Introduce
Hu Tao (Chinese: 胡桃 Hú Táo) is a playable Pyro character in the popular action role-playing game Genshin Impact. She made her debut in the game on March 2, 2021, and has quickly become a fan favorite. She makes her debut as a playable character in Version 1.3 of the game. Hu Tao is known for her unique personality, powerful Pyro abilities, and her position as the 77th Director of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor in Liyue Harbor.
Gender: Female
Hair Color: Brown hair
Eye Color: Red
Element: Pyro Pyro
Birthday: July 15th
Weapon: Polearm
Background
According to her official character lore, Hu Tao comes from the Hu Family, a renowned clan in Liyue known for their skills in funeral rites. She has inherited the responsibility of taking care of the souls of the departed and ensuring their peaceful rest. However, Hu Tao’s true aspiration is to live a thrilling and adventurous life, considering herself as Liyue’s “Versemonger of the Darkest Alleys.”
Personality and Lore
Hu Tao’s antics and eccentricity make her one of the most memorable characters in Genshin Impact. Despite being the director of a funeral parlor, Hu Tao has a fascination with all things morbid and macabre. Her cheerful and playful demeanor often catches others off guard, as they expect a somber and serious individual in her position.
Appearance and Personality
Hu Tao is a petite girl with vibrant flaming hair that represents her affinity for Pyro, one of the seven elements in the world of Teyvat. She dresses in traditional Chinese garments with intricate designs and wears a hat adorned with bells. Hu Tao’s flaming hair and playful expression perfectly capture her mischievous and unpredictable nature.
Hu Tao is known for her unique sense of humor and often uses sarcasm and dark jokes in her conversations. She is spontaneous and loves to tease and prank others, especially her friends and colleagues. Despite her eccentric behavior, Hu Tao deeply cares for the people of Liyue and possesses a strong sense of duty in her role as the Director of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
Abilities and Talents
As a Pyro character, Hu Tao wields a polearm and utilizes fire-based attacks. Her abilities and talents make her a formidable DPS option for players. Here are some key aspects of Hu Tao’s abilities:
1. Elemental Skill – Guide to Afterlife: Hu Tao consumes a portion of her HP to enter the Paramita Papilio state, which increases her attack based on her maximum HP. During this state, her attacks convert to Pyro damage, which cannot be overridden by other elemental effects. Additionally, Hu Tao’s HP constantly decreases while in this state, but she gains increased resistance to interruption and a boost to her critical rate.
2. Elemental Burst – Spirit Soother: Hu Tao summons the Paramita Papilio spectral form that deals Pyro damage to surrounding enemies and imbues Hu Tao with vitality, restoring her HP based on the number of enemies hit. This ability also provides an ATK bonus to Hu Tao based on her max HP for a certain duration.
3. 1st Ascension Passive Talent – Crimson Bouquet: When Hu Tao’s HP drops below or is equal to 50%, she has a chance to trigger the Crimson Bouquet effect, which automatically activates Guide to Afterlife without consuming HP and heals Hu Tao for a certain percentage of her max HP.
4. 4th Ascension Passive Talent – Survival Instinct: When Hu Tao’s HP is less than or equal to 25%, she receives an increased Pyro damage bonus and her resistance to interruption is greatly increased.
Builds
Weapons:
1. Staff of Homa: This 5-star polearm weapon is the ultimate choice for Hu Tao, as it enhances her critical damage and provides an ATK bonus based on her max HP. It complements her playstyle and boosts her damage potential significantly.
2. Deathmatch: A 4-star polearm weapon that grants an ATK bonus and increases Hu Tao’s crit rate. It’s a solid alternative if you don’t have the Staff of Homa.
Artifacts:
The optimal artifact set for Hu Tao is the Crimson Witch of Flames. This 4-piece set provides several bonuses that enhance Hu Tao’s Pyro damage and elemental reactions:
– 2-piece bonus: Increases Pyro damage by 15%.
– 4-piece bonus: Upon using an Elemental Skill, the 2-piece set bonus is increased by 50% for 10 seconds. This effect can stack up to three times.
Other viable artifact options include the Pale Flame set and the Gladiator’s Finale set, which increase Hu Tao’s overall damage output.
Materials
1. Agnidus Agate Gemstone: Hu Tao’s ascension requires Agnidus Agate Gemstones. These can be obtained by defeating Pyro Regisvines.
2. Juvenile Jade: Juvenile Jade is required for Hu Tao’s ascension. It can be obtained by mining in Liyue and also as a reward from chests.
3. Silk Flower: Silk Flower is another material required for Hu Tao’s ascension. It can be found in the wild in Liyue and is also obtainable from the Souvenir Shop in Liyue Harbor.
4. Whopperflower Nectar: Whopperflower Nectar is a common ascension material needed for Hu Tao. It can be obtained by defeating Whopperflowers.
Talent Materials
1. Teachings of Diligence: These books are needed for Hu Tao’s talent upgrades. Teachings of Diligence can be obtained from the Taishan Mansion Domain in Liyue.
Cultural References
Hu Tao’s character design and abilities draw inspiration from various Chinese folklore and mythology surrounding spirits, ghosts, and life after death. Her role as the Director of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor also reflects the Chinese tradition of honoring the departed and conducting funeral rites.
