Comprehensive Zhongli Guide: Maximizing His Potential

Welcome to the comprehensive guide on Zhongli in Genshin Impact.

This guide covers everything from his diverse playstyles to the most effective builds, weapons, and team compositions, ensuring you fully use Zhongli's capabilities.

Let's dive in!

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Comprehensive Zhongli Guide: Maximizing His Potential in Genshin Impact

Zhongli's Core Talents

Elemental Skill: Dominus Lapidis

Tapping the skill summons a Stone Stele, dealing AoE Geo DMG.

Holding the skill creates a Jade Shield based on Zhongli's Max HP, offering substantial damage absorption.

The Stone Stele resonates with Geo constructs, dealing periodic Geo DMG and generating Geo particles.

The Jade Shield reduces the resistance of nearby enemies to all elements and physical damage, amplifying overall team DPS.

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Elemental Burst: Planet Befall

Deals significant Geo DMG with a high scaling coefficient.

Petrifies enemies, immobilizing them and making them more vulnerable to damage.

Moderately low energy cost (40) and cooldown (12 seconds), enabling frequent use.

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Talent Priority for Zhongli

Support-Focused Zhongli

Primary: Elemental Skill. Maximizing the Jade Shield's strength is crucial for survival and resistance reduction.

Secondary: Elemental Burst. Enhances crowd control and supplemental damage.

Tertiary: Normal Attack. Least priority as Zhongli's role here is more about shielding and control rather than direct damage.

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DPS-Focused Zhongli

Primary: Elemental Burst. Prioritize for its high damage and control capabilities.

Secondary: Elemental Skill. While the shield remains important, the focus here shifts slightly towards damage output.

Tertiary: Normal Attack. If Zhongli is used as a physical DPS, then this becomes more relevant.

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Physical DPS Zhongli

Primary: Normal Attack. When used as a physical DPS, Zhongli’s normal and charged attacks become his main damage source.

Secondary: Elemental Burst. Still important for its damage and control.

Tertiary: Elemental Skill. The shield's utility is still valuable, but the damage from the Stone Stele is less relevant.

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Zhongli's Playstyle: Support vs. DPS

Zhongli is unique in his ability to adapt to various roles:

• Shield Support: Emphasizes his powerful shield for protection and enemy resistance reduction.
• Burst Support: Balances the use of his shield and high-scaling Elemental Burst for damage and crowd control.
• Physical DPS: While not as strong as dedicated DPS characters, Zhongli can function effectively in this role in specific team setups.

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Building Zhongli: Artifacts

Tenacity of the Millelith

Increases HP by 20% and, when an Elemental Skill hits an enemy, increases ATK of all nearby party members by 20% and Shield Strength by 30% for 3 seconds.

Support Zhongli builds where enhancing the shield's strength and providing team-wide ATK buffs is a priority.

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Noblesse Oblige

Increases Elemental Burst damage by 20% and provides a 20% ATK buff to all party members for 12 seconds after using an Elemental Burst.

Builds focusing on Zhongli’s Elemental Burst, both for its damage and utility.

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Archaic Petra

Provides a 15% Geo DMG bonus and, upon obtaining a crystal created through a Crystallize reaction, increases the corresponding elemental DMG of party members by 35%.

DPS-focused Zhongli builds, maximizing his Geo DMG output.

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Artifact Main Stat Prioritization

Support Zhongli

• Sands: HP% to maximize shield strength.
• Goblet: Geo DMG Bonus for a balance between damage and support, or HP% for a stronger shield.
• Circlet: HP% for enhanced shield, or CRIT Rate/DMG if focusing on burst damage.

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DPS Zhongli

• Sands: ATK% or HP% (if leveraging HP scaling on abilities).
• Goblet: Geo DMG Bonus for increased damage output.
• Circlet: CRIT Rate or CRIT DMG, depending on what's needed to balance CRIT ratios.

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Substat Focus

• HP%: Enhances shield strength and scales with some of Zhongli's abilities.
• CRIT Rate and CRIT DMG: Essential for increasing Zhongli's damage output, particularly for DPS builds.
• ATK% and Energy Recharge: Useful for ensuring Zhongli can frequently use his Elemental Burst.

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Weapon Choices

Staff of Homa

High CRIT DMG and an HP bonus that increases ATK based on Max HP.

Maximizing Zhongli's damage potential, especially in DPS builds where his HP scaling can be increased.

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Deathmatch (Battle Pass Weapon)

Provides a significant CRIT Rate increase and boosts ATK when facing multiple enemies.

A balanced approach to Zhongli’s DPS, offering consistent critical hits.

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Favonius Lance

Facilitates energy generation for Zhongli’s burst.

Support Zhongli builds that prioritize frequent use of Elemental Burst.

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Black Tassel

Offers a significant HP percentage increase.

Ideal for a shield-centric Zhongli build, enhancing his shield strength.

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Crescent Pike

Offers additional physical DMG on normal and charged attacks after picking up an Elemental Orb/Particle.

