Aemeath, Hiyuki, Shorekeeper, and Jingran sit at SS-tier in every current Wuthering Waves ranking — but Camellya, Changli, and Jinhsi, three former S-tier main DPS units, have been sliding for months, and it isn’t because they got nerfed. It’s because Version 3.0 quietly added a new damage layer their kits can never use. That mechanic, not raw power, is why this tier list looks different from the one you’d have seen six months ago.
This ranking covers Version 3.6, live now, with Jingran’s banner running through September 29 before Version 3.7 launches September 30 [1]. If you haven’t started pulling yet, our Wuthering Waves beginner’s guide covers Astrite pity math before you spend a single pull on anyone below.
Wuthering Waves Tier List: Every Resonator Ranked
The table below synthesizes four current Version 3.6 tier lists — MMOCulture, Beebom, EnjoyGM, and Game8 — weighted toward Tower of Adversity and Whimpering Wastes performance, the two modes that separate a good resonator from a great one. Where lists disagreed by more than one tier, that’s flagged directly.
| Tier | Resonators | Priority |
|---|---|---|
| SS | Aemeath, Hiyuki, Shorekeeper, Iuno, Chisa, Lynae, Mornye, Denia, Lucilla, Yangyang: Xuanling, Suisui, Qingxiao, Jingran | Pull on sight if you lack a main DPS or 3rd-slot support |
| S | Sigrika, Verina, Augusta, Cartethyia, Ciaccona, Galbrena, Lupa, Phrolova, Luuk Herssen, Qiuyuan | Excellent, slightly more setup-dependent than SS |
| A | Jiyan, Carlotta, Phoebe, Cantarella, Zani, Rebecca, Lucy, Sanhua, Camellya*, Changli*, Jinhsi*, Xiangli Yao* | Strong with investment; *contested, see below |
| B | Calcharo, Encore, Roccia, Brant, Zhezhi, Danjin, Rover (all forms) | Situational or free-to-play fallback |
| C/D | Aalto, Chixia, Lingyang, Yinlin, Yuanwu, Jianxin, Baizhi, Lumi, Taoqi, Youhu | Skip unless it’s your only 5-star |
The single biggest takeaway: if you own any SS-tier resonator, build them first — the gap between SS and A tier in Tower of Adversity clear speed is larger than the gap between A and C.
Why Camellya, Changli, and Jinhsi Keep Falling
Camellya lands in B-tier on MMOCulture [2] and EnjoyGM [3], but A-tier on Beebom [4] and Game8 [5] — the same split hits Changli, Jinhsi, and Xiangli Yao. That’s not four sites disagreeing on vibes. It’s a real, documented mechanical gap.
Every Resonator released from Version 3.0 onward can build a stat called Tune Break Boost and apply Shifting Effects — Tune Strain (a damage-up debuff) and Tune Rupture (an extra scripted attack that fires on top of a normal rotation). Per Game8’s mechanics breakdown [6], every Resonator released before 3.0 — Camellya, Changli, Jinhsi, and Xiangli Yao included — has Tune Break Boost permanently fixed at zero. They cannot apply Shifting Effects, cannot trigger Tune Rupture, and cannot access that entire damage layer no matter how they’re built.
So the tier-list split isn’t a disagreement about how good these four characters are in isolation — it’s a disagreement about how much weight to give a damage mechanic they structurally can’t use. Sites that rank raw single-target rotation damage put them at A. Sites that rank current-patch endgame clear speed, where Tune Rupture comps post faster clears, put them at B. If you already own one of these four, they’re still strong — just don’t expect them to keep pace with a Tune Break team on a Tower of Adversity leaderboard.
Best Teams for This Patch’s Top Resonators
A high tier placement only matters if the team around it works. These three comps are the current standard, verified against Game8’s team-comp guide [7].
| Main DPS | Sub-DPS | Support | Why it works |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jingran | Iuno | Shorekeeper | Iuno adds 50% Heavy Attack DMG and 40% All-DMG Amplification, directly buffing Jingran’s Heavy-Attack-focused kit |
| Sigrika | Qiuyuan | Shorekeeper | Shared Aero element lets Qiuyuan’s buffs apply cleanly to Sigrika’s Echo Skill damage |
| Aemeath | Mornye | Lynae | All three are 3.0+ Tune Break units — stacks Fusion Burst and Tune Rupture in the same rotation |
Don’t own the exact sub-DPS listed? The support slot matters more than the sub-DPS slot for all three teams. Shorekeeper’s team-wide All-DMG Amplification and Verina’s flat ATK buff both transfer to almost any main DPS, so swap in whichever healer/buffer you’ve already built and expect to lose single-digit percentage clear speed at worst — not the run entirely. The sub-DPS slot is where element-matching actually matters (Qiuyuan’s buff only applies at full value to Aero teammates), so prioritize building a support before chasing a specific sub-DPS.
