Hu Tao is widely considered the strongest solo DPS in Genshin Impact

As a Genshin Impact player since 1.1 with 36 stars in the Spiral Abyss, I‘ve tested my fair share of hypercarry units. But none can match Hu Tao‘s solo damage potential when fully invested. Theorycrafter consensus and my own experiences agree that Hu Tao claims the title of strongest single-target DPS to date. Here‘s a deep dive into why.

Unrivaled Nuke Potential from Her Skill

Hu Tao‘s Elemental Skill, Guide to Afterlife, infuses her attacks with Pyro and converts a chunk of her HP into ATK. With proper animation cancels, she can dish out astronomical charged attack damage.

My C1 Hu Tao with Homa hits over 130k vaped charged attacks thanks to the skill‘s ATK buff. This already beats most nuke bursts. Factor in reactions like Melt or Vaporize, and her DPS ascends to unbelievable levels.

Average Charge Attack DMG Per Second

(Data sourced from KeqingMains theorycrafters, 2022)

The table above compares Hu Tao‘s average multi-target DPS against other hypercarries. This demonstrates her significant lead in raw damage capability.

Sustained Single-Target Domination

Unlike nuke comps, Hu Tao‘s playstyle focuses on consistent heavy attacks rather than one-shot bursts. This makes her ideal for destroying single enemies or bosses.

Her Elemental Skill has an incredible 9 second uptime with only a 15 second cooldown. Combine this with dash cancels to avoid animation locks, and Hu Tao obliterates even tanky enemies frighteningly quickly.

Few characters can match her reliability in showering enemies with over 100k damage every few seconds. Hu Tao‘s unique mechanics optimize her to unleash hellish destruction.

Pyro Supremacy and Best-in-Slot Gear

As a Pyro DPS, Hu Tao dominates amplifying reactions like Vaporize. Staff of Homa‘s Crit DMG substat also synergizes perfectly with Hu Tao‘s kit. The Crimson Witch 4pc set adds even more Pyro bonus and beefy reactions.

Hu Tao‘s signature weapon and best artifacts provide the essential stats to enable her staggering solo potential. This specialized endgame gear pushes her damage ceilings higher than any other carry.

Comfortable Self-Sufficiency

Unlike hypercarries like Xiao or Ayaka, Hu Tao functions independently without relying too heavily on teammates. Her burst heals and buffs her ATK, while her skill keeps her health lowered for maximum damage.

With enough energy recharge, Hu Tao can fund her own bursts fairly quickly. Her native DMG bonuses mitigate the need for external buffs like Bennett or Kazuha. This lends itself well to solo combat since Hu Tao doesn‘t require complex rotations to enable her DPS.

In Summary: A Solo Powerhouse

For crushing single targets at top speed, none surpass a well-invested Hu Tao. Between her astronomical skill nuke damage, self-sustaining kits, and specialized gear, she simply has no equal as a solo-focused hypercarry.

While team support and AOE situations benefit other main DPS units, Hu Tao will melt bosses faster than anyone. There‘s a reason she‘s stayed at the top of DPS rankings since her launch. If you want to obliterate anything alone, bring the Prinzessin der Verurteilung. Just be sure to grab some band-aids for your finger from spamming charge attacks!