With the highly anticipated launch of the Hydro nation, Fontaine, now fully underway, Genshin Impact players are starting to express their disappointment with the "lacklustre" and "lazy" design of the Hydro Traveler's kit, calling it "unacceptably weak".
Genshi Impact Version 4.0 is surging ahead at full throttle, opening the doors to a vibrant underwater world for players to explore. This expansion also presents an opportunity for players to integrate the MC, armed with newfound Hydro powers, into their teams. While players recognise the Hydro Traveler's “uniqueness”, there are several factors that contribute to it being viewed as a missed opportunity and pale in comparison to its Dendro counterpart.
Genshin Impact players claim that the Hydro Traveler is the “worst thing” that has ever happened to the MC
After witnessing how the Dendro Traveler served as a gateway to powerful Dendro reactions, Genshin Impact players are finding the Hydro Traveler's abilities underwhelming, even calling it a “flop” and the “worst thing” to ever happen to Genshin Impact’s protagonist.
The main qualms regarding the Hydro Traveler encompass, well, everything. Genshin Impact fans took to Reddit to voice their concerns, with many pointing out that the Hydro Traveler’s kit is a missed opportunity, especially given the formidability of the element of Hydro in the current meta. Some are disappointed that HoYoverse did not capitalise on the Hydro Travelers’ healing properties, and some are questioning how negligible their Passive Talents are.
One player's frustration is evident: “I don't get it... The damage is fine, the hydro application is okay. They could have been an A-tier character just like their Dendro counterpart. But no, they have to be an on-field character who can not even move during skill usage!”
Most notably, the Hydro Traveler’s Elemental Skill and Burst have become a “laughing stock” in the Genshin Impact community.
According to a popular Genshin Impact YouTuber, Gacha Gamer, while the Hydro Traveler’s Elemental Skill, Aquacrest Saber, deals a decent amount of damage with each Dewdrop, the fact that you're unable to move while channelling and shooting the Dewdrops makes the skill quite frustrating to use. Awkward positioning oftentimes renders the interruption to enemy resistance practically inconsequential. Moreover, its range is quite limited, making positioning during battles much more challenging than it should be.
On the other hand, Hydro Traveller’s Elemental Burst, Rising Waters, moves around a bit too much on the battlefield, often phasing through walls and even venturing out of bounds in the Spiral Abyss.
The same player's exasperation becomes apparent: “The burst is even worse [...] It doesn't even stop! At least [Anemo Traveler’s] burst can be stopped when hitting big enemies or walls like Ayaka's. Hydro's burst literally sashayed away!” As such, Rising Waters is certainly not a reliable source of Hydro Application, especially paired with its high Energy Cost.
Gacha Gamer, in conclusion, suggests that the Hydro Traveler isn't exactly the “worst thing” to happen in Genshin and can actually be quite enjoyable to use. However, for players that lack resources, he recommends not investing in the Hydro Traveler.
If you are a Lumine/Aether main, and enjoy what Hydro Traveler brings to the table, be sure to check out our Hydro Traveler build guide here!
Interested in learning more about Fontaine? We've got you covered. Discover all that you need to know about the 18 new Fontaine characters and learn about what new and exciting events await you in the current update in Version 4.0: Release date, new events, Archon Quest, and what to expect.
On top of that, get ahead of the curve and start planning your Primogem savings for your favourite Fontainian characters with our Fontaine character banner schedule here!