The five-star Cryo Polearm character Shenhe has one of Genshin Impact’s most unique skillsets, both in terms lore and aesthetic. She can be an immensely powerful asset within many Genshin teams, but only if players ensure that she has the best weapon possible to complement her icy demeanor.
The Cryo character joined Teyvat in January 2022 when her “The Transcendent One Returns” banner had its debut run. Since then, Shenhe has been unobtainable but she is finally getting her first rerun during the second half of Version 3.5.
Related: Six Genshin Impact characters that have gone the longest without a rerun banner
Now, many players will likely add her to their roster for the first time. In addition to her powerful Cryo skillset, Shenhe also has some of the most mysterious and intriguing lore in all of Genshin.
Shenhe was raised among an exorcist clan and was later given to a god as a sacrifice by her own father who wanted to trade her to revive his wife. She ended up defeating the god but then felt eternally cursed and burdened to the point that she eventually began experiencing homicidal tendencies.
At this point, the adepti stepped in to help her but could only hold her back by binding her soul with special red ropes. This quelled her murderous instincts at the cost of making her mostly emotionless and indifferent, except for some instances in which she temporarily acts beyond the red ropes to get violent or angry. Shenhe’s unique backstory features one of the best ties between lore and skillset out of all of Teyvat’s recruits.
Shenhe is quite a powerful recruit, but she does have a very specific skillset that is only tailored to certain characters. To maximize her potential, players will want to utilize her within a team almost entirely made up of other Cryo characters. It is also immensely important that Travelers equip her with a weapon that complements both her distinctive Cryo skillset and her support capabilities.
What’s the best weapon for Shenhe in Genshin Impact?
The best weapon for Shenhe is one that can both amplify her Cryo abilities and also help her work as a support unit within a given team. Her skillset is specifically suited to a support role, which means that her weapon should have assets and statistics that will help her amplify and bolster the damage dealers on her team.
With this in mind, players have a solid amount of polearms to choose from. All weapons are discussed at their lowest possible level, which means that they will become even more effective and powerful as players work on ascending and refining them.
Best five-star polearms for Shenhe in Genshin Impact
Regardless of whether players are utilizing four-star or five-star characters, five-star weapons are always the best kind of equipment to provide them with. Five-star weapons can be difficult to get, but the powerful results from equipping a character with one are always worth the effort.
For Shenhe, there are a few solid five-star polearms to consider.
Calamity Queller
The best polearm that players can equip Shenhe with is Calamity Queller. Most Genshin characters are released at the same time as a signature weapon that is designed for them, and the Calamity Quller is Shenhe’s signature weapon. Because this weapon was designed specifically to complement her skillset, it is thus, unsurprisingly, the best choice for her.
Its “Extinguishing Precept” ability grants a 12 percent elemental damage bonus and grants Consummation for 20 seconds after an elemental skill has been utilized. Consummation then increases attack by 3.2 percent per second for up to six stacks.
Perhaps the most useful aspect of this weapon is that when the equipping character is not on the field, then the Consummation attack increase will be doubled. This fits extremely well with Shenhe’s support skillset.
The Calamity Queller polearm also comes with buildable attack, which isn’t necessarily the best option overall for Shenhe’s skillset but is never a bad statistic to have.
Engulfing Lightning
Another superb five-star polearm for Shenhe is Englufing Lightning. This Inazuman weapon has the “Timeless Dream: Eternal Stove” ability that increases attack by 28 percent of energy recharge beyond the base 100 percent. Players can gain up to 80 percent of an attack bonus through this ability.
Additionally, Engulfing Lighting grants a 30 percent energy recharge for 12 seconds after an elemental burst has been cast. This polearm also features energy recharge as its secondary statistic, which is one of the better statistics for Shenhe’s skillset.
Skyward Spine
This polearm is part of the Skyward set, a group of immensely versatile and powerful five-star weapons that are easier to obtain than most other weapons of this rarity type.
Skyward Spine has the “Black Wing” ability that increases critical rate by eight percent and normal attack speed by 12 percent. Normal and charged attack hits that strike an enemy have a 50 percent chance of activating a vacuum blade that dishes out 40 percent of attack as damage within a small radius. This effect can only occur once every two seconds.
This weapon has energy recharge as its buildable statistic, just like Engulfing Lightning, and is thus another solid option for Shenhe.
Best four-star polearms for Shenhe in Genshin Impact
While five-star equipment is always a better choice than four-star equipment, just as nearly every five-star character is better than every four-star character, weapons of this rarity can be tough to get. Because of this, players might need to make use of four-star equipment until they are able to obtain a weapon of the five-star variety.
For Shenhe, players can consider equipping her with a few unique four-star polearms.
Favonius Lance
One of the best four-star options for Shenhe is the Favonius Lance. This polearm has the “Windfall” ability that allows critical hits to have a 60 percent chance of generating some elemental particles that then regenerate six energy for the equipping individual. This ability can be activated once every 12 seconds.
The Favonius Lance has energy recharge as its secondary statistic, perfect for Shenhe’s support skillset.
The Catch
This polearm is regarded as one of the strongest pieces of four-star equipment overall and is a solid candidate for Shenhe. The “Shanty” ability increases elemental burst damage by 16 percent and elemental burst critical rate by six percent.
Like most of the other polearms that are best for Shenhe, The Catch also features energy recharge as its buildable statistic.
Lithic Spear
If utilized correctly, the Lithic Spear is a powerful choice for Shenhe. The “Lithic Axiom: Unity” ability grants a seven percent attack increase and a three percent critical rate increase for every member of the party that hails from Liyue. This can stack up to four times, which means that if players ensure that every other party member is also from Liyue, like Shenhe, then they will gain powerful benefits.
The condition that players must only utilize all or mostly Liyue characters next to Shenhe on a team can be tough, but the benefits that this polearm grants will make it worth the effort. There are many Liyue recruits that play well with Shenhe’s skillset, so this task is very doable for players that hope to gain all of the power that can stack from this weapon.
The Lithic Spear comes with attack as its secondary statistic, which is a solid asset for Shenhe to have.
Shenhe will be available with an increased drop rate on her “The Transcendent One Returns” banner from March 21 to April 11. The Cryo character will receive her second rerun banner alongside a rerun of the five-star Cryo Sword character Kamisato Ayaka’s “The Heron’s Court” banner, which means that many players will be facing the tough decision of which of the two recruits they should pull for.
The Cryo character went well over a year before finally receiving this rerun which means that after her banner comes to an end, it might be anywhere from six months to a year or even beyond that before she is available again. Thus, if you are looking for an excellent support unit to bolster a Cryo or physical damage-based team, you’ll want to pull for Shenhe while you can.
Calamity Quller, which is the best weapon for Shenhe, will also be live at the same time as her on the featured “Epitome Invocation” weapon banner. Any players that already have Shenhe or are planning on obtaining her should also consider pulling for her signature weapon since it perfectly complements both her skillset and aesthetic.
