Wuthering Waves is currently in version 1.3, offering a diverse roster of over 10 playable characters, including both 5-star and 4-star units. In this article, we provide an updated tier list ranking these characters from best to worst, helping you make informed decisions when building your team.
If you’re contemplating whether to pull for Xiangli Yao from the banner or save your precious Astrite for future units, we’ve got the insights you need. For newcomers, Wuthering Waves also features several free 5-star and 4-star units. Here’s how all characters fit into the present meta.
Wuthering Waves Tier List
| Tier | Characters |
|---|---|
| S | Jinhsi, Yinlin, Verina, Zhezhi, Xiangli Yao, Shorekeeper |
| A | Changli, Jiyan, Encore, Mortefi, Sanhua, Baizhi |
| B | Havoc Rover, Yuanwu, Jianxin, Calcharo, Danjin |
| C | Chixia, Lingyang, Aalto, Spectro Rover, Yangyang |
| D | Taoqi |
Our Tiers Explained
Here’s a quick guide to our tier system:
- S: The top-tier characters in Wuthering Waves
- A: Powerful units with minor weaknesses
- B: Situational units effective in specific contexts
- C: Underwhelming units, only useful if better options are lacking
- D: Not worth investing resources in
S-Tier Characters in Wuthering Waves
Shorekeeper
Shorekeeper is the premier support unit in Wuthering Waves.
Acting as both a healer and team buffer, Shorekeeper provides Critical hits boosts for all allies. Currently, she stands out as the top support unit, with her only limitation being the requirement of Concerto Energy and effective rotations. Fortunately, there are several strong Rectifiers that complement her, making her a must-pull character, compatible with any DPS hero in the game.
Xiangli Yao
Xiangli Yao showcases remarkable burst DPS capabilities in Wuthering Waves.
As a 5-star Electro DPS character, Xiangli Yao ranks among the top-tier units. He boasts astronomical damage potential that can incapacitate virtually any enemy that isn’t resistant to Electro, efficiently synergizing with top supports, Yinlin and Zhezhi. Moreover, his availability as a free-to-play character makes him highly accessible for all players.
Zhezhi
Zhezhi serves as a formidable sub-DPS in Wuthering Waves.
Zhezhi is a powerful 5-star Glacio Resonator capable of delivering potent coordinated attacks while enhancing the damage output of other DPS units in the party. With a versatile and user-friendly kit, she holds significant untapped potential, making her an exciting pull for future characters.
Check out our guide for Zhezhi if you’re considering adding her to your team!
Jinhsi
Jinhsi is the top DPS unit in Wuthering Waves.
Jinhsi stands as the best DPS unit in the game. With incredibly high damage output from both her Skill and Ultimate, she can effortlessly eliminate foes. Additionally, Jinhsi has the unique ability to become airborne during conflicts, which aids in dodging enemy attacks. Her versatility in weapon choice makes her suitable for both newcomers and free-to-play participants.
Yinlin
Yinlin excels as the best Hybrid character in Wuthering Waves.
For those in search of a hybrid unit, Yinlin stands out for her capacity to deal impressive damage while simultaneously buffing the primary DPS in the team. Her ability to inflict substantial damage with minimal field time is her main draw. Yinlin also excels against both bosses and mobs, making her an investment for future team compositions. Her Outro skill considerably enhances DPS, suggesting that early acquisition of Yinlin could yield significant benefits.
Verina
Verina serves as an outstanding support unit in Wuthering Waves.
For anyone seeking a robust utility healer, Verina is the go-to choice. The key distinction between effective healers lies not only in healing capabilities but also in the additional benefits they offer. Verina excels in both healing and providing party-wide buffs alongside damage amplification, making her an essential asset for any team composition. As a free-to-play character, she utilizes the 5-piece Healing set exceptionally well and requires minimal on-field time to activate her skills.
A-Tier Characters in Wuthering Waves
Dusty
Changli is an exceptional Fusion unit in Wuthering Waves.
Changli ranks closely between S-tier and A-tier due to her versatility. She effectively serves both as a primary DPS and a sub-DPS character. While her personal damage is notable, the buffs she offers are even greater. Changli’s Outro Skill grants a 20% Fusion DMG amplification and a 25% Resonance Liberation DMG bonus, making her a crucial asset for many main-DPS units. Despite her strengths, new players may find her less synergistic with other units and more challenging to master.
The life
Jiyan is a formidable Aero DPS character.
Initially launched as an S-tier character, Jiyan is now comfortably seated in A-tier. His significant damage output comes primarily from his Ultimate ability, allowing him to engage effectively with both single-target foes and mobs. Additionally, Jiyan’s parry ability stands among the best available, and he grows stronger with further investment. However, his reliance on the Ultimate ability necessitates careful resource management, or his damage output may drastically decline.
Again
Encore stands out as a highly flexible unit in Wuthering Waves.
As a versatile 5-star Fusion DMG character, Encore excels by fitting seamlessly into nearly any team composition. While Changli is her ideal support, she can also synergize effectively with Yinlin and Mortefi. Her damage output remains strong, and her accessibility through starter banners or the free 5-star ticket makes her an appealing choice. Nevertheless, Encore is somewhat squishy and lacks strong parrying options, leaving her exposed during battles.
Mortefi
Mortefi excels at executing coordinated attacks in Wuthering Waves.
