In this article, we’ll take a look at HuTao’s recommended weapons options, artifact sets, artifact main stats, optimal sub-stats, and some tips so you can get the most out of HuTao.
If you’re interested in understanding how her entire kit works, check out our Hu Tao profile page.
Content Overview
Video Guide
Stat Road Map
HuTao would benefit the most with Crit Rate, Crit Damage, Elemental Mastery and HP.
Crit Rate and Crit Damage should be your top priority, but you also want to balance out some of your stats to get the most out of it.
Depending on your team comp, she is capable of triggering the Vaporize reaction consistently, so the EM stats will be very beneficial for her.
This is mainly due to her Charged Attack not having an internal cooldown. It allows you to trigger elemental reactions, like Vaporize, at a higher rate than other Pyro characters.
If you have characters like Xingqiu, Yelan, or both on your team, you can practically set off Vaporize reactions almost every time.
The amount of EM stats you need will depend on your team comp and artifact stats.
But generally, getting at least around 100 EM would be a good start.
Technically, HuTao’s damage is based on her Attack, but she gets so much Attack boost from her elemental skill.
This gives HP more impact on her overall damage than the Attack stat.
The exact amount of HP you’ll need largely depends on your available weapon. But around 23,000 HP should be a reasonable starting point.
Here’s a general guide on the stat you want to aim for:
| Stat | Value |
|---|---|
| Critical Rate | 65% to 90% (Without C6) |
| Critical Damage | 150% to 250%+ |
| Elemental Mastery | At least 100 EM depending on your Team Comp and Artifact |
| HP | At least 23K |
| Energy Recharge | 100% to 130% |
Talent Priority
| Talent Name | Type | Recommend Level |
|---|---|---|
| Guide to Afterlife | Elemental Skill | Level 9 – 10 |
| Spirit Soother | Elemental Burst | Level 9 – 10 |
| Secret Spear of Wangsheng | Normal Attack | Level 9 – 10 |
For optimal performance with HuTao, it’s advisable to prioritize leveling up all three of her talents.
But if you lack some resources, you can temporarily prioritize her Normal Attack first, followed by her Elemental Skill, and leave her Elemental Burst at level 6.
This approach will provide you with the most significant damage improvement with your limited resources.
Artifact Main Stats
| Sands Main Stat | Charged Attack Average (Vaporized) | Elemental Burst Average (Vaporize) | Charged Attack Average (No Elemental Reaction) | Elemental Burst Average (No Elemental Reaction) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elemental Mastery Sands | 34,353 | 69,955 | 15,508 | 31,580 |
| HP Sands | 31,477 | 64,068 | 17,753 | 36,152 |
| Attack Sands | 29,766 | 60,615 | 16,788 | 34,187 |
You can go with either the Elemental Mastery or HP sands for the artifact’s main stats.
EM sands will have slightly higher output doing Vaporize damage, but HP Sands won’t trail that much and will provide better healing through her elemental burst.
For the Goblet, Pyro Damage bonus is the way to go.
As for the Circlet, consider Crit Rate or Crit Damage based on your needs.
This usually comes down to which weapon you choose to opt-in, which we’ll discuss in a bit.
Optimal Sub-Stats
The optimal sub-stats you can get for HuTao are Crit Rate, Crit Damage, HP Percent and Elemental Mastery.
Ideally, you want to get as much Crit Rate and Crit Damage as you can.
And since HuTao’s optimal playstyle is to trigger Vaporize to oblivion, getting some EM stats is also recommended, especially if you’re opting for the HP Sands.
While getting HP Percent is preferable, getting a few Attack Percent is also okay.
HuTao will gain more out of HP due to the insane amount of Attack her elemental skill can give.
But as mentioned earlier, her Charged Attacks and Elemental Burst damage are still based on her Attack stats.
Artifact Set Options
For the Artifact sets, the 4-Piece Crimson Witch of Flames, Shimenawa’s Reminiscence, and Gilded Dreams are all great options.
These sets offer similar damage output with slight advantages in different areas.
HuTao can spam a lot of Charged Attacks, and the Shimenawa set could give her the most improvement in this regard.
However, you might also experience some problems with your Elemental Burst uptime due to the energy loss when using her elemental skill.
But considering the Resin investment, farming for the Shimenawa set makes sense, especially since you can also obtain the Emblem set in the same domain.
Although you can only get one stack from the 4-piece Crimson Witch set, it’s still a great set as it increases Pyro Damage and Pyro-related elemental reactions for HuTao.
While Shimenawa is better at boosting HuTao’s charged attack, the Crimson Witch set will outperform Shimenawa on the Elemental Burst Damage.
Additionally, it boosts her overall damage without the potential Energy issues that Shimenawa’s Reminiscence might introduce.
One downside of the Crimson Witch set is that farming for it may not be the most efficient use of your resources.
An alternative approach is using the Artifact Strongbox from the Crafting Bench to obtain some high-quality Crimson Witch pieces gradually.
