Zhongli Best Build

Zhongli is one of the most versatile and powerful characters in Genshin Impact, and for good reason. As the Geo Archon of Liyue and a 5-star Polearm wielder, Zhongli brings exceptional defensive utility with his shield and the rare ability to petrify enemies with his Elemental Burst. Whether you’re building him for pure shielding or leaning into a damage-dealing support role, Zhongli can be the cornerstone of your team. This guide will walk you through the best ways to build and use Zhongli, breaking down his strengths, weaknesses, and various roles he can play in your lineup.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths:

  1. Unparalleled Shielding: Zhongli provides the strongest shield in the game, courtesy of his Elemental Skill, Dominus Lapidis. His shield not only absorbs a massive amount of damage, but also scales off of his max HP, meaning it becomes stronger as you invest in his health.
  2. Resistance Shred: Zhongli’s shield doesn’t just protect your team—it also debuffs enemies by reducing their resistance to all types of damage by 20%. This means his shield indirectly boosts the overall damage output of your entire team.
  3. Incredible Flexibility: Zhongli fits into a wide variety of team compositions. Whether you need a sturdy shield, crowd control, or even some extra damage, he can deliver it all. His versatility makes him one of the most valuable units to have.
  4. Crowd Control via Petrification: His Elemental Burst, Planet Befall, summons a massive meteor that petrifies enemies for a few seconds, effectively stunning them and giving your team breathing room to deal damage.

Weaknesses:

  1. No Protection Against Corrosion: Despite his unbeatable shields, they don’t prevent corrosion, a debuff that causes your characters to lose HP over time. This can be problematic in certain domains and Abyss floors where corrosion is a factor.
  2. Energy Issues: Zhongli has relatively low energy generation, which can make it harder to spam his Elemental Burst without external sources of Energy Recharge.
  3. Burst Animation Lag: Planet Befall has a long animation sequence, which can sometimes cause a slight DPS loss if not timed correctly.

Shielder Zhongli: Unbreakable Defense

If you’re looking to maximize Zhongli’s shield strength, this build is tailor-made for you. It’s focused solely on HP, making Zhongli an indestructible wall that keeps your team safe no matter what. This build is especially helpful if you’re looking for a low-investment setup that still makes Zhongli extremely effective in his role as a shielder.

Best Weapons for Shielder Zhongli

  1. Black Tassel (Best-in-Slot): This 3-star weapon might surprise you, but its high HP scaling makes it the best option for boosting Zhongli’s shield. Since the primary focus here is HP, the additional stats from higher-rarity weapons don’t outweigh Black Tassel’s simple but effective boost to Zhongli’s shield strength.
  2. Favonius Lance: This is an alternative option if you need more Energy Recharge to consistently activate Planet Befall. While it doesn’t offer as much HP scaling, it provides an easier time keeping Zhongli’s Burst up.
  3. Rightful Reward: Another good choice for Energy Recharge. It sacrifices some HP for better energy generation, which can be useful if your team comp heavily relies on Zhongli’s Burst.

Best Artifacts for Shielder Zhongli

  1. Tenacity of the Millelith (4-piece): This set is designed for characters like Zhongli, whose abilities scale with HP. The 2-piece set gives a 20% HP boost, and the 4-piece set increases shield strength and also buffs your team’s attack when Zhongli’s shield is active.
  2. 2-piece HP % + 2-piece HP %: For a simpler and easier-to-farm option, you can just stack HP-focused artifacts from different sets to maximize his shield.

Artifact Stats for Maximum Shielding

  • Sands: HP %
  • Goblet: HP %
  • Circlet: HP %

In this build, HP is king. The more HP you stack, the stronger Zhongli’s shield becomes. You can even ignore substats like Crit Rate and Crit Damage if you’re solely focusing on maximizing shield strength.

Substat Priority:

  • HP %
  • HP
  • Energy Recharge

Talent Priority for Shielder Zhongli

  1. Elemental Skill (Dominus Lapidis): Maxing out this skill is your top priority, as it directly affects the strength of Zhongli’s shield.
  2. Elemental Burst (Planet Befall): While this build isn’t focused on damage, leveling up his Burst is still useful for petrification and crowd control.
  3. Normal Attack: Ignore this unless you plan to use Zhongli in a more offensive role.

