One of the most difficult parts of Genshin Impact is choosing between two powerful five-star characters. This choice is never easy, but it is a bit more bearable when this choice is between two rerun banners instead of new Teyvat recruits.
The second half of the Version 4.0 update features reruns for the five-star Geo Polearm character Zhongli and the five-star Hydro Bow character Tartaglia (Childe), so you’re likely struggling to decide which character you should pull for.
Is Zhongli worth pulling for in Genshin Impact?
Zhongli is one of the best support units in all of Teyvat and has the toughest shields in all of Genshin, so he is certainly worth pulling for since his skillset is both incredibly powerful and unique. You won’t find any other character who can do anything like him and Zhongli is also a super versatile recruit, which makes him one of the best units you can pull for in all of Genshin.
The five-star Geo Polearm character Zhongli is the Geo Archon, which means he is one of the seven gods of Teyvat. His abilities certainly live up to his godly status as he is capable of protecting the entire team from damage, inflicting enemies with brutal Geo damage through his consistent AoE attack, and overall supplying incredible support for his allies.
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One of the only flaws with Zhongli’s skillset is that his elemental burst is quite long, which hinders the damage-dealing process and may be especially annoying for players who want to deal as much damage as possible within a short period of time. His burst is a stunning showstopper, though, and his focus is more on support anyway, so this issue doesn’t bother me. But it does frustrate some players, so you may want to keep it in mind when considering pulling for him.
Zhongli is easily Genshin’s best Geo recruit and one of the strongest support characters you can add to your roster overall, so you should pull for him even if you don’t think you need more support units because it’s easy to find a use for him. He can slot well in most team lineups and no other recruit has skills that come even close to what he is capable of in a support capacity.
Is Tartaglia (Childe) worth pulling for in Genshin Impact?
The notorious Fatui Harbinger Tartaglia, also known by his Fatui codename Childe, is a dedicated DPS with a powerful Hydro Bow skillset. But he is outperformed by many other units and is not really worth pulling for in comparison to other Teyvat recruits.
Tartaglia does possess a unique ability that allows him to swap from being a ranged attacker with his bow to a melee force with a special Hydro polearm he can create in battle. This ability also affects how his elemental burst looks, which is a fun feature, and he is very fun to play because of this. But if you are looking to obtain the best characters possible or the best DPS forces possible, then pulling for him is not worth it.
I really like all aspects of Tartaglia’s storyline, personality, and skillset, but his actual damage in battle is a bit lackluster and there are so many other DPS units I’d recommend saving for instead of pulling for him, such as characters like Kamisato Ayaka, Alhaitham, Hu Tao, and Ganyu. Tartaglia isn’t bad, and if you really like everything about his skillset and story, then you’ll still enjoy having him on your team. If you want a more powerful DPS, however, I’d recommend saving for other characters instead.
Should you wish for Zhongli or Tartaglia (Childe) in Genshin Impact?
Zhongli and Tartaglia are both strong characters, but you should absolutely pull for Zhongli over Tartaglia—and it’s not even a close decision. The Geo Archon Zhongli is one of Genshin’s best characters overall, while Tartaglia is a decent DPS but ranks fairly low when compared to other currently playable five-star characters who specialize in damage dealing.
While Zhongli is a very versatile and immensely impressive support unit who can slot into any team, Tartaglia is a dedicated DPS who will only shine in this role. You can have Zhongli join any team with ease and he’ll still perform flawlessly, but with Tartaglia, you’ll generally want to build the team around him and his damage skills just don’t make it worth it when there are many other better DPS forces available.
Another factor to consider when making this decision is to compare these characters to other ones of a similar type. There are very few Geo characters in Genshin and the only ones who also wield a polearm are four-star recruits, so Zhongli is truly an unmatched unit.
There is just one other Hydro Bow character in Teyvat, which is Yelan. She is one of the reasons why Tartaglia seems a bit lackluster as she massively outperforms him. Although Tartaglia is a bit of a stronger dedicated DPS than Yelan is, she is still a decent DPS, an unstoppable secondary damage dealer, and a solid support unit. Because she can do so much, Tartaglia seems especially undesirable in comparison.
If you are in really dire need of a powerful DPS, then choosing to pull for Tartaglia may be the best move for you even though he is not one of the best options overall. But I’d ultimately still recommend either pulling for Zhongli or saving for the next banner instead, especially with two new recruits arriving in Version 4.1, which are Wriothesley and Neuvillette, or waiting to see who receives a rerun alongside them.
