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Character Tier List
Our comprehensive ranking of all Wuthering Waves characters based on their overall performance, utility, and value in the current meta.
How to Use This Tier List
This tier list ranks characters based on their performance across different roles. Characters in higher tiers generally offer more value and versatility, but remember that team synergy and personal playstyle can make any character viable.
We've categorized characters by their most effective roles: Overall performance, Main DPS, Sub DPS, and Support. Some characters may excel in multiple roles, while others are specialists in a particular area.
Tier Explanations
- SS Meta-defining characters that excel in almost all content and team compositions
- S Exceptional characters that provide outstanding value in most situations
- A Excellent characters that perform very well in most situations
- B Solid characters that are viable but may have some limitations
- C Characters that are usable but generally outclassed by higher tiers
Overall Tier List
This ranking evaluates characters based on their overall performance across all content types, considering their versatility, ease of use, and value in the current meta.
SS
SS Tier Characters
Character Explanations
| Character | Element | Weapon | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
 | No explanation available | ||
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| | No explanation available | ||
 | No explanation available | ||
| | No explanation available | ||
| | No explanation available | ||
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| | No explanation available | ||
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| | No explanation available |
S
S Tier Characters
Character Explanations
| Character | Element | Weapon | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| | Jiyan stands out as a top-tier DPS unit, capable of unleashing devastating single-target and AoE damage to annihilate any enemy in the game. His Ultimate ability also serves as a valuable crowd control tool, grouping smaller enemies and making them easier to take down. With the introduction of Whimpering Wastes, Jiyan has found a new niche that significantly boosts his value, making him an incredibly versatile unit to have in your arsenal. | ||
 | Yinlin is an exceptional sub-DPS unit who not only provides substantial bonuses to Liberation DMG and Electro DMG but also unleashes coordinated Electro attacks to deal extra damage, even when she's off-field. This unique ability makes Yinlin a highly valuable asset to any team, as she can continue to deal damage without being directly involved in combat. | ||
| | Changli is a formidable main-DPS unit who can deliver massive amounts of Fusion damage with her fully-stacked Forte Circuit. She also has the ability to self-buff her ATK after using her Ultimate, allowing her to deal even more damage and making her a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield. While she can also function as a sub-DPS, her true potential lies in her role as a main-DPS, where she can take center stage and unleash her full fury upon enemies. | ||
| | Xiangli Yao is a highly skilled Main DPS unit who excels at slowing down enemy movement and dealing massive damage to enemies, provided you know how to utilize him effectively. He heavily relies on Resonance Liberation DMG, making him a great fit for characters, weapons, or Echoes that buff this ability, allowing him to reach new heights of damage output. | ||
| | Roccia is an outstanding Havoc sub-DPS unit who provides significant increases to both Basic Attack and Havoc DMG. She also possesses a useful grouping utility that enables your DPS to effortlessly decimate hordes of enemies. Although she can only truly thrive in a Havoc team, which limits her team composition, her personal damage output is still noteworthy and enhances the overall damage dealt by the entire team, making her a valuable asset in time-limited endgame modes like the Tower of Adversity. | ||
| | Cantarella is a versatile Havoc character who offers a lot to different teams and is a premium character for Mono Havoc Teams. She enables the option to run a second sub-DPS instead of a support character, thanks to her kit providing some healing and sustain. Cantarella also provides Resonance and Havoc DMG amplification, making her highly flexible in buffing various DPS units, and she can deal extra damage with her off-field Coordinated attacks, boosting overall team damage potential. | ||
| | Lupa is the premier Fusion DMG enabler, elevating Fusion teams to unprecedented heights. When used in mono-Fusion teams, her value is immense, and she serves as the final piece of the puzzle for these teams. However, this also means she is extremely limited in terms of team building, as she requires all three Resonators to be Fusion, making her a highly specialized unit. | ||
| | Phrolova is a Havoc DPS who scales off Resonance Skill and Echo Skill DMG, a unique combination that only works with a handful of other characters. Although she can be flexible due to her off-field capabilities, Phrolova requires significant investment to reach her full potential, and her weapon is crucial to her performance. This substantial investment can be detrimental to team building, especially when compared to easier-to-build Havoc characters like Camellya. | ||
