Also known as Qing Xiao
Aero Qingxiao is a 5★ Aero who uses Sword.
Qingxiao is a 5-star Aero Main DPS character wielding a Sword in Wuthering Waves. This Qingxiao WuWa Guide covers her optimal Qingxiao Build with the Glint of Clouds weapon, the Heart of Evil's Purge echo set, her rotation around Ephemeral Transcendence and Mindlock, her best teams and her DPR calculations. Enjoy this complete guide on Qingxiao Wuthering Waves!
Press repeatedly or hold Normal Attack to perform up to 4 consecutive attacks, dealing Aero DMG.
Basic Attack - Stringblade Stage 1 and Basic Attack - Stringblade Stage 4 are in Sheathed Stance.
Basic Attack - Stringblade Stage 2 and Basic Attack - Stringblade Stage 3 are in Drawn Stance.
Press Normal Attack consecutively or hold it down to perform up to 3 consecutive attacks, dealing Aero DMG.
This skill is in Drawn Stance.
After landing from Mid-air Attack - Stringblade Stage 3, press or hold Normal Attack within a certain time to cast Basic Attack - Stringblade Stage 3.
While in mid-air, Resonance Skill is replaced by Mid-air Attack - Stringblade Stage 3.
While in the Sword Flight state, Jump is replaced by Plunging Attack.
Consume STA to perform a Plunging Attack, dealing Aero DMG.
While out of the Ephemeral Transcendence state, press Normal Attack within a certain time after casting this skill to cast Basic Attack - Stringblade Stage 3.
Press Normal Attack within a certain time after a successful Dodge to attack the target, dealing Aero DMG.
This skill is in Drawn Stance.
Press or hold Normal Attack within a certain time after casting this skill to cast Basic Attack - Stringblade Stage 4.
While in mid-air, Dodge is replaced by Sword Glide.
Deals Aero DMG considered Basic Attack DMG.
Deal Aero DMG. During this skill, gain 45 points of Qin Heart.
While not in the Ephemeral Transcendence state, press or hold Normal Attack within a certain time after casting this skill to cast Basic Attack - Stringblade Stage 4.
While casting Basic Attack - Stringblade Stage 2, Basic Attack - Stringblade Stage 3, or Dodge Counter - Stringblade, Resonance Skill is replaced by Severing Note: Ascendant.
Deal Aero DMG.
This skill is in Drawn Stance.
When Qin Heart and Sword Cadence are full, Heavy Attack - Stringblade becomes available.
Hold Normal Attack to consume STA and cast this skill, dealing Aero DMG.
Casting this skill consumes all Qin Heart and Sword Cadence and sends Qingxiao into the Ephemeral Transcendence state.
While Qingxiao is in the Ephemeral Transcendence state, Basic Attack - Ephemeral Transcendence and Dodge Counter - Ephemeral Transcendence become available.
Press repeatedly or hold Normal Attack to perform up to 4 consecutive attacks, dealing Aero DMG.
Before Heavy Attack - Heaven's Reckoning: Ephemeral Transcendence becomes available, this skill's DMG Multiplier is increased by 100%.
Can be cast in mid-air.
Press or hold Normal Attack within a certain time after a successful Dodge to attack the target, dealing Aero DMG.
Before Heavy Attack - Heaven's Reckoning: Ephemeral Transcendence becomes available, this skill's DMG Multiplier is increased by 100%.
Can be cast in mid-air.
When Heart Sword Intent is full, Heavy Attack - Heaven's Reckoning: Ephemeral Transcendence becomes available.
Hold Normal Attack to cast this attack, dealing Aero DMG.
Casting this skill consumes all Heart Sword Intent and ends the Ephemeral Transcendence state.
Mindlock stacks up to 15 times.
Each time a Resonator in the team inflicts Tune Strain - Interfered on a target, inflict 1 stack of Mindlock on the target.
For each stack of Mindlock on the target, DMG taken from Qingxiao's following skills is Amplified by 2%, with an additional 5% per stack for the first 7 stacks:
- Heavy Attack - Stringblade, Basic Attack - Ephemeral Transcendence, Dodge Counter - Ephemeral Transcendence, Heavy Attack - Heaven's Reckoning: Ephemeral Transcendence, Resonance Liberation - Billows Beneath Heaven.
