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The highly anticipated Zhongli rerun banner will arrive in Genshin Impact with version 2.4. The Geo Archon has defined the meta for several months now, as players largely rely on his shields and Geo damage.
However, lately, a number of new support characters have been released in Genshin Impact. Leaks have suggested that enemy types that are effective against shield characters will be introduced in patch 2.5.
Amidst all the changes in the meta, here are five reasons that players should get Zhongli in Genshin Impact.
Why players should unlock Zhongli in Genshin Impact
1) Shields
Zhongli is primarily known for his shields. He belongs to the Geo element, owing to which his shields have 150% extra strength. With a proper build, players can expect these shields to have a 100% uptime. This trait is extremely useful in time-based and end-game content like the Spiral Abyss.
Lastly, Zhongli's shields decrease the resistance of enemies against Physical DMG and Elemental DMG. This is an indirect but massive damage boost for the DPS characters in the party.
2) Flexible playstyle
Zhongli is a lot more than just a shielder. He can also fulfill the role of a Geo DPS, burst support, physical carry DPS, and a hybrid DPS. These playstyles are based on how players build Zhongli and his weapons.
The five-star Geo Polearm character can be great in all these roles, and this flexibility makes him one of the most sought-after units in the game.
3) High Elemental Burst DMG
With his Elemental Skill, Zhongli can provide shields. However, with his burst, he can deal a high amount of Geo damage. This ability can also petrify enemies (except bosses), helping to escape attacks.
Even with low to mediocre investment at high Adventure Ranks, Zhongli can deal 50-60k damage with his burst, which is more than enough to defeat several enemies and bosses.
Zhongli's Elemental Burst has a very low cost of 40. This implies that players can spam it easily with minimal Energy Recharge.
4) Easy-to-build
For his different roles in a team, players can opt for a wide range of builds on Zhongli. As a shielder, they can go for an all HP build with HP/HP/HP artifacts and focus on HP/HP% sub-stats.
As a shielder, Zhongli's best in-slot weapon is a three-star Polearm called Black Tassel that has a HP% sub-stat.
Even for a burst support build, Zhongli can work well with three-star and four-star weapons such as White Tassel, Lithic Spear, and Deathmatch that provide Crit Rate.
For artifacts, a two-piece Archaic Petra with a two-piece Noblesse Oblige set is recommended for Zhongli. Players might have to grind a little for Archaic Petra, but they can receive the Noblesse pieces from the Artifact Strongbox.
5) Team compositions
Owing to his element and playstyle, Zhongli can be a valuable addition to literally any Genshin Impact team. He can provide shields to DPS characters in teams that are based on Elemental DMG, or be a support DPS character in teams that do not have the best damage output.
It is worth noting that patch 2.3 initiated the unprecedented rise of Geo characters. Mono-geo teams are now more common than ever, and Zhongli is a must-have character in teams that contain Itto, Gorou, and Albedo.
It is safe to assume that Genshin Impact becomes a lot easier after players unlock Zhongli. Even with the introduction of Shadowy Husks in the 2.5 patch, the Geo Archon will remain relevant owing to his burst support and physical carry team roles.
