The Hydro Archon has some very tough competition.

before watching: Archons should always do SOMETHING that they _are the best at._ Doesn't necessarily mean they should be the best at everything within that particular element

Archon's should be the conceptually strongest representation. But they should logically have better utility or practical usability to help their own playability.

I personally feel that Archons should be a step above other 5 stars and it seems Mihoyo does treat them differently from other characters they come around once a year and it's something to really look forward to. I also feel the same way about Harbingers but that may not be the case in Mihoyo's eyes.

The fact that Furina walks over water already makes her absolutely desirable.

Not the elements, but rather the elements' main mechanic. Anemo's crowd control and mobility, Geo's survivability, Electro's energy regeneration, Dendro's heavy reactivity, Hydro's versatility, Pyro's offense and Cryo's consistency.

Venti is currently underrated. Originally he was so strong that they literally had to make enemies specifically to weaken him in Inzauma.

The fact that some people said Raiden was underwhelming when she first released was insane

Genuinely, considering the current roster of Pyro characters, and considering archons are best at something in their element, the pyro archon is going to be an absolute MENACE

They don't have to be the STRONGEST but they must be the peak of what their element is. Venti is the bigest suck in the game and also allows you to fly (tho that got powercrept by Scaramuche), Zhongli is the ultimate shield that far surpasses anything else, Raiden generates the most energy and her chackra desidorata intracts with the energy usage of other party members like nothing else, Nahida is the best at creating reactions and even has the unique ablility to boost the reaction damage of others. I have no idea how they are going to do this for the next 3 but they must stand out. The themes remaining are HP for hydro, Brute force big damage for pyro and Crit and/or freezing for cryo. I'm ganna be honest. I would much prefer character like Hu Tao falling out of the top tier rether than an incredibly plot relevant and hype character ending up strictly worse than someone from 1.x

The difference between focalors/furina compared to the other archons is how no matter what, as long as she deals off field hydro dmg at a fast pace, she'll be good. "What's better than one xingqiu? TWO xingqius! You know what's better than two xingqius? THREE xingqius!!!!"

The Mona, Nilou and Kokomi erasure is insane. Morgana was the bomb. Nilou and Kokomi became part of the meta

Interesting to see how this has aged with Furina out. Id argue that Furina qualifies as the strongest of her element by lifting up other units both in her element and outside of it.

Something I think that could make the hydro archon unique in a way that other hydro units can't offer, is the ability to reduce cooldowns for everyone in the party. The hydro element already has a bit of a connection with cooldown (eg, the monstadt weapon domain) so it wouldn't be an too far fetched. She also would be able to provide a unique role that wouldn't pit her against someone like Yelan

I might not be using Jean for her CC, but punting enemies off a cliff, or into deep water and watching them down never gets old for me. 😄

[8:51] The *Hydro Archon* just needs to have most of her elemental application coming from *Skill* instead of *Burst* to be better than Yelan and Xingqiu, as that would make for a character that is easier to build (no ER required) and has higher damage floor/ceiling (more rolls available), even if her numbers turn out to not be that good. Same for the Pyro archon.

Furina is arguably way OP and also much more balanced. She's very risk/reward in how she works, and I think that's the smartest way they could've handled it.

Archon's need to have at least one aspect of their kit that makes them the strongest in their respective element. Like how Nahida will always have the best Dendro application out of all the Dendro characters. Someone like Alhaitham can have comparable levels of dendro application, but Nahida can accomplish that off field as well as on field, while Alhaitham can only do so from the latter.

For me, they need to be the core definition of their element. Crowd control, reactions, energy battery, and shields in each kit are the central focus. You'll likely have at least one Kazuha in every future element that has a unique spin on the kit and meta, but I think the archons are meant to showcase what the singular aspect of their element tends to focus on.

I think Furina did a good job of showing how through unique utility, i.e. her dual Arkhe and water walking, you can keep the Archons feeling powerful without having to power creep all the other units of the element. Granted Furina is also very goddam strong with just how many things she can accomplish with having big buffing ability and super easy off-field dps.