Playstyle for Shielder Zhongli

When using Zhongli primarily as a shielder, your goal is to maintain his shield at all times. You should focus on using his Elemental Skill, Dominus Lapidis, to generate a shield and apply the resistance shred to enemies. This build shines in situations where your team needs strong protection and stability, allowing your main DPS to deal damage without fear of interruption.

Burst Support Zhongli: Adding Offensive Power

This build focuses on increasing Zhongli’s damage output, especially from his Elemental Burst, Planet Befall. While Zhongli’s shields remain useful, the goal here is to turn him into a more offensive character who can support the team by both dealing damage and providing protection. This build works best if you’ve unlocked Zhongli’s Constellations, particularly C2 (Stone, the Cradle of Jade), which adds shields for your whole team upon casting his Burst.

Best Weapons for Burst Support Zhongli

  1. Staff of Homa (Best-in-Slot): This 5-star weapon is the top choice for Zhongli when focusing on damage. It increases HP and provides a Crit Damage boost, which synergizes perfectly with Zhongli’s shield and Burst damage.
  2. Primordial Jade Winged-Spear: Another strong option that boosts Crit Rate and offers additional ATK% scaling. It’s an excellent alternative if you’re sharing Staff of Homa with another character.
  3. “The Catch”: This free-to-play-friendly weapon boosts Elemental Burst damage and Energy Recharge, making it perfect for Burst Support Zhongli without the need for 5-star weapons.

Best Artifacts for Burst Support Zhongli

  1. Emblem of Severed Fate (4-piece): This set boosts Zhongli’s Elemental Burst damage based on his Energy Recharge. Since Burst Zhongli requires a good amount of Energy Recharge, this set provides both offensive power and Burst uptime.
  2. Noblesse Oblige (2-piece) + Emblem of Severed Fate (2-piece): If you prefer mixing sets, this combination boosts Burst damage while giving some Energy Recharge.

Artifact Stats for Burst Zhongli

  • Sands: ATK % or HP % (depending on whether you want more shield strength or damage)
  • Goblet: Geo DMG Bonus
  • Circlet: Crit Rate or Crit Damage (depending on your substat balance)

Substat Priority:

  • Crit Rate / Crit DMG
  • ATK %
  • HP %
  • Energy Recharge

Talent Priority for Burst Zhongli

  1. Elemental Burst (Planet Befall): Since this build focuses on maximizing Zhongli’s Burst damage, you’ll want to level up this talent first.
  2. Elemental Skill (Dominus Lapidis): Keep leveling his shield to maintain a balance between offense and defense.
  3. Normal Attack: Optional, but generally less important for this build.

Playstyle for Burst Support Zhongli

With Burst Zhongli, timing is crucial. You’ll want to group up enemies and unleash his Burst at the optimal moment to petrify them, giving your team time to follow up with more damage. The shield from Dominus Lapidis still plays a key role, but the main focus here is on getting as much damage out of Zhongli’s Planet Befall as possible. Make sure to build enough Energy Recharge to use his Burst consistently, and always position yourself well to catch as many enemies as possible with the meteor.

Best Team Compositions for Zhongli

Zhongli’s versatility means he can fit into almost any team. However, there are some compositions that allow him to truly shine, particularly when paired with characters who benefit from his shields or require a defensive support to maximize their damage output.

Mono Geo Team (Itto-Albedo-Gorou-Zhongli)

Main DPS: Arataki Itto
Sub DPS: Albedo
Support: Zhongli, Gorou

This team capitalizes on Geo Resonance, increasing shield strength and damage output. Zhongli’s shield and resistance shred complement Itto’s high Geo damage, while Albedo and Gorou provide additional Geo-based support.

Ganyu Melt Team (Ganyu-Xiangling-Bennett-Zhongli)

Main DPS: Ganyu
Sub DPS: Xiangling
Support: Bennett, Zhongli

Zhongli’s shield provides Ganyu with uninterrupted time to charge her shots and trigger Melt reactions, amplifying her Cryo damage without fear of getting staggered by enemies.

Final Thoughts on Zhongli

Zhongli is, without a doubt, one of the most powerful support characters in Genshin Impact. Whether you’re looking for an unbreakable shield to keep your team alive or a burst of Geo damage to complement your main DPS, Zhongli can fulfill both roles with ease. His flexibility and defensive prowess make him a must-have unit for almost any team composition.

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