Best guide and build for Zhezhi from WW (Wuthering Waves). Zhezhi is a 5★ rarity character from the
Glacio element who uses the Rectifier type weapon.
Zhezhi is a commissioned painter, quiet and shy with a dedication to her craft. She's not very eloquent, but her persistence and love for painting speak volumes.
To learn more about Zhezhi check the sections below. Use the tabs to quickly switch to the kind of information you're looking for.
Video guide
Zhezhi has at least one video guide available, so if you prefer this sort of medium to learn more about a character, check it out:
Update tracker
Last review update
Patch 3.3
Last major build/calcs update
Patch 3.3
Last profile update*
May 20th, 2026
*Profile update means smaller edits to echoes, stats, synergies or teams that don't require new calculations.
To learn more about Zhezhi check the sections below. Use the tabs to quickly switch to the kind of information you're looking for.
Profile
Review
Build
Gameplay and teams
Calculations
Profile
Skills
Active skills
Passive skills
Concerto skills
Basic Attack
Dimming Brush
Basic Attack
Perform up to 3 consecutive attacks, dealing Glacio DMG.
Heavy Attack
Consume STA to perform an attack, dealing Glacio DMG.
Heavy Attack does not reset the Basic Attack cycle.
Mid-air Attack
Consume STA to perform up to 2 consecutive attacks while in mid-air, dealing Glacio DMG.
Dodge Counter
Use Basic Attack after a successful Dodge to attack the target, dealing Glacio DMG.
Lv. 1
Stage 1 DMG
21.00%*2
Stage 2 DMG
10.34%*5
Stage 3 DMG
67.20%
HA DMG
56.70%
Mid-air Attack DMG
12.55%*5 + 52.70%
Dodge Counter DMG
14.62%*5
HA STA Cost
20
Mid-air Attack STA Cost
5 + 25
Resonance Skill
Manifestation
Deal Glacio DMG. If Afflatus is no less than 60, consume 60 Afflatus to summon Phantasmic Imprint - Left and Phantasmic Imprint - Right.
Press the button on the ground to summon the Phantasmic Imprints on the ground.
Hold the button on the ground or press the button in mid-air to summon the Phantasmic Imprints in mid-air.
Lv. 1
Press DMG
49.50%*3
Hold DMG
49.50%*3
Mid-air Press DMG
49.50%*3
Cooldown
6
Press Concerto Regen
8
Hold Concerto Regen
8
Mid-air Press Concerto Regen
8
Resonance Liberation
Living Canvas
Summon Inklit Spirits for assistance.
Can be cast in mid-air.
Inklit Spirit
When the active Resonator deals DMG, an Inklit Spirit will be summoned to perform a Coordinated Attack, dealing Glacio DMG, considered as Basic Attack DMG.
For 3s after dealing DMG, 1 Inklit Spirit is summoned per second. This effect can trigger once per second. Damage dealt by an Inklit Spirit does not trigger this effect.
Up to 1 Inklit Spirit can be summoned every second, and up to 21 in total.
This effect lasts for 30s, or until max Inklit Spirits are summoned.
Lv. 1
Inklit Spirit DMG
32.80%
Cooldown
25
Resonance Energy Cost
125
Concerto Energy Regen
20
Forte Circuit
Ink and Wash
Phantasmic Imprint
Zhezhi may summon Phantasmic Imprints at the cost of Afflatus when casting Resonance Skill Manifestation or Heavy Attack Conjuration.
Up to 1 of each of Phantasmic Imprint - Left, Phantasmic Imprint - Middle, and Phantasmic Imprint - Right can exist at the same time, each lasting for 15s.
Heavy Attack: Conjuration
The 5 moves below consume STA to perform Conjuration to attack the target, dealing Glacio DMG.
Hold the Normal Attack button shortly after Basic Attack Stage 3.
Press the Normal Attack button shortly after casting Resonance Skill Manifestation.
Hold the Normal Attack button shortly after casting Resonance Skill Stroke of Genius or Resonance Skill Creation's Zenith.
Hold the Normal Attack button while in mid-air.
Hold the Normal Attack button after a successful Dodge.
If Zhezhi has at least 30 Afflatus when performing any of these, consume 30 Afflatus to summon a Phantasmic Imprint - Middle.
