Written by jstern25#1399
twitch.tv/jstern25
discord.gg/jstern25
Updated for version 3.4

artwork by hurybone

Preface

Could we stop pretending that Hu Tao is a playable character already?
I get it I get it that those story quests and event cameos are cute and all so we like to both cope AND a good prank but this went on for too long.
New people are genuinely being fooled and are confused about when is this character going to finally rerun with all the high production value edited videos and and extremely realistic machinima showing gameplay topped off by all the fake conversations and debates about her state in the game. So I will say it right here.
No, Hu Tao was never released as a playable character, no we don’t know when is she going to release. It was all an elaborate, community-wide joke that has gone waaay too far!
I’m sorry to disappoint you all but that is just the truth.

But more seriously,
This character has meant a lot to me since her release, over the last 2 years of Genshin Impact I have continued to champion and shepherd the community around her.
It has been a very wild and crazy journey full of some bizarre anime-esque arcs and wild scenarios, but through it all Hu Tao has held up and helped me feel justified through it all. Thank you for supporting me at twitch.tv/jstern25 and discord.gg/jstern25

“Yet the Butterfly Flutters Away”
Papilio Charontis Chapter, Hu Tao’s Story Quest

artwork by Zapik

Why You Should Play Hu Tao

Hu Tao is a potent Pyro DPS relying on strong synergy with Hydro Characters to deliver continuous blazing impacts. She is highly recommended for players looking to push the single target damage ceiling. Hu Tao’s output directly scales up with the effort and skill a player can put into her. 

Pros & Cons

Hu Tao Guide TL;DR

Common Misconceptions

Hu Tao is not competitive without C1 or Homa
This is not true at all. Hu Tao is incredibly potent and the best at what she does even without her signature 5* weapon and 1st constellation.

Hu Tao is Single Target
Hu Tao is single target oriented, not single target locked. This means she has the capability to hit multiple targets at once, especially with grouping. One good rule of thumb is that her charged attack will hit any targets Xingqiu’s Rainswords will hit.

Hu Tao’s HP drain is a detriment
Hu Tao wants to be below 50% HP, but this is more than manageable thanks to her tanky base stats, desire to build HP and self healing Burst.

Character Breakdown

“The Mysterious Wangsheng Parlor”

artwork by newflame

Talents Breakdown

Normal Attack

Elemental Skill

Elemental Burst

Ascension Passive 1

Ascension Passive 4

Normal Attack

Normal Attack: Secret Spear of Wangsheng

Hu Tao has a lovingly crafted set of attack animations complete with animated expressions; however, you will almost never see them past the first ⅓ of the animation set.

Hu Tao’s Charged Attacks come out extremely fast and can be cancelled extremely early. Charged Attacks and their various cancels will be explored in the cancels and mechanics section.

Boop Tao

Elemental Skill

Elemental Skill: Guide to Afterlife

Hu Tao’s primary source of ATK and Pyro Infusion.

Casting Hu Tao’s Elemental Skill will cause her to enter the Paramita Papilio (PP) state, providing her with ATK derived from her total HP value and infusing her Normal, Charged, and Plunging Attacks with Pyro damage.

There are no downsides to this Skill, it should always be used before attempting to do damage as Hu Tao.

While Blood Blossom (BB) isn’t insignificant, it is largely irrelevant to Hu Tao’s overall rotation.

Extension Mechanics

Hu Tao’s PP can get longer (extend) under a broad set of circumstances.

 

PP Extend by Seseren

 

Any hitlag Hu Tao generates during PP will increase the duration of PP by the amount of frames spent in hitlag.

Hu Tao’s Charged Attack can start up during hitlag frames for N2C combos, effectively causing the Charged Attack to eat into the frames of the Normal Attack preceding it and shortening the frames required to pull off the string. However, these hitlag frames are still added to the duration of PP.

PP also cannot expire during Hu Tao’s Charged Attack, enabling a mechanic referred to as PP Slide.

PP Slide occurs when you activate Hu Tao’s Burst, Spirit Soother, during the frames on the tail end of her final Charged Attack without cancelling it, as this will cause her Burst to maintain PP as long as it was present on the final Charged Attack. This technique can be used to end a chain of Charged Attack combos to deliver a final punch and maximize rotation damage. PP Slide.

PP Slide Example Video

9N2CJ+Burst clip by ItzSomebody#0029

Elemental Burst

Elemental Burst: Spirit Soother

Spirit Soother (SS) is Hu Tao’s Elemental Burst. Her Burst is very straightforward: Hu Tao swings her ghost, dealing AoE Pyro damage 360° around her with a higher multiplier while below 50% HP and healing per target hit.

This is her greatest source of AoE damage, but contrary to popular belief, SS is only 10-20% of Hu Tao’s overall single target damage, being worth a bit more damage than 2 Charged Attacks.

Bursting at start of PP uptime vs. end of PP uptime:
Using SS immediately is a good way to utilize buffs but can be a DPS loss over bursting later, at the end of your uptime utilizing a PP Slide for PP Extension.
SS’s fast animation and reliable setups make it a favorite choice for speedrunners or players chasing damage per screenshot.

