Wuthering Waves Weapon Tier List 2026: Best 5★, Standard & 4★ Weapons

This is the updated Wuthering Waves weapon tier list for 2026, ranking every signature 5★, standard 5★, and key 4★ weapon across all five weapon types: Broadblade, Sword, Pistol, Gauntlet, and Rectifier. Rankings reflect endgame DPS scaling (Tower of Adversity, Holographic Tactics) when paired with the weapon's intended user.

A weapon's tier here describes how much DPS it adds to its best fit user, not raw stat sheet. A signature with no user in your roster drops a tier. Pair this list with our character tier list and the Pull Calculator to plan signature pulls.

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How we rank weapons

  • S-tier — best-in-slot for its intended user. Signature on a top-meta DPS. Pull if you own the character.
  • A-tier — strong on multiple characters. Usually +10% to +18% DPS over the best 4★ option.
  • B-tier — solid universal pick. Standard 5★ selector targets and meta 4★s belong here.
  • C-tier — usable filler. Bridges F2P accounts until something better drops.
  • D-tier — outdated stat lines or extremely narrow use. Skip unless nothing else fits.

We weigh: base ATK, main stat efficiency, passive uptime, buff scope (self vs team), and S1 → S5 scaling. Signatures with hard rotation requirements lose a half-tier if the buff windows are easy to miss.

Broadblade Tier List

TierWeaponRarityBest Users · Notes
SVerdant Summit5★ SigJiyan. Best Heavy Attack scaling in the type — top-1 if you own Jiyan.
SAges of Harvest5★ SigRoccia / Camellya hybrid teams. Great Crit Rate stat stick with high uptime buff.
ALustrous Razor5★ StdStandard selector. Solid Crit DMG line — comfortable A-tier pick for almost any Broadblade DPS.
AAutumntrace4★Best 4★ Broadblade. Crit Rate main stat — drops in for any DPS without a signature.
BHelios Cleaver4★Battle pass weapon. ATK% main stat, predictable damage. Bridge until a 5★ drops.
CDiscord3★Free 3★. Replace as soon as Autumntrace is built.

Sword Tier List

TierWeaponRarityBest Users · Notes
SBlazing Brilliance5★ SigChangli. Heavy Attack amp + Fusion DMG bonus. BiS by a wide margin.
SEmerald of Genesis5★ StdStandard selector pick. The best F2P 5★ Sword for Jinhsi / Calcharo. Easy ER + Crit Rate.
ASword of Voyager5★ SigOlder signature. Still solid Crit DMG line for any Sword DPS.
ACommando of Conviction4★Best 4★ Sword. ATK% main stat with consistent on-skill ATK buff.
BOriginite: Type II4★Battle pass. ATK% with energy regen. Comfortable bridge weapon.
COverture3★Free 3★. Replace early.

Pistol Tier List

TierWeaponRarityBest Users · Notes
SStatic Mist5★ SigYinlin. Crit Rate main stat + DEF shred via Electro Resonance. Pulls Yinlin from S to S+.
SFusion Accretion5★ SigMortefi / Aalto signature. Top damage if you run a Heavy Attack amp comp.
ACadenza5★ StdStandard selector. Reliable Crit DMG with simple stacking buff. Good on Yinlin in F2P builds.
ANovaburst4★Best 4★ Pistol. Crit Rate main stat. Mortefi/Aalto comfort pick.
BThunderbolt4★Battle pass option. ATK% with reliable uptime.
DSmoothbore3★Free 3★. Replace immediately.

Gauntlet Tier List

TierWeaponRarityBest Users · Notes
SStringmaster5★ SigXiangli Yao. Best Crit DMG line and Resonance Skill amp in the type. ~15-20% over best 4★.
SAbyss Surges5★ SigCalcharo signature. Heavy Liberation scaling — still BiS when paired with Calcharo.
AMarcato5★ StdStandard selector. Crit DMG main stat. Best F2P 5★ Gauntlet — strong on Xiangli Yao without his sig.
AHollow Mirage4★Best 4★ Gauntlet. ATK% with high uptime self-buff.
BOriginite: Type IV4★Battle pass. ATK% with consistent damage.
DGuardian Gauntlets3★Free 3★. Replace early.

