Genshin Impact: Hu Tao guide -- Best weapons, artifacts, and talents

Hu Tao is the newest character to join Genshin Impact's roster. This 5-star polearm-wielder and owner of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor in Liyue uses the Pyro element. She can be obtained via her featured wish banner. Here's our guide to help you with Hu Tao's best weapons, artifacts, talents, and character ascension materials in Genshin Impact. Note: Please be reminded that this guide is currently a work in progress since Hu Tao is fairly new. I’ll continue updating the article after doing more tests. For more information about the game, check out our Genshin Impact guides and features hub. Genshin Impact guide: Hu Tao’s best weapons, artifacts, and talents All right, it's time to talk about all the details regarding Hu Tao's best weapons, artifacts, talents, and ascension materials in Genshin Impact. Likewise, I'll add some tidbits on how to use her effectively as part of a team's composition. You can refer to the pages below for the parts that you need help with: Best weapon Best artifacts Talent priorities Character ascension materials Gameplay tips and character summary Silk Flower farming locations https://www.youtube.com/watch?vqrH9vMZBwAk Hu Tao's best weapon: Staff of Homa Bar none, I do consider the Staff of Homa as the best-in-slot (BIS) weapon for Hu Tao in Genshin Impact. Unfortunately, it's a 5-star weapon that only comes from the "Epitome Invocation" weapon banner that features it (along with a rerun of Wolf's Gravestone). Worse, the weapon banner has been met with controversy, as some players claim the results are rigged. Still, if you're able to obtain it, then it should serve you well. At level 1 refinement (R1), the Staff of Homa's trait, "Reckless Cinnabar," increases the wielder's HP by 20%. Moreover, it also adds an ATK bonus based on 0.8% of the wielder's max HP. Also, when the character's current HP goes below 50%, the ATK bonus is increased based on 1% of the wearer's max HP. Likewise, its sub-stat increases crit damage. The reason why the Staff of Homa is the best weapon in Genshin Impact for Hu Tao is due to its trait's synergy with her elemental skill, "Guide to Afterlife." Think of this skill as slightly similar to Xiao's "Bane of All Evil" ult/burst in that it consumes Hu Tao's HP while it's active (the only difference is that Xiao's ult drains his HP while Hu Tao's skill instantly takes out a chunk). Upon activation, though, Hu Tao enters the "Paramita Papilio State," converting all her damage into Pyro, as well as boosting her ATK based on her max HP the moment you use the skill. Hu Tao's dash attacks even let her apply a "Blood Blossom" mark on enemies, afflicting them with a burning damage-over-time (DOT) effect. As such, the Staff of Homa's "Reckless Cinnabar" trait goes hand in hand with that HP and ATK increase already. Other weapon substitutes include the following: Primordial Jade Winged- Spear (crit rate sub-stat) - This is another 5-star weapons from wishes, so it's quite tough to get. Plus, this should be your chosen weapon for Xiao and/or Xiangling if you already have them. Lithic Spear (ATK% sub-stat) - Yet another gacha weapon, this 4-star item grants +7% ATK and +3% crit rate to the wielder for each character in your active party who hails from Liyue. Examples include Xiangling, Qiqi, Ganyu, and Xiao. Prototype Grudge/Prototype Starglitter (energy recharge sub-stat) - This 4-star weapon from the Blacksmith increases a character's normal and charged attack damage by 8% when you use an elemental skill (stacks up to two times). Sadly, the lengthy cooldown for Hu Tao's elemental skill means you're likely to maximize just one stack of this effect. Deathmatch (crit rate sub-stat) - This only comes from the premium version of the Battle Pass. Its trait increases the wielder's ATK and DEF by 16% when there are at least two enemies nearby. If there are less than two, ATK is increased by 24%. Blackcliff Pole (crit damage sub-stat) - This comes from Paimon's Shop and it's purchased using 24x Masterless Starglitter. But, the shop itself tends to have a rotating list of wares. The character's ATK is increased by 12% for 30 seconds after killing an enemy, and you can gain up to three stacks. Royal Spear (ATK% sub-stat) - This is also from Paimon's Shop. When you damage an enemy, your crit rate is temporarily increased by 8% (up to five stacks); getting a critical hit removes all stacks. While I haven't tested it yet since I don't have the weapon, there might be a possibility that the DOT from the burning status counts as damage, thereby adding stacks. White Tassel (crit rate sub-stat) - This is a 3-star weapon, so