Everything about Zhongli, Liyue’s secretive Geo archon

William Davis Published 21/12/2021

Zhongli used to be one of Genshin Impact’s biggest jokes, but now the CEO of geo ranks among the game’s best supports.

Zhongli is the geo archon and former protector of Liyue. Previously known by Morax and Rex Lapis, he is one of the most important characters in the lore and a fan favorite. Whether you’re wondering how old Zhongli is, what his best artifacts are, or how to get him as a playable character, here’s everything you need to know about Zhongli in Genshin Impact.

Is Zhongli good in Genshin Impact?

Zhongli is among the best supporters in the entire Genshin Impact roster. His charged elemental skill creates the strongest shield in the game, bar none. His constructs also create consistent crystallize reactions and synergize well with other geo characters like Albedo and Ningguang. 

Another great aspect of Zhongli is that he works with almost any Genshin Impact team. As a dedicated support, he can pair up with almost any main DPS character in the game. His shield is most useful with squishy damage-dealers like Eula, Xiao, and Hu Tao. 

The best build for Zhongli

The best artifact built for Zhongli is Tenacity of the Millileth. The two-piece set bonus gives a flat 20% HP boost. Zhongli’s abilities primarily scale off of HP, so that’s already a great start. The four-piece set bonus boosts the party’s attack by 20% and increases shield strength by 30% for three seconds. Zhongli’s elemental skills deal constant damage, so the buff should almost always be available.

The best artifact stat for Zhongli is HP. It’s completely valid to get HP artifacts in all three slots, plus you get a nice touch of base HP from the flower slot. For sub stats, look for crit rate and crit damage. If you really like Zhongli’s elementary burst meteor, you can grab energy recharge on the timepiece and geo damage for the cup. Generally speaking, you really can’t go wrong with HP artifacts on Zhongli.

How to get Zhongli in Genshin Impact

Zhongli is only available through his limited-time wish banner Gentry of Hermitage. Zhongli does not appear on the standard banner or any other limited banners that do not explicitly feature him. There is currently no way to get Zhongli in Genshin Impact, but that could change in the future. The geo archon is a popular fan request for a rerun.

Zhongli is notably the only character to get directly buffed by the developers following fan backlash. After massive hype for the appearance of the CEO of GEO, fans were disappointed by his perceived weakness upon release. The Genshin Impact nation of Liyue is meant to represent China, so the Chinese community felt particularly scorned.

For reference, Monstadt’s anemo archon Venti was widely considered the best support in the game at the time of Zhongli’s release. miHoYo announced buffs shortly after his banner ended. miHoYo followed up with a rerun four months later, the fastest second banner for any Genshin Impact character. With the annual Lantern Rite approaching, Zhongli is a solid candidate for a rerun banner.

How old is Zhongli?

Zhongli’s age is not entirely certain, but he is at least 6,000 years old. A handful of lore lines make reference to his age. He has ruled over Liyue for at least 2,000 years. It is implied that he ruled over a different civilization on the same continent during the archon war. Zhongli is the oldest of the seven archons, with Baal of Inazuma being the youngest.

Is Zhongli still a god?

Although he now assumes a human form, Zhongli is still very much a god. He was previously known as the geo archon Rex Lapis, who invented the currency known as Mora. Morax previously held a large amount of power in Liyue, guiding the Liyue Qixing on domestic affairs.

By the time the traveler arrives, Zhongli has already assumed his human form for some time. He works as a consultant for the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor under Hu Tao. He even refers to her as Master Tao. It’s funny to see the god of the region refer to such a silly character as his master, but it’s all a part of his disguise.

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