Zhongli is equal parts sub-DPS, support king, and even healer, thanks to last year’s much-needed tweaks to how he functions. Despite the wide range of possibilities, his builds revolve mostly around one specific talent.
When is the Zhongli banner?
Zhongli has popped up a few times since he first debuted at the end of 2020, and the latest Zhongli rerun goes live August 23 as part of the version 3.0 update. His banner is another double wish, with Tighnari as the other five-star character and the new four-star Dendro archer Collei on both. Version 3.0 is one week shorter than usual, so expect Zhongli’s banner to end at an earlier date. Ganyu is running in a separate banner in the second half of the update as well.
Is Zhongli a DPS character?
Sort of, but he’s mostly a support character designed to provide shields and create Reactions. He has low attack for a five-star character and relies almost exclusively on his Skill and Burst for utility. The former creates a construct that deals Geo damage in a pulse and generates a shield, while the latter drops a meteor on the field and temporarily petrifies enemies. Zhongli works especially well with other Geo characters. The stele his skill creates resonates with other Geo constructs - anything Geo-related that stays on the field. That includes Ningguang’s Jade Screen, Albedo’s blooms, and even Arataki Itto’s Ushi bull. The resonance effect broadens the pulse’s range, so you could potentially damage every enemy on the field with the right character combinations.
Should you pull for Zhongli?
Zhongli is one of the most useful defenders in the game, with strong support abilities and decent attack. His skills are incredibly potent, and the Jade Shield makes tougher challenges - weekly bosses and the Spiral Abyss, for example - significantly easier. There are few instances where it’s not worth pulling for Zhongli, though bear in mind he can make battles a bit too easy at times. If you don’t have Zhongli already by the time Genshin Impact 3.0 rolls around, and you run the Spiral Abyss frequently, rolling for Zhongli is a very good idea. Dendro doesn’t react with Swirl, so you can’t use Viridescent Venerer to reduce enemy Dendro resistance. Zhongli is the only way to inflict a resistance debuff for Dendro, at least until other new characters come out. If you already have Zhongli, it’s worth rolling for Tighnari instead. The two of them would be ideal since Tighnari even has a secondary stat that raises his Dendro damage, which means he can deal more of it thanks to Zhongli’s debuff.
What are Zhongli’s materials?
Zhongli materials for leveling up include the Basalt Pillar from the Geo Hypostasis, slime items, and Cor Lapis. For talents, you’ll need Gold-series books, more slime materials, and Tusk of Monoceros Cerei, which only comes from the Liyue final boss.
What is the best Genshin Impact Zhongli build?
The best Zhongli build for DPS focuses on his last passive talent, Dominance of Earth. It scales his attack based on HP, and higher HP also helps bolster the strength of Zhongli’s Jade Shield. The shield is one of the most powerful any defender can generate in the game, so everyone wins.
Best Zhongli weapon
For a DPS Zhongli, the best choice is the Staff of Homa. Its secondary stat increases critical damage, but the passive skill boosts HP by 20-40% and buffs attack by 0.8% of the user’s HP. The effect increases slightly if the user’s HP is less than 50%, and Zhongli’s shields make him a safe bet for getting that increase without dying on the field. An elemental Zhongli build would benefit from Calamity Queller instead. This one has the highest base attack of any polearm, with a slight attack buff for its secondary stat. The passive skill raises elemental damage by 12 percent and after using an elemental skill, the user’s attack increases by three percent every second. For four-star options, you have a couple of strong picks. The Favonius Lance generates plenty of energy particles, which is ideal for a burst-focused Zhongli.
Best Zhongli Artifacts
Even with these attack boosts, you’ll get the most out of Zhongli with his Elemental Skill and Burst. The best choice for Zhongli as a support character is a four-piece set of Tenacity of the Millelith.
Two-piece effect: Increases HP by 20 percent Four-piece effect: After an elemental skill damages opponents, the party’s shield strength increases by 30 percent and attack increases by 20 percent.
We recommend the Archaic Petra and Noblesse Oblige sets for a burst-focused build.
Two-piece Archaic Petra: Increases Geo damage by 15% Two-piece Noblesse Oblige: Increases Elemental Burst damage by 20%
You can build Zhongli around shields and boost his attack further with Retracing Bolide, but you’re better off using him as support DPS and leaving the heavy hitting to a main DPS, such as Xiao or Ganyu.
What is the best Zhongli F2P build?
Zhongli’s F2P build is similar to his paid build, though with a slightly greater emphasis on his Elemental abilities.
Best Zhongli F2P weapon
The Catch, a four-star polearm you can buy from the Inazuma Fishing Association, is an excellent choice for Zhongli. Its secondary stat raises energy recharge, and the passive skill boosts burst damage by 16 percent and burst critical rate by six percent. You can buy refinement materials from the Fishing Association as well, so getting the maximum benefit from this weapon just means going fishing. A lot.
Best Zhongli Artifacts for F2P
Our preferred set for this build is the second option, Archaic Petra and Noblesse Oblige, since the F2P Zhongli build centers around his burst more than anything. Once you’ve got your Genshin Impact party sorted, it’s time to head to the depths of the ocean. Check out the new Enkanomiya region and plunder all its secrets, including the new book collections and finding all the Key Sigils. If you’re not keen on the current banners, save up those Primos for one of Genshin Impact’s upcoming banners instead.