 

Hitting over 1M damage in overworld with my C0R1 Hu Tao:

Clearing Floor 12-3-1 patch 2.1 in 5 seconds

Ascension Passive 1

1st Ascension Passive: Flutter By

Talent Description

When PP ends, the entire party besides Hu Tao will have their CRIT Rate increased by 12% for 8s.

Fairly self explanatory Passive Talent. It’s not overly useful, but it is nice for Xingqiu and other units to get 12% CRIT Rate for some of your 2nd rotation, both for their damage and for the increased chance to proc Favonius Weapons if used.

Ascension Passive 4

4th Ascension Passive: Sanguine Rouge

Talent Description

When Hu Tao’s HP is equal to or less than 50%, her Pyro DMG Bonus is increased by 33%.

This is one of Hu Tao’s central mechanics. She wants to always be below 50% HP to take advantage of this skill. Luckily, this is not difficult to maintain through normal gameplay thanks to Hu Tao’s liberal use of i-frames and self-heal on Burst.

artwork by MinhND

Talent Priority

NA

=

E

=>

Q

Hu Tao is one of few units that uses all of her skills with equal importance. 

While NA>E>Q is correct on a spreadsheet, Hu Tao’s Burst contributes massive QoL for her, allowing her to self-sustain any chip damage she may endure, act as an emergency panic button, or frontload her damage output.

Animation Cancels & Combos

artwork by メリーさん

Hu Tao’s infused Charged Attack can be cancelled extremely quickly. There are two major ways to cancel Hu Tao’s Charged Attack: Dash cancels and Jump cancels.

Dash cancels consume stamina for the Charged Attack and dash (at C0) while jump cancels only consume stamina for the Charged Attack.

Combo Notation used in this guide will be a combo count followed by the number of Normal Attacks used, then a Charged Attack, ending with the termination of combo.

For example, 9N2CJ refers to 9 strings of Normal 1, Normal 2, Charged Attack and Jump.

The major Charged Attack cancels this guide will focus on are N1CJ, N2CJ, N1CD, and N2CD. Other combos do exist, but they are never optimal to do.

N1C vs N2C

There are different advantages and disadvantages to N1C vs N2C at C0 or C1+.

N1C variations are considered easier at both C0 and C1. However, the better you get at dash cancels, the more likely you are to hit the dash cooldown and to begin to miss Rainsword procs from Xingqiu’s Elemental Burst. 

N1C variations apply less Pyro from Normal Attacks making it easier to maintain Hydro on enemies with a second source of Pyro application.

N2C variations will lead to higher damage ceiling combo chains.

NOTE: Jump Cancels are on average just as good or even worse than uncancelled

Uncancelled

Jump cancels will be frame neutral to frame negative for a majority of players; their main advantage is positioning as flying across the map can be very inconvenient. Another major result of optimizing jump cancels is to perform higher ceiling combos like N2CJ.

There is no shame in doing uncancelled N1C’s if you are uncomfortable with Hu Tao’s cancels. With a bit of effort, you can do 9N1C or 8N2C uncancelled consistently. 

One Tip for controlling your uncancelled Charged Attacks is to tap a directional input before your next attack.

Jump Cancels

Dash Cancels

Hu Tao’s dash cancels firmly define her C1 as one of the most powerful constellations for a character, period. If a player is able to master her mechanics, Hu Tao’s damage can increase by up to 30%. Even without a damage increase, the quality of life features alone would propel the viability of dash cancelling.

• Spend a significant portion of your field time in iframes removing any need for defenses
• Better frames for driving sub DPS units
• Freedom to burn stamina

Dash Cooldown:

One of the lesser known and understood mechanics, dubbed the dash cooldown. After doing 2 dashes in quick succession, the player will be unable to enter another dash action for a limited time. 

The core appeal of N2CD as opposed to N1CD is the ability to avoid this dash cooldown state. It is still possible to hit with N2CD’s but only at the highest levels of execution.

A significant part of planning around Hu Tao C1 combos is to avoid dash cooldown. As a general rule of thumb, any dash cancelled combo followed by an N1CD will trigger the dash cooldown, affecting your next combo. When chaining N1CDs, every third N1C should either be jump cancelled or left uncancelled.

Constellations

artwork by STrash

Weapons Ranking

Weapons Ranking

8N2CJ+Burst+2BB, Double Hydro

Staff of Homa	This is THE Staff of Homa Personally tailored for Hu Tao Commonly recognized as one of the better Polearms for almost every character, but Hu Tao is the only unit that fully utilizes its passive The HP bonus and ATK conversion feedback loop into Hu Tao since she will feasibly always be below 50% HP Greatly increases her damage and survivability
Staff of Scarlet Sands	5% behind Staff of Homa on average Has a damage ramp up period until BB hits 2nd Rotation + May give you an extra stack (depending when your last BB hits in relation to start of next fieldtime) Appreciates EM Buffs. Can be as good or better than Staff of Homa when played with Bennett
Deathmatch	Deathmatch is easy to build, equal to Dragon’s Bane Guaranteed from paid Battle Pass Significantly better than Dragon’s Bane when Melting or utilizing DMG% or EM buffs (Yelan)
Dragon’s Bane	Dragon’s Bane is a great gacha weapon for Hu Tao as long as you play Vaporize compositions Likely to be refined naturally too Significantly better than Deathmatch when Overloading
Lithic Spear	Incredibly good at R5 with 4 Stacks, Viable teams to reach this condition are limited and take 3+ 5 star pulls This weapon is only available from the weapon banner. It is not recommended to intentionally roll this weapon for Hu Tao
Primordial Jade Winged-Spear	NOT a substitute for the Staff of Homa   Passive stacks slowly (will be stacked up after 4th N2CJ) Competitive with R1-3 Deathmatch and Dragon’s Bane
Missive Windspear	It’s good if you have it Better than any other F2P Weapon option
White Tassel	Free to play option   Obtainable from overworld chests N2C’s will close gap on Blackcliff, potentially being 1.5% better than 0 stack Blackcliff
Blackcliff	Arguably a waste of Starglitter that could have been a Bennett or a Xingqiu   Not recommended

