Background
Hu Tao is a 5-star Pyro character from the region of Liyue. She first appears in a story quest where she performs a funeral ceremony.
Hu Tao is currently the 77th director of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. As director, she oversees the daily activities of the parlor from conducting funeral services to overseeing its business development. She hopes to expand its services and modernize their approach to customers. Her business strategies are often not successful as no one wants to deal with a funeral parlor while they are still alive. Hu Tao takes her role as director very seriously and sees it is her duty to help people cross over into the afterlife. To her, death is a natural part of life and she hopes to be there when it is your time to leave the mortal realm.
Fun Fact: She once tried to bury Qiqi, who she believed should have a proper rest.
Hu Tao’s personality can be best described as eccentric and whimsical as she has come up with many bizarre ideas for the funeral parlor. Despite being the director of a funeral parlor, Hu Tao is cheerful and quirky. She also loves to play pranks on people, and as a result, doesn’t have a good standing with many of the people in Liyue. However, they can always count on her and the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor for all their funeral needs.
Hu Tao Skill Talents
Hu Tao’s skill talents allow her to perform powerful Pyro attacks against the enemy, but her skills require careful maintenance of her HP. Hu Tao’s Base ATK is rather low for a 5-star character. However, she makes up for it with her elemental skill where she will gain ATK based on her Max HP. As a Pyro unit, she is able to capitalize on reaction power to deal major damage to the enemies. To maximize her damage, she will need to be at 50% or below health at all times.
Her normal attack, Secret Spear of Wangsheng, will perform up to 6 strikes on the enemy, with a slight pause at the end of her strikes. Her charged attack will launch her forward to deal damage to enemies in exchange for stamina.
Hu Tao has a unique sprint animation where she will briefly disappear when you begin running. She will reappear a few spaces in front of her. This unique sprint allows Hu Tao to dodge enemy attacks and easily sneak behind enemies.
Hu Tao’s elemental skill, Guide to Afterlife, will drain 30% of her current HP and allow her to enter the Paramita Papilio State. While in this state, Hu Tao will gain the following buffs:
- Increase ATK based on Max HP. ATK% can not extend 400% of her Base ATK.
- Convert normal attack into Pyro DMG. Cannot be overridden by any other elements.
- Increase resistance to interruption.
This state will end if Hu Tao leaves the field or the 9-second duration ends. The cooldown of her skill is 16 seconds, so you will be left with 7 seconds where Hu Tao will not be able to perform Pyro attacks. This is a major downside as her Base ATK is low without the help of her elemental skill. In addition, Hu Tao’s charged attack while in her Paramita Papilio State will mark the enemy with a Blood Blossom.
Enemies affected by her Blood Blossom will be inflicted with Pyro DMG every 4 seconds for 8 seconds. Only 1 Blood Blossom can be stacked on an enemy. Its duration can only be refreshed by Hu Tao herself.
Her elemental skill gives Hu Tao a major boost to her Pyro DMG in exchange for a portion of her current health. Although it does reduce her health, her elemental skill allows her to stay in the range of her ascension 4 talent. It is crucial you pair her up with a shield generator to reduce her damage taken while keeping her HP below 50%.
Hu Tao’s elemental burst, Spirit Soother, will deal AoE Pyro DMG to all enemies surrounding her. This blast will hit enemies in a full rotation around Hu Tao. Depending on the number of enemies she hits with her burst, Hu Tao will regain a portion of her health back. This effect can be triggered up to 5 times and counters the cost of her elemental skill, allowing Hu Tao to maintain her health in battle. If her health is below 50% when she hits the enemy, both the DMG of the burst and health regained will increase. This burst requires 60 energy and has a cooldown of 15 seconds. Hu Tao’s burst can deal massive Pyro DMG to enemies while restoring a portion of her health back. It is best to use it when she is below 50% HP to get the ascension 4 buff and the increased DMG for her burst.
In co-op, Hu Tao will be the main DPS to deal damage to the enemies. However, you will have to watch out for her health at all times. It is recommended you have access to a shield generator like Diona or Zhongli. Having a healer on your team like Bennett or Qiqi can also make sure Hu Tao doesn’t die from having her health too low.
Hu Tao Passive Talents
Hu Tao’s passive talents allow her to boost her own Pyro DMG and support her teammate with a Crit Rate buff. Only one of her talents can affect her DPS potential.
Her first passive talent, The More the Merrier, gives Hu Tao the chance to cook an additional “suspicious” dish if she is used to perfectly cook a dish. A suspicious dish will give fewer buffs than the original, but this talent allows Hu Tao to gain 2 dishes for the price of one. Since the dishes and their buffs aren’t as good as the originals, this talent will be highly underutilized, as players will usually go for the better quality dishes to heal their units or gain more buffs. There is currently no bonus for eating a “suspicious” dish, but can be helpful if you run out of food.
