What defines an F2P team
You win F2P clears on reactions and Energy Recharge, not on five-star base ATK. Xiangling, Xingqiu, Bennett, and Sucrose show up in paid 7.0 lineups because Pyronado, Rain Swords, Fantastic Voyage, and Viridescent Venerer do work no new four-star copies.
The old line that a well-built F2P core deals "70–80% of a premium team" and "40,000 National DPS" is a 2024–2025 marketing number. Floor 12 first-half bosses this cycle sit above 5 million HP. You judge a team by a 36-star timer and a second team that does not steal Bennett, not by a damage-per-second screenshot from a training dummy.
Five-star carries still hold higher base ATK and HP and kits built to stay on-field. Four-stars win on niches you can constellation. Bennett C1 removes the 70% HP gate on his ATK buff. Xiangling C4 extends Pyronado by 40%. Xingqiu C2 adds 3 seconds of Burst and 15% Hydro RES shred. Xingqiu C6 adds an extra Rain Sword every two hits and restores 3 Energy. The old text on this topic called C6 a Hydro DMG bonus. That is wrong.
New four-stars since the last rewrite of this page that change the list:
Iansan (Natlan, Electro): mobile flat ATK buff. Use her when the carry walks out of Bennett's circle. She does not replace Bennett on National. She replaces him on Mavuika, Gaming, or Chevreuse Overload when you need the other half to keep Bennett.
Ororon (Natlan, Electro): off-field Electro and a Scroll of the Hero of Cinder City holder.
Lan Yan (Natlan, Anemo): shield plus Viridescent Venerer if you want sustain more than Sucrose grouping.
Alyosha (Snezhnaya, Electro): free healer and off-field Electro for Stellar-Conduct. Kit notes live on the Alyosha best build.
Cryo Traveler: resonate at a Snezhnaya Statue of the Seven. This is the free Stellar Glimmer enabler. Without Traveler, Odette, or Sandrone in the party, Cryo + Electro stays Superconduct.
Investment reality
Level 80/90 plus talents 6/8/8 is the Abyss floor for ATK scalers. Level 90 is for reaction triggers: Kuki, Sucrose, Cryo Traveler. The old "418 Hero's Wit to 80/90" mixed two numbers. Character 1–90 costs about 419 Hero's Wit. Character 1–80 costs about 210.
Mora for one character at 80/90 with 6/8/8 and a level 90 four-star weapon lands near 4–5 million. Push that character to 90 and crown the Burst and you approach 7 million. Farm one team to those numbers before you start a second.
Energy Recharge is the first substat, not CRIT.
Character | ER target | Why |
|---|
Xiangling (no Raiden) | 180–220% | 80-cost Pyronado every 20s |
Xingqiu | 180–200% (Sac Sword can sit lower) | 80-cost Raincutter |
Bennett | 180–220% | 60-cost field. Fav Sword cuts the floor |
Sucrose | 160–180% if you Burst | VV shred plus grouping |
Beidou | 160–200% | 80-cost. Fischl batteries her |
Alyosha | 180–200% | Burst holds Electro, heal, and the Conduct buff |
Dendro Traveler | 180–200% | Burst field for cores |
Kuki | ER only until Burst is comfortable | Damage is EM and level, not Burst |
National Team: still the first team you build
Xiangling, Xingqiu, Bennett, Sucrose. Pyronado snapshots Bennett's flat ATK and Sucrose's 40% Pyro RES shred, then Vaporizes on Rain Swords.
Rotation, 20-second cycle:
Bennett Skill, then Burst. Stand in the field.
Sucrose Skill (or Burst) to Swirl Pyro and apply Viridescent Venerer.
Xingqiu Burst, then Skill.
Xiangling Burst, then Skill. Guoba after Pyronado so the snapshot already holds the buffs.
Normal Attacks on whoever holds Thrilling Tales or needs field time until the next Bennett Burst.
Xiangling: 4pc Emblem of Severed Fate. The Catch R5 (Inazuma fishing). ER or ATK Sands, Pyro DMG Goblet, CRIT Circlet. Burst talent first.
Xingqiu: 4pc Emblem. Sacrificial Sword, or Favonius if the team is dry. Hydro Goblet, CRIT Circlet.
Bennett: 4pc Noblesse Oblige. Highest base ATK sword you own. Prototype Rancour is 565 base, the top craftable sword. His buff reads character base ATK + weapon base ATK only. ATK% substats do not raise it. A level 90 Bennett on Prototype Rancour lands near 850–900 flat ATK at talent 12. A five-star high-base sword pushes that toward 1,000. The old "1,200+" figure assumed a five-star and a crowned Burst in the same sentence.