C1 vs. Homa

Hu Tao searching for her Staff of Homa in 1.3

Artifacts Breakdown

“In Pursuit of a Phantom”

artwork by taroco

Artifacts Ranking

For early game 4pc Berserker’s Set is highly recommended

Chart represents Hu Tao Personal DMG over 2 rotations buffless, CW pulls ahead of Shimenawa’s only in the scenario where you are able to Burst every rotation due to HP particles.

Be sure to use the Genshin Optimizer to determine which artifacts are best on your account!
Optimizer configs are available here.

4pc Shimenawa	Technically Hu Tao’s BIS artifact set However, it has significant gameplay consequences, since a majority of Hu Tao’s QOL is tied up behind her Burst. Lead above Crimson Witch depreciates with DMG% buffs Only use once you understand and are willing to contend with the drawbacks
4pc Crimson Witch	Generalist set Hu Tao gets only 1 stack from its passive Has no gameplay drawbacks 4pc set becomes more valuable the more EM is stacked
4pc Gilded Dreams	4pc Gilded Dreams can be incredibly strong with max EM stacks, however it is technically still worse than 4pc CW Resin efficient domain? Worse in any team with Pyro Resonance
2pc 2pc combinations	Pick from any 2pc 2pc combinations from below: Gilded Dreams, Crimson Witch, Wander’s Troupe, Tenacity of the Millileth, Flowers of Paradise Lost

4CW vs. 4SR

Shimenawa’s Reminiscence is more powerful than Crimson Witch but comes with significant gameplay drawbacks. 

Choosing to use Shimenawa’s means: 

• Sacrificing the ease of access to your emergency heal and iframe button 
• Decrease in AoE potential, having buff uptime on Burst becomes more difficult
• Higher rotational damage overall
• Increased resin efficiency: Able to farm for Xingqiu, Yelan and Hu Tao in the same Domain

Main Stats

HP/EM Sands

Hu Tao will want an HP or EM sands depending on your team comp and your substats

An HP sands is more likely to have better substats and will be more receptive to EM buffs such as Sucrose or 4pc Instructor’s.

Assuming comparable substats to an HP sands, an EM sands will be a better choice for any buffless reaction driven comp, but comes with a decrease in survivability for the extra damage. 

Pyro DMG% Goblet

Hu Tao is a Pyro DPS, there is no option other than a Pyro Goblet.

Crit Rate/Crit DMG Hat

Hu Tao is a character who is not short on Crit DMG. Having a Crit DMG weapon and ascension together will make it exceptionally difficult to get Crit Rate onto her. 

Crit Rate is important and should not be neglected

Sub-Stats

100 EM > Crit > 100+ EM > HP% > ATK% > Flat HP > Flat ATK

Hu Tao is able to vape 90% of her damage, the value of EM cannot be undersold.

Below 100 EM, an EM sub can be worth more than a Crit substat.

Crit Rate subs will typically be of increased value for a Homa Tao due to the difficulty of building Crit Rate on her.

Hu Tao scales with HP% much more than ATK%.

Don’t Build ER. It Sucks, even on Shime.

HP Cap

HP conversion cap at lvl90 with lvl 90 Weapon

Hu Tao’s ATK increase from her Elemental Skill has a conversion cap at 400% of her Base Atk. What this means is with enough HP buffs eventually Hu Tao’s gains crash (the ATK conversion from Staff of Homa has no cap).

This is most relevant for Whales with C3 and Staff of Homa refinements (and Yelan C4). But it is definitely worth noting as we continue to get more HP% Buffs.

Teams & Synergies

“Friendships, Wishes, and Regrets”

artwork by 清心寡欲

Xingqiu

One of the premier off field DPS units, Xingqiu is Hu Tao’s number 1 partner in crime.
The true 5* Hydro Unit, Xingqiu, is no longer the only viable option to enable Hu Tao to consistently vaporize her Charged Attack.