Hu Tao’s ascension 1 talent, Flutter By, will increase the Crit Rate of her teammates by 12% for 8 seconds after the duration of her elemental skill ends. Hu Tao does not get the benefit from this buff. In single-player, you will have to switch out after Hu Tao’s elemental skill ends to give the buff to another character. This ascension talent will shine in co-op mode, where Hu Tao can actively raise her teammate’s Crit Rate after her Paramita Papilio state ends.
Her ascension 4 talent, Sanguine Rouge, will boost Hu Tao’s Pyro DMG Bonus by 33% if her HP is less or equal to 50% of her Max HP. This talent is conditional as it requires Hu Tao to be at half health, however, it pairs nicely with her elemental skill that drains a portion of her current HP. You will want to limit the healing in your team to maximize the power of this talent. Hu Tao can use a shield generator like Zhongli on the team to absorb damage while keeping her health at 50% to maintain her buff.
Hu Tao gets a Crit DMG Bonus based on her ascension rank.
| The More the Merrier Unlocked Automatically When Hu Tao cooks a dish perfectly, she has a 18% chance to receive an additional “Suspicious” dish of the same type. |
| Flutter By Unlocked at Ascension 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. |
| Sanguine Rouge Unlocked at Ascension 4 When Hu Tao’s HP is equal to or less than 50%, her Pyro DMG Bonus is increased by 33%. |
Hu Tao Constellations
Most of Hu Tao’s constellation will increase the damage and usability of her Blood Blossom effect. Her C6 can allow her to deal massive critical hits to the enemies. However, as a 5-star character, getting Hu Tao to C6 will require a lot of money.
At C1: Crimson Bouquet, Hu Tao’s charged attack will not consume any stamina while her elemental skill is active. This skill only benefits her charged attack and makes using it viable in battle. This constellation effect allows Hu Tao to easily apply her Blood Blossom to any enemy with her charged attacks as she will not need to worry about stamina while using her elemental skill.
C2: Ominous Rainfall increases the DMG of her Blood Blossom by 10% of her Max HP at the time it is first applied. This level has an additional effect that will allow her elemental burst to apply the Blood Blossom effect if it hits an enemy. Overall, this constellation level will increase the DMG of her Blood Blossoms and increase the way it can be applied to enemies.
C4: Garden of Eternal Rest will raise the Crit Rate of nearby allies by 12% for 15 seconds if Hu Tao defeats an enemy affected by a Blood Blossom that she applied herself. This constellation level allows Hu Tao to support her team with a Crit Rate buff, but she will not get the benefit from this constellation as the buff does not apply to her. It will also require your teammates to be near Hu Tao when she defeats the enemy to activate. If planned correctly, Hu Tao can give her teammates a 24% increase to their Crit Rate with her ascension 1 talent and this constellation level.
At C6: Butterfly’s Embrace, Hu Tao will be able to fully maximize her damage output when her HP drops below 25% or when she suffers a killing strike. Although this constellation level is very situational, the buff she receives will allow her to take on any enemy. With her C6 in effect, Hu Tao will have both her Physical and Elemental RES increased by 200%, practically making it difficult for any enemy to deal damage to her. All of her attacks will also deal a critical hit on the enemies. This effect can only occur every 60 seconds. This constellation level makes Hu Tao into a powerhouse DPS character as she can dish out powerful critical hits while getting a defense buff. Sadly, this constellation level will be unobtainable by a majority of the player-base.
| Constellation Levels | Effects |
|---|---|
| C1: Crimson Bouquet | While in a Paramita Papilio state activated by Guide to Afterlife, Hu Tao’s Charge Attacks do not consume Stamina. |
| C2: 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. |
| C3: Lingering Carmine | Increases the Level of Guide to Afterlife by 3. Maximum upgrade level is 15. |
| C4: 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. |
| C5: Floral Incense | Increases the Level of Spirit Soother by 3. Maximum upgrade level is 15. |
| C6: 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. |
Recommended Builds
Main DPS
This build for Hu Tao focuses on her elemental skill and her reaction damage. Hu Tao’s elemental skill will convert her normal attack into Pyro DMG and allow her to apply the Blood Bloom status to enemies with her charged attack. The skills you should max out first are her normal attack and elemental skill as they will be your main damage source. Hu Tao’s burst will also be useful to heal back her health and deal massive Pyro AoE DMG. This build will allow Hu Tao to deal massive reaction damage with the Crimson Witch set.
Playing as Hu Tao requires you to maintain her health below 50%. This is to activate her ascension 4 talent that will provide her Pyro DMG with a 33% increase. Her elemental skill will drain a portion of her HP every time you use it. It is important for you to watch her HP and not heal it too high as you will lose your Pyro DMG Bonus from her ascension talent. Hu Tao’s burst will also deal more damage if she is at half health.
