The God of Contracts, Rex Lapis, Morax, Zhongli is a man of many names and titles which is natural when you’re the Geo Archon who has lived for several millennia to see and have created history with his own two hands. He is a Geo Polearm user who provides you with massive shielding capabilities to protect his allies while also passively enhancing their damage alongside unparalleled crowd control abilities in his massive Elemental Burst. To learn just what makes people fear the wrath of the rock, read this guide!
How to get Zhongli in Genshin Impact?
At the time of this writing, Zhongli is an event exclusive character. This means that he cannot be rolled by any means until she is announced for a banner rate up. He was last available in Version 1.5.
1. Combat Info
→ Ascensions and Stats
| Ascension Phase | Level | Base HP | Base ATK | Base DEF | Special Stat (Geo DMG Bonus) |
| 0✦ | 1/20 | 1,144 | 20 | 57 | — |
| 20/20 | 2,967 | 51 | 149 | ||
| 1✦ | 20/40 | 3,948 | 67 | 198 | — |
| 40/40 | 5,908 | 101 | 297 | ||
| 2✦ | 40/50 | 6,605 | 113 | 332 | 7.20% |
| 50/50 | 7,599 | 130 | 382 | ||
| 3✦ | 50/60 | 8,528 | 146 | 428 | 14.40% |
| 60/60 | 9,533 | 163 | 479 | ||
| 4✦ | 60/70 | 10,230 | 175 | 514 | 14.40% |
| 70/70 | 11,243 | 192 | 564 | ||
| 5✦ | 70/80 | 11,940 | 204 | 599 | 21.60% |
| 80/80 | 12,965 | 222 | 651 | ||
| 6✦ | 80/90 | 13,662 | 233 | 686 | 28.80% |
| 90/90 | 14,695 | 251 | 738 |
| Mora | Gems | Character Level Up Materials | Materials | Materials | |
| Ascension Cost (0 → 1) | 20,000 | 1 Prithiva Topaz silver | N/A | 3 Cor Lapis | 3 Slime Condensate |
| Ascension Cost (1 → 2) | 40,000 | 3 Prithiva Topaz Fragment | 2 Basalt Pillar | 10 Cor Lapis | 15 Slime Condensate |
| Ascension Cost (2 → 3) | 60,000 | 6 Prithiva Topaz Fragment | 4 Basalt Pillar | 20 Cor Lapis | 12 Slime Secretions |
| Ascension Cost (3 → 4) | 80,000 | 3 Prithiva Topaz Chunk | 8 Basalt Pillar | 30 Cor Lapis | 18 Slime Secretions |
| Ascension Cost (4 → 5) | 100,000 | 6 Prithiva Topaz Chunk | 12 Basalt Pillar | 45 Cor Lapis | 12 Slime Concentrate |
| Ascension Cost (5 → 6) | 120,000 | 6 Prithiva Topaz Gemstone | 20 Basalt Pillar | 60 Cor Lapis | 24 Slime Concentrate |
→ Talents
Rain of Stone-Normal Attack
Normal Attack
Performs up to 6 consecutive spear strikes.
Charged Attack
Consumes a certain amount of Stamina to lunge forward, causing stone spears to fall along his path.
Plunging Attack
Plunges from mid-air to strike the ground below, damaging opponents along the path and dealing AoE DMG
Dominus Lapidis-Elemental Skill
Every mountain, rock and inch of land is filled with the power of Geo but those who can wield such powers freely are few and far between.
Press
Commands the power of earth to create a Stone Stele.
Hold
Causes nearby Geo energy to explode, causing the following effects:
- If their maximum number hasn't been reached, creates a Stone Stele.
- Creates a shield of jade. The shield's DMG Absorption scales based on Zhongli's Max HP.
- Deals AoE Geo DMG.
- If there are nearby targets with the Geo element, it will drain a large amount of Geo element from a maximum of 2 such targets. This effect does not cause DMG.
Stone Stele
When created, deals AoE Geo DMG.
Additionally, it will intermittently resonate with other nearby Geo constructs, dealing Geo DMG to surrounding opponents.
The Stone Stele is considered a Geo construct that can both be climbed and used to block attacks.
Only one Stele created by Zhongli himself may initially exist at any one time.
Jade Shield
Possesses 150% DMG Absorption against all Elemental and Physical DMG.
