Genshin Impact Chongyun DPS Build Guide

by Skyfrid

Chongyun’s skill talents are a mix of heavy physical hits and Cryo DMG. He can be used as a Cryo DPS due to his physical strikes that can be converted into Cryo DMG and his powerful elemental burst. His ability to reliably apply cryo status on enemies also makes him a good support character for hydro and pyro characters to trigger freeze and melt through his elemental skill and burst. He is decent to use at C0, but should be at least C1, to be used effectively as a DPS unit.

His normal attack, Demonbane, deals 4 consecutive attacks that get stronger with each hit. As a claymore user, Chongyun’s attacks are slow, but they hit hard. His normal attacks are also amplified with his elemental skill and C1.

Elemental Skill – Spirit Blade: Chonghua’s Layered Frost

Chongyun’s elemental skill, Spirit Blade – Chonghua’s Layered Frost, triggers a small explosion and puts up the Chonghua Frost Field. In this field, normal attacks and charged attacks done by sword, claymores, or pole-arm wielding characters are converted into Cryo DMG. The cooldown is also relatively low at 15 seconds, making him able to consistently turn attacks in Cryo DMG for himself and his teammates. This skill is incredible for creating elemental reactions as well since you can reliably deal Cryo DMG. At Ascension 1, his field-effect will also increase the Normal ATK SPD of party members in the area by 8%. Even better at Ascension 4, before the field disappears all enemies inside get hit with AoE Cryo DMG and have their Cryo RES lowered as well. This makes ascending him worth it, due to its boost to his DPS and support potential.

Passive Talent – Steady Breathing

His Ascension 1, Steady Breathing, increases Attack SPD of melee characters.

Passive Talent – Rimechaser Blade

Deals Cryo DMG after his field-effect disappears. Both of these talents unlock Chongyun’s potential to be a great overall DPS or support DPS.

Elemental Burst – Spirit Blade: Cloud-parting Star

Chongyun’s elemental burst, Spirit Blade – Cloud-parting Star, deals AoE Cryo DMG by summoning three frost blades to strike down the enemies. His skill can strike from a relatively short radius, but can stop enemies from approaching if they have the wet status applied to them.

In co-op, Chongyun can be best used by using his elemental skill to increase melee attacks and convert physical attacks to Cryo DMG. However, the buffs do not apply to bow and catalyst users. Chongyun is great for melee attacks within a short distance, but falls short in long-range combat.

Constellations

The constellations of Chongyun provide him a needed boost to his skills. To keep on par with some of the other DPS units like Diluc and Razor, a high constellation level is needed. A support DPS build would also benefit from a high constellation level. I recommend getting him to at least C1 because of the ability to trigger Cryo DMG without the need for his elemental skill.

DPS Build

This build for Chongyun will help boost his physical attack powers, but can be used to serve elemental damage as well with his elemental skill. Since his field-effect doesn’t apply to bow or catalyst characters, his teammates should consist of mostly melee wielders to get the benefit of his buffs. Put a focus on leveling up his normal attack above all else. This elemental skill should also be leveled up due to its Cryo DMG conversion. Chongyun’s elemental burst will be used to keep enemies at bay or as a finishing move.

Recommended Weapons

The best weapon for a claymore user is the Wolf’s Gravestone. It has a high damage output and also boosts Chongyun’s ATK by 45.3% at level 80. Its effect will also increase the base ATK from 20%-40%, depending on the refinement. Even at refinement level 1, that is still a major boost to his attack. The Wolf’s Gravestone will also increase all party member’s base ATK by 40% for 12 seconds if it hits an enemy with less than 30% of Chongyun’s HP. This weapon is highly recommended for any claymore DPS unit. However, it is a 5-star weapon, so it might not be accessible to all players.

Another weapon you can use is the 4-star weapon called Prototype Aminus. This weapon can be forged with the weekly boss drops and is more accessible for all players. Like the Wolf’s Gravestone, it boosts the attack stat of Chongyun, and has the chance to deal 240%-480% AoE damage to surrounding enemies every 15 seconds.

The Royal Greatsword would also work if you plan on building up his CRIT Rate. Each hit will increase Chongyun’s CRIT chance by 8%. This effect will stack up to 5 times and will disappear once you hit a CRIT. This potentially means your CRIT Rate will increase up to 40% until you land a critical hit.

The Debate Club is a weapon you can use in the early game if you don’t have a good weapon yet. Its effect is similar to the Prototype Aminus, but on a smaller scale.

Recommended Artifacts

For Chongyun’s recommended artifact set, the Gladiator’s Finale will pair nicely with his physical attack strength and normal attack damage. As a DPS unit, he will want to hit as hard as he can through normal attacks and Cryo DMG. If you want to focus more on his elemental burst, the Noblesse Oblige will also work great with this build. His artifact stats should focus on ATK% and Cryo DMG to bring out his raw power. You will want to switch to Cryo DMG with his elemental skill depending on the situation and the weaknesses of the enemies. You can even choose to build up his CRIT DMG to deal even more damage. Elemental Mastery would also work to boost his elemental reactions.

Support DPS Build

As a support DPS, Chongyun will be in charge of setting the field for elemental reactions. You will be using either his elemental burst and skill often to synergize with other party members. This build prioritizes him setting up his elemental skill to trigger the melt reaction with either Diluc or Bennett. Chongyon’s elemental burst will also be equally important to deal additional Cryo DMG to nearby enemies.

Recommended Weapons

For his recommended weapon, the Skyward Pride is a 5-star weapon that will provide energy recharge and increase his overall damage. The weapon has an added effect of creating vacuum blades to deal extra Physical DMG to enemies.

The Sacrificial GreatSword is another great weapon choice that has an 80% chance to reset Chongyun’s elemental skill cooldown if you have it at maxed refinement level. This allows him to use his elemental skill more often to set up more reactions.

The Bell and Whiteblind can also be used as potential weapons for this build. The Bell will generate a shield if he is hit and absorbs DMG and will also increase Chongyun’s overall DMG while he is protected by that shield. Whiteblind, on the other hand, will increase his ATK and DEF when he is hit.

Recommended Artifacts

The Noblesse Oblige is the best artifact set to be used for this build. This set will power up Chongyun’s elemental burst and increase all party members by 20% when his burst is used. This setup will provide good support for the main DPS. For his stats, I would focus on ATK and Energy Recharge to amplify the effects of his elemental skill and burst. You will want to use his elemental skill as often as possible. Chongyun’s elemental burst will also provide some added coverage when you need to apply a cryo effect. Cryo DMG will also be helpful to deal extra damage. Lastly, you can focus on elemental mastery to boost his elemental reactions.