The main damage dealer can gracefully enter the field, press three buttons, and turn the enemy into dust. But then someone still has to manage the rotation while he waits for his cooldowns.

And this is where the real magic of Genshin Impact begins . A good sub-DD doesn’t just throw out a few numbers from behind the main character. They maintain reactions, distribute buffs, reduce resistances, generate energy, and continue dealing damage long after they’ve been off-screen.

I’ve compiled a list of eight characters that I currently consider to be among the best options for this role. The first five are practically the elite of the modern meta. The rest are also capable of dealing heavy damage, but require a little more specificity from the team.

Columbine

Columbine is perhaps the most obvious candidate for the top spot when it comes to modern Lunar Reactions teams. Her ability works from the pocket, supports Hydro Application, and simultaneously deals damage through Lunar Reactions. Her ultimate boosts the damage of these reactions for the entire team. She simultaneously serves as a sub-DPS, an archetype activator, and a significant booster for others.

The real action begins in teams with other Lunar archetype characters. Columbine can increase the level of Lunar Omen, and when paired with other suitable heroes, she unlocks additional effects for gear and characters. Simply put, she doesn’t just join a ready-made meta, but rather helps it function at peak performance.

Playing her is pretty simple: you just cast a skill, leave the field, and go about your business. Her ultimate is a bit more challenging, as you need to factor its use into your rotation and monitor her energy regeneration. And Columbine’s energy is a real luxury tax. Her energy regeneration requirements are quite high, so simply racking up crits and sending her into battle won’t cut it.

In terms of investment, I’d call her medium-difficulty. C0 already provides the character’s core value, but subsequent constellations significantly strengthen the team. The most attractive threshold before C6 is C2: she receives a significant boost to her own sub-DD damage and team effects. So if your account already lives in the world of Lunar Reactions, Columbine looks like a character you’ll want to build half your account around.

Ineffa

Ineffa is built around Lunar Charge, a new version of Charged. The nanny robot deals significant direct damage with this reaction from her pocket, constantly applies Electro, and also provides a long-lasting shield. The key feature is that Lunar Charge takes into account the stats of multiple players, and Ineffa can contribute her own direct damage. Therefore, in a successful team, she becomes a vital part of the entire squad.

At the same time, Ineffa remains quite versatile. She can be used as a trigger for Overload, and her shield and constant Electro allow her to fit into other teams as well. But if you want to see the character’s full potential, the path almost always leads to Lunar Charge.

There’s also an interesting nuance to the build: for maximum effectiveness, you should first reach around 2000 attack power, after which the value of further increasing this stat drops significantly and you can switch to crit and elemental mastery.

In other words, Ineffa doesn’t require a huge investment so much as an understanding of what exactly you’re building. Loading her with random artifacts with impressive crits and hoping for a miracle is a dead end. But if you build her for the right reaction, Ineffa begins to feel like a character the developers clearly didn’t just build part-time.

Linnaeus

Linnea is frightening just from the concept alone, to be honest. She’s a Geo-sub DPS, a healer, an Elemental Mastery booster, and a specialized Moon Crystal support all at once. At the same time, she can work practically without ever stepping on the field, continuing to dish out damage while her main character does all the dirty work.

Its core mechanic revolves around Lumi, a companion Linnea summons with her skill. In its normal form, Lumi remains on the field, regularly casting Geo and dealing direct damage with Lunar Crystallization. It’s a convenient option for a standard long rotation: place Lumi and leave.

But you can play more aggressively: by repeatedly pressing her elemental skill, Linnea gains the ability to sacrifice her current Lumi form for massive damage. And here Linnea transforms from just another support into a full-fledged sub-DD. She doesn’t have to stand on the field forever for her damage output, but if necessary, she can come out, dish out massive numbers, and then disappear again.

Plus, she has a team-wide healing effect from her ultimate, a Geo Resistance reduction, and an Elemental Mastery buff. So, a character who seemingly came in just to throw rocks suddenly ends up providing half the team’s needs.

The main drawback is obvious: Linnea favors Lunar Crystallization commands, meaning she’s not a universal magic wand. However, the entry cost is quite pleasant. She has a variety of weapons available, including a slingshot, and her primary style, through skill, doesn’t require a huge amount of mechanical effort.

Odette

Odette is a very interesting example of a character that perfectly demonstrates how far the modern reaction system has come. She appears on the field for literally a couple of seconds: she double-tap her skill, summons a Dancing Double, and then returns to the background. Afterward, her Cryo Application continues to work, the summoned Double attacks enemies, and Odette gradually transfers her buffs to the team.

The most important thing here is Star Reactions. Odette can activate and enhance Star Conduit and Star Dispersal, so her value increases dramatically in these teams. She doesn’t just add Cryo damage, but helps the reaction itself become the team’s primary source of damage. She also has a very nice passive: when summoning a duplicate, Odette gains charges that gradually transfer to her allies after leaving the field. This can ultimately boost the damage of Star Reactions by up to 60%.

