Genshin Impact's current roster includes nearly 50 playable characters, each with their own utility passive. The ever-expanding pool of playable characters will only grow as Genshin Impact leaks of upcoming characters are shared among the fandom. Because of this, it is inevitable that players will compare characters with each other, even with the most basic of their Talents, which is their passive utility.
A character's utility passive is defined as a passive Talent in Genshin Impact that is automatically unlocked upon obtaining the character. That means that there are no requirements to use the passive, and these can benefit the whole party or the player. Utility passives tend to go with the characters' personality or lore, often named with clever wordplay. These utility passives can be placed under 5 general categories: Cooking, Crafting, Exploration, Expedition, and Collection. It has been constantly discussed between fans about which utility passives are better and which are practically useless.
Cooking utility passives refers to characters that have a chance of obtaining double the product when "Perfect Cooking" is achieved. There are currently 8 characters with this culinary talent, including Yun Jin, who was released in Genshin Impact's 2.4. Although the percentage of obtaining it is low, only 12%, it is still worth it to select the character during the cooking list. It means free food and can save tons of resources.
Crafting/Forging utility passives are like Cooking passives mentioned above, but even better because these can save both time and Resin. The current 12 characters with this handy talent will always be used, due to the lack of Resin even for endgame players. These characters either have a chance to refund a portion of the materials used or even double the product. Refunding a portion of the materials have about a 20 - 25% chance, but doubling only has 10%.
Not All Genshin Impact Utility Passives Are Created Equal
Despite having undergone many changes, Genshin Impact's Resin system could still be fixed. The percentages for Crafting/Forging seem low, but each resource saved or additional product gained is a huge boost in Resin saved because most of these items are locked behind Resin. Furthermore, Raiden Shogun's "All-Preserver" talent halves the Mora requirement for ascending swords and polearms. It is automatically applied during the weapon ascension window. Everything in Genshin Impact requires Mora, and even though it is extremely easy to acquire, having more Mora is always a good idea.
However, forging weapon talents such as the ones provided by Diluc, Zhongli, and Ganyu, the last two having a double rerun Banner in Genshin Impact 2.4, become less necessary during the endgame. They automatically refund 15% of ores used when forging their respective weapons, but as players catch up to the server, saving ores do not really do much. Ores are no longer scarce for endgame players. Additionally, Yoimiya's "Blazing Match" talent has a 100% chance to refund materials used when making certain types of furnishings. A 100% chance of materials being saved is great, except it only applies to the Serenitea Pot, which not many players use, so it seems like a very seldom-used Talent.
Exploration Talents consist of saving stamina during Genshin Impact's open-world. There are 9 characters with kind of talent. During combat, only the 20% decrease in sprinting stamina consumption can be applied. However, exploration talents are always useful, even during the endgame. Characters can die when they run out of stamina during swimming or when falling from high places due to climbing or gliding. The current rerun Banner for Genshin Impact 2.4 features Xiao, who is the only character to offer a climbing stamina consumption. Rosaria's passive talent called "Night Walk" is a bit more unique because she increases the movement speed of party members by 10% at night (in-game time between 18:00 – 6:00). It's different and one-of-a-kind, but many players consider this one useless because it cannot be used in Domains or the Spiral Abyss.
Expedition effects are widely regarded as the most useless passive talents in Genshin Impact. They are okay for newcomers when many resources are lacking, but many endgame players wish for different passives for these 6 characters. They shorten expedition time, but the effect is only viable when the player claims the rewards immediately when the expedition time ends. It is highly unlikely for someone to claim the loot at the exact time and send the character on another one immediately after.
Shenhe, who was released during Genshin Impact 2.4, has an expedition talent that allows the player to "Gain 25% more rewards when dispatched on a Liyue Expedition for 20 hours." It's a trivial improvement, especially because many people forget to dispatch characters on an expedition or even claim rewards. Expedition talents could be improved by doubling the number of resources gained or allowing the characters to tackle two areas in the same amount of time.
Genshin Impact Utility Passives Could Be Improved
Collection Talents refer to talents that help the player find resources or increase the resources gained. There are currently 9 characters with this kind of talent. Qiqi and Klee were the two characters to display their exclusive local resources in the mini-map for a long while. The addition of Yanfei and Gorou made this talent more accessible for many other players, considering the initial two were 5-stars. Sayu and Aloy do not startle certain wildlife, allowing people to have an easier time collecting food ingredients or Crystalflies.
Ningguang, with her new free skin in Genshin Impact, has a unique talent in which she displays the location of ores used in forging in the mini-map. It is useful for collection, but players can mark their mini-maps and the talent will no longer be needed. Thoma and Arataki Ito provide a 20 - 25% chance to obtain additional fish or wood. Obtaining more is always nice, but just like Yoimiya's talent mentioned earlier, these types of talents are only useful if a player fishes or builds furniture, since both are optional activities.
Lastly, the only character to not be in any of these is Genshin Impact's sole Hydro Bow user, Tartaglia. His passive is perhaps the most unique one, as it does not belong in any of the categories mentioned above. Considering Tartaglia's powerful backstory and lore, it makes sense for him to have a talent called "Master of Weaponry," which raises all party members' Normal Attack level by 1. There is no other way to increase Normal Attack talent past level 10, so the only way to get it to level 11 would be placing Tartaglia in the team. That means is a free boost in auto-attacks or Normal DMG without using any Resin, Mora, or Talent Books.
Genshin Impact is full of likable and complex characters. However, many players point out that some characters' uselessness of their passive talents seems contradictory to their useful combat skills. It initially seemed like 5-star characters' passive talents were better than their 4-star counterparts, but that was quickly disputed since Jean and Barbara shared the same one. Maybe the passives are to keep certain characters balanced.