Shenhe is a Cryo support Genshin Impact character whose worth lies in that she gives Cryo DMG Additive Bonuses that scale on her overall ATK, not Base ATK. She therefore optimally scales on weapons that offer high Base ATK and/or ATK% stat, along with some Energy Recharge to ensure good Burst uptime.
Listed below is a tiered rank of the best Polearms to gear Shenhe, from 5★ top-of-the-line options down to good F2P and 4★ alternatives.
Top-Slot – Calamity Queller (5★)
- Base ATK: 741
- Sub-stat: 16.5% ATK
- Passive: +12% All Elemental DMG
- Provides up to 38.4% ATK via stacking (doubled when off-field)
Why It’s Best: Calamity Queller is custom-made for Shenhe. It has the highest Base ATK among all Polearms, which is an instant way to optimize her Cryo DMG bonus that she gives to her teammates. The passive also increases her ATK when she uses her Elemental Skill, and stacks faster when she’s off-field—which works out wonderfully for her rotation.
Perfect synergy with her set. Just remember not to balance it out with Energy Recharge in your sets.
High-Performance Alternatives
Skyward Spine (5★)
- Base ATK: 674
- Sub-stat: 36.8% Energy Recharge
- Passive: CRIT Rate +8%, ATK SPD +12%, and a chance to deal extra AoE DMG
Why It Works: While the passive isn’t very useful for Shenhe, the high Base ATK and generous Energy Recharge make Skyward Spine a functional and reliable option, especially if you’re struggling with her Elemental Burst uptime.
Good for consistent rotations.
(Note: Passive and ATK SPD are wasted on Shenhe.)
Vortex Vanquisher (5★)
- Base ATK: 608
- Sub-stat: 49.6% ATK
- Passive: Increases Shield Strength and grants stacking ATK bonuses (doubles with shield)
Why It Works: While Shenhe can’t consistently trigger the passive or stay shielded, Vortex Vanquisher has a decent Base ATK and decent ATK% sub-stat. Its performance is dependent on how much your team needs shields.
Good stats, but passive is mostly not active.
(Note: Better if used in shielded comps (e.g. with Zhongli, Diona).
Top 4-Star Options
Tamayuratei no Ohanashi (4★ – Event Exclusive)
- Base ATK: 565
- Sub-stat: 30.6% Energy Recharge
- Passive (R5): +40% ATK and +10% Movement SPD for 10s when using Elemental Skill
Why It Works: This is an event-exclusive weapon that works well on Shenhe, offering decent amounts of Energy Recharge and ATK%. The Base ATK is decent for a 4-star weapon, and the passive amplifies her support performance when switching around.
Missive Windspear (4★ – Limited Event)
- Base ATK: 510
- Sub-stat: 41.3% ATK
- Passive (R5): +24% ATK and 96 Elemental Mastery after an Elemental Reaction triggers
Why It Works: While Base ATK is lower than others, the high ATK% makes up slightly. Best when Shenhe is consistently triggering reactions like Superconduct.
Decent F2P substitute.
Final Tips for Weapon Selection
- Base ATK matters more than ATK% for Shenhe’s Cryo DMG buff scaling.
- Prioritize Energy Recharge if you’re struggling to Burst consistently (around 140–160% recommended).
- Avoid CRIT/Elemental Mastery sub-stats unless you’re going for an experimental DPS Shenhe (not recommended for support builds).
