Genshin Impact Shenhe

An in-depth guide on how to build Genshin Impact’s lone exorcist, Shenhe.

Table of Contents Table of Contents

Shenhe is a 5-star Cryo Polearm character who specialises as a Cryo Support, and is only available on the Character Event Wish banner while she is featured character. Keep reading to find out what materials are needed to Ascend Shenhe, her best builds and an overview of how to use her effectively.

Shenhe Ascension Stat

All characters in Genshin Impact have a particular stat that levels up alongside their base stats. For Shenhe, this extra stat is ATK%, which will help to increase her buffing capabilities as well as her DMG output.

Shenhe Ascension Materials

Once you have obtained Shenhe and maxed her to Level 20, she can be further levelled up through Ascension. The materials you will need to Ascend Shenhe are as follows:

Level	Ascension Materials
Level 20	Shivada Jade Sliver x 1 Qingxin x 3 Whopperflower Nectar x 3
Level 40	Shivada Jade Fragment x 3 Dragonheir’s False Fin x 2 Qingxin x 10 Whopperflower Nectar x 15
Level 50	Shivada Jade Fragment x 6 Dragonheir’s False Fin x 4 Qingxin x 20 Shimmering Nectar x 12
Level 60	Shivada Jade Chunk x 3 Dragonheir’s False Fin x 8 Qingxin x 30 Shimmering Nectar x 18
Level 70	Shivada Jade Chunk x 6 Dragonheir’s False Fin x 12 Qingxin x 45 Energy Nectar x 12
Level 80	Shivada Jade Gemstone x 6 Dragonheir’s False Fin x 20 Qingxin x 60 Energy Nectar x 24

Shivada Jade Slivers, Fragments, Chunks and Gemstones can be obtained by defeating the Cryo Regisvine, located in Mondstadt, and the Cryo Hypostasis, located in Dragonspine.

Dragonheir’s False Fin can be obtained by defeating the Bolteater Bathysmal Vishap and Rimebiter Bathysmal Vishap, located in Enkanomiya.

Qingxin can be found growing high up on mountains in Liyue. They grow in abundance in Jueyun Karst, Qingyun Peak and the mountains near Qingce Village.

Whopperflower Nectar, Shimmering Nectar and Energy Nectar can be obtained by defeating Whopperflowers, which can be found all over Teyvat.

Shenhe Talent Materials

In order to make Shenhe stronger, you’ll need to upgrade her talents. The materials you will need are as follows:

• Whopperflower Nectar
• Shimmering Nectar
• Energy Nectar
• Teachings of Prosperity
• Guide to Prosperity
• Philosophies of Prosperity
• Hellfire Butterfly

The Teachings, Guide and Philosophies of Diligence can be obtained by completing the Domain of Mastery: Altar of Flames every Monday, Thursday and Sunday. Meanwhile, the Shadow Of The Warrior is a potential drop from the Weekly La Signora Boss.

Shenhe Best Weapons

Shenhe has a lot of potential weapon options, making her very accessible to build.

Weapon	Rarity
Calamity Queller	5-star
Engulfing Lightning	5-star
Skyward Spine	5-star
Primordial Jade Winged-Spear	5-star
Vortex Vanquisher	5-star
Favonius Lance	4-star
Lithic Spear	4-star
Wavebreaker’s Fin	4-star

Shenhe’s best in slot weapon is the Calamity Queller. It has the highest Base ATK of all Polearms in the game, which is perfect for her buffs to scale off of. It also has a decent ATK% substat, and a passive which will further increase her ATK and Elemental DMG Bonus. Engulfing is also very good on her, since it will give her plenty of ATK as well as a great amount of Energy Recharge, to help use her Burst on cooldown. Skyward Spine can also be good on her, and acts as a slightly worse Engulfing Lightning. Primordial Jade Winged-Spear and Vortex Vanquisher are both decent stat sticks, but do not have too much utility besides that.

