Shenhe Guide and Best Builds

Shenhe Guide and Best Builds for Genshin Impact

Shenhe is a 5 Star Cryo Polearm character, whose kit is mainly meant to purely support Cryo teams. She provides a very strong Flat DMG buff to Cryo Damage instances and otherwise buffs either Elemental Skill/Burst Damage or Normal/Charged/Plunging Attacks. She is a very strong pick to use with Cryo Main DPS characters, as the DMG bonus is quite substantial while also providing a good amount of energy to your DPS.

Last updated on May 02, 2024 at 23:45 by Alextros
A Rating
Cryo Element
Polearm Weapon
Rarity
Chelsea Kwoka EN Voice Actor
Kawasumi Ayako JP Voice Actor
1.

Shenhe Strengths and Weaknesses

V Strengths
  • +Amazing Cryo Support and Battery.
  • +Relative easy to build.
  • +Low field time requirement.
  • +Fixes some of the Single Target issues many Freeze comps have.
X Weaknesses
  • -Personal damage takes a lot of investment to scale high.
  • -Requires high amounts of Energy Recharge.
  • -Her supportive skills are less valuable at high target counts.
  • -Only works effectively in Cryo/Anemo teams for most part.
2.

Shenhe Support Build

Shenhe's Support build is super straight forward. You want to keep uptime of your Burst high, so Energy Recharge is important, but other than that Shenhe solely focuses on building ATK %, which many characters usually tend to avoid. This means that picking up artifacts for Shenhe is easier, as she does not compete with other characters.

BiS Weapon Calamity Queller
Alternative Weapons
  1. Favonius Lance
  2. Engulfing Lightning
  3. Wavebreaker's Fin
Best Artifacts
  1. Noblesse Oblige
  2. Alternatively 2x 2p ATK % sets or 2p ATK % / Energy Recharge
Main Stats
  • Sand Stats: ATK % / Energy Recharge
  • Goblet Stats: ATK %
  • Circlet Stats: ATK % (CRIT Rate can contest if using Favonius Lance)
Substat Priority
  1. Comfortable Energy Recharge (Team Dependent, explained below)
  2. ATK %
  3. CRIT Rate (With Favonius Lance)
  4. CRIT Rate/DMG
  5. Flat ATK
Talent Priority
  1. Elemental Skill
  2. Elemental Burst
  3. Normal Attack

Shenhe is a very simple character to gear. She wants ATK % as her Elemental Skill scales based on that. Energy Recharge should be prioritized to be able to burst and then she wants CRIT Rate / CRIT DMG, more so CRIT Rate if you use Favonius Lance on her. Since Shenhe is a Support, we utilize Noblesse Oblige to further boost her supportive side, especially since you want to get her Burst out to support your Cryo Main DPS.

Her best weapon is Calamity Queller, which is also her signature weapon. It perfectly fits her playstyle and sports the highest base attack in the game together with Song of Broken Pines. The problem with this weapon is that it does not really fit any other character. Unless you want to really invest in Shenhe, it is better to go for a few of her other readily available weapons like Favonius Lance. The particles from this weapon are great, especially if they are used to funnel particles to other characters. It also helps with the your Energy Recharge requirements.

On the topic of Energy Recharge, you want close to 190%-200% if your team consists of 2 Cryo. A 3rd Cryo character will reduce the needs to about 170%. As with any Favonius weapons, they tend to reduce the requirement somewhere between 10% and 20%. Ultimately, these are just recommendations with team composition and the content you generally run changing this. Try different levels of Energy Recharge and see what you find comfortable to play with.

3.

Combos and How to Play Shenhe

As a Support, the field time for Shenhe is rather short, as you would want to spend as much time as possible on your Main DPS. You swap in Shenhe for her Skill and Burst essentially, and potentially a melee attack or two in the case that you use Favonius Lance and have not triggered the effect after using your Skill/Burst.

While Shenhe's Elemental Burst is a click and forget type of Burst, her Elemental Skill requires some consideration. Spring Spirit Summoning has both a Press and a Hold function. This changes the damage values of the second part of her Skill and also changes how the skill does damage. If you press the Skill, you dash forward, dealing damage in a line. If you Hold, then you trigger an AoE around you. Both methods deal Cryo DMG. Holding her Skill causes it to have a 5s longer duration and CD (10s vs 15s for both duration and CD).