you can easily find it in Genshin Impact's treasure chests or those useless 3-star gacha drops that we all end up with. It does have a low base ATK stat, but, at level 5 refinement (R5), it increases normal ATK damage by 48%. This is one of the better options for her. Black Tassel (HP sub-stat) - Also a 3-star weapon, the biggest upside here is the HP sub-stat (due to Hu Tao's HP-scaling mechanic). Unfortunately, it has a terribly low base ATK and its proc is only useful against slime mobs. Anyway, let's go to the next part of our guide to talk about Hu Tao's best artifacts in Genshin Impact. Hu Tao's best artifacts: 4x Crimson Witch of Flames vs. 2x Crimson Witch of Flames and 2x Gladiator's Finale/Noblesse Oblige vs. 4x Lavawalker The most obvious choice here for Hu Tao's best artifact set in Genshin Impact is the Crimson Witch of Flames. You can farm it from the Hidden Palace of Zhou Formula domain. The two-piece set bonus gives her +15% Pyro damage. Meanwhile, the four-piece set bonus grants the following effects: +15% vaporize and melt damage +40% overload and burning damage Using your elemental skill increases the two-piece set bonus by 50% of its starting value for 10 seconds; stacks up to three times. Naturally, Hu Tao's elemental skill cooldown would mean that the stacks won't be able to ramp up quickly. This is far different from what you'd experience with Diluc's or Klee's capabilities with this set. For the most part, though, the 4-piece bonus is used if you want to maximize elemental reactions. Anyway, one of my go-to combinations is the Crimson Witch of Flames artifact set and the Gladiator's Finale set. The two-piece Gladiator's bonus grants +18% ATK, so you can have that plus the Crimson Witch of Flames' two-piece bonus too. Alternatively, you can go for the full four-piece bonus solely from the Gladiator's Finale set. It gives +35% ATK if the wearer uses a sword, claymore, or polearm. Conversely, you can drop the 2x Gladiator's Finale set in favor of 2x Noblesse Oblige. This is primarily if you want to boost her elemental burst/ult further. Sadly, I'm already using decent-rolled Noblesse pieces on Bennett, Mona, and Xingqiu. I couldn't afford to hand the Noblesse pieces to Hu Tao and gimp these characters since they're needed for burst nuke comps. Lastly, another option seems to be the Lavawalker artifact set. The two-piece bonus is next to useless since it only grants you Pyro resistance. But, the four-piece bonus allows you to deal +35% damage against Pyro-afflicted opponents. Artifact stat priorities Flower - HP (default) Feather - ATK (default) Hourglass/Sands - HP% Goblet - Pyro damage bonus Circlet/Helm - crit rate or crit damage Ideally, the artifacts should roll with crit rate, crit damage, and ATK% as sub-stats. If possible, try to have HP or HP% sub-stats in those artifacts as well. Hu Tao's HP-to-ATK scaling is ridiculously high, so you'll want her to have a huge health pool. Likewise, take note of her weapon's sub-stat. If you're using Staff of Homa (crit damage sub-stat), then try to have around 30% crit rate. The weapon, artifact rolls, and Hu Tao's ascension will already take care of crit damage for you. Conversely, if you're using Deathmatch (crit rate sub-stat), then you'll want to have extra crit damage. All right, let's go to the next part of our guide to talk about Hu Tao's talent priorities in Genshin Impact. Talent priorities Try to remember what each of Hu Tao's talents does while playing Genshin Impact. The talents you level use whopperflower materials and Diligence books (from the Taishan Mansion domain every Tuesday, Friday, and Sunday). "Guide to Afterlife" - This elemental skill was already discussed in our section about Hu Tao's best weapon in the game. However, it's still worth citing that this will be your bread-and-butter given the ATK scaling from Hu Tao's max HP. Since this buff cannot exceed more than 400% of Hu Tao's base ATK, then stronger weapons and ATK-boosting artifacts will benefit you greatly. You should also remember to apply the "Blood Blossom" burning DOT via dash attacks. You only get one stack per enemy and the effect lasts four seconds. But, Hu Tao can refresh the stacks herself. Furthermore, watch Hu Tao's HP. Although she can't die from skill activation even when low on health, that drop could kill you if an enemy gets a lucky shot. Lastly, the entire "state" lasts 10 seconds, so try to make the most out of it while you can. "Secret Spear of Wangsheng" - This improves Hu Tao's attacks in general. "Spirit Soother" - Hu Tao's elemental burst/ultimate does an AoE Pyro blast. It even allows her to regenerate her lost HP, triggered up to five times, based on the number