 Thoma |  Pyro |  Polearm |  Inazuma |
Guides | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Player Mistakes | |||
There are various regions in Genshin Impact, each having its own types of puzzles, enemies, and style. By version 3.0, four different regions are available, namely Mondstadt, Liyue, Inazuma, and Sumeru. Characters in Genshin Impact would take the identity of a region. For example, Thoma is originally a Mondstadt citizen, but he’s introduced as an Inazuma character as he’s currently serving the Kamisato Clan.
Among the available 4-star characters, Inazuma ones are deemed some of the most underwhelming, and that sadly includes Thoma. This is caused mostly by their impracticality, as playing Thoma can easily lead to these mistakes.
7 Not Knowing How Thoma’s Shield Works
Thoma is primarily used as a shielder in Genshin Impact. However, unlike other supports like Zhongli and Noelle, Thoma has a rather awkward shield mechanic. When the Housekeeper uses his Elemental Skill, a shield will be formed, scaling with Thoma’s HP. On the talent description, the strength of this shield is written as Shield DMG Absorption. However, there’s another multiplier called Max Shield DMG Absorption. To reach the maximum shield, players have to use Thoma’s Elemental Burst.
After casting Thoma’s ultimate, his shield will deal Pyro DMG every 1s (if the active character uses Normal Attack). Along with this Pyro hit, Thoma’s shield will keep gaining Shield DMG Absorption. It’ll take around ten Pyro hits for the shield to reach its maximum limit. Shortly, Thoma’s Elemental Burst should be utilized to strengthen the shield provided by his Elemental Skill, but it’s too weak to hold on its own.
6 Not Having Enough Energy Recharge
Because Thoma’s shield mechanic highly relies on his Elemental Burst in Genshin Impact, it’s extremely crucial for players to ensure the Housekeeper has enough Energy Recharge to keep his ultimate going. Thoma’s Burst is highly demanding with 80 Energy costs, yet his Skill is poor at generating Energy.
Therefore, having plenty of Energy Recharge is a necessity for Thoma. The easiest way to fulfill his Energy Recharge requirement is by using weapons with an Energy Recharge sub-stat or using an artifact that grants this stat.
5 Using Thoma At Zero Constellation
Thoma is rather underwhelming with no Genshin Impact Constellation. His C1 and C2 can turn him into a 100% uptime shielder, while C4 greatly reduces his Energy demands.
Thoma’s first Constellation reduces the cooldown of his Skill and Burst by 3s if the teammates get attacked while protected by Thoma’s shield. The Housekeeper’s C2 extends the Skill’s duration from 8s to 11s. When combined with the cooldown reduction provided by C1, this means players can have an 11s shield with only a 12s cooldown, making Thoma one of the few shielders that can provide 100% shield uptime. Lastly, the fourth Genshin Impact Constellation allows players to play Thoma with less Energy Recharge, as it cuts his Energy requirement from 80 to 65.
4 Ignoring Thoma’s Pyro Application
Thoma will deal Pyro DMG every 1s when his Elemental Burst is active. This means he’ll periodically apply Pyro on the enemy, possibly ruining some Elemental Reactions in Genshin Impact. Luckily, with the typical Internal Cooldown law, Thoma will not be messing up most of the available Elemental Reactions, but it will still happen from time to time.
Therefore, if players are relying on a Reaction comp, Thoma’s Pyro application should be considered in the planning. For instance, Thoma allows Hu Tao to be played with Kazuha, but Thoma may also ruin Hu Tao + Xingqiu’s Vaporize synergy.
3 Using Thoma’s Normal Attack
Thoma has the ability to buff Normal, Charged, and Plunging Attacks by 15% after his final Constellation is unlocked, but this bonus should be utilized for other teammates rather than Thoma himself. His Normal Attack multiplier is too mediocre to be viable, especially when compared to DPS-worthy units like Xiao, Hu Tao, or even Rosaria.
Thoma is better built as a dedicated shielder, the role he performs best in (albeit he’s also overshadowed by other Genshin Impact supports like Zhongli and Diona).
2 Building Thoma To Deal Damage
Not only his Normal Attack, but building Thoma to deal damage, in general, is frowned upon. As a sub-DPS, Thoma can only deal damage when he casts his Skill, and when the DoT generated by his Elemental Burst hits enemies. Both instances are too weak to be viable, even on a dedicated damage build.
It’s not worth having weaker shields in exchange for minuscule damage, so it’s best if players stick to stats that enhance his defensive side instead of forcing him to be an offensive unit.
1 Using The Wrong Artifact Set
As Thoma desperately needs Energy Recharge, players should consider using 2-Emblem of Severed Fate for him. Meanwhile, the 4-piece version won’t be necessary as Thoma is poor at damage dealing. Instead, for the second set-effect, players should opt for the 2-Tenacity of the Millelith. Tenacity of the Millelith enhances Thoma’s HP by 20%, which means players will have a stronger shield.
For the artifact main stat, players can either use triple HP (HP/HP/HP) or Energy Recharge (ER/HP/HP) on Timepiece. If players have C4 Thoma and are using a Genshin Impact Polearm with Energy Recharge sub-stat, triple HP is far more recommended.
Genshin Impact is now available on Mobile, PC, PS4, and PS5. A Switch version is in development.