I’d say they should be the primary representation of their element’s core design philosophy. As a consequence of that it is to be expected that they should be strong in order to excel in that role. That doesn’t necessarily have to mean they have to be the strongest character of their entire element though, as there can be other play styles covered by other characters within the same element that they aren’t in direct contention with

I just noticed the tanooki at the bottom of the screen that shows video progress, love it

I really hope Furina gets the same treatment as Nahida not only in power lvl, but also in character lore and region interactions (like Nahida's mind reading ability for Sumeru NPC)

Coming back to this after Neuvilette leaks, yeah Furina has very big shoes to step into. Even going the healer route with a HP not like Kokomi will be difficult (who also happens to have insane hydro application) 💀

People definitely expect her to be strong purely based on lore. I don't know what Hoyo has planned up their sleeves because we already have so many busted hydro characters.

I'm a hydro main and I love how good all of them are in their own way. They all bring something unique to the table even candance and barbara with their lower usage. I don't expect the hydro archon to be the best hydro character because there will always be some place where another hydro will be better. I just hope the hydro archon continues that trend and furthers hydro's dominion as the best element imo

Genshin seems to be using a similar methodology that honkai impact has used over the years with hershers and archons, in both games everytime a hersher or archon is realeased they have the best numbers but more importantly have the game change around them, meaning new mechanics, bosses and everything else. I think with the hydro archon they will introduce something that is synergistic with her kit while giving her very good numbers allowing for a new niche.

They probably should be, but in the specific case of Focalors, they can tune her such that she's on par with the other options or slightly worse, but give her massive role consolidation. Like give her slightly less healing than Kokomi, slightly less damage than Xingqiu, etc, but be able to perform all those roles. Epic role consolidation could set her apart while not technically powercreeping everyone.

My prediction for Focalors kit is either or a combination of these: 1. HP-scaling 2. Skill cooldown reduction 3. Bubbles I'm looking forward to be proven wrong. I'll be surprised if I'm right. 🤣

Id like to see her buff hydro reactions. Especially transformative reactions. If she could bring freeze, shatter, and electrocharge comps into the mainstream for a while, I think that would create a unit that isnt broken or competing with XQ and Yelan while still being meta defining.

I expect Hydro archon to be a combo of Xingqui and Kokomi with immense amount of Hydro Application and great Healing potential while still having considerable damage.

She could be the best off field hydro applicator that doesn't rely on basic atracks. That way she could be insanely powerful, fill that playstyle and not step over Yelan in terms of supporting capabilities. I Still want to make an only hydro team though 😂

An archon doesn't necessarily have to be the strongest but they have to be the one who represents their element well and for hints look at the resonance buffs. Venti with his crowd control fits the above criteria. Zhongli too. Geo represents shields so ofcourse he should have the best one. Raiden gets the best ER and consistent electro application. Nahida is the best EM and reaction buffer. So extrapolating that further for the future. Hydro archon should have something HP related but also maybe something to do with versatility and fluidity. She should work with any and all teams. The pyro archon should be the archon who is actually supposed to be a DPS. Make them the best at it. Also because all the previous archons were supports or support adjacent, a dedicated DPS archon would not break the game too much. The cryo archon is basically another option for a freeze team. So cryo application like raiden skill and maybe a nuke with a crit rate buff to the party after using it.

To put it simply: They're Gods of their own elements, so yes.

I do think Archons, at least in canon, should be the best at their element. I also like to think that they're just holding back their full power (like how Yae only uses 1/5 of her power when using her skill) since they can literally terraform Teyvat. Gameplay wise, I think not necessarily, and it doesn't ruin the immersion either.

Love the little details of your videos like listing music and having a cute progress tracker

The game's combat system has a solid foundation imo and Hoyo has deliberately kept off any sudden changes to it (some might argue it was too slow). With that foundation in place I think with the upcoming archons they can explore more gameplay styles. Hydro can do something with HP. Pyro can do something like a DOT (Make burning viable or something). Cryo can bring shatter to limelight. (While they are it do something with crystalize please....).

A lot of expectations for the hydro archon, hope mihoyo wont mess her up. Every hydro unit released has been very good, like seriously aside from barbara and candace every hydro unit right now are just top tier units.