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{"name":"15 Rainsword Waves C6","targets":[{"weight":1,"path":["skill","press1"],"hitMode":"avgHit","bonusStats":{}},{"weight":1,"path":["skill","press2"],"hitMode":"avgHit","bonusStats":{}},{"weight":50,"path":["burst","dmg"],"hitMode":"avgHit","bonusStats":{}}]}

official artwork by miHoYo

Xingqiu Weapons Pre-C6

Favonius Sword	Generally a fantastic weapon option for Xingqiu as he is incredibly dependent on Energy  Less refine-gated than other options
Sacrificial Sword	Cuts ER cost by providing a second use of his Elemental Skill, most traditional Xingqiu teams will attempt to vape his Elemental Skill and provide it with a flat ATK buff making it much more favorable than other options WILL STILL BE THE MOST COMFORTABLE OPTION However that will generally not be the case in Hu Tao teams as the extra second of field time Xingqiu takes becomes a DPS loss Run with ATK% Sands
Amenoma Kageuchi	One of the Inazuma craftables, Amenoma Kageuchi is a fantastic weapon not just by F2P standards, especially with high refines (acting as a second C6) This weapon is a transition between the higher ER and more damage oriented weapons Still wants an ER sands

Xingqiu Weapons C6

Jade Cutter	The Primordial Jade Cutter is a fantastic weapon for Xingqiu, currently in contention as his BIS with the Mistsplitter Reforged Provides HP%, making his micro-healing marginally more effective. Benefits from Hydro Resonance (+70 ATK at R1)
Mistsplitter	Ayaka’s signature weapon, the Mistsplitter Reforged is the other 5* weapon contender for Xingqiu Provides DMG%, making his Damage Reduction slightly more effective
Haran	It’s serviceable. +12 DMG% It’s like Mist with half the passive
Light	This weapon has no passive on Xingqiu Crit is nice, just not as good as Jade or Mist having Passives
Favonius Sword	Generally a fantastic weapon option for Xingqiu. He is incredibly dependant on Energy Recharge making Favonius an optimal choice especially as it is less refine-gated than some other options Run with ATK% Sands
Harbinger of Dawn	Competitive with 5 star weapons as long as you never get hit
Skyward Blade	The other 5* weapon Not a bad pick if you happen to have one Most of what makes Skyward Blade good is just 5* stat privilege Not substantially better than 4* options
Sacrificial Sword	Cuts ER cost by providing a second use of his Elemental Skill, most traditional Xingqiu teams will attempt to vape his Elemental Skill and provide it with a flat ATK buff making it much more favorable than other options WILL STILL BE THE MOST COMFORTABLE OPTION However that will generally not be the case in Hu Tao teams as the extra second of field time Xingqiu takes becomes a DPS loss Run with ATK% Sands

Xingqiu Artifacts

4ESF	Emblem of Severed Fate is by far and away the Best in Slot artifact set for Xingqiu due to Hu Tao putting even less emphasis on his Elemental Skill than normal rotations would
Noblesse Oblige	Noblesse Oblige is another fantastic artifact set for Xingqiu, allowing him to provide an additional attack buff for the entire team, while still benefiting himself
Mixed options	2PC 2PC options including but not limited to 2Glad, 2NO, 2ESF, 2HOD, and 2SR are still more than viable especially with more useful subs (check out Genshin Optimizer for more info)

Yelan

Sheds all of Xingqiu’s Defensive Utility for Offensive, and has no orbital application.

All of Yelan’s constellations are extremely synergistic with Hu Tao and her Constellations (C1, C2, C4)

Can make use of 2E Rotations with Hu Tao to generate additional Energy. (3E with C1+ for 1 rotation)

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Yelan Weapons

Elegy of DN	Can be Yelan’s BIS weapon whenever she is being played with Hu Tao, generally on par with Aqua Simulacra The EM and ATK% are fairly massive for Hu Tao providing about 12% Personal Damage increase for Hu Tao while keeping Yelan’s damage in line with Favonius Warbow
Aqua Simulacra	Yelan’s Signature 5* Weapon Can struggle getting ER subs for Aqua Simulacra to really shine Primarily constrained to 2E rotations or Double Hydro teams
Favonius Warbow	GOD TIER F2P WEAPON Generates Energy for entire party, dropping everyone’s ER requirements Can even proc twice per rotation at R3+
Slingshot	Offensive Weapon Option for Double Hydro if you have enough Energy to go around Technically buffs Yelan’s C6, which is funny

Yelan Artifacts

4ESF	Emblem of Severed Fate is by far and away the Best in Slot artifact set for Yelan
Mixed options	2PC 2PC options including but not limited to 2NO, 2ESF, and 2HOD are still more than viable especially with more useful subs (check out Genshin Optimizer for more info)

Character Synergies

Hydro Units

Character	Notes
Xingqiu’s Left Rainsword	Go read it again
Yelan	Xingqiu’s Left Rainsword’s new friend
Mona	C1 and TTDS allow Mona to flex into some Hu Tao teams Contributes to Hydro Resonance

