Wuthering Waves: DPS Characters Tier List

Finally, this week, we received the bi-weekly update for Wuthering Waves: Vermillion’s Ploy, which includes the new character Changli, a phoenix-themed fusion element DPS, as well as some new events, and her character story.

In the last 3 months following its launch, the game only brought limited banners of DPS characters: the first was Jiyan, followed by YinLin, Jihnsi and lastly, Changli. With so many options available to players, which is the best DPS ever released? Is each one's gameplay really unique? And how do these releases align with free-to-play players? Here, we will try to cover all of these aspects in my ranking of the best carries in the game.

This position is hard to deny: Jihnsi, also known as Magistrate of Jihnzou, was the last limited banner we had before Changli, and is by a comfortable margin the best DPS in the game. Being a character who fights with the sentinel dragon Jué, her combat style is unique, she uses spectrum elemental damage and combinations of aerial attacks with the Dragon, in addition to having transformation states that change her base ability.

The character was launched with a new area, and her story covered her path to becoming a ruler, which further encouraged players to use her in their team. Regardless of the reason, the magistrate, if combined with Verina and a DPS/Support Hybrid Sub, is capable of devastating damage. She is currently the best, and will probably remain that way for some time, as her style suits both players who want to give her a lot of screen time, using her almost completely in the fight, and players who like to set up quick exchanges since her Intro and Outro Skills are also very strong.

Known in the story as Jihnsi's advisor, Changli is the most current DPS in the banner available, being of the fusion element. Her attacks include many sequence combinations, which can be more effective in ideal situations.

In other words, the character pleased those looking for rhythmic gameplay involving combos, it is literally possible to stay in the air infinitely with the character if you combo correctly. She, however, requires more screen time to be effective, as her charged heavy attack requires 4 marks of her phoenix energy, charged at the end of her aerial combos.

Currently, she is my favorite character, as she is very rewarding if used correctly. She is also a good partner for a Jihnsi team, as her Intro and Outro skills are synergistic. Another factor in the elementalist's favor are her animation cancellations that can be done when making character changes.

Jiyan was the first character in a limited banner, and to this day, her damage output is devastating. Being of the aero element, she uses a dragon and her spear for attacks, which are mainly in area. Her damage is very dependent on her ultimate, which improves her attacks for a short period.

Most of the time, her ultimate ability is enough to end a fight, on top of her animations being great. Even though she is not a character available now, she will definitely return due to her performance.

Furthermore, we include the 5-star characters who can be acquired in the base banner, so there are no limitations on acquisition, nor on their ideal weapons. Encore, like Changli, is a fusion elementalist, who uses plushies and fire magic for various area attacks. She shares several characteristics with Changli, such as the ability to perform cancellations, and has synergy with other fusion characters. Therefore, it is a great option for composing a Dual DPS team with the new character.

Unlocked at the end of the first act, the main character with the Havoc element is capable of representing a great option as a DPS, especially with area attacks. Being one of the few users of Havoc, it ends up being discarded for being always available from the beginning of the game, however, her damage is considerable, and she can form teams efficiently.

A special explanation about this character: Calcharo is a DPS character with the Electro element, attractive to players due to his Raiden style from Metal Gear Rising, and extremely capable of causing even more damage than Tier 1 characters.

However, his gameplay is challenging: his main source of damage is the ultimate, it requires several animation cancellations with his skill that does not interrupt basic attacks, among other issues. Therefore, I consider it Tier 1.5 due to the difficulty of the gameplay and composition.

Our first 4-star character in the ranking! Danjin is of the Havoc element, and her damage numbers are quite high. Here, in addition to the same difficulty present in Calcharo, the survival skills are very low, making the resonator a risky choice in some situations.

Among the 4-star characters, she has the highest damage available, and her animations are very light and visible. The recommendation in this case is its use for players looking for a challenge, with a certain reward.

Even though they are characters who have interesting story arcs, both represent a low amount of damage compared to the options already available. Their use is purely dedicated to those who really like the character, and don't mind facing certain difficulties in the more advanced levels of the game.

We already know that the next limited banner will bring Zezhi, a support with special synergy with Jihnsi - however, there are so many DPS options that it's great not to limit yourself.

Personally, I like playing as characters I identify with, and I find the gameplay interesting. However, I also don't like characters who perform below expectations. Each style is personal, and each player should also look for what they like! Overall, it is not a single choice, as various DPS are used according to taste.