Mortefi has proven to be a critical character in any team focused on coordinated attacks. His swift Outro Skill charging is a major asset, allowing him to dish out excellent damage while complementing heavy-hitting allies. His kit is straightforward, making him accessible even for novice players. Increasing his strength through Waveband Sequences enhances his potential, but players must remain alert to manage his high Ultimate cooldown for optimal performance.
Sanhua
Sanhua is a prominent choice in quick-swap teams in Wuthering Waves.
Sanhua boasts the fastest Concerto rotation, positioning her as a top-tier unit for swap teams. With a strong Ultimate featuring low energy cost, she enables frequent use that amplifies the total DPS output. Sanhua is also accessible as a free unit, allowing easy acquisition for newcomers. However, her limitation to quick-swap teams may not appeal to everyone.
Baizhi
Baizhi is a powerful healer in Wuthering Waves.
As one of the finest support characters currently in Wuthering Waves, Baizhi excels with her impressive Outro Skill that provides a 15% DMG amplification. Her capable healing ability and effective utilization of the 5-piece Healing set strengthen her position in the meta. Also, at Waveband Sequence 5, she can revive a fallen teammate with full health after they experience fatal damage. However, her attack speed can feel sluggish compared to more agile characters like Verina.
B-Tier Characters in Wuthering Waves
Havoc Rover
Havoc Rover is a fair DPS option in Wuthering Waves.
Despite being the main character, Havoc Rover offers a decent DPS choice in Wuthering Waves. With good damage output, they are accessible for free, including Resonance bands, further adding to their easy acquisition. They don’t overly rely on their Ultimate ability, simplifying the build process. However, Havoc Rover’s field time is substantial for damage output, but it pales compared to many units in the S-tier and A-tier.
Yuanwu
Yuanwu lacks utility in Wuthering Waves.
Yuanwu functions as an off-field sub-DPS character, effectively playing the Hybrid role. He has low field time requirements and is user-friendly, making him a viable option for free players. However, Yuanwu’s damage output is low, affecting the team’s overall potential. Also, as a DEF scaling unit lacking weapons that utilize this, he remains underwhelming, devoid of offensive buffs that top Hybrid units offer.
Jianxin
Jianxin is a Martial Artist in Wuthering Waves.
Jianxin musters decent damage output and provides healing and shielding in a fun, engaging playstyle. Her crowd-control ability proves useful in gathering enemies together for DPS characters to clean up. Her Outro Skill delivers a Resonance Liberation DMG bonus that aids the team’s main DPS. However, her crowd control fails against bosses, and building her Forte Gauge can be challenging, hindering her healing and shielding effectiveness.
Calcharo
Calcharo proves challenging to utilize efficiently in Wuthering Waves.
Despite having solid damage potential and a high damage ceiling, Calcharo demands precise rotations for optimal performance. A single mistake may greatly reduce his effectiveness. He possesses a high skill ceiling, rendering him one of the most complex characters to master, and often does not yield sufficient rewards for the effort needed.
Danjin
Danjin exemplifies a high-risk, high-reward unit in Wuthering Waves.
Danjin presents a playstyle similar to Calcharo. Despite delivering impressive damage as a 4-star character, her effectiveness comes with risks due to her berserker nature, placing her in perilously low health. As a result, she constantly teeters on the edge of being taken down, with combo execution presenting additional challenges for optimal performance.
C-Tier Units in Wuthering Waves
Chixia
Chixia is an average ranged unit in Wuthering Waves.
Chixia serves as a passable ranged unit, easy to learn and accessible for new players. She possesses good mobility, allowing for effective navigation during fights. However, she suffers from low damage output, mainly single-target performance, and her Ultimate requires significant energy. Her susceptibility to interruptions and lack of parrying options diminishes her reliability during combat.
Lingyang
Lingyang is the weakest 5-star unit in Wuthering Waves.
Lingyang may boast a unique playstyle and flying capabilities, but ultimately, his kit is disappointing. His damage output fails to compete with other high-tier 5-star characters, and his combos can prove difficult to execute. Although his aerial movements allow for juggling, this strategy collapses against formidable bosses, undermining his potential.
Wave
Aalto struggles to fit within the current meta.
Aalto ranks as an average unit in Wuthering Waves with a competent Outro Skill, capable of buffing Aero DMG. He can spawn clones to create space in endgame content, but overall utility rapidly diminishes. His Forte ability is difficult to capitalize on and he delivers insufficient damage output, rendering him outclassed in the current meta.
Yangyang
Yangyang excels in crowd control within Wuthering Waves.
Yangyang shines as a crowd-control unit, also generating Resonance Energy for the team, critical for end-game content. With enhanced support through Waveband Sequences, she is an accessible free unit. Nevertheless, her lack of damage amplification limits her effectiveness, and her personal output remains disappointingly low—her crowd-control techniques are ineffective against bosses.
D-Tier Units in Wuthering Waves
Taoqi
Taoqi is not recommended for use in Wuthering Waves.
Taoqi is arguably the least effective unit in Wuthering Waves. While she appears to offer shielding, healing, and buffs through her Outro skill, pulling this off proves challenging due to her kit. Reliant on landing counter hits, Taoqi takes considerable time on the field with little payoff. Moreover, her slow attack animations diminish her overall damage output, and she currently lacks suitable units to capitalize on her skills, rendering her ineffective in the meta.
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