It's funny watching this after Furina ATE completely on her relase lmao. She may not be an Archon anymore, but she definetely slayed her element

I was pulling for Lyney, but know I am waiting for Furina. If I win the 50/50 she will be my first archon and honestly I don't are how powerful she is. I just really like her design and knowing how popular Yelan is I will have many opportunities to pull for her

I don't expect the Hydro archon to powercreep any of the existing hydro units. But if she was designed to, she would need to follow these conditions: - having very fast off-field application (no icd) that doesn't rely on normal attacks to trigger - have HP damage scalings similar to Kokomi but without her crit rate limitations - apply at least 3 units of hydro - revive teammates easily without a 15 minute cooldown - be an HP buffer in their base kit

I think Archons should bring something the element is missing, or yes be the strongest

Yelan: Probably the best character in the game. Incredible damage and buffing as well as overworld exploration. Xingqiu: Probably the second best character. He makes up for his damage (which is still very good) with the best off-field application and utility. Childe: Although a bit hard to use he applies the most hydro and does it Aoe! He is not as flexible but international variant is “still” one of the best teams. Ayato: Although his ceiling is lower than Tartagles he is incredibly flexible and has so many synergies and potential with other supports. Kokomi: Aoe hydro application and healing makes her a staple in dendro teams. She even can be a good main dps and driver (Sukokomon, Light of KeqingMains). Mona: She lost her spot to Kokomi and her power to Dendro but she is still (in my opinion) the best hydro for freeze teams and still offers the most powerful debuff ever. Nilou: Her investment to power ratio is absolutely crazy and does not demand specific supports, just hydro dendro boom boom. At this point Focalors has to summon the whole ocean to the abyss if she wants to have a spot in our teams.

The thing is, not everybody likes Yelan or xingqui's playstyle so even if she is a support, people may want her more than Yelan strictly off of playstyle alone. The fact that her status is archon level is enough reason for players to get her already.

Maybe the hydro archon could be a dps, a healer and/or an exploration character. Kokomi shows off that they could possibly make the new archon be amazing in water exploration. Just imagine if the skill allowed you to walk on water, has a long duration but a short cooldown like Raiden’s skill. If they wanted to implement healing factors for her, they could just make it like Barbara’s skill but the hydro application is in a bigger range and doesn’t affect the player when they’re healed. They could give her a hydro infusion for her attacks if they rather not have hydro application intervene with other reactions. The burst could be like a combination of Nilou’s and Barbara’s, that would definitely pack a punch with healing over time. It would make her unique and still manage to be overpowered if she scales with HP as that would most likely increase her numbers in both offence and healing. I can’t wait to see how they make her play style function as something powerful and special to her!

Commenting after Furina's release, she's cranked and buffing 80% of the characters in the game.

I think a little power creep is ok, if they keep trying to prevent it we could end up with another Dehya situation, and I don't think anyone wants that to happen.

Hmm I have an idea for Furina, the hydro archon’s kit, playing with the idea of duality (life steal & healing) 1. (Normal/charged attacks) just sword dances 2. (Skill- buff through life steal) Skill creates a 15s water “shield” on active character, shooting water projectiles that deal small hydro dmg whenever character performs NA/CA (kinda like beidou’s burst) During this period, slowly drains all party members’ HP over time (until 20%HP max drain) while buffing all characters dmg based on the HP lost (buff ends when shield expires) 3. (Burst- buff through healing) for 15s, creates a field that slowly draws enemies towards the centre , where water orb/cage/bubbles will emerge, homing in & trapping enemies. This cage deals periodic hydro dmg while enemy is trapped inside until it destroyed on its own (after 5s) or through popping. Characters who pop them (through any hydro reactions) will be healed & gain a dmg increase based on amount healed (lasts until burst duration ends) 3. (Passive) after active character pops burst bubble, increases their max HP & grants an EM bonus based on their max HP (lasts until burst ends) -essentially, if you unleash burst and skill together, characters can get all multiple buffs mentioned above + won’t die cuz of simultaneous healing and HPdrain mechanics

The funny thing is I went out of my way to find Venti a spot on a team, and find he does great in Hyper Bloom/Aggravate/Spread teams due to all the electro ticks he can do while sucking in the Bloom Cores. Probably the one niche he has over Kazuha since the more ticks of electro/dendro the better for those reactions.

