Good Morning/Afternoon/Evening everyone!
This guide is very late, and I apologize for the delay. 
Classes have been making me very busy, but here is a guide to help one build the Geo Archon!
Materials
Zhongli Material Guide
Skill Kit
Normal Attack
Rain of Stone
Zhongli 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 upon impact.
Skill
Dominus Lapidis
Press Skill
Hold Skill
Tap/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 nearby 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.
Talent Level 1:
Stone Steele/Resonance DMG: 16.0%/32.0%
Hold DMG: 80%
Shield Base Absorption: 1,232
Additional Shield Absorption: 12.8% of Max HP
Talent Level 10:
Stone Steele/Resonance DMG: 28.8%/57.6%
Hold DMG: 144%
Shield Base Absorption: 2,712
Additional Shield Absorption: 23.0% of Max HP
Burst
Planet Befall
Zhongli 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.
Talent Level 1:
Skill DMG: 401%
Petrification Duration: 3.1s
Talent Level 10:
Skill DMG: 900%
Petrification Duration: 4.0s
Skill Kit Summary
As one can see, Zhongli scales heavily off of HP, and only his Burst scales off of Geo DMG Bonus. This means if one wants to build a Shield Zhongli, they could focus on all HP main stats, including the goblet. If one wants to take advantage of his Burst and the large damage it can do, then a Geo DMG goblet with decent energy recharge is the way to go.
Passive Talent 1
Resonant Waves
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.
Passive Talent 2
Dominance of Earth
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.
Exploration Passive
Arcanum Crystal
Refunds 15% of the ore used when crafting Polearm-type weapons.
Constellations
Rock, the backbone of Earth
C1: Increases the maximum number of Stone Steles created by Dominus Lapidis that may exist simultaneously to 2.
Stone, the Cradle of Jade
C2: Planet Befall grants nearby characters on the field a Jade Shield when it descends.
Jade, Shimmering through the Darkness
C3:
Increases the Level of Dominus Lapidis by 3.
Maximum upgrade level is 15.
Topaz, Unbreakable and Fearless
C4: Increases Planet Befall's AoE by 20% and increases the duration of Planet Befall's Petrification effect by 2s.
Lazuli, Herald of Order
C5:
Increases the Level of Planet Befall by 3.
Maximum upgrade level is 15.
Chrysos, Bounty of Dominator
C6: When the Jade Shield takes DMG, 40% of that incoming DMG is converted to HP for the current character.
A single instance of regeneration cannot exceed 8% of that character's Max HP.
Constellation Overview
Constellations are not necessary for Zhongli since he is an amazing support at C0, but each constellation increases his capabilities as a support. The constellations that are to take note in a Solo Play situation are C1 and C6. C1 helps with doing off-field damage like shatter, and his C6 allows Zhongli to take upon a more healing role. Once attacked with the shield being activated, 40% of the damage gets converted into health given to the active character.
Note: Only 8% of the active character’s Max HP can be healed in an instance.
Artifacts
Shield Support
Tenacity of the Millelith
2 Piece: HP increased by 20%
4 Piece: When an Elemental Skill hits an opponent, the ATK of all nearby party members is increased by 20% and their Shield Strength is increased by 30% for 3s. This effect can be triggered once every 0.5s. This effect can still be triggered even when the character who is using this artifact set is not on the field.
Archaic Petra
2 Piece: Gain a 15% Geo DMG Bonus.
4 Piece: Upon obtaining an Elemental Shard created through a Crystallize Reaction, all party members gain a 35% DMG Bonus for that particular element for 10s. Only one form of Elemental DMG Bonus can be gained in this manner at any one time.
Burst DPS
Emblem of Severed Fate
2 Piece: Energy Recharge +20%
4 Piece: Increases Elemental Burst DMG by 25% of Energy Recharge. A maximum of 75% bonus DMG can be obtained in this way.
Noblesse Oblige
2 Piece: Elemental Burst DMG +20%
4 Piece: Using an Elemental Burst increases all party members' ATK by 20% for 12s. This effect cannot stack.
Team Set Up
Support
Bennett/Xiangling/Faruzan/Xingqui
Bennett: Buffs those who stand in his Burst their Attack. Also heals enemies and if you are one of the few who activated his C6 he infuses the active character's weapon with Pyro.
Note: Benette's Buff only scales off his base attack which is done through leveling and giving him a high base attack weapon.
Xiangling: Great Pyro application against enemies and when Pyronado is around the active character, their Pyro Dmg is increased by 15% (C6 required)
Xingqui: Amazing Hydro applicator whose burst attacks with the character on the field with the normal attack. His rain swords also act as a sort of shield in case Zhongli’s shield is gone and will act as a bit of a buffer. The rain swords can also give a bit of healing depending on the amount left behind.
Faruzan: The perfect buffer for Anemo DMG Bonus, and can reduce the enemies' Anemo Resistance by a good chunk! A staple to be added to a Wanderer or Xiao team!
DPS
Hu Tao/Xiao/Cyno
Hu Tao: One of the amazing Pyro DMG dealers in the game, and since her DMG scales off of how low her health is giving Hu Tao the Jade Shield is a no-brainer. Especially for the C0 Hu Tao havers, where you will be using stamina to do the charge attacks, leaving little room to dodge.
Xiao: Really good raw damage dealer, and like Hu Tao his kit has a decreasing health mechanic. Since switching off of Xiao will cancel his burst you want to be on the field for the full duration of his burst. While his stagger resistance does increase in this form, he will still take upon damage, and with his decreasing health due to being in his burst form he can perish quite easily. Which is why Zhongli is typically paired with Xiao in a team.
Cyno: Depending on which team situation he is placed in he can do a wonderful mix of reactions, especially in a Hyperbloom team. Like Xiao, switching off from his burst will lead to it being canceled, so giving him a shield so you can focus on dealing damage instead of taking damage can help. Especially in time-constrained challenges like the Spiral Abyss.
Healer
Kokomi/Kuki/Bennett
Kokomi: Amazing healing capabilities and with her E skill you can have Hydro be applied on the enemies while she is off-field
Kuki: Applies periodic electro to enemies while healing the active party member. Which allows the DPS of the team do reaction damage while getting some much-needed healing.
Bennette: Buffs those who stand in his Burst their Attack. Also heals enemies and if you are one of the few who activated his C6 he infuses the active character's weapon with Pyro.
Note: Benette's Buff only scales off his base attack which is done through leveling and giving him a high base attack weapon.
Gameplay Tips
Since this was a lot of information being given in one go, here’s a rotation of a team that can be used!
Zhongli, Xiao, Bennett, and Faruzan
Note: It is assumed that all characters have their bursts up!
- Apply Zhongli’s Shield
- Use Bennett’s Burst
- Use Faruzan’s Burst and Skill
- Activate Xiao’s Burst until the duration ends
- Use Xiao’s E Skill to build energy for his burst
- Rinse and repeat the cycle
