Chongyun Genshin Impact Character Guide – Best Build, Weapons, Artifacts, and Teams

TL;DR

• Chongyun is a 4-star Cryo Claymore character from Liyue who excels as a Burst Sub-DPS and Cryo infusion support.
• His Elemental Skill creates a Cryo field that infuses melee weapons of allies with Cryo and boosts Normal Attack speed by 8%.
• His Elemental Burst summons 3 giant spirit blades that deal powerful AoE Cryo DMG — great for Melt nuke combos.
• Best weapons: Wolf’s Gravestone, Sacrificial Greatsword, or Luxurious Sea-Lord.
• Best artifacts: 4-piece Noblesse Oblige (support/burst DPS) or 4-piece Blizzard Strayer (Freeze teams).
• His strongest teams include the Cryo National Team (with Xingqiu, Xiangling, Bennett) and Ayaka Freeze (with Xingqiu and an Anemo support).
• C2 is his most impactful constellation — it reduces his Elemental Burst cooldown by 15%.
• Ascension uses Shivada Jade, Cor Lapis, and Hoarfrost Core from the Cryo Regisvine.

Who Is Chongyun in Genshin Impact?

Chongyun is a 4-star Cryo character who wields a Claymore. He has been in the game since launch in Version 1.0 and is one of the original Liyue characters. He comes from a long line of exorcists and works as a roaming exorcist himself, using Liyue as his base of operations. His title is Frozen Spirit, his constellation is Nubis Caesor, and his birthday is September 7th.

What makes Chongyun unique — both in lore and in gameplay — is his innate excess of yang energy, the positive life force that drives away evil spirits. This makes him extraordinarily effective as an exorcist but comes with an ironic twist: spirits flee from him on sight, meaning he has never actually seen one himself despite completing hundreds of successful exorcisms. See the full Chongyun character page for more details on his profile.

If you are building a Liyue Cryo roster or reaction team, also check our guides for Xingqiu and Xiangling, who are Chongyun’s closest teammates in the popular National Team composition.

Genshin Impact is free to play on PC via the official site, Android, iOS, PlayStation, Epic Games Store, and Xbox.

Chongyun

Chongyun Skills and Abilities

Normal Attack: Demonbane

Chongyun performs up to 4 consecutive claymore strikes. His Charged Attack drains Stamina over time to perform continuous spinning attacks before ending with a more powerful slash. His Plunging Attack drops from mid-air to deal AoE damage on landing. His Normal Attacks deal physical damage by default, which is rarely used in practice since his kit revolves around his Elemental Skill and Burst.

Elemental Skill: Spirit Blade – Chonghua’s Layered Frost

This is the heart of Chongyun’s entire kit. He plunges his sword into the ground, dealing AoE Cryo DMG around him and creating a Chonghua Frost Field — a circular area of effect that lasts 10 seconds. Inside this field, any character wielding a Sword, Claymore, or Polearm has their Normal Attacks infused with Cryo, converting them to deal Cryo DMG instead of physical. Catalyst users and Bow users are not affected by the infusion.

This infusion is one of the most unique support tools in the game. It allows Cryo-neutral melee characters — ones who do not naturally deal Cryo — to contribute to Freeze, Melt, and Superconduct reactions simply by performing Normal Attacks inside the field. The field also grants all characters inside it an 8% Normal Attack Speed increase, which is a passive team buff that helps Sword, Claymore, and Polearm DPS characters swing faster and deal more hits per rotation.

When the field expires, a spirit blade strikes nearby enemies for 100% of the skill’s Cryo DMG as a bonus hit — a nice additional Cryo application that Chongyun’s A4 passive enhances further.

Elemental Burst: Spirit Blade – Cloud-Parting Star

Performing his secret hand seals, Chongyun summons 3 giant spirit blades that hover mid-air and fall to the ground one by one in quick succession, each exploding on impact to deal AoE Cryo DMG and launch nearby opponents. This burst has a very low Energy cost of 40, meaning he can use it frequently with relatively modest Energy Recharge investment. All three hits deal Cryo DMG and can trigger reactions independently — making this burst excellent for Melt nukes when enemies are already coated in Pyro.

