Genshin Impact Imaginarium Theater Guide: Best Characters For All Acts (September 2026)

We have a new season in Genshin Impact‘s Imaginarium Theater as we get into September 2026. We have a new set of Acts, bosses, and character restrictions. Season 27’s Performance Tour limits the roster to Hydro, Electro, and Dendro characters, making team planning particularly important if you’re aiming for the later Acts or Lunar Mode.

Season 27 of Imaginarium Theater is now live. #GenshinImpact #原神 #원신 pic.twitter.com/U98wv9xYnf

— Genshin Mains_Your Guide to Teyvat (@genshinmains_) August 31, 2026

Since your available units are selected through the Theater’s progression system, you need to manage your best characters carefully and build teams around the mechanics of each boss fight. Here are the best characters and strategies to use throughout the September 2026 Imaginarium Theater.

Best Characters for Genshin Impact Imaginarium Theater September 2026

The six Opening Characters this season are Columbina, Cyno, Lauma, Xingqiu, Kuki Shinobu, and Kaveh. They are especially useful because they give you access to several of the reactions that this rotation favors. Columbina, Xingqiu, and Kuki Shinobu are particularly valuable for Electro-Charged, Lunar-Charged, and Hyperbloom teams, while Lauma is an excellent Dendro option.

The Special Guest lineup consists of Odette, Sandrone, Nicole, and Sucrose. If you own them, they can be invited normally; otherwise, you can borrow a Special Guest through the Supporting Cast system. Odette and Sandrone can be particularly valuable additions depending on which teams you build.

For the rest of your roster, some of the strongest choices include:

• Hydro: Neuvillette, Furina, Yelan, Tartaglia, Mualani, Ayato, Kokomi, Mona, Nilou, and Xingqiu.
• Electro: Columbina, Flins, Ineffa, Raiden Shogun, Yae Miko, Clorinde, Cyno, Varesa, Fischl, Kuki Shinobu, and Iansan.
• Dendro: Lauma, Nefer, Alhaitham, Nahida, Kinich, Tighnari, Emilie, Baizhu, Yaoyao, and Kaveh.

You should generally prioritize characters who can contribute without consuming too much field time. Since characters are randomly selected as you progress, strong off-field units such as Furina, Yelan, Xingqiu, Fischl, Yae Miko, Kuki Shinobu, and Lauma can make several different team combinations work.

The season’s Brilliant Blessings also heavily favor Bloom, Catalyze, and Electro-Charged reactions. Electro-Charged and Lunar-Charged receive particularly strong bonuses, making Hydro/Electro combinations some of the safest investments for the later stages.

Act-by-Act Guide and Best Characters

Acts 1-2

The opening Acts are relatively forgiving, so don’t spend your strongest characters unnecessarily. Electro-focused teams are a good starting point, while Electro-Charged teams can also take advantage of the season’s buffs.

Best characters: Kuki Shinobu, Xingqiu, Cyno, Lauma, Kaveh, and other lower-priority units from your available pool.

The key is to build up useful Brilliant Blessings while preserving your strongest Hydro characters for Act 6 and your Electro-Charged/Lunar-Charged options for Act 8.

Act 3: Jadeplume Terrorshroom

The Jadeplume Terrorshroom is especially vulnerable to Electro-based strategies. Applying Electro fills its special gauge, eventually causing the boss to enter an aggressive sequence before becoming temporarily incapacitated.

That recovery window is your opportunity to unleash your strongest attacks.

Best characters: Raiden Shogun, Ororon, Xingqiu, Fischl, Yae Miko, and Cyno.

You don’t need to use your absolute best team here because it is only the first major boss. A well-built Electro-centered team should be enough, allowing you to preserve premium characters for the more demanding later encounters.

Acts 4-5

The middle Acts are largely about resource management. Depending on the enemies you encounter, you can use less valuable characters to progress while continuing to preserve your strongest options.

For Act 4’s Monolith Defense, characters capable of controlling enemies or dealing reliable AoE damage are useful. Tighnari, for example, can help redirect enemy attention with his Skill if he is available.

