Welcome to our first Tier List update report on all Wuthering Waves Resonators. The rankings are from theorycrafting and playtesting after the global release since May 22, 2024. The next banner event for Yinlin starts on June 6, 2024 and another update should follow before or not long after.
This list is the combined efforts of our expert players and theorycrafters. We understand tier lists such as these can be highly controversial. Our ultimate goal is to do a complete, objective review with more detailed explanations and build guides on each character so everything has better context on why characters are rated this way.
Disclaimer
- We assume that they are played realistically with rather average substats and using their preferred Echo sets.
- Difficulties is not a factor of tier rating, however their ease of use will be mentioned.
- Everyone listed is at Resonance Chain 0, with considerations of 5-Star and 4-Star weapons. The only exception being Rover at Resonance 4+.
- The characters in each tier are not in any particular order.
Main DPS / Main Carry
| Tier | Resonator |
|---|---|
| S Tier | • Calcharo • Encore • Jiyan |
| A Tier | • Danjin • Rover (Havoc) (Male) |
| B Tier | • Chixia • Lingyang • Sanhua |
| C Tier | • Yuanwu |
S Tier
Calcharo
Calcharo does Excel in ST damage but requires long DPS windows to properly execute his damage. Getting knocked out of a rotation will reduce his DPS more so than other characters. Optimal damage rotations can also be quite hard to execute even when opportunities arise. Yinlin would increase his damage even more if nothing has changed.
Calcharo has one main problem and it's when you dodge, he wont get a Forte stack, which means you wont have enough time to get a 3rd Death Messenger (Forte during Liberation state), which causes his damage to tank down a lot. He pairs really well with Sanhua and Jianxin as amplifiers.
Encore
Currently, Encore suffers from not having any dedicated Fusion supports to boost her damage. In spite of this, she can output enough damage to rival both Calchero and Jiyan. However, this requires you to do animation cancels which can be difficult to pull off in some realistic scenarios.
With Yinlin's Signature weapon Stringmaster she can compete as the top single target DPS in Wuthering Waves. She also pairs really well with Sanhua.
Jiyan
Jiyan is the strongest Main DPS currently. He has the highest potential damage output on top of having incredible AoE. His best duo is Mortefi.
Jiyan excels in AoE content with a built-in gather on his ultimate. Most of Jiyan’s damage comes from the ultimate so you will want to have enough energy regen to have it ready for each rotation. In ST content, Jiyan does slightly less damage than Calcharo and Encore.
A Tier
Danjin
A hard hitting damage dealer with a simple to remember skill rotation, she sacrifices her own HP to fuel her Resonance Skill and Forte. While requiring careful risk management to use to her full potential, with the additional boost from her Resonance Chain she can punch above her rarity.
This placement will surprise many, however... this tier list is more aimed towards Tower of Adversity and general gameplay, while also considering the average player into consideration. If we're talking specifically about Hologram, Danjin really shines. Her DPS is lower than most however, this game is not only about the biggest numbers, but about consistency. And Danjin is VERY consistent.
Rover (Havoc)
Havoc MC is quite a strong character. Their Liberation is incredibly strong and with the combination of Dreamless Echo they can dish out incredible burst damage. Great F2P option, pairs up with Danjin & Sanhua really well as amplifiers.
B Tier
Chixia
Chixia has the longest damage rotation when utilising her kit properly. The end result being “ok” damage. Her skills don’t give the team much energy regen either or any team utility.
As a result, Chixia is the weakest DPS probably right now. Her damage is mostly tied to her Forte which can be hard to pull off against bosses when you are forced to dodge so often. Her liberation takes a much bigger portion of her damage than expected which means it's not as powerful anymore to Deepen buff her Skill Damage using Taoqi's outro skill. Jianxin and Taoqi are good amplifiers for Chixia.
Lingyang
A resonator that can be quite hit or miss, his playstyle mainly revolves around being airborne (via circuit forte) during his ultimate. This can be quite jarring for some players as your attacks can miss entirely depending on the enemies’ hitbox. When compared to the rest of the damage dealers, he lags behind by quite a bit in terms of damage output.
Other than the few inconsistencies, Lingyang overall is quite a decent DPS and not much behind Calcharo. Lingyang really enjoys running with Sanhua.
Sub DPS / Amplifier
| Tier | Resonator |
|---|---|
| S Tier | • Sanhua • Yinlin |
| A Tier | • Danjin 🔼 • Jianxin 🔼 • Mortefi |
| B Tier | • Encore • Rover (Male) • Yangyang |
| C Tier | • Aalto • Taoqi • Yuanwu |
S Tier
Sanhua
Sanhua is an excellent quick swap character that’s also easy to play (if you can time her heavy). She has low on-field time and deals high burst damage, while also providing a neat outro buff. Her resonance chains are nothing to scuff at either.
Her speed, and flexibility is what makes her so good. Sanhua uses Moonlit Clouds very well because it gives her all the ER she needs, as her energy generation is really high. Her damage is quite good and swap canceling potential is quite high. Her 38% Normal Attack Deepen works with so many characters right now that it puts her at T0 for me over other Sub DPS characters. She's also free, and is really worth building for a lot of accounts.
Yinlin
Yinlin's damage is simply really high, quite close to the damage of a Main DPS. On top of that her energy generation is absolutely bonkers. She pairs up really well with Calcharo as his damage distribution is mostly leaning towards Liberation DMG. She has amazing swap cancel potential and can use Moonlit Clouds / Void Thunder because her damage is high enough to justify it.
A Tier
Danjin
Danjin's kit doesn't really scream "Sub DPS", however, due to how good Havoc Rover is, it earns her the T1 spot as a good amplifier for Havoc Rover.
