Hiyuki is the first Glacio Chafe DPS in Wuthering Waves, a five-star sword resonator who toggles between two stances to chain Resonance Liberation nukes and amplified Glacio Chafe damage. Her kit rewards careful stack management, but the build itself stays close to a standard ATK-and-crit DPS template, with Energy Regen layered on top to keep her Liberation rotations consistent.
How Hiyuki works in combat
Hiyuki cycles between two states, Present Self and Foreclaimed Self. In Present Self, basic attacks, dodge counters, and her resonance skill build Dedication. Once Dedication fills, casting Frost Splinter: Present Self followed by Foreclaiming: Inward Vision flips her into Foreclaimed Self.
In Foreclaimed Self, she generates Frostheart and Whiteout Bitterfrost stacks. Enough Frostheart unlocks Iai Stance, which lets her cast Iai repeatedly for stacks of Snowforged Blade (up to three). Foreclaiming: Blade Liberation then consumes those stacks as a finisher, where each stack directly raises the multiplier.
The second mechanic on top of all that is Snow Rust. Hiyuki gains one stack on her own, plus additional stacks when teammates apply Glacio Chafe or Havoc Bane. At three stacks she unlocks amplified Glacio Bite and Glacio Chafe damage. Glacio Bite is treated as Glacio Chafe damage, so any Chafe-related buff still applies.
Skill priority
| Skill | Priority | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Resonance Liberation | Highest | Carries Foreclaiming: Inward Vision and Blade Liberation, her main damage windows. |
| Basic Attack | High | Active in both stances; feeds Dedication and Frostheart. |
| Forte Circuit | High | Governs Dedication, Frostheart, and stance access. |
| Resonance Skill | Low | Restores Dedication and enhances Basic Attack Stage 3. |
| Intro Skill | Low | Minor damage contribution. |
Best weapons for Hiyuki
Frostburn is her signature and clearly her best-in-slot. It hands her a 12% ATK buff, amplifies Glacio DMG by 28% when she applies Glacio Chafe, and lets her Resonance Liberation DMG ignore 10% of the target's DEF. The active-on-field bonus also pumps Glacio Chafe damage by another 20% in a small window.
Without the signature, any general five-star ATK or crit sword works. Emerald of Genesis is the most accessible pick thanks to its Energy Regen and stacking ATK buff, both of which suit her Liberation-heavy rotation. Red Spring is solid if you have it, and Blazing Brilliance covers a raw stat slot. For four-star options, the battle pass weapon Feather Edge stands out because its Resonance Liberation DMG bonus lines up perfectly with her damage profile.
| Rank | Weapon | Key effect |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Frostburn (5★, signature) | +12% ATK; amplifies Glacio DMG and Glacio Chafe DMG; Liberation ignores 10% DEF. |
| 2 | Emerald of Genesis (5★) | +12.8% Energy Regen; stacking ATK on Resonance Skill. |
| 3 | Red Spring (5★) | +12% ATK; large Basic Attack DMG bonus tied to Concerto consumption. |
| 4 | Feather Edge (4★ BP) | +7.2% ATK and +10.8% Resonance Liberation DMG after casting Liberation. |
| 5 | Somnoire Anchor (5★) | Stacking ATK and 6% Crit Rate at max Hiss stacks. |
| 6 | Fables of Wisdom (4★) | Stacking ATK against enemies with negative statuses. |
| 7 | Commando of Conviction (4★) | +15% ATK on Intro Skill cast. |
Best echo set and main echo
Hiyuki's strongest sonata is Wishes of Quiet Snowfall (5-piece). The 2-piece grants 10% Glacio DMG. The 5-piece adds another 10% Glacio DMG when she inflicts Glacio Chafe and grants the Snowfall buff, which converts into 25% Crit Rate the moment she deals Resonance Liberation DMG. Because most of her damage is tagged as Resonance Liberation, the crit window stays up consistently and even extends with continued Liberation hits.