Odette requires almost no time on the field, doesn’t force the player to make a show of animation cancels, and yet provides a huge amount of value. Her ultimate, by the way, is often overlooked. Her animation is long, and the extra personal damage doesn’t always justify the loss of time. Therefore, Odette is a rare case where the ultimate can be used only occasionally.

In terms of investment, the character is very affordable: she can be used comfortably already at C0, and a normal crafted weapon isn’t much inferior to a signature weapon in terms of team effectiveness. Meanwhile, C1 and C2 provide very noticeable power increases.

Yae Miko

I’m deliberately separating Yae Miko from the others: in the old meta, she was a versatile Electro sub-DD who struggled in a wide variety of teams. Now, her most interesting role is Star Conduit. After the update, she was linked to Star Reactions. In this archetype, Sakura’s empowered attacks gain bonus Electro damage, making Yae one of the most powerful sources of personal damage from the pocket.

And here’s where something very strange happens for Yae: her ultimate, which she previously quite logically wanted to use with three Sakura trees, is now often completely unnecessary. In teams with a Star Conductor, it’s often a waste of time, so Yae simply sets up Sakura trees and continues to exist peacefully somewhere off-screen.

So, you get it: minimal field time, a long skill duration, and consistent damage output that continues regardless of who’s currently controlled. Yae’s investment is above average if you want to get the most out of her. You need to build up her critical hits and attack, while Elemental Mastery remains useful. For the Star Conductor, dedicated Artifact sets are recommended, and her C1 and C2 are more valuable than signature weapons in these teams.

But the main thing is not to try to make her a universal goddess of all things Electro. For a regular sub-DD, Yae is still good. For a Star Guide, she already looks like a character who finally got her own screen time.

Durin

Durin isn’t ranked below the top five because he’s weak. On the contrary, he’s a very decent Pyro-sub DPS. The problem is that his strength depends on how well his team can utilize his strengths.

Durin has two modes. In Light, he leans more toward support while still dealing good damage. In Dark, he becomes a more selfish sub-DPS who relies on his own numbers from outside the field. With the introduction of the new Witching Circle characters, Durin has become noticeably more versatile. He’s now considered one of the best options for Pyro damage from pockets, and his good energy economy helps him avoid turning his rotation into a mote-collecting marathon.

That said, I wouldn’t call him a must-have all-around hero. In some teams, Mavuika can easily replace him, and outside of suitable lineups, Durin’s advantage doesn’t seem so overwhelming. He’s worth building as a proper sub-DD, not as a generic buffer: good crits, attack, and a suitable kit allow him to make a serious contribution to overall damage.

Escoffier

Escoffier is a unique character, but she’s incredibly strong in her niche. Her elemental skill deals high single-target damage from outside the field, and her ultimate heals the entire team. But most importantly, she reduces Cryo and Hydro resistance. In teams consisting solely of Cryo and Hydro, she can provide up to 55% reduction to both elements.

That’s why Escoffier feels so good alongside Cryo and Hydro hypercarries. She simultaneously heals, buffs teammates through resistance reduction, and continues to deal damage herself. With Skirk on your account, her value will take a new turn: Escoffier gives her a very powerful set of benefits—healing, resistance reduction, Cryo damage, and additional useful effects.

However, the character has a big red flag: she favors Cryo and Hydro-based teams. In other lineups, some of her potential is simply wasted. Plus, her primary damage output is primarily single-target, and there aren’t many good free weapon options.

Escoffier doesn’t require a huge budget in terms of investment, but you still want to build her properly. Prioritize her skill, then her ultimate; crit and attack directly contribute to her damage output, and energy regeneration is only as important as you want to use healing.

Fischl

Fischl has survived several generations of metagames, new reactions, character packs, and constant changes in favorites—and still remains one of the best all-around Electro subs. The reason is ridiculously simple: Oz. Fischl summons a raven, gives it all the work, and then calmly switches to her main character. Oz deals consistent Electro damage from out of bounds, helps with energy generation, and maintains reactions. For a sub-DD, this is a near-perfect combination of useful properties.

When the active character triggers Electro-Linked Reaction while Oz is active, Fischl gains additional procs of her effect. As a result, her impact can be much greater than you’d expect from a typical four-star character. It’s her versatility that keeps her on the list so far. She doesn’t require a specific five-star team, doesn’t require a complex rotation, and can easily work anywhere Electro, particles, or extra damage from the pocket are needed.

In terms of investment, Fischl is generally one of the most enjoyable. Sure, she has good critical hit items, but she doesn’t need a whole museum to get Oz to start destroying people. The best set for sub-DD from outside the board is Golden Troupe, and her elemental skill remains her main priority. If you need a versatile Nirvana Night Princess who won’t ask, “Where’s my special Snow character?” Fischl is still a great choice.