Is Mualani good in Genshin Impact?

With the release of Natlan, there’s a lot of interest in the first 5-star character from the new nation. Mualani is an on-field Hydro DPS, but how does she stack up against other DPS options? Is Mualani strong enough to redefine Genshin Impact’s meta?

Is Mualani worth pulling?

Mualani is available in the character event banner for the first half of Version 5.0. She’s the first character in Genshin Impact who can truly take advantage of the Vaporize reaction with a Hydro trigger. With the proper Pyro teammates, Mualani is incredibly strong. If you do decide to pull for Mualani, then you won’t be disappointed by her damage.

In terms of raw damage, Mualani in a Vaporize team is roughly on par with Neuvillette in a mono Hydro Furina team. Neuvillette is still unique for his ability to sustain himself with his own healing. Mualani can’t heal herself, but she can be useful for open-world exploration.

Only pull for Mualani if you like her. If you’re pulling for meta reasons alone, there are plenty of other strong DPS options to choose from. While Mualani may be the only character specializing in forward Vaporize teams, very few scenarios will call for that specific strategy.

Are Mualani’s Constellations worth it?

Mualani’s Constellations increase her damage to varying degrees. Her first two Constellations both provide noticeable increases. If you choose to pull for Mualani’s Constellations at all, I recommend stopping at C1 or C2. However, if you have to choose between Constellations and her signature weapon, the signature weapon might be a better value.

The rest of her Constellations provide smaller damage increases, with the exception of C6, which is a massive damage boost. Only pull for C6 Mualani if you have the budget and you really like her; there’s no content in Genshin Impact that’s hard enough to require C6 5-star characters.

Is Mualani’s weapon worth it?

Mualani’s signature 5-star weapon, Surf’s Up, is her best weapon by a sizable margin. When compared to Ring of Yaxche, the damage increase from Surf’s up is slightly higher than Constellation 1 alone. However, Constellation 1 and 2 together result in more damage than Surf’s Up alone. 

Especially with the recent changes to the weapon banner, Surf’s Up provides better value for your Primogems. You only need one Fate Point to guarantee your desired weapon, and the weapon banner has a more generous pity system. If you have the Primogems to spare, I recommend prioritizing Mualani’s weapon over her Constellations.

Mualani is a complete unit at C0 with free-to-play weapons. Her Constellations and weapon make her stronger, but she’s plenty strong already. Don’t feel pressured to spend Primogems you don’t have, and engage with the gacha system responsibly.