I have a confession: my Astrite wallet has the structural integrity of a paper umbrella in a hurricane. That is exactly why I care about tier lists in Wuthering Waves. In 2026, the roster is bigger, the banners are shinier, and the Cyberpunk Edgerunners collaboration is doing its best to distract me, but the core question has not changed: who deserves your limited resources? My answer is simple. Combine meta with comfort before you build anyone.
I still treat this as my working 2026 baseline: strength, value, and utility first, then comfort. A tier list is a lighthouse, not a leash. Use it to avoid rocks, not to ignore the character you actually enjoy playing.
⚔️ DPS tier list: the delete buttons
| Tier | Characters | My honest take |
|---|---|---|
| S | Carlotta, Camellya, Jinhsi | These three still define the top-end damage conversation. |
| A | Xiangli Yao, Jiyan, Havoc Rover, Encore | Strong, comfortable, and very capable of clearing endgame. |
| B | Calcharo, Chixia | Usable with love, but not my first recommendation. |
| C | Lingyang | The standard-banner tragedy I keep warning friends about. |
Carlotta remains a stylish Glacio gunslinger who melts single targets. She is the kind of DPS that feels like firing a sniper rifle in a room full of balloons. Even without her perfect team, a well-built Carlotta can clear hard content. Camellya is the Spin2Win Havoc queen, and she is the easiest of the top three to pilot. Sanhua makes her setup almost insultingly simple. Jinhsi is still the biggest nuke in the game, but she needs setup and she hates Spectro-resistant enemies. When her rotation lands, it lands like a meteor with a grudge.
Xiangli Yao is my pick for the best overworld and boss-fight comfort. His only real issue is that his best team wants Yinlin. Jiyan remains beginner-friendly thanks to his Resonance Liberation, which makes parrying less painful and gives him crowd control. Havoc Rover scales nicely with constellations and can clear tower stages with the right setup. Encore is the best standard-banner DPS after Verina, but her single-target focus holds her back. Calcharo is fun and flashy, yet clunky enough that expert play is required. Chixia is a mobile four-star with average damage. Lingyang is still clunky, and his kit remains one of the worst feels in the game.
🌀 Sub-DPS tier list: the glue and the gasoline
| Tier | Characters | Why they matter |
|---|---|---|
| S | Sanhua, Zhezhi | Fast rotations, huge team value, and real damage. |
| A | Changli, Yinlin | Excellent, but they ask for specific teams or quickswap skill. |
| B | Mortefi, Danjin, Jianxin, Spectro Rover | Niche but useful when the team fits. |
| C | Yangyang, Lumi, Aalto | Hard to justify over stronger options. |
Sanhua is the four-star everyone should build. She has the fastest rotation in the game, buffs Basic Attacks, and at C6 adds ATK buffs. Zhezhi is now a premium glue unit for both Jinhsi and Carlotta, with coordinated attacks and Glacio amplification. Changli deals serious Fusion damage as both DPS and sub-DPS, but her best use requires quickswap fluency. Yinlin remains a great Electro sub-DPS who boosts Resonance Liberation and Electro damage, though she still waits for a second Electro DPS to fully exploit her kit.
Mortefi is a powerful four-star, but outside Jiyan comps he rarely feels best-in-slot. Danjin has carved out a Havoc sub-DPS niche, yet Havoc carries currently have better partners. Jianxin shields, groups enemies, and deals damage, but she is a jack-of-all-trades and master of none. Spectro Rover brings time-slow and Spectro resistance shred, which is useful but not universal. Yangyang has crowd control but lacks damage. Lumi has a cute design and a playstyle that fits almost nobody. Aalto is the only Aero buffer, but the meta still has no seat for him.
🛡️ Support tier list: the safety net
| Tier | Characters | My verdict |
|---|---|---|
| S | Shorekeeper, Verina | Build them. Love them. Put them on every team. |
| B | Baizhi | A budget Verina when you have no alternative. |
| C | Yuanwu, Youhu, Taoqi | Niche picks with real drawbacks. |
Shorekeeper is still the best support in Wuthering Waves. She heals, buffs ATK, boosts Crit Rate and Crit DMG, amplifies damage, and fits basically every team. Verina remains the reliable free healer with short rotations and attack buffs. Baizhi is fine if you truly have nobody else, but she is a budget option. Yuanwu exists for two jobs: building Jinhsi stacks and triggering the healer set with Originite: Type IV Gauntlets. Youhu is a decent healer who lags behind the top three in nearly every category. Taoqi can work in Jinhsi and Carlotta teams, but her split scaling makes her annoying to build.
🎯 What I would actually build in 2026
If I were starting fresh today, I would grab Verina, build Sanhua, and then invest in one premium DPS I actually enjoy. Shorekeeper is worth every pull if she is available. Zhezhi is a fantastic pickup if you main Jinhsi or Carlotta. Xiangli Yao is amazing, but only commit if you can also field Yinlin. And please, do not spend on every shiny new unit just because the banner looks pretty. Building a character in 2026 is like packing for a trip where the weather forecast changes every five minutes. Comfort and flexibility matter more than raw hype.
My final advice is boring but true: pick a DPS, build a support, glue them together with a sub-DPS, and learn the rotation. Tier lists help, but your hands and your fun matter more. A character you enjoy playing will clear more content than a meta pick you abandon after three fights.