It’s that time of the year in the Genshin Impact community when you witness people starving and collecting primogems, squeezing and shaking the game upside down to squeeze even the tiniest bit of primogems. Yes, the Hu Tao banner in version 3.4 is almost upon us, and I probably don’t need to remind you that she’s one of the best Pyro DPS units in the game. Hu Tao may not be very good at rapping (in EN), but she can earn Hoyoverse big bucks for sure, and for those who want to pull for her or already have her, here are some of the best weapons for Hu Tao in Genshin Impact.
This list includes some of the best free-to-play and exclusive weapons that work great with Hu Tao and her skills. In the end, let’s also look at some of her builds and artifacts you should have on her.
What makes a Weapon Good in Genshin Impact
While the base attack is a typical stat across all weapons, the things that matter the most and make a weapon great are its passive and sub-stats. Character signature weapons are some of the best five-star weapons you can get in the game, but there are many four-star options for free-to-play players. Sub-stats also play a critical role in determining how well a character performs, giving them massive Attack, HP, Defense, and Crit boosts.
Best Weapons For Hu Tao: Limited + F2P Friendly
As stated earlier, Hu Tao is the best Pyro DPS in the game right now, but that might change soon with Dehya, depending on the route Hoyoverse chooses to go with her. Even so, maximizing Hu Tao’s potential with great weapons can add tremendous value to your team and help you easily conquer the Spiral Abyss.
The items on this list aren’t ranked from best to worst or vice versa. Here are the best weapons for Hu Tao in Genshin Impact.
1. Staff of Homa: Best Weapon For Hu Tao
If you’re searching for THE best weapon for Hu Tao and already have Staff of Homa, you don’t need to read further. The Staff of Homa, also known in the community as “Staff of Homeless” (For very valid reasons), is Hu Tao’s signature weapon, and it’s so good that it works on most DPS polearm users in the game — Zhongli, Xiao, Candace, Cyno, Raiden, Shenhe, you name them.
One of the highlights of Staff of Homa, besides its 66.2% Crit damage stat and a relatively higher base attack of 608, is its passive. It increases the HP of the wielder by a flat 20% and gives them an attack bonus based on 0.8% of their max HP. When the wielder’s HP is less than 50%, the attack bonus is increased by 1% of max HP—giving a total of 1.8% of the attack bonus of the total HP.
There are two reasons this is excellent: Most people will be playing Hu Tao at low HP constantly due to her Elemental skill, and Hu Tao, out of all characters, has a relatively high base HP. Hence, the Staff of Homa is the best weapon for Hu Tao in Genshin Impact.
2. Blackcliff Pole – Best F2P Weapon
Blackcliff weapons are excellent, and the Blackcliff Pole is no different. In fact, it’s the one that I use on my Hu Tao, and while it’s not an S-tier four-star weapon, it works incredibly well with Hu Tao and her kit. The best thing about Blackcliff Pole is it’s a F2P-friendly weapon that you can buy from monthly Paimon’s bargain resets.
For starters, the Blackcliff Pole has a base attack of 510 at level 9, but it more than makes up for that with its primary stat of 55.1% Crit Damage, which is quite close to Staff of Homa’s Crit damage. As for its passive, “Press the Advantage,” after defeating the opponent at R1, the wielder’s Attack is increased by 12% for 30 seconds. This effect has a maximum of 3 stacks, and each stack is independent of the others. The attack percentage is increased to 24% at R5, which makes it one of the best DPS and F2p-friendly weapons for Hu Tao in Genshin Impact.
3. Deathmatch
Deathmatch is a four-star Battle Pass weapon, and just like all battle pass weapons, it’s not bad for Hu TaoWithth its relatively low base attack of 454 at level 90, it might seem less intimidating, but the primary stat of 36.8% Crit Rate balances things.
At R1, Its passive “Gladiator” increases the defense by 16% if at least two opponents are nearby. If there are fewer than two opponents, the Attack is increased by 24%. The same is doubled at R5Thehe Deathmatch is a good weapon, but you’ll probably be fighting more than two opponents with Hu Tao, so it may not trigger the attack increase. However, if your current Hu Tao build has a lower Crit rate and you’re out of options, the Deathmatch is a good weapon for Hu Tao, but we wouldn’t strongly recommend it.
4. Primordial Jade Winged Spear
The Primordial Jade Winged Spear bears the most base attack out of all weapons in Genshin Impact. It turns out Xiao’s signature weapon works great on Hu Tao, and that’s excellent news if you tried pulling for Light of Foliar Incision for Alhaitham in the previous banner and ended up with Primordial Jade Spear.
With a base attack of 674 at level 90 and a Crit rate of 22.1%, it’s a great weapon if you’re struggling to build Crits on Hu Tao. However, its passive “Eagle Spear of Justice” is one of the best passives in the game. On a hit, it increases the Attack by 3.2% for 6 seconds, 7 stacks max. This effect can only occur once every 0.3 seconds. While possessing max stacks, the overall damage is boosted by 12%. That’s an additional 34.4% attack overall. Hence, it is one of the best weapons for Hu Tao in Genshin Impact.
