Wuthering Waves may currently be in version 1.1, but it features a diverse cast of over 10 playable characters, including both 5-star and 4-star units. We have compiled a tier list ranking all characters from best to worst to assist you in your gameplay decisions.
If you are contemplating whether to pull for Changli in the banner or conserve your hard-earned Astrite for upcoming characters, this ranking will provide valuable insights. Additionally, Wuthering Waves offers several free 5-star and 4-star units for newcomers. Here’s how each character aligns within the current meta.
Wuthering Waves Tier List
| Tier | Characters |
|---|---|
| S | Jinhsi, Yinlin, Verina, Zhezhi, Xiangli Yao |
| A | Changli, Jiyan, Encore, Mortefi, Sanhua, Baizhi |
| B | Havoc Rover, Yuanwu, Jianxin, Calcharo, Danjin |
| C | Chixia, Lingyang, Aalto, Spectro Rover, Yangyang |
| D | Taoqi |
How Tiers Work
Here is a brief explanation of our tier system:
- S: These are the ultimate characters in Wuthering Waves.
- A: These characters are very powerful but have minor drawbacks.
- B: These are situational units that excel in specific scenarios.
- C: These characters underperform and may not be worth using unless you lack strong options.
- D: Not worth investing resources in.
S-Tier Characters
Xiangli Yao
Xiangli Yao delivers outstanding burst DPS.
Xiangli Yao is a 5-star Electro DPS in Wuthering Waves and is considered one of the top characters available. His damage output is exceptional, allowing him to dominate opponents unless they have Electro resistance. He synergizes well with Yinlin and Zhezhi, the finest support characters.
Xiangli Yao is also free-to-play, ensuring accessibility for all players.
Zhezhi
Zhezhi excels as a sub-DPS.
Zhezhi is a robust 5-star Glacio Resonator capable of executing strong coordinated attacks and enhancing the damage output of other DPS characters in the team.
Her user-friendly design offers considerable potential, with improvements expected as new characters are introduced.
Jinhsi
Jinhsi is the strongest DPS unit available.
Jinhsi is the premier DPS character in Wuthering Waves. Her damage potential is immense, allowing her to easily wipe out enemies with her Skill and Ultimate. Furthermore, she has the ability to fly during combat, facilitating dodging enemy attacks.
Her versatility makes her suitable for both new players and free-to-play users.
Yinlin
Yinlin stands out as the best hybrid unit.
If you seek a hybrid character that can inflict damage while enhancing your main DPS, Yinlin is the optimal choice. She excels at dealing significant damage with minimal field presence.
Her off-field damage potential is substantial, making her effective against both bosses and mobs. She also provides valuable future investment, as her Outro skill significantly amplifies DPS, suggesting that adding her to your roster early will be beneficial.
Verina
Verina is the premier support character.
Verina is the ideal choice for those seeking a robust utility healer. A great healer offers more than just healing; they enhance overall team performance.
Verina not only heals but also applies party-wide buffs and damage amplification, positioning her as the best support option.
Her user-friendly design means she requires little field time to activate her healing and buffs.
A-Tier Characters
Dusty
Changli is a versatile fusion unit.
Changli navigates the boundary between S-tier and A-tier, functioning adeptly as both a main-DPS and sub-DPS character. Her personal damage is impressive, but her buffs significantly enhance performance.
Her Outro Skill provides a 20% Fusion DMG Amplification and a 25% Resonance Liberation DMG bonus, making her essential for nearly any main DPS. Additionally, she excels at closing gaps against evasive bosses.
Her main drawback is her limited synergy with other characters, and she may present a learning curve for new players.
The life
Jiyan is a potent Aero DPS character.
Initially an S-tier unit, Jiyan now comfortably rests in A-tier. His Ultimate deals formidable damage and he is easy to navigate, making him effective against both single-target adversaries and mobs.
His parry ability ranks among the best, and he improves significantly with higher investments. Jiyan also boasts impressive crowd control capabilities.
A downside is his dependency on his Ultimate ability, necessitating careful management of his Forte Circuit to maintain his damage potential.
Again
Encore offers flexibility in combat.
Encore is a versatile Fusion DMG 5-star unit functioning as a jack-of-all-trades. She is the most adaptable DPS character in Wuthering Waves, fitting into nearly any team composition. While she works exceptionally well with Changli, Yinlin, and Mortefi, her damage output is also commendable.
Her accessibility through starter banners or free tickets makes her a favorable choice.
However, her fragility and weaker parrying abilities leave her exposed in battle.
Mortefi
Mortefi excels at coordinated attacks.
Mortefi is a formidable unit well-suited for any team focused on coordinated assaults. His rapid charge of the Outro Skill is a major advantage, alongside his high damage potential, making him compatible with various heavy hitters.
His simple kit allows even newcomers to maximize his effectiveness with ease. Furthermore, he becomes even stronger with the Waveband Sequences.