This allows you to focus on farming domains that provide the most efficient use of your resources while still working towards assembling a solid set for HuTao.
The Gilded Dreams set is also good if you have a team comp with 3 different elements.
It gives up to 150 EM boost, which is pretty good considering HuTao can trigger Vaporize consistently.
Like the Shimenawa set, farming for the Gilded set is pretty efficient, as you can also get the Deepwood Memories set in the same domain.
This makes it a practical choice for artifact farming, providing versatility for HuTao and other characters in your team.
Alternatively, you can use some 2-piece artifacts like the Crimson Witch and Marechaussee sets, which will give 15% Pyro and Charged Attack damage.
You can also mix and match sets combining the Crimson Witch or Marechaussee with 2-piece Gilded Dreams, Wanderer, Paradise Lost, Tenacity, or Vourukasha artifact sets.
The full H P set of Millelith and Vourukasha is also not bad if you have good sub-stats.
It’s worth noting that the 2-piece combination of Crimson Witch and any of the EM sets, such as Wanderer, provides a damage output that is quite competitive with the 4-piece artifact sets.
However, the difference in damage between all the 2-piece set combinations is relatively small, typically ranging from 1 to 4%.
| Artifact Set | Charged Attack Average (Vaporize) | Elemental Burst Average (Vaporize) | Charged Attack Average (No Elemental Reaction) | Elemental Burst Average (No Elemental Reaction) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4-Piece Shimenawa’s Reminiscence (Set Active) | 36,289 | 57,805 | 18,234 | 29,045 |
| Crimson Witch + Marechaussee | 32,009 | 60,517 | 16,083 | 30,408 |
| Crimson Witch + Millelith / Vourukasha | 31,742 | 64,638 | 15,949 | 32,478 |
| Marechaussee + Millelith / Vourukasha | 31,742 | 59,656 | 15,949 | 29,975 |
| Millelith + Vourukasha | 31,163 | 63,495 | 15,658 | 31,886 |
| 4-Piece Crimson Witch of Flames (1 Stack) | 34,353 | 69,955 | 15,508 | 31,580 |
| Crimson Witch + Paradise Lost / Wanderer / Gilded Dreams | 32,356 | 65,889 | 14,932 | 30,408 |
| Marechaussee + Paradise Lost / Wanderer / Gilded Dreams | 32,356 | 60,810 | 14,932 | 28,064 |
| 4-Piece Gilded Dreams (+150 EM Activated (Solo Pyro)) | 33,849 | 68,928 | 13,781 | 28,064 |
| Paradise Lost / Wanderer / Gilded Dreams | 32,073 | 65,313 | 13,781 | 28,064 |
Weapon Options
In general, you want to use weapons with Crit Rate or Crit Damage on their stats. However, there are also a couple of good weapons that could work well with her even without those stats.
Here’s a quick overview of the damage averages of weapons I’ve tested for Hu Tao:
| Weapon Name | Charged Attack Average (Vaporized) | Elemental Burst Average (Vaporized) | Charged Attack Average (No Elemental Reaction) | Elemental Burst Average (No Elemental Reaction) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Staff of Homa (All Weapon Effects Active) | 34,353 | 69,955 | 15,508 | 31,580 |
| Ballad of the Fjords R5 (Effect Active) | 31,703 | 64,558 | 11,747 | 23,922 |
| Lithic Spear R5 (4 Stacks) | 31,176 | 63,485 | 14,074 | 28,659 |
| Staff of the Scarlet Sands R1 (2 Stacks Active) | 31,096 | 63,323 | 14,038 | 28,586 |
| Primordial Jade Winged-Spear R1 (Max 7 Stacks + Secondary Effect) | 30,185 | 61,469 | 13,626 | 27,748 |
| Dragon’s Bane R5 | 29,954 | 60,998 | 11,243 | 22,895 |
| Vortex Vanquisher R1 (5 Stacks + Shield + Geo Resonance) | 29,903 | 68,894 | 13,499 | 27,489 |
| Deathmatch R5 (VS 1 Enemy) | 29,464 | 59,999 | 13,301 | 27,085 |
| Blackcliff Pole R5 (3 Stacks) | 29,461 | 59,993 | 13,299 | 27,082 |
| Ballad of the Fjords R1 (Effect Active) | 29,062 | 59,181 | 11,747 | 23,922 |
| Deathmatch R5 (VS 2 Opponents) | 28,585 | 58,210 | 12,904 | 26,277 |
| Deathmatch R1 (VS 1 Enemy) | 28,146 | 57,315 | 12,706 | 25,873 |
| Dragon’s Bane R1 | 27,941 | 56,899 | 10,487 | 21,356 |
| Deathmatch R1 (VS 2 Opponents) | 27,706 | 56,420 | 12,507 | 25,470 |
| Calamity Queller R1 (6 Stacks) | 27,687 | 56,380 | 12,498 | 25,451 |
| Vortex Vanquisher R1 (5 Stacks + Shield) | 27,509 | 56,018 | 12,418 | 25,288 |
| Ballad of the Fjords R1 (Effect NOT Active) | 27,451 | 55,900 | 12,392 | 25,235 |
| Missive Windspear R5 | 27,106 | 55,158 | 11,177 | 22,761 |
| Blackcliff Pole R5 (Effect Not Active) | 25,440 | 51,805 | 11,484 | 23,386 |
| Royal Spear | 25,106 | 51,126 | 11,334 | 23,080 |
| Kitain Cross Spear R1 | 24,558 | 50,010 | 10,006 | 20,376 |
| Moonpiercer (Effect Not Active) | 24,558 | 50,010 | 10,006 | 20,376 |
