Genshin Impact Traveler becomes S-tier character with simple trick
MiHoYoThe Hydro Traveler was never a top-tier DPS in Genshin Impact. Most players only use them for lore, exploration, or as a last resort. But thanks to a bizarre interaction with Xiao Lanterns, they now outdamage every five-star character in the game.
In Genshin Impact, the Traveler is designed to be flexible but never overpowered. They can swap elements, but their damage has always been underwhelming.
Meta players usually ignore them for stronger limited characters, like this update’s banner lead: Mavuika. But all that changed when players discovered that a bug could unintentionally supercharge Hydro Traveler’s burst.
As shown in a clip, the Hydro Traveler can clear a top-tier enemy in an almost 7-second burst of damage, all thanks to Xiao Lanterns.
How the Hydro Traveler exploit works
Here’s how it works: The Hydro Traveler’s burst ticks damage whenever it touches an entity. Normally, this means enemies. But for some reason, the game counts Xiao Lanterns as entities too.
By dropping a bunch of lanterns before using their burst, players can trigger an absurd number of extra damage ticks. The result is a Hydro Traveler melts bosses in seconds.
This bug has turned the Traveler into the fastest DPS in Genshin. One particular boss fight that usually takes top-tier units over 10 seconds can be cleared Hydro Traveler in six. For reference, that’s faster than C6 Mavuika, Arlecchino, and even Neuvillette.
The community reaction has been a mix of awe and disbelief. One player joked, “Hydro Traveler celebrates Chinese New Year by using many Xiao Lanterns and murdering things.”
Another pointed out the irony: “Damn, people say Honkai Star Rail has bad power creep, but Mavuika just got power-crept in the same patch.”
Of course, this won’t last. HoYoverse will almost certainly patch it soon. But for now, Hydro Traveler gets to shine. If you’ve ever wanted to flex on whales using a free character, now’s your chance.