Background
Zhongli is a mysterious consultant for the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor that greatly value the tradition of Liyue. He holds a vast knowledge of the history and culture of Liyue. Despite his beliefs on tradition, Zhongli is a humble man who dislikes lying. He views contracts between two parties as sacred vows that should never be broken. As a consultant for the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, he is responsible for preparing the ceremonies that honor Liyue’s traditional customs.
Within the story, Zhongli and the traveler must journey throughout Liyue and help prepare the Rite of Passage for Rex Lapis, who was murdered by an unknown assailant.
Throughout your adventures, Zhongli seems to lack the proper understanding of currency. He loves to spend mora on expensive things, without realizing how costly it is. The traveler or Childe would often have to come to his rescue and pay the bill.
Fun Fact: Zhongli does not like seafood.
[Spoiler Alert]
Over the past years, Zhongli has gone by many names. His most notable title include Rex Lapis, the Geo Archon. As Rex Lapis, Zhongli had a crucial impact on the development of Liyue Harbor and the tradition and cultures found within the city. He was also responsible for the creation of the mora system used in Teyvat as currency. Once a year, he would descend onto the land to give the people guidance on trading and commerce for the entire nation.
Zhongli defended Liyue along with the god of Dust, Guizhong, in the Archon war. They built a settlement in The Guili Plains along with a group of survivors from the war. Guizhong was killed during the war, and Rex Lapis eventually moved the survivors into what is known as Liyue harbor today. He is close friends with the Anemo Archon, Venti, who would often bring him dandelion wine in the past. Unlike Venti, who valued giving his people freedom, Zhongli has played a crucial role in Liyue for thousands of years. He would often go in disguise in the city and view the way the people were living. Rex Lapis and Venti are the last of the two original Archons out of the seven that won the Archon War.
As a nation, Liyue has developed immensely since the times of war. Rex Lapis soon became worried about his future role in the nation. He started to wonder if his work with Liyue was done after witnessing a conversation between two workers. He designed a test, with the help of the Cryo Archon, to determine if Liyue was suitable to live without him. For this reason, he faked his death and tricked Childe into releasing a god to see how the people Liyue would defend themselves. Luckily, Liyue Qixing, the Traveler, and the adepti all banded together and saved the city from any harm. As per his contact with the Cryo Archon, he gave up his Archon powers, and can now rest easy with Liyue in good hands.
Fun Fact: Rex Lapis is known as the God of Contracts & Commence
[End of Spoiler Alert]
Zhongli has no vision, but is capable of wielding the powers of Geo. He uses a polearm to swiftly hit his enemies. Zhongli first appears within the story as a “friend” of Childe who must help prepare the burial ceremony for “Rex Lapis”. He currently resides in Liyue.
Zhongli Skill Talents
Zhongli’s main niche is his elemental skill and its ability to work together with other Geo character. These skills set him up as a great support character with his ability to throw up a shield and destroy Geo shields. He can also serve as a good Burst DPS due to his powerful element burst that can deal massive Geo DMG to a group of enemies if you prefer to use him as a DPS unit. The skills you should prioritize are his elemental skill and burst, depending on your build. Zhongli’s normal attack lacks the power needed to be on par with other DPS units.
Zhongli’s normal attack, Rain of Stone, performs up to 6 consecutive attacks with a spear, with each hit dealing more damage. This is one more additional attack in his animation than Xiangling, the only other pole-arm user in the game right now. However, it does overall less damage and is slower than Xiangling’s attack speed. Zhongli uses a variety of techniques with his spear to attack, like using his legs to spin it or plunging it into the enemy. His attacks are swift and can rapidly hit any enemy with flair. For his charged attack, Zhongli summons stone spears to strike down enemies in his path.
