Quick Answer: A battery character generates Elemental Particles through their skills to fuel your main DPS's Elemental Burst. Funneling involves switching to your carry immediately after particle generation to maximize energy gain (3x more for same-element particles). Key batteries include Bennett (Pyro), Xingqiu (Hydro), and Raiden Shogun (universal).
Understanding Battery Mechanics in Genshin Impact
Here's the thing about Genshin's energy system – it's way more nuanced than most players realize when they're starting out.
Energy System Fundamentals
Think of a battery character as your team's power plant. They're constantly churning out Elemental Particles to keep your main DPS's expensive Elemental Burst ready to go. This becomes absolutely critical when you're running carries with those brutal 80-90 energy costs but terrible personal energy generation (looking at you, Eula).
The math here is pretty straightforward, but the implications are huge. At 100% Energy Recharge, an on-field character receives 2.7 energy from same-element particles versus a measly 0.9 energy from different elements. Off-field characters get slightly less – 2.4 energy from matching particles and 0.8 from non-matching ones.
Energy Recharge amplifies these base values proportionally, which is why you'll see supports running 200%+ ER. Double the ER means double the energy from particles compared to baseline.
Elemental Orbs are the premium fuel here – they deliver 3x the energy of particles. An on-field character gains 8.1 energy from same-element orbs versus 2.7 from particles. Elite monsters drop these golden nuggets when they bite the dust, while regular mobs and skills stick to particles.
One thing that surprised me when I was theory-crafting early teams: generic particles provide 1.8 energy to on-field characters regardless of element. This makes Favonius weapons incredibly valuable for team-wide energy support, even if they don't match your carry's element.
Energy Recharge Stat Explained
Characters with ER ascension stats are basically telling you hey, I'm designed to be a battery. At level 90, Raiden Shogun and Venti gain 32.0% ER, while Bennett and Kaeya receive 26.8%.
Venti typically needs 160-180% ER for consistent burst uptime in most comps. Supports often require 200%+ ER – and honestly, don't be surprised if you need even more in certain team configurations.
How Energy Particles Work: Generation and Collection
Elemental Skill Particle Generation
Every character's Elemental Skill has a fixed particle output – no RNG here, which is refreshing. Xingqiu produces 5 particles (hence why he's such a reliable battery), Bennett's press generates 2.25 particles, Sucrose creates 4 particles, and Fischl's Oz generates 0.67 particles per attack.
Holding Elemental Skills often generates more particles than tapping. Diona's hold E produces 4 particles compared to fewer from her press version – this is why most guides recommend hold E for her.
Four methods consistently generate energy: using Elemental Skills (guarantees element-specific particles), dealing significant damage (around 50% HP threshold triggers this), defeating monsters (always generates particles), and normal attacks (4th attack has a small chance for 1 energy – not reliable, but it happens).
Collection Range and Timing
Here's where proper funneling gets technical. You need precise timing: use your battery's Elemental Skill, wait for particles to appear and begin moving toward you, then immediately swap to your target carry.
Switching too early means your carry gets the reduced off-field energy gain instead of the full on-field bonus. I've seen too many players mess this up and wonder why their rotations feel clunky.
Some skills have internal cooldowns that affect particle generation. Raiden's coordinated attacks follow a 0.9-second cooldown, while Favonius weapons trigger once every 6-12 seconds depending on refinement.
Top Battery Characters Tier List and Analysis
S-Tier Battery Champions
Bennett is the gold standard for Pyro batteries. Generates 2.25 Pyro particles with a short cooldown while providing attack buffs and healing – talk about efficiency.
Build him with high base attack weapons like Skyward Blade or Favonius Sword, 4-piece Noblesse Oblige, prioritizing ER or HP% depending on your team's needs.
Raiden Shogun functions as a universal battery, which is frankly broken when you think about it. She restores flat energy to all party members through her burst while her coordinated attacks provide consistent Electro particles. Use Engulfing Lightning or The Catch with 4-piece Emblem of Severed Fate, focusing on ER sands.
