Zhongli remains one of the most flexible characters in Genshin Impact, and his best weapons in 2025 depend heavily on whether you want an unbreakable shieldbot, a burst support, or a hybrid tank-DPS. The good news: his top options range from ultra-premium 5-stars to incredibly strong F2P picks like Black Tassel and Favonius Lance.
How Zhongli’s Weapon Needs Change by Build
Zhongli’s shield scales purely from max HP, while his personal damage (Normal, Charged, Plunging, Skill, and Burst) is boosted by his passive “Dominance of Earth,” which converts a percentage of his max HP into extra damage.
That creates two clear build paths:
- Shield Support (Shieldbot):
- Priority: HP%, some Energy Recharge, shield uptime and team utility.
- Weapon focus: HP substat or Energy Recharge for team batteries.
- Burst Support / Hybrid DPS:
- Priority: CRIT, ATK, some HP, decent ER for consistent meteors.
- Weapon focus: CRIT/ATK weapons that also interact with HP (e.g., Staff of Homa).
The “best weapon for Zhongli 2025” is therefore different depending on which role your account actually needs.
Best S-Tier Premium Weapons for Zhongli
Staff of Homa – Best Overall Premium
Why it’s S-tier:
Staff of Homa gives a huge CRIT DMG substat, increases HP by 20%, and converts a chunk of Zhongli’s max HP into ATK. This simultaneously:
- Strengthens Jade Shield via more HP
- Increases Burst and Skill damage via Dominance of Earth
- Provides very high damage per meteor with proper CRIT stats
If you care about both damage and tankiness, Homa is the strongest all-rounder and is consistently rated as Zhongli’s best 5-star spear.
Best for:
- Burst support / hybrid DPS Zhongli
- Players who also use Homa on Hu Tao, Arlecchino, or other Pyro DPS.
Vortex Vanquisher – Signature, But Niche
Vortex Vanquisher boosts ATK and increases shield strength while ramping ATK further when hitting enemies, with doubled effect when protected by a shield.
Pros:
- Extra shield strength on top of already huge Jade Shield
- Multiplicative ATK buffs during uptime
Cons:
- No CRIT or HP substat
- Overkill for pure shield builds when Black Tassel already maxes HP more efficiently
Best for:
- Players who want Zhongli to contribute noticeable on-field physical/Geo damage.
- Those who already own and like the weapon and want comfort over min-max efficiency.
Primordial Jade Winged-Spear
This weapon offers CRIT Rate and stacking ATK% when attacking enemies. It does nothing for HP or shield strength but can make Burst Zhongli’s meteors hit very hard.
Best for:
- Dedicated Burst DPS Zhongli in teams where survivability is already covered.
- Accounts with strong HP on artifacts but needing crit consistency.
Also Read : Ultimate Zhongli Build Guide 2025
A–S Tier F2P & 4-Star Weapons
Black Tassel – Best F2P Weapon for Shieldbot
Black Tassel is a 3-star polearm with an HP% substat, and the highest HP scaling among his options. Its passive (bonus damage vs slimes) is mostly irrelevant, but the HP is not:
- Max HP translates directly to stronger shields
- Passive doesn’t matter; you’re using it as an HP stat stick
Tests and tier lists in 6.1–6.2 show that Black Tassel can give more HP than Staff of Homa in shield builds, making it technically BiS for pure tank Zhongli at a fraction of the cost.
Best for:
- Pure shield support Zhongli
- Players who don’t care about his damage and just want the safest possible teams.
Favonius Lance – Best Team Utility Weapon
Favonius Lance has an Energy Recharge substat and generates energy particles on CRIT hits. This is invaluable for:
- Keeping Zhongli’s Burst up every rotation
- Providing extra energy to the whole team
- Letting you build less ER on your main DPS or supports
For many accounts, this makes Favonius Lance his best practical support weapon, especially in quick-rotation Abyss teams.
Best for:
- Shield + Burst support Zhongli
- Teams with heavy Burst spam (Raiden, Xiangling, Furina teams, etc.).
The Catch – Burst-Focused F2P Option
The Catch provides Energy Recharge and a passive that boosts Burst CRIT Rate and CRIT DMG at high refinement.