Passive Talents

• A1 – Steady Breathing: Sword, Claymore, and Polearm-wielding characters inside the Chonghua Frost Field have their Normal Attack Speed increased by 8%. This is a passive team buff that applies automatically to any melee character standing inside the field.
• A4 – Rimechaser Blade: When the Chonghua Frost Field expires (after 10 seconds or when Chongyun re-casts the skill), one additional spirit blade descends and strikes nearby opponents for 100% of Chonghua’s Layered Frost’s Skill DMG as AoE Cryo DMG. Opponents hit by this blade have their Cryo RES decreased by 10% for 8 seconds. This Cryo resistance shred makes Chongyun useful in dedicated Cryo teams, reducing how much damage enemies absorb from all Cryo hits during its duration.
• Utility Passive – Galloping Frost: When dispatched on an expedition in Liyue, time consumed is reduced by 25%. A quality-of-life bonus for gathering expedition rewards faster.

Chongyun Constellations

Chongyun’s constellations provide meaningful improvements, particularly for his burst-focused playstyle. Here is what each one does:

• C1 – Ice Unleashed: The last Normal Attack in Chongyun’s combo releases 3 ice blades forward, each dealing 50% of Chongyun’s ATK as Cryo DMG to enemies they hit. This adds extra Cryo hits to his Normal Attack chain and increases his personal output slightly.
• C2 – Atmospheric Revolution: Elemental Skills and Elemental Bursts cast within the Chonghua Frost Field have their cooldowns decreased by 15%. This is his most impactful constellation. It applies to both Chongyun himself and any other character who uses a skill or burst inside the field, making rotations faster and more fluid. Chongyun’s own burst cooldown at C2 drops from 12 to ~10.2 seconds, and any other character who casts their burst while standing in the field also benefits.
• C3 – Cloudburst: Increases the level of Spirit Blade – Cloud-Parting Star (Elemental Burst) by 3, up to Level 15. More burst damage.
• C4 – Icicle Puncture: When Chongyun’s spirit blades from Cloud-Parting Star hit opponents, they regenerate 1 Energy for Chongyun every time they hit. This can trigger once every 2 seconds. Helps with his Energy regeneration in sustained fights.
• C5 – Unbroken Chill: Increases the level of Spirit Blade – Chonghua’s Layered Frost (Elemental Skill) by 3, up to Level 15. Stronger Cryo infusion field and bonus A4 hit.
• C6 – Rally of Four Blades: Cloud-Parting Star deals 15% more DMG to opponents with a lower percentage of HP than Chongyun. An execution-style damage bonus that fires cleanly on low-HP enemies or bosses who have been worn down. Useful for finishing combats faster.

Best constellation to aim for: C2 is the standout upgrade. The cooldown reduction applies to all characters in the field and can meaningfully improve team rotation speed, especially in teams with back-to-back skill and burst use cycles.

Best Weapons for Chongyun in Genshin Impact

Best Weapons for Burst Sub-DPS Build

• Wolf’s Gravestone (5-star): High base ATK with an ATK% substat and a team-wide ATK buff passive when the wielder’s HP drops below 30%. Strong for raw burst damage and team utility. A good choice if you have it.
• The Unforged (5-star): ATK% substat with an increasing ATK% passive on hit that is further boosted when the wielder has a shield. Works well in shielded team compositions.
• Sacrificial Greatsword (4-star): Energy Recharge substat with a passive that can reset Chongyun’s Elemental Skill cooldown on hit. Helps keep the Frost Field active more consistently and reduces ER needs. One of his most practically useful 4-star options.
• Luxurious Sea-Lord (4-star, Event Weapon): ATK% substat with a passive that increases Elemental Burst DMG and creates a tuna AoE hit when Normal Attacks are performed after casting the burst. Strong and accessible if you obtained it from past events.
• Snow-Tombed Starsilver (4-star, Craftable): Physical DMG% substat (less relevant for Chongyun) but easy to craft, and its passive deals decent AoE damage. A crafting option if other 4-stars are unavailable.

Best Weapon for Noblesse Support Build

• Favonius Greatsword (4-star): Energy Recharge substat with a passive that generates additional Energy particles on CRIT hits. In support builds focused on burst uptime, this weapon helps Chongyun maintain his field and burst reliably while also contributing energy particles to the rest of the team.

Best Artifacts for Chongyun in Genshin Impact

Best Set for Burst Support: 4-Piece Noblesse Oblige

This is Chongyun’s most practical and widely recommended artifact set. The 2-piece gives 20% Elemental Burst DMG. The 4-piece triggers an ATK buff for all party members of 20% for 12 seconds after Chongyun uses his Elemental Burst. Because his burst has a low Energy cost of 40, Chongyun can keep this buff active very consistently. If no other character on the team is running Noblesse, Chongyun is one of the best holders in the game due to his low burst cost and quick rotation.