Xingqiu generates 5 Hydro particles per skill – that's substantial. He excels with Sacrificial Sword for potential double particle generation, and his burst provides consistent Hydro application with substantial off-field damage. Build with 4-piece Emblem of Severed Fate, prioritizing ER for burst uptime.
Situational Battery Options
Fischl offers consistent Electro particles through Oz's persistent attacks. Her A4 passive triggers additional Oz attacks during Electro reactions, while C6 provides near-constant energy generation (seriously, C6 Fischl is a different character entirely). Build with The Stringless and 4-piece Golden Troupe.
Diona serves as Cryo battery while providing shields and healing – triple utility. Her hold E generates 4 particles with a stronger shield than the press version. Sacrificial Bow enables double shield generation and particle output.
Sucrose generates 4 Anemo particles per skill with massive EM buffs through her passives. Sacrificial Fragments allows double skill usage for 8 total particles, which is exceptional for feeding Anemo carries like Xiao.
Energy Funnel Strategies: Feeding Your Carry
Basic Funnel Techniques
Execute your battery's Elemental Skill, visually confirm particle generation (you'll see them floating toward you), then immediately switch to your target carry. This timing ensures maximum energy transfer through that crucial 3x same-element bonus.
Common mistakes? Switching too early or – and I see this constantly – leaving the battery on-field to absorb their own particles. Don't do that.
Advanced Rotation Optimization
Combine multiple energy sources for maximum efficiency. Use Favonius weapons on supports for team-wide energy while maintaining elemental particle funneling.
Consider snapshotting mechanics here – characters like Xiangling snapshot stats at burst activation, allowing you to cast buffs then switch to battery characters without losing damage potential.
Electro Resonance generates additional particles from reactions, providing extra energy for Electro teams. It's one of the underrated resonances, honestly.
Team Composition Guide for Energy Management
Meta Battery Teams
National Team uses Bennett supporting Xiangling's expensive burst while Xingqiu serves as both Hydro battery and sub-DPS. It's called National for a reason – this energy management is nearly foolproof.
Raiden National replaces Sucrose with Raiden Shogun, completely solving energy issues for both Xiangling and Xingqiu while adding substantial burst damage. This is probably the most energy-efficient team in the game.
Xiao teams require dedicated Anemo batteries due to his 70-energy burst and poor particle generation during his burst state. Sucrose with Sacrificial Fragments provides optimal energy support while Jean offers healing and VV shred.
Eula compositions pair her with Cryo batteries like Diona to fuel her 80-energy burst. Raiden provides additional energy support while enabling Superconduct reactions – it's a match made in heaven.
Weapon and Artifact Optimization for Batteries
Favonius Weapon Series Guide
Favonius weapons generate generic particles when CRIT hits occur, providing 6 energy with 60-100% trigger chance and 6-12 second cooldowns. You'll want 30-50% CRIT Rate on users for reliable passive triggers.
Favonius Sword on Bennett, Favonius Warbow on Diona – these represent optimal pairings where the weapon passive complements their battery role perfectly.
Sacrificial Weapons Analysis
Sacrificial weapons reset Elemental Skill cooldowns with 40-80% chance after dealing skill damage, effectively doubling particle generation. Sacrificial Sword on Xingqiu enables double skill usage, generating 10 total particles – that's massive.
R3+ Sacrificial weapons approach consistent double skill usage, making them incredibly reliable for energy management.
Energy Recharge Artifact Sets
Emblem of Severed Fate converts 25% of ER into Elemental Burst damage (maximum 75% bonus at 300% ER). This makes ER valuable for both energy and damage on characters like Raiden and Xingqiu – it's brilliant design, really.
The Exile provides 20% ER and restores 2 energy to all party members every 2 seconds for 6 seconds after using burst. It's a budget option, but surprisingly effective for energy-hungry teams.
Energy Requirements by DPS Character
High-Cost Burst DPS
Xiao (70 energy) struggles with energy generation during his burst state – he literally can't generate particles while in his transformed state. Pair with double Anemo batteries like Sucrose and Jean for consistent uptime.
