Thoma is a 4-star Pyro Polearm support character in Genshin Impact. He may not be the most memorable character, he can still make for a fantastic shielder, Burgeon trigger, and housewife. Here are the best weapons, artifacts, and teams to make Thoma shine!
Playstyles
Thoma is a support character who provides shielding and Pyro application. He can generate a shield with both his Skill and Burst, but his Burst is what you should focus on. During his Burst, using Normal Attacks with your on-field character creates new shields, and the durability of each shield can stack. This means that in order to maximize his shielding utility, you should use Thoma’s Skill, then Burst, then swap to your on-field DPS and spam Normal Attacks.
Using Normal Attacks during Thoma’s Burst state also deals Pyro damage in an area in front of you. The damage itself is pretty minimal, but he is capable of a Pyro hit every second or so. This can be either good or bad depending on his team.
Thoma’s builds can focus on his utility as a shielder or as a Burgeon trigger. His shields are generally strong enough either way. You should choose your build based on whether you want to use Thoma as a Burgeon trigger or pure support.
Weapons
Favonius Lance
Favonius Lance works great for both Burgeon and pure support builds. It gives Thoma plenty of Energy Recharge and allows him to generate more particles when he scores a CRIT. Consider equipping a CRIT Rate circlet if using Favonius Lance.
Kitain Cross Spear / Dragon’s Bane / Moonpiercer
These are options for Burgeon Thoma. Kitain Cross Spear generates some Energy for Thoma, but you should adjust your combo to use your Burst before your Skill when using this weapon. Dragon’s Bane and Moonpiercer provide some useful Elemental Mastery.
Prototype Starglitter / Black Tassel / Rightful Reward
These are options for pure support Thoma. Engulfing Lightning, Skyward Spine, and The Catch are also viable if you need Energy Recharge, but there are other characters who make better use of these weapons. Prototype Starglitter helps with Thoma’s Energy Recharge, while Black Tassel and Rightful Reward make for stronger shields.
Artifacts
4pc Flowers of Paradise Lost / 4pc Gilded Dreams
These sets are great for Burgeon Thoma. They perform pretty similarly in most situations, so farm whichever domain makes more sense for your account.
2pc combos
For a pure support build, you can mix and match artifact sets that give you useful stats. These include HP and Energy Recharge. Shield Strength does not work, since it only strengthens shields equipped by the character, not those created by the character.
Artifact Stats
Sands | Goblet | Circlet |
Energy Recharge Elemental Mastery HP | Elemental Mastery HP | Elemental Mastery HP CRIT Rate (if Favonius) |
Thoma can require upwards of 190% Energy Recharge. Prior to Constellation 4, his Energy needs are much higher, making him nearly unusable without Kitain Cross Spear or another Pyro character in your team. His Energy needs can vary quite a lot depending on his team, so it may take some experimentation to find what works for you.
Substats should focus on Energy Recharge, Elemental Mastery (for Burgeon builds), and HP (for pure support builds).
If you’re building Burgeon Thoma but find that his shields break too easily, try switching one of your artifacts to an HP main stat. It will result in less Burgeon damage, but you might prefer the comfort of stronger shields.
Teams
Burgeon
As a Burgeon trigger, Thoma should be paired with Hydro and Dendro teammates to form a three-element core. As long as you have enough Hydro to prevent Burning and enough Dendro to produce enough Dendro Cores, you should be fine. Thoma’s Burgeon teams are much easier to play than with other Pyro triggers. Your last character slot can be another Hydro/Dendro teammate or anyone who doesn’t interfere too much with reactions. It can be good to have a healer in these teams since, if Thoma is built with full EM, there may be a few attacks that get past his shields. Here are just a few ideas to try out:
- Thoma – Ayato/Childe/Kokomi – Nahida/Dendro Traveler – flex
- Thoma – Baizhu/Nahida – Xingqiu/Yelan – flex
Pure Support
As a pure support, Thoma can be paired with any on-field DPS who does not mind a bit of extra Pyro. This generally means Vaporize teams with plenty of Hydro, Melt teams with plenty of Pyro, or mono Pyro teams where everything is always on fire. Some examples include:
- Thoma – Hu Tao/Yoimiya – Xingqiu – Yelan
- Thoma – Yoimiya – Kazuha/Yun Jin – Bennett/Zhongli
- Thoma – Wanderer/Xiao – Faruzan – Bennett
- Thoma – Wriothesley – Xiangling/Kazuha – Bennett
Published: Oct 25, 2023 07:35 am