This is the best DPS build for Hu Tao in Genshin Impact

The best build for Genshin Impact’s Hu Tao will have her critting for tens of thousands of damage with every charged attack.

Limited five-star character Hu Tao has become one of the most popular main DPS options in Genshin Impact. Her elemental skill Guide to Afterlife makes her a high risk, high reward option that deals massive amount of pyro damage while at low health. That might seem like a costly downside, but the right weapon and artifacts turns her into an absolute beast against single targets. Take down Teyvat’s toughest challenges with the best weapon and artifact build for Hu Tao.

Best artifact build for Hu Tao in Genshin Impact

The best artifact build for Hu Tao is built around the Shimenawa’s Reminiscence set.

Hu Tao’s best artifact build might not be what you expect. As a pyro damage dealer, it makes sense to farm up Crimson Witch of Flame or Lavawalker but in reality, the newer Shimenawa’s Reminiscence set is ideal for Hu Tao’s playstyle. Instead of buffing her pyro damage output, Shimenawa’s boosts normal, charged, and plunging attack damage every time she activates her elemental skill. The two-piece bonus of 18% attack is okay and consuming 15 energy cost on skill is rough, but the 50% damage bonus is more than worth it.

For exact pieces, remember that Hu Tao’s skill scales off of her HP pool. Look for HP percentage on the timepiece and cup. The best hat slot for Hu Tao depends on the other parts of your build. If you’re using a crit damage weapon like Staff of Homa or Blackcliff Pole, go for a crit rate hat. If Hu Tao has a crit rate weapon like Deathmatch or Primordial Jade Winged-Spear, choose crit damage. For substats, prioritize crit rate, crit damage, and attack in that order. 

What are the best weapons for Hu Tao?

The best weapon for any Hu Tao build is Staff of Homa.

No other weapon can compare to Homa’s peak damage output. The high 608 base damage and 66.2% crit damage bonus are perfect for her play style. Staff of Homa’s special effect also boosts max HP by a massive 20%, which further boosts Guide to Afterlife’s damage boost. Finally, Homa grants a standard attack bonus of .8% max HP which goes up to 1.8% below 50% health. All of these traits combined arguably make Staff of Homa the best weapon in Genshin Impact and the clear best option for Hu Tao.

If you don’t have a fancy limited five-star weapon, there are several great budget weapons for Hu Tao.

Deathmatch is the best four-star weapon for Hu Tao. It massively boosts attack, has an inherent crit rate, and scales extremely well with higher refinement.

Blackcliff Pole from Paimon’s Bargains is another good option. It significantly boosts crit damage and can buff attack up to 72% after defeating three enemies. If you’ve spent your level 30 battle pass and stardust elsewhere, a high-refinement Dragon’s Bane still deals a ton of damage while boosting elemental combo damage.