Everything About Hu Tao in Genshin Impact: Best Builds, Abilities, Leveling, and Skills

Since March 2nd, a new five-star character, Hu Tao, has been available in Genshin Impact. She possesses Pyro abilities and wields the Staff of Homa. Interestingly, this is also the name of the funeral parlor in Liyue, of which Hu Tao is the director.

Hu Tao arranges the best funerals for people and guards the boundary between life and death, and in her free time, she composes poetry. In Liyue, she is quite a well-known and extraordinary personality. Hu Tao is like lightning or a spark: here one moment and gone the next, leaving everything around her ablaze.

A character banner has appeared in the game, which will disappear on March 16th. It's impossible to guarantee obtaining Hu Tao: you can only try your luck and say a prayer during the character event. However, the game might show mercy on you: if by the 90th prayer you still haven't received a five-star reward, a five-star character is guaranteed.

Thus, on the ninetieth prayer, the chance of obtaining Hu Tao will be 50%, as there are other five-star characters available. If you make a prayer 179 times, Hu Tao is guaranteed to drop on the 180th attempt.

Hu Tao is a valuable character who can deal significant damage to enemies. Most of her active and passive skills are related to sacrificing health to enhance attacks. As we've mentioned, Hu Tao is a Pyro character who wields a polearm. She is excellently suited for the role of main damage dealer in a team.

Basic Attack: Guide to Afterlife (Butterfly Dance). Hu Tao's basic attack is among the weakest of all characters, but her elemental abilities easily compensate for this shortcoming.

Elemental Skill: Guide to Afterlife (Butterfly Dance). A portion of the character's health is continuously consumed to imbue her weapon with Pyro and deal strong Pyro damage with an enhanced attack. The attack's power directly depends on the character's maximum health.

Using this skill for an extended period can deplete all of Hu Tao's health — be cautious. The power of Pyro damage depends on the level of the elemental skill. Pyro damage cannot be canceled until the end of the Butterfly Dance or the character's demise.

Enemies gain the Blood Blossom effect after charged attacks. This way, they will receive Pyro damage every 4 seconds. Butterfly Dance ends after a certain time or after exiting combat.

Elemental Burst: Spirit Soother. Hu Tao commands blazing spirits to attack enemies with Pyro damage. It covers a large area, and after hitting an enemy, a portion of Hu Tao's health is restored. This skill can be activated up to five times.

The More The Merrier (available without ascension). If you perfectly cook any dish, there's an 18% chance you'll cook an extra «suspicious» version of the dish, which is worse than the usual.

Flutter By (first ascension level). During the Butterfly Dance state, the crit hit rate of squad members is increased by 12% for 8 seconds.

Blood Blossom (fourth ascension level). If Hu Tao's health falls below 50%, pyro damage bonus is increased by 33%.

As Hu Tao serves as a DPS (damage per second) and deals the main damage to enemies, it's important to correctly combine artifacts, weapons, and skills.

Weapon

Artifacts

The higher the ascension level, the greater the critical damage bonus.

Level 1

Level 2

Level 3

Level 4

Level 5

Level 6

Level 1: Crimson Bouquet. Charged attacks do not consume stamina during the Butterfly Dance.

Level 2: Ominous Rainfall. The Guide to Afterlife skill applies the Blood Blossom effect. Blood Blossom's damage increases by 10% of Hu Tao's maximum health at the moment of effect application.

Level 3: Bloodletting Ritual. The level of the Guide to Afterlife skill is increased by 3 (maximum level is 15).

Level 4: Gardens of Eternal Rest. After defeating an enemy affected by Blood Blossom, the critical hit chance of all squad members (except Hu Tao) is increased by 12% for 15 seconds.

Level 5: Floral Incense. The Guide to Afterlife skill is increased by 3 (maximum level is 15).

Level 6: Butterfly's Embrace. When Hu Tao's health drops below 25% or she receives a fatal blow, she does not perish. Instead, for 10 seconds, her elemental and physical resistances increase by 200%, her critical hit chance increases by 100%, and she gains resistance to interruption. This effect can occur once every minute.