Upon entering combat or casting Resonance Liberation Billows Beneath Heaven, gain Heaven's Clarity.
When Sheathed Stance / Drawn Stance moves deal damage, the rates at which Qin Heart / Sword Cadence are obtained increase by 100%.
When casting Heavy Attack - Stringblade, inflict 3 stacks of Mindlock on nearby targets and enhance the next Heavy Attack - Heaven's Reckoning: Ephemeral Transcendence: its DMG Multiplier is increased by 100% and it builds additional Off-Tune Level on the target. Switching to another Resonator ends this enhancement.
Casting Heavy Attack - Heaven's Reckoning: Ephemeral Transcendence removes Heaven's Clarity.
Casting Intro Skill - Tonality Shift or Heavy Attack - Stringblade grants 1 stack of Swordlight Ward.
Swordlight Ward stacks up to 1 time. When taking DMG from an enemy's attack, 1 stack of Swordlight Ward can be consumed to grant immunity to interruption and reduce DMG taken by 60% for 1s. This effect can be triggered once per second.
While in the Sword Flight state, Qingxiao moves with a special animation.
Moving in Sword Flight continuously consumes Flight Qi.
- Casting the following skills sends Qingxiao into the Sword Flight state: Sword Dodge, Heavy Attack - Stringblade, Mid-air Attack - Stringblade Stage 1, Mid-air Attack - Stringblade Stage 2, Severing Note: Ascendant, Basic Attack - Ephemeral Transcendence, Dodge Counter - Ephemeral Transcendence, Heavy Attack - Heaven's Reckoning: Ephemeral Transcendence, and Intro Skill - Tonality Shift.
- Exit the Sword Flight state by: 1. Casting Mid-air Attack - Stringblade Stage 3 or Plunging Attack. 2. Triggering certain environmental interactions or Utilities. 3. Returning to the ground. 4. Switching to another Resonator. 5. Depleting all Flight Qi.
While in the Sword Flight state, hold Jump to leap up and dash forward a short distance.
Sword Step can only be cast once during Sword Flight.
Can hold up to 100 points.
Dealing damage with Sheathed Stance skills grants Qin Heart.
Qin Heart cannot be gained while in the Ephemeral Transcendence state.
Can hold up to 100 points.
Dealing damage with Drawn Stance skills grants Sword Cadence.
Sword Cadence cannot be gained while in the Ephemeral Transcendence state.
Can hold up to 100 points.
Dealing damage with Basic Attack - Ephemeral Transcendence or Dodge Counter - Ephemeral Transcendence grants Heart Sword Intent.
Deal Aero DMG.
Deal Aero DMG. Upon casting, gain 30 points of Sword Cadence and gain Resonant Chime.
Resonant Chime: casting Resonance Skill - Severing Note: Judgement grants 30 points of Qin Heart and removes Resonant Chime.
Deal Aero DMG equal to 800% of Qingxiao's ATK.
Qingxiao inflicts Tune Strain - Shifting on the target after dealing damage with skills. Each skill can only trigger this once for the same target.
Qingxiao can respond to Tune Strain - Interfered.
Responding to Tune Strain - Interfered: for each stack of Tune Strain - Interfered on the target, every point of Qingxiao's Tune Break Boost increases the total DMG she deals to that target by 0.12%. While Qingxiao is in the team, the max stack limit of Tune Strain - Interfered on a target is increased by 1.
Additionally, when the target's Off-Tune Level is full, Qingxiao can cast Tune Break on it. While on the ground and not in the Ephemeral Transcendence state, press Normal Attack within a certain time after casting Tune Break to cast Basic Attack - Stringblade Stage 3.
Qingxiao's following skills deal 2% more DMG per stack of Mindlock on the target, with an additional 5% per stack for the first 7 stacks:
- Heavy Attack - Stringblade, Basic Attack - Ephemeral Transcendence, Dodge Counter - Ephemeral Transcendence, Heavy Attack - Heaven's Reckoning: Ephemeral Transcendence, Resonance Liberation - Billows Beneath Heaven.