of enemies that she hits. If Hu Tao's HP is equal to or below 50%, then the damage and healing from the burst are both increased. This is basically Hu Tao's emergency heal and super nuke. Hu Tao can either be a main DPS carry (she's on the field for prolonged periods), or a nuker (she pops up to use her ult after her team has been set up). If you're going with the former, then prioritize her elemental skill followed by her normal attacks or burst. If you're going with the latter, go ahead and prioritize her elemental burst/ult before her normal attacks. To be clear, you can focus on Hu Tao's burst/ult if you're going for a massive nuke setup (i.e., using buffs from Mona, Bennett, and Sucrose). It's possible to hit over a million damage with her burst (shown in the video below from YouTuber Tony To). But, be reminded that these are "whale numbers" (i.e., C6/maxed-out characters). If you're an F2P player or a "dolphin," like the vast majority of those playing Genshin Impact, then this isn't the ideal way to gauge how viable a character can be. Okay, let's go to the next part of our guide to talk about Hu Tao's character ascension materials. https://www.youtube.com/watch?vrSZUfRLWMTo&featureyoutu.be Character ascension materials Next up, let's discuss Hu Tao's character ascension materials in Genshin Impact. Hu Tao requires the following: Whopperflower Nectar – Dropped by whopperflower enemies. Agnidus Agate – Dropped by the Pyro Regisvine elite; purchased from Souvenir Shop; higher-tier versions can be crafted by an alchemist NPC. Juvenile Jade – Dropped by the Primo Geovishap elite. Silk Flower – This one is found in various areas in the Liyue region. You can refer to our Silk Flower farming guide for more info. Note: Ascending Hu Tao greatly increases her crit damage stat. As I've mentioned a few weeks ago while leveling Xiao, I do feel that miHoYo made a mistake when they decided on these character ascension materials. Both Xiao and Hu Tao are two characters in Genshin Impact that require two unique gem/mineral-type ascension materials from elites. At the very least, the Agnidus Agate gems can still drop from the Primo Geovishap encounter. It was a lot sillier for Xiao since his other material, the Vayuda Turquoise, mainly dropped from the Anemo Hypostasis. In any case, don't forget to use the alchemy bench and Dust of Azoth if you need to convert materials. All right, finally, let's talk about some gameplay tips when using Hu Tao in Genshin Impact. Character summary and gameplay tips So, how exactly does Hu Tao fare in Genshin Impact? Let's find out. I have Hu Tao and the Staff of Homa at level 80 and, so far, I'm fine with her burst potential. Although her base ATK was a bit low, she still had 37,000+ HP, 35% crit rate, 190% crit damage. Thanks to the Staff of Homa and her character ascension, I can easily punch through enemies. Upon activating her elemental skill, normal attacks could hit for 5,000+ damage and dash attacks struck for 12,000+ damage. It's on par with the regular DPS I do with Childe/Tartaglia, though slightly below Xiao's Bane of All Evil burst/plunging attack spam and Ganyu's repeated aimed shots. In a way, I think these are the issues that might set Hu Tao back by a bit. There are some inconsistencies since you're often dashing around to apply the Blood Blossom Pyro DOT (things can get messy when you're trying to hit multiple mobs). Also, once the elemental skill's effect has expired, there's a five-second window before you can reactivate it. It presents a weird rotation where you're trying to smack enemies, use dash attacks, reapply the DOT, then switch to another DPS character like Diluc or Childe/Tartaglia while Hu Tao's unable to use her skill. Do remember that she consumes a portion of her HP whenever you use her elemental skill. As such, you'll want to rely on the emergency heal and nuke damage from her burst. Moreover, if she's the main DPS in your squad, you could pair her with support characters like Albedo and Qiqi. Just pop their shielding and healing abilities respectively, then switch to Hu Tao to use her elemental skill. These should help you survive while trying to blast opponents with flames. Conversely, a nuker would want a particular setup. For instance, vaporize comps would have Mona or Xingqiu, and melt-focused teams would have Chongyun. Throw Bennett and Sucrose in there to boost your DPS too. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v2dcaQiLBqEo Genshin Impact is available via its official website. For more information, check out our guides and features hub.

Genshin Impact: Hu Tao guide — Best weapons, artifacts, and talents

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