Hu Tao has long been recognized as a top-tier nuker and Pyro hypercarry in Genshin Impact, and getting her build just right can make all the difference.
The Pyro element is stacked with strong damage dealers and Hu Tao is a prime example. Hu Tao is a five-star Pyro polearm HP-scaling DPS known for her high-skill ceiling gameplay. Even with the release of new favorites like Neuvillette, Alhaitham, and Arlecchino, Hu Tao still holds her place in a meta defined by characters like fellow fire hypercarry Arlecchino and relative newcomers like Xilonen.
When she’s built correctly, she can easily obliterate enemies with her incredible damage output. Here’s a rundown of Hu Tao’s kit and the best build options to maximize her kit.
Hu Tao full build guide
How to play Hu Tao in Genshin Impact
Hu Tao is a Pyro main DPS in Genshin Impact. A huge part of her damage comes from her charged attack, and triggering vaporize and melt reactions. As for her playstyle, she is the definition of high-risk, high-reward.
Although at first glance, Hu Tao might appear easy to play, she’s surprisingly complex. The Funeral Parlor Director is a character that’s mechanically difficult to play, and playing her demands skillful positioning. This is especially true for players who are playing on mobile devices.
Keeping an eye on Hu Tao’s health bar is crucial to her playstyle. Hu Tao’s elemental skill, Guide to Afterlife, provides Pyro infusion that cannot be overridden. Her attack attribute also increases depending on how much HP she has. Her charged attacks also apply Blood Blossom effect to the enemies, inflicting pyro damage every four seconds.
In exchange, this skill consumes a portion of her health, which is a blessing and a curse. Because her skill drains a significant chunk of her HP, using Hu Tao often means she’s constantly near death, increasing her risk of being knocked out. On the flip side, when she has less than 50% HP, her Pyro damage becomes higher, thanks to her Ascension 4 passive. Maintaining her HP below this threshold becomes more important as failing to do so can lead to a noticeable DPS loss. Having that said, a good Hu Tao team will barely need a healer. Instead, Genshin Impact players must manage their health bar mechanic by either dodging or adding a shielder.
When it comes to her elemental burst, Hu Tao delivers a hefty burst of damage that can one-shot enemies, especially at higher investments, and when Vaporize or Melt reactions are present. It also has a large AoE, which is great against both bosses and groups of enemies.
Now to maximize Hu Tao’s damage, there are several things to keep in mind.
Hu Tao greatly benefits from a strong off-field Hydro or Cryo sub-DPS to trigger Vaporize and Melt reactions, respectively. Since there aren’t many reliable Cryo options, characters like Xingqiu or Yelan are usually the go-tos. Teaming Hu Tao up with these Hydro units can nearly double her damage output.
Additionally, Hu Tao players should master canceling her charged attack animations by jumping (C0) or dashing (C1-C6) as soon as the damage registers. This trick lets her land more charged attacks in one skill window, resulting in bigger damage output per rotation.
Best Hu Tao artifact builds in Genshin Impact
4-piece Crimson Witch of Flames and 4-piece Shimenawa’s Reminiscence are the best Hu Tao artifacts for Hu Tao. Unlike other units in the game, Hu Tao does not have a tailor-made artifact set for her. However, these two sets still provide better results than most other 4-piece builds in the game.
4-piece Crimson Witch of Flames
Crimson Witch of Flames is still Hu Tao’s best-in-slot artifact set. Its 2-piece effect grants 15% pyro damage instantly. Meanwhile, its 4-piece bonus increases Hu Tao’s vaporize or melt damage by 15%. Additionally, using an elemental skill gives her a 7.5% extra pyro damage bonus, and can stack up thrice for ten seconds. The only downside is that Hu Tao can’t fully take advantage of this effect. She can only maintain one stack due to the skill’s long cooldown, but still utilizes it well.
