Wondering who the best DPS is, or the best support unit? Take a look at our Wuthering Waves tier list to find out! We rank each playable character based on their usability, strengths, damage and healing abilities, as well as the community’s preference overall. While we do take the game’s meta into account, this tier list can be used for any type of team.
We’ve also got a full list of Wuthering Waves codes to grab some freebies on your new adventure, and you can check out our builds for Wuthering Waves Yinlin, Wuthering Waves Jinhsi, and Wuthering Waves Changli here.
Wuthering Waves tier list
This tier list ranks all the Wuthering Waves characters in the game from S- down to C-tier – but remember, just because your favorite might not be in the top tier doesn’t mean they’re not worth building.
Rank | Wuthering Waves character |
S | Changli, Jinhsi, Jiyan, Verina, Yinlin, Zhezhi |
A | Baizhi, Calcharo, Encore, Mortefi, Sanhua |
B | Danjin, Jianxin, Rover (havoc) |
C | Aalto, Lingyang, Rover (spectro), Yangyang, Yuanwu |
D | Chixia, Taoqi |
Wuthering Waves S-tier characters
Changli
Wuthering Waves Changli is a force to be reckoned with. She’s a five-star fusion character that can act as DPS, duo DPS, or sub-DPS – she’s versatile but throws out plenty of fiery damage whenever she’s on field.
She can buff other fusion characters’ damage along with any character’s resonance liberation damage, but on her own can still hold out and follow any boss’s movement pattern thanks to her mid-air skills.
Calcharo
Wuthering Waves Calcharo is another standard banner character that’s worth losing your 50/50 to. He uses a broadblade and the electro element to deal heavy damage on field and is a strong DPS.
You can use Calcharo’s resonance skill three times in a row, which can be used alongside his basic attack combo – and he can also summon a Phantom to deal extra damage alongside him. For best results, we suggest equipping Calcharo with a full set of void thunder echoes.
Jinhsi
Wuthering Waves Jinhsi is a spectro-using five-star DPS and a very capable one at that. She works well against single targets and groups thanks to her versatile kit, where she can enhance her basic and resonance attacks to deal more damage.
If you really want to bump up Jinhsi’s damage, using her with fellow S-tier units Mortefi and Yinlin is a great idea, as their coordinated attacks help to boost her personal damage.
Jiyan
Wuthering Waves Jiyan is the first limited-time character in the game, and he kicks it off with a bang as a really capable and hard-hitting DPS. Equipping him with aero damage bonus echoes and energy regenerating sets is the key to making sure his skills are available all the time, and doing good damage.
He uses a broadblade weapon that turns into a spear during combat and deploys a giant dragon with his resonance liberation, which pairs beautifully with Mortefi’s skills. This deals consistent aero damage to all enemies around you while keeping them close.
Mortefi
Wuthering Waves Mortefi is a four-star character using pistols and the fusion element, and while he can do some good damage using heavy attacks and aiming at enemies, he’s very popular as a heavy attack buffer for DPSs like Jiyan and Calcharo due to his outro skill’s heavy attack buff, so don’t forget to swap him in and out regularly.
His kit allows for coordinated attacks to happen no matter which party member you currently have active. In terms of what to equip Mortefi with, energy regeneration is key.
Verina
Featuring on the standard banner is Wuthering Waves Verina, a great healer who can provide healing to your entire team with her resonance liberation and mid-air attack. She’s an excellent member of any team for the overworld, bosses, and Tower of Adversity.
While you need charges in order to heal your team, they’re super easy to get – every time you use her resonance skill, you gain a charge, which you can then use during her mid-air attack. Equipping her with a full set of rejuvenating glow echoes pays dividends as it adds an extra attack boost to your team.
Yinlin
The second limited character in the game is Wuthering Waves Yinlin, a formidable sub-DPS that can do some excellent damage while boosting other electro user’s attacks.
Her outro skill, which automatically occurs when swapping to another unit, deepens the next character’s electro and resonance liberation damage by a good chunk. The Punishment and Judgment marks that Yinlin applies also carry over once she leaves the field.
Zhezhi
Wuthering Waves’ Zhezhi is an excellent support and sub-DPS for most teams – but especially glacio, if you’re a Lingyang user. Her outro skill boosts your next resonator’s skill damage (and glacio damage), and she has coordinated attacks to add extra damage while she’s not on field.
How we choose the best Wuthering Waves characters
Our tier list is based mostly on our own opinions of playing the game, along with the community’s preferences for which characters to use, and how useful they are in all areas of the game. This includes the Tower of Adversity, overworld exploration, and if there are any buffers that specifically help each DPS. Note that these rankings are based on each character with no resonance chain unlocked.
How do I get more Wuthering Waves characters?
To get new characters in your roster, you’ll need to pull on the Wuthering Waves banners. There are two character-related banners at any time – the event banner with a limited-time five-star, and the standard banner, where all four-stars and a pool of standard five-stars are available.
The standard five-star characters are:
- Calcharo
- Lingyang
- Verina
- Encore
- Jianxin
In every ten wishes, you’re guaranteed to get a four-star which, usually, is a character – and then within 80 wishes, you’ll get a five-star character on the limited banner so save up that astrite and get pulling!
You can also get a couple of four-star characters for free as you play the game and through some permanent events. These are:
- Yangyang
- Chixia
- Baizhi
- Yuanwu
That’s our Wuthering Waves tier list! If you, like us, are a big fan of mobile RPGs check out what we know about the Project Mugen release date right here, and what’s going on in the next Genshin Impact update.