In terms of 4-star weapons, Favonius Lance, Lithic Spear or Wavebreaker’s Fin is your best bet. In particular, though, the Favonius Lance has a great amount of utility with its passive, high Base ATK and high Energy Recharge substat. Lithic Spear and Wavebreaker’s Fin, on the other hand, will both give Shenhe a high amount of ATK.

Shenhe Best Artifacts

Shenhe has a couple of different Artifact sets that she can make use of, depending on what you need for your team. If you don’t already have a 4-Piece Noblesse Oblige user on your team, Shenhe can make very good use of this set. Not only will it increase her own Burst DMG, but she will also buff your team’s ATK after using her Burst, which synergises well with her kit. Pairing up two 2-Piece ATK +18% sets will also work well on her, and helps to increase her Icy Quill buff. For a more offensive Shenhe, 4-Piece Blizzard Strayer is also viable, and will give her plenty of CRIT Rate.

For low level players, 4-Piece The Exile works well until you’re able to get higher level Artifacts.

For your Artifact main stats, you will want to run:

• ATK% / Energy Recharge Sands
• ATK% / Cryo DMG Bonus Goblet
• ATK% / CRIT DMG/Rate Circlet

For your Goblet, generally if you don’t have a weapon on Shenhe with an Energy Recharge substat, Energy Recharge is preferable. In terms of Artifact substats, you’ll want to focus on ATK%, Energy Recharge and both CRIT DMG and CRIT Rate. 

How to Use Shenhe

Her Elemental Skill, Spirit Spring Summoning, grants all nearby party members the Icy Quill effect and deals Cryo DMG in different ways based on whether it is pressed or held. On press, Shenhe rushes forward together with a Talisman Spirit, dealing Cryo DMG to opponents along the path. On hold, she commands the Talisman Spirit to deal AoE Cryo DMG. Icy Quill has the following effect: when Normal, Charged, and Plunging Attacks, Elemental Skills, and Elemental Bursts deal Cryo DMG to opponents, the DMG dealt is increased based on Shenhe’s current ATK. When held rather than pressed, the Icy Quill’s effect lasts longer and can be triggered more times. When one Cryo DMG instance strikes multiple opponents, the effect is triggered multiple times based on the number of opponents hit. The number of times the effect is triggered is calculated independently for each party member with the Icy Quill.

Her Elemental Burst, Divine Maiden’s Deliverance, unleashes the power of the Talisman Spirit, allowing it to roam free in this plane, dealing AoE Cryo DMG. The Talisman Spirit then creates a field that decreases the Cryo RES and Physical RES of opponents within it. It also deals periodic Cryo DMG to opponents within the field.

Shenhe has a niche role as a support for Cryo DPS characters. This is thanks to her Icy Quills, which boost the ATK of characters who deal Cryo DMG, as well as her Burst which decreases opponents’ Cryo RES. These, in conjunction with her first Ascension Passive, allow her to boost the DMG output of Cryo characters quite significantly.

Best Team Comps

Because of this, one of her best team comps is a Freeze team that consists of Ayaka, Shenhe, Kazuha and Kokomi. Shenhe will help to buff Ayaka’s DMG, while Kazuha will shred your opponents’ Cryo RES, boost Elemental DMG and gather enemies, and Kokomi will heal and apply Hydro to enemies. If you don’t have Ayaka, Ganyu, Kaeya, Chongyun or Rosaria can also work well as your Cryo Main DPS. Shenhe can also work as a support for Eula, since her Burst also decreases enemy Physical RES on top of buffing Eula’s DMG output. She can also help to trigger Cryo Resonance in this team comp, which will help Eula CRIT more consistently. Your other two slots in this team would consist of an Electro Sub-DPS such as the Raiden Shogun, Fischl and Beidou, and a healer / shielder of your choice.

Overall, Shenhe is a niche albeit useful Support character. If you find yourself using Cryo characters often, Shenhe can be a worthwhile addition to your character roster.