Updated Zhongli Build (Patch 4.0) | Genshin Impact

Video Guide

Stat Roadmap

Aim for at least 60% Crit Rate and 120% Crit Damage, preferably higher, if you’re building him as a Burst Support or Physical DPS.

HP plays a pivotal role in Zhongli’s damage potential, so aim at least 30K HP for solid damage output and a stronger shield.

If you prefer to build him as a Shield Support, you can focus primarily on HP. However, I would recommend opting for a Hybrid Shielder/Burst build since very few monsters can quickly break his shield.

Considering that Zhongli’s elemental burst only costs 40 energy, around 130% to 180% should suffice, depending on your team comp, artifact, and weapon builds.

For Physical Builds, focusing more on his Critical Rate, Critical Damage and Attack will yield higher DPS.

But having some HP rolls is okay due to his A4 passive talent.

Talent Priority

For support or tank builds, you want to prioritize  Zhongli’s elemental burst and skill.

Focus more on his Burst if you use him as Burst Support and elemental skill if you use him as a Shielder.

And you can leave his normal attack talents to level 1 or 6 for either role if you want to save some resources.

For Physical builds, you want to prioritize leveling his normal attack and elemental skill talent.

But you still don’t want to neglect his elemental burst, as it can still deal pretty significant damage and longer Petrification on higher skill levels.

Burst Support:

Shield/Hybrid Build

Physical Build

Artifact Main Stats

When selecting artifact main stats, consider Attack Sands, Geo Damage Goblet, and Crit Circlet if you want to use him as a Burst Support.

For a Physical build, use the Physical Damage goblet to maximize Zhongli’s normal attack damage.

However, it’s worth noting that the variation in damage when opting for HP Sands is relatively minor, and you gain added benefits for Zhongli’s shield.

Ultimately, it comes down to which one has better sub-stat rolls.

If you’re going for a Shield build, you can use HP Sand and Goblet or go full HP Percent on all slots.

But at this point, the disparity in damage for your burst becomes quite noticeable.

Therefore, employing HP Sands, Geo Goblet, and Crit Circlet would be the optimal choice, resulting in a Hybrid Shield and Burst build.

Burst / Hybrid Support Build

Physical Build

Optimal Sub-Stats

If you’re going for a Burst Support or Physical build, the sub-stats you want to get are Critical Rate, Critical Damage, HP Percent and Attack Percent.

But Energy Recharge becomes pretty valuable if you use the Emblem Set, which we’ll discuss later.

For a Shield or Tank Build, you can prioritize getting HP Percent.

However, I caution against going all-in with HP.

This is because relatively few enemies in the game, even within the Spiral Abyss, can easily break through Zhongli’s shield.

Artifact Set Options

Burst / Hybrid Build

For the Artifact Set, the 2-piece Noblesse Oblige and Archaic Petra would yield the highest damage potential if you’re building Zhongli as a Burst Support.

However, the 4-Piece Emblem of Severed Fate set is an extremely close contender and would even be the better choice if you want to use ER weapons.

The 4-Piece Tenacity of the Millelith set also offers significant benefits as it boosts your party’s attack and enhances your shield’s resilience.

While this set may lead to a minor reduction in elemental burst damage, you can compensate for this with better sub-stat rolls, especially considering the optimal set offers only a 7 to 8% advantage.

Alternatively, you can opt for the 4-Piece Noblesse Oblige set, placing more emphasis on the attack buff, especially if you’re less concerned about the strength of your shield.

However, obtaining the Millelith’s buff remains easier, as you only need Zhongli’s elemental skill to trigger its effect.

Another viable choice is the 4-piece Archaic Petra set, which leans toward enhancing Elemental Damage.

But it’s a bit difficult to use when you have multiple elements in your team or take on monsters with innate elemental affinities.

Another excellent set alternative is to pair Noblesse Oblige with the Millelith or Vourukasha sets.

Alternatively, you can combine the Millelith or Vourukasha set with the 2-piece Archaic Petra.

Shield Build

Combining the Bolide set with either the Millelith or Vourukasha for a shield-focused build will yield the tankiest shield.

But I’d suggest opting for the 4-piece Millelith set instead.

This choice allows you to maintain a strong shield and provides an attack buff to your party without sacrificing too much damage from your elemental burst.

Combining the 2-piece Millelith or Vourukasha with either Noblesse Oblige or Archaic Petra is also a good alternative.

Alternatively, opting for the 2-piece Tenacity of the Millelith and Vourukasha Glow combination further bolsters your shield strength.

However, it comes at the cost of reduced burst damage compared to the previous combination.

Physical Build

For physical builds, the 4-Piece Pale Flame set is pretty good, as the Geo Pulse from Zhongli’s elemental skill can trigger the set’s effect, allowing you to maintain two stacks consistently.

But if you don’t mind RNG, the 4-Piece Echoes of an Offering would be great as it can outscale any other sets, looking only at the normal attacks and average activation chance of the set’s effect.

The 4-Piece Shimenawa’s Reminiscence presents Elemental Burst uptime issues, but it performs pretty identical to the Pale Flame set.