| | Sanhua is one of the best sub-DPS units in the game, providing a significant boost to Basic Attack DMG Deepen for 14 seconds to the next character who takes the field. She also deals respectable damage but relies heavily on detonating ice structures using her Heavy Attacks, making her a valuable asset to teams that can capitalize on this ability. |
A
A Tier Characters
Character Explanations
| Character | Element | Weapon | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| | Calcharo is an Electro Main-DPS unit who can deliver a substantial amount of Electro damage with both his Skill and Liberation. With the introduction of Yinlin, he now has a highly effective sub-DPS that pushes him to greater heights, making him an even more formidable force on the battlefield. | ||
| | Encore is an exceptional choice for a Fusion DPS in the game, focusing solely on dealing pure damage without any concerns. When she enters her Cosmos Rave state, she unleashes an insane amount of Fusion DMG, although she can be somewhat fragile, as her Cosmos Rave state does not provide any crowd control, making her vulnerable to enemy attacks. | ||
| | Rover (Spectro) is a jack-of-all-trades unit who provides great sub-DPS capabilities by executing time stop with her Outro Skill while showing glimpses of main-DPS capabilities with her high-damage Resonance Liberation. Unfortunately, this versatility has resulted in the Spectro Rover falling behind compared to other characters with more defined roles. | ||
| | Rover (Havoc) is a great damage dealer who allows for easy activation of her Dark Surge state, possessing high burst damage capability thanks to her Resonance Liberation. Her Basic Attack is where she truly shines, but it's crucial to hone your dodging skills to maximize the Basic Attack damage dealt during Dark Surge. | ||
| | Rover (Aero) currently suffers from having no other available characters that fully utilize her kit, making her primary role that of a support with sub-par damage dealing capabilities. However, she is likely to increase in value when more characters and mechanics are added to the game, potentially becoming a more valuable asset to teams. | ||
| | Mortefi has a unique mechanic that enables coordinated Fusion attacks to follow whenever you attack enemies, ensuring he deals damage even when off-field and exponentially increasing his value in fights. As a 4-star unit, he is easily accessible, and his value increases further when the on-field DPS uses Heavy Attacks, making him a valuable asset to any team. | ||
| | Danjin is a great DPS unit for free-to-play players, capable of dishing out huge amounts of damage as long as you can properly manage her HP-drain mechanic. This may be challenging when facing tougher enemies, so player skill plays a significant role in ensuring Danjin survives fights. |
B
B Tier Characters
Character Explanations
| Character | Element | Weapon | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| | Jianxin is a solid middle ground between being a main and sub-DPS in Wuthering Waves, capable of holding her own as a main-DPS while providing grouping and AoE damage against multiple enemies. Her Outro Skill also buffs Resonance Liberation DMG, making her a great sub-DPS as well, although her versatility has caused her to fall behind compared to characters with more defined roles. | ||
| | Aalto can be seen as a good sub-DPS unit who can buff Aero DMG while dealing decent damage, although he is being outclassed by other sub-DPS units like Mortefi, who can deal damage even when off-field. | ||
| | Yuanwu is a sub-DPS unit who, similar to Mortefi, follows up with coordinated Electro DMG even when he's off-field. He can also reduce the enemy's Vibration Strength, but this only applies if the enemy is inside the circle of effect, making it easily avoidable by mobile enemies. | ||
| | Chixia is a DPS unit who excels against hordes of enemies due to her mobility and ease of use, capable of taking on single-target bosses with ease as long as you can reposition and evade properly. However, her benefits decrease when dealing with mobs of enemies, as she can easily be overwhelmed by multiple enemies if not careful. | ||
| | Baizhi is a pure healer who can be used when you don't have access to Shorekeeper and Verina, capable of burst-healing using her Resonance Skill and Liberation, as well as continuously healing and buffing the next character who takes the field for 36 seconds. Unlocking her Inherent Skill 1 also provides ATK boosts to the next on-field DPS, although her buffs only apply to the next character, limiting the flow of switching when using Baizhi. | ||
| | Youhu is a healer-support hybrid who can provide multiple buffs and effects in battle, from healing to vibration strength depletion efficiency. However, her buffs are obtained through a kit-based RNG system, making her effects extremely inconsistent and potentially messing up rotations, although she can force some effects to happen. | ||
| | Lumi is a sub-DPS unit who can provide Resonance Skill DMG Amplification via her Outro Skill, with a straightforward kit and good multipliers for her Forte Circuit and Resonance Liberation. Although her damage falls off when doing Basic Attacks with her two Light Modes, she can deal decent damage when her Forte Circuit is full. |
C
C Tier Characters
Character Explanations
| Character | Element | Weapon | Explanation |
|---|
Main DPS Tier List
This ranking focuses on a character's ability to deal consistent damage as the primary damage dealer in a team, considering factors like damage output, field time requirements, and self-sufficiency.