Pyro Units

Character	Notes
Xiangling	Niche Guoba is 15% Pyro RES shred with C1 Pyronado is 15% Pyro DMG bonus with C6 ER Requirement makes this pairing highly questionable Will need over 200% ER One of the highest team damage options for Double Hydro Useless Tech: Hu Tao’s Charged Attack can cause Pyronado to reverse directions https://streamable.com/t3me5j Xiangling Genshin Optimizer Config
Thoma	Strongest shield of any non Zhongli unit High ER Req (210+% ER) Viable weapon choices are Favonius Lance, Kitain Cross Spear, Engulfing Lightning Vapes can be inconsistent in multi target scenarios CONSISTENCY GREATLY INCREASED BY PERFORMING N1C VARIATIONS Thoma Genshin Optimizer Config
Bennett	Technically one of the strongest options, Bennett offers healing and an attack boost However Bennett’s usefulness as a buffer is greatly diminished in the context of Hu Tao without the presence of his C6 Jails Hu Tao in a circle
Amber	Elegy Holder Free 40 Cost Burst Favonius Warbow is free Fast Pyro applicator Useless Tech: C6 provides movement speed, this cuts frames on Hu Tao’s dashes, making more difficult combo strings much easier than normal
Klee	Support Oriented Constellations (C2, C4, C6) Situational Thrilling Tales of Dragon Slayers (TTDS) holder (can TTDS onto Xingqiu) Not energy reliant
Yanfei	Requires C4 to work as a shielder Nice Hat Strong shield Needs 200+% ER Prototype Amber or Favonius Codex are the only viable weapon options Unable to use 4pc Instructor’s due to high ER requirement
Xinyan	Weaker shield Comparable Pyro application to Amber 60 cost Burst Guaranteed Crit on Burst at C2+ (free fav proc) Holder for

Cryo Units

Character	Notes
Ayaka	Ayaka has a very powerful Burst and requires little field time to deal her damage Kamisato Art: Soumetsu applies Cryo at a fast enough rate to fully enable forward Melt reactions for its entire duration This synergy is boosted by Ayakas C2 and C4 Could carry a team on her own
Ganyu	15s Uptime Burst Burst Cryo application is RNG dependant Will scale up with number of grouped targets or size of targets
Rosaria	12s Burst uptime (with C2) Will proc Cryo every other second Provides bonus Crit Rate Hu Tao’s A1 passive can feedback loop into Rosaria’s Crit share
Layla	Better Diona Stop trying to force Key of Khaj Nisut’s passive, it’s not gonna happen Use Fav Sword
Diona	Contributes no damage Strong shield Movement speed buff Stamina conservation passive Healer C6 Does not benefit Hu Tao since you will be below 50% HP
Kaeya	Stamina conserving passive Free Great energy generation Low uptime C6 has very fast Cryo application
Chongyun	Offers cooldown reduction at C2 allowing 18s rotations with Xingqiu Holder for

VV Holders

Character	Notes
Kazuha	Strong grouping Capable of boosting DMG% for entire party Additional Hydro application with Hydro absorption Can be difficult to learn consistent setups for Pyro Swirls Stamina conserving passive C2 and Freedom-Sworn are significant personal DPS gains for Hu Tao
Sucrose	Grouping TTDS Holder Provides EM buffs 4pc Instructor’s is an option in teams which cannot consistently Swirl Pyro

Geo Units

Character	Notes
Zhongli	Shield Poor Energy Generation Use Favonius Lance to benefit whole team Useless Tech: Zhongli’s Geo Construct cannot be placed on top of another Geo Construct, this can be used to prevent the Pillar from spawning Not Useless Tech: 4pc Archaic Petra is BIS for Double Hydro Teams, alternatives are 4INS or 4TOM
Albedo	Takes little to no field time Off-field damage Best other half of Geo Resonance 125 EM after Burst Geo Construct does not interfere with reactions

Electro Units

Character	Notes
Amy’s Parrot (Fischl)	Takes little to no field time A4 and C6 will proc consistently Great Electro enabler for EC + OL. Allows Hu Tao to trigger Vaporize and Overload Genuinely single target
Yae	Takes more fieldtime than Fischl Lacks 4 star weapons Don’t Burst regularly

Dendro Units

Character	Notes
Nahida	Burgeon Hu Tao is funny Only recommendable when Hu Tao is C1+ +250 EM buff

Teams

Double Hydro

The overall most recommendable Hu Tao Teams.

Double Hydro teams fully abuse Yelan + Xingqiu Synergy, also allowing Hu Tao to benefit from Hydro Resonance. These teams are incredibly flexible and easy to play.

In content that necessitates grouping you can easily slot in a Kazuha or Sucrose. In content where you need stronger defenses, feel free to slot in Zhongli, Bennett, or another shielder such as Thoma.

For pushing damage, a c6 Xiangling is another viable flex but this can be more rotation and energy intensive.

Any player owning all required characters should give double Hydro a shot, you will find the damage to be incredibly potent and easy. Just mash buttons and win.

Zhongli

Kazuha

Bennett

Thoma

Xiangling

Sucrose

Fischl

Layla

Nahida

Mona

Video

Zhongli is a popular slot here defensively. His Artifact choice can be difficult for players here, the technical best option is 4pc Archaic Petra. But this requires picking up a Crystal. If unable, 4TOM or 4INS can work, although not as well.

Video

While Kazuha initially seems like an odd choice, it is important to consider how much Yelan and Xingqiu gain from Kazuha’s passive DMG% and VV Shred, even if Hu Tao does not.

Additionally, Kazuha’s grouping cannot be understated for its ability to consolidate AOE, fully highlighting the difference between single target oriented and genuinely single target.

Useless Tech: Kazuha can Swirl Pyro on a 2nd rotation by utilizing a more difficult setup

Bennett is a great choice defensively, especially at C6

Video

Thoma can work similarly to Bennett as a defensive option for this team, with his C6 and Pyro Resonance, Thoma actually can be better than a Cryo Shielder in this slot.