However, his Ultimate ability suffers from a long cooldown, necessitating attention to combat rotation.
Sanhua
Sanhua shines in swap teams.
Sanhua features the fastest Concerto rotation in Wuthering Waves, rendering her invaluable for quick-swap teams. Her Ultimate is effective and energy-efficient, allowing frequent usage for enhanced team DPS.
As a free unit, she reaches accessibility for beginners. However, she struggles outside of quick-swap compositions, which may not appeal to all players.
Baizhi
Baizhi is a strong support healer.
Baizhi ranks among the top support characters in Wuthering Waves. She boasts an impressive Outro Skill providing 15% DMG amplification, complemented by effective healing abilities, especially when utilizing the 5-pc Healing set.
Upon reaching Waveband Sequence 5, she can revive a character with full health upon fatal damage.
Despite her strengths, Baizhi’s offensive capabilities are slower than those of other characters like Verina, making her sometimes feel clumsy in combat.
B-Tier Characters
Havoc Rover
Havoc Rover is a moderate DPS choice.
Despite being the main character, Havoc Rover presents a decent DPS option. His damage potential is good, and he is accessible to players since he can be obtained for free, including Resonance bands.
However, the challenges arise from the field time required to maximize his output, which is comparatively low when stacked against top-tier units.
Yuanwu
Yuanwu lacks utility.
Yuanwu is a decent off-field sub-DPS functioning as a hybrid. He requires little field time and is beginner-friendly, making him accessible for new players.
However, his low damage diminishes overall team effectiveness. As a DEF scaling unit, he lacks offensive buffs, rendering him weak compared to higher-tier hybrids.
Jianxin
Jianxin is a fun martial artist.
Jianxin provides a fun experience in Wuthering Waves with decent damage potential. She can heal and shield teammates, offering powerful support early in the game.
Moreover, her crowd-control ability adeptly gathers smaller foes, paving the way for the DPS to eliminate targets. Her Outro Skill grants a Resonance Liberation DMG bonus assisting main DPS characters.
However, her crowd control fails against bosses and larger enemies, and the difficulty in building her Forte Gauge may hinder her healing and shielding capabilities.
Calcharo
Calcharo is complex to use.
Calcharo is among the most exciting units in Wuthering Waves, showcasing notable damage potential and a high ceiling. While he excels with significant investment alongside various support characters, he is heavily dependent on precise rotations, where a single error can severely impact his damage outcomes.
Ultimately, the complexity of mastering Calcharo may not justify the effort for many players.
Danjin
Danjin embraces high-risk gameplay.
Danjin bears resemblance to Calcharo in gameplay dynamics. With high damage potential for a 4-star character, she can effectively utilize The Dreamless Echo.
However, her berserker nature forces her to maintain low health, making her a precarious choice as she often teeters on the brink of defeat. Moreover, her complex combo execution contributes to an average performance in various scenarios.
C-Tier Characters
Chixia
Chixia is an average ranged unit.
Chixia’s performance is rather mediocre within Wuthering Waves. As a ranged unit, she is user-friendly and free for new players. Her mobility allows efficient navigation in battles.
But, her low damage output and high Ultimate energy cost necessitate extended field time that often results in interruptions, highlighting her vulnerability.
Lingyang
Lingyang is the lowest-ranked 5-star.
Lingyang ranks as the least effective 5-star character in Wuthering Waves. Though he offers unique aerial capabilities, his overall kit is underwhelming compared to superior top-tier options, exhibiting low damage output and complicated combos.
His design might allow for juggling enemies in skillful play, but this approach is less effective against boss encounters, rendering him ultimately impractical.
Wave
Aalto lacks current meta synergy.
Aalto manifests as a fairly average character, offering an Outro Skill that buffs Aero DMG and the ability to create clones to draw enemy attention in endgame content.
However, his utility falls short in endgame scenarios, where his damage output is inadequate and ineffective, making him less viable in top-level competition.
Yangyang
Yangyang specializes in crowd control.
Yangyang excels in crowd control and provides Resonance Energy for the team, an asset in high-end content. Her Waveband Sequences further augment her support capabilities. She is also available as a free character, enhancing accessibility.
Despite her support role, she lacks damage amplification capabilities, and her personal damage output is too low, hindering overall team performance, particularly as her crowd control abilities don’t work against bosses.
D-Tier Characters
Taoqi
Taoqi is a low-value unit.
Taoqi is perhaps the weakest character in Wuthering Waves. On paper, her abilities include shielding, healing, and buffing through her Outro Skill. However, executing these skills proves challenging due to her design.
Her reliance on landing counter hits results in prolonged field time, yielding minimal returns, and her sluggish attack animations severely impede damage potential. Furthermore, there are no effective units in the game that can efficiently utilize her Outro skill, diminishing her relevance in the current meta.
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