Hu Tao is one of the best Pyro DPS characters in Genshin Impact, but your artifacts can really make or break how useful she is. There are a few options that you can put on her depending on how you want to play her. In general, though, she works best as a constant on-field DPS rather than an Elemental Burst nuke character. So you should build her with that in mind.
Here are some artifacts that you can put on your Hu Tao:
4 PC Crimson Witch of Flames
Hu Tao’s best-in-slot artifact set is the Crimson Witch of Flames. At 2 pieces, it increases her Pyro DMG by 15%. At 4 pieces, it increases the DMG from Pyro Elemental Reactions, as well as boosts the 2-piece bonus when you use an Elemental Skill. This is a set that works no matter what party you run your Hu Tao with. You can use her as a solo Pyro DPS, or as part of a Melt or Vaporize party.
4 PC Shimenawa’s Reminiscence
Shimenawa’s Reminiscence is a set that focuses more on Hu Tao’s Normal Attack and Elemental Skill. This is because with a 4-piece bonus, you give up Energy for a 50% DMG boost on her other attacks. Hu Tao’s main bread and butter really comes more from her Normal Attack and Elemental Skill rather than her Burst though, so that isn’t so bad. However, because Shimenawa’s Reminiscence does not offer any major bonuses to her Pyro DMG (which is all she does), you have to carefully choose each piece in this set if you want it to be as effective as the other choices.
2 PC Tenacity + 2 PC Crimson Witch/2 PC Gladiator/2PC Shimenawa
Hu Tao’s Elemental Skill increases her ATK based on her Max HP. So when you are choosing artifacts for Hu Tao, it does not hurt to have a HP% Sands rather than ATK. Because of this, a 2-piece Tenacity set helps to increase how much her Skill will boost her ATK. There is no need to go for the whole 4-piece since the 4-piece skill is more support-oriented. So you can use your choice of an attack-boosting 2-piece for your remaining slots.
4 PC Lavawalker
Because Hu Tao is a pure Pyro DPS, your opponent will always have Pyro on them. This will allow you to activate the 4-piece bonus effect of the Lavawalker set. For reference, a 4-piece Lavawalker will give a 35% DMG increase when you hit an opponent affected by Pyro. This is one of those sets that work the best if you are using Hu Tao as more of a solo DPS because you want that continuous Pyro application.
Hu Tao is a limited character, so you will not always have the chance to pull for her. This gives ample time for you to farm for artifacts or other materials while you wait for her re-run. Of course, no matter how good your artifacts are, you have to remember to upgrade her Talents as well if you want to maximize her usefulness.
Genshin Impact is readily available for the PS4, PS5, Windows PC, and mobile devices.
