How to Create Custom Characters in Genshin Impact: Complete Guide

Ever since it was released back in 2020, Genshin Impact has captivated players everywhere by providing a beautiful open world and characters that make you feel like they are your friends rather than pixelated 2D characters. Every update has only enhanced the game's experience by adding more magic with more heroes to pull for, new stories to engage in, and new cosmetics to give your favourite heroes a different vibe. With so much content constantly flowing in, it’s no wonder fans often wonder: Can you actually make your own custom character in Genshin Impact?

This isn’t like your typical RPG, where you spend hours sliding nose widths or picking the “perfect” hairstyle. Genshin doesn’t let you craft someone from scratch. But that doesn’t mean you’re locked into cookie-cutter versions of every hero. In fact, the fun comes from shaping them in your own way, through builds, outfits, weapons, and the way you put your team together. The game gives you just enough freedom to make your Traveller and the rest of your roster feel truly yours, even if everyone starts with the same base.

In this guide, we’ll walk through all the ways how to create custom characters in Genshin Impact, starting with your very first choice as the Traveller and ending with the kind of team synergy that makes every fight play out differently in Genshin Impact.

How to Create Custom Characters in Genshin Impact?

The process begins the moment you log into the game for the first time. Unlike a sandbox MMO where you sculpt your avatar, Genshin Impact starts customisation with story-driven choices. After that, it’s about layering cosmetic flair, stats, and synergy until the character feels uniquely yours.

Let’s dive into each step that builds toward creating a “custom” identity in the game. It will help you understand how to Create Custom Characters in Genshin Impact.

Pick your Fantasy

When you first begin your journey, you’re presented with the option to choose between two siblings: Aether (male) and Lumine (female). This is your Traveller, the protagonist who becomes the heart of your story in Teyvat. That choice, who you pick, can’t be reversed later, which makes it the first big personalisation decision.

Even though the Traveller shares similar skill trees across both versions, the choice still carries emotional weight. Many players pick the one that aligns with their own gender, while others choose based on aesthetics, lore theories, or simply vibes. From that point on, this Traveller becomes your constant presence, and no two players’ experiences feel entirely identical because of how this early decision frames the narrative of Genshin Impact.

Choose the Base Character

Beyond the Traveller, your roster grows through Wishes, the gacha system that brings in new heroes. Each character comes with their own fixed appearance and elemental affinity. You can’t alter their height, hairstyle, or facial features, but you can absolutely choose which ones to build, invest resources in, and keep on your active team.

This choice is more powerful than it actually looks. Some players fall in love with characters for their personality and voice lines, while others chase meta units to dominate Spiral Abyss. But whichever way you go, the decision of who you pull for and prioritise already makes your lineup unique compared to someone else’s.

Customize the Look

Visual customisation in Genshin Impact is subtler but no less satisfying. HoYoverse has steadily introduced outfits and glider skins that give characters fresh aesthetics. Those who want to know how to create custom characters in Genshin Impact, please keep the following things in mind.

Alternate outfits: Characters like Jean, Diluc, Barbara, Keqing, and Fischl already have alternate skins, with more being added through updates. These outfits can be obtained through events, the in-game shop, or limited promotions. They don’t just change costumes; they often come with new visual effects or altered designs that stand out in combat.

Wind gliders: These are more than just traversal tools; they’re fashion statements. You can earn gliders like the Wings of Descension, Wings of Feasting, or Wings of the Stormrider via achievements, events, or collaborations. Since gliders appear in daily exploration, having a unique one equipped feels like a personal touch every time you soar through Mondstadt’s skies or Liyue’s cliffs.

Even with fixed character models, skins, and gliders give players ways to add flair. It’s not about reinventing the character, but about making them feel dressed for your version of the journey.

