Aventurine • Waveflair is a 5-star Quantum unit on the Path of Elation, and building him past E0 comes down to two big purchases. You can chase his first Eidolon, A Holiday on the Line, or his signature Light Cone, Summer Rides the Surf. Both cost a serious amount of Stellar Jade, so most players pick one first.
Quick answer: Pull his first Eidolon (E1) before his signature Light Cone. A Holiday on the Line adds roughly 46.5% damage over E0 with the signature equipped, more than any single cone swap gives you, and you can replace the signature with a cheaper Elation Light Cone.
Why A Holiday on the Line (E1) wins
His first Eidolon does two things at once. It grants a flat 24% All-Type RES PEN, which raises the damage of every ability he has, including his Elation Skills. That bonus applies to his entire damage profile, not just one skill type.
The bigger change is to his Talent. Aventurine builds a resource called Fervor by attacking and by allies attacking. At E0, his Talent fires Cheers! To Summer’s Blaze once when Fervor hits 10 points. With A Holiday on the Line, that trigger also fires again at 20 and 30 points. He simply throws out more Elation Skills over a fight, which is exactly what the rest of his kit rewards.
Because he attacks so often in teams that keep hitting, those extra triggers stack up fast. That is why A Holiday on the Line is treated as one of his strongest vertical investments and the first upgrade to target.
What Summer Rides the Surf (S1) actually gives you
His signature is his single strongest cone in raw stats, and it is well designed for him. At S1 it grants 18% CRIT Rate. Whenever he uses an Elation Skill he gains Updraft for 24% SPD, and if the Elation Skill differs from the last one used, he also gains Uptrend for 40% Elation. On top of that it recovers a Skill Point at the start of every wave and after every three Elation Skills.
The Skill Point recovery matters because Aventurine is very SP-negative. The SPD boost also feeds back into his passive, since he gains more Elation the higher his SPD climbs. It is a clean, permanent buff package once he is up and running.
The catch is that the cone only helps him. Its CRIT Rate, Elation, and SPD do nothing for teammates, so its value is capped to a single character. The Eidolon, by contrast, changes how his core loop behaves.
E1 vs S1 comparison
| Factor | A Holiday on the Line (E1) | Summer Rides the Surf (S1) |
|---|---|---|
| Main effect | +24% All-Type RES PEN; Talent fires at Fervor 10/20/30 | 18% CRIT Rate; Updraft SPD and Uptrend Elation on Elation Skills |
| Damage impact | ~46.5% over E0 with signature equipped | ~120% relative value as his best single cone |
| Skill Point help | None | Recovers Skill Points, easing his SP drain |
| Replaceable? | No substitute for the extra Talent triggers | Yes, most Elation cones cover it |
Note: The 120% figure for the signature reflects its total value as a Light Cone, including base stats, while the 46.5% is the added gain from the Eidolon on top of the signature. The two numbers measure different things. The takeaway is that the Eidolon buys damage you cannot get any other way, while the cone can be approximated by cheaper options.
Light Cone alternatives if you skip S1
Skipping the signature is easy because almost every Elation Light Cone works on him. The only one that does not hold up as a fill-in is Mushy Shroomy’s Adventures. If that free-to-play cone is your only Elation option, then his signature becomes worth pulling. Otherwise, one of the cones below covers most of the gap.
| Light Cone | Relative value | How you get it |
|---|---|---|
| Until the Flowers Bloom Again (S1) | 109% | Buffs allies as well as Aventurine |
| Today’s Good Luck (S5) | 107% | Battlepass 4-star |
| A Little Getaway (S5) | 106% | Grants Elation and DEF Ignore on Elation Skill |
| Welcome to the Cosmic City (S1) | 102% | SPD and Elation DEF Ignore |
| Dazzled by a Flowery World (S1) | 102% | DEF Ignore stacks from Skill Point use |
These cones sit close enough to the signature that pairing one of them with E1 usually beats running E0 with the signature alone. The Eidolon changes his rotation; the cone only tops up his stats.
The ideal stopping point
For most players, E1S1 is the sensible target and a natural place to stop. His most impactful investments are the signature, E1, and E2, in that order of long-term power, but E1 is the piece that most changes how he plays turn to turn. His second Eidolon, Idle as the Turning Tide, later raises his Fervor cap to 50 and adds more Talent triggers, which is why E2 becomes attractive after you own both the cone and E1.
If your budget only stretches to one purchase during his run, spend it on A Holiday on the Line and slot in one of the alternative Elation Light Cones. That combination gives you more damage and a smoother rotation than his signature on its own.