Zhongli’s elemental skill, Dominus Lapidis, has two effects that you can use. By tapping it once, Zhongli summons a Stone Stele to deal AoE Geo DMG to nearby enemies. His Stone Stele resonates with nearby Geo construct and deals AoE Geo DMG. The radius of damage by the Stone Stele is decent, but the radius will expand with more Geo constructs around it. Enemies will need to stay near the Stele for them to take damage. Zhongli can only summon 1 Stone Stele at once unless you have him at C1, which raises the limit to 2. The cooldown for this skill is only 4 seconds, which allows Zhongli to quickly resummon the Stele. This skill is decent on its own, but it relies on other Geo Constructs to be used effectively. Zhongli’s elemental skill is also hard to position correctly without practice. Unlike the Traveler’s Geo construct, you do not get to aim where his Stele is summoned. The Stone Stele is automatically summoned in front of Zhongli.
When holding down, Zhongli’s elemental skill allows him to cause nearby Geo energy to explode dealing AoE Geo DMG in the process. The radius for the explosion is pretty wide and can cover the surrounding areas around him. This skill is useful in mining for ores and can one-shot the ores for you to easily collect. This skill will also drain Geo energy from the shields of enemies, making it an effective way to deal with those pesky stone shields of the hilichurls. The drain will also work on the pillars of the Geo Hypostasis to destroy them more easily. However, the drain effect does not deal damage and can only absorb the Geo element from 2 targets at a time. Aside from the Geo DMG, Zhongli will also create a shield of jade that scales with his HP and absorb damage. This shield will transfer when you switch characters. The cooldown for this skill is 12 seconds long, while the shield duration will last 20 seconds unless it is broken. This short cooldown allows Zhongli to consistently protect himself and his party members. Zhonglis’ hold effect will also summon a Stone Stele if one doesn’t exist yet.
Zhongli’s elemental burst, Planet Befall, will summon a meteor from above to strike the enemy with Geo DMG. His burst will also petrify all enemies hit by his burst, causing them to be unable to move. Zhongli’s burst works well with his skill to keep his enemies in close range with his Stone Steele. The cooldown for his burst is 12 seconds with an energy cost of 40. This combination of a short cooldown and low energy cost allows Zhongli to reliably activate his elemental burst.
In the 1.3 update of Genshin Impact, Zhongli gained the following buffs:
- Zhongli’s normal, charged, and plunging attack DMG is increased by 1.39% of his Max HP.
- Zhongli’s Stone Stele resonance and his hold damage are increased by 1.9% of his Max HP.
- Zhongli’s elemental burst DMG is increased by 33% of his Max HP.
- Zhongli’s shield will now reduce damage 150% Physical DMG and 150% Elemental DMG Absorption. (Was 250% Geo DMG Absorption before)
In co-op play, Zhongli works well with other Geo characters that can construct Geo constructs. However, your options are limited right now to either Ningguang and Geo Traveler. It is also important to note that there are also limits to how many Geo constructs each character can have on the field. Zhongli can be used on other teams as well to trigger the crystalize effect and use his burst to deal Geo DMG on the enemy. Lastly, he is capable of dealing with shields made out of Geo element to save other players the hassle of breaking them down.
Zhongli Passive Talents
Zhongli’s first passive talent, Arcanum of Crystal, is mediocre at best. It gives you a small amount of ore back when you craft a Pole-arm type weapon. Ores are not hard to obtain, especially if you farm the materials every day through expeditions. This skill also doesn’t help Zhongli in combat.
His Ascension 1 talent, Resonant Waves, will boost shield strength of the Jade Shield when it gets hit. This talent will allow characters to take more hits before the shield breaks.
Dominance of Earth, Zhongli’s Ascension 4 talent, increases the damage of his elemental burst. This talent scales with Zhongli’s Max HP.
Both of his talents at Ascension 1 and 4, boosts Zhongli’s elemental burst and skill. Both skills scale along with Zhongli’s Max HP, which is important to note when building him.
Zhongli is a great character to use to explore within the map, because of his elemental skill that can easily break down ores. As a tall character, he is also able to climb mountains easier and run faster.
