Wuthering Waves Tier list

Last updated: November 21, 2024 10:00 AM

Note: Camellya is newly added to the Tier List.

This Tier List of the mobile game Wuthering Waves categorizes the characters of the game into different tiers based on their performance in the game. The characters are assessed based on their performance in the core game content of the game – Tower of Adversity.

Tower of Adversity (ToA)

ToA consists of multiple floors and players will face different enemies in ToA. The combinations of the enemies will be changed regularly. Players should aim at clearing ToA at their first priority, as the rewards of defeating ToA will also be refreshed. We hope this tier list can be a reference of what characters are more potential to defeat ToA and so players can have better planning of spending resources on upgrading their characters or pulling characters.
Click the Character icon for more details about each character, which includes Character build, weapon and their background information.

*Current Tier list is based on Version 1.2 Character performance and skill data.

Tier Explanation

Characters will be assigned to their Tier based on their total score. The scores and corresponding Tiers, along with Tier descriptions, are as follows:

SS Tier (Score 19 or above) – Powerful and versatile core Main DPS / Sub DPS and Healers suitable for most teams / Strong and versatile Energy Recharge agents

S Tier (Score 17-18) – Secondary top damage dealers / Sub DPS and Healers with decent team compatibility / Secondary top Energy Recharge agents

A Tier (Score 15-16) – Average performing damage dealers / Sub DPS and Healers with limited team compatibility

B Tier (Score 13-14) – Characters with insufficient stats or flawed mechanics

C Tier (Score 12 or below) – Characters that are only viable in specific environments

Remark

The Tier List is based on in-depth character mechanics testing in the CBT3, and it has been verified with the current version’s data and updates.
The evaluation starts from team composition, comprehensively considering the overall strength of the team and the character’s role and importance in different positions. Do not blindly put all SS TIER characters together; for specific team compositions, please refer to our Character Build Guide.
The Tier List analysis is based on S0(5 Stars) and S2(4-Stars), except for Rover and Rover Havoc. In the current version, the highest Resonance Chain that Rover and Rover Havoc can achieve are S4 and S2, respectively (this is based on CBT; if OBT changes, please inform us, and we will update the data immediately). The weapon each character carries is their best R1 4-star weapon.
Teams are simulated with the best rotation to maximize energy gain. This simulation method reflects the team’s performance under ideal conditions, rather than calculating based on a single character generating full energy before bursting.
Damage is primarily considered for single-target and training dummy scenarios. If AoE factors are included, the evaluation of Jiyan, who specializes in group attacks, will increase, while the evaluation of Chixia, who excels in single-target output, will decrease.

Update History

Camellya is added to the tier list. Camellya can deal decent damage slightly better than Jiyan and also has high interruption resistance which make her a good DPS.

Previous change(s)

Youhu is added to the tier list.

Character name

SS

S

A

B

C

Youhu gains different buff depending on her combination of Poetic Essence. By using her Outro Skill, Youhu can provide coordinated attack deepen buff to her teammates.

Pros

Provide 100% coordinated deepen buff to teammates.
Can act as a healer.

Cons

Concerto Acquition is low.
Healing ability is not good enough

In a normal state, Xiangli Yao’s Forte Circuit energy is called “Capacity,” with a maximum limit of 100 points, primarily obtained through Resonance Skill and Basic Attack. When “Capacity” reaches 100, Xiangli Yao’s RS (Resonance Skill) will be enhanced, doubling its damage. When used, he leaps into the air, and if he uses Basic Attack mid-air, it triggers an enhanced Mid-Air Attack.

When Xiangli Yao uses Resonance Liberation, it deals massive damage and grants him 3 “Hypercubes.” The Forte Circuit then transforms into “Performance Capacity”, with a limit of 5 points. His RS is enhanced into another form, where each use of the enhanced RS in the Liberation state consumes one “Hypercube.” After consuming all 3 Hypercubes, he exits the Liberation state. When using the enhanced RS, he can also follow up with an enhanced Mid-Air Attack. “Performance Capacity” can be generated by using enhanced RS in the Liberation state (2 points), enhanced Mid-Air Attack (3 points), and the 3-stage enhanced Basic Attack in the Liberation state (a total of 5 points). When “Performance Capacity” reaches 5 points, the ultimate enhanced RS can be used.

