Hu Tao

Hu Tao

5★PyroPolearmMain Damage

TL;DR

Hu Tao's Skill takes a bite out of her own health and turns her Max HP into a huge pile of attack for about 9 seconds. In that window her attacks become Pyro and you spend the whole time doing charged attacks, which are the big ones. Her Burst heals her back up when she's about to die. She wants to sit below half health, because that's where her damage bonus kicks in, so she is a bit of a tightrope act and completely worth it.

Rotation

  1. Let your supports go first and set up their buffs.
  2. Skill (E) to enter the state.
  3. Two normal attacks then a charged attack, over and over, for the full 9 seconds. Jump or dash the moment the charged attack lands to skip the recovery animation.
  4. Burst (Q) at the end if you need the heal, or bank it for next time.

Abilities

Skill (E) Costs some health, then for about 9 seconds her attacks turn Pyro and her attack stat jumps by a chunk of her Max HP. Everything she does happens inside this window.
Charged attack Hold the attack button. This is her actual damage button, not a special case, and it also leaves a mark on the enemy that ticks Pyro damage for a while afterwards.
Burst (Q) A ring of Pyro damage that heals her based on how many enemies it hits. Hits harder and heals more when she's below half health. Use it to survive, not on cooldown.

The one mechanic to understand

Low health is the build.

Below 50% HP she gets a flat 33% Pyro damage bonus, and it never turns off while she's down there. Her skill puts her most of the way to that on its own. So she does not want a healer topping her up between rotations. A shield is the opposite: it can't heal her, so it leaves her sitting at the low health she wants and only stops the hit that would have finished her. Keep one up if the content is dangerous, and save healing for after a big hit instead of spending it on chip damage. The whole character is being comfortable playing at a sliver of health.

What actually matters

The two or three real decisions. Everything else is noise.

  • Charged attacks, not normal attacks. They hit much harder and they can trigger a reaction on every single swing, which normal attacks cannot. Two normals into a charged attack is the loop.
  • Max HP feeds her attack. Her skill converts HP into attack, so HP% is a real damage stat on her, not a survival stat. Level her to 90 for the same reason.
  • Cancel the animation. A charged attack has a long tail you can cut short by jumping or dashing straight after it. It's the difference between five swings in her window and eight.
  • Skip the burst most rotations. Building enough Energy Recharge to cast it every time costs more damage than the burst adds. Around 110% and using it every second rotation is the comfortable place.

Gear

A build that works. KeqingMains lists every other option.

Weapon Crit stats first, Elemental Mastery second. Dragon's Bane is craftable, has Elemental Mastery as its main stat and adds damage against wet or burning enemies, which is what she is usually fighting. Deathmatch from the battle pass is the crit option if you have it.
Artifacts 4-piece Crimson Witch of Flames. Pyro damage bonus and a big boost to the Vaporize reaction she is built around.
Main stats HP or Elemental Mastery sands, Pyro goblet, Crit circlet. She is one of the few characters who genuinely wants an HP sands on a damage build.

Works well with

HydroCryoGeo

Hydro is the big one, since soaking enemies roughly doubles her charged attacks. Geo is on the list for the shielders, who let you play at low health without dying to a stray hit.

Don't bother

  • Keeping her topped up. Healing her out of the low health bonus costs you more than the health is worth.
  • Attack% goblets and sands. HP and Elemental Mastery both beat them on her.
  • Stacking Energy Recharge for burst uptime. Cast it when you need the heal.
  • Long normal attack strings. Two swings and then charge, every time.

Want the full theorycrafting version? Read Hu Tao on KeqingMains.