Wuthering Waves tier list for 1.1 - best characters August 2024

Looking for the best Wuthering Waves tier list? The best Resonators can make all the difference when clearing dungeons or endgame challenges like Tower of Adversity. Whether you’re looking for a devastating damage dealer or a stalwart support, new characters are constantly arriving in Wuthering Waves, and it can be tough to work out the best units and synergies in the roster. That’s where we come in.

Our definitive WuWa tier list is here to help you decide which Wuthering Waves characters to draft onto your team and who to pull for in limited-time Wuthering Waves banners. This tier list comes with the caveat that combat in Wuthering Waves is more reaction-based than other gacha games, and the best units often require good reflexes to help them perform at their best. We also expect the meta to change dramatically as more characters arrive in future updates, so check back regularly to keep up with the rising (and falling) stars. Nevertheless, here are the best characters in Wuthering Waves 1.0 in descending order.

Wuthering Waves tier list

Here are the best characters in Wuthering Waves right now:

S-tier

Jinhsi

Jinhsi is a DPS unit with an incredible amount of burst damage at her fingertips, but harnessing it requires careful management of her Incadescence resource. The crux of Jinhsi’s attack style is her Incarnation state, which she can enter via her skill. The skill itself has several iterations depending on whether she’s empowered. The Incarnation state also imbues Jinhsi with the power of flight, but she has far less trouble with airborne positioning than Lingyang thanks to her fighting style, which allows her to deal damage from afar. You can also utilize the grappling hook for additional verticality, allowing her to stay out of harm’s way until she unleashes her plunge attack.

If this sounds complex, you’ll be relieved to hear that her ultimate is a simple Spectro nuke. It does come with an exorbitant Energy cost, but you can expect to wipe the battlefield clean once you cast it. Jinhsi gains more Incandescence from coordinated attacks from her allies, so Verina is a definite help. Her kit is complicated on paper but fairly straightforward in practice, and getting to grips with her kit will net you one of the best damage dealers on our tier list.

Verina

Verina is a dedicated support unit and the de facto healer thanks to the staggering utility baked into her kit. Her Grace of Life passive alone protects allies from lethal damage, and applies a shield equivalent to 120% of her ATK stat for ten seconds, granting enough time for them to receive healing or be pulled from the field. Verina’s outro skill not only heals the next character, but she also applies a 15% all-type Deepen damage buff to nearby party members. This buff applies on top of the near-permanent 20% ATK boost that she bestows on all teammates every time she uses a heavy, mid-air, ultimate, or outro attack.

There’s no question that Verina is a powerful healer who takes no time at all to master; you don’t even need to keep her on the field to feel the full benefit of her kit. Even her ultimate is a one-two-punch coordinated attack that marries bonus damage and healing whenever teammates deal damage.

Yinlin

Yinlin is a hybrid DPS support unit with fantastic AoE abilities at her disposal thanks to her Zapstring puppet. She applies a Sinner’s Mark to enemies with her basic and ultimate attacks, leaving them vulnerable to follow-up bonus damage via her skill. You can even boost Yinlin’s damage output further by maxing out her Judgment Points to replace Sinner’s Mark with a Punishment Mark. Yinlin’s lengthy attack animations can slow her down, but her powerful outro skill facilitates a swap cancel playstyle to cut down that time. It provides a 14-second buff to Resonance Liberation and Electro-based attacks, giving her exceptional synergy with Calcharo.

Yinlin’s kit has a high skill ceiling, but she’s surprisingly beginner-friendly. Her only real drawback is the limited number of Electro characters available to take advantage of her buff effects, but she’ll only become more viable as time goes on.

A-tier

Changli

The newest kid on the block, Changli is a fearsomely flexible Fusion DPS character who can be utilized both as a main DPS and a sub-DPS. As with many other characters on this list, Changli’s playstyle can initially seem a little overbearing, though it’s deceptively simple in practice. Changli’s Forte bar has four notches to it, each requiring one stack of Enflamement to fill. Enflamement stacks can be gained through basic attack combos, alongside her intro and Resonance skills. Once the bar is filled, Changli can unleash her charges through a devastating Fusion-filled heavy attack.

Once mastered, Changli can output a monstrous amount of damage. Additionally, as she likes to quick swap a lot, Changli is the perfect partner for the likes of Yinlin and Encore – especially the latter considering the delicious 20% Fusion damage boost Changli’s outro skill provides.