Resonance Skill: Stroke of Genius
When a Phatasmic Imprint is nearby, the Resonance Skill is replaced with Stroke of Genius, which can be cast while in mid-air. When it is cast, Zhezhi will:
Move to the location of the Phatasmic Imprint, remove it, and then summon an Ivory Herald to attack the target, dealing Glacio DMG, considered as Basic Attack DMG. Refresh the mid-air Dodge attempts if the target Phatasmic Imprint is in mid-air.
Gain 1 stack of Painter's Delight, lasting for 8s and stacking up to 2 times.
Resonance Skill: Creation's Zenith
When a Phantasmic Imprint is nearby and there are 2 stacks of Painter's Delight, Stroke of Genius is replaced with Creation's Zenith, which can be cast while in mid-air. When it is cast, Zhezhi will:
Lose all stacks of Painter's Delight
Move to the location of the Phantasmic Imprint, remove it, and then summon an Ivory Herald to attack the target, dealing greater Glacio DMG, considered as Basic Attack DMG, additionally increasing the Basic Attack DMG Bonus by 18% for 27s. Refresh the mid-air Dodge attempts if the target Phatasmic Imprint is in mid-air.
Afflatus
Zhezhi can hold up to 90 Afflatus.
Normal Attacks grant Afflatus on hit.
Casting Intro Skill grants Afflatus.
Lv. 1
HA - Conjuration DMG
41.75%*3
HA - Conjuration STA Cost
15
Stroke of Genius DMG
150.00%
Creation's Zenith DMG
60.00%*3
Stroke of Genius Concerto Regen
13
Creation's Zenith Concerto Regen
13
Inherent Skill
Calligrapher's Touch
When casting Resonance Skill Stroke of Genius or Resonance Skill Creation's Zenith, ATK is increased by 6% for 27s. This can be stacked up to 3 time(s).
Inherent Skill
Flourish
After Outro Skill is cast, restore 15 Resonance Energy for the incoming Resonator.
Intro Skill
Radiant Ruin
Attack the target, dealing Glacio DMG.
Lv. 1
DMG
43.34%*3
Concerto Regen
10
Outro Skill
Carve and Draw
The incoming Resonator has their Glacio DMG Amplified by 20% and Resonance Skill DMG Amplified by 25% for 14s or until they are switched out.
Resonance Chain (Dupes)
S1
Sequence Node 1
When casting Resonance Skill Creation's Zenith, Resonance Energy is restored by 15 and Crit. Rate is increased by 10% for 27s.
S2
Sequence Node 2
Max Inklit Spirits summoned by Resonance Liberation Living Canvas increases by 6.
S3
Sequence Node 3
When Resonance Skill Manifestation, Resonance Skill Stroke of Genius, or Resonance Skill Creation's Zenith is cast, ATK increases by 15%, stacking up to 3 time(s) for 27s.
S4
Sequence Node 4
When Resonance Liberation Living Canvas is cast, ATK of Resonators on the team increases by 20% for 30s.
S5
Sequence Node 5
For every 3 Inklit Spirits summoned by Resonance Liberation Living Canvas, 1 extra Inklit Spirit is summoned to perform a Coordinated Attack, dealing DMG equal to 140% of Inklit Spirit's DMG, considered as Basic Attack DMG. This damage dealt will not further summon Inklit Spirit.
S6
Sequence Node 6
When Resonance Skill Stroke of Genius or Resonance Skill Creation's Zenith is cast, an extra Ivory Herald will be summoned to deal DMG equal to 120% of Resonance Skill Stroke of Genius's DMG, considered as Basic Attack DMG.
Minor Fortes (Total)
CRIT Rate
+8%
ATK%
+12%
Stats
Include minor fortes
Lv. 90
HP
12250
ATK
375
DEF
1198
Max Energy
125
CRIT Rate
5%
CRIT DMG
150%
Healing Bonus
0%
Glacio DMG
0%
Upgrade Materials
Character Ascension (total)
4xLF Howler Core
12xMF Howler Core
12xHF Howler Core
4xFF Howler Core
46xSound-Keeping Tacet Core
60xLanternberry
170 000Shell Credits
Skill Upgrades (total)
25xLF Howler Core
28xMF Howler Core
40xHF Howler Core
57xFF Howler Core
25xLento Helix
28xAdagio Helix
55xAndante Helix
67xPresto Helix
26xMonument Bell
2 030 000Shell Credits
While the source of the materials can be quickly found in the game, when it comes Lanternberry you will have to gather them from the map. Check our Interactive map to find them quickly:
Please keep in mind Wuthering Waves is a skill-based game and each character has a different playstyle, difficulty level and even special tricks and combos. Wuthering Waves is also a team based game and it's only by combining both these factors to the highest level a character can reach optimal performance.
