The best builds for Thoma in Genshin Impact

Genshin Impact Thoma
(Image credit: miHoYo)

Want to find the best Genshin Impact Thoma build? This four-star Pyro polearm-user first appeared back in version 2.0, helping us plot alongside Ayaka against the Raiden Shogun and her vision hunt decree. Since then, he's been a frequent face in quests, and even introduced us to his strange and potentially dangerous 'hot pot game'. Now, the manservant of the Kamisato clan is set to arrive as a playable character.

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Thoma is one of the featured four-stars on the rerun of Hu Tao's banner — a lucky day if you like Pyro polearm-users. But Thoma isn't what you'd call a typical Pyro character, and his skills focus more around defence and using his Blazing Barriers to protect your party. He can summon these stackable shields using both his elemental skill and burst.

If you haven't yet, this Labyrinth Warriors guide can help you unlock the roguelike dungeon-crawling event, so you can grab the rewards before it ends. There's also info about upcoming characters Gorou and Arataki Itto in these guides. That said, let's take a look at the best Genshin Impact Thoma build, shall we?

Builds

The best Genshin Impact Thoma build

Thoma is a little like a Pyro version of Xingqiu — he has an elemental skill that protects characters, and a burst that follows up regular attacks with elemental ones. If you want Thoma to deal damage, his burst is the best thing to strengthen, along with energy recharge, so he can use it more:

Burst DPS

  • Weapon: Engulfing Lightning

The Raiden Shogun's five-star polearm is a decent pick for a burst-focused Thoma, since it provides increased energy recharge. The weapon also boosts attack by 28% of energy recharge over the base 100%, as well as gaining 30% increased energy recharge after using a burst.

But Engulfing Lightning isn't available on any weapon banners at the moment. A good alternative would be the Skyward Spine if you have it, or The Catch, a four-star polearm you can purchase from Inazuma's fishing association that increases burst damage by 16% and burst crit rate by 6%. 

  • Artifacts: (4) Emblem of Severed Fate 

These artifacts are the natural pairing for Engulfing Lightning, since a two-piece set increases energy recharge by 20%, while a four-piece boosts burst damage by 25% of your overall energy recharge, with a max boost of 75% available.

If you don't have a full set of Emblem of Severed Fate, then an alternative is two-pieces of Noblesse Oblige for the 20% burst damage boost, and two-pieces of Crimson Witch of Flames for the 15% Pyro damage increase, which will both strengthen Thoma's burst.

How to unlock

(Image credit: miHoYo)

How to get Thoma in Genshin Impact

By the time you're reading this, the rerun of Hu Tao's banner, Moment of Bloom, is most likely already out, as it releases on November 2. Since he's not a five-star, Thoma doesn't have his own banner, but he is one of the featured four-stars available on this one, alongside Cryo archer, Diona, and Anemo claymore-user, Sayu. This banner is available for around three weeks, taking us to the end of version 2.2.

Abilities

Thoma's abilities 

Here are Thoma's abilities, passives, and Constellations: 