The idea of the hydro arrchon being a HP buffer might work : What if she adds a ton of HP to all party members, but she drains their HP with her burst to get a massive ATK buff, where a portion of the buff would be given to allies, kinda like the ER on Xiphos Moonlight. This would work considering the hydro resonance. And on top of all, it would'nt restrict her to a HP buffer.

Well Damn.. first time seeing you as a content creator and I'm pleasantly surprised. This was a really good video (both visually or if you just listening while getting some things done). I guess I found my new go to Genshin content creator ❤ Oh and you definitely got a sub from me 😁 keep up the great work 💪🏼

Light & Abbyss would be the elemental powers of those who resides in Celestia, and since Celestia is the final arc, there will be another characters who uses Light & Abbyss elements such as Dain. These beings are beyond the Archons, just like the Traveller.

Crazy theory some people think that the hydro archon will have two forms. I think that would be a great way to make her super good. if one form was a good dps while the other was a really good short or healer. And this wouldn’t be like Childe it would be so that you Could switch at any time and stay as one form for as long as you want.

I would say Venti still qualify to be the best anemo user for the main utility the element provides which is crowd control. Although they have an overlaps with their role, they are meant to work differently since Kazuha is more of a buffer.

I feel like Mihoyo baked in their own plot element as an out for archon’s being not being OP. Losing their gnosis suggests that a significant portion of their power is lost.

All the archons have brought quality of life (QoL) improvements to me: an old uncoordinated person playing with a touchscreen (iPad). Venti's whirlwind allowed me to be more imprecise in combat and also gave me occasional rest breaks. He also made world movement and catching crystalflies easier. I have to admit that Kazuha is even better for QoL. Zhongli is in nearly all of my teams. My inability to dodge resulted in me dying a lot before his arrival. Raiden allowed me to solo many more domains than I could before. Before Raiden I always needed friends to co-op with me to build my characters. Nahida allows me to spin in place instead of chasing enemies. Farming is also much nicer. The hydro archon doesn't have to be good in combat. I'm looking forward to seeing what QoL improvements she brings. The archons, I think, are designed for people who are unskilled at the game :)

They're the GODS OF THEIR ELEMENTS. Of course they should be the strongest or at least extremely overpowered.

I mean it makes a lot of sense in a story telling perspective to be stronger. Gameplay wise, archons are quite hard to come by so it also makes sense that their kits are strong and has longevity in mind.

Thoughtful video 😮

I think they will always be the best at what they mainly do venti with crowd control zhongli with shielding raiden with energy and nahida with application

I think the thing that makes the archons strong is that they are practically always useful. They can all be slotted into most teams and do everything needed from their element. They might not be the best at everything but they CAN pheasably do everything their element demands of them and do 1 thing better than the rest. For the Hydro archon that would probably include healing, damage, hydro application and buffing, so I guess she’ll do all 4 and do 1 better than anyone else like the other archons (except the all-powerful Nahida).

Wow, this was exactly what I was just thinking of too! I don’t think archons should be the best, but have a utility good and “niche” enough that they won’t be powercrept into obscurity. Although some might say Venti got outclassed by Kazuha, Venti is still the strongest in his niche: crowd control. He still makes movable mobs feel like a joke and despite the changes in current abyss, I doubt that utility of his to ever “fall off” in the future. I expect the same from the hydro archon - I don’t think any other hydro character can surpass Xingqiu or Yelan’s global utility right now, but that doesn’t mean focalors can’t be equally powerful in her own niche and unlock meta teams in the future, just like every archon has in the past.