Characters protected by the Jade Shield will decrease the Elemental RES and Physical RES of opponents in a small AoE by 20%. This effect cannot be stacked.
Planet Befall-Elemental Burst
Brings a falling meteor down to earth, dealing massive Geo DMG to opponents caught in its AoE and applying the Petrification status to them.
Petrification
Opponents affected by the Petrification status cannot move.
Resonant Waves-1st Ascension Passive
When the Jade Shield takes DMG, it will Fortify:
- Fortified characters have 5% increased Shield Strength.
- Can stack up to 5 times, and lasts until the Jade Shield disappears.
Dominance of Earth-4th Ascension Passive
Zhongli deals bonus DMG based on his Max HP:
- Normal Attack, Charged Attack, and Plunging Attack DMG is increased by 1.39% of Max HP.
- Dominus Lapidis' Stone Stele, resonance, and hold DMG is increased by 1.9% of Max HP.
- Planet Befall's DMG is increased by 33% of Max HP.
Arcanum of Crystal-Utility Passive
Refunds 15% of the ores used when crafting Polearm-type weapons.
→ Talent Upgrade
| Talent Level | Required Ascension Level | Mora | Common Materials | Talent Level Up Materials | ||
| 1 → 2 | 2* | 12,500 | 6 Slime Condensate | 3 Teachings of Gold | ||
| 2 → 3 | 3* | 17,500 | 3 Slime Secretions | 2 Guide to Gold | ||
| 3 → 4 | 3* | 25,000 | 4 Slime Secretions | 4 Guide to Gold | ||
| 4 → 5 | 4* | 30,000 | 6 Slime Secretions | 6 Guide to Gold | ||
| 5 → 6 | 4* | 37,500 | 9 Slime Secretions | 9 Guide to Gold | ||
| 6 → 7 | 5* | 120,000 | 4 Slime Concentrate | 4 Philosophies of Gold | 1 Tusk of Monoceros Caeli | |
| 7 → 8 | 260,000 | 6 Slime Concentrate | 6 Philosophies of Gold | 1 Tusk of Monoceros Caeli | ||
| 8 → 9 | 5* | 450,000 | 9 Slime Concentrate | 12 Philosophies of Gold | 2 Tusk of Monoceros Caeli | |
| 9 → 10 | 5* | 700,000 | 12 Slime Concentrate | 16 Philosophies of Gold | 2 Tusk of Monoceros Caeli | 1 Crown of Insight |
→ Constellation
2. Availability
→ Paimon's Bargains
N/A
→ Event Wishes
Gentry of Hermitage 2020-12-01 - 2020-12-22
Gentry of Hermitage 2021-04-28 - 2021-05-18
3. Personality
Zhongli is a calm, laid back soul, a persona that comes natural to someone that has seen as much as he has in his life. He is extremely knowledgeable in all matters regarding Liyue, its traditions and customs especially. Being one who quite literally created both the concept and physical form of Mora, he tends to be rather absent minded when it comes to financial transactions as he is used to being able to conjure it at will, which becomes especially problematic when he no longer has access to his Gnosis..
4. Appearance
Zhongli is a towering presence, with earthy brown hair cut short with a long, singular strand braided down his back. Notably, when he uses his geo powers this strand of hair, along with his deep amber eyes, glow brightly. His attire is form-fitting and elegant, consisting of a beige dress shirt, a brown and amber waistcoat, slim black trousers, black dress boots and black gloves with twin silver rings on the thumbs. He wears a false vision on the back of his shirt, not needing it to perform his abilities as an Archon.
5. Character Stories
→ Character Details
In Liyue's traditional customs, "receiving adepti" and "sending adepti off" are equally important.
The Hus of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, who have been in this business for 77 generations, are the masters of handling funerals. However, Hu Tao, the current owner of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, primarily focuses on the art of sending mortals on their way.
For the various ceremonies for sending adepti off, Hu Tao usually employs the help of a friend in more or less the same business. That person's name is Zhongli. The adepti have been with Liyue for millennia but only a handful have ascended in the past three thousand years, which means that everything regarding the traditions now only exists in texts. This is not something one would likely witness twice in their entire lifetime.
Not even the most particular and learned of researchers or scholars could find one fault in Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's ceremonies for sending adepti off.
