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One of Thoma’s most common builds. The most important thing to note about this playstyle is that Thoma is not a set-it-and-forget-it shield like other shielders in the game. You will need to NA to keep his shield up.
WEAPONS
WEAPONS
Favonius Lance
Favonius Lance
The closest weapon to a Sacrificial Lance. Provides extra particles to help with Thoma’s ER requirements while also providing some Energy for the team. Comes with the cost of needing to build some CRIT Rate on Thoma. Much better at higher refinements; using this weapon at R1 or R2 is not recommended, due to Fav proc rate being less reliable at these refinements.
As for how much CRIT Rate you should stack, 40-45% is a good number to shoot for. You are able to go with more CRIT Rate for comfier gameplay or less if you’re willing to weave in more NAs to proc the passive. However, as a general rule of thumb, have at least 30% CR.
Engulfing Lightning
Engulfing Lightning
An amazing ER stat stick that can turn Thoma’s ER requirements into damage as well. However, this weapon is generally not worth putting on Shield Support Thoma. It is much better utilized on a DPS.
"The Catch"
"The Catch"
The best F2P option for Thoma with an ER substat; however, the passive is wasted on him as a Shield Support. As with Engulfing Lightning, this weapon is much better suited on a DPS.
Kitain Cross Spear
Kitain Cross Spear
Another great F2P option for Shield Support Thoma, which has the capacity to lower his ER requirements; however, the EM substat is useless. As with Favonius Lance, this weapon gets much better at higher refinements but unlike Favonius, Kitain is still viable at R1.
With Kitain, you will have to change your rotation slightly to Burst before Skill with Thoma. However, if you have high ping (180ms+) you are able to Skill before you Burst (if done so immediately) due to Kitain having a delay before draining your Energy. Please note that changing your rotation may incur a risk of not collecting Thoma’s Skill particles on-field, so be aware of that when you are switching characters.
Prototype Starglitter
Prototype Starglitter
The 3rd best F2P option for Shield Support Thoma. Essentially an ER stat stick as the passive effect is useless.
Skyward Spine
Skyward Spine
The same as Prototype Starglitter but with less ER.
Black Tassel
Black Tassel
The only HP substat Polearm. Only recommended once you have enough ER on your artifacts. Theoretically, this is the best Polearm for pure Shield Strength. It is not recommended to use 4 EoSF in tandem with this weapon as this weapon has extremely low Base ATK and therefore decreases Thoma’s DMG even more, making the 4-piece EoSF effect virtually useless.
Staff of (T)homa
Staff of (T)homa
As good as this Polearm looks on him, it is much better used on a DPS. If you still would like to use this weapon on him and want a strong shield, try out Hybrid Off-Field Pyro DPS.
artifacts
artifacts
Main Stats
Main Stats
Sands: ER% or HP%
ER% or HP% Sands?
Almost always ER%. If you are able to get enough ER% with just your substats and your weapon, then you can switch to an HP% Sands. Otherwise, it is not worth it as you will not be able to get Thoma’s Burst back on cooldown.
Goblet: HP%
Circlet: HP% or CR (for Fav Lance)
Sub Stats
Sub Stats
Generally: ER% >> HP% > Flat HP
If you're using Fav Lance: ER% >> CRIT Rate% > HP% > Flat HP
Make sure to meet your ER requirements above all else.
How much HP should Shield Support Thoma have?
How much HP should Shield Support Thoma have?
As a general benchmark, 28-30k HP is a good amount; however, you may find that you need more or can get away with less. If you want to know exactly how much damage your shield can take, see this Shield Calculator by Praetor#3981.
ER Requirements
ER Requirements
Energy Recharge is something that changes drastically depending on a number of factors such as rotations, team composition, the enemies you’re fighting, etc. For a good estimate on ER for your specific needs, see this ER calculator made by Zakharov29229. Below is a baseline ER measurement for each main Constellation and weapon combination that will affect Thoma specifically. You may need more or less ER depending on numerous factors.
Constellation 0-3
Constellation 0-3
Base: 220%+
Fav: 200%+
R1 Kitain: 215%+
R5 Kitain: 195%+
Constellation 4-6
Constellation 4-6
Base: 190%+
Fav: 170%+
R1 Kitain: 185%+
R5 Kitain: 165%+
As shown above, C4 lowers ER requirements by ~25-30% across the board while each refinement of Kitain Cross Spear lowers ER requirements by ~5%. Favonius Lance is a bit harder to quantify as it is based on chance but if you can proc the passive every Skill, it can lower ER requirements by ~20%.