The second part is called Icy Quill which is a flat Cryo DMG buff based on Shenhe's Attack. This DMG buff can trigger 5 times if you pressed the Skill or 7 times if you held. Furthermore, her 2nd Ascension Talent Spirit Communion Seal increases your Skill and Burst DMG by 15% for 10s when you press her Skill and increases the DMG of Normal/Charged/Plunging Attacks by 15% for 15s if you held her skill. These increases are party wide.

The way the Flat Cryo DMG increase from Icy Quill works is that it applies the damage onto the base damage the Talent would do, before CRIT/other DMG bonuses are applied. So the order of operations would be Character's Total ATK times the Skill DMG % on the talent. Then the Icy Quill DMG bonus applies to this, which is based on Shenhe's total Attack times the Coefficient listed in her Elemental Skill Talent. Then CRIT is multiplied onto that if it iss a CRIT and finally other DMG Bonuses like Cryo DMG increases. Only Shenhe's Attack is used in this calculation, the CRIT/DMG bonus calculations are from the active character. The DMG bonus triggers on any source of Cryo DMG except Cryo Swirls.

4.

Shenhe's Best Team Comps

Shenhe's main team compositions all surround Cryo-based reactions such as Freeze and Melt. With her supportive utilities increasing the DMG of Cryo DPS such as Ganyu and Ayaka.

4.1.

Shenhe Freeze Comps

Main DPS Cryo Support Sub DPS Support
Shenhe Kaedehara Kazuha Sangonomiya Kokomi

This premier team uses 3 different components to deal high amounts of damage. We utilize Anemo to bunch up our targets and to potentially shred Cryo while also applying Hydro. This will trigger Freeze, locking your targets in place while triggering Blizzard Strayer's 4-piece effect. This will be used on the Main DPS. The main components are Shenhe and either Ayaka or Ganyu, while Sangonomiya Kokomi and Kazuha can be flexed. Mona is the typical Hydro replacement and Anemo can use Venti, Jean, Sucrose or Sayu.

4.2.

Shenhe Triple Cryo

Main DPS Sub DPS Sub DPS Support
Kamisato Ayaka Ganyu Kaedehara Kazuha Shenhe

This team is used whenever you cannot reliably freeze your target. As with the first team listed, Kazuha is the best option to use, however loads of Anemo characters can be used. Jean and Sayu can both heal which can be a benefit. In this team, Ayaka is the Main DPS so Ganyu and Shenhe want to funnel their supportive DMG into her. The rotation to use here will differ slightly depending on which Anemo character you slot in, but you always want to start with Dashing on Ayaka to apply Cryo before swapping to Anemo to trigger Viridescent Venerer. Afterwards, swap to Shenhe to use her Burst and then press her Skill. Do the same for Ganyu before going into Ayaka to do a full rotation on her. After this you do a non-burst rotation, where you start on Anemo as Cryo should already have been applied.

4.3.

Double Cryo/Pyro Melt Comp

Main DPS Sub DPS Sub DPS Support
Ganyu Xiangling Bennett Shenhe

This team is super simple and is a variation on other Ganyu Melt comps. Shenhe support's Ganyu's Charged Attacks and Bennett provides a Flat ATK buff to Ganyu and Xiangling while also providing particles for Xiangling. She in turn applies Pyro through her Elemental Burst, which you then trigger Melt off of with Ganyu.
The rotation should be as follows.

  • Spring Spirit Summoning Held
  • Divine Maiden's Deliverance
  • Fantastic Voyage
  • Passion Overload
  • Pyronado
  • Guoba Attack
  • Trail of the Qilin
  • 5x Charged Attack with Ganyu
  • Trail of the Qilin
  • 1x Charged Attack with Ganyu
  • Passion Overload
4.4.

Shenhe/Eula Superconduct Comp

Main DPS Electro Driver Cryo Support Support
Eula Raiden Shogun Shenhe Zhongli

The star of this team is Eula, as the entire team revolves around buffing her burst as much as possible. This is done through Shenhe's Skill, Raiden Shogun's Skill and the Artifact set that Zhongli usually runs, Tenacity of the Millelith. Furthermore, Superconduct reduces the DEF of the targets hits, further increasing the damage of Eula's burst. If you want to look more into how to play Eula, head over to her guide.

5.

Shenhe's Ascensions, Talents and Constellations

Shenhe's Ascensions Shenhe's Talents Shenhe's Constellations
5.1.