Each time a Resonator in the team inflicts Tune Strain - Interfered on an Overlord Class or Calamity Class target, additionally inflict 1 stack of Mindlock on the target.
Upon entering combat, gain 1 stack of Gathered Mind.
After damage dealt directly by Resonators in the team defeats a target inflicted with Mindlock: if Qingxiao does not have Gathered Mind, she gains it with stacks equal to the target's Mindlock stacks. If she already has Gathered Mind and the target's Mindlock stacks are no fewer than her Gathered Mind stacks, her Gathered Mind stacks are matched to the target's Mindlock stacks.
Gathered Mind: after Resonators in the team deal damage to a target, inflict Mindlock equal to Qingxiao's Gathered Mind stacks. This effect can only trigger once on the same target.
When Resonators in the team cast Tune Break, if the target has Tune Strain - Shifting, additionally inflict 1 stack of Tune Strain - Interfered on the target. This effect can only trigger once on the same target.
When Qingxiao is knocked out, she can no longer gain Gathered Mind, and any existing Gathered Mind effect becomes inactive.
Gathered Mind stacks up to 15 times and lasts for 30s.
Source: Heavy Attack - Stringblade, Basic Attack - Ephemeral Transcendence, Dodge Counter - Ephemeral Transcendence, Heavy Attack - Heaven's Reckoning: Ephemeral Transcendence, Resonance Liberation - Billows Beneath Heaven
Mindlock stacks up to 15 times. Each time a Resonator in the team inflicts Mindlock on the target, 1 stack of Tune Strain - Interfered is inflicted on the target.
For each stack of Mindlock on the target, DMG taken from the skills above is Amplified by 2%, with an additional 5% per stack for the first 7 stacks.
Sequence 2: the max Mindlock limit on nearby enemies is increased to 25.
Sequence 6: for each stack of Mindlock on the target, the DMG of Juque Perdition taken by that target is Amplified by 2%, with an additional 5% per stack for the first 7 stacks.
Source: Tune Break - Draw and Sunder, Gathered Mind
Inflicted on the target when Mindlock is applied to it, or when a Resonator with Tune Strain - Shifting casts Tune Break.
For each stack of Tune Strain - Interfered on the target, every point of Qingxiao's Tune Break Boost increases the total DMG she deals to that target by 0.12%. While Qingxiao is in the team, the max stack limit of Tune Strain - Interfered is increased by 1.
Sequence 3: the stacks of Tune Strain - Interfered inflicted by Gathered Mind are increased to 2.
Source: Inherent Skill "Sea of Thought, World of Dust"
After Resonators in the team deal damage to a target, inflict Mindlock equal to Qingxiao's Gathered Mind stacks. This effect can only trigger once on the same target.
When Resonators in the team cast Tune Break, if the target has Tune Strain - Shifting, additionally inflict 1 stack of Tune Strain - Interfered on the target. This effect can only trigger once on the same target.
When Qingxiao is knocked out, she can no longer gain Gathered Mind and any existing stacks become inactive.
Gathered Mind stacks up to 15 times and lasts for 30s.
Sequence 2: the max Gathered Mind limit is increased to 25.
Sequence 3: the stacks of Tune Strain - Interfered inflicted by Gathered Mind are increased to 2.
Source: Heaven's Clarity passive
Upon entering combat or casting Resonance Liberation Billows Beneath Heaven, gain Heaven's Clarity.
When Sheathed Stance / Drawn Stance moves deal damage, the rates at which Qin Heart / Sword Cadence are obtained increase by 100%.
When casting Heavy Attack - Stringblade, inflict 3 stacks of Mindlock on nearby targets and enhance the next Heavy Attack - Heaven's Reckoning: Ephemeral Transcendence: its DMG Multiplier is increased by 100% and it builds additional Off-Tune Level on the target. Switching to another Resonator ends this enhancement.
Casting Heavy Attack - Heaven's Reckoning: Ephemeral Transcendence removes Heaven's Clarity.
Sequence 2: casting Heavy Attack - Stringblade now inflicts 6 stacks of Mindlock on nearby targets.
Source: Swordlight Ward passive
Casting Intro Skill - Tonality Shift or Heavy Attack - Stringblade grants 1 stack of Swordlight Ward.