Pros

When using Liberation and the ultimate enhanced Resonance Skill, a zone is created that slows down enemy actions, increasing Xiangli Yao’s survival rate.
It’s free.

Cons

Damage output is not outstanding when comparing with other limited 5-star Main DPS

Zhezhi uses her Basic Attack and Intro Skill to acquire “Afflatus”. By consuming “Afflatus”, Zhezhi can use enhanced Resonance Skill or Speical Heavy Attack to summon “Phantasmic Imprint”. Zhezhi can travel around “Phantasmic Imprint” and deal damage. Zhezhi’s Liberation can make Zhezhi be able to deal steady Coorindate Attack even she is off the field. Zhezhi can also provides Glacio DMG Deepen buff and Resonance Skill DMG Deepen buff to the DPS in the team.

Pros

Deal steady coordinate by using her Libeation
Provides Glacio DMG Deepen buff and Resonance Skill DMG Deepen buff to the DPS in the team.
Help restore energy of teammmate

Cons

Damage output is not outstanding.

Changli uses her enhanced Basic Attack and Liberation to acquire ‘Enflamement’, and use enhanced Heavy Attack to make burst damage. Changli can also provides Fusion DMG Deepen and Liberation DMG Deepen to the DPS in the team.

Pros

Quite high damage as a Sub-DPS or Support
Provides Fusino DMG Deepen and Liberation DMG Deepen to teammates

Cons

Characters that can fully utilize her deepen buff are very rare.

After Jinhsi uses her Skill, she enters the ‘Incarnation’ state. Using the 4th enhanced Basic Attack during this state grants her ‘Ordination Glow.’ Once ‘Ordination Glow’ is obtained, both her Skill and Basic Attack are further enhanced. The enhanced Skill becomes Jinhsi’s primary source of damage. Teammates’ attacks can generate ‘Incandescence,’ which increases the damage of the enhanced Skill. Coordinated attacks can generate even more ‘Incandescence,’ so Jinhsi’s teammates should primarily be characters with coordinated attack mechanisms.”

Pros

Unlike most characters, Jinhsi initiates her burst phase with a Skill, offering greater flexibility.
Excellent damage, effective against both single targets and groups.

Cons

Virtually none.

Electro damage character with both support and DPS capabilities. Due to the ‘Punishment Mark’ damage type of Forte Circuit being Resonance Skill damage, considering the team’s rotation, Resonance Skill damage accounts for about 50% of Yinlin’s total damage. Yinlin’s greatest value lies not in off-field coordinated ‘Punishment Mark’ damage but in her decent ability to generate Concerto Energy and her unique Outro Skill buff in the current version.

Pros

Yinlin’s Outro Skill provides a 25% Resonance Liberation DMG Deepen and 20% Electro DMG Deepen, making it the first Outro Skill with dual-type buffs. This means Yinlin can serve characters that focus on Resonance Liberation or Electro DMG. While the benefits are slightly lower compared to single-type Outro Skill buffs, it offers broader applicability.
Yinlin’s operations are relatively simple and easy to master, with the ability to cancel the Resonance Skill’s animation lock through dodging.

Cons

As a limited character with a support-oriented role, Yinlin’s multipliers are not impressive. Even with a maxed-out resonance chain, her performance is only comparable to a 0+1 limited DPS character (Jiyan).

After the strengthening in the OBT, the consumption rate of Photosynthesis Energy has been greatly increased. Consuming one layer of Photosynthesis Energy grants 12 Concerto Energy, significantly reducing Verina’s on-field time requirement. At the same time, Healing Efficiency has been greatly improved, eliminating the awkward situation during CBT3 where she couldn’t outpace Baizhi.

Due to the special nature of the Healer role’s Outro Skill, a healer is essential for the Main DPS to deal maximum damage. This underscores Verina’s indispensability. Additionally, since Verina’s healing is based on her attack power, she also possesses output capability, which, though not outstanding, cannot be ignored. Of course, this is based on Verina being built correctly.

Pros

Verina’s healing ability and Concerto Energy acquisition surpass Baizhi, making her the preferred healer.
Verina’s Inherent Skill provides a death immunity effect. Baizhi’s death immunity is more excellent but requires Sequence 5.
Verina’s Inherent Skill can provide a 20% ATK buff to the entire team, whereas Baizhi can only provide a 15% ATK buff to a single character.