Shenhe's Ascension Passives and Materials

Unlock Ascension Passive Explanation
With Character Precise Comings and Goings Gain 25% more rewards when dispatched on a Liyue Expedition for 20 hours.
1st Ascension Deific Embrace An active character within the field created by Divine Maiden's Deliverance gains a 15% Cryo DMG Bonus.
4th Ascension Spirit Communion Seal

After Shenhe uses Spring Spirit Summoning, she will grant all nearby party members the following effects, depending on whether the skill was pressed or held.

  • Pressed - Elemental Skill and Elemental Burst DMG increased by 15% for 10s.
  • Held - Normal, Charged and Plunging Attack DMG increased by 15% for 15s.

Shenhe requires a range of materials to ascend to the 6th ascension. Starting from the second ascension she gains additional ATK % as her bonus stat giving a total of 28.8 increased ATK % at the final ascension. The total cost to upgrade all ascensions is:

Source Quantity
Mora 420,000 Mora
Boss Material 46x Dragonheir's False Fin
Ascension Material
Local Specialty 168x Qingxin
Enhancement Material
  • 18x Whopperflower Nectar
  • 30x Shimmering Nectar
  • 36x Energy Nectar
5.2.

Shenhe's Talents

Listed below is each talent and a brief explanation of how they work.

Type Talent Name Brief Explanation
Normal Normal Attack: Dawnstar Piercer Regular Normal Attack setup with 5 consecutive hits. Charged Attack is a lunge attack, akin to many other Polearm users.
Elemental Skill Spring Spirit Summoning

Provides nearby Party Members with Icy Quill and deals Cryo DMG in two different ways, depending on whether the skill was pressed or held.

  • Pressed - Rush Forward dealing Cryo DMG along the path traveled.
  • Held - Deals AoE Cryo DMG.

Icy Quill: Characters affected by Icy Quill will have their Normal, Charged and Plunging Attacks, Elemental Skills and Bursts DMG increased if they deal Cryo DMG. The damage increase is a flat bonus based on Shenhe's ATK.

Icy Quill lasts for 10/15 seconds and can only trigger 5/7 times, depending on whether the skill was pressed/held (Held lasts longer and can trigger more times).

Elemental Burst Divine Maiden's Deliverance Deals AoE Cryo DMG and creates a field that reduces Cryo and Physical RES of opponents within. The field also does periodic damage. Lasts for 12 seconds.

To upgrade a single talent to level 10, it costs:

Source Quantity
Mora 1,625,500 Mora
Special Material 1x Crown of Insight
Boss Material 6x Hellfire Butterfly
  • Domain Material
  • 3x Teachings of Prosperity
  • 21x Guide to Prosperity
  • 38x Philosophies of Prosperity
Enhancement Material
  • 6x Whopperflower Nectar
  • 22x Shimmering Nectar
  • 31x Energy Nectar
6.

Shenhe's Constellations

Shenhe's constellations are pretty straight forward. They are not needed but they do make her supportive skills stronger. Centered Spirit (C2) is the most notable one, which makes her burst last much longer and also give additional Cryo CRIT DMG. This is very beneficial as most Cryo based teams gain a lot of free CRIT Rate. Mystical Abandon (C6) is notable too, although expensive, especially when used with Ayaka, as she want to use her Normal/Charged Attacks after her burst.

Constellation Name Explanation
1 Clarity of Heart Spring Spirit Summoning gains a second charge.
2 Centered Spirit
  • Divine Maiden's Deliverance lasts for 6 seconds longer.
  • Active chracters within the Field created by Divine Maiden's Deliverance, deal 15% increased Cryo CRIT DMG.
3 Seclusion
  • Increases the Level of Spring Spirit Summoning by 3.
  • Maximum upgrade level is 15.
4 Insight

When characters under the effect of Icy Quill triggers its damage effect, Shenhe will gain a Skyfrost Mantra stack.

  • Spring Spirit Summoning consumes these stacks, increasing the damage by 5% for each stack consumed.
  • Stacks last for 60 seconds and can accumulate 50 stacks total.
5 Divine Attainment
  • Increases the Level of Divine Maiden's Deliverance by 3.
  • Maximum upgrade level is 15.
6 Mystical Abandon When characters trigger Icy Quill's effects with Normal and Charged Attacks, it won't count towards the total number of triggers.
6.1.

Changelog

  • 09 Sep. 2024: Additional Team comp added.
  • 17 Jan. 2024: Guide added.
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