Swordlight Ward stacks up to 1 time. When taking DMG from an enemy's attack, 1 stack can be consumed to grant immunity to interruption and reduce DMG taken by 60% for 1s. This effect can be triggered once per second.
Sequence 1: the max Swordlight Ward limit is increased to 2. Casting Heavy Attack - Stringblade additionally grants 1 stack of Swordlight Ward.
Source: Intro Skill - Tonality Shift
Deal Aero DMG. Upon casting, gain 30 points of Sword Cadence and gain Resonant Chime.
Casting Resonance Skill - Severing Note: Judgement grants 30 points of Qin Heart and removes Resonant Chime.
Source: Sequence 1 "Like Clouds That Meet and Drift Apart"
Upon entering combat, gain 25 stacks of Exorcising Seal.
After Basic Attack - Stringblade, Mid-air Attack - Stringblade, or Basic Attack - Ephemeral Transcendence deals damage, if Qingxiao has Exorcising Seal, remove it and trigger Juque Perdition, dealing Aero DMG equal to 400% of Qingxiao's ATK, considered Basic Attack DMG. This effect can be triggered up to once per second.
For each stack of Exorcising Seal removed, the target takes 4% more DMG from Juque Perdition for 1s.
Exorcising Seal stacks up to 25 times.
Sequence 6: during Heavy Attack - Stringblade, gain Exorcising Seal stacks equal to the highest Mindlock stack count present among nearby enemies.
Source: Sequence 3 "Dreams Fade, Sword Abides"
During Heavy Attack - Stringblade, gain World in Chorus stacks equal to the highest Mindlock stack count present among nearby enemies.
Each stack increases the DMG Multiplier of Heavy Attack - Heaven's Reckoning: Ephemeral Transcendence by 3%. World in Chorus is removed after casting Heavy Attack - Heaven's Reckoning: Ephemeral Transcendence.
Source: Sequence 4 "Wherever the Road Leads, Side by Side"
After a Resonator in the team inflicts Tune Strain - Shifting, their ATK is increased by 20% for 8s.
Crit. Rate is increased by 16%.
The max stack limit of Swordlight Ward is increased to 2. Casting Heavy Attack - Stringblade additionally grants 1 stack of Swordlight Ward.
Upon entering combat, gain 25 stacks of Exorcising Seal.
After Basic Attack - Stringblade, Mid-air Attack - Stringblade, or Basic Attack - Ephemeral Transcendence deals damage, if Qingxiao has Exorcising Seal, remove it and trigger Juque Perdition, dealing Aero DMG equal to 400% of Qingxiao's ATK, considered Basic Attack DMG. This effect can be triggered up to once per second.
For each stack of Exorcising Seal removed, the target takes 4% more DMG from Juque Perdition for 1s.
Exorcising Seal stacks up to 25 times.
The DMG Multiplier of Heavy Attack - Stringblade is increased by 40%.
After entering combat, the max stack limit of Mindlock on nearby enemies is increased to 25.
The max stack limit of Gathered Mind from Inherent Skill "Sea of Thought, World of Dust" is increased to 25.
Heaven's Clarity is enhanced: casting Heavy Attack - Stringblade now inflicts 6 stacks of Mindlock on nearby targets.
The Crit. DMG of Resonance Liberation - Billows Beneath Heaven is increased by 100%.
During Heavy Attack - Stringblade, gain World in Chorus stacks equal to the highest Mindlock stack count present among nearby enemies.
World in Chorus: each stack increases the DMG Multiplier of Heavy Attack - Heaven's Reckoning: Ephemeral Transcendence by 3%. World in Chorus is removed after casting Heavy Attack - Heaven's Reckoning: Ephemeral Transcendence.
The Gathered Mind effect of Inherent Skill "Sea of Thought, World of Dust" now inflicts 2 stacks of Tune Strain - Interfered.
After a Resonator in the team inflicts Tune Strain - Shifting, their ATK is increased by 20% for 8s.
The DMG Multiplier of Resonance Skill - Severing Note: Judgement is increased by 100%.
While moving in Sword Flight, Flight Qi cost is reduced by 30%.
