Unleash the true potential of Zhongli, the Geo Archon in Genshin Impact, with our comprehensive guide to his best builds. Whether you’re seeking to maximize his unparalleled shielding capabilities or harness his burst damage, Zhongli offers a versatile playstyle that can adapt to any team composition. In this article, we delve into the top strategies for building Zhongli, from the formidable Shield-Bot to the dynamic Geo DPS setups, ensuring you make the most of this powerful character in your adventures across Teyvat. Prepare to elevate your gameplay and dominate every battle with these expert insights!
General information
Zhongli is a 5-star Geo character in Genshin Impact, renowned for his exceptional shielding capabilities and versatility in team compositions. As the Geo Archon, he wields a polearm and excels in both support and damage-dealing roles. Players can build Zhongli in various ways, focusing on maximizing his shield strength, enhancing his burst damage, or balancing between support and DPS. His abilities allow him to create powerful shields that absorb damage and reduce enemy resistances, making him an invaluable asset in any team. This guide will explore the best builds for Zhongli, detailing optimal artifacts, weapons, and playstyles to help players harness his full potential.
Zhongli is a 5-star hero of Geo element fighting with a spear. He is definitely one of the top Supports in the game. His shields can withstand a lot of damage, additionally, he can petrify opponents and nullify their beneficial statuses.
In case of building Zhongli, you should focus on stats such as HP% and Energy Recharge.
Best team compositions
Best team compositions in Genshin Impact featuring Zhongli focus on maximizing his strengths as a Geo character while ensuring synergy with other elements. Zhongli’s role as a shield provider and crowd control expert makes him an invaluable asset in various team setups. Popular compositions often include characters like Neuvillette for high damage output, Furina as a sub-DPS, and Kazuha for elemental mastery and crowd control. This combination not only enhances damage but also provides sustainability through Zhongli’s shields, allowing players to tackle challenging content effectively. Other viable options may incorporate characters like Alhaitham or Xiangling, depending on the desired elemental reactions and playstyle, showcasing the versatility of team builds centered around Zhongli’s capabilities.
- Shield Support – Eula/Raiden/Shenhe/Zhongli
- Shield Support – Ganyu/Xiangling/Bennet/Zhongli
Shield Support Build
Zhongli’s Shield Support Build focuses on maximizing his shield strength while providing substantial support to the team. This build emphasizes stacking HP through artifacts, particularly the Tenacity of the Millelith, which not only boosts Zhongli’s HP but also enhances shield strength and provides an ATK buff to teammates whenever his Elemental Skill hits an enemy. The ideal weapon for this build is the Staff of Homa, which increases HP and offers additional damage potential. By prioritizing HP sub-stats and utilizing his Elemental Skill effectively, Zhongli can create a robust shield that protects allies while contributing to team damage output, making him an invaluable asset in any composition.
In this build, Zhongli focuses on granting other allies shields that can withstand a lot of punishment and lowering enemy resistance to given elements or physical damage by 20%. When it comes to artifacts, look for those that give a lot of HP to improve shields further.
- Artifacts – 4x Tenacity of the Millelith/4x Noblesse Oblige
- Weapons – Staff of Homa/Black Tassel
For the purpose of this build, we decided on following set – 4x Tenacity of the Millelith. This is mainly because of 20% HP bonus. Additionally, when your Elemental Skill hits an enemy, ATK of all nearby allies will be increased by 20%, and their shields by 30% for 3 seconds. Zhongli’s main power lies in his Elemental Skill and giving allies shields, which makes this choice an ideal one.
Another viable choice will be 4x Noblesse Oblige. With this setup, your Elemental Burst DMG is increased by 20%. Additionally, after using Elemental Burst, ATK of all nearby allies will increase by 20% for 12 seconds.
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When it comes to weapons, Staff of Homa is the most recommended pick. With it equipped, you’ll receive a 20% bonus to HP. Moreover, it increases your ATK by 0.8% of your max HP. Additionally, if the HP of the wielder falls below 50%, the bonus changes to 1%. This weapon fits very well with Zhongli as a Support.
If Staff of Homa is beyond your reach, you can decide on an alternative F2P version – Black Tassel. This is a 3-star spear that offers additional HP on bonus effect, which is very important for this hero in this build. Additionally, the weapon skill increases damage to Slime-type enemies by 40%. You can improve this further to 80% by reaching the maximum Refinement level.
