Genshin Impact's combat system is extremely nuanced. However, at its core, it revolves around utilizing different characters to trigger Elemental Reactions for damage. While there are certain exceptions that are self-sustained, such as the Physical DPS Eula, most Genshin Impact characters favor a more team-based playstyle.
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PostsSince these reactions are extremely strong, Hoyoverse has put a strict ICD (Internal Cooldown) on how quickly a character can use them. Here's everything you need to know about it, as well as how you can potentially bypass ICD.
What Is ICD?
ICD is short for Internal Cooldown, which is a stopgap measure programmed into Genshin Impact to stop characters from triggering too many reactions. This is both time-based and hit-based, and follows a similar sequence for most characters.
For example, if you're using Sangonomiya Kokomi to break the Pyro Hypostasis's shield, the first attack she does will take away a portion of it. However, when you hit it again, you'll notice the shield does not lose HP. This is because Kokomi follows the three-hit rule of standard ICD.
What Is Standard ICD?
Most characters in Genshin Impact follow a standard ICD. This is 2.5 seconds or once every three hits of a particular skill. In the Kokomi example, you'll notice her third hit also does not deal any damage to the shield, but the fourth one does. This is because the fourth hit completes the three-hit rule, being the third hit after the last application.
The ICD timer and hit-count both reset after an Elemental Reaction is triggered. If Kokomi has done two attacks after her first, but the 2.5 seconds pass and she applies Hydro with the third attack, the fourth will not apply Hydro.
It's also important to note that this Internal Cooldown is specific to the enemy, not your character. For example, if you're fighting two enemies afflicted with Pyro, the first attack on each enemy will Vaporize.
Similarly, this ICD is tied to the specific skill causing the reaction. If you use Kokomi's Normal Attack to deal damage to a shield, using either her Elemental Burst or Charged Attack immediately afterward will take away the shield as well.
Why Does ICD Exist?
There are a few reasons why characters and enemies alike need a cooldown to their elemental application. First, this makes it so continuous reactions do not occur, as doing so could overload the game and result in crashes.
It's also a way to make the game more balanced, since, otherwise, characters that hit faster would always be better.
Additionally, it lets Hoyoverse come up with more game mechanics that would be trivialized if every single hit of fast-hitting abilities, such as Amber's Elemental Burst or Fischl's Oz's attacks, triggers reactions. Not having this is what makes enemies like the Abyss Herald so fearsome.
Can You Bypass ICD?
CloseICD is hard coded into the game, so there aren't any ways of breaking the rule. However, there are characters that don't follow standard ICD. If you're facing enemies with huge elemental shields or using a character like Hu Tao who needs to Vaporize all her hits to deal proper damage, you can utilize these characters.
For characters with skills that do not have ICD, you can further leverage the advantage by using animation cancels to cause even more reactions.
Character
Skill
ICD (Seconds)
ICD (Hits)
Nahida
Tri-Karma Retribution from Elemental Skill
0s
Xiangling
Elemental Skill
0s
Xiangling
Elemental Burst: Pyronado
0s
Hu Tao
Charged Attack
0s
Ganyu
Level Two Aimed Shot
0s
Bennett
Elemental Skill:
0s
Tighnari
Level Two Aimed Shot
2.5s
4
Yelan
Elemental Burst
2s
Yae Miko
Elemental Burst
0s
Kaedehara Kazuha
Elemental Burst
0s
Sucrose
Elemental Burst
0s
Amber
Elemental Burst
1s
Diluc
Elemental Burst
5s
5
Diluc
Elemental Skill
0s
Candace
Elemental Burst (Including Wave Impact and C6 Damage)
0s
Rosaria
Elemental Skill, Elemental Burst
0s
Venti
Elemental Burst
1s
3
Collei
Elemental Skill
0s
Collei
Elemental Burst
3s
3
Fischl
Oz's Coordinated Attack and C6 Damage (shared ICD)
5s
4
Fischl
Fourth Ascension Passive (A4 Passive)
0.5s
Kokomi
Elemental Skill
0s
Chongyun
Elemental Burst
0s
Tartaglia "Childe"
Riptide Slash Passive, Elemental Burst(s)
0s
Xinyan
Elemental Skill
0s
Nilou
Tranquility Aura from Elemental Skill
1.9s
4
Barbara
Melody Loop from Elemental Skill
2.5s
3
Cyno
Passive: Featherfall Judgement
2.5s
3
read moreAdditionally, there are some characters that can exploit the ICD despite having normal ICD timers. This is done by either hitting too quickly, or by having multiple instances of attacks at once.
Character
Skill
ICD
Xingqiu
Elemental Burst
Xingqiu's coordinated attacks are sent in waves of three individual damages. This makes it so each trigger applies Hydro to enemies hit. At C6, this application becomes even greater.
Yelan
Elemental Burst
Yelan's coordinated attacks are also sent in waves of three, applying Hydro on each proc.
Venti
Elemental Burst
Venti's Elemental Burst has extremely fast hits and a separate instance of elemental damage if an element has been absorbed. This lets him rapidly trigger reactions.
ICD And Dendro
CloseDendro works a little differently than other reactions when it comes to ICD. While Dendro itself affects opponents the same way, the secondary reactions (Burning, Burgeon, Hyperbloom, Aggravate, and Spread) are more nuanced.
Burning has a special Burning Aura that has both Dendro and Pyro properties. It also has its own special ICD, applying Pyro every two seconds.
The Quicken aura can exist alongside other Electro, Dendro, or Cryo auras. This means that you can trigger multiple Elemental Reactions at the same time.
Burgeon and Hyperbloom have no ICD whatsoever. As we discussed above, the actual ICD is based on the target, not the source. As such, since each Seed is a unique entity, any hit done on one will trigger a reaction.
Quicken is initially triggered when Dendro and Electro react. However, the trigger doesn't do anything but put the Quicken aura on enemies. You can then either react with Dendro or Electro to trigger Spread or Aggravate respectively. The difference from Quicken to either Spread or Aggravate has no ICD.
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