| Rightful Reward | 24,235 | 49,352 | 10,940 | 22,279 |
| White Tassel | 24,188 | 49,256 | 10,919 | 22,236 |
| Prospector’s Drill (Effect Not Active) | 23,593 | 48,045 | 10,651 | 21,689 |
| Prototype Starglitter R5 (1 Stack) | 23,367 | 44,094 | 10,549 | 19,905 |
| Prototype Starglitter R1 (1 Stack) | 22,510 | 44,094 | 10,162 | 19,905 |
| Halberd | 22,087 | 44,977 | 9,971 | 20,304 |
| Black Tassel (Effect Not Active) | 20,904 | 42,569 | 9437 | 19,217 |
These weapons were tested on the same Artifact Set (Crimson Witch of Flames) with a 50% Crit Rate. But the damage average doesn’t tell the full story as some weapons will work best with some particular conditions.
We’ll discuss it more below.
5-Star Weapon Options
The Staff of Homa is unquestionably HuTao’s best-in-slot weapon by a substantial margin.
It complements her kit exceptionally well, especially considering her scaling with HP and the playstyle of keeping her HP low for optimal damage output.
But since her character ascension increases her Crit Damage, you may have to use a Crit Rate Circlet in most cases.
The Staff of the Scarlet Sands is another solid choice for HuTao, primarily because of its substantial Crit Rate boost.
This can enable you to prioritize Crit Damage stats, which is valuable for enhancing her damage output.
However, you can only get 1 to 2 stacks per elemental skill activation.
Nevertheless, it still outperforms many other spear options and works exceptionally well with the 4-piece Gilded Dreams set.
The Primordial Jade Winged-Spear is another commendable choice.
It has a lower Crit Rate boost than Scarlet Sands, but you can fully utilize its weapons effects, and it has a very high Base Attack.
The Vortex Vanquisher can be a good weapon option, but its performance depends highly on your team comp.
It works best when Geo Resonance is enabled, so you can fully utilize its weapon effects.
But without the resonance, its damage output is a little underwhelming.
Additionally, since it increases Attack Percent, it can be challenging to stack sufficient Crit Rate stats to optimize HuTao’s critical hits.
4-Star Options
For the 4-star options, the Ballad of the Fjords battle pass weapon or Lithic Spear would be excellent if the right conditions are met.
At R5, you can get 240 bonus EM with the Fjords weapon if your team is composed of three different elements.
On the other hand, the R5 Lithic Spear offers 44% Attack increase and a 28% Crit Rate boost if you have four Liyue characters in your team.
Teaming HuTao with characters like Xingqiu, Yelan, and Zhongli would be great for both weapons.
The Dragon’s Bane is also a good alternative, as its weapon’s effect is pretty good.
The increased damage against enemies affected by Pyro or Hydro makes it a valuable choice for maximizing damage with the Vaporize reaction.
Very few weapons can outperform this weapon when we only look at its damage output with the Vaporize reaction.
Deathmatch is also a viable weapon option due to its Crit Rate, and its weapon effect is still beneficial for HuTao.
It can help maintain consistent critical hits, crucial for her damage output.
The Missive Windspear is also not bad.
At R5, it can give 24% Attack and 96 Elemental Mastery through its weapon effect.
The Blackcliff Pole is also pretty good due to its Crit Damage stats and is especially good if you’re up against mobs.
But its damage falls significantly when you’re up against boss monsters.
The Royal Spear is only really good as a short-term temporary weapon because it loses its effectiveness the more Crit Rate you get.
But it also boosts Attack Percent, which is not very beneficial compared to the stats you can get from the Blackcliff Pole.
Considering that you will need Starglitter to acquire both weapons, you’re better off just getting the Blackcliff Pole if you need something decent you can use.
But if you’re just starting out, the White Tassel or Halberd can serve as reasonable temporary starter weapons until better options become available.
Gameplay Tip
As a quick tip, you can get the most out of her Charged Attack by doing animation cancels.
To perform this trick, quickly press the jump or dash button immediately after executing the Charged Attack to interrupt its animation.
Jump cancel, in particular, works great, especially at C0, as it helps save stamina for dodging or moving around during combat.
On the other hand, dash cancel allows you to reposition yourself while attacking, but it’s best reserved once you unlock C-1, as it can be quite stamina-intensive.
