Zhongli Guide and Best Builds for Genshin Impact

Strengths

• The strongest shield in the game.
• Shield gives a universal 20% resistance shred increasing DPS for the team.
• Incredibly flexible, can be used in a large range of team compositions.
• Elemental Burst petrifies enemies providing CC.

Weaknesses

• Shields have no impact on corrosion attacks.
• Elemental Burst can result in a DPS loss due to its long animation.
• Low energy generation.

Zhongli can be built purely as a shielder with the aim of increasing his shield to its absolute limits. Alternatively, Zhongli can instead be built as a Burst Support by investing more into damage instead of excessive shielding.

In a Shielder build, Zhongli simply wants high HP weapons such as Black Tassel or weapons that support the team such as Favonius Lance. In Zhongli's Burst Support build however offensive weapons such as Staff of Homa and Lumidouce Elegy are your best weapons.

Zhongli's best artifact build as a shielder is generally Scroll of the Hero of Cinder City however if your team does not have many characters who can react with Crystallize then opt for one of the other options. Zhongli in this build should simply be given HP %.

In a Burst Support build, Zhongli benefits from Emblem of Severed Fate and should be built with more offensive substats such as Geo DMG, ATK % and CRIT. For the 's ATK % is preferred but you may opt for HP to increase your shield.

Zhongli's main focus is on his shield, simply hold your elemental skill, Dominus Lapidis, to create a shield. Zhongli's placement of the Stone Steles can be very important however, if placed at a bad angle or against larger enemies it may automatically break losing you any benefits outside of the shield.

Planet Befall summons a meteor in front of your character meaning that positioning of your character and grouping of enemies is important to ensure enemies are petrified. When petrified you have the ability to easily set up additional reactions and support your team without interruption.

Zhongli is an incredibly versatile support character and is often used with a wide range of teams either for shielding or the 20% RES Shred.

These teams are examples of Bow users who can benefit from Zhongli's increased interruption resistance because Ganyu, Lyney and Tighnari all use their Charged Attacks which leave them vulnerable.

Neuvillette is an incredibly powerful character who heavily benefits from Zhongli's resistance interruption, resistance shred as well as an increased damage bonus from Neuvillette's 1st Ascension passive, Heir to the Ancient Sea's Authority.

Zhongli provides a lot of comfort to Arlecchino teams at the cost of lower potential damage output. Arlecchino is unable to heal in combat outside of their Elemental Burst making a shield incredibly useful. Being alive is more damage than being dead!