For her teammates, Xingqiu is a great Hydro burst support character that can provide both healing and Hydro DMG with his skills. Xinqiu works great with Hu Tao to trigger the Vaporize reaction when you activate his burst and attack with Hu Tao. His Rain Swords will only heal her if it expires or shatters, allowing her to heal back enemy damage the moment it is dealt. Xiangling will provide additional Pyro support and activate the Pyro team resonance that will grant the team +25% ATK. At C6, her elemental burst will also provide Pyro DMG Bonus for Hu Tao. She can be replaced with Bennett if you need additional support and healing. Lastly, Diona will be responsible for shielding Hu Tao and provide Cryo to trigger the Melt reaction. Her burst can also heal if you stand in its range. She can be replaced with Sucrose to boost the reaction damage of the team.
A full healer like Qiqi or Barbara can also work, but you will lose the Pyro DMG if Hu Tao is at full health.
The best weapon for Hu Tao is the 5-star Staff of Homa. This weapon will further boost her Crit DMG, allowing Hu Tao’s critical hits to be extra deadly. In addition, this weapon will increase her HP and provide an ATK buff based on her Max HP. When Hu Tao’s health is below 50%, the Staff of Homa will gain more ATK based on her Max HP. This weapon works perfectly with Hu Tao as it syncs with her skillset and artifact builds perfectly. The Primordial Jade Winged-Spear will also be a good weapon for her and increase her Crit Rate. Other 5-star weapons can also work well with Hu Tao, but they don’t align with her skillsets.
Hu Tao’s recommended 4-star weapon is the Dragon’s Bane. This weapon will increase Hu Tao’s elemental mastery and boost the power of her reactions. In addition, Hu Tao’s DMG will increase when attacking enemies affected by Pyro or Hydro. This work works well with Hu Tao, Xiangling, and Xingqiu who can afflict enemies with the Pyro and Hydro element.
The 4-star weapon Deathmatch from the battlepass will be another viable option. This weapon will increase Hu Tao’s Crit Rate. It will also provide her a constant buff, depending on how many enemies there are around.
The new 4-star weapon, the Lithic Spear, can also work for Hu Tao as she is from Liyue. You will have to replace Diona with Zhongli to get the full benefit for a Liyue team. This weapon will increase Hu Tao’s ATK and Crit Rate, depending on the number of Liyue characters that are on the team.
If you do not have any other weapon choices, buying the Blackcliff Pole or the Royal Spear can be a feasible option. However, the conditions of these weapons will depend on their usability in battle. The only craft-able weapon that will work for Hu Tao is the Prototype Grudge. This weapon will boost the power of her normal and charged attack after using her elemental skill. However, provides a boost to her energy recharge, which is only useful if you want to use her burst more often.
For the early game, go for the White Tassel to increase her Crit Rate and normal attack DMG. The Halberd will also work as you will be switching weapons soon anyways.
Hu Tao’s recommended artifact set for this build is a 4-piece Crimson Witch of Flames. This set will increase her Pyro DMG and her reaction damage. You can also go for a 2-piece Gladiator’s Finale and Crimson Witch of Flames if you have trouble farming a good 4-piece set. This set will boost Hu Tao’s ATK and Pyro DMG Bonus.
In the early game, a 2-piece Adventurer and Berserker set will increase Hu Tao’s HP by 1000 and Crit Rate by 12%. Her base attack is extremely low and she will benefit from the health increase when you activate her elemental skill.
The main stats on your artifacts should be:
- HP% Sands
- Pyro DMG% Goblet
- Crit Rate/Crit DMG Circlet
The sub-stats you should focus on are: Crit Rate, Crit DMG, HP, EM, ATK%, & ATK. HP will be more important than ATK as her elemental skill will boost her ATK depending on her Max HP. EM will also be important to increase her reaction damage.
Burst
This build for Hu Tao is similar to the previous build, but focuses more on her elemental burst. Hu Tao’s burst does a full rotation as she swings her spirit around to deal Pyro AoE DMG. Depending on the number of enemies she strikes with her burst, Hu Tao will heal a portion of her Max HP back. In order to fully benefit from her burst, you will want to use it around a group of enemies. The DMG and HP regeneration of her burst will increase if her health is equal to or below 50%. Her ascension 4 talent will also boost her Pyro DMG by 33% if her health is below 50%. This build works best for a sub-DPS Hu Tao that can switch in and out to deal damage. Her ascension 1 talent will also boost the team’s Crit Rate after the duration of her elemental skill, allowing her to provide some support for the main DPS.
You should focus on maxing out her elemental burst and skill. Hu Tao’s elemental skill will increase her ATK and drain a portion of her HP to keep her below half health. Use her elemental skill first then activate her burst. She can then switch out to your Main DPS to activate the Crit Rate increase. Hu Tao’s normal attack will be optional if you plan to attack with her.