Best approach: Use expendable characters where possible and continue building Hydro, Electro, or Dendro-focused blessings for the upcoming bosses.

Act 6: Emperor of Fire and Iron

The Emperor of Fire and Iron is one of the most important fights in the rotation because it begins with a powerful Pyro shield. Hydro application is the key to removing it efficiently.

Once the shield is destroyed, the boss becomes vulnerable, giving your DPS characters an opportunity to deal substantial damage.

Best characters: Neuvillette, Furina, Lauma, Mona, Xingqiu, Yelan, Kokomi, and Columbina.

Ideally, bring multiple reliable Hydro applicators rather than relying on a single character. Neuvillette can provide enormous on-field damage, while units such as Furina, Yelan, Xingqiu, and Columbina can continue applying Hydro from off the field.

Act 7

Act 7 doesn’t impose the same restrictive boss mechanic as Act 6 or Act 8, so this is another opportunity to use characters you don’t need for the final encounters.

An Electro-centered team remains a safe option thanks to the season’s buffs, but adapt to whatever enemies appear.

Best approach: Use secondary DPS and support characters while saving your strongest Electro-Charged, Lunar-Charged, and healing options.

Act 8: Battle-Hardened Pipilpan Idol

This is arguably the most restrictive boss fight in the September rotation. The Battle-Hardened Pipilpan Idol hides among multiple hats, and Electro-Charged or Lunar-Charged reactions are highly effective for destroying them.

Correctly identifying the boss and dealing enough qualifying reaction damage can put it into a weakened state, creating your main damage window.

Best characters: Flins, Aino, Columbina, and Ineffa.

Columbina is particularly valuable because she is already an Opening Character and can help enable the required reaction. If you have access to Ineffa, she is another excellent option for a Lunar-Charged team.

Try to save at least one strong Hydro/Electro combination specifically for this fight rather than using all of your best units earlier.

Acts 9-10

Act 9 can vary depending on the enemies presented. In tested encounters, you may face Hydro or Pyro Abyss Mages among the targets. Dendro can be useful against Hydro enemies, while Hydro can handle Pyro opponents.

Best characters: Lauma, Nahida, Nefer, Alhaitham, Neuvillette, Furina, and other flexible DPS/support combinations.

For Act 10, keep your strongest team available because Radiant Moonfly is the final climactic boss.

Act 10: Radiant Moonfly

You don’t need a particular reaction team for the Radiant Moonfly, but it has a dangerous mechanic that makes healing essential. Its Radiant Cocoon effect prevents characters from dealing CRIT damage normally unless their HP is restored to full.

That makes a strong healer considerably more valuable than usual.

Best characters: Varesa, Iansan, Yae Miko, Collei, Baizhu, Kokomi, Furina, and other strong DPS/healer combinations.

Teamwide healing is preferable, allowing you to quickly remove the debuff and return to dealing damage. Barbara can even work if sufficiently built, so you don’t necessarily need to sacrifice a premium slot for this mechanic.

Lunar Mode: Arcana Challenges

Lunar Mode adds two additional challenges before Act 10.

In the Arcana Challenge I, you’ll go up against waves of Shadowy Husks while your characters continuously lose HP. A healer is effectively mandatory for a comfortable clear.

Best characters: Sigewinne, Furina, Kokomi, Baizhu, Yaoyao, and other reliable healers.

Avoid relying too heavily on shields because some Shadowy Husk variants can benefit when attacking shielded characters. Sustained healing is generally safer.

In Arcana Challenge II, you go up against the Battle-Hardened Primordial Bathysmal Vishap. The boss can drain Energy and introduce a Hydro shield/ward that makes the fight considerably more difficult.

Best characters: Lauma, Kuki Shinobu, Nahida, Alhaitham, Raiden Shogun, and other strong Dendro or Electro units.

Dendro is particularly useful for dealing with the boss’s Hydro defenses, while Electro can exploit the Hydro aura for additional reactions.

The September 2026 Theater favors Hydro, Electro, and Dendro characters, so make sure to strategize around that. Which teams will you be running in this Imaginarium Theatre? Let us know in the comments!