Of the elements available in Genshin Impact, Cryo is one of the few that leave a lasting impression on audiences. Symbolizing ice, Cryo represents the antagonistic country of Snezhnaya (and its organizations like the Adventurers' Guild). Yet, despite being representative of the villainous Tsaritsa, Cryo has become one of the most common elements in the game.
From its large roster of playable characters to its interesting properties, the number of facts about this interesting element continues to pile up. From Chongyun's icy blades to Ganyu's beautiful ice flowers, there is more and more to learn about this frozen elemental.
10 Its Interesting Status
Don't be misled, Cryo and cold status are not the same. Cold status comes from Cryo abilities, but they are not quite the same. The cold status relates to the status reductions associated with Cryo abilities.
Cold status reduces the speed of the afflicted by a great deal. This makes for a great deterrent against fast-moving opponents, which are hard to hit with weapons like bows. That said, cold also has other effects, like enabling the frozen reaction.
9 A Lot Of Reactions
Each element relates to others in several ways. Yet, there are elements like Cryo that feature an increased number of elemental reactions. To be specific, Cryo can react with Pyro, Hydro, Geo, Anemo, and Electro.
The most prominent of these reactions is melt, which occurs when Pyro meets Cryo (or vice versa). Other common reactions are effects like superconduct with Electro, and electro-charged with Hydro. Learning to master and chain these reactions together is important for players looking to master Cryo.
8 Teyvat's Most Common
There are a lot of creatures and characters through Genshin Impact's story. Quite surprisingly, Cryo-based individuals are among the most common (even beating out Pyro in some cases). From Cryo Slimes to Cyro Cicin Mages, icy opponents appear frequently to oppose the Traveler. Cryo visions are common among the case: 3 five-stars, 4 four-stars, several mentioned, second only to Pyro characters.
As far as bosses are concerned, Cryo is one of the few to have two bosses solely using Cryo attacks: the Cryo Regisvine and the new Cryo Hypostasis. Both can be beaten when knowledgeable about their attack patterns, moving accordingly.
7 Ice Bridging
Players that love to play as Kaeya will know all about the process of ice bridging. An interesting feature only available in Cryo characters, ice bridging occurs when the element meets a body of water. Freezing the surface, characters can walk on these ice sheets like normal land.
Kaeya isn't the only character that can use ice bridges to cross bodies of water (though he is the most efficient). It's also possible to ice bridge with most other Cryo characters, though there is a learning curve in some cases. Ganyu has become the most infamous for this, as her charged shots need pinpoint precision to work.
6 Frozen Mechanics
When Hydro and Cryo connect, the player's opponents won't even be able to shake in fear. Frozen status is a product of the elemental reaction between the two aforementioned elements. During this period, the affected party with be temporarily immobilized (the Cryo equivalent of Zhongli's petrification status).
Players should be careful though, frozen status is not limited to the enemy. Cryo foes can be incredibly pesky when near bodies of water, so players should situation themselves accordingly. Freezing is also an issue for characters that apply wet status to themselves, like Barbara.
5 Dragonspine Syndrome
Cryo characters are not immune to Sheer Cold. In fact, they don't even have partial immunity. While this may not match up with in-game lore (especially looking at Chongyun), this is still a harsh reality for Dragonspine explorers.
Sheer Cold makes no exceptions, Cryo vision-holders will need to find a heat source just like everybody else. Nonetheless, this effect can be deterred, unlike cold status, with items like goulash.
4 A Chilling Resonance
Many Genshin Impact fans will make use of elemental resonance to enhance their teams. In the case of Cryo, their elemental resonance has some incredibly interesting effects. For one, characters in a Cryo resonant team will be affected by Electro for 40% less time.
More interesting, however, Cryo resonance heavily increases the crit rate for enemies affected by Cryo status. This is great for characters that constantly apply Cryo status, like Ganyu and Diona. Heavily decreasing the need to invest in crit rate, this allows the player to invest in other higher priority areas.
3 The Homeland Of The Ice Element
Every element has a country that represents it. And it isn't just about the Archon that resides there, the culture and climate of the nation are also influenced. For example, Mondstadt houses gusting winds and freedom-loving people, Liyue has mountains and a love for contracts.
In the case of Cryo, Snezhnaya is the country that represents the element. Cold and brittle in the image of real-life Russia, it's easy to see why the nation's climate represents the Cryo element. The culture is a little more difficult to see, given the lack of details; however, the Fatui give off an aloof, cold-natured personality so it is likely similar to this.
2 Receiving A Cryo Vision
Every vision-holder is hand-picked by their Archon. Naturally, each Archon has a preference, and Cryo is no exception to this rule. From what can be seen in-game, the current Archon seems to prefer conflicting individuals, stuck between two major extremes.
For example, Kaeya is a Khaenri'ah in Mondstadt stuck between his loyalty to his people and Anemo nation. Ganyu shows a very similar situation, being a half-Adepti that doesn't belong to either the Adeptus or the human world (at least in her view). Even Chongyun has a similar situation, being an exorcist that cannot exorcise ghosts.
1 The Tsaritsa
The current Archon of Cryo, the Tsaritsa of Snezhnaya, is one of the most feared individuals in all of Teyvat. She embodies the very core of what Cryo is. Though the Genshin Impact community knows little about the Tsaritsa (she hasn't even had her appearance hinted at), her reputation proceeds her.
Once the Goddess of Love, the Tsaritsa has lost all love for her people and Teyvat. A cold personality, she is now known for her lack of remorse for others, and her willingness to use all methods for her goals. Nonetheless, all ice must start from water; even the Tsaritsa probably hides secrets that led her to her revolution against divinity.