Top 5 Wuthering Waves builds
Channel your inner Resonance to champion Wuthering Waves
It's baffling to think that eight years ago, No Man's Sky was on the verge of cancellation due to its poor launch - a disaster that was a culmination of promotional campaigns that overpromise and underdeliver.
Fast forward to now, and No Man's Sky's fate is a total reversal. It is now Steam's golden goose, with many awards and rave reviews. This is one of many redemption stories where things turn around dramatically - and it’s not all that different even in the realm of gacha games.
Wuthering Waves - Kuro Games’ gander at an open-world gacha with an edgy coating - is a new star on the podium. It tells a tale in an open world with a dark fantasy theme as its backdrop. You play as the amnesiac Rover tossed into a chaotic world where sci-fi rigamarole exists on the same plane as mythical stuff like dragons. In Deus Ex Machina fashion, you play the saviour role while rediscovering your past self. Expect bloated dialogues with jargon thrown at you in every new scene.
The waves ebb and flow with every strike
Wuthering Waves has a litany of standout aspects that make it a joyride. In addition to the availability of mechanics like a Grappling Hook that makes exploration easier, it draws expertise from Punishing Gray Raven to make its combat system polished and snappy. Each character has a gourd to absorb the Echo (read: soul) of fallen overworld mobs, thus allowing them to draw upon a fraction of their power and effects in battles. At least from my perspective, it’s an obscure nod to Megaman ZXA’s A-Trans albeit on a short timer.
For whatever reason, you’ve finally decided to surf up the waves. Maybe it's the "Devs listened" memes or the accolades it’s received for being the best sci-fi game, but you’re here now, and you came to the right place. Like many others, you need a strong team to enjoy your playtime. You also need it to clear tough endgame stages, like those in Tower of Adversity. Special shoutout to my buddy Aoi here for supplying the build images and guidance (friend link in the description).
The Phantom of the Dead
Apart from raising Forte skills and levels to make a Resonator stronger, the stats on their weapon and Echo contribute a significant portion to their overall strength. Each Echo has two main stats and upward to five sub-stats after tuning, all of which are dice rolls.
Echoes have multiple rarities. At the apex sits Overlords/Calamities, costing 4 points to equip. Next are Elites and Commons, costing 3 and 1 points, respectively. The topmost Echo turns into a usable skill while the remaining four are benched for the sole purpose of stats provision. There’s a ceiling cost of 12 to adhere to for balancing purposes. Hence, the general consensus is to slot in Echoes with a cost of 4+3+3+1+1. On rare exceptions, the combination of 4+4+1+1+1 can work as well.
| Rarity | Common | Elite | Overlord/Calamity |
| Main stat (%) | HP,ATK,ATK%, DEF | HP, ATK, ATK%, DEF, Energy Regen, Resonance-type DMG bonus | HP,ATK,DEF, Healing bonus, Crit.DMG, Crit.Rate |
| Secondary stat (Flat) | HP | ATK | ATK |
| Sub-stat (Echo tuning) (%) |
|
||
Last thing to take note of is the Echo’s Resonance. If you have matching sets of two and five, you can activate the Sonata effect. While Sonata bunched with a Resonance-type boosts your Resonance-based damage output, there exist three outliers.
| Set name | Sonata Effect |
| Moonlit Clouds | 
|
| Rejuvenating Glow | 
|
| Lingering Tunes | 
|
So, with all the puzzle pieces, before we start - have a break, have a kitty kat.
1
The right stats, for the right role
- For damage dealers: Focus on equipping Echoes/Weapons with CRIT% and CRIT DMG+. Leverage on 3-cost Echo's exclusive access to Resonance DMG can make a difference.
- For healers: Focus on Energy Regen and Healing Given %. For the lower-tier Echoes, the stat must correspond to the one which the healer scales with. For instance, Baizhi, one of the starting healers, scales with HP. Verina does so with ATK and ATK%.
Energy is split into Resonance energy and Concerto Energy. The stat Energy Regen affects the former. The latter builds up after executing a character's actions when on the field. Resonance Energy enables the use of Resonance skills and Liberation - fancy names for special and ultimate skills, respectively. Concerto energy recharges Intro and Outro skills to quickly swap between characters.
Each Resonator can power up through Resonance Chain, using duplicates as the currency. Think of this as Genshin’s Constellation system. It’s a good enhancement but not necessary for most.
2
Havoc
With a limited cast, two-thirds (Taoqi and Danjin) have no screen time. You're best to default to Rover. You get upgrade materials for him as the story progresses. (You can raise his chain level to three at this time.) Apart from his high damage and parry potential, Rover can sustain through enhanced basic attacks via healing.
(Sun-sinking Eclipse) Build 1: Dreamless/Crownless (CRIT.DMG/Crit.%) + Two 3-cost Echo (Havoc DMG Bonus) + Three 1-cost Echo (ATK%) + Emerald of Genesis (Sun-sinking Eclipse) Build 2: Dreamless (CRIT.DMG/Crit.%) + Crownless (CRIT.DMG/Crit.%) + Three 1-cost Echo (ATK%) + Emerald of Genesis
Dreamless is built specifically for Rover’s use. On top of powerful AoE Havoc damage, if Rover could unleash the Resonance Liberation and morph into Dreamless, it boosts Rover’s damage by 50% for five seconds. It’s a dynamic duo every player can easily rely on for harder boss fights. Roll substats for Basic DMG and Resonance-related DMG bonuses as more often than not, Rover’s playstyle gravitates toward skill spamming.