Talents
Zhongli, the Geo Archon from Genshin Impact, showcases a diverse array of talents that enhance his role as a premier support character. His abilities are primarily divided into Combat Talents and Passive Talents, each contributing significantly to team dynamics. The standout skill, Dominus Lapidis, allows him to create powerful shields that absorb damage based on his max HP, while also generating Stone Steles that can deal AoE Geo damage. His Elemental Burst, Planet Befall, not only delivers substantial damage but also petrifies enemies, providing crucial crowd control. Prioritizing the enhancement of these talents is essential for maximizing Zhongli’s effectiveness in both defensive and offensive roles, making him an invaluable asset in various team compositions.
Talents are special abilities divided into Combat and Passive categories. In case of Zhongli, you should focus on developing these talents in this order:
- Shield Support – Dominus Lapidis, Planet Befall, Rain of Stone
Constellations
Zhongli’s constellations significantly enhance his capabilities as a Geo support character in Genshin Impact. While he is powerful even at constellation level 0 (C0), reaching constellation level 1 (C1) unlocks the ability to create two Stone Steles, which not only increases damage output but also lowers the energy cost of his Elemental Burst. This makes him more efficient in combat, allowing players to maximize his shield strength and damage potential. As players progress through his constellations, they can further amplify his support role, making him an invaluable asset in various team compositions.
What makes Zhongli’s shields unbreakable
Zhongli’s shields in Genshin Impact are renowned for their exceptional durability, primarily due to several key mechanics that enhance their resilience and effectiveness in battle.
Key Features of Zhongli’s Shields
- High Damage Absorption: The Jade Shield created by Zhongli possesses a remarkable 150% damage absorption against all elemental and physical damage. This high threshold allows it to absorb significant amounts of damage before breaking, making it one of the strongest shields in the game.
- HP Scaling: The shield’s strength scales with Zhongli’s maximum HP. This means that building Zhongli with high HP not only increases his overall survivability but also enhances the shield’s capacity to absorb damage, making it even more formidable.
- Fortification Mechanic: Each time the shield takes damage, it can fortify, increasing its strength by 5% per instance, stacking up to five times. This fortification can significantly bolster the shield’s effectiveness during prolonged encounters.
- Universal Resistance Shred: Characters protected by Zhongli’s shield benefit from a 20% reduction in elemental and physical resistance for nearby enemies. This not only makes Zhongli a defensive powerhouse but also enhances the offensive capabilities of the entire team while the shield is active.
- Constant Refreshing: The shield has a duration of 20 seconds and can be refreshed every 12 seconds through his Elemental Skill, allowing for nearly 100% uptime if managed correctly. This constant refreshing capability ensures that players can maintain protection throughout battles, reducing the risk of taking damage.
- Petrification Effect: In addition to providing shields, Zhongli’s Elemental Burst can petrify enemies, preventing them from moving and allowing players to attack without interruption. This synergizes well with his shielding capabilities, as players can focus on offense while remaining protected1.
These combined features make Zhongli’s shields not just strong but effectively unbreakable under normal combat conditions, allowing players to engage enemies with confidence while mitigating damage to their team.
How does Zhongli’s shield strengthen with each hit
Zhongli’s shield, known as the Jade Shield, strengthens with each hit it absorbs due to a unique mechanic called Fortification. Here’s how it works:
- Fortification Mechanic: Each time the Jade Shield takes damage, it can fortify, increasing its strength by 5% for each instance of damage taken, up to a maximum of 25%. This means that if the shield absorbs five separate hits, its overall damage absorption capacity increases significantly, making it even more resilient during battles.
- Damage Absorption Scaling: The Jade Shield’s base damage absorption is already substantial, providing 150% damage absorption against all elemental and physical damage, and it absorbs Geo damage even more effectively (by 250%) . This inherent strength, combined with the fortification mechanic, allows Zhongli to maintain a robust defense throughout encounters.
- Synergy with HP: The shield’s effectiveness scales with Zhongli’s maximum HP. Therefore, building Zhongli with high HP not only increases the initial strength of the shield but also enhances its fortification potential as it absorbs damage.
In summary, Zhongli’s Jade Shield becomes increasingly unbreakable as it absorbs hits, thanks to the fortification mechanic that rewards players for taking damage while maintaining high HP for maximum effectiveness.
