This guide will show you how to create the best Hu Tao build in Genshin Impact. Below we’ll cover everything you need to know about Hu Tao, including wishing, weapons, artifacts, ascension materials, talents, abilities, and constellations.
Best Hu Tao build: Weapons
Hu Tao’s best weapon is undeniably the Staff of Homa, which provides a HP-based ATK bonus. This bonus increases when Hu Tao’s HP is below 50%, which will be happening a lot since Hu Tao’s Skill brings her HP down in order to increase the damage she does. Primordial Jade Winged-Spear and Skyward Spine are also solid 5-star options, with both increasing her ATK. For 4-star weapons, Deathmatch is your best option. This nifty Polearm will increase your ATK based on the number of enemies nearby (less enemies = more ATK), allowing you to finish off hordes of enemies quickly. Blackcliff Pole is another solid choice — this weapon will increase ATK after defeating an opponent. Essentially, with Hu Tao, any weapon that can increase ATK in some way will be your best friend.
Best Hu Tao build: Artifacts
When you have Hu Tao on your team, a lot of your damage will be done by her Pyro abilities, meaning you’ll want to use artifacts to buff the amount of Pyro DMG she does. As with other Pyro characters, you’ll want to go for the Crimson Witch of Flames set, which buffs Pyro DMG. Additionally, if you’ve got a 4-piece set, it’ll boost your Overloaded and Burning DMG by 40% along with your Vaporize and Melt DMG by 15%. Make sure to take advantage of this last point by adding Electro characters like Fischl and Raiden Shogun to your team! Since buffing Hu Tao’s ATK is also one of your main priorities, the ATK-boosting Gladiator’s Finale is another great set. Mixing Crimson Witch of Flames and Gladiator’s Finale can be a great option if Hu Tao is your main DPS — just be aware of the 4-piece set bonuses you’ll be missing out on. Finally, the newly-added Shimenawa’s Reminiscence works wonders as well, as it boosts DMG upon using Hu Tao’s Elemental Skill. Hu Tao will constantly be reaching low HP levels due to her Elemental Skill, so you’ll want to use some of her main artifact stats on HP. Boosting Pyro DMG and Crit DMG/Rate is also a good choice, but make sure to leave some room for HP!
Best Hu Tao build: Ascension Materials
To fully ascend your Hu Tao, you’ll need 1 Agnidus Agate Sliver, 9 Agnidus Agate Fragments, 9 Agnidus Agate Chunks, 6 Agnidus Agate Gemstones, 46 Juvenile Jades, 168 Silk Flowers, 18 Whopperflower Nectar bottles, 30 Shimmering Nectar bottles, and 36 Energy Nectar bottles. You’ll have to defeat the Primo Geovishap for Juvenile Jades, while defeating a variety of bosses (including the Pyro Regisvine and Hypostasis, the Wolf of the North, and the Primo Geovishap) will get you some Agnidus Agate. As for the rest of Hu Tao’s ascension materials, you’ll be doing some flower picking around Teyvat — Whopperflowers can be defeated throughout Teyvat for Nectar bottles while Silk Flowers can be found around Liyue.
Best Hu Tao build: Talents
To fully level your Hu Tao’s talents, you’ll need 9 Teachings of Diligence, 63 Guides to Diligence, 114 Philosophies of Diligence, 18 Whopperflower Nectar bottles, 66 Shimmering Nectar bottles, 93 Energy Nectar bottles, 18 Shards of a Foul Legacy, and 3 Crowns of Insight. Aside from Nectar bottles earned by killing Whopperflowers, you’ll be doing some domains for Hu Tao’s talent materials. Diligence books can be earned by completing the Taishan Mansion domain on Mondays, Thursdays and Sundays. You’ll need to defeat the Childe boss for Shards of a Foul Legacy, and Crowns of Insight can be obtained through limited-time events or by making offerings to the Frostbearing Tree and the Sacred Sakura. All of Hu Tao’s talents are important to her build, though you’ll likely want to prioritize her Elemental Skill first, since this is where most of her damage comes from. Leveling her Normal Attack is best, though don’t let her Elemental Burst trail too far behind either, since this heals the HP she’ll lose by using her Skill. Here’s everything Hu Tao has up her sleeve:
Normal Attack - Performs up to six consecutive spear strikes. Charged Attack - Consumes a certain amount of Stamina to lunge forward, dealing damage to enemies along the way. Plunging Attack - Plunges from mid-air to strike the ground below, damaging opponents along the path and dealing AoE DMG upon impact. Elemental Skill: Guide to Afterlife - Hu Tao consumes a part of her HP, knocking nearby enemies back and entering the Paramita Papilio State. Paramita Papilio State: Increases Hu Tao’s ATK based on her Max HP at the time of entering this state. ATK Bonus gained this way cannot exceed 400% of Hu Tao’s Base ATK. Hu Tao’s attack DMG is converted to Pyro DMG, which cannot be overridden by any other elemental infusion. Increases Hu Tao’s resistance to interruption. In the Paramita Papilio state, Hu Tao’s Charged Attacks apply the Blood Blossom effect to enemies it hits. Blood Blossom Effect: Enemies affected by Blood Blossom will take Pyro DMG every 4s. This DMG is considered Elemental Skill DMG. Each enemy can be affected by only one Blood Blossom effect at a time, and its duration may only be refreshed by Hu Tao herself. Paramita Papilio ends when its duration is over, or when Hu Tao has left the battlefield or fallen. Elemental Burst: Spirit Soother - Hu Tao commands a blazing spirit to deal Pyro DMG in a large AoE. Upon striking the enemy, regenerates a percentage of Hu Tao’s Max HP. This effect can be triggered up to 5 times based on the number of enemies hit. If Hu Tao’s HP is below or equal to 50% when the enemy is hit, both the DMG and HP Regeneration are increased. Passive Talent 1 - When a Paramita Papilio state activated by Guide to Afterlife ends, all allies in the party (excluding Hu Tao herself) will have their CRIT Rate increased by 12% for 8s. Passive Talent 2 - When Hu Tao’s HP is equal to or less than 50%, her Pyro DMG Bonus is increased by 33%. Passive Talent 3 - When Hu Tao cooks a dish perfectly, she has a 18% chance to receive an additional “Suspicious” dish of the same type.
Best Hu Tao build: Constellations
Hu Tao’s Constellation 6 essentially lets her cheat death, making it arguably her strongest Constellation (and maybe even one of the best in the game). Unfortunately, getting a Constellation 6 Hu Tao (even if you’ve counted out your pity) will likely set you back a hefty amount of money. We’d recommend wishing for Hu Tao’s Constellation 1 instead if you’ve decided to go above and beyond her Constellation 0 kit (which you definitely don’t need to do). Constellation 1 is much more accessible, and since Hu Tao does a lot of damage through her Charged Attack, eliminating the stamina requirement is a great addition to your build. Here’s what all of Hu Tao’s Constellations will get you:
Constellation Lv. 1: Crimson Bouquet - While in a Paramita Papilio state activated by Guide to Afterlife, Hu Tao’s Charge Attacks do not consume Stamina. Constellation Lv. 2: Ominous Rainfall - Increases the Blood Blossom DMG by an amount equal to 10% of Hu Tao’s Max HP at the time the effect is applied. Additionally, Spirit Soother will also apply the Blood Blossom effect. Constellation Lv. 3: Lingering Carmine - Increases the Level of Guide to Afterlife by 3. Maximum upgrade level is 15. Constellation Lv. 4: Garden of Eternal Rest - Upon defeating an enemy affected by a Blood Blossom that Hu Tao applied herself, all nearby allies in the party (excluding Hu Tao herself) will have their CRIT Rate increased by 12% for 15s. Constellation Lv. 5: Floral Incense - Increases the Level of Spirit Soother by 3. Maximum upgrade level is 15. Constellation Lv. 6: Butterfly’s Embrace - Triggers when Hu Tao’s HP drops below 25%, or when she suffers a lethal strike: Hu Tao will not fall as a result of the DMG sustained. Additionally, for the next 10s, all of her Elemental and Physical RES is increased by 200%, her CRIT Rate is increased by 100%, and her resistance to interruption is greatly increased. This effect triggers automatically when Hu Tao has 1 HP left. Can only occur once every 60s.
How to get Hu Tao in Genshin Impact
Hu Tao is a limited character, so she’s only available at certain times. After making her debut in March 2021, Hu Tao returned for a rerun that lasted until November 24th. Despite her popularity she was one of the few special event characters not to get a banner rerun at any point in 2022, but happily her long absence has now ended, and you can wish for her between 7th - 28th February, 2023. If you’re looking to pull for Hu Tao now that you finally have the chance again, check out our guide on getting characters to learn the best ways to prep, or our codes list to get some free Primogems! That’s all the info we’ve got on Hu Tao! Why not check out our character tier list to see which other characters are good to wish for?
