Osmanthus wine tastes the same as he remembers, but where are those who share the memory… Zhongli is a highly versatile Geo character that can fulfill the roles of being both support and main DPS. Where he shines the most though, is his role of being the shielder of the team because of the shield’s insane durability compared to other shields in the game. Read on to know more about this former Geo Archon’s best builds!

3. Physical DPS Zhongli

Physical DPS Zhongli is a very interesting way to play Zhongli! He can also be self-sufficient due to the nature of his skills, which makes his team comps very easy to plan out. 

What Physical DPS Zhongli Excels In:

• His BiS (best-in-slot) weapon for this build is very easy to refine
• Can do both roles as shielder and support while being a main DPS

Build details:

• Weapons:
  • Crescent Pike (4*) - this is Physical DPS Zhongli’s BiS weapon, even beating Staff of Homa in most conditions.
  • Staff of Homa (5*) - a very solid weapon for Zhongli, however, this falls off for a Physical build on him.
  • Primordial Jade Winged-Spear (5*) - Another solid option on Zhongli that requires a lot of field time from Zhongli to fully utilize the weapon’s passive.
• Artifacts: 4-piece Pale Flame or 2-piece Pale Flame & 2-piece Bloodstained Chivalry
  • HP Flower
  • ATK Feather
  • ATK% Sands 
  • Physical DMG Bonus Goblet
  • CRIT Rate / DMG Circlet
• Talents Priority:
  • Normal Attack
  • Q
  • E
• Ideal Team Compositions:
  • Zhongli, Geo Character 1, Xiangling, Xingqiu

2. Nuke Zhongli

This build makes Zhongli’s burst deadly! There is nothing more satisfying than seeing his burst deal 100k damage and immediately obliterate enemies.

What Nuke Zhongli Excels In:

• Spammable burst that petrifies enemies
• High DMG output from his burst

Build details:

• Weapons:
  • Staff of Homa (5*) - this is easily Zhongli’s best weapon for almost every build (except Physical Carry). 
  • Primordial Jade-Winged Spear (5*)
  • Vortex Vanquisher (5*) - Zhongli’s signature weapon, although Homa is still better.
  • Crescent Pike (4*) - a craftable 4* weapon that is really good on Zhongli (especially if Refinement 5).
  • Deathmatch (4*) - a Battle Pass weapon that is also decent on Zhongli. 
• Artifacts: 2-piece Archaic Petra, 2-piece Noblesse Oblige
  • HP Flower
  • ATK Feather
  • HP% / ATK% Sands 
  • Geo DMG Bonus Goblet
  • CRIT Rate / DMG Circlet 
• Talents Priority:
  • Q
  • E
  • Normal Attack
• Ideal Team Compositions:
  • Zhongli, Razor, Rosaria, Kaeya
  • Zhongli, Eula, Fischl, Kaeya

1. Support Zhongli

Shield-bot Support Zhongli is very valuable in doing Abyss runs! This is personally one of my favorite ways to play him because I don’t need to dodge while being attacked by enemies. Simply pop his shield and attack with your main DPS and support characters, and you don’t have to worry about DPS loss since dodging won’t be on your mind anymore!

What Support Zhongli Excels In:

• Stronger shield 
• More DPS time for his teammates
• Flexible team comps

Build details:

• Weapons:
  • Staff of Homa (5*) 
  • Primordial Jade-Winged Spear (5*)
  • Vortex Vanquisher (5*)
  • Crescent Pike (4*) 
  • Deathmatch (4*) 
• Artifacts: 4-piece Tenacity of the Millelith or 4-piece Noblesse Oblige (only use this one if there’s no one using it)
  • HP Flower
  • ATK Feather
  • HP% / ATK% Sands
  • Geo DMG Bonus Goblet (or HP% Goblet if you want a stronger shield)
  • CRIT Rate / DMG Circlet 
• Talents Priority:
  • E
  • Q
  • Normal Attack
• Ideal Team Compositions:
  • Zhongli, Geo Character 1, Main DPS Character, Support/Healer Character
  • Zhongli, Xiangling, Bennett, Ganyu
  • Zhongli, Albedo, Xingqiu, Hu Tao

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