Wuthering Waves added 16 characters across Version 3.X. If you are a new or free-to-play player, you cannot pull all of them. Version 3.7 is live now, 3.8 follows, and after that comes 4.X with a new region and a new roster. No official 4.X date is confirmed yet. That leaves a short window to put Astrites into characters that will still be worth using once the next generation arrives.
Quick answer: Pull supports first, especially Chisa, Lynae, or Mornye. For a carry, Jingran or Yangyang: Xuanling give the best value on a budget. Hsin, Hiyuki, and Qingxiao need expensive 5-star partners.
Why supports beat DPS pulls ahead of Version 4.X
Damage dealers in Wuthering Waves lose value quickly. Each version cycle builds a new team type around new carries. Version 2.X centered on Negative Status, with Cartethyia and Zani. Version 3.X moved to Tune Break, starting with Aemeath and Luuk. Every shift pushes earlier carries down the rankings.
Supports hold their value better. A buffer that boosts a whole mechanic, or the whole team, keeps working when a new carry for that mechanic shows up. A good support also fits more than one team. On a free-to-play budget, where one 5-star can take 80 to 90 pulls, that flexibility matters most. Hard pity guarantees a 5-star at 90 pulls, and soft pity starts around 70.
Version 3.X DPS characters compared by cost
Five 3.X carries lead the DPS rankings: Jingran; Yangyang: Xuanling follows, then Qingxiao, Hiyuki, and Hsin. Each is powerful, but their costs to play effectively vary. The damage-per-rotation (DPR) numbers below use benchmark team setups.
| DPS | Team | DPR | Cost to run |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jingran | Iuno, Shorekeeper | 2.58M | Low |
| Jingran | Mortefi, Luuk | 2.12M | Low |
| Yangyang: Xuanling | Chisa, Suisui | 2.6M | Low |
| Yangyang: Xuanling | Rebecca, Chisa | 2.17M | Low |
| Qingxiao | Denia, Mornye | 2.67M | High |
| Hiyuki | Lucilla, Suisui | 2.55M | High |
| Hsin | Suoming (unison partner) | Highest in game | Very high |
Budget carries: Jingran and Yangyang: Xuanling
Jingran is the safest carry pull for a new account. His base damage is high enough that he does not need premium partners. Cheap teams built on Mortefi and Verina still perform, and his budget numbers stay close to his best team. Iuno and Shorekeeper raise his ceiling if you own them, but neither is required.
Yangyang: Xuanling builds her damage around Heavy Attack buffs. That makes Mortefi a natural partner. Rebecca also fits, and she is a free 5-star from the Version 3.4 Instant Flashlight event. Xuanling’s best team uses Chisa and Suisui, so she pairs well with the support pulls covered below.
High-investment carries: Qingxiao and Hiyuki
Qingxiao needs specific 5-star supports to compete. Denia and Lynae are her partners for Tune Strain. Without them, she falls behind the budget picks.
Hiyuki has the same problem. Her damage scales from Resonance Liberation DMG, even on her Basic Attacks and Resonance Skills. She reaches her peak only with Lucilla, Chisa, or Suisui. For a new player, that means two or three limited pulls before she plays as intended.
Highest ceiling: Hsin
Hsin has the highest damage ceiling of any carry in the game. She is the new limited character in Version 3.7. She introduces a mechanic called Unison and has two modes, one of which, Electro Flare, works with Chisa. The catch is Suoming. He is Hsin’s dedicated unison support, and she depends on him heavily.
Her signature weapon, Blooming Jadehaven, is also close to required. Hsin loses a lot of damage on other weapons. A full Hsin setup therefore means a character, a weapon, and a second character. That is a lot of Astrites for an account that is still building its first team.
Best 3.X supports by team type
Version 3.X supports come in pairs. Each pair is built around one damage type, and together they cover most of the current endgame teams.
| Supports | Team type | What they provide |
|---|---|---|
| Lynae, Mornye | Tune Break | Universal buffs, Tune Strain and Tune Rupture support |
| Qiuyuan, Lucilla | Echo Skill | Echo Skill DMG Bonus, DMG Amp, Crit DMG |
| Chisa, Suisui | Negative Status | +3 stack caps, DEF shred, ATK buffs, healing |
Lynae and Mornye are the most flexible pulls here. Their damage amplification and ATK buffs work across many team types, not only Tune Break. Tune Break is the mechanic that lets you interrupt an enemy once its Off-Tune Level gauge fills and it enters the Mistune state. As more Tune Break carries arrive, these two keep their value.
Qiuyuan and Lucilla are more specialized. They are strongest when the carry deals Echo Skill damage. Lucilla also applies Glacio Chafe and gives the team an ATK buff, which makes her the main Glacio support for Hiyuki and Carlotta.
Chisa and Suisui enable Negative Status teams. They raise status stack caps by three, so effects like Frazzle, Chafe, Erosion, Flare, and Havoc Bane hit harder. They also add DEF shred and ATK buffs. Because they heal too, they free up the slot a dedicated healer would take. Chisa is in nearly every Negative Status team in the game, and she is on a rerun banner in Version 3.7. Her signature weapon, Kumokiri, is optional, since her value comes from her kit rather than her damage.
Free 4-star supports: Sanhua, Mortefi, and Buling
Three 4-stars do work that would otherwise cost a limited pull. These are worth building right away:
- Sanhua: a Glacio Basic Attack amplifier that nearly every Glacio carry wants.
- Mortefi: a Heavy Attack amplifier and a common budget partner for Jingran and Xuanling.
- Buling: enables Resonance Skill DMG teams such as Hsin, Carlotta, and Jinhsi. She can rival limited 5-stars at S6.
Buling is also one of the rate-up 4-stars on the Version 3.7 banners, alongside Youhu and Taoqi. That makes this patch a good time to collect her copies.
Older Wuthering Waves DPS units to skip
Power creep hits damage dealers hardest. Earlier carries, including Aemeath, Luuk, and Sigrika, are falling behind the newest 3.X group. They are poor targets for fresh pulls with 4.X close. They still work, and Luuk even appears in a budget Jingran team. But a new player who pulls them is buying a carry whose best period is already over.
For most free-to-play accounts, the order before 4.X is simple. Start with one flexible support, then add one carry that runs well on free 4-stars. Pull for Hsin, Hiyuki, or Qingxiao only once the Astrites for their partners are already saved. Version 3.8 adds Lily next. Any 4.X details will reset this math once they are official, but supports bought now should still be useful when it arrives.