Everything must be perfect, from the costumes, the time, the place, the items, the weather, the scheduled length, the size of the permitted audience, to the stature, profession and age of the said audience. Nothing can be overlooked.
When folk describe Zhongli as "living history," the latter usually only smiles and sighs.
"I... just have a good memory."
→ Character Story 1
In Liyue, if a person pays great attention to details and has insuperable criteria by which they judge certain matters, then they are called "particular."
In truth, everyone is "particular" about something. Some people hate spicy food, others don't eat fish and some want their tofu served sweet...
But as for Zhongli, he is particular about everything. He must attend operas by the most celebrated performers, take the most luxuriant thrushes out for walks, and he must go into the kitchen personally to instruct the cooks as to the ratio of scallops and fish required to make the most authentic Fullmoon Egg.
Zhongli has expertise in all manner of things: from fashion to daily necessities, wine and snacks, teas and spices, flora and fauna, and he will even actively debate affairs of trade, state, and international relations.
But he only ever fills you in on some useless trivia, because he enjoys sharing such interesting things with you.
→ Character Story 2
When making a purchase, look to slash prices.
This is common knowledge among the people of Liyue. No matter what high heavens the store owner praises their product to, no matter its ancient history or classical value, prices are always flexible. Half the stated cost is a good place to start.
But when Zhongli pays up (or rather, calls for someone else to pay up on his behalf,) he never looks at the price tag. As long as it catches his eye, Zhongli will pay as much as the owner asks.
Indeed, he will even buy it at a premium sometimes.
But for some reason, Zhongli always forgets to bring money.
For small purchases, he has friends to help him out and large bills he somehow finds ways to have written off.
To those merchants who secretly pride themselves on their powers of flattery, Zhongli is a man of strange proclivities: in truth, he knows a great deal about the value of money and finance, and he also understands the suffering of the people.
However, he seems to not understand that poverty is part of the human condition.
Or perhaps it might be said that he cannot imagine himself being poor.
How has such a person not died of hunger yet?
→ Character Story 3
There is no way Zhongli can starve.
Such concerns as profit and loss are beneath his notice. The Seven Nations and the world itself are where his efforts are directed. As for wealth... He is wealth itself.
He is Morax, the overlord Rex Lapis who rules Liyue, and the Geo Archon of the Seven Archons. The very money that circulates throughout Teyvat, Mora, is named after him.
When night falls and bustling Liyue begins to slumber, he will sometimes stand atop the towering mountains and gaze upon this city, which he made with his own hands.
To the people of Liyue, Rex Lapis has many divine titles.
When he laid down Liyue's laws by his divine might, he was the God of Contracts. When he minted the first Mora and made Liyue strong by dint of commerce, the merchants revered him as the God of Commerce.
He has lived through countless years and is the eldest of the Seven, and so historians call him the God of History.
Thousands of years ago, the forebears of the citizens of Liyue Harbor struck stones together to start fires and used piled stones to create a stove. These blessings derived from the Geo element led the Geo Archon to gain the title of God of the Stove.
People from other lands tend to call him Morax, though the people of Liyue prefer to use the term Rex Lapis.
But in the hearts of lovers of opera and children, Morax's on-stage aspect, the all-conquering defender of Liyue — the Warrior God — is the most fascinating.
The delicacies that Rex Lapis discovered while lost in the streets, the plaques inscribed with his handwriting, a famous opera that he once starred in, playing the part of a warrior...
Many stories and tales of Liyue are, when studied closely, stories of people visited by their deity at some point — and the citizens of Liyue are most proud indeed of that history.
→ Character Story 4
As the founder of Liyue Harbor, "contracts" are the most important thing to Morax.
From simple monetary exchange and agreements between merchants to the ancient laws that Morax himself laid down, there is no part of city life untouched by "contracts."
To merchants, "contracts" are the most important standard that they hold themselves: deadlines, invoices, shipping destinations... Only a refined and strict order can sustain vibrant commerce, which is itself the lifeblood of Liyue Harbor.
Thus the Qixing punish violators of such laws unceasingly, not only to uphold the divine rulings of Morax but also to allow Liyue to maintain its vitality.
Through the millennia, every generation of the Liyue Qixing commits to interpreting the law, including subtle amendments to plug loopholes found in the law. Any loopholes that remain undiscovered are seen by the merchants as "permissible if unaddressed," and they make killings off such holes until they are discovered and patched up by the Liyue Qixing.
