Genshin Impact’s Dendro element changes the game for Keqing players

polygon.com:

All hail the cat queen. Keqing, one of the most commonly owned 5-star characters in Genshin Impact, finally has a favorable place in the game’s meta. Thanks to the Dendro element, her days as an overlooked Electro 5-star are over… for now.

Many Electro characters besides Keqing can consistently trigger elemental reactions. She just stands out because she’s many players’ first 5-star character and she’s constantly available on the standard banner. Plus, the number of Aggravate reactions she can cause with her Elemental Burst outweigh other low-budget options. Longtime Keqing-havers can see the drastic change in her damage output when Dendro is involved.

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In the days before Dendro, the usual Keqing experience went like this: You’d get her after losing a 50/50 on an event banner, or as a 5-star from the standard banner. She could carry you through the 12th floor of the Spiral Abyss, maybe even the entire game if you used her right. But, whenever you saved up enough gems to pull for someone more OP, Keqing became old news. Goodbye cat girl, hello sword boob lady!

“Keqing is the best Electro for any newbie. Fast cooldown. Electro infusion. Traversal. Fast attack. Can use Black Sword. Has invincibility. Kawaii,” Genshin player John Veldad told Polygon. “In terms of damage, she is average. In terms of versatility, she is top-tier.”

Before the latest update, the Genshin Impact community generally treated Keqing like a “beginner DPS” — a character to use until you could get someone better. In a Reddit thread that kicked off by describing her as the “worst 5-star DPS,” players listed their gripes, including the high stamina cost for her skills, her tendency to knock back enemies, her undesirable constellations, and her