Pro tips: if you swap into Changli without her intro skill up or use a dodge counter, you won’t need as many basic attacks to gain an Enflament stack. Additionally, only use Changli’s Resonance Liberation when her Forte bar is empty as it instantly gives you max stacks.

Jiyan

Jiyan is the first five-star character to appear on Wuthering Waves event banners, though his time as the premiere main DPS was short-lived with the introduction of Jinhsi knocking him off his perch. Nonetheless, he still offers one of the highest damage outputs in the anime game thanks to his ultimate, which delivers AoE damage, crowd control, and a skill buff all in one. His outro skill is also exceptional, triggering a coordinated attack that deals over 300% of Jiyan’s base ATK and can be triggered once a second.

Jiyan’s kit is straightforward and very powerful, though we recommend prioritizing Energy Regeneration to avoid excessive downtime for his ultimate. Thankfully, Jiyan also has exceptional synergy with Mortefi, a four-star character who appears on Jiyan’s banner.

Encore

Encore is a ranged DPS whose kit revolves around the powerful burst melee that she unleashes with her ultimate. Thankfully, her ranged skill grants her the energy regeneration to help her get there, and she even gains a 70% DMG Reduction bonus once she maxes out her Dissonance stat. Encore’s standard rotation is powerful and terminates in a souped-up heavy attack that you can swap cancel without losing its effect. Her outro skill is an AoE that applies a Fusion DoT to any enemies within its perimeter, leaving her primed for close-ranged punishment.

With the introduction of Changli, Encore finally has a complementary character that synergizes with her kit. She can also benefit from Sanhua and Verina’s outro buffs, so there’s some flexibility if you haven’t got Changli just yet.

Mortefi

Mortefi places high on our Wuthering Waves tier list due to his incredible synergy with Jiyan, though that’s not all he brings to the table. This hybrid DPS support unit can hold his own in combat, but he has as much value off the field as he does on it.

His outro skill applies a 38% Heavy Attack DMG Deepen buff to the next character for 14 seconds, so expect to switch liberally when Mortefi is on your team if you want to make the most of his kit. His ultimate also incorporates off-field damage by triggering a coordinated attack whenever a teammate hits an enemy – this goes double when it’s a Heavy Attack. However, its extended cooldown demands you invest in Energy Regeneration to avoid a rotation stall. We also recommend investing heavily in Mortefi’s Resonance Chain for a dramatic improvement in his overall performance.

Sanhua

Sanhua is a high-risk, high-reward character where timing is everything. However, it’s not just parries and dodge counters you have to worry about. Sanhua can see the threads of reality, represented in combat by a moving cursor that moves along the gauge at the bottom of the screen.

To maximize her damage output, you must consistently time your basic attacks when the cursor reaches the “Frostbite Area”. This allows you to deal a heavy attack that detonates the thorns, prisms, and glaciers she can leave on the battlefield during her intro, skill, and ultimate attacks. She can also apply a 38% basic damage deepen buff to allies via her outro skill, making her highly versatile in team compositions. All in all, Sanhua offers a unique combat system that is perfect for players looking for a challenge, but your mileage may vary if you’re still getting used to Wuthering Waves’ combat system.

B-tier

Calcharo

Calcharo is another main DPS character who relies on his ultimate to bring the pain. Its Deathblade Gear state transforms his basic attack into a consecutive five-hit attack, while also boosting his dodge counter. Calcharo is perfect for players who want a combo execution challenge, but he can be liable to stall given the optional cooldown on his skill.

Like Yinlin, Calcharo has some elaborate combo animations that you can avoid with swap canceling, so ensure you have a unit with good synergy to switch to in a pinch. Yinlin is the ideal candidate, though you can also opt for Jianxin and Verina for alternative damage buffs. Thankfully, Calcharo’s unusually high Concerto energy generation means you can rely on his outro skill’s burst damage to shred through enemies, and his ultimate leaves him primed to come back to the battlefield with a bang.

Baizhi

Baizhi is a dedicated healer support character who primarily attacks and heals via her adorable pet dragon, You’tan. She has access to team-wide healing across all elements of her kit, with a bonus AoE field that buffs the ATK of all characters within it by 15% for a short duration whenever she uses her skill. Baizhi’s outro skill also includes a 15% all-type damage deepen boost to the next character in rotation, making her a highly versatile unit.

