Genshin Impact Thoma guide: Best build, weapons, artifacts, tips and more

Since its launch a couple of weeks ago, Genshin’s 2.2 update “Into the Perilous Labyrinth of Fog” brought many new features to the game such as the debut of Tsurumi Island, four new weapons powered by the moonlight, and more monsters to battle against within Inazuma.

With its Phase II, players will have the chance to spend their Primogems and welcome a new long-awaited character from the Nation of Eternity.

So with that said, it’s time to introduce the always trustworthy “Protector from Afar”, Thoma.

Thoma - Backstory and origins

For those who have travelled to Inazuma, Thoma will be quite a familiar face as he’s one of the first people you will have the chance to meet, once you arrive at Ritou Harbor.

Thoma is known for being someone you can rely on at any point, as his influence due to his connections with the Yashiro Commission can be really handy, whenever you want to get out of trouble if the Shogun’s army is involved.

Although his influence around Inazuma seems to be quite high, his role in the Kamisato Clan is that of a “housekeeper”. He’s responsible for matters such as cleaning and cooking, so Thoma will always find something to do within the Kamisato Estate.

Funny enough, Thoma never planned to stay as a butler for the Yashiro Commission, but even with this, he has taken some affection to his role as it boosts his sense of achievement, as well as serving as support for Kamisato Ayaka in matters more difficult to resolve, such as facing the Shogun’s decree.

Thoma - Talents

His normal attack, Swiftshatter Spear, allows him to perform up to four consecutive strikes. With his charged attack, he can consume some Stamina to lunge forward, dealing damage to all enemies along the way.

With his elemental skill, Blazing Blessing, Thoma will vault forward with his polearm and deliver a flame-filled kick that deals Pyro DMG, while also summoning a defensive Blazing Barrier applying Pyro to himself.

Thanks to this barrier, Thoma will absorb DMG based on his Max HP, decreasing the impact of enemy Pyro attacks by 250%. This barrier can also be stacked if you manage to summon it again before it wears down.

With his Elemental Burst, Crimson Ooyoroi, Thoma will spin his polearm to slice his foes with roaring flames, dealing Pyro DMG and weaving them into a Scorching Ooyoroi.

While Scorching Ooyoroi is in effect, the active character’s Normal Attacks will trigger a Fiery Collapse, dealing more Pyro DMG and summoning a Blazing Barrier. The effects of Scorching Ooyoroi will remain active until these wear down, or until Thoma falls.

Thoma - Best weapons

Staff of Homa

Among the most recommended weapons, you should try to use the Staff of Homa, a 5-star polearm that can only be obtained through gacha, and it’s mostly known for being the main weapon for Hu Tao.

This polearm will increase Thoma’s HP by 20/25/30/35/40%, while also providing an ATK Bonus based on 0.8/1/1.2/1.4/1.6% of the wielder's Max HP. When the wielder's HP is less than 50%, this ATK bonus is increased by an additional 1/1.2/1.4/1.6/1.8% of Max HP, becoming an excellent option for all of his abilities.

Engulfing Lightning

If you want to focus on spamming his skills and shields, this weapon known for being the signature option for the Raiden Shogun will be the best one to choose.

The Engulfing Lightning polearm comes with a special passive called Timeless Dream: Eternal Stove, which increases ATK by 28/35/42/49/56% of your Energy Recharge over the base 100%, up to a maximum bonus of 80/90/100/110/120% ATK. It also grants an extra 30/35/40/45/50% Energy Recharge for 12 seconds after using an Elemental Burst.

“The Catch”

Moving on to the best 4-star weapon, we will find one of the latest introductions into the game available as a free reward, as part of the items available in the Inazuma Fishing Association, in exchange for the fish you collect with the new Fishing System.

“The Catch” is a polearm that almost resembles a trident. Its Shanty skill can increase your Elemental Burst DMG by 16%, and your Elemental Burst CRIT Rate by 6%.

Black Tassel

Last but not least, we will also suggest this 3-star powerful polearm, which also offers a simple but elegant buff thanks to its great HP bonus, that increases your HP by 10.2% - 46.9% based on its level.

It also comes with the Bane of the Soft effect, which increases DMG against slimes by 40%.

Thoma - Best artifacts and stats

Emblem of Severed Fate

Following the trend of his abilities spam, we will recommend one of the latest introductions in the 2.0 update, the Emblem of Severed Fate set, as his main option for his artifacts.

With two pieces, it will increase your Energy Recharge by 20%, while if you manage to equip four artifacts of this set, it will also increase Elemental Burst DMG by 25% of Energy Recharge, up to a maximum of 75% bonus DMG.

In case you don’t have all pieces of this set, or you may want to combine it with another set, we suggest using Tenacity of the Millelith pieces for a 20% HP Bonus, the Noblesse Oblige set for a 20% Elemental Burst DMG Bonus, or Crimson Witch of Flames artifacts for a 10% Pyro DMG Bonus.

Artifact Stats

As for the statistics, these will be focused on increasing his critical attack chance and damage, as well as his HP stats to power up his skills and Energy Recharge to use all of his abilities faster, and take advantage of them on the battlefield:

Main Stats:

• ATK
• HP
• Energy Recharge
• CRIT

Sub Stats:

• CRIT Rate
• CRIT DMG
• ATK%
• HP%
• Energy Recharge
• Pyro DMG Bonus

Recommended team composition and release date

Due to his nature as a shield creator and his Pyro powering buffs, Thoma's role will be more inclined to serve as a support, however, thanks to his elemental affinity, the “Protector From Afar” can be of great benefit when trying to create powerful reactions, against many enemies around you.

To complement his playstyle, you can choose between the following characters based on what suits you best for the battle:

• At first, we’ll recommend taking with you a good DPS character either with Electro or Cryo affinity, as these will be able to create Overload and Melt reactions. Our picks go for Kujou Sara, and Kamisato Ayaka.
• As for the second slot, we’ll go for a Hydro character as these come in very handy due to the Vaporize reactions they can create. Here your options are more limited, so choose either Tartaglia, Sangonomiya Kokomi, and in the worst case, Barbara.
• For the third slot, we suggest going for a Pyro character, as these benefit from stronger elemental attacks, thanks to the buffs Thoma can grant. In this case, you can pick between Diluc, Hu Tao, Yoimiya or Xiangling.

And that’s all we gotta share with you about Thoma. Remember, he will only be available from 3rd to 24th November in the banner “Moment of Bloom”, along with Hu Tao’s long-awaited re-run, so try to save as many Primogems as you can.

• Read more: Genshin Impact: Thoma's character ascension materials and where to find them

In the meantime, don't forget to check our dedicated Genshin Impact section, where you can find all the news, guides, and previews you desire, as well as our Genshin Impact Twitter account.

Featured image courtesy of miHoYo.