Targets take 40% more DMG from Qingxiao's Heavy Attack - Stringblade, Heavy Attack - Heaven's Reckoning: Ephemeral Transcendence, Resonance Liberation - Billows Beneath Heaven, and Juque Perdition.
During Heavy Attack - Stringblade, gain Exorcising Seal stacks equal to the highest Mindlock stack count present among nearby enemies.
For each stack of Mindlock on the target, the DMG of Juque Perdition taken by the target is Amplified by 2%. The first 7 stacks additionally grant 5% DMG Amplification.
When Inherent Skill "To Know, To Banish" is unlocked, the DMG of Juque Perdition on targets with Mindlock is increased by 2% for each stack of Mindlock. The first 7 stacks additionally grant 5% DMG increase.
The effect of Qingxiao's response to Tune Strain - Interfered is increased by 20%.
Qingxiao is a Main DPS who deals Aero damage and who needs to charge her Forte to deal as much damage as possible.
Qingxiao relies on Tune Strain, like Luuk, so her teams depend on it.
Easy to build
Without Denia or Lynae her damage drops
Intro Skill - Tonality Shift: Qingxiao always enters via her Intro (Main DPS), never with a Basic Attack. Deals Aero DMG, immediately grants 30 points of Sword Cadence and activates the "Resonant Chime" buff, which sets up extra forte generation as soon as Resonance Skill - Severing Note: Judgement is cast again.
Basic Attack - Stringblade Stage 1 → 2 → 3: Stage 1 is in Sheathed Stance (builds Qin Heart), Stages 2 and 3 are in Drawn Stance (build Sword Cadence). Chain these 3 hits to prime both forte gauges before going for the big chunk from the Resonance Skill.
Resonance Skill - Severing Note: Judgement: The biggest forte spike of the rotation. Deals Aero DMG and grants 45 points of Qin Heart at once while casting. By far the skill that regenerates the most forte in her whole kit.
Basic Attack - Stringblade Stage 1 → 2 → 3 → 4 (second pass): Loop the combo again, this time up to Stage 4 (Sheathed Stance) to finish filling both gauges. At this point Qin Heart AND Sword Cadence must be maxed (100/100 each) to unlock the following Heavy Attack.
Heavy Attack - Stringblade: Once both forte gauges are full, this attack becomes available. It consumes all Qin Heart and Sword Cadence to send Qingxiao into "Ephemeral Transcendence" (her forte mode). Thanks to "Heaven's Clarity" it also applies 3 stacks of Mindlock to nearby targets (boosting the upcoming Heaven's Reckoning) and grants 1 stack of "Swordlight Ward" for some survivability.
Resonance Liberation - Billows Beneath Heaven (Ult): Cast it here to benefit from the Mindlock stacks already applied (DMG Amplified by 2% per stack, +5% on the first 7), since the Ult is one of the skills boosted by this debuff.
Basic Attack - Ephemeral Transcendence Stage 1 → 2 → 3 → 4: In forte mode the Basic Attack changes completely. Each hit deals Aero DMG with a +100% multiplier as long as Heavy Attack - Heaven's Reckoning is not yet unlocked, and builds the Heart Sword Intent needed to unlock it.
Heavy Attack - Heaven's Reckoning: Ephemeral Transcendence: The biggest hit of the rotation. Consumes all Heart Sword Intent to exit Ephemeral Transcendence, benefits from the Mindlock stacks still active and from the +100% multiplier granted by "Heaven's Clarity" on this exact attack (which is removed right after). This is the hit to save for last before swapping out.
Echo then Outro - Lingering Song: Trigger the Echo for extra Aero DMG, then finish with the Outro, dealing 800% of ATK as Aero DMG on the swap.
Tip : You can absolutely slot in an extra skill (Severing Note: Judgement or Ascendant) somewhere in the rotation if you need it, whether to dodge, reposition or deal with an enemy pattern. It is not mandatory: the rotation above is the one that fills the forte most efficiently and maximizes uptime in Ephemeral Transcendence, but it stays flexible. The key points: Heavy Attack - Stringblade BEFORE the Ult (so the Ult's damage benefits from Mindlock), and keep Heavy Attack - Heaven's Reckoning for very last once Heart Sword Intent is maxed, since it immediately ends the Ephemeral Transcendence state.
