Yangyang: Xuanling is the 5-star Havoc Sword damage dealer added in Wuthering Waves 3.5, and she plays nothing like the free Aero support you started the game with. This is a full main DPS built entirely around the Havoc Bane status. She applies it, feeds on it, and cashes it out through empowered Heavy Attacks by dancing between her Azure Sword Stance and Feather Sword Stance. She hits hard, but she is squishy and her build is specific, so the weapon, Echoes, and team you pick matter more than usual.
Quick answer: Run Azure Oath as her weapon and the Song of Feathered Trace Sonata set with Thousand-Puppet Pavilion as the main Echo. Stack Crit and Havoc DMG, then pair her with Chisa plus Suisui (or Shorekeeper) to flood enemies with Havoc Bane.
Quick build summary
If you just want the shopping list, here is the loadout that maximizes her Heavy Attack damage and Havoc Bane uptime.
| Category | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| Best weapon | Azure Oath (signature) |
| Best alternative weapon | Emerald Sentence, then Emerald of Genesis |
| Best Sonata set | Song of Feathered Trace (5-piece) |
| Best main Echo | Thousand-Puppet Pavilion |
| Main stats | Crit Rate / Crit DMG, Havoc DMG, ATK% |
| Core team | Xuanling + Chisa + Suisui |
| Skill priority | Res. Liberation, Forte Circuit, Basic Attack, Res. Skill, Intro Skill |
Best weapons for Yangyang Xuanling
Her damage comes from Heavy Attacks and constant Havoc Bane application. Pick a sword that feeds those two things, and skip anything that only buffs Basic Attack or Resonance Skill damage, since those do almost nothing for her.
Azure Oath is her signature and it is a clear power spike, not a small one. It carries 588 base ATK with 24.3% Crit Rate, grants a 12% All-Attribute DMG Bonus, and after she inflicts Havoc Bane it amplifies her Heavy Attack DMG by 36% while letting it ignore 12% of the target’s DEF. Because she applies Havoc Bane with nearly every action, that buff has near-permanent uptime.
| Weapon | Tier | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
| Azure Oath | Signature 5-star | Best in slot. All-Attribute DMG, plus Heavy Attack amplification and DEF ignore on Havoc Bane. |
| Emerald Sentence | Limited 5-star | Strongest non-signature pick. Good Crit value and skill synergy during her burst windows. |
| Emerald of Genesis | Standard 5-star | Best free-to-play option. Crit Rate stat stick with Energy Regen that smooths her rotation. |
| Red Spring | Standard 5-star | Usable for the raw Crit Rate stat, though its Basic Attack passive is wasted on her. |
| Lumingloss | 4-star | Reliable budget choice that boosts Heavy Attack DMG on Resonance Skill. |
| Fables of Wisdom | 4-star | Scales ATK when hitting enemies with negative statuses, which she keeps applied. |
Best Sonata set and main Echo
Song of Feathered Trace is her dedicated Sonata set and her best-in-slot choice. The 2-piece bonus adds 10% Energy Regen. The 5-piece grants Xuanling’s Feather whenever she inflicts Havoc Bane, raising Crit Rate by 20% and Heavy Attack DMG Bonus by 35% for 15 seconds. Since she keeps Havoc Bane applied through her whole rotation, both bonuses stay up reliably. The set also has a Glacio Chafe line that rewards running her alongside Suisui.
With that set, equip Thousand-Puppet Pavilion in the main Echo slot. Its skill deals Havoc DMG and summons Blades of Thousand Memories, which are consumed for extra Havoc DMG each time she inflicts Havoc Bane. It also grants 12% Havoc DMG and 12% Heavy Attack DMG while equipped.
If you have not unlocked the region where her set drops, there is a working alternative. Run three pieces of Thread of Severed Fate for a 20% ATK boost and a 30% Resonance Liberation DMG Bonus on Havoc Bane, then fill the last two slots with Havoc Eclipse for its Havoc DMG Bonus. With that combo, swap the main Echo to Reminiscence: Threnodian Leviathan, which increases damage against Havoc Bane targets and buffs her Resonance Liberation and Havoc damage.