The recommended main echo is Reminiscence: Threnodian – Voidborne Construct. Equipping it gives a flat 12% Glacio DMG and 12% Resonance Liberation DMG, both of which her kit scales with directly. It is a summon-type echo, so it slots cleanly into her stance transitions without disrupting the rotation.
If you do not yet have Wishes of Quiet Snowfall pieces, Freezing Frost (5-piece) is the fallback. Pair it with Lampylumen Myriad as the main echo for the extra Glacio DMG buff and freeze utility, accepting the rotation cost of a transform-type echo.
Echo stats and substats
| Slot | Cost | Main stat |
|---|---|---|
| Main echo | 4 | Crit Rate or Crit DMG |
| Secondary | 3 | Glacio DMG (ATK% if short on ATK) |
| Secondary | 3 | Glacio DMG or ATK% |
| Minor | 1 | ATK% |
| Minor | 1 | ATK% |
For substats, target a balanced crit ratio in the neighborhood of 70% Crit Rate to 250% Crit DMG, push Energy Regen toward 120–125% so her Liberation comes back on time, and then stack Resonance Liberation DMG and ATK% as available. Flat ATK is the lowest-value roll.
Best teams in Version 3.3
Hiyuki wants Resonance Liberation DMG amplification on her supports, plus at least one teammate who can apply Havoc Bane to help feed Snow Rust. No other resonator currently applies Glacio Chafe, so she does that work herself. Lynae is the highest-impact partner because her Outro grants 25% Resonance Liberation DMG amplification and 15% all-DMG amplification to the next on-field resonator.
| Team | Composition | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Premium (best in 3.3) | Hiyuki + Lynae + Chisa | Highest measured damage. Chisa provides Havoc Bane and team support. |
| Premium alt | Hiyuki + Lynae + Mornye | Slight damage drop versus Chisa, with different utility. |
| Glacio variant | Hiyuki + Zhezhi + Chisa | Stacks Glacio buffs when Lynae is unavailable or assigned elsewhere. |
| Liberation variant | Hiyuki + Changli + Shorekeeper | Strong Liberation buffs and healing; cleaner rotation length. |
| F2P | Hiyuki + Sanhua + Verina | Workable starter team; expect a noticeable damage drop without Lynae. |
The trade-off with the premium team is that Lynae is contested. Several other current DPS units (Aemeath, Luuk Herssen) also want her, so plan your roster accordingly if you intend to run multiple Liberation-focused carries.
Rotation outline
Step 1: Open with supports. Apply Havoc Bane (Chisa) and any team buffs, then cast Lynae's kit and use her Outro to swap into Hiyuki with the Liberation amplification active.
Step 2: In Present Self, build Dedication with basic attack strings and the resonance skill. Use the Intro Skill on entry for the initial Glacio Chafe application and Dedication restore.
Step 3: Once Dedication caps, cast Frost Splinter: Present Self, then Foreclaiming: Inward Vision to enter Foreclaimed Self.
Step 4: Build Frostheart with enhanced basics. Enter Iai Stance and cast Iai up to three times to bank Snowforged Blade stacks.
Step 5: Spend all three stacks on Foreclaiming: Blade Liberation for the finisher. The more stacks consumed, the higher the multiplier.
Step 6: Use her Outro to amplify Glacio DMG on the incoming resonator, then cycle back to supports and repeat.
Sequence stopping points
S1 gives a clean power bump and is the most common stopping point for invested players. S3 is the next meaningful breakpoint because it makes her fully team-independent — she no longer needs a teammate to apply Havoc Bane or Glacio Chafe to maximize her kit. Beyond S3, the value drops off sharply unless you intend to push to S6.
The current bottleneck on Hiyuki is partner availability rather than her own kit. If a future Glacio Chafe sub-DPS arrives, she scales upward without any change to the build above. Until then, Frostburn plus Wishes of Quiet Snowfall plus Lynae and Chisa is the configuration to aim for.