Video

Xiangling is very potent offensively with 15% Pyro DMG% and 15% Pyro Resistance shred. The only catch is her ER requirements being very high, unless you’re willing to build a lot of ER, using Pyronado every rotation may not work out.

Sucrose should be using 4VV to increase Hydro character damage. 

Fischl is a great option for damage, but Overload can be problematic.

Video

Whenever using Cryo Characters, make sure to perform N1C combo variations for increased chance to Melt. Also, Large enemies are unfreezable, removing Hydro and replacing it with nothing.

Burgeon is very funny and potentially deadly towards yourself, Not recommended without Hu Tao C1. But it does work.

Mona DMG% can be really nice. Additionally, Mona’s C1 and C4 go a long way in improving her value in this team.

Shield Flex

Another Easy to play team. The main highlight here is that it only takes Xingqiu OR Yelan, not both at once. Creating much greater team flexibility for the opposite side of Abyss.

Zhongli Fischl

Zhongli Mona

Bennett Fischl

Zhongli Chongyun

Zhongli Albedo

Zhongli Kaeya

Zhongli Yae

Fischl is a great option for damage, but Overload can be problematic.

Mona is an easy option for some extra Hydro energy and front loaded damage. 

She doesn’t really stand out until you have C1 and or C4 on Mona

Bennett can be used in place of a shieldFischl is a great option for damage, but Overload can be problematic.

Chongyun is a tech option, utilizing his C2 to reduce Xingqiu’s cooldown from 21 to 18s. 

Does nothing otherwise. Use 4INS on him.

Albedo can use his Burst to provide Hu Tao with 125 EM.
Note: Albedo’s flower commonly is destroyed or fails to be placed, causing him to be near useless. 

The additional Geo application makes this team not work with Yelan in place of Xingqiu. (unless C2)

Whenever using Cryo Characters, make sure to perform N1C combo variations for increased chance to Melt. Also, Large enemies are unfreezable, removing Hydro and replacing it with nothing.

Video

VV Vape

It’s complicated and has a lot of drawbacks, but can be worth chasing for massive Hu Tao personal damage and speedruns.

VV teams will provide Hu Tao with her highest possible Personal damage

Setups can be technical and cause large damage variance if they are screwed up.
All teams should feature a grouper allowing for very easy AOE consolidation.

Hu Tao AoE Video

Kazuha Teams

Yelan Bennett

Xingqiu Bennett

Xiangling

Xingqiu Thoma

Yelan Thoma

Amber

Yelan Klee

Yelan Xinyan

Video

Video

Video

Place Guoba
Yelan EQ / Xingqiu EQ
Kazuha QE or Hold E

Xingqiu EQ -> Thoma EQ -> Kazuha N1EQ or Kazuha Q N1E

Perform the Yelan Bennett Rotation with Thoma in place of Bennett by doing QE Kazuha E

Amber’s Burst makes Pyro App very easy. And can hold the 5* Weapon Elegy for the End.

Klee C2 is big damage if you have it and want to flex big damage numbers

Video

Xinyan has the same burst as Amber

Sucrose Teams

Xingqiu Thoma

Yelan Bennett

Xingqiu Xiangling

Sucrose N1 will swirl Pyro when there is no aura on the target.

Video

Guoba Swirl can allow for consistent Pyro VV even through Hydro Aura

Pure Pyro (PP)

Pure Pyro (PP) is an easy to play comfort team

Hu Tao is replaceable in this team

Consistent in AOE focused content

Xiangling Kazuha Bennett

Xiangling Heizou Bennett

PP, heh.

Heizou is fine as a 4* alternative to Kazuha in unreacted teams, he lacks Kazuha’s grouping utility, but does sufficient amounts of talent damage.

Speedrun

The Hu Tao Ayaka “synergy” is on full display here. Speedruns favor doing all of your damage in a small window.

Ayaka acts as an enabler, able to apply Cryo extremely fast, Kazuha shred resistance for potentially both Cryo and Pyro, Bennett provides his flat ATK buff for both characters.

This strategy is bolstered with constellations and 5* weapon refines, however none of these things are necessary.

To save time an entire character or even two can be excluded from the rotation.

WILL FALL APART AFTER AYAKA’S BURST UPTIME

Here are some speedrunning examples from me:
2.0 12-3-1 11s C0 R1 hutao
5s | C0 R1 | Hutao Ayaka Strikes Again

Genshin Optimizer Configs

Genshin Optimizer website

Hu Tao Configs

{"name":"8N2CJ","targets":[{"weight":4,"path":["normal","0"],"hitMode":"avgHit","bonusStats":{}},{"weight":4,"path":["normal","1"],"hitMode":"avgHit","bonusStats":{}},{"weight":4,"path":["normal","0"],"hitMode":"avgHit","reaction":"vaporize","bonusStats":{}},{"weight":4,"path":["normal","1"],"hitMode":"avgHit","reaction":"vaporize","bonusStats":{}},{"weight":8,"path":["charged","dmg"],"hitMode":"avgHit","reaction":"vaporize","bonusStats":{}},{"weight":2,"path":["skill","dmgC2"],"hitMode":"avgHit","reaction":"vaporize","bonusStats":{}},{"weight":2,"path":["skill","dmg"],"hitMode":"avgHit","reaction":"vaporize","bonusStats":{}}]}