Best Set for Freeze Teams: 4-Piece Blizzard Strayer

In Freeze teams where enemies remain frozen, 4-piece Blizzard Strayer is Chongyun’s strongest damage option. The 2-piece gives 15% Cryo DMG Bonus. The 4-piece gives +20% CRIT Rate when hitting Cryo-affected enemies, and an additional +20% CRIT Rate when hitting frozen enemies — totaling up to +40% CRIT Rate from the set alone in a Freeze comp. This completely changes the CRIT math for Chongyun’s burst, making it massively more consistent and powerful. Build ATK% Sands, Cryo DMG Goblet, and CRIT DMG Circlet in this set.

Alternative Sets

• 4-piece Emblem of Severed Fate: ER from the 2-piece and Burst DMG based on ER from the 4-piece. Works well in burst DPS builds where Chongyun has higher ER investment and deals more burst damage rather than pure team support.
• 2-piece Blizzard Strayer + 2-piece Noblesse Oblige: A hybrid setup giving Cryo DMG Bonus and Burst DMG Bonus simultaneously. Useful when you do not have good 4-piece versions of either set.

Artifact Main Stats

For Noblesse Support:

• Sands: ATK% or Energy Recharge
• Goblet: Cryo DMG Bonus%
• Circlet: CRIT Rate% or CRIT DMG%
• Sub-stats to prioritize: CRIT Rate, CRIT DMG, ATK%, Energy Recharge

For Blizzard Strayer Freeze Build:

• Sands: ATK%
• Goblet: Cryo DMG Bonus%
• Circlet: CRIT DMG% (since CRIT Rate is mostly covered by the set)
• Sub-stats to prioritize: CRIT DMG, ATK%, CRIT Rate (for non-frozen situations)

Best Teams for Chongyun in Genshin Impact

Cryo National Team (Most Popular)

The National Team is one of the most iconic and effective team compositions in Genshin Impact, and Chongyun is a key member of one of its best variants:

• Xiangling – Off-field Pyro DPS (Guoba and Pyronado for sustained Pyro)
• Xingqiu – Off-field Hydro for Vaporize and some damage reduction
• Bennett – Healing, massive ATK buff from burst, Pyro Resonance with Xiangling
• Chongyun – Cryo infusion and burst nuke

In this team, Chongyun uses his Frost Field to provide Cryo infusion to the on-field attacker. Xiangling’s Pyronado applies Pyro from off-field, which allows Cryo-infused Normal Attacks to trigger Melt (2x damage for Pyro triggering on Cryo, 1.5x for Cryo triggering on Pyro). Chongyun’s burst can also Melt against enemies who have Pyro from Bennett’s burst zone. The combination of Vaporize, Melt, and raw damage from all four characters makes this a high-output team that is fully made of 4-star characters. It handles most Spiral Abyss content comfortably. See the Xiangling, Xingqiu, and Bennett guides for their builds in this composition.

Ayaka Freeze Team

• Kamisato Ayaka – On-field Cryo Main DPS
• Chongyun – Off-field Cryo sub-DPS, burst nuke, cooldown reduction at C2
• Xingqiu or Kokomi – Off-field Hydro for Freeze reactions
• Jean or Kazuha – Anemo support for Viridescent Venerer resistance shred and healing

In Freeze teams, enemies are kept in a frozen state that prevents them from acting while also increasing Cryo damage against them via 4-piece Blizzard Strayer. Chongyun contributes off-field Cryo from his skill field (which keeps Ayaka’s Cryo infusion consistent) and delivers powerful burst damage. At C2, Chongyun reduces Ayaka’s burst cooldown by 15% when Ayaka casts it inside his Frost Field, which is a notable quality-of-life improvement for the team’s rotation. The Cryo resistance shred from his A4 passive also increases all Cryo damage the team deals. See the Kamisato Ayaka guide for her build and optimal rotation.

Reverse Melt Team

• Chongyun – On-field Cryo burst DPS triggering Reverse Melt
• Bennett – Pyro application via burst and skill for Reverse Melt; ATK buff
• Xiangling – Additional off-field Pyro for sustained Melt reactions
• Kazuha or Sucrose – Anemo support for resistance shred and EM buff

In Reverse Melt, Pyro is applied first and Chongyun triggers Melt with his Cryo burst blades. When all 3 spirit blades from Cloud-Parting Star hit an enemy covered in Pyro from Bennett’s burst zone, each blade Melts for 2x damage — making this one of the hardest-hitting burst windows available to a 4-star character. The setup requires good timing: use Bennett’s skill or burst to apply Pyro, then immediately fire Chongyun’s burst. With proper execution, the total damage from all 3 Melting blades is substantial. See the Bennett guide for how to maximize his Pyro application in this role.