Alternatively, you can go the CRIT route by featuring both Dreamless and Crownless in your configuration, making use of all benefits acquirable from unlocking their Resonance Chain, especially in its Dark Surge state. As for the sacrifice of Havoc DMG, Resonance Chain skill: Cryptic Insight more than makes up for it with 30%.
3
Spectro
Creeping into this list is yet another representative - Verina. She prefers to frolic in meadows in favour of violent confrontations. Her utilities as a support unit are nothing to scoff at, making her a universal fit in any team. Her Outro skill is veritable too, providing a unique 15% DMG deepen after swapping out.
(Rejuvenating Glow) Build: Geochelene (Healing%) + Two 3-cost Echo (Energy REGEN%) + Three 1-cost Echo (ATK%) + Cosmic Ripples/Variation
Bell-borne Geochelene is a second-to-none 4-cost Echo. It provides a team-wide shield that reduces incoming damage while rebounding Glacio DMG. Similar to Shorekeeoer, focus on Healing Bonus % to maximise her Photosynthesis Energy. It heals allies off the field with every Mid-air/Heavy blow to chip in a wee bit of damage with coordinated attacks through Photosyntheis Mark. Going with Spectro DMG Bonus as a sub-stat can never go wrong.
4
Fusion
Fusion has no dearth of top guns among their rank and file. Among them, Changli is an illuminary diva who strikes out a solo duet. To compensate for it, she trades defence for attack on a large margin - you need adroitness to fully maximise her.
(Molten Rift) Build 1: Inferno Rider (CRIT.DMG/Crit.%) + two 3-cost echo (Fusion DMG Bonus) + two 1-cost echo (ATK%) + Blazing Brilliance/Emerald of Genesis
Building Changli is relatively straightforward. She has a semi-super state that lets her deal a terrific amount of damage in a wide area consistently. Equally straightforward is Inferno Rider. He is a universal Echo among Fusion Resonators - a powerhouse with a hellishly cool bike to ride around town. It’s also one whose flurry of blows complements well with Changli sub-stat-wise, since you'll be spamming her Resonance Liberation. Go with Resonance Liberation DMG for the Echoes’ sub-stats.
5
Aero
Swift as the wind - that’s the combat motto Jiyan faithfully adheres to. There are two possible permutations to make him an effective player on the field. This is also one of the rare cases where the Sonata effect Lingering Tunes sees usage.
(2pc Lingering Tunes + 2pc Sierra Gale) Build 1 : Mech Abomination (CRIT.DMG/Crit.%) + Chasm Guardian (Energy Regen) + 3-cost Echo (Aero DMG Bonus) + Two 1-cost Echo (HP/DEF) + Verdant Summit/Guardian Broadblade
(Sierra Gale):Build 2: Feilian Beningal (CRIT.DMG/Crit.%) + Two 3-cost Echo (Energy Regen) + Two 1-cost Echo (ATK%)
His rock-hard body plus his equally hard-hitting heavy attacks make him a mighty force. Naturally, Echoes with Heavy-attack DMG bonus as its sub-stat helps out. The bulk of the damage comes from his Qinlong Mode. Any Echoes with Energy Regen to shorten the downtime of berserk mode is also ideal. Lingering Tunes is a constant source of ATK that greatly enhances him the longer he is on the field. The problem, however, is that using Mech Abomination as the main Echo is a mismatch.
Alternatively, an all-out Sierra Gale gives him a much-needed powerhouse in the form of Feilian Beningal, with the great ape granting Heavy-attack DMG bonus after his rampage. As he zaps around often, DEF and HP are good substats worth giving a thought or two to.
6
Electro
Electro earns its distinction as an electrifying faction where one of its members, Xiangli Yao, is a high-rarity Resonator and is available for free for a limited time. But it’s not the bloke that made it to the top list of “easy button win”. It’s Yinlin, one of the few early characters whose relevance is not bygone.
(Void Thunder) Build: Thundering/Tempest Memphis (CRIT.DMG/Crit.%) + Two 3-cost Echo (Electro DMG Bonus) + Two 1-cost Echo (ATK%) + Stringmaster
She shines in a team of Electro Resonators. Yinlin also relies majorly on her Resonance Skill to deal area-wide damage, dedicating the sub-stat slot to Resonance Skill DMG to augment her capabilities. Both Thundering and Tempest Memphis can be used interchangeably depending on your playstyle. The former raises Yinlin's Resonance Liberation damage but leads to a longer field presence. The latter enables her a faster rotation so she can utilise her Outro skill.
And that would be our list of builds for Wuthering Waves. If you have anything to add, let us know in the comments below. As a bonus, here is a tier list of Resonators capable of turning the tide of battles!
