Genshin Impact has had to tweak Zhongli quite a few times since his release. Like most Geo characters, he is a great support character, but many players want to use him as a DPS. In the game, he is the archon of geo and known for his ability to subdue evil gods in the past. He is a five-star spear user who, like most other five-stars, has a unique kit that takes a bit to master.
Most players are caught up on how to play Zhongli, though, as he has gone through several buffs, which altered the way he operated in battle.
Understanding Zhongli
Let's start off by going over the obvious; even with the newest changes, Zhongli isn't a powerhouse like with Diluc, Xiao or Ganyu. In fact, he is on par with Albedo in terms of base attack power but has less defense. One thing he does excel in is his health, making him the perfect choice for a tank. This is especially noticeable in his shield focused constellations.
- C1 - Zhongli can now have two pillars at the same time when using his elemental skill Dominus Lapidis.
- C2 - When Zhongli uses his burst, all nearby characters get a shield.
- C3 - The level of Dominus Lapidis can now be increased to 15.
- C4- Planet Befall's AoE field is increased by 20%, and enemy petrification now lasts an additional two seconds.
- C5 - The level of Planet Befall can now be increased to 15.
- C6 - When the jade shield is in use, the on-field character will regain 40% of incoming attacks damage back in health. This amount can't go over 8% of the on fields characters' health.
There is a lot to digest when it comes to these constellations, but they do set up Zhongli to be a heavy tank or support character. This is also backed up by his two passive abilities, Resonant Waves and Dominance of Earth. Resonant Waves makes it so that when Zhongli's shield takes damage, fortified players will have the shield strength increased by 5% up to five times. Dominance of Earth makes it, so Zhongli deals extra damage; this is based on his health.
- Normal/Plunging Damage is increased by 1.39% of his health
- Dominus Lapidis is increased by 1.9% of his health
- Planet Befall will deal damage equal to 33% of Zhongli's health.
Because of this, one of the best things you can do to make a powerful Zhongli is by boosting his health with artifacts. The more health he has, the more attack he can take from enemies, and the more damage he will do to those he is fighting.
This can even be combined with a polearm to help increase his defense even more. When used at the right times, some teams won't have a problem staying alive, even when up against the hardest enemies.
Unique Support
Zhongli is a unique character to most players as he can provide several different types of support. As many players know, geo isn't a reactive element. That means that it can be used with the whole case, though, especially for those players who want to get creative with Zhongli's elemental skill. Dominus Lapidis has two different effects, holding the skill button will summon a shield, but simply tapping it will summon a pillar that pulses geo damage.
The pillars that Zhongli summons are quite unique as they can be climbed. This allows for plunging attacks and can be especially fierce when used with the five-star anemo character Xiao. These pillars can also be used to get catalysts and bow users above enemies to safely deal damage. The towers can also be used to block projects or attacks, making them useful against archers and missiles fired from ruin guards. This can also be used to block powerful attacks from elemental bosses that generally can't be dodged.
While Zhongli may not be the powerhouse that some players were looking for, he is an interesting character that can take a lot of damage. Zhongli is perfect for powering through tough fights and, when combined with a healer like Barbara, can seem like he will never run out of health.
Party Combos
As noted above, Zhongli is geo, meaning he works with everyone equally. For those that want to main Zhongli, try using Qiqi or Barbara to help increase the amount of health he has during battle even further. The following ranged characters can also greatly benefit from the tower strategy:
- Fischl
- Diona
- Ganyu
- Barbara
- Mona
- Lisa
- Klee
- Tartaglia
- Amber
- Sucrose
It's also worth mentioning that Zhongli works great when paired with Xiao, Ganyu, and Tartaglia, three other Liyue five-stars that can greatly benefit from his move set. Be sure to alternate between activating Zhongli's Jade shield and keeping pillars on the battlefield. The shield is especially useful against geo enemies and can absorb 250% of geo damage.
Zhongli can also be useful for those with an exploration team as his towers can be climbed to easily reach geoculus that are usually out of reach.