Best Echo stats and substats
Use a standard 4-3-3-1-1 cost layout. Crit Rate matters more on her than on most carries because she hands herself huge Crit DMG buffs through her kit, and those buffed hits only pay off if they actually crit. Aim for roughly 70% Crit Rate and 200% Crit DMG, then take only as much Energy Regen as you need for smooth ultimates.
| Echo cost | Main stat |
|---|---|
| Cost 4 | Crit Rate or Crit DMG |
| Cost 3 | Havoc DMG Bonus |
| Cost 3 | Havoc DMG Bonus |
| Cost 1 | ATK% |
| Cost 1 | ATK% |
For substats, prioritize in this order: Crit Rate and Crit DMG first, then ATK%, then Heavy Attack DMG Bonus, and finally Energy Regen as a smoothing stat.
Best teams for Yangyang Xuanling
She is not a plug-and-play carry. She wants a team that keeps enemies drowning in Havoc Bane, because her Inherent Skill scales her damage up to 30% at 1 to 3 stacks and up to 36% at 4 to 6 stacks. Build that ecosystem and she carries hard.
| Team | Members | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
| Peak Havoc | Xuanling + Chisa + Suisui | Chisa applies Havoc Bane and raises the stack cap while ignoring DEF; Suisui makes that damage ignore DEF and Havoc RES while healing. |
| Budget swap | Xuanling + Chisa + Shorekeeper | Same Havoc engine with a universal healer whose Crit Rate and Crit DMG buffs line up with her burst windows. |
Chisa is the standout partner. Her Outro Skill grants Resonant Thread of Closure, which lets the team ignore enemy DEF and raises the maximum number of negative statuses a target can hold, including Havoc Bane. That higher cap directly scales Xuanling’s damage, and Chisa also provides steady Havoc Bane, healing, and shields to keep the squishy carry alive. Suisui, who is Xuanling’s older sister in the story, converts Havoc Bane into team buffs and adds a 25% All DMG amplification through her Outro. If you lack both premium supports, Verina with Mortefi or Chisa paired with Phrolova, Lynae, or Rebecca still function while you build toward the ideal squad.
Skill priority and how she plays
Her damage is spread across her Heavy Attacks and her ultimate, so level those nodes first. Unlock both Inherent Skills as soon as possible, since her Havoc Bane scaling lives there.
| Skill | Priority |
|---|---|
| Resonance Liberation | Highest |
| Forte Circuit | Highest |
| Basic Attack (stance strings) | Medium |
| Resonance Skill | Medium |
| Intro Skill | Low |
The core loop is simple once it clicks. She runs on two resources, Melody (capped at 100) and Azure Plume (capped at 2 stacks). Basic Attacks in either stance spend Melody, and the Stage 4 hit applies one stack of Havoc Bane. When Melody runs dry, her Resonance Skill becomes Sword Stance Flow, which refills all Melody, grants one Azure Plume, eats a Havoc Bane stack, and hands you a large Crit DMG buff for your next Heavy Attack. Once Azure Plume is full, you spend it all on a huge Heavy Attack that applies two stacks of Havoc Bane. Her Resonance Liberation, Hush of a Thousand Voices, spends all Melody for a massive Havoc hit, instantly maxes Havoc Bane on every target, and summons a Shadow of Xuanling for bonus damage.
A clean rotation looks like this in practice.
Note: Because she is fragile, treat the dodge windows on her stance switches as part of the rotation rather than an afterthought. Keeping Havoc Bane at high uptime is the real skill check, and it is what turns her from a good carry into a top-tier one.
Yangyang: Xuanling rewards clean execution over button mashing, and the payoff scales directly with how well you keep her supports and her own kit stacking Havoc Bane. Lock in Azure Oath and Song of Feathered Trace, hit your Crit targets, and slot her between Chisa and a Havoc-amplifying healer, and she becomes the premium Havoc damage dealer the roster has been missing.