Note: Zhongli will get a Geo DMG Bonus% based on his ascension rank.
| Arcanum of Crystal Unlocked Automatically Refunds 15% of the ores used when crafting Polearm-type weapons. |
| Resonant Waves Unlocked at Ascension 1 When the Jade Shield takes DMG, it will Fortify: Fortified characters have 5% increased Shield Strength. Can stack up to 5 times, and lasts until the Jade Shield disappears. |
| Dominance of Earth Unlocked at Ascension 4 Planet Befall deals additional DMG equal to 33% of Zhongli’s Max HP. |
Zhongli Constellations
Zhongli’s constellations allow him to fully utilize his elemental skill and burst to increase their effectiveness. However, due to the rarity of a 5 star, getting him to a high constellation level will be tough. Zhongli can still be decent in his role as a Geo support without the aid of a constellation level, but can be easily outclassed by other characters like Noelle. The effectiveness of his skills are locked behind high constellation levels.
C1:Rock, the Backbone of Earth allows Zhongli to create another Stone Stele that will act independently of each other. This will allow him to extend his resonance effect to reach a wider area.
C2: Stone, the Cradle of Jade will allow him to grant nearby characters a Jade Shield when he uses his elemental burst. This ability is helpful in his role as a support character and can be a reliable way to reduce damage due to its low cost and cooldown on his elemental burst.
C4: Topaz, Unbreakable and Fearless is great for Zhongli as a Burst DPS unit. It will increase his overall damage with his burst and increase the time the enemy is petrified by 2 seconds.
C6: Chrysos, Bounty of Dominator grants Zhongli the power to convert DMG toward the Jade Shield into health for the character. This effect applies even if you switch characters. This allows Zhongli to play the role of healer for a team. Since the cost of Jade Shield is low, this constellation skill becomes an effective way for Zhongli to become a better support character. There are several restrictions to this constellation. It will only convert 40% of the damage and the HP regained can not extend 8% of the current character’s HP. However, the Jade Shield does absorb DMG as well, so the restrictions aren’t severe.
| Constellation Levels | Effects |
|---|---|
| C1: Rock, the Backbone of Earth | Increase the maximum number of Stone Steles created by Dominus Lapidis that may exist simultaneously to 2. |
| C2: Stone, the Cradle of Jade | Planet Befall grants nearby characters on the field a Jade Shield when it descends. |
| C3: Jade, Shimmering through Darkness | Increases the Level of Dominus Lapidis by 3. Maximum upgrade level is 15. |
| C4: Topaz, Unbreakable and Fearless | Increases Planet Befall’s AoE by 20% and increases the duration of Planet Befall’s Petrification effect by 2s. |
| C5: Lazuli, Herald of the Order | Increases the level of Planet Befall by 3. |
| C6: Chrysos, Bounty of Dominator | When the Jade Shield takes DMG, 40% of that incoming DMG is converted to HP for the current character. A single instance of regeneration cannot exceed 8% of that character’s Max HP. |
Recommended Builds
Shield Support
This build for Zhongli focuses on the Tenacity of the Millelith artifact set and Zhongli’s’ ability to generate a shield with his elemental skill. You will want to have his elemental skill maxed out as much as possible. His burst can also be leveled up to deal a powerful blast of Geo DMG to enemies. However, the main purpose of this build will be to provide your team with a durable shield and benefit from the 4-piece buff of the Tenacity of the Millelith. His normal attack will only be needed if you want to deal physical damage to the enemies. This build will mainly focus on his shield strength and raising his HP so his shield can absorb more damage.
Zhongli can be included in a variety of teams. I recommend adding another Geo character to the team to gain the Geo team resonance that will further increase the team’s shield strength and damage output while protected by a shield. The Geo team resonance will also lower the enemies’ Geo resistance when they are hit with an attack while your character is shielded. Albedo is another great Geo support character that can deal powerful blasts of damage with his elemental skill. Razor will be used as the Main DPS and can be switched with any character of your choice. Xingqiu will act as support to deal Hydro DMG and heal the team if Zhongli’s shield is not enough. He can be switched with another support character or healer of your choice.