Eula (80 energy) requires Cryo battery support. Diona provides optimal support with shields, healing, and 4 particles per hold skill. Without proper battery support, Eula's rotations become painfully long.
Itto (80 energy) needs Geo battery support. Gorou provides DEF buffs and particles while Ningguang offers higher particle output if you need more energy generation.
Self-Sufficient DPS Options
Raiden Shogun generates her own energy through burst mechanics while providing team energy restoration – she's both battery and carry simultaneously.
Hu Tao (60 energy) generates consistent particles through her skill and benefits from Xingqiu's Hydro particles for vaporize reactions. Her energy requirements are quite manageable.
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Common Battery Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
Over-Investment in Energy Recharge
This is probably the most common mistake I see. Many players sacrifice offensive power for excessive ER, resulting in consistent burst uptime but terrible damage output.
Calculate minimum ER requirements based on your team composition rather than just stacking ER arbitrarily. Use ER calculators for precise thresholds – they account for particle generation and rotation timing better than guesswork.
Poor Rotation Timing
Incorrect funneling timing wastes particle energy and extends rotations unnecessarily. Practice character swap timing to ensure your carries receive maximum energy from battery skills.
Stagger skill usage to maximize energy transfer based on burst priorities. Consider animation lengths that delay particle generation – some skills have deceptively long animations before particles actually appear.
Suboptimal Particle Collection
Position properly for orb collection – elite enemies drop orbs that require manual pickup, unlike particles that automatically come to you.
Don't ignore generic particles from Favonius weapons or enemy defeats. Understand particle travel time and collection range to optimize positioning during rotations.
Advanced Energy Management Techniques
Animation Canceling for Faster Particles
Sucrose can cancel her skill animation with dash or jump inputs, allowing faster character swaps for funneling. Practice animation canceling for battery characters to optimize rotation speed, but avoid interrupting particle generation itself.
Energy Snapshot Mechanics
Cast snapshotting abilities like Xiangling and Beidou under buffs like Bennett's burst, then switch to battery characters without losing damage potential. Plan rotations to maximize both snapshotting opportunities and energy funneling efficiency.
Spiral Abyss Energy Strategies
Adapt battery strategies based on chamber mechanics and enemy behavior. Some floors provide energy amplification or reduction effects requiring adjusted ER requirements.
Consider chamber time limits when planning energy strategies. Sometimes it's better to sacrifice perfect energy management for faster clear times.
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Tools and Calculators for Energy Optimization
Online ER calculators determine optimal Energy Recharge requirements for specific teams, accounting for particle generation rates and rotation timing. These tools are invaluable for min-maxing your builds.
Team builders analyze energy flow between characters and suggest optimal battery pairings. Optimization tools help balance ER investment with offensive stats for maximum team performance.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between a battery and a sub-DPS character? A battery focuses primarily on energy generation through particle creation, while sub-DPS provides off-field damage alongside energy support. Characters like Xingqiu and Fischl serve both roles simultaneously – they're the Swiss Army knives of team building.
How much Energy Recharge should my main DPS have? Main DPS characters typically need 100-140% ER depending on burst cost and team support. 40-60 energy bursts function with minimal ER, while 80+ energy carries may need 120-140% ER even with optimal battery support.
Can Favonius weapons work on characters with low CRIT Rate? Favonius weapons require 30-50% CRIT Rate for reliable triggers. Characters with naturally low CRIT Rate need CRIT Rate substats or should consider alternative weapons like Sacrificial options.
Which characters need the most battery support? Xiao, Eula, Itto, and Xiangling require dedicated same-element batteries due to expensive bursts (70-80 energy) and limited self-generation. These characters often need 160-200% ER even with optimal support.
How do I know if my team has enough energy generation? Test rotations in practical scenarios – if you can execute full rotations with all bursts available on cooldown consistently, your energy generation is sufficient. Practice makes perfect here.
Should I prioritize Energy Recharge or damage stats on my supports? Prioritize enough ER for consistent burst uptime (180-220% for most supports), then invest in damage stats like CRIT and ATK% for characters contributing significant off-field damage. Energy first, damage second.