Genshin Impact 3.0 buffed the game's weakest characters and players are thrilled

Genshin Impact 3.0 is here, and now that players have had the chance to put it through its paces, they're finding that some of the game's weakest characters have been dramatically improved.

The Traveler's new Dendro abilities are particularly notable, as unlike most of their previous elemental variations this one is, uh, actually good. In fact, they're perhaps the best source of off-field Dendro application in the game right now, which makes them essential for builds focused on the element. Add to that the fact that the Dendro Traveler doesn't have to deal with split scaling - you can focus Elemental Master rather than splitting attention into attack - and you've got a powerful addition to your squad.

Dendro has also ended up buffing Electro characters, thanks to the new Aggravate reaction. Aggravate adds a flat amount of damage to Electro hits, which pairs mightily with characters like Keqing and Fischl who deal tons of small Electro hits. That's made Keqing viable, and the already-strong Fischl is now even better - which is particularly nice since she was just given away for free.

3.0 has had other notable changes, too, like an across-the-board improvement to movement abilities, letting characters like Fischl finally smoothly dash across uneven terrain. Plus, of course, there are expanded party configuration slots, and, you know, the new area Sumeru (with its 110 Genshin Impact Dendroculus locations) and those new characters.

It's not all good news this week - the Genshin Impact devs are looking into a reported ransomware exploit tied to the game's anti-cheat software.