"You're just not good at child" 👍🏼

They could make it so the hydro archon apart from dealing decent dmg and good hydro off field application, it can boost reactions in different ways, like freeze lasting 2s longer or electro charged jumping between enemies faster and more times, or have her own little niche like boosting party's elemental dmg based on her hp

Like others have said I think the Archons should be the best in their specific domain and not try to cover every single thing the element can do. Venti is best CC, Zhongli is best shield, etc. Like you said, what keeps Raiden from being too OP is that she doesn't benefit from Dendro too much, therefore she doesn't dwarf the entire Electro element and allows for other units to be viable. I believe they could pull that off with Furina, making her strong in a very specific but still very useful area but say, doesn't have good hydro application or doesn't heal so she won't be in conflict with Yelan or Kokomi.

I think with how stacked the Hydro roster is, Furina needs to be something different, like crowd control. But, the difficulty there lies in not encroaching on another element's niche

I do remember someone pointing out that to not make power creep, the hydro archon should provide something xq and yelan dont have, or instead of competing, she could bring out a new niche playstyle which will push her away from the competition and make her kit her own separate thing, like how zhong dong provides petrification

The hydro archon speculation/leaks suggest a healing and simultaneous buffing based on health consumption. A balancing act akin to the scales of justice. In that kinda role we don't really have much competition for her.

Yes. And I am not biased as someone saving for C6 Furina as a f2p. Nope not biased at all.

I disagree with the fact that "Archons are the strongest characters" or "god tier characters" because that's something that we build, we create, for hype. Zhongli was not considered a good character during release, in fact he is the *only* character who recieve a buff (at 1.3). Raiden was also not considered a good character when she released. Basically, during beta, Raiden ult could synergy with Beidou ult, and it was a strong combo, but when she released this combo has been removed, and mihoyo claimed that "Raiden dmg is considered ult dmg, not normal attack dmg, as such it doesn't synergy". This was the first time we heard this explaination, and it felt like a random nerf. That's why I don't like this argument: no one said that Zhongli should be "god tier", nor beta was an official showcase. That's "hype", something that, for some reason, we like to blame ourselves even if it's not our fault. It is a great way to sell anything and an even better way to get us dissapointed because we fear being disappointed.

I would really like a nice easy off-field hydro application. Even if the archon had a useless burst but had a nice skill that applied hydro with a really low cooldown and great uptime. That would allow so many hyperbloom teams with an electro or dendro dps

I love the shark is running the same speed as video time indactor(like loading screen)

I'm pulling for her regardless of her kit, her design and voice are absolutely gorgeous

They could just make the hydro Archon do different Things than yelan or xq, like idk make her a buffer/healer anything or idk something new,so like that she might not be best hydro char but with xq's existence it just is hard to bassicly impossible

Raiden is fucking awesome. Been using her at C3 since she came out. I LOVE how she’s just like: “okay everyone lets spam your burst to fuel my nuke type burst”

Another thing I feel interesting to mention with all the hp scaling remarks is Barbara's recent nerf. The healing range of her burst was 200m, and has been nerfed to 30m, with the devs claiming it was a bug that has been in the game... since release. With how random the timing is, and how no one thought to fix this for 2 years, many people are suspecting the hydro archon is going to be a healer to one up Barbara being a five star and an archon.

Imo, I hope the hydro archon is not a HP buffer. Not because it's a niche or anything. But more on the game balance. Think about it, if focalors provide HP buff, characters like hutao, Nilou, Yelan, hydro resonance, Bennett, kokomi will also get an immense buff as well. A lot of the HP scalers are already considered one of the best out there and the gap of their power level vs other attack based characters who are already not so meta will be larger than ever. Which could even discourage players from pulling for them. It's sounds kinda unfair for players who have to wait years to get a dedicated support where you still need her C6 for xiao or eula. HP scaling characters are already strong and are dominating the "meta". There is not much reason to buff them even more, why not buff some characters who do need one like dehya. It would much prefer if Focalors provide some new playstyle rather than just being a Vape/bloom/freeze support for already existing strong characters.

This is the exact kind of thought I have been having for some days, since the other 4 Archons are either the best of their respective elements or at the very least one of the best of their respective element, then the Hydro Archon should be busted AF since as we all know Hydro is literally the best element right now with OP characters such as Yelan, Xingqiu, Ayato, Childe, Nilou, Kokomi and others and keeping that in mind Furina should be the OP-est character we have seen so far. Personally I am hoping that at the very least Furina would one of the top contender alongside Yelan and Xingqiu.

