The long-awaited Zhongli has finally been introduced as a playable Genshin Impact character in his own dedicated Banner, Gentry of Hermitage. For those lucky enough to pull him, they won't have to worry about attempting to pull a rare five-star weapon or grinding for five-star Artifacts to get the best results.

As a fighter who uses a polearm as his weapon of choice, Zhongli has a lot of potential to deal rapid damage per second (DPS) in Genshin Impact. This allows for an easy and straightforward build that works for any DPS character, including his polearm weapon, that will ensure each poke is dealing hefty damage. However, players could also focus on his Elemental Burst ability, which sends a meteor down to Earth. Not only does this attack petrify enemies, but can easily deal damage above 30,000.

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Updated on January 22, 2022, by Nahda Nabiilah: Over one year of his initial release, Zhongli remains a fan favorite in many aspects of the game. Previously, the release of the Geo Archon was filled with many controversies; where many claims that the character is underwhelming for an Archon, not to mention as a representation for the Chinese-inspired region, Liyue. Luckily, miHoYo responded to the outrage and decides to grant some buffs to Zhongli. Most of these changes are actually pretty mediocre, but what changed the game was the Geo buff that came along with it. As players now have better knowledge of the best Zhongli build in Genshin Build, this article is updated with the most relevant information.

Zhongli's Talent Overview

When he was first released, many people were disappointed with his DPS performance. Nevertheless, some players decide to build him as a DPS anyway. However, as time goes, most people have ditched this idea and instead focus more on Zhongli's best feature; his shield. Therefore, it's highly advised to ignore his Normal Attack and keep it at the lowest talent level.

Elemental Skill

There's a Tap and Hold version of Zhongli's Elemental Skill.

• Tap: Create a Stone Stele which deals damage periodically. If there are other Geo construct nearby, the Stele will resonate with it and both constructs will deal AoE damage.
• Hold: Summons a Jade Shield that lasts for 20 seconds, with a 12 seconds cooldown. This means players can easily maintain 100% shield uptime. If there's no Stone Stele on-field (or if there's only one if players have C2 Zhongli), the Hold Skill will also create a Stone Stele.

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By far, Zhongli is definitely the best shielder in Genshin Impact. He's the best in terms of strength, and also on top in terms of skill duration. With the Geo buff that comes in Version 1.3, Geo shield now has 150% effectiveness against all kinds of damage. This really boosts Zhongli's viability, even when compared with Elemental shields against their corresponding Elements (For example, Diona's Cryo shield has 250% effectiveness against Cryo damage). Furthermore, Zhongli's aegis also reduces the enemy's resistance by 20% to all kinds of damage, making it the absolute best protection around.

Elemental Burst

Not only defensive Elemental Skill, but Zhongli's Burst also offers further protection to the team. This low energy and cooldown ability can deal great damage while offering up to four seconds of petrification. This allows people to escape many sticky situations or freely attack without the fear of retaliation.

Zhongli's Shielder ​Build ​​​​​​In Genshin Impact

The most sensible route to build Zhongli is of course by making him a dedicated support. For that, players should fully focus on enhancing his Jade Shield. Therefore, triple HP Artifacts are easily the best option. As for the sets, people can use one of these team-buff Artifacts:

1. 4-Tenacity of the Millelith
2. 4-Noblesse Oblige
3. 4-Archaic Petra

For the weapons, players can utilize Staff of Homa's HP boost to enhance his shield, while enjoying the massive damage boost it provides. Meanwhile, Favonius Lance is a brilliant option to improve the team's energy regeneration. Lastly, the 3-star Genshin Impact weapon Black Tassel might be the worst in terms of damage, but it offers a large HP bonus via its sub-stat, allowing Zhongli to have a tankier shield.

Zhongli's Physical DPS Build In Genshin Impact

The best weapon for DPS Zhongli is a very easy but unexpected pick. Unlike Diluc, who is a rare five-star Genshin Impact character that should be equipped with a rare five-star weapon from the gacha, Zhongli works greatly with a four-star polearm that can be crafted at the Blacksmith (Crescent Pike). Its passive skill, dealing an additional 20 percent on attack whenever an Elemental Orb is picked up, will see the best DPS result and is important when looking at Artifacts. As for premium weapons, players can use Staff of Homa, Vortex Vanquisher, or Primordial Jade Winged-Spear.

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To get the most DPS output with Zhongli, players can opt for 4-Pale Flame, 2-Pale Flame + 2-Bloodstained Chivalry, or 2-Gladiator's Finale with 2-Bloodstained Chivalry. These Artifacts will ensure heavy damage dealing when specifically paired with the Crescent Pike because of its passive skill. What will be difficult with farming these two Artifact sets, especially Gladiator's, is obtaining drops that have Crit, Physical DMG, or Attack Percent as their sub-stats because these are key when building Physical DPS Zhongli.

Zhongli's Elemental Burst Build In Genshin Impact

As far as Artifacts go, if players want to maximize the damage that comes from Zhongli's Elemental Burst, it's important to equip the Archaic Petra set, either in a two-piece or four-piece set, to get the 15 percent bonus to Geo Damage. Coupling this with the Noblesse Oblige Artifact set will get players the best ultimate damage, especially if they aim at getting Artifacts with a Geo DMG bonus.

Zhongli's possible weapons with this build include a couple of options. The first is Primordial Jade or Staff of Homa because of its Crit stat increase and its Attack Percent stacking. However, players are also getting a lot of use out of Skyward Spine, another five-star polearm, because of similar stats as well as its vacuum blade ability.

Genshin Impact is now available on Mobile, PC, PS4, and PS5. A Switch version is in development.