Shenhe’s Talents
Shenhe uses a polearm against her enemies, piercing them and providing Cryo elemental damage. Below is the definition of her skills and talents.
Dawnstar Piercer
The Dawnstar Piercer is Shenhe’s Normal, Charged, and Piercing attack. She can perform up to five spear attacks and her charged attack allows her to lunge forward, which damages the enemies on her path.
Spring Spirit Summoning
Spring Spirit Summoning is the elemental skill of Shenhe and pressing it will cause her to lunge forward with a Talisman Spirit. This skill will damage the enemies on her path with Cryo elemental damage. Holding the skill will cause the Talisman Spirit to deal AoE Cryo damage on enemies. Using the elemental skill will also trigger the passive called Icy Quill. Whenever your team members hit the enemies using Cryo damage, the damage output will increase depending on Shenhe’s attack damage. Holding the elemental skill button will increase the duration of the Icy Quill passive. This passive effect can stack.
Divine Maiden’s Deliverance
The Divine Maiden’s Deliverance is Shenhe’s elemental burst. Activating this elemental burst will summon the Talisman Spirit of Shenhe. The Talisman Spirit can roam free on the field and will deal AoE Cryo damage on enemies. Using the elemental burst will also unleash a field that can decrease the Cryo and Physical resistance of enemies inside it. Enemies on the field will also receive periodic Cryo elemental damage.
Deific Embrace
Deific Embrace is a passive that you can unlock on Ascension Phase 1. This passive will give a 15% Cryo damage bonus on characters that are inside the field created by Divine Maiden’s Deliverance.
Spirit Communion Seal
You can unlock this passive at Ascension Phase 4. Pressing the Spring Spirit Summoning will increase the elemental skill and burst damage by 15% for 10 seconds. Holding the elemental skill will increase the attack damage of normal, charged, and plunging attacks by 15% for 15 seconds.
Precise Comings and Goings
Precise Comings and Goings is the utility passive of Shenhe and is unlocked automatically. You will gain 25% more items if you use Shenhe on an Expedition in the Liyue Region. This passive will only trigger if she is on the expedition for 20 hours.
Best Build for Shenhe
Shenhe is a great 5-star Cryo support because of her passives and skills. However, one of her weaknesses is that she is built mainly for a Cryo team, characters that are non-Cryo cannot draw out the full potential of Shenhe. On the other hand, her elemental burst is a great Cryo element applicator, paving way for Pyro or Hydro characters to trigger elemental reactions.
Elemental Support Weapons
Engulfing Lightning
The Engulfing Lightning is a 5-star polearm that has an Energy Recharge substat. Shenhe’s elemental burst has a high energy requirement and having an Energy Recharge weapon can help you use your elemental burst more often. This weapon has an effect called Timeless Dream: Eternal Stove. This will increase your attack by 28% depending on the Energy Recharge you have over 100%. The bonus attack has a maximum of 80% attack. You will also gain a 30% Energy Recharge whenever you use an Elemental burst. This effect has a duration of 12 seconds.
Favonius Lance
The Favonius Lance is a 4-star polearm choice for Shenhe which also has an Energy Recharge substat. This polearm has the effect called Windfall. Your CRIT hits will have a 60% chance of generating Elemental particles. These elemental particles will give your character 6 energy and it can occur once every 12 seconds. This weapon is a great choice if you want to get more Energy for Shenhe’s elemental burst.
Sub DPS Weapons
Calamity Queller
The Calamity Queller is a 5-star polearm that was released alongside Shenhe’s event banner. This polearm has an ATK substat and gives the effect called Extinguishing Precept which gives you a 12% Elemental damage bonus. After using an elemental skill, you will get the Consummation effect which will increase your attack by 3.2% every second. The passive will increase your attack 6 times and has a duration of 20 seconds. If the character who is using the Calamity Queller is currently not on the field, the effect of the Consummation attack increase doubles.
Lithic Spear
A 4-star weapon option for Shenhe that also has an ATK substat is the Lithic Spear. This spear has the effect called Lithic Axiom - Unity. This effect increases your attack by 7% and CRIT Rate by 3% for every person in your party that came from Liyue. You can stack this effect 4 times but it does require you to build a team around the weapon.
Shenhe’s Artifact Set
When it comes to Shenhe’s artifact pieces, prioritize getting ATK% on all pieces. If you cannot get ATK% pieces, try going for Energy Recharge or Cryo damage bonus.