Cons

Most of Verina’s healing from Resonance Liberation can only be provided to the on-field character, meaning that a heavily damaged on-field character must continuously attack to receive significant healing, which still poses a death risk.
After using the Intro Skill to enter the field, Verina can seamlessly use aerial attacks to consume Photosynthesis, but this also results in a landing process, preventing the immediate use of Echo Skill or Resonance Skill.

Aero Damage’s DPS character relies on the Intro Skill to activate, and after initiating the Resonance Liberation ultimate, Heavy Attacks account for about 90% of the total damage. When Resonance Liberation is activated, the attack mode changes, offering a larger attack range and the ability to suppress lightweight enemies.

The high attack frequency of Lance of Qingloong allows for the quick activation of stacking Inherent Skills and Weapon Effects. When paired with Morfeti, it can deal very high total damage against multiple enemies.

Pros

Simple operation and easy to master, requiring little practice to maximize damage during the Liberation period.
Based on fast-switching combat techniques in Ming Tide, you can switch teammates immediately after each use of Lance of Qingloong to compress the standing time of teammates and increase the overall DPS of the team.
Jiyan can cc small enemies when enhance his safety in ToA.

Cons

Overly reliant on Intro Skill, making it unsuitable for 1V1 scenarios.
Without proficiency in fast-switching, the charging time is relatively long.
Requires a certain amount of Energy Regen to improve charging issues (recommended 15%).

Calcharo primarily uses the enhanced Basic Attack and enhanced Forte Circuit after using Resonance Liberation for damage output. In the series of damage output after using Resonance Liberation, the damage ratio between Resonance Liberation and Basic Attack is approximately 2.2:1. Additionally, the Resonance Skill can be released at intervals, allowing full enjoyment of the permanent five-star weapon’s effects.

Pros

Pairing with the second limited character, Yinlin, can achieve very high output during Resonance Liberation.
Before obtaining Yinlin, since Basic Attack Damage has a decent proportion, you can choose Sanhua for team composition.
No need to worry about not having a suitable support character at the game launch to maximize performance.
When using Jiyan’s Signature Weapon or the permanent five-star broadblade, Calcharo’s Attack Multiplier and Damage Addition Multiplier are relatively balanced, without the issue of dilution due to excessively high Multipliers.

Cons

Requires certain Energy Regen stats to help shorten Calcharo’s Liberation activation time.
Calcharo’s attack animation lock is relatively long, making the feel somewhat stiff and not easy to master.
When facing highly mobile and high-damage enemies, it’s easy to get hit and waste output time.
Additionally, Calcharo’s “Death Messenger” animation is quite long, and during the disappearance period, he is not immune to damage, requiring skilled character switching techniques to avoid damage.

The base stats are much higher than 4-star characters and slightly lower than 5-star characters. However, the Skill Rate and forms are quite excellent, with different attack modes in normal and Dark Surge states. During the burst phase, skill multipliers are similar to five-star characters like Jiyan or Calcharo.

After entering Dark Surge, it has outstanding single-target damage output, and the high multiplier Resonance Liberation and the Echo “Dreamless” also provide decent AoE capabilities.

Pros

The character level inherits Rover (Spectro)’s, requiring fewer development materials.
In Dark Surge state, low multiplier Basic Attack segments can be canceled through Dodging, Resonance Skill, or Resonance Liberation.
Under extreme output, the overall multiplier slightly exceeds that of Jiyan or Calcharo.
A must-play character for F2P players.

Cons

A single output cycle in Dark Surge state takes a long time and is easily interrupted by super-armor bosses.
Rover (Havoc)’s resonance chain has almost no benefits except for Sequence 4, which can be considered a complete form upon obtaining it. However, since Sequence 4 can reduce the RES of enemies, it can still be used as support even after its stats become outdated.

Fusion DPS character among the permanent 5-stars, enters an enhanced state and changes attack mode after activating Resonance Liberation. The main source of Encore’s damage is not the Forte Circuit, but the Basic Attack damage after activating Resonance Liberation. Moreover, the cooldown times for Encore’s regular Resonance Skill and the enhanced Resonance Skill during Resonance Liberation are independent of each other.