Amid this game of cat-and-mouse, the book that collates such amendments has reached a whopping 279 pages thick.
The person currently responsible for maintaining this book, the Tianquan Ningguang, is secretly (and humorously) referred to as the "Tailor of Liyue," in honor of her speed in patching these laws up, and for her sharpness of eye.
But no matter how complicated or tangled mortal laws become, one of these stands above all others in the eyes of Rex Lapis.
"The one who reneges on their words shall suffer the Wrath of the Rock."
→ Character Story 5
Rex Lapis, most ancient of The Seven, has lived far too long. Rex Lapis still remembers that moment when the final archon took their divine seat, thus ending the Archon War and the era of warring gods. The Seven were a diverse lot and dispersed far and wide, but they all shouldered the burden of guiding humanity.
As time passed, many of The Seven's titles changed hands, and only two remain of the first Seven: Rex Lapis and the Anemo Archon.
The carefree Barbatos, the Anemo Archon, is the second eldest of The Seven.
When Barbatos first came to Liyue, Rex Lapis believed his fellow archon to have encountered some terrible crisis in pursuit of their duties, thus requiring his aid.
So when Barbatos descended in a gust of wind, the Geo Archon had already prepared himself to receive this neighboring deity and lend what help he may. But as he looked, the Anemo Archon tossed a wine bottle at him.
"Here's some wine from Mondstadt. Care for a taste?" To forsake one's duty to deliver a single bottle of wine — what a preposterous notion!
Yet the Anemo Archon kept coming to visit, to explore Liyue Harbor, all sorts of strange questions on his lips. The Anemo Archon's questions knew as little limits as the wine in his hands.
From then on, the first Seven would often gather in Liyue. Rex Lapis still remembers how those wines tasted.
The world has changed much since then, and all that was once familiar has faded into memory. The seven seats changed and again were changed, till five of the seven at the table were all departed.
Nor would the duty of guiding humanity be honored by the new archons.
Even the hardest rocks may be worn down after three thousand years.
Nor would the wind ever return again.
One drizzly day, the ancient ruler was strolling about Liyue Harbor, and overheard a merchant telling one of his workers, "You've finished with your duties, go ahead and call it a day."
Long did he stand amidst the milling crowd.
"Have I... already finished my duties?"
→ That Which Rises From the Sea
During the Archon Wars, every corner of Teyvat was consumed in the fires of conflict. Not only did gods fight amongst themselves, but countless wicked things also sought to expand their domains.
One such type of creature caused no end of woe for the Geo Archon, long before he took that title along with his place among The Seven.
These foul creatures, straight from the murky depth of the ocean abyss, had a squishy exterior, and possessed agile tentacles that would live on even after being cut off, even secreting some thick and revolting fluid in the process.
This alone would have been enough to make them the most monstrous of all creatures, and still it was not the pinnacle of their monstrosity.
What made them so truly terrible was their small size, which gave them the ability to duck into unimaginably small nooks and crannies.
No space was too narrow for them, neither the wooden boards of tables and chairs, nor the seams of windows and doors and curtain folds, nor even books and brushes.
Many a poor soul had, on at least one occasion, unwittingly outstretched their hand, only to quickly retract it in horror with a blood-curdling scream at the sensation of something cold, clammy, and damp, while one or more these despicable creatures came crawling up their arm, leaving a shiny trail behind them...
At the behest of the people of Liyue, Morax agreed to wipe these creatures out. But these parasites upon civilization could not be destroyed like enemies on a battlefield, by simply summoning a storm of stone spears that would shatter the earth and churn the soil....
Still, he was the God of Contracts. His word had to be his bond.
So, he went through the town from house to house with prisons of stone, seizing these creatures one by one and locking them away for good...
This long campaign of pest extermination taught Morax the true meaning of "a burden lifted."
The grueling campaign itself, and the terrible smell of those ocean creatures' secretions, left a lasting impression on the deity.
Today, even when he goes out incognito as the mortal man, Zhongli, Morax gives those living, squirming seafood products a wide berth.
...Well, except for dishes where said seafood products have been sliced and diced into oblivion, such as seafood tofu. He'll quite happily eat those.