Rectifier Tier List

TierWeaponRarityBest Users · Notes
SStellar Symphony5★ SigShorekeeper. ER + healing scaling — turns Shorekeeper into the universal-best support.
SCosmic Ripples5★ StdStandard selector. Crit Rate main stat. BiS for Zhezhi and great on Verina/Jinhsi.
AVariation5★ SigVerina older sig. Healing + ATK buff aura. Still a top support 5★.
AAugment4★Best 4★ Rectifier. Energy regen line — slots into any healer.
BJinzhou Keeper4★Battle pass. HP-based — niche but solid on Baizhi.
CComet Flare3★Free 3★. Replace once Augment is built.
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Best weapon per character

Quick reference for top picks. "Signature" assumes you pulled the weapon banner; "F2P" assumes only standard selector and 4★s.

CharacterSignature BiSF2P Best
CarlottaStatic Mist (event sig)Cadenza (selector) → Novaburst
CamellyaAges of HarvestLustrous Razor → Autumntrace
JinhsiAges of Harvest (shared) / VoyagerEmerald of Genesis → Commando
ChangliBlazing BrillianceEmerald of Genesis → Commando
Xiangli YaoStringmasterMarcato → Hollow Mirage
JiyanVerdant SummitLustrous Razor → Autumntrace
YinlinStatic MistCadenza → Novaburst
ZhezhiCosmic Ripples (std)Cosmic Ripples → Augment
ShorekeeperStellar SymphonyVariation → Augment
VerinaVariationCosmic Ripples → Augment

F2P weapon priorities

Standard 5★ selector — what to grab

You get to pick one standard 5★ weapon from the selector. The current best order:

  1. Cosmic Ripples — Crit Rate Rectifier. BiS for Zhezhi, great on every support.
  2. Emerald of Genesis — Crit Rate Sword. Best F2P option for Jinhsi.
  3. Lustrous Razor — Crit DMG Broadblade. Universal Broadblade pick.
  4. Marcato — Crit DMG Gauntlet. Best F2P option for Xiangli Yao.
  5. Cadenza — Crit DMG Pistol. Solid Yinlin/Mortefi pick.

Pick the one matching your strongest DPS. Don't pick a weapon you "might use later" — pick what improves your current best team today.

4★s worth building first

  • Autumntrace (Broadblade) — Crit Rate main stat. Bridge for Camellya/Jiyan.
  • Commando of Conviction (Sword) — Easy ATK% buff for Changli/Jinhsi.
  • Hollow Mirage (Gauntlet) — ATK% bridge for Xiangli Yao until Marcato.
  • Augment (Rectifier) — Universal healer weapon. Slots into every support.
  • Novaburst (Pistol) — Crit Rate Yinlin bridge.
Planning a signature pull? Use the Pull Calculator to check your Astrite budget for the 80-pity weapon banner — weapons have a 100% rate-up so it's cheaper than the character banner, but the pity is shorter.

Should you pull weapon banner?

Pull signature if…

  • You main the character and clear the hardest content with them.
  • The signature is +15% or more DPS over your current option (usually true for S-tier sigs).
  • You have 80+ pulls saved and won't be tempted by the next character banner.

Skip the signature if…

  • The standard 5★ alternative is within 5-8% of the signature.
  • You're a flex/budget player — those Astrites buy more value as character pulls.
  • You don't have the character at C0 yet — get the character first.

FAQ

How much DPS does a signature actually add?

Typical signature 5★ vs best 4★ gap: +15% to +22% DPS in optimized builds. Standard 5★ closes about half of that gap. If you have the standard 5★ already, the signature is usually a +8% to +12% upgrade — meaningful but not mandatory.

Is the standard selector worth using before pulling signatures?

Yes. The selector is one of the best free items in the game. Grabbing Cosmic Ripples or Emerald of Genesis day-1 gives every future support/sword DPS a strong baseline.

Do weapon refines (S1 → S5) matter?

S1 is the biggest single jump (~6-8% damage). S2 → S5 each add diminishing returns. For 5★ signatures, S1 is luxury; for 4★s, S5 is realistic and gives roughly the same total uplift as S1 on a 5★. Build Autumntrace, Commando, Novaburst, and Augment to S5 over time.

Why isn't [weapon X] on this list?

We cover all 5★s (signature and standard) plus the meta-defining 4★s and battle pass options. Niche 3★s and outdated 4★s with no current use are omitted. Reach us at [email protected] if you think we missed an obvious pick.

How often is this updated?

Every major version (~6 weeks) and within 24 hours of any new weapon banner. Last updated: 2026-05-18.

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