Genshin Impact Hu Tao build guide: Best artifacts, weapons & teams

First released in Version 1.3 of Genshin Impact, Hu Tao is still one of the strongest DPS units as we head into Version 4.2. So, here’s the build guide for Hu Tao detailing the best artifacts, weapons, teams, and more. 

Version 4.1 of Genshin Impact brought a new playable character, Neuvillette, alongside the re-run banner for Hu Tao. It’s Spooktober, so it is fitting to play the only character in Genshin Impact’s entire roster who loves doing spooky things.

Even though Hu Tao is one of the strongest DPS in the game, without a proper build, our funeral director will find herself in the very coffin she scares the entirety of Liyue with. Her banner keeps popping now and then, so even if you missed her, check the banner schedule to know when she’ll arrive again in Genshin Impact. 

Here is a build guide for Genshin Impact’s Hu Tao. 

• How to play Hu Tao in Genshin Impact
• Hu Tao’s abilities in Genshin Impact explained
• Best weapons for Hu Tao in Genshin Impact
• Best artifacts for Hu Tao in Genshin Impact
• Best team and rotations for Hu Tao in Genshin Impact

How to play Hu Tao in Genshin Impact

Hu Tao in Genshin Impact is an on-field charged attack Pyro DPS. She relies heavily on Vaporize damage, so running a team with two (or at least one) Hydro characters is necessary. 

The basic normal attacks of Hu Tao do not vape as they don’t have Pyro infusion, but if you use her Elemental Skill, her normal attacks are infused with Pyro. This effect cannot be overridden by other elemental infusions, like Chongyun‘s skills.  

So, in a nutshell, the playstyle for our aspiring rapper is using her skill and then piercing your way through all the enemies in the game using her charge attacks. 

Her charge attacks, though, will dash Hu Tao far behind the initial spot of enemies ruining your placement. To avoid it, you can cancel her dash animation by jumping. Players who have C1 can also cancel by dashing. This can be difficult, but it does a tad bit more damage, and you’ll still be perfectly fine without canceling. 

Hu Tao is primarily a single target unit; that’s where she shines the most. For AoE, there are better characters and the general suggestion is to use Hu Tao against single-target enemies like bosses in Genshin Impact. 

Hu Tao’s abilities in Genshin Impact explained

Normal Attack

Hu Tao’s Normal Attack is an important part of her kit, solely because of her charge attacks. Her charge attack does not have an internal cooldown (ICD) when infused with skill. This means you can Vaporise all you want.

Genshin Impact has an internal cooldown on how often one character can apply an element continuously. If Hu Tao had a standard ICD, she wouldn’t be able to apply Pyro to enemies on her every charge attack, which means less Vaporise trigger. Fortunately, that isn’t the case here.

Since Normal Attack remains her most important ability, your talent upgrade priority should first be Normal Attack. 

Elemental Skill – Guide to Afterlife

Hu Tao’s Elemental Skill is the most important skill, arguably, and it has the following effects: 

• Infuses normal attack with Pyro. 
• Provides ATK based on her max HP. 
• Consumes 30% of Hu Tao’s current HP. 
• Applies Blood Blossom effect on enemies. 

Only the initial two effects are useful, the rest can safely be ignored. 

As discussed earlier, her Elemental Skill converts her normal attack into Pyro DMG, so this is an important thing to keep in mind. 

The second ATK bonus means you’ll have to focus on HP stats from artifacts. 

Elemental Burst – Spirit Soother

Hu Tao’s Elemental Burst does a massive AoE Pyro DMG and heals her based on her max HP. 

While it does hefty damage, you won’t have enough Energy Recharge to perform it all the time. Plus, healing Hu Tao has a negative effect on her damage and renders her Ascension 4 Passive futile. 

You can use Hu Tao’s Elemental Burst, sparingly, whenever you get it, or when on the verge of death. Performing it in isolation is not recommended; use it when the Pyro infusion with skill is nearing its end. 

Ascension 4 Passive – Sanguine Rouge

Another important part of Hu Tao’s abilities is her Ascension 4 Passive which increases her Pyro DMG bonus by 33% if her HP is less than or equal to 50% of her Max HP. 

You do not have to worry about it, though. In her standard rotation, you’ll reach this at some point. 

Best weapons for Hu Tao in Genshin Impact 

Staff of Homa

The Staff of Homa is unanimously Hu Tao’s best weapon in Genshin Impact. It is her signature weapon, after all. It provides 66.2% CRIT DMG and all passives are useful for Hu Tao. 

The best thing about Homa is that it is a universal Polearm. Not only is it an excellent choice for Hu Tao, but Staff of Homa is also an excellent stat stick for other characters as well. Every time there is a Hu Tao banner, it’ll be up for grabs in the weapon banner. 

Staff of Scarlet Sands

The Staff of Scarlet Sands is a powerful option for Hu Tao, although a bit less powerful than Homa. It has a useful 44.1% CRIT Rate and Elemental Mastery. EM is effective on Hu Tao, and ATK conversion is a bonus. 