Sucrose: 4pc Viridescent Venerer. EM / EM / EM. Thrilling Tales R5 if you snapshot Xiangling after the swap. Sacrificial Fragments if you need the Skill reset.
C6 Bennett infuses melee weapons with Pyro. Leave him at C5 if you still play a physical carry or a non-Pyro infusion. C6 is fine on this Abyss half if the room is Normal Attack Pyro.
Other Xiangling seats
Reverse Melt: Xiangling, Bennett, Rosaria, Kaeya. You want Cryo to hit a Pyro aura.
Gaming Melt: Gaming on-field plunges, Xiangling off-field, Bennett, plus a Cryo or Iansan. Use this when you want an on-fielder and already built Gaming.
Chevreuse Overload: Chevreuse, Bennett or Iansan, Fischl or Ororon, Xiangling. The team must stay Pyro and Electro. Chevreuse shreds both RES values and feeds ATK. Iansan keeps the buff on a carry that leaves the circle. This is the 7.0 second-half F2P answer when you lack Arlecchino or Mavuika.
Hyperbloom: the second team that does not steal Bennett
Kuki Shinobu, Xingqiu, Dendro Traveler, Collei. Dendro + Hydro makes cores. Kuki's Skill ticks them into Hyperbloom. The trigger's Elemental Mastery and character level set the damage. CRIT on Kuki does nothing for the core hit.
Kuki: level 90. 800–1,000 EM. 4pc Flower of Paradise Lost if you farm it, 4pc Gilded Dreams if you already live in that domain. Iron Sting is the craftable. Skill talent first.
Xingqiu: same Emblem build as National. You cannot run him on both halves of one chamber. Build a second Hydro (Barbara, Candace) only after Kuki and Dendro Traveler are done.
Dendro Traveler plus Collei beat a single Dendro applicator. Deepwood Memories on one of them for 30% Dendro RES shred.
Nahida is a five-star upgrade, not a requirement. Skip the "wait for Nahida" advice if you need Floor 12 this month.
Hydro, Electro, and the Taser backup
Xingqiu is the Hydro you build first. Starglitter shop, event banners, and the standard banner all feed him. Barbara is the free Hydro aura if Xingqiu sits on the other half. Candace infusion teams are a side project. Do not start there.
Taser: Sucrose on-field, Fischl Oz, Beidou Burst, Xingqiu Burst. Fischl Skill → Beidou Burst → Xingqiu Burst + Skill → Sucrose Normal Attacks. Beidou wants 160–200% ER and a Fischl battery. This team clears waves. It loses to a single 5 million HP archer.
Fischl also sits in Aggravate (Fischl, Beidou, Yaoyao, Sucrose) and in Chevreuse Overload. C6 Fischl is the constellation that makes Oz attack with your Normal Attacks. Golden Troupe is her off-field set if you have it. Thundering Fury is the older Aggravate set.
Stellar-Conduct: the 7.0 F2P half
Version 7.0 adds Stellar Swirl (Anemo + Cryo) and keeps Stellar-Conduct (Cryo + Electro). Both need a Stellar Glimmer enabler in the party: Odette, Sandrone, or Cryo Traveler. The 7.0 patch notes at the top of this page list the exact reaction rules.
Free Conduct lineup: Cryo Traveler, Alyosha, Fischl or Beidou, Sucrose or Kaeya. Traveler enables the reaction. Alyosha heals and applies Electro off-field. Fischl batteries. Sucrose groups. Kaeya adds Cryo if Traveler's application gaps.
Alyosha is free when you clear Chapter VII: Act I in Snezhnaya. Build 4pc Noblesse or 4pc Heart of the Furnace (Inverted Glacier domain in Everfrozen Earth). Favonius Lance. Burst talent first. C2 extends the field. Stop there unless you already pull extras.
New 7.0 craftables from Kuzmichev in Snezhnograd (Song of the Vigil, Emberwell, Echoes of the Heart) feed Stellar teams. National Xiangling still wants The Catch.
This Abyss first half also pays Superconduct +200% if you skip the enabler. Kaeya, Rosaria, Fischl, and a healer still function. Conduct is the blessing the cycle wrote for you.
Imaginarium Theater on 1 September 2026 asks for Hydro, Electro, and Dendro, with Xingqiu and Kuki as Opening Characters. That is a second reason to finish those two before you crown a Geo carry.
Cryo, Anemo, Geo: keep these short
Freeze: Kaeya, Rosaria, Xingqiu, Sucrose. 4pc Blizzard Strayer, 40% CRIT Rate on frozen targets. Use it when the enemy freezes and you already built the Cryo pair.
Kaeya Skill is a 6-second Cryo battery. Favonius on one Cryo unit keeps both Bursts up.
