Yae Miko is the newest playable character in Genshin Impact and has one of the most anticipated banners so far, so fans are already comparing her to existing characters. Many players are speculating about how powerful Yae Miko is in Genshin Impact, especially with the Raiden Shogun and Kokomi’s rerun banners coming up soon. Genshin Impact fans have little over a week to decide whether to save for the upcoming banners or pull on this one, so they might be curious about how Yae Miko compares to other Electro users.
Yae Miko, also known as Guuji Yae, is the overseer of the Grand Narukami Shrine, chief editor of Yae Publishing House, a fox envoy, and an old friend of the Raiden Shogun. She has been a major character throughout the Inazuma Archon quests, helping the Traveler to save her Archon. She is a 5-star Electro catalyst user with impressive single-target damage in her Elemental Skill and explosive AoE damage in her Elemental Burst. In spite of this, however, her power and abilities have been the subject of some controversy since her release.
Many Genshin Impact fans are disappointed by Yae Miko’s release due to her Elemental Skill being comparable to the 4-star character Fischl because both do single-target Electro damage. Yae Miko’s Elemental Skill summons up to three Sesshou Sakura that periodically damage nearby enemies while Fischl’s Elemental Skill summons her familiar, Oz, who periodically damages nearby enemies. It’s easy to compare the two and come to the conclusion that Yae Miko is just a 5-star Fischl. However, Yae Miko’s true power is not in her Elemental Skill, but in her Elemental Burst and surprising synergy with other Electro Genshin Impact characters.
Genshin Impact's Yae Miko Synergizes Well with Other Characters
Yae Miko’s Elemental Burst consumes all Sesshou Sakura and deals a huge burst of AoE Electro damage that strikes a number of times based on how many Sesshou Sakura were on the field, up to three times. Along with her skill, this burst is Yae Miko’s primary source of damage. Of all the Genshin Impact Electro users, Raiden Shogun pairs the best with Yae Miko for multiple reasons. Raiden needs resolve stacks to maximize the damage in her burst attacks, and she gains more stacks when other party members with higher energy bursts in Genshin Impact use them at the same time. Yae Miko has a 90 energy cost burst. As a result, Yae Miko is able to build up Raiden Shogun’s resolve stacks quickly, and Raiden Shogun is able to battery Yae Miko in return.
Another, much more cost-efficient option is to pair Yae Miko with Kujou Sara in a Genshin Impact party. In a way similar to how Gorou is able to buff Genshin Impact Geo teams, Sara is able to buff Electro teams, particularly at higher constellations. Both are able to do AoE Electro damage with their bursts, and Kujou Sara is able to provide the Guuji with much-needed energy and ATK buffers. Kujou Sara's buff also lasts a shorter amount of time compared to that of another ATK buffer like Bennett, which is beneficial for Yae Miko because her abilities do not snapshot, meaning they do not retain buffs after the initial cast and duration. As a result, having a shorter window for Sara's ATK buff creates a smoother rotation.
In comparison to other Electro users in Genshin Impact like Fischl, it’s difficult for Yae Miko to stand out at the moment. Her constellations help improve some of the flaws in her design by refunding some of her energy and expanding the range of her totems. However, constellations are gated by luck and a paywall that the average free-to-play player can’t access. Even so, players looking for a good Sub-DPS to pair with their Raiden Shogun may find that Yae Miko is a great fit and synergizes excellently with her old friend. Ultimately, it’s up to players to decide if they are willing to spend their money on Yae Miko in Genshin Impact.