Zhongli’s recommended weapon can be any of the 5-star weapons, but some of them will benefit him more than most. The Staff of Homa has a passive stat in Crit DMG, but will also boost his HP%, which will overall strengthen his shield absorption. The Vortex Vanquisher can also be used to boost his shield strength and raise Zhongli’s ATK. Both of these weapons also work great on a Main DPS Zhongli.
Your choice of 4-star spears is pretty limiting as none of them offer an increase in HP in their passive stat. The Favonius Lance can be used to raise his Energy Recharge and allow him to generate energy for the team when he lands a critical hit. This will require Zhongli to have a good Crit chance for it to be vital in battle. The Prototype Grudge is decent because it also boosts his Energy Recharge, but it will only boost his normal attack after using his elemental skill, so it is useless on a support build.
The Lithic Spear can be another option for Zhongli, but it does require a full team of characters from Liyue to gain the full benefits from this weapon. This weapon has a passive stat in ATK and will boost the ATK and Crit Rate of Zhongli, depending on the number of characters that are from Liyue on the team.
Zhongli’s artifact set for this build is the Tenacity of the Millelith. This artifact set will boost his overall HP, allowing his shield to absorb more damage. The 4-piece bonus of this set raises the ATK and shield strength of all party members when the wearer’s elemental skill hits an enemy. This buff will last for 3 seconds, but can activate every .5 seconds. It can also be triggered when Zhongli isn’t on the field, as his Stone Stele can deal passive Geo damage when enemies are within its range. This set will allow Zhongi to set up his shield and switch to your Main DPS to deal damage.
The main stats on his artifacts should be:
- Sands: HP%
- Goblet: HP% or Geo DMG%
- Circlet: HP% or Crit Chance or Crit DMG
Zhongli’s sub-stats aren’t viable in this build if your main stats are already HP% because that is all he needs for this build. You can also raise his Crit Rate and Crit DMG in his sub-stats to allow his skills to deal more damage.
Mixed DPS
Zhongli’s main role is to provide support with his ability to create a shield and resonate with other Geo constructs. This build is a mix of Zhongli’s offensive and defensive capabilities with a focus on his elemental skill. For this build, Zhongli will require other Geo construct users to fully utilize his elemental skill. This puts a restriction on his teammates because of the lack of characters that can create a Geo construct. The last slot on the team should be reserved for a healer like Qiqi or Barbara in case the protection of his shield is not enough. Having a unit that can heal will make sure your character will never die. Zhongli can also be paired with a powerful DPS unit like Diluc or Childe that can make use of his Shield of Jade. The skills you should mainly focus on are his elemental skill and normal attack. Zhongli’s elemental burst is optional if you plan to use it often. You can also forego attacking with Zhongli and make him a full support character.
For his recommended weapon, the Vortex Vanquisher is the perfect weapon for Zhongli because it will increase both his shield strength and raise his ATK when he hits an enemy. This weapon provides a good balance between both his attack and defense.
The Crescent Pike can be used to increase Zhongli’s overall damage with his normal attack. This weapon’s skill pairs well with the artifact set to increase Zhongli’s ATK. This weapon can also be easily obtained through the weekly boss fights to increase its refinement level.
Other weapons you can use are the Deathmatch, Prototype Grudge, and the Royal Spear. All of these weapons will increase Zhongli’s ATK through their secondary stat or passive effect.
For his recommended artifact set, the Retracing Bolide pairs well with Zhongli’s shield strength. At a 4-piece set, Zhongli will gain both increased shield strength and 40% to his normal attack. The goal is to create a powerful shield that can absorb DMG while Zhongli can unleash a fury of attacks against the enemy. I recommend focusing on building up his HP% and ATK% to get a nice balance between his shield strength and attack power. You can also focus on Geo DMG to raise the damage of his burst and skill. If you want to go for a physical build with the Crescent Pike, then go for Physical DMG Bonus on the goblet instead.