Hybrid
T2
Tower of Adversity
T4
Whimpering Wastes
Pros & Cons
Pros
Has one of the strongest off-field damage outputs in the game (barring full-fledged off-field Main DPS characters like Phrolova).
Very quick rotation that can be easily improved via Jump Cancels for solid damage and good buffs.
Very accessible weapon options, not Signature reliant at all.
Super consistent - attacks from a very far range and teleports around, almost never gets hit by enemies after her Basic chain and first Skill/Heavy Attack cast.
Provides extra Energy to the incoming character via her Inherent Skill on Outro, making Energy requirements easier to meet.
Cons
Lower damage ceiling overall compared to modern Hybrid characters, and generally lower, more niche buffing profile - easily replaced and outclassed in all teams barring Jinhsi, who is long since powercrept (in a very direct manner too by Luuk Herssen, who Zhezhi does not work with).
Low headroom for quickswap, her only quickswap window is during her Basic 3.
Like most version 1 characters, she has terrible sequence scaling, meaning they really aren’t worthwhile pickups.
Moonlit Clouds can be awkward to use by nature of Impermanence Heron being a Transform Echo, making her default to Empyrean Anthem for comfort, where high stats are a necessity for the set to be worth it.
Review
Zhezhi is a 5-star Glacio Rectifier Hybrid who focuses on buffing Glacio and Resonance Skill damage while doing good off-field damage. Specializing in quick on-field combos followed by off-field Coordinated Attacks, she will do noteworthy damage both when she’s on and when she’s off the field, able to not only buff your characters but also provide a source of good additional damage at pretty much all times. These traits alone are enough to cement her as an amazing Glacio Skill buffer, but she does even more than that.
All of Zhezhi’s gameplay revolves around her Forte Circuit: Ink and Wash, which allows her to accumulate stacks called Afflatus. Generated through her Intro skill and Basic Attacks, her Forte gauge presents 3 segments for a total of 90 Afflatus points, 30 each.
Once a segment is full, Zhezhi can convert it into a Phantasmic Imprint using specific abilities. These Phantasmic Imprints are teleport points visible on the field that Zhezhi will teleport to and deal a great amount of damage with, while generating a lot of Concerto Energy when she uses her Resonance Skill with Phantasmic Imprints placed and ready to activate on the field.
She can convert the segments in two ways: using her base Resonance Skill, which can convert up to 2 segments, and her Forte Heavy Attack (which can be triggered immediately by performing a Basic Attack after her Resonance Skill), which can convert the last segment when her Forte gauge is full.
With all of these points considered, Zhezhi will simply play out by activating her Intro skill, filling 1.5 segments, then completing a full Basic Attack sequence, filling out the remaining 1.5 segments, using her Resonance Skill and Forte Heavy Attack to convert them all into Imprints, which she will teleport to in quick succession, finishing with her Echo before finally being able to cast her big 20% Glacio, 25% Skill DMG Amplify Outro to your Main DPS to make their damage truly shine. Her Outro skill has the additional effect of restoring Resonance Energy to the character you switch into - something that is very desired on both DPS characters she typically supports, Carlotta and Jinhsi.
The gameplay she sports looks fundamentally extremely simplistic - and that statement describes how Zhezhi plays out very accurately. Her ease of use is one of her big selling points, and the above sequence of actions is easy to remember and execute while being quite fast and close to optimal.
From a meta standpoint, Zhezhi holds an amazing niche. Resonance Skill amplifiers are bottom tiers in the form of Lumi and Taoqi, so a quick rotation, potent off-field damage dealing Hybrid who can buff that type of damage is welcome on pretty much any character who deals a lot of Resonance Skill damage. Her ease of use paired with her many strengths and strong buffing potential make her a privileged teammate for both Jinhsi and Carlotta, the two top tiers of the current meta who have a hard time sharing her due to how valuable she is. Additionally, while absolutely not necessary due to how strong she is at base, Zhezhi can be optimized even further by mastering her Jump Cancel technique on her teleport skills, shortening her rotation time by a significant amount at no cost of damage whatsoever, making her presence even stronger on her teams and feeling amazing to play.