{"name":"8N2C + Burst","targets":[{"weight":4,"path":["normal","0"],"hitMode":"avgHit","bonusStats":{}},{"weight":4,"path":["normal","1"],"hitMode":"avgHit","bonusStats":{}},{"weight":4,"path":["normal","0"],"hitMode":"avgHit","reaction":"vaporize","bonusStats":{}},{"weight":4,"path":["normal","1"],"hitMode":"avgHit","reaction":"vaporize","bonusStats":{}},{"weight":1,"path":["burst","lowHpDmg"],"hitMode":"avgHit","bonusStats":{}},{"weight":8,"path":["charged","dmg"],"hitMode":"avgHit","reaction":"vaporize","bonusStats":{}},{"weight":2,"path":["skill","dmgC2"],"hitMode":"avgHit","reaction":"vaporize","bonusStats":{}},{"weight":2,"path":["skill","dmg"],"hitMode":"avgHit","reaction":"vaporize","bonusStats":{}}]}

{"name":"10N2CD","targets":[{"weight":4,"path":["normal","0"],"hitMode":"avgHit","reaction":"vaporize","bonusStats":{}},{"weight":3,"path":["normal","1"],"hitMode":"avgHit","reaction":"vaporize","bonusStats":{}},{"weight":6,"path":["normal","0"],"hitMode":"avgHit","bonusStats":{}},{"weight":7,"path":["normal","1"],"hitMode":"avgHit","bonusStats":{}},{"weight":10,"path":["charged","dmg"],"hitMode":"avgHit","reaction":"vaporize","bonusStats":{}},{"weight":2,"path":["skill","dmgC2"],"hitMode":"avgHit","reaction":"vaporize","bonusStats":{}},{"weight":2,"path":["skill","dmg"],"hitMode":"avgHit","reaction":"vaporize","bonusStats":{}}]}

{"name":"10N2CD + Burst","targets":[{"weight":4,"path":["normal","0"],"hitMode":"avgHit","reaction":"vaporize","bonusStats":{}},{"weight":3,"path":["normal","1"],"hitMode":"avgHit","reaction":"vaporize","bonusStats":{}},{"weight":6,"path":["normal","0"],"hitMode":"avgHit","bonusStats":{}},{"weight":7,"path":["normal","1"],"hitMode":"avgHit","bonusStats":{}},{"weight":10,"path":["charged","dmg"],"hitMode":"avgHit","reaction":"vaporize","bonusStats":{}},{"weight":2,"path":["skill","dmgC2"],"hitMode":"avgHit","reaction":"vaporize","bonusStats":{}},{"weight":1,"path":["burst","lowHpDmg"],"hitMode":"avgHit","reaction":"vaporize","bonusStats":{}},{"weight":2,"path":["skill","dmg"],"hitMode":"avgHit","reaction":"vaporize","bonusStats":{}}]}

{"name":"2 Rotation C6 10N2CD","targets":[{"weight":4,"path":["normal","0"],"hitMode":"critHit","reaction":"vaporize","bonusStats":{}},{"weight":3,"path":["normal","1"],"hitMode":"critHit","reaction":"vaporize","bonusStats":{}},{"weight":6,"path":["normal","0"],"hitMode":"critHit","bonusStats":{}},{"weight":7,"path":["normal","1"],"hitMode":"critHit","bonusStats":{}},{"weight":10,"path":["charged","dmg"],"hitMode":"critHit","reaction":"vaporize","bonusStats":{}},{"weight":2,"path":["skill","dmgC2"],"hitMode":"critHit","reaction":"vaporize","bonusStats":{}},{"weight":1,"path":["burst","lowHpDmg"],"hitMode":"critHit","reaction":"vaporize","bonusStats":{}},{"weight":4,"path":["normal","0"],"hitMode":"avgHit","reaction":"vaporize","bonusStats":{}},{"weight":3,"path":["normal","1"],"hitMode":"avgHit","reaction":"vaporize","bonusStats":{}},{"weight":6,"path":["normal","0"],"hitMode":"avgHit","bonusStats":{}},{"weight":7,"path":["normal","1"],"hitMode":"avgHit","bonusStats":{}},{"weight":10,"path":["charged","dmg"],"hitMode":"avgHit","reaction":"vaporize","bonusStats":{}},{"weight":2,"path":["skill","dmgC2"],"hitMode":"avgHit","reaction":"vaporize","bonusStats":{}}]}