Burst DPS
This build focuses on Zhongli’s elemental burst damage output and nuking enemies around him. Zhongli’s skill set doesn’t allow him out to be the perfect main DPS for a team. However, his burst can become insanely powerful if it is built right because of its’ short cooldown and energy cost. This build relies on Zhongli’s Ascension 4 talent to boost his elemental burst and having two pyro users on the team to raise his attack. Ningguang will also be useful in raising Zhongli’s GEO DMG with her Ascension 4 talent. Zhongli’s elemental burst should be maxed out. Both his elemental skill and normal attack will be leveled up depending on your play style and what you like to use more.
For his recommended weapon, the Vortex Vanquisher is a 5-star weapon that will increase both his shield strength and attack when Zhongli hits an enemy. He can stack this buff up to 5 times, but they will only last 8 seconds each. This weapon gives Zhongli both defensive and offensive buffs, making it the perfect weapon for a lot of his builds.
The Primordial Jade Winged-Spear is another 5-star weapon that will work well with Zhongli because it will increase his Crit Rate and ATK. His passive skill can stack up to 7 times and will boost his elemental skill DMG if it’s at maxed stacks.
Zhongli also works well with the Favonius Lance because it can increase his energy recharge so he can build up his burst faster. Its passive skill will be helpful in a CRIT Build for him.
Another 4-star weapon you can use is the Royal Spear. This weapon boosts Zhongli’s ATK and has the chance to increase his Crit Rate. Prototype Grudge will also work fine with this build and increase Zhongli’s damage output after using an elemental skill. If you want to build him to deal more physical attacks, the Crescent Pike is a good option.
Zhongli’s artifact set should be a mix of the Archaic Petra and Noblesse Oblige. The 2-piece bonus for the Archaic Petra will grant Zhongli more GEO DMG, while the 2-piece effect for the Noblesse Oblige will increase his elemental burst. Both of these sets will allow Zhongli to deal massive amounts of Geo DMG with his burst. The stats you should focus on are HP% and Geo DMG. Zhongli’s Ascension 4 skill will boost his elemental burst damage by 33% of his Max HP. For example, if you have 20k HP on Zhongli, he will deal an extra 6600 DMG with his burst! Geo DMG will boost his elemental burst overall, so aim for a mix of the two. ATK% can help increase his overall damage output in his skills. Energy Recharge will also allow his burst to be used more often. Lastly, you can focus on CRIT Rate or CRIT DMG if you prefer a CRIT Build on him.
Recommended Party Members
Qiqi can heal the damage that Zhongli’s shield couldn’t absorb. Her Cryo skills can also be used to trigger the crystalize effect.
Ningguang’s Jade Screen resonates with Zhongli’s Stone Stele. Her screen can also boost Zhongli’s Geo DMG when passed through.
Traveler can create Geo constructs with both his skill and burst to resonate with Zhongli’s Stone Stele.
Having two pyro users on the same team will provide an ATK boost to all party members. Xiangling’s C1 can also provide an ATK buff after using her elemental skill.
Bennett can provide an attack buff and heal with his elemental burst.
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|
| Great synergy with Geo users who create constructs. | Lack of characters to utilize his elemental skill |
| Useful for mining ores | Cannot heal back allies until C6 |
| Powerful elemental burst | Hard to get higher constellation levels |
Recommended Domains: Clear Pool and Mountain Cavern – Geo Hypostasis – Childe Boss Fight – Peak of Vindagnyr
Conclusion
Zhongli’s effectiveness relies on his team’s ability to create Geo constructs that resonate with his Stone Stele. As a character, he is most useful in destroying the shields of Geo enemies and absorbing their attacks with his Shield of Jade. Zhongli offers a mix of offensive and defensive skills that can make him a powerful mixed fighter. His main fault is the lack of Geo characters that can properly resonate with his Stone Stele and his niche skill sets. Zhongli needs a good balance between his team, weapon, and artifact set, to be effectively utilized. However, this does mean that he won’t be the best in any role and can easily be outclassed by other characters.
What do you think of Zhongli? Is there anything I missed? Let us know in the comments below! You can also reach out through our Twitter or my Discord handle Seyfrid#2589.
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*Images of gameplay owned by miHoYo
The Informal Gamer 
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