There’s no question that Genshin Impact emphasizes its female cast and their *ahem* talents, but there are plenty of cool male characters as well! In Chongyun’s case, he’s cool both literally and figuratively, and the greatsword-wielding Cryo user has a lot to offer to your Traveler’s team.

Chongyun is Cool as Ice

Okay, so calling Chongyun “cool” might be a bit of a misnomer. In actuality, the stoic teen’s frigid demeanor goes against his very own physiological nature. Hailing from Liyue, Chongyun was born with a rare trait that he refers to as “congenital positivity” that leaves him extremely susceptible to heat.

Even such innocuous acts as eating spicy food or sunbathing could cause Chongyun’s body temperature to soar and alter his very personality.

In order to counteract the unwanted side effects of this congenital positivity, Chongyun devotes most of his energy to cooling off both his body and mind. As such, he has a bit of a reputation for being cold and distant, and he can often be seen eating popsicles while reciting his meditative mantras.

“Mantra Plus Yantra Equals Tantra”

Chongun’s congenital positivity does have an upside, though. It makes him an excellent exorcist. Possibly too good an exorcist, as evil spirits sense his “pure yang” spirit and book it before he can take action. Chongyun only desires to exorcise evil spirits using traditional means, so the infrequency with which he encounters them frustrates him greatly.

Chongyun’s appearance and choice of fashion give him a very unassuming air. With a white and blue outfit composed of a light hooded jacket, white pants, and gold slippers, he looks every bit the dedicated practitioner of the mystic arts that he is.

This contrasts sharply with the image of Chongyun swinging around a gigantic sword in combat with impunity.

Frozen Justice

Chongyun is a very strong character in combat, and wields his gigantic greatsword with ease. Between a standard four-hit combo and a charge attack that allows him to swing his sword in a circle for as long as his stamina allows, he’s perfect for chopping through hilichurls and ore deposits alike. 

As an adept Cryo user, Chongyun can change the battlefield to a frozen wasteland in the blink of an eye. Using his elemental skill, “Chonghua’s Layered Frost,” he can slam his icy sword into the ground to create a circular elemental field, allowing companions to enhance their bladed weapons with Cryo. His elemental burst summons giant blades of ice from the sky to smash down on opponents for a huge amount of Cryo damage.

The Best Chongyun Build

Chongyun is strongly suited toward direct physical combat, and he can use his abilities to create a snowstorm of pain for his opponents. Attack boosting is the name of the game when it comes to artifacts, as well as a focus on attack-boosting weapon traits.

However, if you’re fortunate enough to have the Blizzard Strayer artifact set, your Chongyun build gets a big critical damage boost against enemies that are inflicted with Cryo.

Plus, Chongyun pairs well with Hydro users, easily freezing any enemy that is wet. The ease with which he can freeze water makes travel outside of (or in escape from) combat all freezy-breezy as well, as he can use his elemental ability to imbue his sword with Cryo and then swing away at water to freeze it.

How to get Chongyun, The Hot-Blooded Hero

Chongyung is a fantastic asset to any Genshin Impact party, and with the current Lantern Rite Festival event, you can add him to your party after completing a handful of relatively easy quests. If you already have the icy exorcist, the event is a great opportunity to unlock a constellation upgrade to boost his abilities.

You can also unlock Chongyun through the standard Wanderlust Invocation as well as the Stand by Me element of the Lantern Rite festival mentioned above. As of this writing, that goes through March 7, 2021, but might come back around later.

How do you feel about Chongyun?

Is he too damage-focused, or an integral part of your domain-faring group? Let us know, and be sure to check out our Genshin Impact Beginner’s Guide/FAQ!