Equip a Weapon

Weapons are the next canvas for customisation. Not only do they drastically alter stats and combat flow, but they also change visuals in meaningful ways. A Claymore like Wolf’s Gravestone feels heavy and imposing, while a sword like Aquila Favonia has a regal glow. Even free-to-play weapons such as the Prototype Rancour have designs that resonate with different aesthetics.

The choice of weapon isn’t just about numbers. For many players, matching the weapon’s look with the character’s design is a form of subtle customisation. For example, giving Ayaka the Amenoma Kageuchi feels lore-appropriate since it’s crafted in Inazuma, while equipping Kazuha with the Freedom-Sworn highlights his role as a wanderer tied to Mondstadt ideals. You can check out our Genshin Impact guide for more details.

Choose an Artifact Set

Artifacts are where the real fine-tuning begins. These five gear slots, flower, plume, sands, goblet, and circlet, determine not only raw stats but also passive effects. Choosing the right artifact set essentially creates a build identity.

Want Xiangling as a Pyro DPS? Go for Emblem of Severed Fate. Want her as a Sub-DPS with melt reactions? You might choose Crimson Witch of Flames. Artifacts are endlessly grindable, which means no two players’ stats end up identical. This randomness and dedication to farming are frustrating at times, but also ensure individuality. The visual aspect of artifacts isn’t shown on characters, but the way they shape combat animations, damage output, and synergy makes them one of the most impactful customisation tools.

Choosing the Right Talent

Every character has three main talents: Normal Attack, Elemental Skill, and Elemental Burst. Players can level these up using books, boss drops, and crowns. Deciding which talents to max is another way of shaping a custom playstyle.

Take Raiden Shogun, for example. If you focus on her Burst, she becomes a devastating main DPS. But if you prioritise her Skill, she becomes more of a support battery. The same character can play two completely different roles depending on your choices. That’s as close to “custom character creation” as Genshin Impact gets; your investment literally moulds the character into something unique.

Tune Energy Needs

Energy Recharge might sound technical, but it’s a huge part of making your build feel personal, as per the Genshin Impact Custom Character Guide. Characters like Eula or Xiao feel clunky without enough Energy Recharge, while characters like Raiden thrive when balanced correctly. By selecting sub-stats and weapons that align with energy needs, you fine-tune how smooth and responsive the character feels in combat.

This stat balancing isn’t visible cosmetically, but it changes your daily gameplay more than any outfit could. It’s the behind-the-scenes magic of making a character “yours.”

Build a Synergy Team Around the Role

Perhaps the most exciting part of customisation is team building. Genshin Impact thrives on elemental reactions: Freeze, Melt, Vaporise, Overload, Quicken, and more. By combining characters in unique ways, you create team identities that feel custom-made.

For instance, you can run Ayaka with Shenhe, Kokomi, and Kazuha for a Freeze comp that melts enemies instantly. Or you could try hypercarry setups like Itto with Gorou, Zhongli, and Albedo. Even within similar comps, individual stat distribution and artifact choices make each team function differently. This is where creativity truly shines. Your four-character squad becomes your own custom design, and experimenting with synergy is one of the most satisfying parts of the game.

Fine-tune Artifacts

Finally, we circle back to artifacts, because how you roll them ultimately defines your build. The grind for perfect Crit Rate and Crit Damage ratios, balanced with ATK% or Elemental Mastery, can take weeks. But when it pays off, your character feels tailored in a way no one else’s does.

For example, a Hu Tao with 33k HP, 70% Crit Rate, and 210% Crit Damage doesn’t just hit harder; she plays differently from someone else’s Hu Tao who focuses on Elemental Mastery for Vaporise setups. Both are valid, but both feel like entirely custom characters despite being the same hero at their core.

As per the Genshin Impact Custom Character Guide, can you create a custom character in Genshin Impact? Not in the traditional sense of sculpting faces or designing hairstyles. But in practice, yes, you absolutely can craft characters that feel unique to you. Through choices of Traveller, outfits, weapons, artifacts, talents, and team synergy, you end up with builds that no two players replicate exactly.