HoEP 5-piece set
Main Echo : Not yet in game
This is the best set for Qingxiao.
These are theoretical calculations. In practice, with good crit luck, the 4-4-1-1-1 becomes worse and the 4-3-3-1-1 is preferable. At S1, 4-3-3-1-1 is preferable even with Crit. DMG / Crit. DMG.
SG 5-piece set
Main Echo : Feilian Beringal
There is NO point in using this set.
Qingxiao stats & substats
ATK 500 • Crit Rate 36%
ATK +12%.
After inflicting Tune Strain - Shifting, Aero DMG Bonus +11.2% for 2s, stacking up to 5 times (1 stack every 0.5s). At max stacks, the duration is extended to 30s and Aero DMG ignores 10% of the target's DEF.
ATK 587 • Crit Rate 24.3%
ATK +12%. 10s after Intro Skill or Basic ATK, casting Echo Skill grants 1 "Split Bamboo" increasing Heavy ATK DMG Bonus by 30% (stacks 2 times, 12s, 1/10s, canceled on swap).
ATK 587 • Crit Rate 24.3%
ATK +12%. Dealing Basic ATK DMG increases Basic ATK DMG Bonus by 10% for 14s (1/1s, stacks 3 times). Basic ATK DMG Bonus +40% when consuming Concerto Energy for 10s (1/1s, ends on swap).
ATK 587 • Crit Rate 24.3%
ATK +12%.
Applying Glacio Chafe: Glacio DMG Amplified by 28% and Resonance Liberation DMG ignores 10% of target's DEF.
As the active Resonator, Glacio Chafe DMG dealt to targets in range Amplified by 20% for 6s (trigger up to 1 time every 0.1s, only the strongest effect of the same name applies).
ATK 587 • Crit Rate 24.3%
DMG Bonus all attributes +12%. When applying Tune Rupture - Shifting or Fusion Explosion: Liberation DMG ignores 32% target DEF and 10% Fusion DMG RES (8s).
ATK 587 • Crit Rate 24.3%
Grants 12% All-Attribute DMG Bonus.
After inflicting Havoc Bane, the wielder gains 36% Heavy Attack DMG Amplification and their Heavy Attack DMG ignores 12% of the target's DEF, lasting for 8s.
ATK 587 • Crit DMG 48.6%
ATK +12%. Dealing DMG grants "Burning Feather" (1/0.5s). Casting Res. Skill grants 5 additional. Each feather: Res. Skill DMG Bonus +4% (stacks 14 times). At 14, all effects cleared after 12s.
Assuming all of the weapon's buffs are active
ATK 462 • ATK 18.2%
Active equipped member deals DMG: gain 1 "Whistling" (1/1s). Each "Whistling": ATK +4% for 3s (stacks 10 times, canceled on swap). At 10: Crit Rate +12%.
Assuming all of the weapon's buffs are active, Cost 4 Crit. Rate
ATK 587 • Crit Rate 24.3%
Energy Regen Efficiency +12.8%. Casting Res. Skill increases ATK by 6% (stacks 2 times, 10s).
ATK 412 • ATK 30.3%
Casting Intro Skill increases ATK by 30% for 15s.
ATK 412 • Crit Rate 20.2%
ATK +7.2%. Res. Liberation DMG Bonus +10.8% for 15s when casting Res. Liberation.
Echoes generate Crit. Rate at a rate of 6.3% Crit. Rate per echo
ATK 412 • ATK 30.3%
Entering combat grants 6 "Defense Oath". Each stack: ATK +4% (stacks 6 times, 1/12s, -1/2s). Defeating enemy grants 6 additional.
ATK 462 • ATK 18.2%
Casting Res. Skill restores 10 Res. Energy and increases ATK by 20% for 16s (1/20s).
ATK 387 • ATK 36.4%
HP < 80%: Heavy ATK DMG +36%. Dealing Heavy ATK DMG restores 10% HP (1/8s).
ATK 387 • ATK 36.4%
Casting Res. Skill increases Basic ATK and Heavy ATK DMG by 20% (stacks 1 time, 10s, 1/1s).
ATK 325 • ATK 24.3%
Casting Outro Skill increases ATK by 16% for 10s.
