Genshin Impact Zhongli best build and Talent, Ascension materials, Constellation, team, weapon
Everything you need to know about Zhongli in Genshin Impact.
Zhongli is a 5-Star Geo character in Genshin Impact, widely considered to be one of the best S-tier characters, as he has some of the most useful support abilities in the whole game.
The vessel to the Geo Archon is featured as the boosted 5-Star character in his Gentry of Hermitage Banner during Phase 2 of the version 4.0, but Zhongli will eventually return at some point in the future when the Banners cycle back round to him.
Whether you have him, or want to prepare for if you do Wish for him successfully, it’s good to know the best Zhongli build in Genshin Impact, including his best Artifacts and best team comp. It's also handy to learn what his Constellations are, and what Talent materials and Ascension materials are needed to level up Zhongli to his full potential.
On this page:
Zhongli materials and stats:
- Zhongli Talents, skills, star, element, and weapon
- Zhongli Talent materials
- Zhongli Ascension materials
- Zhongli Constellation
Zhongli build:
Be sure to also check out our Genshin Impact codes page to get free Primogems that can be used towards unlocking Zhongli and other characters.
Genshin Impact Zhongli Talents, skills, star, element, and weapon
Zhongli is a 5-Star Geo character who uses a polearm weapon, best used in a support role for many different team compositions due to his highly effective shielding capabilities. He also has good burst and main DPS potential, making him one of the best all-round characters in Genshin Impact.
Here's a summary of Zhongli’s abilities and stats in Genshin Impact:
- Element: Geo
- Rarity: 5-Star
- Weapon: Polearm
- Banner: Gentry of Hermitage
- Best build: Support
- Normal Attack: Rain of Stone
- Elemental Skill: Dominus Lapidis
- Elemental Burst: Planet Befall
- Passive one: Resonant Waves (When Zhongli's Jade Shield takes damage, it will fortify the active character, increasing their shield strength by 5% - this can stack up to five times, and will last until the Jade Shield disappears)
- Passive two: Dominance of Earth (normal, charged and plunging attack damage will increase by 1.39% of Zhongli's max HP, whereas his Elemental Skill's Stone Stele, resonance, and hold damage will increase by 1.9% of his max HP, and Elemental Burst's damage is increased by 33% of his max HP)
- Crafting bonus: Arcanum of Crystal (refunds 15% of ore used when crafting polearm-type weapons)
Zhongli Normal Attack: Rain of Stone
Zhongli's standard normal attack can perform up to six consecutive hits, whereas his charged attack consumes stamina to lunge forward in a straight line, causing stone spears to appear along his path. His plunge attack works the same as other polearm users, as he hits the ground below him to cause AOE damage.
Zhongli Elemental Skill: Dominus Lapidis
There are two ways you can activate Zhongli's Elemental Skill in Genshin Impact. If you tap the skill button, then Zhongli will create a Stone Stele pillar which deals AOE Geo damage around it, and can block incoming attacks. A Jade Shield will also form around the active character, decreasing the elemental and physical resistance of enemies in a small AOE.
Whereas if you hold the Elemental Skill button, the Jade Shield damage absorption will scale based on Zhongli's maximum HP, as well as draining the Geo element from nearby Geo enemies, and causing a small amount of AOE Geo damage.
Zhongli Elemental Burst: Planet Befall
Zhongli summons a falling meteor, dealing a massive amount of Geo damage to enemies in its AOE, and petrifies them so they can't move for a short time.
Genshin Impact Zhongli Talent materials
To get the most out of using Zhongli, you will have to level his skills up by using Talent materials, which vary from character-to-character.
For Zhongli, you're going to need to farm a lot of Slime and Gold materials (if you don't already have them) to fully upgrade his capabilities.
As Zhongli has three Talents, you will have to spend three times the Talent materials listed below to fully upgrade all of his abilities, which we've also detailed below the table.