Anemo: Sucrose first for EM share and grouping. Lan Yan if you need a shield. Heizou is a fun on-field driver, not a second National.
Geo: Noelle, Gorou, Yun Jin still work as a one-team army. 7.0 Floor 12 does not ask for Geo. Build Noelle after the four cores and Kuki, not before.
How to spend resin and Starglitter
Unlock Xiangling from Abyss 3-3. Unlock Alyosha in the 7.0 Archon Quest. Resonate Cryo Traveler at a Snezhnaya Statue of the Seven.
Buy Bennett, then Xingqiu, from Paimon's Bargains when they rotate. Fischl is the next Starglitter pickup.
Level Bennett 80/90, talent Burst, weapon to 90. Equip Noblesse. Hit 180% ER.
Level Xiangling 80/90, Burst 8, The Catch R5, Emblem, 180%+ ER.
Level Xingqiu 80/90, Burst 8, Sac or Fav, Emblem.
Finish Sucrose 70/80 with 4pc VV, or Iansan if your second team is Overload.
Build Kuki to 90 and 800 EM. That is team two.
Then Alyosha 80/90 for Conduct rooms.
Talent order: the ability that deals or enables the damage. Xiangling Burst. Xingqiu Burst. Bennett Burst. Kuki Skill. Alyosha Burst. Skip Normal Attack on every off-fielder.
Weapon order: The Catch R5, then a Favonius weapon for the driest Burst, then Iron Sting on Kuki, then Thrilling Tales R5. Skip the weapon banner as F2P.
Artifact order: Emblem domain (Xiangling, Xingqiu, Beidou), then Valley of Remembrance (VV), then Gilded Dreams or Paradise Lost for Kuki. Heart of the Furnace waits until Conduct is a real half for you.
Version 7.0 events include a free Diona invite. Redeem leftover codes on the official gift page at Adventure Rank 10.
Pack prices and first-time double bonuses sit on the Genesis Crystals guide. Convert crystals to Primogems in the shop if you play across PC and PlayStation.
Common mistakes
You spread 8 characters to 70/70 and own zero 20-second rotations. Finish National before Hyperbloom.
You farm CRIT on Kuki. Hyperbloom ignores it.
You sit Xiangling at 140% ER. The early draft of this page used that number, then later asked for 160–180%. Without Raiden she wants 180%+. Failed Pyronado is a failed chamber.
You put Bennett on both halves of Floor 12. Split him. Hyperbloom or Conduct takes the other clock.
You pull the weapon banner for a four-star you can fish or craft.
FAQ
What are the strongest Genshin Impact F2P teams in August 2026?
National first. Hyperbloom second so Bennett can sit on one half. Chevreuse Overload if this cycle wants Pyro and you own Chevreuse. Cryo Traveler + Alyosha for Stellar-Conduct on the 7.0 first half.
Can four-star teams 36-star Spiral Abyss in Version 7.0?
Floor 11, yes, on the cores above. Floor 12 first half works with Cryo Traveler, Alyosha, Sucrose, and a second Cryo or Electro. Second half works with Xiangling, Bennett, Xingqiu, and Fischl if you break the wards and light the Flamegranates. Dire Stygian Onslaught is a different product.
How much investment do F2P teams need for endgame?
Level 80/90, talents 6/8/8, level 90 weapons, and the ER table above. Reaction triggers go to 90. That is about 4–5 million Mora and 210 Hero's Wit per 80/90 character, or 419 Hero's Wit if you take them to 90.
Which 4-star characters should F2P players build first?
Bennett, Xiangling, Xingqiu, Sucrose. Then Kuki. Then Iansan or Chevreuse if you play Overload. Then Alyosha after the 7.0 Archon Quest.
What are the best F2P weapons to craft or fish?
The Catch R5 for Xiangling. Prototype Rancour for Bennett's base ATK. Favonius weapons for energy. Iron Sting for Kuki. Thrilling Tales R5 for Sucrose. Song of the Vigil if you already live in Snezhnaya and the polearm is for Alyosha.
Do I need Odette to play Stellar-Conduct?
No. Cryo Traveler enables it. Odette is the stronger off-field seat and the one you reuse on later Stellar carries. Superconduct still takes the +200% first-half bonus if you skip Conduct.
Conclusion
Genshin Impact F2P teams in August 2026 are still National and Hyperbloom, with Chevreuse Overload and free Stellar-Conduct added for Version 7.0. Build Bennett, Xiangling, and Xingqiu to 180%+ Energy Recharge before you start a Geo or Candace project. Save this page for the next Abyss swap on the 1st or the 16th. If a rate-up four-star or a Welkin month is the missing piece, buy Genesis Crystals on BitTopup and keep the Fates on the character banner.