Fav Lance vs Kitain Cross Spear
Fav Lance vs Kitain Cross Spear
Even though Kitain has slightly lower ER requirements across the board, R3+ Favonius Lance is the better option in nearly every scenario.
Favonius Lance supports the entire team as it gives particles, not Flat Energy. Therefore, its passive is affected by your unit's ER, a stat that Thoma runs a significant amount of. Favonius Lance does, however, require building CRIT Rate (~40-45%) on Thoma and its passive is RNG dependent. Because of this, it is generally not recommended to use Favonius Lance below R3.
On the other hand, as shown above, Kitain allows you to run lower ER in general. Additionally, as a craftable weapon, it may be easier to obtain. However, Kitain may extend rotation times due to needing to Burst before Skill at low ping, and may make it harder to Swirl Pyro depending on the situation. Regardless of refinement, it’s much more reliable when compared to an R1 or R2 Fav Lance.
What if you have an R5 Fav Lance and an R5 Kitain? If so, here are some questions to ask yourself: Do you have problems with your team’s Energy as a whole? Fav Lance. Do you have a problem with Thoma’s Energy in particular? Kitain. Do you have a good support set with CRIT Rate substats? Fav Lance. Do you hate resetting the Abyss if your passive doesn’t proc? Kitain.
As mentioned before, more than anything, make sure you test your ER and see what works for your playstyle.
Artifact Sets
Artifact Sets
4 Noblesse Oblige
4 Noblesse Oblige
Universally one of the best support artifact sets in the game. The 4-piece provides a nice ATK buff for the entire team, while the 2-piece provides a little more damage for Thoma’s Fiery Collapses. Although this set will have some downtime, it is negligible as it is outside of the DPS window.
2 HP/2 EoSF
2 HP/2 EoSF
The best option for pure shield strength on Shield Support Thoma. Despite being the best set for Thoma, it is not the best set for the team as it provides no utility. HP helps strengthen Thoma’s shield while EoSF helps meet his Energy requirements.
Please keep in mind that although we are recommending 2-piece TotM here, 4-piece TotM is NOT recommended for Shield Support Thoma under any circumstance, as it only works with Skill damage, while Thoma's Fiery Collapses are from his Burst.
Additionally, 4-piece VG is essentially useless in a shield support build and should not be used.
4 Instructors
4 Instructors
Although Instructor is 3rd in the ranking for Shield Support Thoma, it is only recommended in reaction-based teams, and even then, with caveats. The 2-piece is generally inconsequential, but the 4-piece allows the entire team to receive a boost in EM. This does require Thoma to proc some Elemental Reactions, but he will likely proc some during set-up.
The one caveat with this set is that it is a 3/4-star set, which will cause Thoma’s shield to be considerably weaker and make it harder to get the ER he needs to spam his Burst on cooldown. To avoid this, it is recommended to use a 5-star ER Sands and an ER substat weapon.
4 Emblem of Severed Fates
4 Emblem of Severed Fates
As mentioned before, 2-piece EoSF is great for reaching Thoma’s high Energy Costs. The 4-piece provides some extra damage; however, this set is much better used on a damage-focused Thoma than on a shield-focused Thoma, as the extra damage on the latter is inconsequential.
2 Emblem of Severed Fates/2 Other
2 Emblem of Severed Fates/2 Other
Combining the 2-piece EoSF set with another 2-piece, or just simply using the 2-piece alone is also a viable placeholder set for Shield Support Thoma.
2 The Exile/2 Scholar
2 The Exile/2 Scholar
A pre-AR 45 set to maximize the amount of ER Thoma gets and decrease reliance on ER substats.
Talent priority
Talent priority
Elemental Skill ≥ Elemental Burst
Normal Attacks are obsolete.
Team Compositions
Team Compositions
Generally, Shield Support Thoma can be used as a shield support for any team with an on-field Normal Attacker if you don’t have Zhongli/Diona/Layla or are already using either shielder on another team. He may also act as a Noblesse user for said teams.
VV Hu Tao
VV Hu Tao
Hu Tao
Main damage dealer
Xingqiu/Yelan
Vaporize enabler/sub-DPS
Sucrose/Kazuha
VV holder/DPS Buffer
Thoma
Sheilder/Buffer (C6)
This team allows Hu Tao to utilize an Anemo support with the VV set without Bennett as an enabler. Bennett is the typical choice for a Pyro DPS VV enabler; however, he would keep Hu Tao’s HP above 50% and therefore sacrifice her Ascension 4 Pyro DMG Bonus.