Additional solid 4-piece sets include the Bolide set, providing a substantial 40% Normal and Charged Attack Damage boost, and the Gladiator set, offering a 35% Normal Attack Damage increase.

Alternatively, you can opt for a combination of the 2-piece Pale Flame and Bloodstained Chivalry sets.

Their damage output is already quite competitive with the top 4-piece sets mentioned earlier.

And it will undoubtedly result in better damage output with better sub-stats.

Other good 2-piece set alternatives are pairing the Pale Flame or Bloodstained with the 2-piece Marechaussee or either the 2-piece Gladiator, Shimenawa or Echoes of an Offering.

You can also mix and match 2-piece sets of Gladiator, Shimenawa or Echoes, and match it with the 2-piece Marechaussee set.

Weapon Options

Burst Support / Hybrid Build

For a Burst Support Build, the Staff of Homa offers the highest damage potential.

Although Zhongli can’t fully capitalize on all its weapon effects, it’s enough to outperform any other weapons by a vast margin.

Other good 5-star options are the Calamity Queller, Vortex Vanquisher and Engulfing Lightning.

Stacking the Calamity Queller’s effect can present some challenges when using Zhongli as Burst Support, but it compensates with its exceptionally high Base Attack and Elemental Damage Bonus.

The Vortex Vanquisher, on the other hand, could give better shield strength, but looking only at the burst damage, it still falls short compared to Homa.

The Engulfing Lightning is also a solid option when paired with the Emblem Set.

Not only does it provide comfortable energy accumulation for Zhongli, but it also amplifies his Burst Damage with higher ER.

Consistent Elemental Burst uptime is pretty important, especially for Burst Supports, as it indirectly increases your team’s DPS.

The Primordial Jade Winged-Spear is also a decent weapon, offering a Crit Rate boost.

But it’s best used in a physical build, so you can fully utilize its weapon effect.

Among the 4-star options, the Deathmatch stands out as a reliable choice, thanks to its Crit Rate and beneficial weapon effects.

At refinement 5, it can even surpass certain 5-star weapons, particularly when facing single targets.

The Lithic Spear and Wavebreaker’s Fin are also good options that can outscale many other weapons when the right conditions are met.

The Lithic Spear shines best when your team comp features numerous Liyue characters, especially at refinement 5.

Conversely, the Wavebreaker’s Fin proves especially valuable for team compositions with high energy costs.

Notably, these weapons increase Attack Percentage for their stats, so you may require some good Crit Rate rolls on your artifacts to optimize their potential.

For energy-focused weapons, the R5 Catch is an excellent choice if you don’t plan on using it for other characters like Raiden or Xiangling.

The Favonius Lance is also good, considering that it can help with the energy generation for the whole party.

On the other hand, the Prototype Starglitter would work okay if you’re using the emblem set for Zhongli.

But its weapon effect is not very useful for a Burst build.

For a starter option, the White Tassel is a great pick for its Critical Rate boost.

But Halberd will also work okay, considering that you may have limited spear choices when just starting out.

Shield Build

You have several options if your focus leans towards enhancing Zhongli’s shield.

Zhongli’s signature weapon, the Vortex Vanquisher, strikes a good balance, offering significant shield strength without compromising too much damage potential.

But the Staff of Homa remains a solid choice, mainly due to its HP weapon effect, which benefits a shield-focused build.

Among the 4-star options, the Rightful Reward is a better choice than most other spears for bolstering Zhongli’s shield strength.

However, if your aim is a dedicated Tank Build, the 3-star weapon Black Tassel provides the most substantial improvement for your shield due to its high HP scaling at max enhancement.

Physical Build

For a Physical Build, the R5 Crescent Pike could yield the highest damage potential, only looking at the average damage of Zhongli’s normal attack.

It’s pretty impressive, considering it is only a 4-star weapon.

But remember that you must consistently get elemental orbs or particles every 5 seconds to keep its weapon effect active.

Characters like Raiden, Fischl, Yae or Kuki Shinobu will be great for this set, as they can generate particles even off the field.

The Staff of Homa is still great for Zhongli, even on a physical build, and can still outperform most weapons.

Moreover, it also provides significantly better elemental burst damage, making it the better weapon choice if you consider the overall damage potential.

The Primordial Jade Winged-Spear is also good for a Physical Zhongli as you can now stack its weapon effect much easier.

The same is true for the Vortex Vanquisher and Calamity Queller, although you still can’t take full advantage of Calamity’s weapon effect.

While the Staff of the Scarlet Sands may not offer particularly beneficial weapon effects, its significant Crit Rate scaling enables you to prioritize the Critical Damage sub-stats on your artifacts.

Among other 4-star options, the Dragonspine Spear stands out for its remarkable boost to your Physical Damage attribute, potentially reaching up to 69%.

The Deathmatch is also noteworthy for its Crit Rate, and it can even surpass the Scarlet Sands weapon at refinement 5.

While the Royal Spear is a decent choice, its weapon effect becomes less effective as your Crit Rate increases.

Both the White Tassel and Halberd are solid picks for starter weapons, with the White Tassel being the more optimal choice.