To summarize, as one of the most desirable Hybrids in the meta, Zhezhi holds an amazing niche which she is certain to hold for a long while. Undoubtedly worth investing into, Zhezhi cements herself as a staple Hybrid in the current Wuthering Waves meta, who is not only easy to use but can also be optimized into a quick, high damage-dealing Hybrid that can heavily buff the best DPS characters in the meta and restore Resonance Energy for other characters, all the while dealing constant off-field damage that is very much welcome and noteworthy. Beyond the shadow of a doubt a top tier character.
Video guides
Build
Best Weapons
The percentages show the performance of the weapon based on calculations, but in some cases, some weapons might provide additional QOL that can't be quantified and it would push that weapon ahead of others in the priority (and in those cases, we would put that weapon higher).
Zhezhi calculations were done using added buffs from the following teammates:
Zhezhi's Signature and best weapon gives her significant ATK and CRIT DMG stat boosts as well as a scaling Basic DMG Bonus buff that particularly affects her off-field Coordinated Attacks, perfectly synergizing with her kit and giving her the highest damage output she can get.
95.80%
Stats at Level 90: ATK: 500 | CRIT DMG: 72%
Cantarella's Signature also gives Zhezhi a very high Basic DMG Bonus buff and the same base stats as her Signature, making it a near-equal alternative to her Signature weapon.
94.50%
Stats at Level 90: ATK: 588 | CRIT Rate: 24.3%
Phrolova's Signature stands out as the only Rectifier with high Base ATK which works well on Zhezhi, not to mention the easily triggered Echo and Skill DMG Amplification as well as the DEF Ignore for 12s, all of which gives her a nice damage boost overall.
93.80%
Stats at Level 90: ATK: 500 | CRIT Rate: 36%
Yinlin's Signature Rectifier is easily one of the best generalist options in the game, giving Zhezhi a nice but short-lived ATK% buff that can apply to some Coordinated Attacks and the most damaging part of her on-field rotation. However, buffs run out quickly which make it not as ideal as her Signature while still being a completely excellent replacement.
87.60%
Stats at Level 90: ATK: 500 | CRIT Rate: 36%
Calculation also applicable to Luminous Hymn. Simple ATK and CRIT Rate stat-stick for Zhezhi, who does not benefit from this weapon's Fusion Burst and Tune Strain-oriented effects.
84.60%
Stats at Level 90: ATK: 500 | ATK: 54%
Best permanently available option for all Rectifier damage dealers, granting a scaling Basic DMG Bonus buff, some Energy Regen and a massive amount of ATK. Not as ideal as above options due to the absence of CRIT in the stats this weapon grants, but still a capable alternative.
81.10%
Stats at Level 90: ATK: 412 | CRIT Rate: 20.2%
Best 4-star weapon option, this Battle Pass Exclusive gets an easy-to-activate ATK buff when casting Ultimate and also gives a nice CRIT secondary stat but has lower Base ATK as a 4-star making it worse than any 5-star option.
78.10%
Stats at Level 90: ATK: 412 | CRIT DMG: 40.5%
Another good Battle Pass Exclusive that grants ATK and Basic DMG when casting Skill, not as ideal as any 5-star due to low Base ATK but also gives CRIT DMG on its secondary stat, making it a decent choice overall albeit easily replaced.
73.80%
Stats at Level 90: ATK: 462 | ATK: 18.2%
Grants some flat Energy when casting Skill and otherwise only gives some decent ATK increases. Replace this weapon when possible, but decent placeholder until 5-star options are acquired.
69.20%
Stats at Level 90: ATK: 387 | ATK: 36.4%
Similarly to Fusion Accretion, best no-gacha option accessible at the start of the game but gives nothing except ATK and should be replaced as soon as possible.
Best Echo Sets
Best Echo Sets
1
2 Set: Energy Regen +10%.
5 Set: Increase the Resonator's Coordinated Attack DMG by 80%. Upon a critical hit of Coordinated Attack, increase the active Resonator's ATK by 20% for 4s.
Offers an unconditional 10% Energy Regen% and 80% Coordinated DMG boost. Also grants a passive supportive effect which triggers when the wearer of this set critically strikes with a Coordinated attack - this effect grants the on field Resonator an ATK% boost regardless if they're the wearer of the set or not. The set is better than Moonlit Clouds if and only if the equipped character's Echoes have endgame investment (with 9 or 10 CRIT substats total) and the character has a 5-star weapon equipped. If both conditions aren't met, Moonlit Clouds is a better choice.
