Wanderer is a decently strong character who excels in open world combat, but has struggled to make an impact on the meta. As an Anemo hypercarry, Wanderer is hampered by his lack of access to amplifying or additive reactions. As a driver, he competes with Sucrose and Heizou, both of whom are 4-stars and easier to obtain.
In terms of raw strength, Wanderer is strong enough to clear the Spiral Abyss, as long as you have the right team to support him. If you just like his playstyle or character, then you’ll probably be satisfied enough with his performance. If you only care about big numbers, though, Wanderer is probably not for you.
The open world is where Wanderer shines the most. His damage is reliant on his Skill, not his Burst, so he doesn’t need to have a constant source of Energy. On top of this, Wanderer can literally fly, bypassing many open world obstacles and puzzles. If you spend a lot of time traversing the vast landscapes of Teyvat, Wanderer is one of the best characters to have in your roster.
Is Wanderer a DPS?
Yes, Wanderer is an on-field Anemo DPS. He deals damage by staying on field using his Skill and enhanced Normal Attacks.
As an on-fielder, Wanderer is best suited to the hypercarry role, where he deals the majority of his team’s damage with less emphasis on reactions. In a hypercarry team, Wanderer’s teammates should focus on supporting him with buffs, healing, or shields.
However, as an Anemo Catalyst user, Wanderer has the flexibility to be a driver for off-field DPS characters. His Normal Attacks can easily drive other characters’ effects that trigger with Normal Attacks, like Xingqiu’s Rain Swords or Beidou’s lightning. He can also trigger Swirl to activate the 4pc Viridescent Venerer effect. This makes Wanderer effective in Electro-Charged teams with Fischl and Xingqiu/Yelan. You can even experiment with other off-field DPS characters like Xiangling.
Wanderer’s best combos
To start Wanderer’s combo, always cast his Skill first. This lets Wanderer fly up into the air and empowers his Normal and Charged Attacks.
Once your Wanderer is in the air, his overall best combo is to use two Normal Attacks followed by a Charged Attack (N2C) until the blue bar next to him runs out. Optionally, you can use his Burst when the blue bar is just about to run out to end his combo. After finishing his combo, swap to your next character to begin your rotation again.
There are scenarios where you may want to use a different combo. In multi-target situations where you want Wanderer to hit in a larger AoE, you can spam Charged Attacks with no Normals in between. If you have weapon or team buffs that empower Normal Attacks but not Charged Attacks, you may choose to only spam Normal Attacks.
Are Wanderer Constellations worth pulling?
No, Wanderer’s Constellations are generally not worth pulling. His Constellations increase his own damage in various ways, but his damage at C0 is usually sufficient for most scenarios. Unless you are determined to maximize Wanderer’s damage in the Spiral Abyss, Constellations are unnecessary. If you do decide to pull for Constellations, I recommend stopping at C1 or C2.
Wanderer’s Constellation 1 increases his attack speed during his combo. Though most attack speed buffs in Genshin Impact only affect Normal Attacks, Wanderer’s C1 also speeds up his Charged Attacks. This allows for a few more attacks during Wanderer’s combo before he drops to the ground.
Wanderer’s Constellation 2 buffs his Burst damage significantly when used at the end of his combo. Though Bursting is optional at C0, C2 encourages Wanderer to Burst every rotation. Having C2 does mean you will want to build some Energy Recharge, though, and forgo using 4pc Shimenawa’s Reminiscence. The actual DPS increase from this Constellation will depend on whether you need to adjust your build to account for his Energy needs.
Is Wanderer’s weapon worth pulling?
No, I don’t recommend pulling for Wanderer’s signature weapon. His signature weapon, Tulaytullah’s Remembrance, does result in the highest damage for Wanderer. However, he has many competitive weapon options available to him.
Many of the 5-star Catalysts are useful to Wanderer, including Lost Prayer to the Sacred Winds, Cashflow Supervision, and Skyward Atlas. My personal recommendation, if you have it, is Lost Prayer to the Sacred Winds. Wanderer’s extended field time means he makes use of its stacking buffs, and the movement speed bonus allows him to zoom incredibly quickly through the sky.
As for 4-star options, I recommend The Widsith. The Widsith can perform almost as well as Tulaytullah’s Remembrance, but it’s a bit inconsistent. Its buffs are random, and they only have about 50% uptime with normal rotations.
If you don’t have The Widsith, try Flowing Purity. It requires a healer and doesn’t work with Bennett, but it can be crafted for free using billets.