6. Skyward Spine
The Skyward Spine is a versatile five-star weapon in Genshin Impact, and it works pretty well with Hu Tao. With a base attack of 674 at level 90 and Crit Rate as its primary stat (36.8% max), it’s an excellent weapon for Hu Tao if you’re running short of Crit Rate.
The star of the show is its passive “Black Wing.” At R1, it increases the Crit Rate further by 8% and attack speed by 12%, which is great for Hu Tao and her elemental skill. Additionally, charged attacks have a 50% chance of triggering a vacuum blade that deals 40% of the character’s Attack as a small AoE every two seconds, which is also great since you’ll be using Hu Tao’s charge attacks frequently.
7. The Catch
The Catch is one of the best four-star F2P weapons for the Raiden Shogun, and the same goes for Hu Tao. It’s a great weapon for DPS Hu Tao as its passive increases her Elemental Burst damage.
The weapon has a base attack of 510 with Energy Recharge at its primary stat (max 45.9%). However, since it’s a F2P weapon you can obtain by fishing and exchanging materials from the Kujirai Guild, it’s easy to ascend The Catch to R5. At R5, its passive increases the Elemental Burst Damage by 32% and as Crit Rate by 12%, making it one of the best free-to-play options for anyone who wants to build a DPS Hu Tao.
8. Lithic Spear
An unexpected entry in this list for sure, but Lithic Spear is quite an underrated option for Hu Tao. It’s a four-star weapon that can be obtained by wishing, and it’s quite scalable in terms of stats; Not quite as scalable as the weapons listed above, but still pretty good nonetheless.
For starters, its base attack is 565, and the primary stat scales of attack percentage (max 27.6 at level 90). The best part about the weapon is its passive, “Lithic Axiom – Unity.” At R5, for every character hailing from Liuye, the Attack increases by 11% and the Crit rate by 7% up to a maximum of 4 times. Since Hu Tao is a Liuye character, she could gain a 28% crit rate and 44% attack percentage boost by equipping the Litchic Spear, which makes it one of the best F2P options for Hu Tao.
9. White Tassel
This three-star weapon isn’t very popular amongst players, but most use it as a last resort if they don’t have a good weapon for Hu Tao.
With a base attack of 401 at level 90 and a primary stat that scales off the Crit rate (23.1% max), it’s a decent option for Hu Tao. However, as for the passive, and as with any three-star weapon passive, it doesn’t do much except improve the normal attack damage by 48% at R5.
10. Crescent Pike
Crescent Pike is a craftable weapon that’s pretty decent for Hu Tao. Again, it’s a four-star F2P weapon that’s not as good as the aforementioned options, but it’s a fair option nonetheless.
It has a base attack of 565 at level 90, and its primary stat scales off Physical Damage Bonus, which isn’t going to help much for Hu Tao. What will help, though, is its passive “Infusion Needle,” which increases the Normal and Charged Attack damages by 40% of the total Attack for five seconds at R5. Overall, it’s a pretty decent F2P option for Hu Tao.
Best Artifacts for Hu Tao
Crimson Witch of Flames is the best artifact set for Hu Tao. The 2-Piece set provides 15% Pyro Damage, and the 4-Piece set increases Overloaded, Burning, and Burgeon Damage by 40%. Similarly, it increases Vaporize and Melt damage by 15%. The 2-Piece set bonus increases by 50% of its starting value for 10 seconds, three stacks max.
There are two ways to get Crimson Witch of Flames artifacts — Using the artifact strongbox and from the Hidden Palace of Zhou Formula domain located at the North of Liuye.
Should You Pull for Hu Tao Or Wait For Dehya?
At this point, it’s too soon to assume that Dehya will pose DPS characteristics similar to that of Hu Tao, let alone if she will be better than Hu Tao. If you need a great DPS, Hu Tao is your best bet.
However, if you already have both Hu Tao and Staff of Homa because you got really lucky with pulls, waiting for Dehya makes sense. That said, if you’re missing Hu Tao or the Staff of Homa or want to get Hu Tao’s C1 constellation, pulling for Hu Tao is the best thing you could do. What are your thoughts about the Hu Tao banner? Let us know in the comments section below.
5. Dragon’s Bane
One of the weapons you may have multiple copies of in your weapon inventory is Dragon’s Bane. It’s a great four-star F2P weapon for most characters in Genshin Impact, like Xianglinh and Yun Jin, and Hu Tao is no different.
With a 454 base attack at level 90, this four-star weapon’s primary stat scales off Elemental Mastery (max 221 at level 90). While that may not add much value to Hu Tao, what will add value is the weapon’s passive, which, at R5, increases the Pyro and Hydro damage by 36%. This makes Dragon’s Bane one of the best F2P options for Hu Tao.