Effective in teams that support physical damage output, maximizing Zhongli's on-field damage.

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Choosing the Right Weapon Based on Zhongli's Role

Support Build: Weapons like Favonius Lance or Black Tassel are optimal, focusing on shield strength and energy recharge.

DPS Build: Staff of Homa or Deathmatch enhances Zhongli’s damage output. Crescent Pike is excellent for a physical DPS build.

Hybrid Build: For a balance between support and DPS, consider a weapon that offers a mix of HP, ATK, or CRIT stats.

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Zhongli in Team Compositions

Zhongli in Elemental Reaction Teams

Enhancing Geo Teams

Zhongli pairs excellently with characters like Albedo, Ningguang, or Geo Traveler.

Their Geo constructs can interact with Zhongli's pillars, boosting overall Geo DMG and resonance.

Zhongli, Albedo, Ningguang, and a flexible slot for a healer or utility character like Bennett or Mona.

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Mono Geo Team

Gorou enhances Zhongli's effectiveness by providing additional buffs based on the number of Geo characters in the party.

This makes Zhongli's shields stronger and his damage output more impactful.

Zhongli, Arataki Itto serves as the primary hypercarry, Ningguang provides ranged Geo DPS, and Gorou as a Geo support.

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Supporting Main DPS Characters

Zhongli's shield provides safety for DPS characters, and his Elemental Burst adds significant damage and control.

Works well with DPS characters who benefit from uninterrupted attack sequences, such as Ganyu, Hu Tao, or Xiao.

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Zhongli in Shield-Centric and Control Teams

Maximizing Shield Potential

Zhongli’s Jade Shield is one of the strongest in the game, reducing the need for a dedicated healer and allowing more aggressive playstyles.

Zhongli, Xingqiu (for Hydro reactions and additional damage mitigation), a main DPS, and an Anemo support for crowd control.

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Crowd Control with Petrification

His Elemental Burst's petrification effect can freeze the battlefield, providing strategic control and setting up for high-damage combos.

Zhongli for control, a main DPS for damage, a secondary DPS or sub-support for reactions, and a healer/utility character.

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Specialized Team Roles

Physical DPS Zhongli

In a Taser composition, Zhongli can serve as a driver, enabling continuous Electro-Charged reactions with characters like Beidou and Fischl, while also providing solid physical damage.

Zhongli (Physical DPS), Beidou (Sub-DPS/Support), Fischl (Sub-DPS/Support), and a healer or utility character.

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Geo Resonance Teams

Pairing Zhongli with another Geo character activates the Geo Resonance, increasing shield strength and resistance to interruption, beneficial for teams focusing on sustained DPS.

Zhongli, another Geo character for resonance (Albedo, Ningguang), a main DPS, and a flexible support slot.

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Constellation Breakdown

C1: Rock, the Backbone of Earth

Allows Zhongli to summon an additional Stone Stele.

Increases the area of effect for Geo damage and resonance, useful for Geo-focused teams.

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C2: Stone, the Cradle of Jade

Zhongli's Elemental Burst generates a Jade Shield when cast.

Adds convenience and survivability, automatically providing a shield and saving time on skill usage.

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C4: Topaz, Unbreakable and Fearless

Increases the AoE of Planet Befall and extends the petrification duration by 2 seconds.

Provides greater crowd control and increases the impact of his burst in larger enemy groups.

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C6: Chrysos, Bounty of Dominator

When the Jade Shield takes damage, 40% of that damage is converted into HP for the current character.

Offers significant healing, potentially replacing the need for a dedicated healer in some team compositions.

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Tips for Maximizing Zhongli's Potential

Using Zhongli’s Unique Abilities

Mastering Shield and Petrification Timing

Activate Zhongli’s Jade Shield before engaging in combat or ahead of significant enemy attacks to maximize team protection.

Use his Elemental Burst strategically for crowd control during critical combat phases or to interrupt powerful enemy attacks.

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Geo Construct Synergy

Position Zhongli’s Stone Stele to maximize its resonance with other Geo constructs, enhancing area damage and energy generation.

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Advanced Gameplay Techniques

Energy Management

Use Zhongli’s Elemental Skill strategically to generate Geo particles, aiding in energy recharge for himself and Geo teammates.

Equip Zhongli with sufficient Energy Recharge to use his Elemental Burst frequently, without sacrificing too much on HP or damage stats.

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Combining Abilities for Maximum Impact

Combine Zhongli’s shield with his Elemental Burst for a seamless transition between defense and offense.

Align Zhongli’s abilities with your team’s DPS windows, ensuring that enemies are debuffed and controlled when your main DPS unleashes their attacks.

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Conclusion

Zhongli's flexibility makes him a top-tier character in Genshin Impact.

Whether you're using him as a formidable shield support, a burst damage dealer, or even as a physical DPS, Zhongli can significantly elevate your team's performance.

Understanding his talents, optimizing his build, and integrating him effectively into your team are key to unlocking Zhongli’s full potential.