
Talent books come from specific domains that rotate their available series by day. For example, Mondstadt’s Forsaken Rift provides Freedom, Resistance, and Ballad books; Liyue’s Taishan Mansion provides Prosperity, Diligence, and Gold; and Inazuma’s Violet Court provides Transience, Elegance, and Light. Check the domain’s schedule before using Original Resin so you do not farm the wrong day.
Use a seven-day preparation cycle
- Choose one carry and one support: Pick two key talents, such as Neuvillette Normal Attack and Furina Burst, or Bennett Burst and Xiangling Burst. Avoid planning eight level-10 talents at once.
- Farm the character’s local specialty: Ascension gates the next talent levels. Collect items such as Lumidouce Bell for Lyney, Sakura Bloom for Ayaka, or Kalpalata Lotus for Nahida while exploring instead of waiting for the final ascension.
- Farm common enemy drops: Hilichurl Masks, Treasure Hoarder Insignias, and Specter materials are required in large quantities. Use the Adventurer’s Handbook to track enemies rather than relying only on random exploration.
- Farm talent books on their open days: Spend Condensed Resin when possible for a guaranteed double reward run. Reserve some Original Resin for bosses and weekly material needs.
- Defeat weekly bosses: Talent levels 7-10 require boss drops, such as Dvalin’s Plume, Tusk of Monoceros Caeli, Dream Solvent conversions, or newer regional boss materials. Weekly limits mean these cannot be rushed in one session.
- Keep a Mora reserve: The final talent levels are expensive, and leveling a weapon or character at the same time can drain your account. The Blossoms of Wealth are a better Resin target than forcing a low-impact talent upgrade.
The official Genshin Impact news hub confirms new regions, events, and system changes that can alter material routes. For comparison, our level-up progression guide also explains why concentrating upgrade currencies on a finished carry is faster than maintaining a wide roster.
As a final rule, open the character’s Talent Details screen and watch a full rotation before farming. If an ability is cast once every 20 seconds, deals no meaningful damage, and does not improve healing or shielding, it can wait. If it is the attack you repeat, the Burst that buffs the entire party, or the Skill that triggers your reaction every rotation, unlock and level it first. That simple test prevents most early Genshin Impact resource mistakes.