Here's what Zhongli Talent materials and Mora you need to improve one of his abilities:
| Zhongli Talent level | Talent materials | Mora cost |
|---|---|---|
| Level 2 | x3 Teachings of Gold, x6 Slime Condensate | 12,500 |
| Level 3 | x2 Guide to Gold, x3 Slime Secretions | 17,500 |
| Level 4 | x4 Guide to Gold, x4 Slime Secretions | 25,000 |
| Level 5 | x6 Guide to Gold, x6 Slime Secretions | 30,000 |
| Level 6 | x9 Guide to Gold, x9 Slime Secretions | 37,500 |
| Level 7 | x4 Philosophies of Gold, x4 Slime Concentrate, x1 Tusk of Monoceros Caeli | 120,000 |
| Level 8 | x6 Philosophies of Gold, x6 Slime Concentrate, x1 Tusk of Monoceros Caeli | 260,000 |
| Level 9 | x12 Philosophies of Gold, x9 Slime Concentrate, x2 Tusk of Monoceros Caeli | 450,000 |
| Level 10 | x16 Philosophies of Gold, x12 Slime Concentrate, x2 Tusk of Monoceros Caeli, x1 Crown of Insight | 700,000 |
Here's what Talent Materials you'll need to fully upgrade one of Zhongli's skills:
- x1 Crown of Insight
- x3 Teachings of Gold
- x6 Slime Condensate
- x6 Tusk of Monoceros Caeli
- x21 Guide to Gold
- x22 Slime Secretions
- x31 Slime Concentrate
- x38 Philosophies to Gold
- 1,652,500 Mora
To upgrade all three of Zhongli's skills, here's all the Talent Materials you'll need:
- x3 Crown of Insight
- x9 Teachings of Gold
- x18 Slime Condensate
- x18 Tusk of Monoceros Caeli
- x63 Guide to Gold
- x66 Slime Secretions
- x93 Slime Concentrate
- x114 Philosophies to Gold
- 4,957,500 Mora
Genshin Impact Zhongli Ascension materials
Just like Talents, you need to use Zhongli Ascension materials to upgrade his health, attack, defence, and critical hit effectiveness.
For Zhongli, you're going to need to farm a lot of Cor Lapis and Slime materials (if you don't already have them) to fully upgrade his capabilities.
Unlike Talent materials, you only need to spend the below Ascension materials once to fully raise Zhongli to his highest character level. There is also Acquaint Fate rewarded for reaching certain Ascension levels. You can spend this Fate on the standard and beginner Banners to Wish for characters and weapons.
Here's what Zhongli Ascension materials you need to upgrade him for each Ascension level:
| Zhongli Ascension level | Ascension materials | Mora cost | Ascension reward |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level 20 | x1 Prithiva Topaz Silver, x3 Cor Lapis, x3 Slime Condensate | 20,000 | x1 Acquaint Fate |
| Level 40 | x3 Prithiva Topaz Fragments, x2 Basalt Pillar, x10 Cor Lapis, x15 Slime Condensate | 40,000 | None |
| Level 50 | x6 Prithiva Topaz Fragments, x4 Basalt Pillar, x20 Cor Lapis, x12 Slime Secretions | 60,000 | x1 Acquaint Fate |
| Level 60 | x3 Prithiva Topaz Chunk, x8 Basalt Pillar, x30 Cor Lapis, x18 Slime Secretions | 80,000 | None |
| Level 70 | x6 Prithiva Topaz Chunk, x12 Basalt Pillar, x45 Cor Lapis, x12 Slime Concentrate | 100,000 | x1 Acquaint Fate |
| Level 80 | x6 Prithiva Topaz Gemstone, x20 Basalt Pillar, x60 Cor Lapis, x24 Slime Concentrate | 120,000 | None |
In total, here's all the Zhongli Ascension Materials in Genshin Impact:
- x1 Prithiva Topaz Silver
- x6 Prithiva Topaz Gemstone
- x9 Prithiva Topaz Fragment
- x9 Prithiva Topaz Chunk
- x18 Slime Condensate
- x30 Slime Secretions
- x36 Slime Concentrate
- x46 Basalt Pillar
- x168 Cor Lapis
- 420,000 Mora
Genshin Impact Zhongli Constellations
By getting duplicates of Zhongli from wishing on Banners, you will receive his Stella Fortuna. This material allows you to unlock Constellation levels, with each upgrade either improving an existing Talent or Passive ability.
Here are all of Zhongli's Constellation level upgrades in Genshin Impact:
- Rock, the Backbone of Earth (C1): Increases the maximum number of Stone Steles created by Dominus Lapidis to two simultaneously.
- Stone, the Cradle of Jade (C2): Zhongli's Elemental Burst, Planet Befall, grants nearby characters on the field a Jade Shield when it descends.
- Jade, Shimmering through Darkness (C3): Increases the level of Dominus Lapidis by three, with a maximum upgrade level of 15.