Superconduct Team (Physical DPS Support)

• Razor or Eula – Physical Main DPS
• Chongyun – Cryo infusion for Superconduct and off-field Cryo
• Fischl or Beidou – Off-field Electro for Superconduct reaction
• Diona or Bennett – Healing, shielding, and additional support

Superconduct (Cryo + Electro) reduces enemy Physical RES by 40% for 12 seconds, which significantly boosts Physical DPS characters like Razor or Eula. Chongyun’s Frost Field converts Razor’s or Eula’s Normal Attacks to Cryo, helping maintain the Cryo aura needed for consistent Superconduct triggers while also giving the team’s attacker the +8% Normal Attack Speed bonus. See the Fischl guide for her off-field Electro build in this setup.

Chongyun Ascension Materials

Gem Type

• Shivada Jade (Sliver, Fragment, Chunk, and Gemstone) – The Cryo gem. Drops from the Cryo Regisvine, Cryo Hypostasis, and weekly bosses that drop Cryo gems. Can also be crafted using Dust of Azoth at the Alchemy Bench.

Boss Drop

• Hoarfrost Core – Dropped by the Cryo Regisvine field boss, located at Starfell Valley in Mondstadt. Spend 40 Original Resin per run. You need 46 total for full ascension.

Local Specialty

• Cor Lapis (168 needed) – A glowing orange mineral found on cliffs and in caves throughout Liyue. The best farming spots are Mt. Hulao, around Luhua Pool, the surface area of The Chasm, and Cuijue Slope. You can also buy 5 at a time from Changshung in Liyue Harbor for 7,500 Mora each, restocking every 3 days. Cor Lapis is shared with several other Liyue characters including Keqing and Zhongli, so plan your farming accordingly if you are building multiple characters who use it.

Enemy Drops

• Treasure Hoarder Insignia
• Silver Raven Insignia
• Golden Raven Insignia

All three tiers drop from Treasure Hoarder enemies found throughout Mondstadt, Liyue, and Inazuma.

Ascension Stat

Chongyun gains ATK% as his ascension stat, reaching 24% bonus ATK at full Level 90 ascension. This is a solid stat for a burst DPS character, scaling well with his spirit blade damage.

Chongyun Talent Materials

To level up Chongyun’s talents, you will need:

• Diligence Talent Books: Teachings, Guide, and Philosophies of Diligence — farmed from the Taishan Mansion domain in Liyue on Tuesdays, Fridays, and Sundays
• Treasure Hoarder Insignias (all three tiers) — enemy drops
• Dvalin’s Sigh — weekly boss material from the Stormterror Dvalin challenge (Dragon, Storm Terror)
• Crown of Insight — required to max a talent to Level 10

Talent Priority

• Elemental Burst first — Cloud-Parting Star is where almost all of Chongyun’s personal damage comes from. The three spirit blades deal high Cryo DMG and can all Melt in the right team setup. This is his most important talent to level.
• Elemental Skill second — Leveling the skill improves the initial Cryo hit, the Rimechaser Blade bonus hit from the A4 passive, and makes the Frost Field’s damage contribution meaningful. Prioritize after the burst.
• Normal Attack last — Chongyun’s Normal Attacks deal physical damage by default and are only converted to Cryo inside his own field. Even then, they scale poorly and are not a meaningful source of damage in his support or burst role. Only level this if the other two are maxed.

Chongyun Playstyle Tips

• Use his Elemental Skill first, then burst immediately. His standard rotation is: cast skill to create the Frost Field → use burst while still inside the field (so C2 cooldown reduction applies) → swap to your main DPS or off-field supports. Keep field time short and efficient.
• For Melt nukes, apply Pyro before the burst. If you want Chongyun’s spirit blades to Melt, make sure Bennett has used his skill or burst first to apply Pyro to the enemy. Then cast Chongyun’s burst immediately for all 3 blades to hit a Pyro-coated enemy. Timing is key — if Pyro wears off between blade hits, only some will Melt.
• Position enemies well for all 3 blades to connect. The spirit blades fall in sequence and may not all hit small or fast-moving enemies. Try to use the burst near groups or slow enemies to maximize the number of blade hits that connect.
• Remember the infusion limitation. Only Sword, Claymore, and Polearm users inside the Frost Field gain Cryo infusion. Catalyst and Bow users already deal elemental damage with Normal Attacks and are unaffected. Pair Chongyun with melee Cryo-neutral characters to make the most of the infusion.
• His field can override other infusions. If a character’s weapon has already been infused by another source (such as Bennett’s C6 Pyro infusion), Chongyun’s Cryo infusion will not take effect, and vice versa depending on priority. Be mindful of this when building teams — do not pair him with C6 Bennett if the infusion conflict causes problems.
• At C2, position your main DPS inside his field before they use their burst. The cooldown reduction applies to any Skill or Burst cast inside the Frost Field. At C2, having Ayaka or another character use their burst inside Chongyun’s field saves real cooldown time each rotation.