4-piece Shimenawa’s Reminiscence
Shimenawa’s Reminiscence has a few drawbacks that keep it just behind Crimson Witch of Flames, but it’s still a nice option. This set focuses more on boosting her normal and charged attack damage while sacrificing her elemental burst. The SR set drains energy, meaning Hu Tao won’t be able to count on her burst for damage or healing. Because of this, having a strong shielder like Zhongli is necessary.
Best Hu Tao weapons in Genshin Impact
When it comes to Hu Tao, the Staff of Homa is hands down the best weapon for her. Besides SoH, there are also other expensive and free-to-play polearms that players can pick up, which could either give crit, HP or EM.
Staff of Homa (5-star)
So far, nothing beats the Staff of Homa as Hu Tao’s top weapon. As her signature weapon, it gives her all the essential stats she needs, except for elemental mastery. Along with crit damage, the Staff of Homa boosts her HP and provides a nice chunk of ATK based on her max HP, especially when her health dips below 50%.
Staff of Scarlet Sands (5-star)
The Staff of Scarlet Sands is especially great for Hu Tao in Vaporize and Melt teams. That’s especially the case if they’ve got a good amount of elemental mastery in their stats. The weapon’s passive grants an immediate ATK increase based on her elemental mastery and again when hitting enemies with her elemental skill. Even without EM stats, the the staff can still work well as a stat stick thanks to its crit rate.
Dragon’s Bane (4-star)
Dragon’s Bane is easily one of Hu Tao’s top free-to-play polearms, especially when maxed out at R5. It boosts her elemental mastery and cranks up her damage against Hydro and Pyro by 20%. Pairing this weapon with a reverse Vaporize team and an EM-focused Hu Tao build lets players make the most of it.
Best Hu Tao team compositions in Genshin Impact
Hu Tao’s best team combines her with units that help her consistently double her damage through reverse vaporize, plus a shielder to keep her safe from fatal hits that could take her out. Compared to other damage dealers like Neuvillette, Hu Tao’s team options are a bit limited since she works best with Hydro units. But there are still plenty of viable choices for players, whether they’re looking for premium options or free-to-play teams.
Best Hu Tao Vaporize Team – Hu Tao, Yelan, Xingqiu, Zhongli
A reverse Vaporize team comp featuring Hu Tao with a proper build alongside Yelan, Xingqiu, and Zhongli has an amazing synergy that’s hard to beat. With two Hydro units on the team, everyone benefits from a team-wide HP boost from Hydro resonance, which then ramps up Hutao and Yelan’s damage, while also making Zhongli’s shield a lot thicker.
Yelan and Xingqiu both play an important role by applying and refreshing Hydro aura through their elemental burst, making sure that Hu Tao can trigger Vaporize with every attack. Meanwhile, Zhongli steps in to keep Hu Tao safe during her charged attacks, allowing players to focus on dealing damage without stressing about getting taken out by enemies.
Hu Tao Vapemelt Team – Hu Tao, Xingqiu, Diona, Kaeya
Players can also create a Hu Tao team focused on combining Vaporize and Melt. This setup works well by bringing in Xingqiu along with two off-field Cryo units, like Kaeya or Diona. Both Kaeya and Diona can fit into the description. Kaeya’s elemental burst will apply Cryo, while Xingqiu’s will apply Hydro, each bringing in their personal damage as well. As for Diona, her shield prevents Hu Tao from taking damage and getting interrupted. Moreover, her ultimate can be used as emergency healing for Hu Tao or the whole team when needed.
Hu Tao Double Geo Vaporize Team – Hu Tao, Xingqiu, Zhongli, Albedo
A double Geo team with Zhongli and Albedo alongside Hu Tao works really well. Albedo provides off-field damage and gives Hu Tao a nice boost of 125 elemental mastery after using his elemental burst. Meanwhile, Zhongli offers a nearly unbreakable shield that has almost no downtime. Having two Geo units also activates the Geo resonance, which makes Zhongli’s shield even stronger and boosts the damage dealt by the shielded character. Just like the other team setups, this one includes Xingqiu to help Hu Tao trigger Vaporize.
