Zhongli, Geo Archon

Rarity	(5-Star Archon)
Element	Geo
Weapon	Polearm
Best Role	Shielder / Universal Shredder
Stat Priority	HP > CRIT Rate (Favonius) > ER
Tier	SS (God of Comfort)

Zhongli is the Geo Archon, Rex Lapis. He completely trivializes the game's difficulty with his Jade Shield, which is nearly unbreakable and shreds 20% of ALL Elemental and Physical Resistance from nearby enemies. He fits into almost any team that needs survival or interruption resistance.

Pros

Strongest shield in the game (100% Uptime).
Universal 20% RES Shred for all elements.
Makes you immune to interruption/stagger.
Low investment floor (just stack HP).
Meteor (Burst) petrifies enemies (Crowd Control).

Cons

Energy generation is RNG (Stele pulse).
Pillar can steal reactions or block movement.
Long burst animation (DPS loss in speedruns).
Corrosion (Rifthounds) bypasses shields.

Quick Guide (TL;DR)

If you don't have time for the math, here is the cheat sheet.

Best Artifact: 4pc Tenacity of the Millelith (Support).
Alt Artifact: 4pc Noblesse Oblige (Burst Support).
Best Weapon: Black Tassel (3-Star HP% Stat Stick).
Support Weapon: Favonius Lance (Team Battery - Best Utility).
DPS Weapon: Staff of Homa (Burst Nuke).
Main Stats: SANDS: HP% | GOBLET: HP% | CIRCLET: HP% (or CRIT Rate for Favonius).
Talent Priority: Elemental Skill > Elemental Burst > Normal Attack.
Top Team: Zhongli + Hu Tao + Yelan + Xingqiu (Classic Vape).

Pro Tip: Hold E, don't Tap. Tapping E only creates a pillar. Holding E creates the Shield AND a pillar (if max count not reached) AND breaks Geo shields instantly. Always Hold E.

Ascension & Talent Materials

Category	Material Name	Source
Ascension	Cor Lapis	Liyue Cliffs / Mt. Hulao
Boss Drop	Basalt Pillar	Geo Hypostasis (Liyue)
Talent Books	Teachings of Gold	Taishan Mansion (Wed/Sat/Sun)
Common Mob	Slime Condensate	Slimes (Everywhere)

Talent Breakdown & Mechanics

Elemental Skill: Dominus Lapidis

Tap: Creates a Stone Stele (Pillar) that resonates, dealing Geo DMG over time. It can block enemy movement (and yours).
Hold: Explodes Geo energy to break Geo shields (Mining God). Creates a Jade Shield based on Max HP.
Jade Shield: 150% absorption efficiency vs ALL damage types. While active, characters protected by the shield decrease Elemental and Physical RES of nearby opponents by 20%.

Elemental Burst: Planet Befall

Cost: 40 Energy | Cooldown: 12s
The Meatball: Calls down a meteor dealing massive Geo DMG.
Petrification: Enemies hit are turned to stone for up to 4 seconds. This is the only hard CC in the game that works on almost everything (except bosses).

Passive: Resonant Waves

Steely Skin: When the Jade Shield takes damage, it fortifies, increasing Shield Strength by 5% (Stacks up to 5 times). This makes his shield effectively 25% stronger in combat.

Talent Priority Order:

Elemental Skill (Level 10) - Maximize shield HP.
Elemental Burst (Level 8) - Damage and petrification duration.
Normal Attack (Level 1) - Ignore.

Stat Requirements & ER Thresholds

For Shield Bot, HP is everything. For Burst Support, balance HP with Crit.

Build Type	Weapon	Stat Goal (HP)
Shield Bot (Pure Support)	Black Tassel	50,000+
Battery Support	Favonius Lance	35,000+ (Need Crit Rate)
Burst Nuke	Homa / The Catch	30,000 (Focus Crit)

Substat Priority (Shield Bot):

HP% (Priority #1)
Flat HP
Energy Recharge
CRIT Rate (Only for Favonius Lance)

Best Artifacts Comparison

Set Name	Role	Reasoning
4pc Tenacity of the Millelith	BiS Support	Provides +20% HP (Shield). His pillar pulses to trigger the 4pc effect (20% ATK + Shield Strength) for the team. Downside: Pillar breaks easily vs bosses.
4pc Noblesse Oblige	Alt Support	If you can't keep the pillar alive, use Noblesse. 20% ATK on Burst cast.
2pc Tenacity / 2pc Vourukasha	Max Shield	Gives +40% HP total. Best if you just want an unbreakable shield and don't care about team buffs.

Weapon Rankings

Weapon	Type	Performance	Notes
Black Tassel	HP%	S (Shield)	3-Star Weapon. Highest HP substat (46.9%) of any polearm. Easiest and best option for pure shielders.
Favonius Lance	ER%	S (Utility)	Best for team energy. Requires Crit Rate on artifacts to trigger. Weaker shield than Black Tassel, but better for the team.
Staff of Homa	CRIT DMG	S (Hybrid)	Provides HP% and massive Crit DMG. Best for Burst Nuke builds that still want a decent shield.
The Catch	ER%	A (Burst)	F2P option for Burst Nuke builds. Increases Burst DMG and Crit Rate.

Constellation Value

Zhongli is feature-complete at C0. His constellations are luxury, not necessity.

C1: Rock, the Backbone of Earth - (Construct) Creates 2 Stone Steles instead of 1. Better Tenacity uptime, but pillars can block your path more often.
C2: Stone, the Cradle of Jade - (Co-op/Shield) Casting Burst grants a Jade Shield to nearby characters. Allows for 100% shield uptime without holding E, and shields teammates in Co-op. Excellent QoL.
C6: Chrysos, Bounty of Dominator - (Healer) When the Jade Shield takes damage, 40% of that damage is converted to HP for the active character. Turns Zhongli into a healer/shielder hybrid. WARNING: This can ruin Hu Tao builds by healing her above 50% HP.

Verdict: C0 is perfect. Stop there.

Top Team Compositions

1. Hu Tao Double Hydro

Main DPS: Hu Tao / Yoimiya
Hydro: Yelan
Hydro: Xingqiu
Shield: Zhongli

Why it works: Hu Tao needs to be at low HP and hates being interrupted. Zhongli solves both. His shield shred (20%) + Hydro Resonance (HP%) boosts the entire team.

2. Mono Geo

Main DPS: Arataki Itto / Navia
Support: Gorou
Sub-DPS: Albedo / Chiori
Shield: Zhongli

Why it works: Geo Resonance requires a shield to be active. Zhongli guarantees this resonance (+15% DMG, -20% Geo RES) is always up. His pillar resonates with other constructs for extra damage.

Rotations & Combos

Standard Shield Rotation:
Zhongli Hold E > Swap to Supports > Main DPS

Burst Rotation:
Zhongli Q (Petrify) > Hold E (Shield) > Swap

Tip: Always Hold E. Tapping E is almost never worth it unless repositioning a pillar for puzzle solving.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Black Tassel really his best weapon?
For pure shielding? Yes. It gives more HP than any 5-star polearm (except Staff of Homa, which is close). It's cheap and effective.

Does he make the game too easy?
Yes. Players often forget how to dodge after using Zhongli for a while ("Zhongli Brainrot"). Use him if you want comfort, but remember to practice dodging for the other side of the Abyss.

Data Source: KQM Standards. Last Updated: December 2025

Zhongli Guide: The Definitive Build & Analysis