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Hu Tao Quick TL;DR Team Comp Guide

Hu Tao (Qiqi wants to punch her face)

Fun fact: Hu Tao’s name means “walnut”

Element: Pyro

Weapon: Polearm

Pros:

Low E CD Average Q CDExtremely easy to play
Crazy good self-buffsExtremely tanky for DPSHas self-sustain with Q
CRIT DMG as hidden statEasy to gearGood multipliers

Cons:

High risk, high rewardLow ERCharged attack has weird targeting
Must keep under 50% HPPoor stamina management unless C1

PSA #1: Hu Tao is very straightforward and simple to play. Although it takes getting used to managing her HP, she has no other real flaws. Her team comp should compliment her prominent application of Pyro and boost her EM

Who to take (alternatives explained below!):

Sucrose
  • Best EM mule in the game, providing tons of EM to Hu Tao + reducing Pyro resistance of enemies with infused swirls
  • Has good AoE grouping CC and can provide a decent amount of energy
  • Take Viridescent Venerer + TTDS to further boost Pyro DMG output
  • CAN REPLACE WITH VENTI OR ANEMO MC FOR CHEAPER ALTERNATIVE + BETTER GROUPING (at cost of EM)
Xingqiu
  • E can easily apply Hydro to nearby enemies + provide a damage reduction shield
  • Xingqiu’s Q is amazing for Hu Tao when in her E is active, constantly proc’ing vaporize damage every other normal attack
  • Can easily be built as either burst DPS or sub DPS for when Hu Tao is dangerously low/need CD’s
  • CAN REPLACE WITH CHILDE OR MONA FOR HER TAUNT + Q NUKE POTENTIAL (Hydro necessary!)
Bennett
  • Pyro slot allows for Pyro resonance, providing a free 25% ATK buff
  • Bennett’s Q is an extremely potent heal and ATK buff that further enhances Hu Tao’s damage and survivability
  • His E is spammable that can help generate Hu Tao’s Q much faster
  • CAN BE REPLACED WITH DIONA OR BARBARA FOR ALTERNATIVE HEAL OPTION + VAPORIZE/MELT PROCS

PSA #2: This is currently the comp I run. The only issue is mistiming the rotation can cause awkward pauses where CD’s don’t match, leading to loss of DPS output. HIGHLY recommended to run a Hydro/Cryo user for vapo/melt proc’s to optimize Hu Tao’s DMG

Great flex slot alternatives:

  • Venti – His Q is not only great for grouping, generating energy for infused element, and increasing infused element’s damage. Only downside is Hu Tao’s normal attacks struggle to reach enemies when they’re at the center to peak parts of the tornado
  • Childe – Run him burst DPS with the focus being on killing enemies with Riptide applied to them. This will spread Riptide + proc Hydro on nearby enemies as well, causing chain reactions in large groups
  • Mona – Taunt can help keep heat off Hu Tao when she’s low, and her Q works amazingly with Hu Tao’s Q as well (can hit incredibly high numbers)
  • Xinyan – Pyro slot for resonance + can be a great sub/burst DPS alternative. Her shield is mediocre, but it can still come in clutch
  • Diona – Shield can be helpful for maintaining Hu Tao’s HP below 50% with little risk + Cryo proc’s are plenty with her E and Q spam for melt damage
  • Barbara – Not really too great for Hydro proc (and her heal can get outclassed), but a great free healing + Hydro slot alternative
  • Honorary Mentions – Hu Tao’s high risk high reward playstyle can be complimented greatly with shielders, so people like Zhongli and Noelle can also fix as flex slot alternatives if need be!

PLEASE FEEL FREE TO ASK QUESTIONS BELOW! I’ll try my best to respond as I know some players may not have ANY of the characters mentioned

Hope this helped. Bye.

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  1. Hello, I am making a team that seems similar to this, but with the characters i have who do you think I should use
    5* that are ready: childe, mona
    4* that are ready: barbara, bennet, noelle, sucrose, xingqiu
    Whats the team i should make using hutao as main dps, using one of the 5 stars is a must tho for me cuz i find it waste if i dont use them.

    • I would go with Bennett, Sucrose, and Xingqiu. If you really want to force a 5-star on that team, take Mona instead of Xingqiu.

  2. I run a team with Hu Tao too : Hu Tao/Fischl/Mona/Diona and it’s pretty effective, it can be another option!

    • I’m actually surprised a lot of people run Fischl with her. Have you had any issues with overloaded proc’s sending enemies too far away? Typically they just die instantly, but sometimes it occurs in Abyss

  3. Hi, I’m planning to run Hu Tao, Xinqiu, and Albedo. I’m not sure who to use for the last spot because I got a lot of mixed responses. I was thinking of a healer or shield or someone with pyro resonance because I like having elemental resonance in my team, so I was initially going for Bennett, but some Hu Tao mains said he heals too much. Then other Hu Tao mains said to use Diona for her shield, but then there wouldn’t be elemental resonance. I do have the Favonius warble for her though. Right now, I’m considering C0 Xinyan, C0, Xiangling, C0 Noelle, C0 Ningguang, C0 Diona, C0 Ningguang, and I could buy Bennett from the shop, but I don’t have the Favonius Sword for him. Please give me advice lol

    • So the whole idea is to keep her health low, but not incredibly low (especially if you’re not confident in dodging) to get the ATK buff.

      You have options — a strong shield is always a great alternative to healing, but if you’re looking for Pyro resonance I recommend building your Xinyan then. While her shield isn’t that great in scaling, it’ll still get the job done (or at least prevent one giant oneshot attack). Otherwise, run Diona (or last resort Bennett)