Genshin Impact 4-Star Character Investment Guide

To maximize your account power and Primogem economy in Genshin Impact, do not pull on event banners exclusively for 4-star characters or spend heavy materials building niche 4-stars. Instead, prioritize universal legacy units like Bennett, Xingqiu, and Xiangling, and treat newer 4-stars as passive bonuses acquired while pulling for key 5-stars.

Why Modern 4-Star Characters Require Caution

In Genshin Impact, older 4-star characters set a high standard by offering broad utility, off-field elemental application, and strong team buffs. Newer 4-star releases often shift toward hyper-specific roles that provide only a single functional benefit.

Building modern 4-stars presents two major progression hurdles:

Constellation Dependency: Newer 4-star characters frequently require Constellation 6 (C6) to perform reliably in high-difficulty endgame content like the Spiral Abyss. At C0, their elemental application speed, damage multipliers, or buff durations are often too limited to justify a team slot.
Equal Resource Costs: A 4-star character requires the same Resin, XP materials, Talent books, and high-tier artifact sets as a 5-star unit. Because 4-stars generally have lower base stats and performance ceilings, spending these resources on a niche unit yields lower long-term account progression.

Legacy 4-Stars vs. Modern 4-Stars

While modern 4-stars require careful evaluation before building, core legacy units remain essential for both new players and free-to-play (F2P) accounts.

Character	Role & Utility	Investment Priority
Bennett	ATK buffing, active character healing, Pyro application	High (Core investment for most team compositions)
Xingqiu	Off-field Hydro application, damage reduction, interruption resistance	High (Essential for Vaporize, Freeze, and Electro-Charged)
Xiangling	High-damage off-field Pyro burst capability	High (Pairs exceptionally well with Bennett and Hydro enablers)
Newer 4-Stars	Specialized element support, single-benefit kits	Low to Conditional (Build only at high Constellations or with specific 5-stars)

Pulling on limited-time event banners specifically to acquire a featured 4-star is one of the highest-risk uses of Primogems.

No Guaranteed Target Pity: Limited banners feature pity thresholds for 5-star drops, but they offer no guaranteed system to target a specific featured 4-star. You can spend dozens of wishes without receiving the specific 4-star unit you want.
Risk of Unwanted 5-Stars: Spending pulls on a banner just for a 4-star can accidentally trigger your 5-star pity counter on a featured character you did not want.
Best Strategy: Treat 4-star acquisitions as passive bonuses while wishing for high-impact 5-star characters. Build your core teams around versatile 5-star units and proven legacy 4-stars to ensure steady progression in endgame encounters.