Searching for the best Zhongli build in Genshin Impact? When Zhongli was first released, the Genshin Impact community expressed their disappointment that this five star Geo polearm character couldn’t be used as a viable DPS character. The devs went out of their way to buff Zhongli and the Geo element overall, making him one of the best Genshin Impact characters in the game.
Zhongli is enjoying a second rerun banner in phase one of Genshin Impact 3.0, alongside new Genshin Impact characters Tighnari and Collei. Whether you’re looking for a strong DPS character, or a support character to create power shields, Zhongli can truly do it all, and our Zhongli build guide will make the most of his excellent utility.
Best Zhongli Sub-DPS build
- Weapon: Staff of Homa (five-star)
- Artifacts: Noblesse Oblige (two-piece), Archaic Petra (two-piece)
One of the best weapons for Zhongli is the Staff of Homa. As Zhongli’s attack damage scales to his health, and this weapon instantly increases his health by 20%, it’s a no-brainer. He also receives an attack bonus of 0.8% of Zhongli’s max health, which can go up to extremely high numbers with the correct artifact set. Lastly, the third effect increases Zhongli’s damage once his health drops below 50%. If you’re struggling to obtain this weapon, The Catch is an excellent four-star polearm.
In terms of artifacts, the Sub-DPS build is all about maximising the amount of damage Zhongli brings to the table. The two-piece Archaic Petra set will boost Geo damage by 15%, while the two-piece Noblesse Oblige boosts Elemental Burst damage by 20%. Provided you can generate energy to maximise Zhongli’s burst up-time, this dapper dude will be dishing out a lot of heat. Key sub-stats to focus on are Geo and normal attack boosts, as well as energy recharge.
Best Zhongli support build
- Weapon: Staff of Homa (five-star)
- Artifacts: Tenacity of the Millelith (four-piece)
The best weapon for a Zhongli shield build is still the Staff of Homa, although in terms of backups you could look at the Favonius Lance instead of The Catch, as it builds in some much-needed energy regen for Zhongli. If you’re feeling lazy, the unfortunately abundant three-star polearm Black Tassel is actually not a bad shout, considering it boosts HP as its main secondary stat. Plus you get to rinse through slime-based enemies.
You need a completely different artifact set for a Zhongli shield build, and you need to look no further than the Tenacity of the Millelith set. The two-piece set of this alone boosts HP by 20%, and the four-piece boosts the shields and attack strength of all party members, even if Zhongli is off the field. Considering how important HP is to Zhongli’s kit, this is an excellent build for maximising shield strength, making your party nigh-untouchable.
Zhongli team composition
For the DPS build, pair Zhongli with another Geo character to maximise his damage output. Ideally someone like Albedo works well in a support DPS role, or Itto in a similar role as he gains a massive buff when paired with other Geo characters. It’s important to note that even when built as a DPS character, Zhongli is still capable of providing his party members with strong shields. Don’t forget to use his shields if you ever want to pair Zhongli up with other powerful DPS characters like Hu Tao and Razor.
Using Zhongli in a support role allows you to safely attack with any DPS character. Klee is the perfect example of a character that heavily benefits from Zhongli’s Jade Shields, as her elemental skill is powerful but can negatively affect your party. We also recommend Yun Jin, a Geo support character who provides huge damage boosts to her party. This works particularly well with Zhongli as your party earns an additional damage boost when using the Jade Shields thanks to the Geo resonance buff.
Zhongli abilities
Normal attack: Rain of Stone
- Normal Attack: Perform up to six consecutive spear strikes
- Charged Attack: Drain stamina to lunge forward, dealing damage to any enemies along the way
- Plunging Attack: Attack from mid-air to strike the ground, dealing damage to enemies along the path and dealing AoE damage upon impact
Elemental Skill: Dominus Lapidis
- Press: Channel the power of earth to solidify into a Stone Stele, dealing AoE Geo damage. Summoned Stone Steles will resonate with other Geo Constructs in the surrounding area, dealing Geo damage to any nearby enemies. As a Geo Construct, the Stone Stele can be climbed on and used to block enemy attacks
- Hold: Causes nearby Geo energy to explode and cause the following effects
- Create a Jade Shield that absorbs damage depending on Zhongli’s max health. The Jade Shield also absorbs Geo damage 250% more effectively
- Deals AoE Geo damage
- Drains a large amount of Geo element from a maximum of two targets
Elemental Burst: Planet Befall
Zhongli summons a falling meteor to crash down on his enemies, dealing Geo damage to any enemies caught within its area of effect. The meteor also applies a Petrification status to all enemies, stopping them from moving.
Zhongli Constellations
- Rock, the Backbone of Earth: Increases the number of Stone Steles created by Dominus Lapidis that may exist by two
- Stone, the Cradle of Jade: Planet Befall grants nearby party members a Jade Shield when it descends
- Jade, Shimmering through Darkness: Increases the level of Dominus Lapidis by three, up to a maximum of 15
- Topaz, Unbreakable and Fearless: Increases Planet Befall’s AoE by 20% and increases the Petrification effect by an additional two seconds
- Lazuli, Herald of the Order: Increases the level of Planet Befall by three, up to a maximum of 15
- Chrysos, Bounty of Dominator: When the Jade Shield takes damage, 40% of the incoming damage is converting into health for the current character. A single instance of health regeneration cannot exceed 8% of that character’s max health
Zhongli Passive Talents
- Dominance of Earth: Planet Befall deals additional damage scaling to 33% of Zhongli’s max health
- Arcanum of Crystal: Grants a 15% ore refund when crafting polearm-type weapons
- Resonant Waves: When the Jade Shield takes damage, it will Fortify. This effect can stack up to five times, and lasts until the Jade Shield disappears. Fortified characters have 5% increased shield strength
And that’s all we have on the best Genshin Impact Zhongli build. For more, check out our Genshin Impact tier list, and if you’re planning on wishing for Zhongli in his next Genshin Impact banner, you may need our Genshin Impact codes guide for thos free primogems.