Pros:
- Massive meteor damage increase at R5
- Helps solve ER without leaning on ER artifacts
Cons:
- Requires significant fishing time
- No HP boost, weaker shields than HP weapons
Best for:
- Burst DPS Zhongli builds centered on high-damage petrify meteors.
- Players willing to invest the time into fishing refinements.
Deathmatch, Lithic Spear, & Other 4-Stars
Weapons like Deathmatch or Lithic Spear offer CRIT Rate or ATK stacks, useful in niche DPS Zhongli builds but generally outclassed by Homa/Jade or overshadowed by Favonius/Black Tassel for support purposes.
Use them mainly if:
- You run him as an on-field DPS and don’t have 5-star options.
- You’re heavily invested in his personal damage for fun, not meta.
How to Choose Zhongli’s Best Weapon by Role
1. Pure Shield Support Zhongli (Most Common in 2025)
Priority: HP > ER > everything else
Top Picks:
- Black Tassel – Maximum HP and unbeatable F2P value
- Favonius Lance – Slightly less HP, but vastly more team energy and Burst uptime
When to pick which:
- Pick Black Tassel if:
- Your team’s energy is already healthy
- You just want the thickest possible shield
- Pick Favonius Lance if:
- You run multiple Burst-reliant characters
- You want Zhongli to act as a battery
2. Burst Support / Hybrid DPS Zhongli
Priority: HP, then CRIT and ATK, plus moderate ER
Top Picks:
- Staff of Homa – Best all-around; HP + CRIT DMG + ATK from HP
- The Catch (R5) – For F2P burst damage + ER
- Primordial Jade Winged-Spear – For high-crit meteor builds
Recommended use:
- Run Homa if you own it: it directly scales both shield and damage.
- Use The Catch if you mainly want big meteors without spending money.
- Use Jade Spear only if Homa is taken by another character and you want burst-focused Zhongli.
3. “Comfort DPS” or On-Field Zhongli
This is a more casual or “for fun” style where Zhongli spends actual field time doing Normal/Charged attacks.
Priority: CRIT, ATK, some HP
Top Picks:
- Staff of Homa
- Jade Winged-Spear
- Deathmatch (BP)
This is not his meta role in 2025 but can still clear most content.
Quick Weapon Tier List (2025)
S-Tier (role dependent):
- Staff of Homa – Best hybrid DPS + shield
- Black Tassel – Best F2P HP stat stick for shield-only builds
- Favonius Lance – Best team utility and energy battery
A-Tier:
- The Catch (R5) – Burst specialist
- Vortex Vanquisher – Strong ATK and shield, more whale-flavor than efficient
- Primordial Jade Winged-Spear – Strong crit DPS option
B-Tier and Below (situational):
- Deathmatch, Lithic Spear, Skyward Spine – usable but niche for Zhongli versus top options.
Practical Recommendations by Account Type
- New / Low-Spend Player:
- Use Black Tassel as soon as you get Zhongli.
- Swap to Favonius Lance if you pull it and want more utility.
- Mid-Spend / BP Player:
- Consider Deathmatch if you enjoy DPS Zhongli.
- Still keep Black Tassel for pure shield teams.
- Whales / Long-Term Players:
- Staff of Homa is the best long-term investment that benefits multiple characters.
- Use Favonius Lance on Zhongli if Homa is on a DPS and you value team ER.
Final Verdict: Best Weapons for Zhongli in 2025
- For most players and most team comps, Black Tassel or Favonius Lance are the best, most efficient choices—one for maximum shield HP, the other for massive team energy and uptime.
- For players who want Zhongli to deal real damage while still tanking, nothing beats Staff of Homa, combining HP, ATK, and CRIT into a single powerhouse spear.
Whichever weapon you choose, build Zhongli around his strengths: HP for defense, CRIT and ATK for meteor nukes, and just enough Energy Recharge for smooth rotations. Done right, the Geo Archon will keep your entire roster safe while still turning enemies into stone with style.
Also Read : Zhongli vs Arlechhino -Whom to Pull