The 2.1 update for Genshin Impact brought the Electro Archon Raiden Shogun (Baal) to the limited-time character Banner. Baal was a highly anticipated character, as all the Archons tend to be. She has an interesting skill set and a gorgeous character design, but that hasn’t stopped plenty of people from demanding that she get a buff. While there may be some aspects of her character that can use some work, overall, Raiden Shogun is already a strong character.
The biggest factor with Genshin Impact characters is that they can’t be game-breaking, like players may want. Though the Archon characters should be set apart from the others in terms of power, that isn’t the current reality in the game. There simply has to be balanced characters, but when they are compared to characters like Ganyu who are really strong, they appear to be too weak.
Each Genshin Impact character is meant to be built around a certain stat, like how Barbara’s healing scales off of her max HP. Baal is meant to be built around energy recharge, which is why her 5-star weapon Engulfing Lightning is a polearm focused on that. While CRIT rate and CRIT damage are both still important for her, and useful, she needs a high amount of energy recharge to reach her full potential. When this stat is high, every character on the team gets their Elemental Burst back very quickly. This is a very useful feature with characters who take a lot of energy for their Bursts. Not to mention, Baal’s Elemental Burst in Genshin Impact is strong, so players will want to use it as much as possible.
How To Make The Most Of Genshin Impact's Raiden Shogun In Combat
Baal is a complex character to figure out in Genshin Impact. She is far less straightforward to play than a lot of other characters in the game, and if players don’t use her correctly, they may be missing out on a lot of damage. For instance, when Raiden Shogun is on a team, the characters will be surrounded by a purple circle that essentially tells the player when Baal’s Elemental Burst is fully charged. In order to get a full charge, the player will need to use their other characters’ Bursts first to build resolve stacks based on how much energy they use. The maximum number of stacks is 60, and each of these resolve stacks increases the damage of Baal’s Elemental Burst. In order to fully maximize Baal’s attack power, players will need to properly utilize this skill, which will be even easier to do if they properly build up her energy recharge.
To strengthen the Raiden Shogun even further, players can get the free 4-star polearm, The Catch, through Genshin Impact's new fishing content. This weapon is a surprisingly good free-to-play polearm with an energy recharge bonus effect. For those who can’t afford to try their luck on the weapon Banner for Engulfing Lightening, this is the perfect option. Its substat increases Elemental Burst damage by 16% and Elemental Burst CRIT Rate by 6%, which increases with each refinement. This weapon makes a notable difference for Raiden Shogun, and because it’s completely free, players should definitely give it a try.
While Baal is, frankly, perfectly fine the way she is right now in the game, there is one thing that should be adjusted: she needs to be able to work with Beidou in Genshin Impact. For whatever reason, when the two use their Elemental Bursts, Beidou’s lightning doesn’t work properly, so if players have both characters on their team, they won’t be able to use their Bursts at the same time. It is unclear why this is the case, but it is a simple fix and not necessarily a buff that miHoYo needs to add.
Overall, Raiden Shogun (Baal) is a great Genshin Impact character already, especially if she's being used properly. She is a complicated character in combat, which can be seen in her Talents. If her skills are properly utilized, though, and if she is given the proper weapon, Baal can hit very hard and be a great addition to teams.