Unfortunately, Baizhi’s healing capacity is completely outclassed by Verina in every respect, with no revive capabilities until she reaches the lofty heights of S5. However, unlike Verina, Baizhi is a free support character available to everyone as standard, and we’re liable to see her move around a lot on this tier list as more healers are introduced to the roster. For now, though, she’s the second-in-class healer, capable of supporting a wide range of team compositions.

Danjin

Danjin is an all-out brawler that deals damage at the cost of her health. Her skill consumes 3% of her maximum HP, though she does have some built-in sustain to offset this cost via her Forte Circuit, which allows her to accumulate Ruby Blossoms and consume them with a restorative heavy attack.

Danjin is an excellent choice for players who excel at parries and dodge counters, and in that respect, she’s the epitome of a high-risk, high-reward. She’s also one of the few DPS units that doesn’t rely on her ultimate’s uptime to inform her damage output. Instead, it’s a straightforward consecutive attack combo that culminates in a powerful burst, which can help shred through single encounters. Danjin’s overall damage output doesn’t quite reach the likes of Jiyan, but in the right hands, she can solo powerful bosses without breaking a sweat.

Jianxin

Jianxin is a DPS support character that applies shields to her allies while offering exceptional AoE damage output. Her ultimate pulls enemies in the vicinity to a set position, dealing AoE damage while leaving them vulnerable to a devastating follow-up attack. However, the obvious jewel in her kit is her Primordial Chi Spiral, which allows her to quickly stack up shields once she’s maxed out her Chi.

Unfortunately, Jianxin’s kit as it currently stands is spread too thin, and the result is an average performance in both DPS and support roles. Jianxin is a great unit for world exploration and quests, but she’s quickly outclassed in boss challenges and alternate game modes that favor single targets. Equally, Jianxin’s shield offers excellent protection for beginners, but its effects are redundant for experienced players who can parry and dodge counter with ease. On that note, we can’t ignore the auto-parry she has baked in her skill, which is sure to be a godsend for players still finding their feet.

Rover (Havoc)

Rover follows in the footsteps of other gacha game protagonists in that they’re nothing to write home about, but they’re also not terrible either. The Havoc version of the character has proven a very pleasant surprise, however, thanks to the impressive amount of damage that they can put out, as well as some slick synergies with specific characters and Echoes that are easily accessible, Havoc Rover can carry you through large parts of the game. When in their Umbral form, Havoc Rover sprouts black wings and attacks with a scythe which gives bonus points for style.

The most common character pairing for Havoc Rover is Danjin, who provides a mighty 23% Havoc damage boost with her outro skill. While this is, of course, incredibly important to Havoc Rover’s overall DPS, the real juice lies in the fact both units can make use of the Dreamless Echo. Dreamless is one of the most powerful burst damage options in the game, providing both characters with the equivalent of a tactical nuke. Even without Danjin, however, Havoc Rover teams up well with the likes of Sanhua and Yinlin if you want to run them as a pure on-field hyper carry.

Yangyang

Yangyang is a support character that offers something slightly different from the usual attack and healing buffs. Instead, Yangyang’s outro skill restores energy to the next character, making her ideal for hypercarry compositions that support ultimate-driven characters. Yangyang’s offensive capabilities let her throw enemies into the air and reposition them for heavy punishment via her Echoing Feathers Forte Circuit.

Sadly, Yangyang suffers from a low damage ceiling that forces her to fall behind DPS units at higher tiers, and her utility isn’t enough to fill the gap. Her attack rotation also suffers from a final flourish that’s easily interrupted, which causes her Forte Gauge to stall. However, we may see her climb this tier list if energy regeneration becomes even more essential in the Wuthering Waves meta.

Yuanwu

Yuanwu is a sub DPS character who relies on his skill to summon a Thunder Wedge that deals AoE Electro damage over time and persists when he’s off-field. Yuanwu can directly shred the Vibration Strength of powerful enemies and bosses thanks to his outro skill, Forte Circuit, and passives. To fully realize his kit’s potential, you must maximize the uptime of his Lightning Infused state, which demands that his Thunder Wedge remains on-field as much as possible.

Yuanwu is one of the few damage-oriented characters that scale off DEF, which means he’s notably more robust than many DPS-oriented characters in the roster. There’s no question that he’s a versatile unit, but he pales in comparison to Yinlin and the omission of a buff attached to his outro skill can inadvertently kneecap your main DPS. However, he’s an inarguably great pick for F2P players, and the anti-interrupt attached to his ultimate makes him a force to be reckoned with.