Chongyun Lore and Background

Chongyun was born into a renowned family of exorcists in Liyue with an extraordinary amount of pure yang energy — the positive life force that repels spirits and evil. In traditional Chinese cosmology, yang energy drives away yin (darkness and the spiritual realm), and Chongyun has so much of it that no spirit will voluntarily come near him.

This makes him both the most effective exorcist in Liyue and the most frustrated one. Despite completing hundreds of successful exorcisms, he has never once seen a ghost, a demon, or an evil spirit — they always sense his approach and flee before he can lay eyes on them. He deeply believes that a true exorcist should defeat evil with skill, swordsmanship, and talismans, not just by existing near it. His innate ability, while powerful, feels like cheating to him. So he continues training, traveling, and searching for a spirit powerful enough to actually face him.

His excess yang energy has other side effects. He overheats easily, becomes emotionally unstable if he consumes anything spicy or warming (leading to the running joke about him flushing red and acting out of character), and must eat cold food and wear light clothing to maintain his composure. His best friend Xingqiu is well aware of this and has written about Chongyun’s adventures with affectionate exaggeration in his stories.

Underneath his serious exorcist demeanor, Chongyun is a diligent, hardworking, and earnest young man who cares deeply about doing his job the right way. He has not given up on his goal of becoming the greatest exorcist in Liyue — he just hopes that one day, something out there will be brave enough to actually face him.

How to Get Chongyun

Chongyun is a standard 4-star character available permanently on the Wanderlust Invocation Standard Wish banner. He also appears regularly as a featured rate-up 4-star on event banners. He was most recently featured during Version 5.4 Phase 2 alongside Furina and Wriothesley’s reruns in March 2025.

Because he is a standard 4-star, players can pull him on any banner at any time, and gathering constellations for him over time is relatively easy compared to limited 4-stars tied to specific event banners.

Is Chongyun Worth Building?

Chongyun is a specialist character with a clear and narrow role. He is not a meta-defining powerhouse in the current game, but he has genuine and reliable value in specific team compositions. His Cryo infusion field is one of the few tools in the game that converts melee characters’ Normal Attacks to Cryo without requiring character-specific constellations or signature weapons. For Melt teams, Freeze teams, and the National Team variant, he delivers exactly what those compositions need.

His burst is also a surprisingly powerful Cryo nuke, especially in Reverse Melt setups where all 3 blades can hit Melted, effectively tripling a high Cryo DMG hit. New players especially benefit from his accessibility — he is free-to-play friendly, easy to build, and integrates naturally into teams that do not yet have premium 5-star Cryo characters.

He is less relevant in Dendro-based teams, as Cryo does not react with Dendro at all, and as newer and stronger Cryo characters join the roster, Chongyun’s niche becomes more limited. But within his niche, he remains a trustworthy, well-designed support that rewards players who understand how to use him. For newer players building up their Liyue roster alongside Xiangling, Bennett, and Xingqiu, Chongyun fits naturally and delivers strong results in accessible team compositions.

Quick Summary – Chongyun at a Glance

• Rarity: 4-Star
• Element: Cryo
• Weapon: Claymore
• Region: Liyue
• Role: Burst Sub-DPS / Cryo Infusion Support
• Best Weapon: Wolf’s Gravestone or Sacrificial Greatsword
• Best Artifact Set: 4-piece Noblesse Oblige (support); 4-piece Blizzard Strayer (Freeze DPS)
• Best Teams: National Team (Xiangling, Xingqiu, Bennett); Ayaka Freeze; Reverse Melt
• Key Constellation: C2 – Atmospheric Revolution (15% skill and burst cooldown reduction inside Frost Field)
• Ascension Stat: ATK% (24% at Level 90)
• Ascension Materials: Shivada Jade, Cor Lapis, Hoarfrost Core, Treasure Hoarder Insignias
• Talent Books: Diligence series (Taishan Mansion domain, Liyue — Tuesdays, Fridays, Sundays)
• Weekly Boss Material: Dvalin’s Sigh (Stormterror Dvalin challenge)