Jianxin
Other than being a good sustainer and grouper, Jianxin's Sub DPS capabilities are not bad. Her damage isn't the greatest but it's not bad either. She pairs up well with Calcharo and quite well with Chixia. Future Liberation damage scalers will really enjoy her on the team.
Mortefi
Mortefi has mostly been relegated to a sub DPS/supporting role for Jiyan with his Outro Skill buffing Heavy Attacks. His ultimate applies a buff to all allies and whenever the character on-field launches an attack a coordinated attack will be performed. On top of this, he generates Concerto energy quickly for fast rotations.
Furthermore, his S^ allows him to be a bit more flexible with who you can use him with, as it gives a mini Verina 20% atk buff.
B Tier
Rover (Spectro)
The main protagonist. Surprisingly decent out of the box, with the additional Resonances granted by just playing the game, they do just about everything just well enough to remain a viable stand-in pick even in the endgame content. Can be considered higher once viable Spectro DPS’s are released because of Spectro shred on Resonance Chain 6.
Currently however, Spectro Rover doesn't offer much other than damage. The damage is good, but without proper swap canceling they're not that great. Their outro can hurt you sometimes when used with bad timing. Flex tape character.
Yangyang
Yangyang can work as a budget grouper if you don't own Jianxin, and her energy generation outro can help energy hungry characters quite a lot. Unfortunately, the only character right now that wants this is Jiyan and he still prefers Mortefi by a long shot.
C Tier
Aalto
An odd character to say the least, his ultimate buffs pistol wielders but there aren't any notable pistol main damage dealers. Aalto’s only saving grace is his Outro Skill provides a hefty Aero DMG Deepen buff.
Despite his utility being awful (10% dmg bonus to projectiles that go through his gate... at max talent level...) and his damage being on the lower side, his buff is actually a decent replacement to Mortefi's outro for Jiyan. Hopefully in the future we'll get an Aero DPS who's kit doesn't focus on a single attack type (in Jiyan's case, heavy attack).
Taoqi
She got so heavily nerfed on launch. Her shield is about half as good as before, and her damage is not great. Right now there isn't an incredible Skill Damage-focused carry to pair her up up with.
Yuanwu
Has good Vibration bar (“stun meter”) depletion, but that’s about it. His damage department is lacking due to his kit purely focusing on this niche, which every character can do, albeit slower than him.
He's simply a fine Sub DPS, like Spectro Rover as a flex tape character. He doesn't really offer any amazing buffs, mostly Defense related stuff.
Support / Sustainer
| Tier | Resonator |
|---|---|
| S Tier | • Verina |
| A Tier | • Jianxin |
| B Tier | • Baizhi • Yangyang |
| C Tier | • Aalto • Rover (Male) 🔼 • Taoqi • Yuanwu 🔼 |
S Tier
Verina
With 1.0 having very few support units Verina stands out as being the best Resonator in the game. She provides team-wide All DMG Deepen, an ATK which can have 100% uptime, and a revive every 10 minutes. On top of this, she can continuously proc the set effect of Rejuvenating Glow giving you a permanent ATK buff.
This character is simply a league above everyone else. She gives a total of:
- 35% ATK with Rejuvenating Glow set
- 10% damage bonus with bell-borne-geochelone Echo skill
- 15% Deepen damage multiplier to your entire team
She's also really quick and has good energy generation. Use her with Variation - a 4-star ER% weapon and you're good to go.
A Tier
Jianxin
Not particularly strong as a damage dealer or sub DPS herself, but Jianxin is able to support the top tier DPS as of now via her deepen outro skill, crowd control, and shields very well.
Her sustain is actually quite strong, and as a support she can offer decent buffs with Moonlit + Liberation Deepen. Can also run Rejuvenating Glow however her healing tick takes 6 seconds so it's a bit awkward to trigger it's buff.
B Tier
Baizhi
A healer given out for free as you progress through the story. Overall, a solid support who provides the team with an ATK buff and All-Type DMG Deepen which is a unique multiplier. That's all Baizhi provides since healing is an unwanted effect in the mid/endgame most enemies attacks will almost one-shot or outright kill you.
Due to lack of supports in the game, Baizhi has a lot of value right now as a budget Verina alternative for a 2nd team. She offers worse buffs than Verina and is much slower, however is still a good option.
Yangyang
A good energy support and crowd controller with decent damage. Since energy requirements aren’t exactly too heavy in this game (30-40% via echo stats), her greatest strengths devalues greatly in end game content. Yang Yang’s Reso 6 is powerful however, and can bump her up a tier.
In addition, there's a hidden tech with Yangyang as a Verina replacement in a Jiyan team, where you use the Originite: Type II sword to self heal and trigger Rejuvenating Glow + Bellborne for extra buffs. That way you can battery Jiyan, swap to Mortefi to keep buffing Jiyan. However it's still worse than Verina.
C Tier
Rover (Spectro)
At S4 Rover can sustain the team. However the healing is horribly low. It can still activate Rejuvenating Glow, however.
Taoqi
Low energy regeneration with odd damage scaling. Her damage is split between Def and ATK, which means that one multiplier suffers if focusing on a stat. Self Healing and shielding aren’t very strong in the meta as of right now, and are for comfortability at best. Her outro buff isn’t particularly strong either as of now.
If you build Taoqi as a sustainer she's fine. She'll get the job done and still offer her buffs. You can use Rejuvenating Glow to grant a teamwide buff as she can self heal.
Yuanwu
His shield (that you get from sequences) and defense buffs aren't enough to justify running as a sustainer and he can't run Rejuvenating Glow. Moonlit is fine.
Written by: Valkkin, Senea, and Bittex
