Although those who meet him view him as a kind, polite, and reserved man, Zhongli is a formidable Geo force that should not be underestimated. The five-star Geo Polearm character is capable of dealing massive amounts of damage whilst also shielding and buffing his Genshin Impact teammates.
His ability to create pillars that can be climbed by utilizing his elemental skill is incredibly useful both in Genshin battles and general exploration.
Zhongli is a solid secondary damage dealer, but he truly shines as a support character who helps to amplify his teammate’s abilities, shield them from danger, and allow them to stay high above the battlefield thanks to his Stone Steles.
Related: Genshin Impact tier list: best and worst characters ranked
Zhongli is also the creator of Genshin Impact’s main currency, which is Mora. The Gnosis used to allow him to create limitless Mora, but because he chose to live among mortals, he lost this ability. Thus, players often have to help him pay during the time they spend with him because he routinely forgets that he needs Mora to purchase things.
The Geo character currently works with the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor in Liyue as a consultant and to five-star Pyro character Hu Tao. As the current vessel for the Geo Archon, Zhongli has been alive for over 6,000 years and thus has many memories and has lived through a vast amount of experiences.
Morax, the Archon for whom Zhongli is a vessel, is also the oldest of the Archons.
While Zhongli is a strong Genshin character on his own, the right build will amplify his already powerful skillset to make him a truly unstoppable Geo force. Thus, players should choose what they equip the Geo Archon with carefully.
Best Zhongli weapons
Because Zhongli is a five-star character, equipping him with a weapon that is also a five-star will grant players the best results. Polearms are among the more powerful weapons and players thus have many great options.
Staff of Homa
The best choice for Zhongli is the Staff of Homa. The special “Reckless Cinnabar” effect of this five-star weapon increases the wielder’s health points by 20 percent. It also grants an attack bonus that is based on 0.8 percent of the wielder’s maximum health points.
When the character who is wielding this polearm drops below 50 percent of their health points, the attack bonus that comes with the Staff of Homa is further increased by one percent of their maximum health points.
Vortex Vanquisher
This five-star polearm has the “Golden Majesty” effect that will increase shield strength by 20 percent. When the wielder of Vortex Vanquisher hits an opponent, they will then gain a four percent attack increase for eight seconds.
This effect can only activate once every 0.3 seconds and can stack up to five times. When the wielder of this polearm is protected by a shield, the attack increase effect goes up to 100 percent.
Primordial Jade Winged-Spear
The “Eagle Spear of Justice” ability of the Primordial Jade Winged-Spear increases attack by 3.2 percent by six percent after a hit is dealt to an enemy. This can stack up to seven times and can occur once every 0.3 seconds. When the character wielding this polearm possesses the maximum of seven stacks, all damage dealt is increased by 12 percent.
Calamity Queller
Another solid five-star option is Calamity Queller. The “Extinguishing Precept” ability of this polearm grants a 12 percent elemental damage bonus.
Players will also obtain the secondary Consummation ability for 20 seconds after utilizing an elemental skill. This ability increases attack by 3.2 percent per second and can stack up to six times. When the character wielding this polearm is not currently on the battlefield, the attack bonus of Consummation is doubled.
Skyward Spine
The five-star Skyward Spine polearm has the “Black Wing” ability that increases critical rate by eight percent and normal attack speed by 12 percent. Every normal and charged attack that hits an opponent has a 50 percent chance to start a vacuum blade that will then deal 40 percent of attack as damage within the nearby area of effect.
This Genshin effect can activate once every two seconds.
The Catch
One of the better four-star polearms is The Catch and it can be easily obtained by any player through fishing and exchanging caught fish at the Inzauma Fishin Association. The “Shanty” ability of this polearm increases elemental burst damage by 16 percent and elemental burst critical rate by six percent.
Best artifacts for Zhongli
Zhongli is meant to be a secondary damage dealer and support party member but functions best as mostly support. Thus, players should choose the Geo characters artifacts with this in mind to help bolster his abilities for fulfilling this role.
Archaic Petra
The two-piece Artifact Set grants the character it is equipped to a 15 percent Geo damage bonus. After the Crystallize elemental reaction is activated, the full four-piece set grants all party members a 35 percent damage bonus for the specific element that obtained the elemental shard in Crystallize.