In Encore’s damage output after activating Resonance Liberation, Basic Attack damage accounts for nearly 70%. You can choose Sanhua as a teammate to maximize her damage.

Pros

Encore’s damage multiplier in a single output cycle is comparable to Jiyan and Calcharo, making it an excellent DPS character. Additionally, Encore’s Dodge Counter after activating Resonance Liberation can directly link to Basic Attack 3, so even if the attack rhythm is interrupted by dodging, not much damage is lost.

Cons

Encore’s Outro Skill deals AoE for 6 seconds, making it difficult to deal full damage when enemies are not controlled.
Although Encore’s output is considerable after activating Resonance Liberation, it is relatively weak in its normal state, and it cannot perform parrying in its normal state.
Encore needs teammates’s help replenish the resonance energy or get through the downtime without Resonance Liberation.

Although Sanhua has burst capabilities, the overall damage is not high. In Sanhua’s output cycle, Resonance Skill damage and Resonance Liberation account for approximately 51% and 41%, respectively.

Although Resonance Skill damage is slightly higher, there is a risk of missing in actual combat. Sanhua has a unique Forte Circuit trigger mechanism similar to rhythm games, and hitting enemies can cause a slight time-stopping effect.

Pros

Sanhua has the fastest Concerto Energy and Resonance Energy acquisition efficiency in the game, making it the most versatile and best-feeling support in the current version.
After using the Intro Skill, Sanhua only needs 3 seconds to fully charge Concerto Energy and trigger QTE, activating the Main DPS for output. Our team composition recommendations for various characters also show Sanhua’s high versatility.

Cons

Sanhua S1’s activation is somewhat slow, creating a mismatch with Sanhua’s short output cycle rhythm.
When using Heavy Attack: Detonate, there is a risk of missing and sudden death, requiring precise timing for output.

A off-field synergy attack character with great potential. It is the 4-star up character in the same banner as Jiyan. The Outro Skill buff is very suitable for Jiyan, making it Jiyan’s best support so far.

Due to the Inherent Skill 2 has increment effect,
the theoretical damage provided during the Resonance Liberation is very high. Additionally, the efficiency of Resonance Energy and Concerto Energy acquisition is decent.

Pros

As a off-field synergy attack character, it can be paired with many high-frequency attack characters.
The unique Resonance Skill mechanism allows for a large amount of Concerto Energy and Resonance Energy to be acquired in a short time.

Cons

However, due to the internal cooldown of synergy attacks and the difference in attack frequency with frontline DPS characters, in actual combat, the trigger rate of synergy attacks is much lower than expected, Currently unable to fully utilize the effect of Inherent Skill 2.

The only healer among the 4-star characters, with an Resonance Liberation healing effect comparable to Verina. High Resonance Chain provides resurrection and increases teammates’ Glacio damage.

Although Verina’s Concerto Energy acquisition ability was enhanced in the official release, Baizhi’s ability is still very excellent.

By using the co-axial technique to accumulate passive energy, using the Resonance Skill can gain up to 42 points of Concerto Energy at once.

Pros

The Resonance Liberation can heal all team members, whereas Verina’s Resonance Liberation can only provide most of the healing to the active character.
Although the healing amount is slightly lower than Verina’s, it is still very sufficient.
The buff duration of the Outro Skill is up to 36 seconds, longer than Verina’s 30 seconds.

Cons

The inherent skill can only provide an attack buff to a single character, and it is 5% less compared to Verina.

Glacio DPS character among the permanent 5-stars, gains a significant Glacio damage bonus after activating Resonance Liberation. Due to Echo Skill benefiting from the character’s elemental damage bonus, Lingyang and the Echo “Lampylumen Myriad” have a high compatibility.

Activating Forte Circuit enters the Striding Lion state, enhancing both Basic Attack and Resonance Skill, and all attacks switch to aerial mode.

After unlocking Inherent Skill 2, using Resonance Skill in aerial mode can deal additional damage. In the damage output after activating Resonance Liberation, Basic Attack and Resonance Skill each account for about 30%.

Pros

The Resonance Liberation and QTE cycle is very smooth. Even without Energy Regen, Lingyang can fully charge Resonance Energy after two teammates trigger their Outro Skills, without needing any attacks in the normal state.