→ Gnosis
Once the Rite of Parting, of which Zhongli was both director and star, was over, the Fatui Harbinger named Signora appeared before him.
By prior contract, she was here to claim the Geo Archon Morax's Gnosis.
Before the Traveler and the two Fatui Harbingers, Zhongli related the truth that he had established a contract with the Cryo Archon. In his own words, this was his final "Contract to End All Contracts."
Yet no matter how one looks at it, the loss of his divine ability to defend Liyue was too great of a price to pay.
Even amongst mortals, the basis of a contract is "equivalent exchange."
And for the God of Contracts, who much have established countless such agreements in their long years of existence, such an important contract must have come with its benefits.
Now, the Geo Archon has given away his Gnosis as his part of the deal.
What, then, must the Cryo Archon have wagered to balance the scales?
6. Namecard
HOW TO OBTAIN: Reach Friendship Level 10 with Zhongli
Description: Stars fall, light dims.
7. Constellation
“Lapis Dei” meaning “Divine Stone” in Latin
8. Quests and Events
→ Archon Quests
- Chapter I
- Act II: Farewell, Archaic Lord
- All Parts
- Act III: A New Star Approaches
- Solitary Fragrance
- The Fond Farewell
→ Story Quests
- Historia Antiqua Chapter (Zhongli's personal questline)
- Act I: Sal Flore
- All parts
- Act II: No Mere Stone
- All parts
→ Events
- Moonlight Merriment
- Three to Get Ready, and Here We Go
9. Character Interactions
Zhongli mentions the following characters in his/her voiceover lines
-Xiao
-Venti
-Ningguang
-Hu Tao
-Tartaglia
-Ganyu
-Keqing
-Yanfei
-Raiden Shogun (Baal)
Zhongli is mentioned by the following characters in their voiceover lines
-Beidou
-Chongyun
-Ganyu
-Hu Tao
-Keqing
-Ningguang
-Raiden Shogun
-Tartaglia
-Venti
-Xiangling
-Xiao
-Xinyan
-Yanfei
10. Trivia
-At over 6000 years old, Zhongli is by far the oldest known playable character known to Teyvat
-The meteor summoned by Zhongli's Elemental Burst, Planet Befall, resembles a Burr puzzle, specifically the six-piece burr which is also known as the "Chinese Cross".
-Regardless of whatever incarnation he takes, Zhongli is always distinguishable by his piercing amber eyes
11. Explainer Video
12. FAQs
What is Zhongli’s best role?
The two clearest options are to either build fully into HP in order to maximize shielding amounts or to lean more into his burst damage as a support with Crit. No matter what direction you take Zhongli, whether it be focused more of the damage of his skill/burst or doubling down on his shielding capabilities to make him has tanky as possible, he will always bring a high baseline of utility thanks to the nature of the all-elemental shred of his shield as well as the innate crowd control of his burst.
What artifacts are best for Zhongli?
If you wanna focus more on maximizing his burst damage while supporting your team, consider 4PC Noblesse Oblige (20% Elemental Burst Damage and 20% ATK for the entire party). If you already have a Nobelesse user in your party and/or want to focus more on your shielding capabilities while bringing ample support, 4PC Tenacity of the Milleleth (20% HP, 20% ATK and 30% Shield Strength for every hit by Elemental Skill) is another excellent buffing option that was basically tailor made to work with Zhongli’s kit. You can also consider 2 PCTenacity of the Milleleth (20% HP) 2 PC Archaic Petra (15% Geo DMG) in order to enhance your damage more generally.
What are good weapons for Zhongli?
The one weapon that stands out the most in terms of giving Zhong everything he wants at once is the Staff of Homa, giving him HP, scaling ATK based off HP, and a huge amount of Crit DMG. This is a limited 5 Star weapon that is hard to come across unfortunately without a lot of luck/resources. For more reasonably attainable options, consider the Favonius Lance, The Catch, or even the 3 Star Black Tassel if you’re solely focused on maximizing survivability
13. Final Thoughts
Zhongli brings a nearly unmatchable level of damage mitigation to the table of any team, allowing some to not even require bringing along a healer. With so much innate utility between his shield and the crowd control his burst enables him to be one of the easiest characters to slot into just about any team composition and produce immediate results. The Geo Archon’s protective fury is absolute, and your enemies are certain to feel the wrath of the rock.