Denia is slightly better than Lynae, but the gap stays acceptable.
Characters that boost Liberation or Heavy ATK are playable with Qingxiao. They work, but they do not match the Denia / Lynae team, even though they remain very playable.
Mortefi is preferable here, but without Mornye your damage really drops.
Aero
Sword
Fusion
Rectifier
Fusion
Broadblade
GlacioRectifier
SpectroRectifier
SpectroRectifier
GlacioRectifier
Spectro
Pistols
GlacioSword
FusionPistols
FusionSword
Aero
Gauntlets
AeroPistols
AeroGauntlets
ElectroPistolsNote: Percentages represent the damage difference compared to S0.
Denia - Mornye S0 R1 team
While S0 can be played with a 4-4-1-1-1 set, at S1 we prefer the 4-3-3-1-1 (2% difference).
At S0 the average damage is higher with 4-4-1-1-1 (Crit. Rate / Crit. DMG), but that is misleading. Crit. Rate is higher, so over 500 runs the average damage will indeed be higher than with 4-3-3-1-1. However, with 4-3-3-1-1 your damage will be higher in a single fight if you get a bit of crit luck and/or run Shorekeeper. So I recommend 4-3-3-1-1.
The 4-3-3-1-1 set is better than 4-4-1-1-1 at S1+, even when running Cost 4 Crit. DMG pieces.
The optimal build for Qingxiao is the Heart of Evil's Purge 5-piece set (4-4-1-1-1, or 4-3-3-1-1 from S1) with Crit. Rate or Crit. DMG on Cost 4, 1× Aero% + 1× ATK% on Cost 3 and ATK% on Cost 1. Her signature weapon Glint of Clouds is recommended, otherwise Emerald Sentence, Red Spring or Frostburn are the best alternatives.
The best set is Heart of Evil's Purge in 5 pieces (4-4-1-1-1 or 4-3-3-1-1) with Crit. Rate / Crit. DMG on Cost 4, Aero% and ATK% on Cost 3 and ATK% on Cost 1. Her main Echo is not available in game yet. The Sierra Gale set has no value for her.
Qingxiao rotation: Intro Skill Tonality Shift → Basic Attack - Stringblade Stage 1 → 2 → 3 → Resonance Skill Severing Note: Judgement → Stringblade Stage 1 → 2 → 3 → 4 → Heavy Attack - Stringblade to enter Ephemeral Transcendence → Resonance Liberation Billows Beneath Heaven → Basic Attack - Ephemeral Transcendence → Heavy Attack - Heaven's Reckoning last. Keep Heavy Attack - Stringblade BEFORE the Ult to benefit from Mindlock.
The best team is Qingxiao + Denia + Mornye. Denia can be replaced by Lynae and Mornye by Shorekeeper or Suisui. On a F2P budget, Qingxiao plays with Mortefi or Sanhua alongside Verina or Baizhi. Qingxiao relies heavily on a Sub-DPS that applies Tune Strain to maximize her damage.
Talent priority for Qingxiao: 1) Forte (48% of her damage), 2) Liberation (33%), 3) Basic Attack (14%), 4) Skill (3%), 5) Intro (2%). Level Forte first as it holds the bulk of her damage (Heavy Attack - Stringblade, Ephemeral Transcendence, Heaven's Reckoning).
This Qingxiao WuWa guide covers Qingxiao's kit, best weapons, rotation, teams, build and skills. It also covers searches for Qing Xiao WuWa.
Assuming all of the weapon's buffs are active
Assuming all of the weapon's buffs are active, Cost 4 Crit. Rate
Echoes generate Crit. Rate at a rate of 6.3% Crit. Rate per echo
HoEP 5-piece set
This is the best set for Qingxiao.
SG 5-piece set
There is NO point in using this set.
Qingxiao Crit. Rate 70%
Qingxiao Crit. DMG 270%
Qingxiao Energy Regen% 120%
Qingxiao ATK% MAX
Qingxiao Flat ATK MAX
Intro Skill - Tonality Shift: Qingxiao always enters via her Intro (Main DPS), never with a Basic Attack. Deals Aero DMG, immediately grants 30 points of Sword Cadence and activates the "Resonant Chime" buff, which sets up extra forte generation as soon as Resonance Skill - Severing Note: Judgement is cast again.