Cons

High difficulty to master, making it hard to avoid damage during aerial combat and relatively weak against super-armor enemies.
Damage distribution is too balanced, making it weaker without a character providing Glacio DMG Deepen through Outro Skill.
Skill forms are not excellent, lacking strong crowd control abilities except for Echo Skill.

High damage, low survivability.

Among 4-star characters, Danjin has the highest overall damage output. The Resonance Chain benefits are the highest among 4-star characters. With a smooth-damage output flow, a high Resonance Chain Danjin has damage close to or even surpassing low Resonance Chain 5-star characters.

Danjin has the shortest attack animation lock in the entire game. In a single damage output cycle, Resonance Skill damage and Heavy Attack account for approximately 45% and 42% respectively. Danjin’s unique feature is that using Resonance Skill accumulates Forte Circuit Energy even if it doesn’t hit the enemy, thus in actual combat, the proportion of Heavy Attack damage will be higher.

Pros

Danjin has very high single-target damage, close to or even surpassing low Resonance Chain 5-star characters.
Danjin’s frequent, short animation-lock attacks make its operation extremely smooth.

Cons

Danjin consumes its own HP when using Resonance Skill, down to 1%, so without a shield, Danjin must be one-shot.
Although Danjin is not difficult to use, extreme caution is required in actual combat.
A slight mistake can lead to death, and healing is meaningless for Danjin, resulting in a Simplicity score of only 1.
Additionally, Danjin’s overly smooth output makes the damage boost from teammates less noticeable.

Obtained immediately upon entering the game, this character has the highest burst damage among four-star characters and is the best fit for the Battle Pass Pistol. Using R1 permanent five-star weapons as the 100% standard, a fully leveled Battle Pass Pistol can reach 110%.

In Chixia’s burst damage output, Resonance Skill damage accounts for over 60%. If the Double-Boom Boom technique is mastered (using Resonance Liberation immediately after the second Boom Boom and then using Boom Boom again after Resonance Liberation ends), the proportion of Resonance Skill damage can be even higher.

Although the Resonance Liberation Energy requirement is quite high, the Resonance Liberation Multiplier is the highest among four-star characters, making the damage very considerable.

Pros

Extremely strong burst capability!
Resonance Chain benefits are among the top for four-star characters.

Cons

Since the damage mainly focuses on Resonance Skill: Boom Boom, the Resonance Skill: DAKA DAKA! in Forte Circuit takes a long time to execute, it is very easy to get interrupted by aggressive enemies, so it is crucial to find the right timing for output.

Possesses comprehensive support abilities, capable of providing shields, healing, and pulling enemies together. The range and intensity of the pulling enemies are currently the best in the version, but still not excellent.

Resonance Skill is a damage-immune defensive counter, making it very suitable for novice players unfamiliar with action games to tackle high-difficulty dungeons.

Although it has damage output capabilities, the multipliers are very low and it lacks burst methods.

Pros

Can provide high-value shields that are shared across the team, and during the shield duration, continuously restores the health of on-field characters.
The pulling enemies effect of Resonance Liberation is particularly helpful in floors with many small enemies, providing support to high-burst but small-area damage characters, saving a lot of time.

Cons

The efficiency of accumulating Concerto Energy and Resonance Energy is low, and Forte Circuit energy cannot be used in batches.
Once Forte Circuit is used, regardless of whether the energy is fully consumed, the Forte Circuit energy will be cleared after exiting the charge state.
Jianxin’s pace is relatively slow, creating a sense of disparity with the fast-paced combat characteristic of Wuthering Waves. Moreover, if there is already a healer in the team, Jianxin’s shield and healing abilities seem somewhat redundant.

In the current version, you can obtain 4 free Resonance Chains. With the support of the Resonance Chain effect, although each rotation’s damage is lower than that of five-star characters, it is still quite outstanding compared to four-star characters with low Resonance Chains.

However, since there are no additional means to obtain Resonance Chains in the current version, it appears weaker when compared to 4-star characters with high Resonance Chains. It is suitable for F2P (Free-to-Play) players to develop. Rover S6 possesses the game’s only RES Reduction effect, which can boost the team’s damage by at least 11.1%, showing future potential.

Pros

Relatively easy to develop, requiring fewer materials.
Due to the RES Reduction effect of Sequence 6, it still holds potential for the future.