- Topaz, Unbreakable and Fearless (C4): Increases Planet Befall's AOE by 20% and increases the duration of its Petrification effect by two seconds.
- Lazuli, Herald of the Order (C5): Increases the level of Planet Befall by three, with a maximum upgrade level of 15.
- Chrysos, Bounty of Dominator (C6): When Jade Shield takes damage, 40% of that damage is converted into HP for the active character on the field, but a single instance of regeneration is unable to exceed 8% of that character's maximum HP.
How to play Zhongli in Genshin Impact
Zhongli's playstyle will depend on what role you're going to be assigning him to. If you're after a support character to provide almost constant shields to your team, then you'll want to hold down Zhongli's Elemental Skill button in order to take advantage of his best shielding ability. Do this in between rotations as often as possible in order to maintain shields for your party.
For crowd control, you can also use Zhongli's Elemental Burst in order to petrify enemies. This stops them from moving for a short time. You can save Zhongli's Elemental Burst ability to use if your shields run out and you're still waiting for them to recharge in order to take as little damage as possible while they recharge.
If you want to play Zhongli in a main DPS role, however, maxing out his normal attack Talent should be your priority. Press the attack button for standard polearm strikes, or hold it down to propel Zhongli forward and cause a line of AOE damage. Make sure you're still using his Elemental Skill and Bursts to shield yourself and minimise incoming damage so you can stay alive to cause as much damage as possible.
Best Zhongli team comp in Genshin Impact
Zhongli is a character that can slot into almost every team in Genshin Impact if you're planning on taking advantage of his shielding abilities. As long as you have a main DPS and sub DPS support for them, you only need to rotate to Zhongli and hold down his Elemental Skill to give your party the protection they need.
That said, there are certain characters who benefit from having Zhongli in their team more than others. Anyone who needs to use a charge attack for maximum DPS potential - like Ganyu, Tighnari, and Arataki Itto - for example, should have a shielder so they are almost gauranteed to avoid interuption while they're chrarging. Characters who attack better while low on health will also benefit greatly from having Zhongli in their team.
Having Zhongli in an all-Geo or almost all-Geo team will also help raise the resonance of your party, whether you plan on using him for his shields or DPS capabilities.
Best Zhongli Artifacts in Genshin Impact
Once again, the best Artifacts for Zhongli depend on what role you're playing him in. For pure shield support, the 4-piece Tenacity of the Millelith is Zhongli's best Artifacts, as the set gives him +20% HP (which converts into more effective shields), and raises the attack of party members by 20% when an Elemental Skill hits an enemy.
All party members' shield strength will also increase by 30% for three seconds. Handily, this will still apply if Zhongli is not active on the field.
If you want raise Zhongli's attack potential, however, then we recommend equipping the 2-piece Noblesse Oblige with the 2-piece Archaic Petra for +20% Elemental Burst damage and +15% Geo damage.
Best Zhongli weapon in Genshin Impact
Zhongli is one of the rare characters who benefits from a 3-Star weapon the most if you're building him for pure support. The 3-Star Black Tassel is Zhongli's best weapon if you're not using his normal attacks, and is only there to provide shields for your team.
If you're looking for a mix of support and DPS, however, then the 5-Star Staff of Homa or 5-Star Vortex Vanquisher will be your best pick. As 4-Star alternatives, the Deathmatch or Blackcliff Pole are good for raising Zhongli's DPS capabilities.
Version 5.1 with Xilonen is here! So don't forget to redeem new codes for Primogems to help pull her, and check out our regularly updated tier list. You need luck from the Pity and 50/50 systems to Wish with Fate for characters on Banners, and you always need the right Adventure Rank for events. Elsewhere, we have tips and tricks for beginners.
Best Zhongli build in Genshin Impact
With all this in mind, if you want to take advantage of Zhongli's support capabilities, we have compiled what we think is currently the best Zhongli build in Genshin Impact:
- Zhongli Best Weapon: Black Tassel (or Staff of Homa if you want attack as well as support).
- Zhongli Best Artifacts: 4-piece Tenacity of the Millelith.
- Zhongli Best team comp: Can slot into most teams in need of a shielder, but will help characters who need time to build charged attacks the most, like Ganyu, Tighnari, and Arataki Itto.
Although it can take a long time to farm for Zhongli's materials to raise his stats, the time spent will be worth it. He's one of the best supports in the entire game, who can also be used in a main DPS role, or a hybrid of the two.
Good luck levelling up Zhongli in Genshin Impact!