What about low-damage, off-field AOE hydro application, combined with big HP buffs for team? Useful everywhere for the hydro app, but you only use her full kit if you have HP scalers

What I could see, is that the hydro archon would boost physical attacker real hard more than any 4stars that we have (like atk speed, atk% crt rate AND crt dmg) and boost damage on reaction teams where an element is used alongside a phys atk (like razor). Or and make a nahida dome kind of burst. Of course it would help everyone but that could be a nice "torrent of renaissance" for phys attacker

They should be best at something or at least one of the top 3 characters in their element, I think the Hydro Archon should be one of the games best healers and have great Hydro aplication. I'm also hoping the Pyro Archon is gonna be the best DPS, or at least the best Pyro DPS.

i think what is missing from hydro roster is the strong CC, since most current hydro units either dish out dmg, tanky, healer, or a buffer and yes you could say that mona's q and yelan's e are cc but aren't effective as much, plus people observed that most archon's abilities can be seen through the slimes abilities (somehow) so that is what i am mostly looking forward for the hydro archon

Archons come once a year they are the pinnacle of hype. They should definitely be better

I mean if it were up to me to build the hydro archon’s kit I’d put an EM buff in there- idk just kinda makes sense and would make her a good support in dendro and hydro teams.

Yes they should be stronger. Canonically they are a higher form than vision holders and i celestia has to give them a much more op power in ALL aspects of their elemets

Honestly can’t see her being better than c6 Xingqiu, he’s literally perfect

I have a feeling they’d be best at specific things that the element is good at, maybe even relating to the elemental team resonance, as well as application being super good. Venti with crowd control as well as a neat mobility tool, Zhongli with his best shield in the game, Raiden with the energy recharge, nahida with the elemental mastery, I can imagine the main appeal of the hydro archon is maybe healing?? maybe boosting health and probably a lot of hydro application, Pyro archon idk maybe just a real good dps or atk booster, cryo, who knows

She could slow enemies in a radius around you, both attack and movement speed, and apply hydro to all enemies in the field It would allow her to be niche while enabling reactions yet at the same time doesn’t directly do much to buff hydro since they’re pretty strong already

Here's my BEST idea that I could think of so far. (Full kit idea below, I think it's a pretty exciting idea!) An On-Field FORWARD vape carry. Consider this: Childe and Ayato already fulfill the roll of on field carrys. And they do it quite well. BUT they are ENABLERS. Xingqiu and Yelan are S tier supports, who are ALSO enablers by nature. So instead of stepping on either of their toes, we consider what's missing - good hydro shielders, hydro resistance shred (I guess Xingqiu does that a bit), Strong AoE hydro application, which falls off in single target (like Beidou but Hydro)... But I think a dps where YOU can decide when you wanna apply the element is really engaging. Her Kit: Normals: Polearm user. Don't do much damage but are REALLY important. Have low or mediocre scaling. Skill: Strikes with her weapon in front of her, dealing damage in a VERY wide cone. Enemies on the outer/further area of that cone area are dealt WAY more damage than enemies close to her (in other words: the outer edge of her skill is the "sweet-spot"). Has a VERY low cooldown (I'm talking 2 to 4 seconds ish). Importantly, NO ICD! Burst: Does a single instance of damage (medium scaling - but could be low or high depending on balance) in a MASSIVE AoE (I'm talking Kazuha or Ganyu burst sizes) and creates a "water vortex" for x seconds. While water vortex is active: 1) she will KEEP PULLING IN any enemies that are in that aoe range towards her. 2) Her NORMAL attacks will PUSH the enemies away from her (so that they are in the skill sweet-spot range). 3) Her skill will gain bonus damage. Now - notice that she's ONLY applying hydro with her Skill and just once with her burst at the start. But her skill aoe is huge. The idea that she will suck all the enemies towards her but will have to push them away to get the sweet spot damage is really satisfying and engaging as an on-field carry. Her normals can be infused with other elements, opening variety of comps but especially vape WITH Bennett (and you can stand on Bennett's circle while she sucks everyone in - while her autos apply pyro with C6 Bennett). But you can just as easily rely on off-field pyro application like Xiangling or Kazuha infusion... Idk. She may be great in freeze comps too due to her burst. Point is, you're constantly engaged and her normals, skill and burst work together fluidly! Edit: another thing I want to add: Her normals, while burst is active, push enemies away to the sweet spot range. But if enemies are heavy, she pushes herself back to that distance. And if the enemies are in-between light and heavy, you both get pushed half-half to maintain the sweetspot range. Also, it does NOT stagger the enemies!

