With Genshin Impact, there are sometimes certain characters and elements where you might think, “Okay, I have this area covered. Could I really make someone else work?” Cryo is one of those spheres. The game gives you Kaeya, a four-star sword-wielder who’s pretty amazing and great for exploring. And if someone’s lucky enough to get Qiqi, well, it’s difficult to find an excuse to not go with a five-star unit. But after pulling Genshin Impact’s Diona, I was surprised to see how practical she can actually be as an assist character.
As you might expect from an archer who is a teeny, tiny catgirl, being right up in an opponent’s face isn’t exactly good for being an up-close fighter or taking hits. (From what I’ve seen, her base attack and health is slightly lower than Amber’s.) But what she is good for are her special abilities and her general Cryo damage. You want her nearby for Icy Paws and Signature Mix, and perhaps to help trigger reactions and freeze foes.
Icy Paws quite helpful, especially if you can get her to the second constellation level that increases its damage and ensuing shield’s effectiveness by 15% and helps other people by giving them a shield too. This two-part attack first damages enemies with “paws.” I recommend always doing a charged attack by holding the trigger, because the more paws that hit, the longer it will last. A held attack has more paws sent out and make the resulting shield stronger.
But also, Signature Mix is pretty great too. It has the bonus of both healing allies and hurting enemies. Once Diona throws the drink she made, enemies will take icy damage from the attack when they’re in its range. If you have other people around, anyone who is also in that area has health gradually restored. Both it and Icy Paws basically become quite helpful for people who plan to explore with others.
When I use Diona in Genshin Impact, I basically make her Barbara’s best buddy. Yes, this might seem a bit redundant, since both of them have Elemental Bursts with healing effects. (Though, as I mentioned, Diona’s is a regen effect and Barbara’s Shining Miracle is an immediately spell that heals the whole party.) But the reason I love using the two of them together is how it allows you to really freeze from a distance.
The key is to go with Diona’s normal charged attack, which sends a Frost arrow that gets the Cryo status on a foe. Barbara’s normal attack works in such a way that it hits the enemy regardless of where they are positioned or her height, so long as she’s within range. I’ve found it’s a quick way to freeze a foe in place. Once they’re “paused,” you bring in your DPS. (In my case, it’s usually Klee or Beidou.)
What’s also nice about Diona is if you do get her, she can help make your Kaeya or Qiqi better. After all, the game does rely on Elemental Resonances to provide different boosts. I’m a big fan of the Frozen effect in-game. (Unless it is being applied to me.) Shattering Ice makes you better at taking advantage of the status effect by upping the rate of critical hits. So, say, having Kaeya and Qiqi around Diona, but letting one of them be the damage dealer while she’s there to improve the resonance, is helpful.
Genshin Impact’s Diona probably isn’t going to be able to be someone’s DPS or main. But she could end up being a great friend for their other party members or friends. Both of her elemental abilities have traits that can heal or protect her and the people around her, while also dealing Cryo damage. She also pairs very well with other characters, to help trigger special effects or resonate for some sort of bonus. She’s someone who might be handy to have around in a spare party to make your other characters better or more protected.
Genshin Impact is available for the PlayStation 4, PC and both Android and Apple iOS devices. It will also come to the Nintendo Switch.