SS
SS Tier Characters
Character Explanations
| Character | Element | Weapon | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| | No explanation available | ||
| | No explanation available | ||
| | No explanation available | ||
| | No explanation available | ||
| | No explanation available | ||
| | No explanation available | ||
| | No explanation available |
S
S Tier Characters
Character Explanations
| Character | Element | Weapon | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| | Jiyan stands out as a top-tier DPS unit, capable of unleashing devastating single-target and AoE damage to annihilate any enemy in the game. His Ultimate ability also serves as a valuable crowd control tool, grouping smaller enemies and making them easier to take down. With the introduction of Whimpering Wastes, Jiyan has found a new niche that significantly boosts his value, making him an incredibly versatile unit to have in your arsenal. | ||
| | Changli is a formidable main-DPS unit who can deliver massive amounts of Fusion damage with her fully-stacked Forte Circuit. She also has the ability to self-buff her ATK after using her Ultimate, allowing her to deal even more damage and making her a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield. While she can also function as a sub-DPS, her true potential lies in her role as a main-DPS, where she can take center stage and unleash her full fury upon enemies. | ||
| | No explanation available | ||
| | Xiangli Yao is a highly skilled Main DPS unit who excels at slowing down enemy movement and dealing massive damage to enemies, provided you know how to utilize him effectively. He heavily relies on Resonance Liberation DMG, making him a great fit for characters, weapons, or Echoes that buff this ability, allowing him to reach new heights of damage output. | ||
| | Phrolova is a Havoc DPS who scales off Resonance Skill and Echo Skill DMG, a unique combination that only works with a handful of other characters. Although she can be flexible due to her off-field capabilities, Phrolova requires significant investment to reach her full potential, and her weapon is crucial to her performance. This substantial investment can be detrimental to team building, especially when compared to easier-to-build Havoc characters like Camellya. |
A
A Tier Characters
Character Explanations
| Character | Element | Weapon | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| | Calcharo is an Electro Main-DPS unit who can deliver a substantial amount of Electro damage with both his Skill and Liberation. With the introduction of Yinlin, he now has a highly effective sub-DPS that pushes him to greater heights, making him an even more formidable force on the battlefield. | ||
| | Encore is an exceptional choice for a Fusion DPS in the game, focusing solely on dealing pure damage without any concerns. When she enters her Cosmos Rave state, she unleashes an insane amount of Fusion DMG, although she can be somewhat fragile, as her Cosmos Rave state does not provide any crowd control, making her vulnerable to enemy attacks. | ||
| | Rover (Spectro) is a jack-of-all-trades unit who provides great sub-DPS capabilities by executing time stop with her Outro Skill while showing glimpses of main-DPS capabilities with her high-damage Resonance Liberation. Unfortunately, this versatility has resulted in the Spectro Rover falling behind compared to other characters with more defined roles. | ||
| | Rover (Havoc) is a great damage dealer who allows for easy activation of her Dark Surge state, possessing high burst damage capability thanks to her Resonance Liberation. Her Basic Attack is where she truly shines, but it's crucial to hone your dodging skills to maximize the Basic Attack damage dealt during Dark Surge. | ||
| | Danjin is a great DPS unit for free-to-play players, capable of dishing out huge amounts of damage as long as you can properly manage her HP-drain mechanic. This may be challenging when facing tougher enemies, so player skill plays a significant role in ensuring Danjin survives fights. |
B
B Tier Characters
Character Explanations
| Character | Element | Weapon | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| | Chixia is a DPS unit who excels against hordes of enemies due to her mobility and ease of use, capable of taking on single-target bosses with ease as long as you can reposition and evade properly. However, her benefits decrease when dealing with mobs of enemies, as she can easily be overwhelmed by multiple enemies if not careful. |
C
C Tier Characters
Character Explanations
| Character | Element | Weapon | Explanation |
|---|
Sub DPS Tier List
This ranking evaluates characters based on their ability to deal significant off-field damage or provide damage during short windows, complementing the main DPS.