Compared to the Double Geo and Double Hydro comps, Thoma takes up the spot of Zhongli as the shielder in the comp while also providing a NA/CA buff at C6. Hu Tao’s N1C combos allows Thoma’s shield to be stacked and remain strong for the entirety of the fight while minimizing the number of Vapes stolen by Thoma. This team is best utilized with the Anemo slot filled by Sucrose and the Hydro slot filled by Xingqiu, but Kazuha and Yelan are also viable alternatives.
Rotations
Within this team composition, there are a few caveats. Without C6 Xingqiu, you may run a higher risk of Thoma stealing Vapes from Hu Tao, especially if you are using N2C Combos on her. Losing her Vapes decreases the overall damage of this team. With C6 Xingqiu, this issue is alleviated.
This same problem of Thoma stealing Hu Tao’s Vapes is also present with pre-C2 Yelan, and alleviated with C2+ Yelan. Additionally, Yelan is generally not recommended as the solo Hydro unit pre-C2.
Below are two variations of this team's rotation with Sucrose and Kazuha, but there are many more. Yelan is virtually interchangeable with Xingqiu in the following rotations.
With Kazuha
XQ E Q (E) > Thoma E Q > Kazuha Q N1 tE > Hu Tao N1CJ
With Sucrose
XQ E Q (E) N1 > Thoma E N1 Q > Sucrose N1 E > Hu Tao N1CJ
Yoimiya-Thoma
Yoimiya-Thoma
Yoimiya
Main damage dealer
Xingqiu/Yelan
Vaporize enabler/sub-DPS
Thoma
Sheilder/Buffer (C6)
Flex
Buffer or VV Holder
Because of Thoma’s ability to provide Interruption Resistance, Pyro Resonance, and an NA buff at C6, he is an extremely valuable member of Yoimiya teams. Even if his shield shatters, he is able to prevent knockback by simply creating another shield without having to switch off from Yoimiya and lose her infusion.
The two main versions of the team above are VV Vape Yoimiya with an Anemo unit such as Sucrose or Kazuha in the flex slot, or Yoimiya with Yun Jin in the flex slot to act as an NA buffer.
For VV Yoimiya, you are able to avoid Thoma stealing Vapes altogether if Yoimiya is far enough (or close enough, although this is rare; video from EdisonsMathsClub#6469) because Thoma’s Fiery Collapses will not reach the enemy. Even so, when you’re outside melee range but inside Fiery Collapse range, Yoimiya will not have any Vapes stolen as long as she’s paired with a C6 Xingqiu.
Rotations
With Yun Jin
Thoma E Q > Hydro E Q (E) > Yun Jin E Q > Yoimiya E N5 for E duration
With Sucrose
Hydro E Q (E) > Thoma E Q > Sucrose N1 E > Yoimiya E N5 for E duration
Xiao/Wanderer Double Pyro
Xiao/Wanderer Double Pyro
Xiao/Wanderer
Main damage dealer
Faruzan
Buffer
Thoma
Sheilder/Buffer (C6)
Bennett
Buffer
Within this team, Thoma acts as a shielder for Xiao and Wanderer. Additionally, he acts as the 2nd Pyro team member with Bennett to trigger Pyro Resonance. At C6, Thoma is also a damage buffer.
Due to the way Thoma’s shield works, it is extremely important to use NA cancels on Xiao, otherwise Thoma’s shield will break fairly easily.
Cyno Aggravate/Quickburn
Cyno Aggravate/Quickburn
Cyno
Main damage dealer
Electro Flex
Sub-DPS/Buffer
Dendro Flex
Enabler/Sub-DPS/Buffer
Thoma
Shielder/Buffer (C6)
A type of “reaction soup” team. Thoma is an ideal shielding unit for Cyno as his shield is able to last throughout the entirety of Cyno’s Burst. Additionally, at C6, Thoma is able to buff Cyno’s NAs. Unlike other Shield Support Thoma teams, you also have the option to run 4-piece Gilded Dreams on Thoma to gain some extra damage. The ideal options for the Electro and Dendro slots are Fischl and Nahida, respectively.
Rotations with Fischl and Nahida
Nahida E > Fischl E > Thoma E Q > Cyno E Q N5, E when Endseer stance is active
Itto Triple Geo
Itto Triple Geo
Itto
Main damage dealer
Gorou
Buffer/Healer (C4)
Geo Flex
Sub-DPS
Thoma
Shielder/Buffer (C6)
Thoma acts as a shielder and a buffer at C6 for Itto. If Zhongli is unavailable for the 3rd spot, Thoma makes it possible for this team to effectively utilize Geo Resonance as well. For the maximum potential of this comp, the Geo unit would be Albedo.
Other Team Comps
Other Team Comps
Although Thoma shines most in the teams listed above, he is a flexible shield unit; just make sure your on-field character is using Normal Attacks.
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