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collage of kinich, sayu, and zhongli

7 Best Characters for Traversal & Exploration in Genshin Impact

There are lots of amazing characters in Genshin Impact, and they all have their advantages and disadvantages. Some are great at fighting and supporting other characters, and some are great at exploration. With that in mind, hereā€™s our list of the best characters for traversal and exploration in Genshin Impact.

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Best Genshin Impact Characters to Use for Traversal & Exploration

7. Zhongli

Screenshot by the Escapist

The Geo Archon Zhongli is great at providing an advantage to climbing cliffs. His elemental ability summons a pillar which you can use to climb up and get higher. This will save you from expending too much stamina. Unfortunately, this is as much as he can provide, but itā€™s certainly helped me in my travels through Teyvat. It even helped me get some Oculi that were just a bit too high to jump up to.

On the plus side, if you hold down his elemental ability, heā€™ll summon a shield that will protect you from damage from enemies. So, if youā€™re exploring an area but donā€™t want to fight enemies, then his shield is perfect. Zhongli is also perfect at supporting other characters in exploration, such as Venti and Kazuha, who can jump higher than others.

6. Kazuha

When gliding through the air in Genshin Impact, your stamina quickly depletes, or you might not make it to your intended destination and would have to climb up the rest of the way. With Kazuha, you can stay in the air for much longer thanks to his elemental ability. Kazuha can keep himself in the air for longer when you activate his elemental ability. It will bring him higher up into the air, and this can be done every 5 seconds.

Plus, his ability makes it easier for Oculi that are high up in the air, such as the ones on Seirai Island. You could even use his ability to give you a boost while climbing up cliffs. Combined with characters such as the Geo Traveller and Zhongli, Kazuha can get even higher with his elemental ability. If you add Venti into the mix, he can go even higher.

5. Sayu

Screenshot by the Escapist

There arenā€™t many 4-star characters that help with traversal and exploration ā€“ but there is Sayu. Sayuā€™s elemental ability allows her to get into her Fuufuu Windwheel and roll over the ground at tremendous speed. However, this can only be triggered by holding down the elemental ability button, and she can only roll around for about 10 seconds before her ability needs to recharge.

Sayu is certainly a fantastic character for those who donā€™t have any of the 5-star characters in this discussion, as she’s speedy.

4. Kachina

Genshin Impact keyart of the Natlan character Kachina
Image via HoYoverse

Kachina is the first 4-star character from Natlan, and sheā€™s excellent at traversal. She has the elemental ability to summon a unique ride (a floating drill) called Turbo Twirly, which allows her to scale up cliffs and mountains without using any stamina, and itā€™s relatively fast. Her Turbo Twirly also covers land but not water. But thatā€™s a small price to pay to be able to scale up those cliffs with ease.

Related: Genshin Impact Arkhe System: All Pneuma & Ousia Characters, Listed

The best thing about Kachina is that youā€™ll unlock her for free once you meet her after starting the Natlan Archon quest. Sheā€™s also the first character since the Mondstadt Archon Quest that is unlocked by playing the story. Apart from Amber, Kaeya, Lisa, and Kachina, you can only unlock characters through banners or special events. Another note that makes Kachina an excellent character for exploration is that when sheā€™s in your party, sheā€™ll be able to highlight nearby Natlan specialties.

3. The Wanderer

Screenshot by the Escapist

If you want to soar across the skies, then the Wanderer is the one for you. With his elemental ability, he can take to the air and fly for a short amount of time. Although he canā€™t fly for long, he can fly very fast. This means that you can cover more ground than when running or sprinting. The Wanderer is certainly a great alternative to characters found in Natlan, as his ability will remain the same wherever you travel.

The Wandererā€™s skills come in useful when it comes to flying between mountains and hills. The Wanderer can fly at different heights, allowing him to glide at a higher point than other characters, and since he flies for a bit, he doesnā€™t use up stamina. Unfortunately, he canā€™t use his skill more than once while in mid-air, unlike Kazuha ā€“ but he makes up for it by flying for a bit before gliding.

2. Kinich

a photomode image of kinich in genshin impact
Screenshot by the Escapist

Kinich has one of the most exhilarating abilities, which makes him fun and exciting to use for traversal and exploration. Heā€™s the perfect exploration partner in Natlan. One of his passive talents allows you to move 15% faster for 10 seconds each time he harvests an ingredient or local specialty in Natlan. Not only that, but this talent also highlights nearby local specialties on the map. He’s fast and resourceful.

Kinich is both useful while exploring, and fast. Heā€™s able to swing across the landscape and avoid fall damage after his elemental ability is used. Another thing that is unique to Kinich that aids in traversal is that heā€™s the only character in Genshin Impact that you can switch to while in mid-air. His skills are exceptional while in Natlan, but they can still be used in other regions ā€“ albeit you can only use his elemental ability once rather than twice. Luckily, heā€™s still able to resist fall damage after itā€™s used.

1. Mualani

photo mode image of mualani in genshin impact
Screenshot by the Escapist

Before Natlan came to Genshin Impact, Furina would have taken this spot. Furina can walk over water while her elemental ability is active. However, Mualani can surf over both water and land with her respective elemental ability. This makes traversal with her seamless between land and water, so she takes the top spot as the best character for traversal and exploration.

So, whenever Mualaniā€™s banner is available, and you want a character with fast movement that can surf over land and water with little effort, then sheā€™s the perfect character to go for. Itā€™s certainly a fun experience using her elemental ability, and it also works outside of Natlan, too. Plus, just like Kachina and Kinich, if Mualani is in your party, sheā€™ll be able to highlight nearby Natlan specialties. All in all, Mualani seems to be the best for traversal and exploration in Genshin Impact.

And those are the 7 best characters for traversal and exploration in Genshin Impact.

Genshin Impact is available for Android, iOS, PC, and PlayStation.


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Author
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Lyna De Wit
Contributing Writer
Lyna is a freelance weekend writer at The Escapist, covering topics such as Star Wars, video games, and more. She has been active in the industry since 2023 and has previously written articles at Game Rant. Lyna is incredibly passionate about Star Wars, especially the animated shows such as The Bad Batch and Rebels. Outside of writing, Lyna enjoys spending time with her tabby cat, playing the next game of her ever growing backlog, tending to her plants, attempting to draw in her sketchbook, and of course, watching Star Wars.