Zhongli Build Guide | Best Artifacts, Weapons & Teams

Who Is Zhongli?

Zhongli is a limited 5-star Geo Polearm character from Liyue, released in Version 1.1 (December 1, 2020). He is one of the most universally useful supports in Genshin Impact thanks to his powerful shield, easy uptime, and teamwide resistance shred.

Zhongli's main role is to cast Dominus Lapidis and keep the team protected while reducing nearby enemies' elemental and physical resistance. He can also be built for Burst damage, but shielding is his most consistent value.

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Skill Mechanics and Talent Priority

Normal Attack: Rain of Stone

Performs up to 6 spear strikes.
Normal Attacks are rarely a priority in standard support builds.

Elemental Skill: Dominus Lapidis

Press / Hold Cooldown: 12s.

Creates a stone stele or, when held, summons a very strong shield.
The hold version is the core of Zhongli's support role.
His shield scales from Max HP and provides near-unmatched comfort.
The Jade Shield also reduces nearby enemies' all RES.

Elemental Burst: Planet Befall

Energy Cost: 40. Cooldown: 12s.

Calls down a meteor that deals Geo DMG and petrifies enemies.
Useful for crowd control and front-loaded burst damage.
Lower priority in pure shield builds, but still valuable in hybrid setups.

Passive Talents

Talent	Unlock	Effect
Resonant Waves	Ascension 1	Zhongli's shield strengthens when hit.
Dominance of Earth	Ascension 4	Zhongli gains damage scaling from Max HP.
Arcanum of Crystal	Utility	Refunds ore used when crafting polearms.

Talent Leveling Priority

Elemental Skill > Elemental Burst > Normal Attack

Highest Priority: Elemental Skill - Zhongli's shield is the reason most teams use him.
Second Priority: Elemental Burst - good if you want extra damage or petrify value.
Third Priority: Normal Attack - not important for support.

If Zhongli is used only as a shield support, leveling Skill first gives the biggest return.

Best Artifacts

Main Stats

Slot	Main Stat
Sands	HP%
Goblet	HP% / Geo DMG Bonus
Circlet	HP% / CRIT Rate / CRIT DMG

Substats: HP% > Energy Recharge > CRIT stats in hybrid builds

Energy Recharge Requirements:

Pure shield build: often low priority
Burst support build: around 120-140%

Most players should build Zhongli with heavy HP investment first. Hybrid damage builds are optional and usually less important than shield consistency.

Set Options

Set	Effect	Verdict
Tenacity of the Millelith 4pc	HP bonus and team ATK / shield support.	Best standard support set.
Archaic Petra 4pc	Geo damage and elemental support through Crystallize.	Niche support choice with more setup requirement.
Noblesse Oblige 4pc	Burst damage and team ATK buff.	Usable if another teammate is not holding Noblesse.
2pc HP% + 2pc HP%	Maximum shield value.	Simple comfort setup for pure shielding.

Tenacity is Zhongli's most common and recommended set because it improves both shield strength and team support.

Best Weapons

Weapon	Rarity	Stat	Notes
Staff of Homa	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	CRIT DMG 66.2%	Best premium option for hybrid Burst builds.
Vortex Vanquisher	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	ATK 49.6%	Signature weapon, but often less practical than support options.
Favonius Lance	⭐⭐⭐⭐	Energy Recharge 30.6%	Excellent support polearm with team battery value.
Black Tassel	⭐⭐⭐	HP 46.9%	One of Zhongli's best pure shield weapons thanks to the HP stat.
Rightful Reward	⭐⭐⭐⭐	HP 27.6%	Solid HP-focused craftable option.
Prototype Starglitter	⭐⭐⭐⭐	Energy Recharge 45.9%	Usable if you need Energy and lack Favonius.

For most players, Black Tassel is the easiest pure shield weapon, while Favonius Lance is one of the best support choices for team utility.

Key Constellations

Constellation	Effect	Verdict
C1 - Rock, the Backbone of Earth	Allows an extra stone stele.	Mostly niche.
C2 - Stone, the Cradle of Jade	Grants shields after Burst.	Good comfort upgrade for co-op and smoother shield uptime.
C3 - Jade, Shimmering through Darkness	Skill level +3.	Strong direct shield upgrade.
C4 - Topaz, Unbreakable and Fearless	Improves Burst range and petrify duration.	Good utility, but not essential.
C5 - Lazuli, Herald of the Order	Burst level +3.	Moderate value.
C6 - Chrysos, Bounty of Dominator	Shields heal based on damage taken.	Luxury survivability constellation.

Recommendation: Zhongli is already complete at C0. C2 and C3 are his most practical premium comfort upgrades.

Team Compositions

Zhongli fits into almost any team that values shielding, interruption resistance, and universal RES shred.

Universal Shield Core

Role	Character	Notes
Main DPS	Any hypercarry	Main damage dealer.
Support	Zhongli	Shield and RES shred.
Support	Buffer / healer / sub-DPS	Chosen around the carry.
Flex	Battery or reaction support	Team-specific slot.

Hu Tao Team

Role	Character	Notes
Main DPS	Hu Tao	Wants uninterrupted Charged Attack windows.
Support	Zhongli	Shield, comfort, and RES shred.
Sub-DPS	Yelan	Hydro damage and buffing.
Sub-DPS	Xingqiu	Hydro application and damage reduction.

Geo Team

Role	Character	Notes
Main DPS	Itto / Navia	Geo damage dealer.
Support	Zhongli	Geo resonance enabler and shield support.
Support	Albedo / Chiori	Extra Geo off-field damage.
Support	Gorou / Bennett	Buffing support.

Rotation

Use Hold Skill early to establish the Jade Shield.
Refresh the shield before it expires or before dangerous enemy windows.
Use Burst when the petrify or front-loaded damage is useful.

Ascension and Talent Materials

Base Stats (Lv. 90)

Stat	Value
Max HP	14,695
ATK	251
DEF	738
Geo DMG Bonus (Ascension)	28.8%

Ascension Materials (0 to 90)

Mora: 420,000
EXP: 420 Hero's Wit
Prithiva Topaz: 1 Sliver / 9 Fragment / 9 Chunk / 6 Gemstone
Boss Drop: Basalt Pillar x46
Local Specialty: Cor Lapis x168
Common Drops: 18 Slime Condensate / 30 Slime Secretions / 36 Slime Concentrate

Talent Materials (Single Talent 1 to 10)

Mora: 1,652,500
Talent Books: Teachings x3 / Guide x21 / Philosophies x38 of Gold
Common Drops: 6 Slime Condensate / 22 Slime Secretions / 31 Slime Concentrate
Weekly Boss: Tusk of Monoceros Caeli x6
Crown: Crown of Insight x1

Domain: Taishan Mansion (Wednesday / Saturday / Sunday) - Gold series

Summary

Zhongli is one of the most reliable 5-star Geo Polearm supports in Genshin Impact thanks to his unmatched shield and universal RES shred. His best builds prioritize HP, consistent shield uptime, and support utility through Tenacity of the Millelith. He remains one of the safest and easiest ways to stabilize difficult teams.

Quick Reference

Priority	Best Choice
Weapon	Favonius Lance / Black Tassel
Artifact	Tenacity of the Millelith 4pc
Sands	HP%
Goblet	HP%
Circlet	HP%
Talent Priority	Elemental Skill > Elemental Burst > Normal Attack
Key Constellations	C2 / C3
Best Team	Universal flex support in almost any carry team

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