Raiden Shogun Needs a Buff—And Genshin Impact Players Know It ExploreGenshin

In a passionate critique, content creator Jello Impact revisits one of Genshin Impact’s most iconic figures: Raiden Shogun, the Electro Archon. Despite being a central lore figure and once considered top-tier, Raiden is now lagging behind in the ever-evolving meta—and the argument that she deserves a buff is more compelling than ever.

The Fall of an Archon

Raiden Shogun, introduced in Version 2.1, once represented the pinnacle of power. Her design, animations, and fantasy were unmatched—and to many, they still are. But as the game progresses into the Natlan era, Raiden’s performance simply doesn’t live up to her status anymore.

She’s a flexible unit, viable in many teams (National, Double Hydro, Hyperbloom, Overload), and yes, she can still 36-star the Abyss. But as Jello Impact notes, that’s not the benchmark anymore—not in a game that now features units like Veressa, Mavika, and Chlorinde, who outdamage her significantly at equal or lower investment.

The Numbers Don’t Lie

At C0 with a crown and best-in-slot gear, Raiden averages around 75k DPS in free-to-play optimized teams. In contrast:

Chlorinde clocks in closer to 100k DPS
Veressa goes up to 110k+

These aren’t minor gaps—they’re 25-40% higher, and they represent what’s widely recognized as power creep.

Raiden’s supposed to be a god who can split mountains. But in terms of raw damage and modern rotations, she’s a shadow of her former self—washed, in Jello’s words.

What Went Wrong?

Jello Impact identifies multiple key problems with Raiden Shogun’s current design:

1. Outdated Kit Mechanics

Her Elemental Skill does minimal damage and provides only a modest burst buff.
The coordinated attack does not deal meaningful damage or reliably apply Electro.
The Skill does nothing to shields, making her bad at breaking them.

2. No Crit in Her Kit

Raiden has no crit rate or crit damage scaling, either through ascension or talents.
Her weapon, Engulfing Lightning, also offers no crit.
Building her is disproportionately harder than newer five-stars, most of whom come with crit scaling or mechanics that boost it indirectly.

3. Cooldown Desync

18s burst cooldown does not align with many of her ideal teammates.
- Sara has a 20s cooldown.
- Yae Miko: 22s.
- Xiangling: 20s.
- Even Furina (Fina) and her skill have a mismatch at 20s.
The solution to this problem is locked behind Constellation 6, which reduces cooldowns by 5s—a fix that should arguably be in her base kit.

The Meta Has Moved On

The critique also compares Raiden to Maua, whose kit appears to take direct inspiration from Raiden’s but offers more damage, better buffing, and stronger synergy—without the artificial restrictions.

Jello’s frustration boils down to this: Raiden is supposed to be a divine force, but in practice, she feels like an outdated five-star whose only fix is spending thousands on constellations that don’t even fully close the gap.

What Could Fix Her?

Here are some suggested buffs or reworks that would restore Raiden to archon-worthy status:

Convert energy recharge into crit rate or crit damage
→ A modern design standard seen in newer units.
Boost Elemental Skill damage and Electro application
Improve burst multiplier scaling at base levels
Move cooldown reduction from C6 to an earlier constellation—or make it part of her passive kit
Rework synergy with long-cooldown teammates

These changes would help Raiden compete with her successors and feel as powerful as her narrative role suggests.

The Emotional Side

For many players—including Jello himself—immersion matters. When a character with such rich lore, divine status, and thematic importance feels weak, it breaks the fantasy. Raiden’s splash art, voice acting, and combat animations still rank among the best in the game. But when her numbers don’t match the aesthetic, the dissonance is hard to ignore.

The Call to Action

As HoYoverse begins buffing characters in Zenless Zone Zero and Honkai Star Rail, the Genshin community is hopeful that long-neglected units like Raiden Shogun will finally receive some long-overdue attention.

And to quote Jello Impact:

“Let us who want to enjoy a real god of thunder have an actual god of thunder.”

For the full video, check out Jello Impact’s breakdown.

For more updates, guides, and in-depth analysis, visit ExploreGenshin.gg.

Frequently Asked Questions about Raiden Shogun in 5.8+

Is Raiden Shogun still good in Genshin Impact 5.8?

Yes, she’s still viable and flexible, but her DPS is significantly outclassed by newer five-star characters, especially in endgame.

What makes Raiden hard to build?

She lacks crit rate/crit damage scaling and her weapon offers none either, making it hard to achieve optimal ratios without premium artifacts.

What teams work best with Raiden Shogun?

Her best setups are Double Hydro, National Team, Overload, and Hyperbloom, but she suffers from rotation desync with many of her supports.