For her teammates, Ganyu will serve as the Main DPS and switch out with Hu Tao when her burst is ready. Ganyu can be replaced with another Main DPS of your choice. Bennett will provide overall support for the team and boost the DMG to Hu Tao’s burst. He can also heal the party if needed. Lastly, Sucrose will boost the reaction damage of the team. she can be replaced with a shield generator like Noelle or another support character like Mona who can boost the power of Hu Tao’s burst.
Like the previous build, Hu Tao’s recommended 5-star weapon is the 5-star Staff of Homa, It pairs perfectly with her as it increases both her Max HP and ATK. The 5-tar Primordial Jade Winged-Spear will also work for this build.
Her other recommended weapon is the 4-star Deathmatch which can be obtained from the battle pass. This weapon will boost Hu tao’s Crit Rate, allowing her to deal more critical hits. It will also increase both her ATK and DEF if there are 2 enemies around, and her ATK if there is only one enemy around. This is a constant buff that will depend on your surroundings.
The Dragon’s Bane can also be viable, but you might need a Hydro character like Xingqiu to better increase the odds of activating its passive effect.
Weapons like the Favonius Lance or Prototype Grudge that increase energy recharge won’t be as effective in this build if you have another Pyro character on the team with Hu Tao that will already increase the energy recharge for their bursts.
The Blackcliff Pole will increase Hu Tao’s Crit DMG by a good amount, allowing her to hit big numbers with her burst. However, its passive condition that will increase her ATK, requires her to defeat an enemy first before it can activate. If you are struggling with her Crit Rate, then the Royal Spear could be a viable option for you. The only downside is that its effects will reset each time she lands a critical hit.
For Hu Tao’s recommended artifact set, the 2-piece Crimson Witch of Flames and Noblesse Oblige will increase her Pyro DMG and Elemental Burst DMG. You can also go for a 4-piece Crimson Witch of Flames to increase her reaction damage. However, the 4-piece Crimson Witch of Flames set will not affect Swirl damage if you have Sucrose on the team.
The main stats on your artifacts should be:
- HP% Sands
- Pyro DMG% Goblet
- Crit Rate/Crit DMG Circlet
The sub-stats you should focus on are: Crit Rate, Crit DMG, HP, EM, ATK%, ER, & ATK. ER is a nice sub-stat to have on her artifact set that will help her recharge her burst faster, but isn’t necessary if there are two Pyro characters on the team. EM can also work to increase her reaction power. HP will be viable as her ATK increase will depend on her Max HP.
Recommended Party Members
Diona can generate a shield and heal Hu Tao with her elemental skill and burst. She can also provide Cryo reactions.
Xiangling will provide Pyro support and grant the team the Pyro team resonance with Hu Tao. She can also boost a character’s attack after her elemental skill ends if you pick up the pepper.
Xingqiu works great alongside Hu Tao as his Rain Sword will only heal her if it gets destroyed. His elemental burst can also attack alongside Hu Tao’s Pyro attacks to trigger Vaporize.
Sucrose’s skillset can boost the reaction damage of the team. She can also be used to gather enemies together for Hu Tao to hit with her burst.
Bennett will provide support with his burst by healing the team and increasing their damage output.
Ganyu is a powerful Cryo DPS character that can work with Hu Tao and trigger the Melt reaction. Her burst can hit enemies in a large AoE to deal Cryo DMG.
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|
| Elemental skill increases her ATK and turns her normal attack to Pyro DMG in exchange for HP | Low Base ATK |
| Hu Tao’s burst can heal back her HP, depending on the number of enemies hit | Using her elemental skill will drain her health |
| Her Blood Blossom effect will deal elemental skill DMG every 4 seconds | Hu Tao’s HP must be at 50% or below to maximize her damage |
Recommended Domains: Cecilia Garden, Hidden Palace of Lianshan Formula, Forsaken Rift, Midsummer Courtyard, Peak of Vindagnyr, Andrius, Stormterror
Conclusion
Hu Tao can be an amazing Pyro character with her ability to convert her normal attacks in Pyro and heal back her HP with her burst. With her base level, Hu Tao has a low ATK stat, but easily makes up with it with her elemental skill that will grant her an ATK bonus based on her Max HP. However, her play style requires her to be at half health or below to activate her ascension 4 talent that will boost her Pyro DMG. Her burst will also deal increased damage and heal more if she is at half health. This requires you to be careful with Hu Tao as she can easily die if you don’t maintain her health as her elemental skill will drain 30% of her current health. Hu Tao’s teammate will play a viable role in keeping her health in check and healing her.
What do you think of Hu Tao? Is there anything I missed? Let us know in the comments below! You can also reach out through our Twitter or my Discord handle Seyfrid#2589.
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The Informal Gamer 