If you’re a Genshin Impact player who loves high-damage pyro carries, you’ve probably wondered how to get Hu Tao in Genshin Impact at least once. This spooky, funeral-parlor-running polearm user is consistently ranked as one of the top DPS units in the game, able to melt through bosses and abyss floors faster than almost any other 5-star character. I’ve mained Hu Tao since her second rerun, and I’ve helped three of my friends secure their own copies without spending hundreds of dollars, so I know exactly what works and what doesn’t when you’re chasing her. This guide breaks down everything you need to know to maximize your odds of adding her to your roster.
How to Get Hu Tao in Genshin Impact: Core Wishing Rules
First, it’s critical to understand that Hu Tao is not available on the permanent Standard Wanderlust Invocation banner at any time, no matter how many pulls you do on that banner. You can only get Hu Tao when she is featured as the rate-up 5-star character on a limited-time event wish banner. These banners run for 3 weeks at a time, and miHoYo typically reruns popular characters every 6 to 12 months, depending on community demand and event schedules.
When you pull on her featured banner, you’re playing by the standard limited banner pity rules:
How to Prepare for Hu Tao’s Banner Rerun In Advance
Most players miss out on Hu Tao not because of bad luck, but because they don’t have enough fates saved when her banner drops. You don’t need to spend real money to get her, but you do need to plan ahead, especially if you don’t have a guaranteed pity built up already.
If you have no pity built up and no guarantee, you’ll need a maximum of 180 intertwined fates to get a guaranteed Hu Tao. That equals 28,800 primogems, which might sound like a lot, but you can farm that easily in 2 to 3 months of casual play if you focus on the right activities. I saved up 190 fates for her last rerun just by doing daily commissions, spiral abyss runs, and event rewards, no spending required.
To maximize your savings before her banner drops, cut back on pulling on banners for characters you don’t absolutely need. It can be tempting to pull for a fun 4-star on another banner, but even 10 extra pulls can be the difference between getting Hu Tao and missing her by a few fates. You can also track your pity count in your wish history to know exactly how many pulls you are away from your next 5-star, so there’s no guesswork when her banner goes live.
Common Mistakes That Cost Players Hu Tao
After watching dozens of my Genshin Impact community friends pull for Hu Tao over the years, I’ve noticed the same small mistakes pop up again and again that cause players to miss out on her. Most of these are totally avoidable if you know what to watch for.
One of the most common mistakes is pulling on the wrong banner by accident. When Hu Tao’s banner runs, there’s always another limited banner running at the same time with a different featured 5-star. If you click the wrong banner and start pulling, you could waste your pity on a character you didn’t want, and lose your shot at Hu Tao before you even realize what happened. Always double check you’re on the correct banner before you hit that 10-pull button.
Another common mistake is pulling right as the banner goes live because you heard about “lucky pull times” from social media. There’s no evidence that certain times of day give you better odds of getting 5-star characters, so don’t feel pressured to pull as soon as the banner drops if you’re busy. You have 3 full weeks to pull on Hu Tao’s banner, so take your time and make sure you’re pulling on the correct one.
Another mistake is assuming you need constellations to make Hu Tao good. Her C0 is already one of the strongest DPS units in the game, so you don’t need to keep pulling after you get your first copy unless you specifically want her constellations. I’ve seen players burn all their saved fates trying to get C1 Hu Tao, then end up missing out on other characters they wanted later, when their C0 Hu Tao was already more than enough to clear all content in the game.
You also don’t need to spend money on primogems if you don’t want to. While welkin moon and battle pass do speed up primogem earnings, you can easily get enough fates for a guaranteed Hu Tao just by playing the game for free, as long as you plan ahead. I’ve gotten three copies of Hu Tao across my main and two alt accounts without spending a single cent, so it’s totally doable for free-to-play players.
What to Do After You Get Hu Tao
Once you finally get Hu Tao, you’ll want to set her up correctly so you can take full advantage of her insane damage potential right away. You don’t need perfect artifacts to make her work, but a few small tweaks will make her feel much stronger out of the box.
First, level her up to 90 as soon as possible. A huge portion of her damage comes from her HP scaling, so the extra HP you get from level 90 makes a massive difference in her output. Prioritize leveling her elemental burst and elemental skill first, before you level her normal attack, since almost all of her damage comes from her skill and burst combos, not her basic normal attacks.
For artifacts, the 4-piece Crimson Witch of Flames set is her best in slot, but you can use 2-piece Crimson Witch plus 2-piece Tenacity of the Millelith as a great placeholder while you farm for better pieces. For weapons, her signature Staff of Homa is obviously the best option, but free-to-play options like the Dragon’s Bane 4-star polearm work almost as well if you build her correctly.
Don’t forget to pair her with supports that boost her damage too. Xingqiu is her best support by far, as his hydro burst lets Hu Tao consistently trigger vaporize, which doubles her pyro damage. You can add Zhongli for shield support so you don’t have to worry about her dying when she’s at low HP, or Yelan for extra hydro application and damage buffs if you have her.
At the end of the day, learning how to get Hu Tao in Genshin Impact is mostly about planning ahead, saving your fates, and avoiding silly mistakes when her banner is live. She’s one of the most fun and powerful characters in the game, so putting in the work to save for her is 100% worth it. I still use my Hu Tao every single day for spiral abyss, weekly bosses, and even casual open world exploration, and she’s never let me down. If you follow the tips in this guide, you’ll be running around Liyue with your very own Hu Tao before you know it.