Which Resonators You Should Pull, By Player Type
The same tier list means something different depending on how you play. Don’t copy a hardcore player’s pull list if you’re two weeks into the game.
| Player Type | Priority | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| New player | Verina first, then any SS main DPS | Verina heals the whole team and works with literally any DPS — she de-risks every early pull |
| Casual player | One SS main DPS + Shorekeeper | Shorekeeper’s team-wide amplification makes almost any DPS clear content faster, minimizing how many characters you need to build |
| Hardcore / optimiser | Full 3.0+ Tune Break trio (e.g. Aemeath/Mornye/Lynae) | Only a complete Tune Break team unlocks the Tune Rupture damage layer older units structurally can’t reach |
| Completionist | Every SS unit across elements, then backfill A-tier | Element-specific weekly bosses reward having a strong answer in each damage type, not just one god-tier team |
The Free-to-Play Starter Pack
If you’re building from zero, these three work together without needing a single signature weapon: Shorekeeper (support/healer, slots into almost any team), one SS main DPS matching whatever element you’ve pulled most of, and Verina as a backup healer for content Shorekeeper’s kit doesn’t cover. This trio clears the vast majority of story and weekly content without chasing a specific 5-star.
When not to pull: skip Camellya, Changli, Jinhsi, or Xiangli Yao as your first 5-star investment right now — not because they’re weak, but because a new player’s limited resin and Echo materials are better spent on a Tune Break-capable unit that will keep scaling as the patch cadence adds more 3.0+ content. Save them for a dupe/Resonance Chain investment later if you already like their playstyle.
Should You Pull for Jingran Before His Banner Ends?
Jingran’s banner closes September 29, one day before Version 3.7 opens [1][8]. If you have a Heavy-Attack-focused main DPS gap and already own Iuno or Shorekeeper, pull now — his kit is SS-tier and won’t rerun for months. If your roster already has an SS-tier main DPS and you’re saving for Hsin or Suoming in 3.7, skip him; Kuro Games hasn’t confirmed either newcomer’s element or role yet, so there’s no way to know if they’ll outclass him.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Jingran actually SS-tier, or is that just launch hype?
SS is the right call. Unlike most new-character hype cycles that fade after a patch, Jingran’s SS placement holds up because his HP-scaling, shield-based kit sidesteps the ATK-buffer requirement that limits team flexibility for older units — he’s rated SS on both EnjoyGM and Game8, sites that update their lists weeks apart and still agree.
Should I still build Jinhsi if I already have her?
Yes, but don’t expect her to close the gap on Tune Break teams. She’s still a real single-target main DPS with a strong outro window — the A/B split exists because of missing access to Tune Rupture, not because her own numbers dropped. If you already invested in her signature weapon, keep building.
Why do tier lists disagree so much on Verina’s placement?
Because “best support” depends on what you’re missing. Verina’s flat ATK buff and universal healing make her the safer pick for a roster with no dedicated healer, which is why some lists rank her S+ and others A — she’s rarely wrong, but Shorekeeper’s amplification ceiling is higher once you have the rest of a Tune Break team built.
Will Hsin or Suoming beat Jingran when 3.7 launches?
There’s no way to know yet. Kuro Games confirmed both characters and their release phases for Version 3.7 but hasn’t published either one’s element, weapon type, or kit — treat any pre-release tier claim about them as speculation until official kit reveals land.
Is it worth building a pre-3.0 DPS from scratch as a new player?
Generally no, if you’re choosing between them and an SS-tier 3.0+ unit for your very first investment. It’s not that Camellya, Changli, Jinhsi, or Xiangli Yao play badly — it’s that a new account has limited Echo materials and Astrite, and every material spent on a Tune-Break-locked unit is a material not spent on a resonator whose damage ceiling still has room to grow as Kuro adds more 3.0+ content each patch. If you pulled one of them from a standard banner and enjoy their playstyle, there’s nothing wrong with building them as a second or third investment.
Version Note
Rankings verified for Wuthering Waves Version 3.6, live through September 29, 2026. Tier placements for pre-3.0 Resonators (Camellya, Changli, Jinhsi, Xiangli Yao) may shift further once Version 3.7’s Tune Break-capable roster expands — check back after Hsin and Suoming’s kits are live and tested. If you’re new to the game’s pull system, our Wuthering Waves beginner’s guide covers pity and banner mechanics in full, and our Marvel Rivals tier list and Pokémon Champions tier list use the same ranking approach for other roster-based games.
Sources
- Gematsu. Wuthering Waves Version 3.7 Update “Prism’s Illusion, Heart’s Illumination” Launches September 30. Gematsu
- MMOCulture. Wuthering Waves Tier List – Best Resonators Ranked for Version 3.6. MMOCulture
- EnjoyGM. WuWa 3.6 Tier List — Complete Wuthering Waves 3.6 Character Ranking. EnjoyGM
- Beebom. Wuthering Waves Tier List – Best WuWa Characters Ranked (September 2026). Beebom
- Game8. 3.6 Tier List and the Best Characters as of September 2026. Game8
- Game8. Tune Break Explained: Tune Strain vs Tune Rupture. Game8
- Game8. Best Team Compositions. Game8
- GameRant. When Is Wuthering Waves 3.6 Release Date For Qingxiao Banner? GameRant
- Game8. All New and Upcoming Characters. Game8
I've been playing video games for over 20 years, spanning everything from early PC titles to modern open-world games. I started Switchblade Gaming to publish the kind of accurate, well-researched guides I always wanted to find — built on primary sources, tested in-game, and kept up to date after patches. I currently focus on Minecraft and Pokémon GO.