Shenhe is a 5-star playable character from Liyue in Genshin Impact. She is a Cryo unit who wields a Polearm in combat, and is best-suited to be a support character in team compositions with a Cryo or Physical Main DPS. She can buff their damage output significantly while applying Cryo onto enemies to trigger elemental reactions. You can bring out her true potential by stacking Shenhe with ATK and equipping her with the right gear.

On that note, here’s Shenhe’s best build in Genshin Impact, covering her best weapons, artifacts, team comps, and more.
Table of Contents
Genshin Impact Shenhe Build Guide

Rarity | 5-star |
Element | Cryo |
Weapon Type | Polearm |
Strengths | • Can buff all party members’ Normal, Charged, and Plunging Attacks, as well as Elemental Skill and Burst damage when dealing Cryo DMG. • Reduce enemy Cryo and Physical RES. |
Weaknesses | • Buffs are only useful for Cryo or Physical characters. • Elemental Burst cost is quite high. |
Shenhe is one of the best support characters for Cryo characters in Genshin Impact. This 5-star character can provide Icy Quills to herself and her teammates via her Elemental Skill. These quills can buff the Cryo DMG dealt by all characters’ Normal Attacks, Charged Attacks, Plunging Attacks, Elemental Skills, and Elemental Bursts based on Shenhe’s ATK, greatly improving the team’s damage output.
Furthermore, Shenhe’s Elemental Burst is also quite powerful. It deals AoE Cryo DMG and creates a special field within which the enemy’s Cryo and Physical RES are decreased. Upon unlocking her first Passive Talent, she also provides a 15% Cryo DMG Bonus to the active character within the AoE of her Burst. This makes her an amazing support character for Cryo Main DPS characters like Skirk, Ayaka, and Wriothesley.
However, you should note that Shenhe’s Elemental Burst costs 80 Energy. As such, you must build a certain amount of Energy Recharge on her to Burst comfortably. Moreover, you should be mindful of Shenhe’s rotation when using her. It is recommended you use her Elemental Skill first to buff her Elemental Burst DMG and generate Energy, and then cast her Elemental Burst immediately after.
Best Weapons for Shenhe in Genshin Impact
Shenhe’s signature 5-star weapon, Calamity Queller, will be her best-in-slot option in Genshin Impact. It provides her with significant ATK, thus improving her support capabilities. Aside from that, there are several other Polearms you can use that provide her with ATK or Energy Recharge.
Here are the best weapon choices for Shenhe:
Weapon | Rarity and How to Get | Advantages |
---|---|---|
![]() Calamity Queller | 5-star; Gacha | • Provides a lot of ATK via Secondary Stat. • Buffs ATK after using Elemental Skill. Doubles it when she is off-field. • Offers Elemental DMG Bonus. |
![]() Engulfing Lightning | 5-star; Gacha | • Provides a lot of Energy Recharge via Secondary Stat. • Offers additional ATK based on Energy Recharge. • Increases Energy Recharge after using Elemental Burst. |
![]() Favonius Lance | 4-star; Gacha | • Provides a lot of Energy Recharge via Secondary Stat. • Gives team-wide Energy via Passive Effect. |
![]() The Catch | 4-star; Inazuma Fishin Association | • Provides a lot of Energy Recharge via Secondary Stat. • Increases Elemental Burst DMG and Crit Rate. |
Best Artifacts for Shenhe in Genshin Impact
Shenhe’s Elemental Burst is one of the most important aspects of her kit, and you will want to use it as often as you can. As such, equipping her with the Noblesse Oblige artifact set can be quite beneficial. Not only can it buff her own Burst DMG, but increase her party members’ ATK. Alternatively, you can equip her with the Blizzard Staryer artifact set, which buffs the Crit Rate of characters when attacking opponents affected with Cryo.
Let’s look at the best artifact sets for Shenhe in the game:
Artifact Set | How to Get | Effects |
---|---|---|
![]() Noblesse Oblige | Clear Pool and Mountain Cavern Domain, Liyue | • 2-piece: Elemental Burst DMG +20%. • 4-piece: Using an Elemental Burst increases all party members’ ATK by 20% for 12s. This effect cannot stack. |
![]() Blizzard Strayer | Peak of Vindagnyr Domain, Dragonspine | • 2-piece: Cryo DMG Bonus +15%. • 4-Piece: When a character attacks an enemy affected by Cryo, their CRIT Rate is increased by 20%. If the enemy is Frozen, CRIT Rate is increased by an additional 20%. |
![]() Any 2-piece ATK Bonus sets | Varies | • 2-piece: ATK +18%. • 2-piece: ATK +18%. |
Main Stats Priority
- Sands: ER or ATK%
- Goblet: ATK%
- Circlet: ATK% / Crit Rate
Sub-Stats Priority
- ATK%
- ER
- Crit Rate
- Crit DMG
Also Read:
- Skirk Ascension and Talent Materials in Genshin Impact
- Dahlia Ascension and Talent Materials in Genshin Impact
- Genshin Impact Azurelight: Stats, Materials, and Best Characters for Skirk’s Weapon
- Active Genshin Impact Codes and How to Redeem Them
Best Team Comps for Shenhe in Genshin Impact
Shenhe is a versatile character that can fit into any team comp with a Cryo or Physical Main DPS. Here are some of her best teams that you can try:
Skirk Team
Main DPS | Sub-DPS | Sub-DPS | Support |
---|---|---|---|
![]() Skirk | ![]() Shenhe | ![]() Furina | ![]() Escoffier |
Permafreeze Team
Main DPS | Sub-DPS | Sub-DPS | Support |
---|---|---|---|
![]() Ayaka | ![]() Shenhe | ![]() Furina | ![]() Kokomi |
You can opt for other Cryo DPS units like Wriothesley and Ganyu if you do not have Skirk or Ayaka. Over, she will do well in any team with a Cryo character taking the lead.