SS
SS Tier Characters
S
S Tier Characters
Character Explanations
| Character | Element | Weapon | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| | Yinlin is an exceptional sub-DPS unit who not only provides substantial bonuses to Liberation DMG and Electro DMG but also unleashes coordinated Electro attacks to deal extra damage, even when she's off-field. This unique ability makes Yinlin a highly valuable asset to any team, as she can continue to deal damage without being directly involved in combat. | ||
| | Roccia is an outstanding Havoc sub-DPS unit who provides significant increases to both Basic Attack and Havoc DMG. She also possesses a useful grouping utility that enables your DPS to effortlessly decimate hordes of enemies. Although she can only truly thrive in a Havoc team, which limits her team composition, her personal damage output is still noteworthy and enhances the overall damage dealt by the entire team, making her a valuable asset in time-limited endgame modes like the Tower of Adversity. | ||
| | Cantarella is a versatile Havoc character who offers a lot to different teams and is a premium character for Mono Havoc Teams. She enables the option to run a second sub-DPS instead of a support character, thanks to her kit providing some healing and sustain. Cantarella also provides Resonance and Havoc DMG amplification, making her highly flexible in buffing various DPS units, and she can deal extra damage with her off-field Coordinated attacks, boosting overall team damage potential. | ||
| | Lupa is the premier Fusion DMG enabler, elevating Fusion teams to unprecedented heights. When used in mono-Fusion teams, her value is immense, and she serves as the final piece of the puzzle for these teams. However, this also means she is extremely limited in terms of team building, as she requires all three Resonators to be Fusion, making her a highly specialized unit. | ||
| | Sanhua is one of the best sub-DPS units in the game, providing a significant boost to Basic Attack DMG Deepen for 14 seconds to the next character who takes the field. She also deals respectable damage but relies heavily on detonating ice structures using her Heavy Attacks, making her a valuable asset to teams that can capitalize on this ability. |
A
A Tier Characters
Character Explanations
| Character | Element | Weapon | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| | Rover (Spectro) is a jack-of-all-trades unit who provides great sub-DPS capabilities by executing time stop with her Outro Skill while showing glimpses of main-DPS capabilities with her high-damage Resonance Liberation. Unfortunately, this versatility has resulted in the Spectro Rover falling behind compared to other characters with more defined roles. | ||
| | Mortefi has a unique mechanic that enables coordinated Fusion attacks to follow whenever you attack enemies, ensuring he deals damage even when off-field and exponentially increasing his value in fights. As a 4-star unit, he is easily accessible, and his value increases further when the on-field DPS uses Heavy Attacks, making him a valuable asset to any team. | ||
| | Danjin is a great DPS unit for free-to-play players, capable of dishing out huge amounts of damage as long as you can properly manage her HP-drain mechanic. This may be challenging when facing tougher enemies, so player skill plays a significant role in ensuring Danjin survives fights. |
B
B Tier Characters
Character Explanations
| Character | Element | Weapon | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| | Jianxin is a solid middle ground between being a main and sub-DPS in Wuthering Waves, capable of holding her own as a main-DPS while providing grouping and AoE damage against multiple enemies. Her Outro Skill also buffs Resonance Liberation DMG, making her a great sub-DPS as well, although her versatility has caused her to fall behind compared to characters with more defined roles. | ||
| | Aalto can be seen as a good sub-DPS unit who can buff Aero DMG while dealing decent damage, although he is being outclassed by other sub-DPS units like Mortefi, who can deal damage even when off-field. | ||
| | Yuanwu is a sub-DPS unit who, similar to Mortefi, follows up with coordinated Electro DMG even when he's off-field. He can also reduce the enemy's Vibration Strength, but this only applies if the enemy is inside the circle of effect, making it easily avoidable by mobile enemies. | ||