Basic Attack - Stringblade Stage 1 → 2 → 3: Stage 1 is in Sheathed Stance (builds Qin Heart), Stages 2 and 3 are in Drawn Stance (build Sword Cadence). Chain these 3 hits to prime both forte gauges before going for the big chunk from the Resonance Skill.
Resonance Skill - Severing Note: Judgement: The biggest forte spike of the rotation. Deals Aero DMG and grants 45 points of Qin Heart at once while casting. By far the skill that regenerates the most forte in her whole kit.
Basic Attack - Stringblade Stage 1 → 2 → 3 → 4 (second pass): Loop the combo again, this time up to Stage 4 (Sheathed Stance) to finish filling both gauges. At this point Qin Heart AND Sword Cadence must be maxed (100/100 each) to unlock the following Heavy Attack.
Heavy Attack - Stringblade: Once both forte gauges are full, this attack becomes available. It consumes all Qin Heart and Sword Cadence to send Qingxiao into "Ephemeral Transcendence" (her forte mode). Thanks to "Heaven's Clarity" it also applies 3 stacks of Mindlock to nearby targets (boosting the upcoming Heaven's Reckoning) and grants 1 stack of "Swordlight Ward" for some survivability.
Resonance Liberation - Billows Beneath Heaven (Ult): Cast it here to benefit from the Mindlock stacks already applied (DMG Amplified by 2% per stack, +5% on the first 7), since the Ult is one of the skills boosted by this debuff.
Basic Attack - Ephemeral Transcendence Stage 1 → 2 → 3 → 4: In forte mode the Basic Attack changes completely. Each hit deals Aero DMG with a +100% multiplier as long as Heavy Attack - Heaven's Reckoning is not yet unlocked, and builds the Heart Sword Intent needed to unlock it.
Heavy Attack - Heaven's Reckoning: Ephemeral Transcendence: The biggest hit of the rotation. Consumes all Heart Sword Intent to exit Ephemeral Transcendence, benefits from the Mindlock stacks still active and from the +100% multiplier granted by "Heaven's Clarity" on this exact attack (which is removed right after). This is the hit to save for last before swapping out.
Echo then Outro - Lingering Song: Trigger the Echo for extra Aero DMG, then finish with the Outro, dealing 800% of ATK as Aero DMG on the swap.
You can absolutely slot in an extra skill (Severing Note: Judgement or Ascendant) somewhere in the rotation if you need it, whether to dodge, reposition or deal with an enemy pattern. It is not mandatory: the rotation above is the one that fills the forte most efficiently and maximizes uptime in Ephemeral Transcendence, but it stays flexible. The key points: Heavy Attack - Stringblade BEFORE the Ult (so the Ult's damage benefits from Mindlock), and keep Heavy Attack - Heaven's Reckoning for very last once Heart Sword Intent is maxed, since it immediately ends the Ephemeral Transcendence state.
Denia is slightly better than Lynae, but the gap stays acceptable.
Characters that boost Liberation or Heavy ATK are playable with Qingxiao. They work, but they do not match the Denia / Lynae team, even though they remain very playable.
Mortefi is preferable here, but without Mornye your damage really drops.
46 DPR team compositions are available in the interactive calculator.
Qingxiao S0 DPR 2113104 - Qingxiao S0 DPS Wuthering Waves - Denia - Mornye S0 R1 team
Qingxiao S1 DPR 2381035 - Qingxiao S1 DPS Wuthering Waves - While S0 can be played with a 4-4-1-1-1 set, at S1 we prefer the 4-3-3-1-1 (2% difference).
Qingxiao S2 DPR 2728365 - Qingxiao S2 DPS Wuthering Waves
Qingxiao S3 DPR 3437084 - Qingxiao S3 DPS Wuthering Waves
Qingxiao S4 DPR 3635576 - Qingxiao S4 DPS Wuthering Waves
Qingxiao S5 DPR 3669704 - Qingxiao S5 DPS Wuthering Waves
Qingxiao S6 DPR 4883936 - Qingxiao S6 DPS Wuthering Waves