2 pcs. Gladiator’s Finale and 2 pcs. Shimenawa’s Reminiscence
Shenhe benefits from getting additional attack damage so you can equip 2 pcs. of Gladiators Finale on her. 2 pcs. of Gladiators Finale will give her 18% more ATK. 2 pcs. of Shimenawa’s Reminiscence will also give her 18% more ATK, giving her a total of 36% ATK damage. You can get the Gladiator’s Finale set from Weekly and Normal bosses. You can get Shimenawa’s Reminiscence artifact set in the Momiji-Dyed Court domain.
2 pcs. Emblem of Severed Fate and 2 pcs. Shimenawa’s Reminiscence
If you do not want to use Gladiator’s Finale, you can also use 2 pcs. of Emblem of Severed Fate instead. 2 pcs. of this Artifact, the set will increase your Energy recharge by 20%. Shenhe benefits from this because her elemental burst needs a lot of energy to activate. Having extra energy recharge can help you activate her elemental skills faster in combat. Both the Emblem of Severed Fate and Shimenawa’s Reminiscence can be looted in the Momiji-Dyed Court.
4 pcs. Noblesse Oblige
Shenhe can also be a great Cryo support character, and if you want to build her as elemental support, try using 4 pcs. of Noblesse Oblige. 2 pcs. of Noblesse Oblige will increase your Elemental Burst damage by 20%. Equipping 4 pcs. of Noblesse Oblige will increase the attack of your party members by 20% after using an elemental burst. This effect has a duration of 12 seconds. You can get this artifact set in the Clear Pool and Mountain Cavern domain.
Talent Upgrade Materials
Daily Domain drops every Monday/Thursday/Sunday
Teachings of Prosperity Guide to Prosperity Philosophies of Prosperity
Whopperflower drops
Whopperflower Nectar Shimmering Nectar Energy Nectar
La Signora Boss Drop
Hellfire Butterfly
Ascension Materials
Lv.20
3 Qingxin 1 Shivada Jade Sliver 3 Whopperflower Nectar
Lv.40
10 Qingxin 3 Shivada Jade Fragment 15 Whopperflower Nectar 2 Dragonheir’s False Fin
Lv.50
20 Qingxin 6 Shivada Jade Fragment 12 Shimmering Nectar 4 Dragonheir’s False Fin
Lv.60
30 Qingxin 3 Shivada Jade Chunk 18 Shimmering Nectar 8 Dragonheir’s False Fin
Lv.70
45 Qingxin 6 Shivada Jade Chunk 12 Energy Nectar 12 Dragonheir’s False Fin
Lv.80
60 Qingxin 6 Shivada Jade Gemstone 24 Energy Nectar 20 Dragonheir’s False Fin
Team Compositions
Shenhe is a great Cryo elemental support and Cryo characters benefit greatly from having Shenhe on the team due to her elemental skills and passives.
Ayaka Team
The main DPS for this team will be Ayaka, especially since Ayaka benefits from the ATK and increased Cryo damage of Shenhe. Having 2 Cryo characters on the team will also give you Cryo resonance, increasing your CRIT Rate. Shenhe will be the elemental support and Kokomi will be your main Healer for this team. You can also use Barbara if you do not have Kokomi. Add an Anemo character like Kazuha for a swirl reaction against enemies.
Eula Team
Another type of character that benefits from Shenhe is physical damage characters. Her skills can lower the physical resistance of enemies, allowing Eula to deal more damage. Aside from Eula, you can also add the Raiden Shogun or Fischl as the battery for your team. Xingqiu or Barbara can act as your healer and Hydro elemental support.
Chongyun Team
Chongyun can turn normal attacks into Cryo attacks using his elemental skill. This skill synergizes well with Shenhe, who focuses on increasing the Cryo damage of your party. Chongyun will act as your main DPS and Shenhe will be the sub DPS. You can add Barbara and Xiangling as well for a free-to-play-friendly option. Barbara will be your healer and Xiangling can act as another sub DPS, dealing Melt damage.
Summary
Shenhe is a 5-star Cryo character that can help bring out the full potential of Cryo and Physical damage characters. Her skills can lower the resistance of enemies against Cryo and Physical damage. Pairing her up with characters like Eula or Ayaka can help bring out her full potential. However, her elemental burst requires a lot of Energy cost so building extra Energy Recharge on her may be necessary.