Social media users demonstrate how Genshin Impact’s Zhongli is “Master of Minerals”

Publication date of the original Japanese article: 2020-12-02 18:33 (JST)
Translated by. Braden Noyes

On December 1st, Chinese game publisher miHoYo released an update for Genshin Impact which added a new promotional wish event. This banner features Zhongli, the latest addition to the game’s available 5-star characters. It didn’t take long for Master Zhongli, as he is called in-game, to start trending. But what exactly is it about Master Zhongli that is charming so many players?

Zhongli makes his first appearance in Genshin Impact during Chapter 1 of the Archon Quests, which focus on the Liyue region. He is introduced as a consultant working for the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. Not only does he have a cool and calm personality, but he is also extremely knowledgeable, particularly when it comes to the history of Liyue and its funeral practices. Because of this, many of the characters in the Japanese version of the game refer to him as “Zhongli-sensei.”

While the term “sensei” is most commonly understood to mean “teacher,” it is also used as a term of respect for someone who is particularly knowledgeable in their field of expertise, and can be translated as “doctor” or “master.” Over the course of the chapter, Zhongli is also portrayed as someone who gives very little consideration to spending large sums of other people’s money, demonstrating a strange awareness of money which any ordinary person would most likely find extremely odd.

The latest wishing event introduces Zhongli as a playable character who wields a polearm and is able to use the Geo element. His elemental skill summons a stone pillar which does periodic damage to all enemies within a certain area. By long-pressing this skill, Zhongli can also deal AOE damage and generate a shield which scales depending on his max HP. 

His elemental burst calls down a giant boulder from the heavens, dealing damage—which also scales to his max HP—and turning all enemies it hits to stone for a short time. Though players are still judging his overall rating, there is no denying the power of his elemental burst.

Since Zhongli has only been available for a short time, his usefulness in battle has yet to be fully determined. However, his effectiveness when it comes to collecting ore and crystals has many people talking. As mentioned, long-pressing Zhongli’s elemental skill causes him to perform a Geo element AOE attack. The damage from this attack is also effective against any nearby mineral deposits, destroying them in a single hit.

The range and speed at which Master Zhongli is able to break up ore and crystal deposits for collection has earned him the nickname “炭鉱夫” (literally “coal miner”, but with the added sarcasm, “Master of Minerals”) in some places. On top of this, the current promotional wish banner also includes an increased drop rate for Razor, who has also proved useful when it comes to collecting forging materials. This combination has led to the current promotional event being referred to as the “炭坑夫ガチャ” (Masters of Mining Gacha).

In addition to the ease at which Zhongli can collect ore and crystals, the pillars created by his elemental skill can also be climbed. This is incredibly convenient when it comes to exploration. The fact that the always calm and collected Master Zhongli, with his refined appearance and extensive knowledge of history, has proven to be the best character for the mundane tasks of mining ore and exploring is somewhat amusing.

Genshin Impact is currently available for PlayStation 4, PC, iOS, and Android.