Genshin Impact: Zhongli is back and better than ever

Genshin Impact Version 1.5 is almost upon us, and we’re getting a re-run of one of the game’s most popular characters: Zhongli. He’s back and he’s better than ever, so you won’t want to miss him this time.

When Zhongli first came out in version 1.1, he quickly became a fan favorite. The original trailer introducing the Geo Archon has over 17 million views. His impeccable style, commanding voice and hyped trailer left a lasting impression on players, but some of that excitement was spoiled by his perceived less-than-stellar stats.

Genshin Impact: Zhongli is back and better than ever

Zhongli is, and always had been, intended as a support unit. His skills create shields and obstacles to protect your other characters, but some players got the impression he was meant to be a DPS character and were disappointed. Even as a support unit, he underperformed compared to the four-star Geo characters.

After a few updates, miHoYo finally capitulated and made Zhongli into one of the best supports during 1.3. Since this banner re-run will have Zhongli’s updated stats, this is a great opportunity to Wish for one of the game’s premier Geo supports if you missed or had chosen to pass on the underpowered Geo Archon’s original banner in 1.1.

His Elemental Skill, Dominus Lapidis, now provides stronger shields that protect you against Physical and Elemental damage, where it had only protected against Geo previously. It also decreases Physical and Elemental Resistance from enemies in a radius while the shield is active, effectively giving the active character a 20% damage boost to nearby enemies. This is all in addition to the normal benefits a shield grants, like knock back resistance.

If you’re using Zhongli as a dedicated Geo Support, focus on HP% and Geo DMG for his Artifacts. Since you’ll be using him to put on shields and Stone Steles, you’ll want to maximize the amount of time and damage those can provide. Energy Recharge can be good to take advantage of the heavy damage and Petrification his Elemental Burst offers.

Zhongli can now even be played as DPS, since all of his attacks get a bonus based on his maximum HP. For a DPS Zhongli build, prioritize Artifacts with ATK%, Geo DMG and Crit DMG as the primary stats, with HP% in the sub-stats or in weapons.

Either way you choose to build Zhongli, he’s a great unit that can provide support to any team. You won’t want to miss his banner when it comes back on April 28.