Cons

Stats is low, and it will have fewer opportunities to be used once high Resonance Chain 4-star or 5-star characters are obtained.

A free character obtained immediately upon entering the game. Due to the low Skill Multiplier, her damage gradually falls behind as the game progresses.

Although her Concerto Energy acquisition ability is decent, due to the low damage output and unimpressive Outro Skill, it’s challenging to find a suitable team for her.

Pros

Resonance Liberation can pull enemies together, providing some benefit when paired with teammates that have small attack area.

Cons

While the Outro Skill can provide additional Resonance Energy, its value is still not high and is somewhat dispensable.
Yangyang’s Forte Circuit cannot knock back super-armor enemies.

A character whose damage is based on defense, with core output methods being defensive counterattacks and Resonance Liberation.

Although the base stats and Skill Multiplier are high (due to high defense values), the output rhythm is too passive, and the acquisition of Concerto Energy and Resonance Energy is not efficient. The enhanced Basic Attack of the Forte Circuit can generate a shield, which is shared by the entire team, and the Outro Skill can provide Resonance Skill DMG Deepen, making this character usable as a support.

Pros

Can provide shields and damage reduction shields, making the defensive counterattack playstyle suitable for beginners new to action games.
High defense and self-healing ensure survivability.
After using the Intro Skill, the enhanced Basic Attack of the Forte Circuit can provide a shield for the entire team, making it a good match with Danjin.

Cons

Resonance Skill can only heal the character, making the defensive counterattack playstyle too passive and prone to downtime when clearing small mobs in the Open World.
Even with damage reduction, there is still a risk of insufficient sustain when tackling high-difficulty game content.

A DPS character that relies on continuously using Basic Attack and Resonance Skill, with high survivability due to the presence of clones. After using Basic Attack and Resonance Skill to generate Mist, aerial attacks are typically used to quickly acquire Forte Circuit Energy.

Additionally, due to the fast movement speed in stealth mode, the Open World experience is decent.

Pros

High survivability and a good experience in Open World.

Cons

In high-pressure environments, constantly adjusting positions can make it difficult to quickly accumulate Forte Circuit Energy, affecting damage output efficiency.
Aalto’s skill set deals decent damage to single targets but lacks AoE capabilities.
Burst potential is also lacking.

A character whose damage is based on defense, using Resonance Skill to summon Thunder Wedge that can perform synergy attacks with on-field characters. The Resonance Liberation can grant Lightning Infused status to the character and teammates, and has a unique Vibration Strength depletion Outro Skill. High Resonance Chain Yuanwu can also provide high-value shields to teammates.

Pros

High defense, strong survivability.

Cons

There is a conflict between high defense scaling and off-field benefits.
Although Yuanwu’s Outro Skill can deplete Vibration Strength, it only reduces it by 10%,
which is not very significant.
The ability to deplete Vibration Strength while in the Lightning Infused state is not significantly enhanced, and reducing Vibration Strength for boss-level enemies relies more on the Intro Skill.
Additionally, the Anti-Interruption ability provided by Lightning Infused is not very noticeable, making the benefits of Resonance Liberation very low and somewhat meaningless.

Wuthering Waves Tier list

Tower of Adversity (ToA)

SS

SHOREKEEPER

DAMAGE

5

Team Up

10

Simplicity

9

SS

TIER

Total Score24

JIYAN

DAMAGE

10

Team Up

5

Simplicity

5

SS

TIER

Total Score20

JINHSI

DAMAGE

10

Team Up

6

Simplicity

7

SS

TIER

Total Score23

Camellya

DAMAGE

10

Team Up

5

Simplicity

7

SS

TIER

Total Score22

S

VERINA

DAMAGE

3

Team Up

9

Simplicity

6

S

TIER

Total Score18

Rover Havoc

DAMAGE

9

Team Up

4

Simplicity

4

S

TIER

Total Score 17

XIANGLI YAO

DAMAGE

9

Team Up

4

Simplicity

5

S

TIER

Total Score18

Zhezhi

DAMAGE

6

Team Up

6

Simplicity

Total Score
24

Total Score
20

Total Score
23

Total Score
22

Total Score
18

Total Score
18

Total Score
18

Total Score
15