I'm not going to be able to get through this without divulging a major fact the story, so if you haven't finished Liyue yet, stop reading now. This guide is not for you yet.
The Traveler is the hero of Genshin Impact, yet he remains unsung for many players. This is your first character in the game, and he's a true 5-star, but there's a chance that you've yet to see why you'd invest the resources in a character who feels replaced almost immediately.
The thing about the Travelers is that while they are some of the (if not THE) most powerful beings in the universe, they are not native to Teyvat. You've definitely noticed by now that your Traveler's ability to use the elements is directly tied to contact with the archons. In fact, until you've made contact with your first Statue of the Seven, you can't even manipulate the elements at all.
This is more than lore. The Traveler's full potential can only be realized in the presence of the corresponding elemental archon.
There's a solid chance that aside from solving a few pressure plates and getting on a few rooftops, you've set your Geo Traveler aside. That's what I did until one lucky day when I pulled our Lord of Geo from the event banner. Now, I'd like to convince as many people as possible to raise those Geo talents and make their Traveler as universal as possible.
Pulling Zhongli is one of the greatest moments of any Genshin Impact player's journey through Teyvat. 5-Star splash screens are so busy when they're just a silhouette that you're not even sure what you got. The proverbial dust settles, and bam! The dispenser of 60k plus meteor drops is yours. Building him out is a topic for another discussion, and there are several distinct ways to do it.
An interesting thing about Zhongli is that without the Traveler, he is nowhere near his full potential. It may sound odd to say, but anyone who has not seen a properly played Zhongli/Geo Traveler combo really hasn't seen Zhongli in action.
"Why?" You ask. Let me count the ways, from the elementary (he he) to the spectacular.
1)Geo Resonance
There's a triple whammy that happens you activate Geo Resonance, all of which add to the invincible, destructive power of an archon and a Traveler. While any two Geo characters will activate Resonance, the third item on the buff list becomes especially potent when using our pair together, as will become perfectly clear as we move along. One thing we're going to ensure is that damage is being done all the time, from all angles. We're going to have shields while we do it.
2)Traveler Constellations are part of the story.
If you keep playing, you will max your Traveler's constellation. Without synergy with the archon, the constellation can feel like you're just unlocking your Traveler to what would be base level. With the archon on the same team, it is clear that you have a Constellation 6, 5-star character.
Critical burst Zhongli is one of the most effective and popular builds, and the added Critical rate while inside Wake of Earth helps quite a bit. While the burst itself can't be interrupted, no one stands around just waiting for it to fill up. Resistance to interruption keeps you flowing through your skills, and back and forth from Zhongli to the Traveler.
The additional energy provided by Constellation 4 is a wonderful thing considering that we are going for full burst saturation in an invincible environment. Inside of Wake of Earth is where these two belong.
3)Oh, Stele, Stele, Stele
The first time anyone uses Zhongli, the stele can be a bit confusing. It just stands there. Sure, you can push buttons with it, and you can climb it, but what's the deal? A person who doesn't have Zhongli might find it quite annoying to have it popping up all over a fight.
I can't wait to roll him on the rerun, because I want two.
Planet Befall is flashy, beautiful and quite effective, but the stele is where the damage, Geo saturation, and energy recharge really come from. The thing is, one stele alone leaves a bit to be desired. It's got a short cooldown if you don't play greedy, but its one hit just doesn't seem to do that much. This is where the Traveler comes in.
Here, watch.
Simple, right? And there's actually a lot more going on there than just the damage.
4)Crystallize
Geo makes you invincible. That's what it's for. That little bubble, with the proper numbers backing it up, is an impenetrable barrier. Crystallize is not a damage reaction, so it can fall behind Vaporize, Melt, Electrocharged and Overload in priority and popularity. That doesn't in any way diminish its importance and utility. Damage from Geo comes raw, and it is powerful. The crystallize reaction is what sets it apart as something truly special.
Let's take a look at how we can capitalize on this in the wild.
You can see that the fight no longer centers around attacking much at all. When in single-player, you'll spend all of your time keeping Geo constructs on the ground and releasing the Elemental Bursts. The cooldowns are so short, by the time you've got one thing down, you're either refreshing the other or dropping another bomb on the whole mess. You will be completely invincible most of the time.
This is a fun composition to run in multiplayer, and there are a few things we, the players can do to make this team shine.
A)If you're Zhongli, only tap elemental skill. Keep stele in the fight. Jade Shield is for emergencies only.
B)If you're the Traveler, keep the meteors in. Aim them to be close to the stele.
C)Stick together. Crystallize only helps if you pick up the crystals. Stay close to get 'em.
D)Focus on keeping Geo constructs in the fight. Don't wait for them to disappear.
Zhongli and the Geo Traveler can run together in any party. Catalysts that shoot through walls (Lisa, Mona, Barbara, Sucrose) and long weapons are the best because the constructs don't cause any trouble. Catalysts have the added bonus of keeping everyone tagged with elements, with the exception of Sucrose. Noelle at Constellation 6 will never leave the burst state. Ninguang and Albedo's constructs quake as well, and we're about to learn what happens with Gorou and Itto!
Wahoo!
Zhongli never did go it alone.