It does shift the focus towards EM substats from artifacts, and heavily so. It is a 5-star limited banner weapon and will be available whenever Cyno is the featured character. 

Dragon’s Bane

Dragon’s Bane is a 4-star option for Hu Tao. If you have 5 of these lying around, an R5 Dragon’s Bane is competitive as EM is a desired stat on Hu Tao, and its passive also improves the overall damage.

Since you’re getting good EM, once you hit a good enough number, best focus on other stats. 

Ballad of the Fjords

Ballad of the Fjords is another 4-star option and is better than most when you have an R5. This is locked behind Battle Pass, so you’ll have to cough up a little money. 

It has a CRIT Rate sub-stats which is useful, as well as EM passive when you’ve a team composition with three different Elemental types—this is easily met when using her best team. 

White Tassel

If you’re looking for the easiest-to-get F2P weapon for Hu Tao in Genshin Impact, then that’s White Tassel. It is 3-star and fares well as it has CRIT Rate as a sub-stat. Given Hu Tao is a strong character, you can sail past Abyss even with this. You’ll need good artifacts, though. 

Best artifacts for Hu Tao in Genshin Impact

Before we delve into the specifics of the best artifacts for Hu Tao in Genshin Impact, there are a few things to keep in mind. These are just preferred stats or numbers to maintain across the board. 

• Use EM or HP% Sands.
  • EM has a higher damage ceiling and is necessary when using certain weapons, like the Staff of Scarlet Sands. 
  • EM should preferably linger around 200–300 without sacrificing CRIT. 
• Use Pyro DMG Goblet.
• Use CRIT Circlet (whichever is less DMG or Rate). 
• Great stats:
  • 75 Crit Rate & 180+ Crit DMG.
  • 250 EM.
  • The rest is largely irrelevant. 

4pc Crimson Witch of Flames

• 2-Piece Bonus: Increase Pyro DMG Bonus by +15%
• 4-Piece Bonus: 40% increase in DMG for Burning, Burgeon, Overload; 15% for Vaporise and Melt DMG. The 2-Piece Bonus is increased by 50% after using Elemental Skill, max 3 stacks and for 10s.  

Crimson Witch of Flames is the best artifact set for Hu Tao. The 2pc bonus does boost her damage considerably, and while she can’t have all 3 stacks from 4pc, a single stack does the job. 

4pc Shimenawa’s Reminiscence

• 2-Piece Set: Increase ATK by +18%
• 4-Piece Set: When casting an Elemental Skill, if the character has 15 or more Energy, they lose 15 Energy and Normal/Charged/Plunging Attack DMG is increased by 50% for 100.

The 4pc Shimenawa’s Reminiscence provides similar damage to Crimson Witch but at the cost of the Elemental Burst. Sometimes when you’re nearing death, you may want to use Hu Tao’s burst to heal her, especially if you’re not playing without a defensive unit. Outside of that, you can use either this or Crimson based on which has better stats.

Other options include 4pc Gilded Dreams, or pairing a 2pc Pyro DMG providing set with another 2pc EM providing set.

Best team and rotations for Hu Tao in Genshin Impact

Following is the best team for Hu Tao as well as the ideal rotation in Genshin Impact.

• Best team: Hu Tao — Xingqiu — Yelan — Zhongli
  • Rotation:
    • Xingqiu Elemental Burst
    • Xingqiu Elemental Skill (x2 in case of Sacrificial Sword)
    • Zhongli (hold) Elemental Skill
    • Yelan Elemental Skill
    • Yelan Elemental Burst
    • Hu Tao Elemental SkillHu Tao Charge Attack
    • Hu Tao Elemental Burst (optional)
    • Repeat.
• Alternative: Thoma and Layla for Zhongli, Candace (C6 preferred) for any Hydro unit.

Generally, Xingqiu is recommended to be paired with Hu Tao in most teams. Both Xingqiu and Yelan can be slapped with any artifacts that make sense, like Emblem of Severed Fate, and you should be able to clear it comfortably.

Other teams:

• Hu Tao — Xingqiu — Yelan — Kazuha
• Hu Tao — Xingqiu — Albedo — Zhongli
• Hu Tao — Xingqiu — Fischl — Zhongli

That’s all you need to know about the best build for Hu Tao in Genshin Impact, for more on the game, check out:

Genshin Impact Encounter Points explained | How to reroll in Genshin Impact | All Star-Shaped Gems and Seelie locations | How to get more Primogems and wishes | Genshin Impact Sakura Bloom locations | Genshin Impact Sango Peal Locations | Genshin Impact Geoculus locations | Genshin Impact Lotus Head locations | Genshin Impact Fatui Pyro Agent locations | Genshin Impact Philanemo Mushrooms locations | Genshin Impact Valberry locations | Genshin Impact Dandelion Seeds locations | Genshin Impact Ayato building guide | Genshin Impact Chongyun build guide