C-tier

Aalto

Aalto is a hybrid ranged character who deals in utility and misdirection to disorient his foes. Positioning is key to his success, thanks to his ability to net bonus damage by shooting through the Gate of Quandary that spawns during his ultimate. He can also pass through this gate to inflict even more damage and gain a brief movement speed buff thanks to his Forte Circuit. This unusual playstyle is a refreshing change of pace for players looking for something different than a standard combat experience – but like Lingyang, this can be a double-edged sword.

Thankfully, Aalto can generate a Mist Avatar via his skill, which taunts enemies and provides a welcome opportunity to reorient during hectic fights. His kit is also notable for its Dissolving Mist outro skill, which imbues the next character with a 23% Aero DMG Deepen buff for 14 seconds. This gives him decent synergy with Jiyan, but there are so many better synergies to make in that specific hypercarry composition that it reduces Aalto to a ‘budget’ option. We’ll likely see Aalto’s value increase as more five-star Aero characters enter the roster, but right now, he joins Lingyang and Chixia with a similar team value deficit.

Chixia

Chixia is a main DPS character that fights exclusively at range, and while she’s unable to parry, she does gain an additional dodge thanks to her skill. This movement quirk makes her a great pick for new players who struggle with combat timing and prefer to remain at a distance. Most of Chixia’s damage output stems from her Forte Circuit, which buffs her skill. However, she also needs to channel it, which means Chixia has to remain on the field and at the mercy of enemy attacks for an extended period.

Ultimately, Chixia is a free four-star character with decent firepower, and she has plenty of potential to become a serious threat if you’re lucky enough to max her Resonance Chain. However, at base resonance, the likes of Mortefi and Encore are superior choices to fill her role on a team, and her kit lacks the versatility of other DPS units.

Lingyang

Lingyang is a DPS button-mash brawler, making him incredibly easy to use; his kit is largely concerned with buffing his basic and heavy attacks to punish enemies in a flurry of blows. His ultimate imbues him with Lion’s Vigor, which boosts his Glacio DMG by 50% for 50 seconds, so energy replenishment is essential to reach his full potential. However, Lingyang’s movement style is his defining feature. This little lion man is an aerial fighter who juggles enemies and takes full advantage of all the verticality in Wuthering Waves. It also completely incapacitates them, leaving them at his mercy.

Linyang certainly has the fun factor, but he runs into many of the same issues as Chixia. His kit is so straightforward that he’s overshadowed by top-tier DPS units with a higher damage ceiling – such as Jiyan and Calcharo – and he lacks the utility that would give him more overall team value. Equally, Lingyang’s movement can work against him; it may be a novelty, but achieving perfect positioning in midair is a much greater challenge than on the ground.

Rover (Spectro)

Rover’s Spectro form is very much a jack of all trades, master of none. They have decent damage output and their kit is straightforward, though the clear stand-out is their intro skill, which creates a stasis field that inflicts slowdown on nearby enemies for three seconds.

Like with other gacha game protagonists, you can expect to unlock Spectro Rover’s Resonance Chain much easier than any other character – including a bonus team-wide heal at S4. However, these benefits will eventually be offset as you unlock more characters and reach late-game content. Overall, they are a versatile unit that can work across many team comps, but the lack of specialization means you’ll quickly find better units to fill those gaps instead.

D-tier

Taoqi

Taoqi is a support unit built specifically for defense – both for herself and her allies. The Rocksteady Shields she generates via her skill provide a 15% DEF bonus and persist between characters, with the opportunity to boost them further through her Resonance Chain. However, like Jianxin, Taoqi’s defensive capabilities offer less value to a more experienced player who will avoid damage anyway. There’s an opportunity to turn a good defense into a decent offense thanks to Taoqi’s auto-parry mechanic and Forte Circuit attack enhancements, but her low damage ceiling makes this a tough sell.

Taoqi’s outro skill applies a 35% Resonance Skill DMG Deepen buff to the next character for 14 seconds. While it’s certainly a powerful buff, it doesn’t have standout synergy with any character in the roster just yet, and it’s outclassed by the broader outro skill buffs offered by other support units on this tier list. However, if we get a character that can take full advantage of this buff, we expect Taoqi to catapult up the ranks.

Now that you’ve filled your team with the best characters on our Wuthering Waves tier list, check out the best Wuthering Waves weapons and Wuthering Waves Echoes to improve their performance even further. Finally, don’t forget to redeem all the latest Wuthering Waves codes to help you pull the latest and greatest characters in the free PC game without breaking the bank.