Honestly, I really couldn't care less. I'm still pulling for her because of her design and element alone. If she ends up being amazing, then that's a win/win situation for me :) And I'm actually planning to get some cons. (I'm f2p but I'm saving up primos for her)

Here's the thing , furina's leaks says that she has some new mechanics in game that is related to gravity , and I don't think any other hydro character has that ability so yes she's gonna make her own new league for competition if there's any character release in future with same mechanism

Venti: Drunk Musician Zhongli: BROKE Raiden Shogun: Booba Blade Nahida: Mind Reader Focalors: Ace Attorney Murata: Kratos, but a Girl The Tsaritsa: Evil Elsa

Hydro doesnt have any cc character rn yes we can use hydro in freeze teams with cryo but especially for nilou teams there is nothing can we use or vapo teams so I believe she is gonna have a stun or slow mechanic just like zhongli petrifies mobs with ult and I think instead of vapo she is gonna shine more with dendro but will see 😅

Hydro Archon? Given that she's all about dunking on people in the courtroom, I'm guessing we're going to see some fun punish mechanics. A shield that reflects. A supernasty leech effect. A confuse/defense shred? Maybe a Max-HP percent dot that stacks. Something that doesn't completely nullify the strengths of other units, but adds a new angle to approach the keep-green-bar-high/make-red-bar-vanish equation.

the hydro archon might fill a specific support niche like healing + buffs + dmg, instead of just one of those things

the only way Focalors could become a meta character is if she wouldn't try to compete with hydro appliers. her application shouldn't matter or at least shouldn't be her selling point. instead genshin should either give hydro a new direction for personal damage or give her a kit that buffs vaporise reactions in some way. she should get something that seems niche but is so strong that it makes everyone use this niche, kinda like how Nilou is with blooms. I'm thinking something with HP manipulation, maybe play into the way so many hp characters heal and make her a reverse healer, make everyone lose HP to gain massive buffs for atk and def or maybe elemental damage. or maybe you lose HP but gain it back for dealing damage to enemies. we already have like 2 characters who gain buffs from losing HP, but that niche is barely explored so it will be cool to see it expanded upon. Focalors Raiden Nahida Zhongli is better become a meta team or Imma cry.

yes end of conversation

The hydro archon will probably be a buffer since most of the archons so far tend to lean more into the support side

- Idk why we have to assume she is support or off-field dps. Hydro is, in my opinion, particularly known for healing as well. of course then we have kokomi to compete with instead of xingqiu and yelan and kokomi is probably the strongest healer currently and also applies a ton of off-field hydro. - What some other people always bring up is that we don't have any other element but anemo that does cc but it would make sense for hydro too. like waves, bubbles or whirlpools. - Something i didn't hear yet but i would find really really cool is introducing a new mechanic we havn't seen yet. Other games often have the summoner archetype. Now we have some characters like xiangling or fischl that can summon static helpers but we have no character yet that can summon creatures that run around. Now looking at some of the boss mobs which are often embodiements of their element we have for example the oceanid. The oceanid summons water creatures that run around, attack you and apply hydro. If the hydro archon say could summon such creatures too or maybe hydro eidolons that run around for a bit and attack and apply with hydro i think that would be a sick idea that might be very strong but not extremely overpowered and it could give you a more wide coverage of hydro application or help against scattered groups of enemies.

Not only is Furina the best Hydro Unit in Genshin, but the strongest character period. RIP past Raleil.