This damage bonus lasts for 10 seconds. Only one elemental damage bonus can be obtained through this set at a time. Generally, it is best to only equip Zhongli with the two-piece set alongside another two-piece set as this will yield the best results in battle.
Noblesse Oblige
Equipping the two-piece set grants the character the set is equipped to a 20 percent elemental burst damage bonus. The full four-piece set causes the attack of the entire party to increase by 20 percent for 12 seconds but cannot stack.
Pairing the two-piece Noblesse Oblige set with the two-piece Archaic Petra is the best option for Zhongli’s Artifact build.
Tenacity of the Millelith
Another great option for Zhongli is the full four-piece Tenacity of the Millelith set. The two-piece set increases health points by 20 percent.
With the full four-piece set equipped, two special abilities are gained when an elemental skill hits an opponent. One, the attack of all party members increases by 20 percent, and two, their shield strength is increased by 30 percent for three seconds.
This effect can be activated once every 0.5 seconds. It can also be activated at any moment regardless of if the character this set is equipped to is active on the battlefield.
How to ascend Zhongli: All Ascension materials
To ascend Zhongli, players will mostly need materials that are quite easy to attain. Taking on Slimes, which are perhaps the easiest foe in all of Genshin Impact, is a big necessity for ascending Zhongli. Cor Lapis, which is a Liyue local specialty, is also easily attainable from areas around Liyue.
Taking on the Geo Hypostasis for Basalt Pillar is the most difficult part of obtaining Zhongli’s Ascension Materials.
This boss is certainly one of Genshin’s more difficult ones, thus, players should try and team up with friends or match with other travelers to increase their chances of success.
Fully leveling up Zhongli requires a total of 420,000 Mora, 46 Basalt Pillar, one Prithiva Topaz Sliver, nine Prithiva Topaz Fragment, nine Prithiva Topaz Chunk, six Prithiva Topaz Gemstone, 168 Cor Lapis, 18 Slime Condensate, 30 Slime Secretions, and 36 Slime Concentrate.
- Ascension to level one requires 20,000 Mora, one Prithiva Topaz Sliver, three Cor Lapis, and three Slime Condensate.
- Ascension to level two requires 40,000 Mora, three Prithiva Topaz Fragment, two Basalt Pillar, 10 Cor Lapis, and 15 Slime Condensate.
- Ascension to level three requires 60,000 Mora, six Prithiva Topaz Fragment, four Basalt Pillar, 20 Cor Lapis, and 12 Slime Secretions.
- Ascension to level four requires 80,000 Mora, three Prithiva Topaz Chunk, eight Basalt Pillar, 30 Cor Lapis, and 18 Slime Secretions.
- Ascension to level five requires 100,000 Mora, six Prithiva Topaz Chunk, 12 Basalt Pillar, 45 Cor Lapis, and 12 Slime Concentrate.
- Ascension to level six requires 120,000 Mora, six Prithiva Topaz Gemstone, 20 Basalt Pillar, 60 Cor Lapis, and 24 Slime Concentrate.
All Talent Materials for Zhongli
Various levels of Slimes loot are also required for Zhongli’s Talent Materials. Luckily, this foe is an abundant one and can easily be found all across Teyvat.
The required levels of Teachings of Gold can be obtained from the Taishan Mansion Domain on Sundays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays. Players will also need to regularly face Childe in the “Enter the Golden House” Trounce Domain to obtain the required Tusk of Monoceros Caeli.
Players will need 1,652,500 Mora, six Slime Condensate, 22 Slime Secretions, 31 Slime Concentrate, three Teachings of Gold, 21 Guide to Gold, 38 Philosophies of Gold, six Tusk of Monoceros Caeli, and one Crown of Insight to fully level up all of Zhongli’s talents.
Thanks to his initial release being fairly early on in Genshin in Dec. 2020, Zhongli has had his fair share of reruns. As of Aug. 23, 2022, the return of his featured banner “Gentry of Hermitage” is set to occur when Version 3.0 launches on Aug. 23.
His featured banner run will then last until Friday, Sept. 9.
Players hoping to recruit the powerful Geo Archon should wish on his during this timeframe as it will likely be at least six months, but probably much longer, before he returns as a recruitable character that players can wish on once more.