Swipe to scroll horizontally
Normal Attack: Swiftshatter Spear
Normal:Performs up to four consecutive spear strikes.
Charged:Consumes a certain amount of Stamina to lunge forward, dealing damage to opponents along the way.
Plunging:Plunges from mid-air to strike the ground below, damaging opponents along the path and dealing AoE damage upon impact.
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Elemental Skill
Blazing Blessing:Thoma uses the tip of his spear as a pivot to channel flames and perform a kick that deals AoE Pyro damage and unleashes a defensive Blazing Barrier. At the moment it is unleashed, the Elemental Burst will apply Pyro to Thoma. The damage absorption of the Barrier is based on Thoma's max HP.
Blazing Barrier:Absorbs Pyro damage 250% more effectively. The remaining damage absorption of an existing Blazing Barrier will stack and its duration will be refreshed if another Blazing Barrier is obtained during this time. The maximum damage absorption of the Barrier will not exceed a certain percentage of Thoma's max HP.
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Elemental Burst
Crimson Ooyoroi:Thoma spins his spear, slicing through his foes with roaring fires that deal AoE Pyro damage and weave themselves into a Scorching Ooyoroi.
Scorching Ooyoroi:The Normal Attacks of active characters affected by the Scorching Ooyoroi will trigger Fiery Collapses that deal AoE Pyro damage and summon Blazing Barriers.
Row 2 - Cell 0 One Fiery Collapse can be triggered every 1 second. The Blazing Barriers created this way are identical to those created by Thoma's Elemental Skill, Blazing Blessing, except in the amount of damage they can absorb. If Thoma falls, the effects of Scorching Ooyoroi will dissipate.
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Passives
Free Fishing:Successful fishing attempts in Inazuma have a 20% chance of scoring a double catch.
Imbricated Armor:When obtaining or refreshing a Blazing Barrier, the current active character's Shield Strength will increase by 5% for 6 seconds. This effect can only be triggered once every 0.3 seconds. Max 5 stacks.
Flaming Assault:The damage dealt by Crimson Ooyoroi's Fiery Collapses are increased by 2.2% of Thoma's max HP.
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Constellations
A Comrade's Duty:When a Blazing Barrier takes damage for any character other than Thoma, Thoma’s own Blazing Blessing cooldown is decreased by 3 seconds, while his own Crimson Ooyoroi’s cooldown is decreased by 3 seconds. This effect can be triggered once every 20 seconds.
Shrewd Staff:Crimson Ooyoroi’s duration increases by 3 seconds.
Fortified Resolve:Increases the level of Blazing Blessing by 3. Maximum upgrade level is 15.
Long-Term Planning:When a Fiery Collapse from Crimson Ooyoroi hits an opponent, Thoma will restore 1 Energy. This effect can occur once every 0.3 seconds.
Raging Wildfire:Increases the level of Crimson Ooyoroi by 3. Maximum upgrade level is 15.
Burning Heart:When a Blazing Barrier is obtained or stacked, the damage dealt by the Normal, Charged, and Plunging Attacks of all party members is increased by 15% for 6 seconds.

Ascension materials

(Image credit: miHoYo)

Thoma's Ascension materials 

Character

These are the items you'll need to level up Thoma. The Smoldering Pearl and Agnidus Agate items are drops from Pyro Hypostases, though the latter can also be looted from Pyro Regisvines. Besides those, you'll also need the following items:

  • Fluorescent Fungus
  • Treasure Hoarder/Silver Raven/Golden Raven Insignia

You can find Fluorescent Fungus dotted around Tsurumi Island. The Insignias drop from Treasure Hoarder enemies which you can find in numerous locations across Inazuma.

Talents

These are the items you'll need to ascend Thoma's talents:

  • Teachings of Transience
  • Treasure Hoarder/Silver Raven/Golden Raven Insignia
  • Hellfire Butterfly
  • Crown of Insight

The Teachings of Transience, and its variations, drop from the Violet Court domain on Mondays, Thursdays, and Sundays, while the Insignias are dropped from Treasure Hoarder enemies, as mentioned above.

The Crown of Insight is a reward for various seasonal activities, such as Labyrinth Warriors. You can also obtain it by upgrading the Frostbearing Tree in Dragonspine or the Sacred Sakura in Inazuma. Lastly, the Hellfire Butterfly is a potential reward for the La Signora weekly boss at level 70 and above.

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Sarah James
Guides Writer

Sarah started as a freelance writer in 2018, writing for PCGamesN, TechRadar, GamingBible, Red Bull Gaming and more. In 2021, she was offered a full-time position on the PC Gamer team where she takes every possible opportunity to talk about World of Warcraft and Elden Ring. When not writing guides, most of her spare time is spent in Azeroth—though she's quite partial to JRPGs too. One of her fondest hopes is to one day play through the ending of Final Fantasy X without breaking down into a sobbing heap. She probably has more wolves in Valheim than you.