| | Chixia is a DPS unit who excels against hordes of enemies due to her mobility and ease of use, capable of taking on single-target bosses with ease as long as you can reposition and evade properly. However, her benefits decrease when dealing with mobs of enemies, as she can easily be overwhelmed by multiple enemies if not careful. | ||
| | Youhu is a healer-support hybrid who can provide multiple buffs and effects in battle, from healing to vibration strength depletion efficiency. However, her buffs are obtained through a kit-based RNG system, making her effects extremely inconsistent and potentially messing up rotations, although she can force some effects to happen. | ||
| | Lumi is a sub-DPS unit who can provide Resonance Skill DMG Amplification via her Outro Skill, with a straightforward kit and good multipliers for her Forte Circuit and Resonance Liberation. Although her damage falls off when doing Basic Attacks with her two Light Modes, she can deal decent damage when her Forte Circuit is full. |
C
C Tier Characters
Character Explanations
| Character | Element | Weapon | Explanation |
|---|
Support Tier List
This ranking focuses on a character's ability to enhance team performance through buffs, debuffs, healing, shielding, or utility effects.
SS
SS Tier Characters
Character Explanations
| Character | Element | Weapon | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| | No explanation available | ||
| | No explanation available |
A
A Tier Characters
Character Explanations
| Character | Element | Weapon | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| | Rover (Aero) currently suffers from having no other available characters that fully utilize her kit, making her primary role that of a support with sub-par damage dealing capabilities. However, she is likely to increase in value when more characters and mechanics are added to the game, potentially becoming a more valuable asset to teams. |
B
B Tier Characters
Character Explanations
| Character | Element | Weapon | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| | Baizhi is a pure healer who can be used when you don't have access to Shorekeeper and Verina, capable of burst-healing using her Resonance Skill and Liberation, as well as continuously healing and buffing the next character who takes the field for 36 seconds. Unlocking her Inherent Skill 1 also provides ATK boosts to the next on-field DPS, although her buffs only apply to the next character, limiting the flow of switching when using Baizhi. | ||
| | Youhu is a healer-support hybrid who can provide multiple buffs and effects in battle, from healing to vibration strength depletion efficiency. However, her buffs are obtained through a kit-based RNG system, making her effects extremely inconsistent and potentially messing up rotations, although she can force some effects to happen. |
Current Meta Analysis
The current Wuthering Waves meta favors characters with strong AoE damage capabilities, consistent elemental application, and versatile team synergies. Here's our analysis of the current state of the game:
Meta Trends
- Elemental reactions are crucial for maximizing damage output, with Havoc and Fusion reactions being particularly valuable
- Characters with off-field damage capabilities are highly valued for enabling reaction-heavy team compositions
- Strong AoE damage is important for efficiently clearing most content
- Energy generation and management is a key factor in team building
- Versatility across different content types gives characters higher overall ratings
Investment Considerations
When deciding which characters to invest in, consider:
- How much investment (ascension, skills, echoes) is needed for the character to reach their full potential
- Whether the character performs well with accessible weapons and echoes
- How the character synergizes with your existing roster
- Whether the character fills a specific role you need for your teams
Tier List Methodology
This tier list is based on the current meta and is updated regularly to reflect changes in the game. Our rankings consider:
- Performance in various content types (story missions, dungeons, boss fights)
- Damage output or support capabilities
- Utility and versatility in different team compositions
- Resource investment required to reach full potential
- Unique mechanics or abilities that set them apart
Remember that while this tier list provides a general guideline, your personal playstyle and team composition can make any character viable. Focus on characters you enjoy playing and that complement your existing roster.