Shenhe was introduced in Genshin Impact Version 2.4. As of Version 3.5, Shenhe has gone the longest amount of time between her premier banner and her first rerun banner than any other character. Seriously, the wait was around 14 months.
Genshin Impact: How to Build Dehya | Genshin Impact: How to Build Hu Tao | Genshin Impact: How to Build Yelan
Shenhe is unique. Not only is she a 5-Star Support, but she focuses on increasing your team’s damage output and nothing else. Typically, a Support relies on their HP stat, Energy Recharge, and either Healing or Shields. But Shenhe doesn’t operate as a defensive Support and instead, you need to focus on increasing her ATK. But using Shenhe may require you to run a double Support team for attack and defense.
Best Position – Support
Shenhe does best as a Support for a full Cryo team, or a team with a Main Cryo DPS. Her Elemental Skill provides teammates with a Cryo DMG buff based on Shenhe’s ATK stat. Her Elemental Burst inflicts Cryo and Physical RES debuffs to any enemies caught within its field, plus some periodic Cryo attacks for good measure.
Between her Skill and Burst, you can either focus on increasing her ATK to use her Skill buff on a Cryo team, or increasing her Energy Recharge to use her Burst debuffs for your non-Cryo party.
Best Weapons
As a Support, you want to see what buffs are affected by what stat. Shenhe’s Elemental Skill buff scales off of her ATK stat. However, you can also activate enemy debuff through her Elemental Burst. The choice here is whether you want to boost her ATK for the Elemental Skill buff or her Energy Recharge for the Burst debuff.
5-Star – Calamity Queller
The Calamity Queller is Shenhe’s signature weapon and so far, remains her best. It increases the wielder’s ATK by a percentage and grants an Elemental DMG Bonus.
After using an Elemental Skill, the wielder gains the Consummation effect for 20 seconds. This causes the active character’s ATK to increase 3.2% per second, with a maximum of 6 stacks. This brings the total ATK buff up to 19.2%. When the wielder is not on the field, Consummation’s ATK increase is doubled, bringing the total buff up to 38.4%.
Since everything about this weapon goes towards the ATK stat, you’ll see an increase in Shenhe’s Icy Quill effect, which scales its DMG output off of Shenhe’s ATK.
Engulfing Lightning can also be a good option, but you definitely want to do the math there since the attack buff caps at 80% of the character’s ATK stat.
Staff of the Scarlet Sands should be considered your last resort option. It increases the wielder’s CRIT Rate, which isn’t useful for Shenhe. However, it does increase Elemental Mastery and ATK, so you’ll see better results from a team focused around the Superconduct or Melt reactions.
4-Star – Favonius Lance
The Favonius Lance increases the wielder’s Energy Recharge by a percentage. Additionally, CRIT Hits have a chance to generate 6 Energy for the character. This can occur once every 12 seconds. The Favonius Lance will help if you rely on Shenhe’s Burst debuffs since it’ll help keep the Burst charged.
The Catch is the most accessible of the listed 4-Star Polearms since you can get it through the Inazuma Fishing Association. It increases the wielder’s Energy Recharge, as well as their Elemental Burst DMG and CRIT Rate.
The Lithic Spear is good if you’re using Ganyu or at least one other Liyue character in addition to Shenhe. The Lithic Spear increases the wielder’s ATK. It will then increase ATK again, and add a CRIT Rate buff, for every character in the party who hails from Liyue. Again, this is good for Shenhe’s Skill buffs.
3-Star – Halberd
In general, the 3-Star Polearms are the weakest of the 3-Star Weapons, mostly due to the lack of options available. The Halberd will help you out the most since it increases the wielder’s ATK.
Best Artifacts
Shenhe’s Artifacts are very straightforward. For all Artifact stats, Main and Sub, focus on ATK% and Energy Recharge. All your Main Stats should be ATK%, you should be able to make up whatever Energy Recharge you need in the Substats.
2PC Gladiator’s Finale + 2PC Shimenawa’s Reminiscence
At 2 pieces, both sets grant an 18% ATK bonus. Together, the character receives a 36% ATK increase. However, you can swap out either with 2 pieces of the Echoes of an Offering set or the Vermillion Hereafter set. Just use whatever pieces have better stats.
4PC Noblesse Oblige
At 2 pieces, the Noblesse Oblige increases the wielder’s Elemental Burst DMG by 20%. At 4 pieces, it grants a 20% ATK bonus for 12 seconds after using an Elemental Burst. Because the ATK buff doesn’t stack, only use this set on Shenhe if no one else in your party has it.
4PC Blizzard Strayer
Use this set if you’re planning on using the Freeze reaction. Otherwise, the next set may be best.
At 2 pieces, Blizzard Strayer increases the character’s Cryo DMG by 15%. At 4 pieces, it increases a character’s CRIT Rate by 20% when they attack an enemy affected by Cryo. If the enemy is Frozen, CRIT Rate increases by another 20%, bringing the total up to 40%.
4PC Pale Flame
Only use this set if you have good pieces for it. Otherwise, the double ATK bonus options are better.
At 2 pieces, Pale Flame increases Physical DMG by 25%. At 4 pieces, when an Elemental Skill hits an enemy, ATK increases by 9% for 7 seconds. This can stack up to 2 times and can be triggered once every 0.3 seconds. Once your character has 2 stacks, the 2-set effect doubles, bringing the Physical DMG buff up to 50%.
This works well if you tend to use Shenhe for some Normal Attack damage as well. But for the most part, you’ll be swapping her out after using her Skill.
Best Teams
It was a good (and dangerous) idea to run Kamisato Ayaka and Shenhe together. They are the perfect Cryo duo. Ayaka is already a fantastic Cryo DPS, but Shenhe brings her to the next level. From there, you can decide if you want to focus on a Freeze or Superconduct team. Make sure to include either a Healer or Shield Support, then use your last slot for your Elemental Reactions.
| 5-Star Freeze Team | Kamisato Ayaka Kaedehara Kazuha Sangonomiya Kokomi |
| F2P Freeze Team | Kaeya Xingqiu Sucrose |
| 5-Star Superconduct Team | Ganyu Raiden Shogun Zhongli |
| F2P Superconduct Team | Kaeya Kuki Shinobu Fischl |