{"name":"3 Rotation C6 10N2CD","targets":[{"weight":4,"path":["normal","0"],"hitMode":"critHit","reaction":"vaporize","bonusStats":{}},{"weight":3,"path":["normal","1"],"hitMode":"critHit","reaction":"vaporize","bonusStats":{}},{"weight":6,"path":["normal","0"],"hitMode":"critHit","bonusStats":{}},{"weight":7,"path":["normal","1"],"hitMode":"critHit","bonusStats":{}},{"weight":10,"path":["charged","dmg"],"hitMode":"critHit","reaction":"vaporize","bonusStats":{}},{"weight":2,"path":["skill","dmgC2"],"hitMode":"critHit","reaction":"vaporize","bonusStats":{}},{"weight":1,"path":["burst","lowHpDmg"],"hitMode":"critHit","reaction":"vaporize","bonusStats":{}},{"weight":8,"path":["normal","0"],"hitMode":"avgHit","reaction":"vaporize","bonusStats":{}},{"weight":6,"path":["normal","1"],"hitMode":"avgHit","reaction":"vaporize","bonusStats":{}},{"weight":12,"path":["normal","0"],"hitMode":"avgHit","bonusStats":{}},{"weight":14,"path":["normal","1"],"hitMode":"avgHit","bonusStats":{}},{"weight":20,"path":["charged","dmg"],"hitMode":"avgHit","reaction":"vaporize","bonusStats":{}},{"weight":4,"path":["skill","dmgC2"],"hitMode":"avgHit","reaction":"vaporize","bonusStats":{}},{"weight":1,"path":["burst","lowHpDmg"],"hitMode":"avgHit","reaction":"vaporize","bonusStats":{}}]}

Teammate Configs

{"name":"15 Rainsword Waves C2-C5","targets":[{"weight":1,"path":["skill","press1"],"hitMode":"avgHit","bonusStats":{}},{"weight":1,"path":["skill","press2"],"hitMode":"avgHit","bonusStats":{}},{"weight":35,"path":["burst","dmg"],"hitMode":"avgHit","bonusStats":{}}]}

{"name":"15 Rainsword Waves C6","targets":[{"weight":1,"path":["skill","press1"],"hitMode":"avgHit","bonusStats":{}},{"weight":1,"path":["skill","press2"],"hitMode":"avgHit","bonusStats":{}},{"weight":50,"path":["burst","dmg"],"hitMode":"avgHit","bonusStats":{}}]}

{"name":"Yelan 15 Waves, 9 c2 procs, c6, Hu tao Crit rate","targets":[{"weight":2,"path":["skill","dmg"],"hitMode":"avgHit","bonusStats":{"critRate_":12}},{"weight":1,"path":["burst","pressDmg"],"hitMode":"avgHit","bonusStats":{}},{"weight":45,"path":["burst","throwDmg"],"hitMode":"avgHit","bonusStats":{}},{"weight":9,"path":["constellation2","arrowDmg"],"hitMode":"avgHit","bonusStats":{}},{"weight":5,"path":["constellation6","barbDmg"],"hitMode":"avgHit","bonusStats":{"critRate_":12}}]}

{"name":"Xiangling Vape 8/12 2/4","targets":[{"weight":1,"path":["burst","dmg1"],"hitMode":"avgHit","reaction":"vaporize","bonusStats":{}},{"weight":1,"path":["burst","dmg2"],"hitMode":"avgHit","bonusStats":{}},{"weight":1,"path":["burst","dmg3"],"hitMode":"avgHit","bonusStats":{}},{"weight":4,"path":["burst","dmgNado"],"hitMode":"avgHit","bonusStats":{}},{"weight":8,"path":["burst","dmgNado"],"hitMode":"avgHit","reaction":"vaporize","bonusStats":{}},{"weight":2,"path":["skill","press"],"hitMode":"avgHit","bonusStats":{}},{"weight":2,"path":["skill","press"],"hitMode":"avgHit","reaction":"vaporize","bonusStats":{}}]}

{"name":"VV Vape","targets":[{"weight":1,"path":["burst","dmg1"],"hitMode":"avgHit","bonusStats":{}},{"weight":1,"path":["burst","dmg2"],"hitMode":"avgHit","bonusStats":{}},{"weight":1,"path":["burst","dmg3"],"hitMode":"avgHit","bonusStats":{}},{"weight":4,"path":["burst","dmgNado"],"hitMode":"avgHit","bonusStats":{}},{"weight":6,"path":["burst","dmgNado"],"hitMode":"avgHit","reaction":"vaporize","bonusStats":{}},{"weight":4,"path":["skill","press"],"hitMode":"avgHit","reaction":"vaporize","bonusStats":{}},{"weight":2,"path":["burst","dmgNado"],"hitMode":"avgHit","reaction":"vaporize","bonusStats":{"pyro_enemyRes_":40}}]}

{"name":"Thoma Personal Damage for Double Hydro","targets":[{"weight":1,"path":["skill","dmg"],"hitMode":"avgHit","reaction":"vaporize","bonusStats":{}},{"weight":1,"path":["burst","pressDmg"],"hitMode":"avgHit","reaction":"vaporize","bonusStats":{}},{"weight":9,"path":["burst","collapseDmg"],"hitMode":"avgHit","bonusStats":{}},{"weight":5,"path":["burst","collapseDmg"],"hitMode":"avgHit","reaction":"vaporize","bonusStats":{}}]}

Please check out this slideshow for all the optimizer configs in this guide.

Final Words

“Perfect Send-Off”

artwork by damarinasa_i

Thank you to my fellow theorycrafters:
ItzSomebody#0029
miliana#3140
Aluminum#5462
BowTae#0141
NZPIEFACE#8439
Poseidon17#1064
Isu#6867
eru°#6867
jamberry#7142
Greyhound#7836
Adra | Beats by Ei#0024
Story#8961
Amadurium#8925
Zajef77

All artwork credits reserved to their respective creators.