Below you can find Main Echo options that you should be using with the set:
Nightmare: Lampylumen Myriad
- The best Echo for Zhezhi when running the Empyrean Anthem set as it grants her an extra Glacio and Coordinated Attack DMG boost when equipped in the main slot, without taking up rotation time as it is a simple Summon Echo.
2
2 Set: Energy Regen increases by 10%.
5 Set: Upon using Outro Skill, ATK of the next Resonator increases by 22.5% for 15s.
Offers a 10% unconditional Energy Regen% boost taking some pressure off your gear when aiming at ER breakpoints. Also upon using Outro, grants the next character switching in a 22.5% ATK boost, amplifying any of your main damage dealers burst windows.
Below you can find Main Echo options that you should be using with the set:
Impermanence Heron
- Supportive Echo that can be run at the cost of a sizeable chunk of damage for the character who equips, trading personal gain for team benefits. Should always be used and immediately switch cancelled right before performing an Outro, leading to another DPS. When done so will grant the next character switching in 12% increased DMG% which when combined with the 5P Moonlit set which also grants 22.5% ATK% under the same conditions makes for a sizeable boost. While the echo does lower the damage of whoever wears it, it grants a massive chunk of energy on use usually saving 1 or sometimes even 2 Energy Regen sub stats that may otherwise be needed by the wearer allowing for some damage to be recovered.
All recommended endgame stats portray a fairly good quality endgame build as a goal to aim for on most characters. However, don’t treat this as an end-all-be-all, and more of a suggestion.
All stat recommendations are given at S0 for 5-stars, S6 for 4-stars, and free characters (unless specified otherwise), based on total stats in the in-game stat-screen with the character out of combat but also active in the party (and hence some buffs may or may not apply). Any other precision may be directly specified. If not specified, Energy Regen requirements are estimated in the character’s best team.
HP: 15000+
DEF: 1100+
ATK: 1900-2400+
CRIT Rate: 65%-80%+ (before Echo set bonuses)
CRIT DMG: 215-260%+
Energy Regen 116%-128%+
Lower Estimate is using Moonlit Clouds, highest estimate is using Empyrean Anthem, both in the context of a Carlotta+Shorekeeper team.
Glacio DMG Bonus: 30-70%+
Skill Priority
Below you can find the order of leveling the abilities for Zhezhi.
Res. Liberation
Forte Circuit
Intro Skill
Res. Skill
Basic Attack
Gameplay and teams
Rotation
Zhezhi’s primary rotation goal is to fill her Forte gauge to then cast her Skill, Heavy Attack, finally teleport with her Skill 3 times, and Outro. She is free to cast her Ultimate at any point in this rotation.
Echo timing: Right before Outro (for Moonlit + Impermanence Heron, may require a Dash Cancel on the last Creation’s Zenith Skill), or at any point in the rotation (for Empyrean Anthem + Nightmare: Lampylumen Myriad).
Standard Rotation
Intro
Basic 1
Basic 2
Basic 3
Skill
Heavy: Conjuration
Skill: Stroke of Genius (Jump Cancel)
Skill: Stroke of Genius (Cancel animation endlag via Ultimate)
Ultimate
Skill: Creation’s Zenith (Dash cancel into Echo, Swap, Outro on Moonlit Clouds OR Swap and Outro on Empyrean Anthem)
Outro
Possible Optimizations & No Ultimate Rotation
Without Ultimate available, an extra Basic 123 into Skill (Swap) before Outro may be necessary in order to get Zhezhi’s Outro properly. This is necessary in later rotations of Jinhsi + Zhezhi teams, but will not be seen in use in Carlotta teams.
Finally, Zhezhi’s only further optimizations than what we listed above can be to use her Ultimate as early as possible in Jinhsi teams (this means another Jump Cancel will need to be timed properly on the second Skill cast, otherwise Zhezhi will be sent flying up into the air and lose time, which makes it riskier). Her Basic 123 chain can be cast before Intro and Basic 3 can be Swap Cancelled to save more time as well (this allows Zhezhi to Intro and cast her Skill immediately afterwards, making the rotation more consistent and saving time overall).
Lastly, on Moonlit Clouds, her Echo may be cast before her rotation starts if you have that much headroom for Swap Cancels available (generally not realistic in Carlotta and Jinhsi team rotations beyond the Opener rotation, however).
Synergies
Zhezhisynergies are currently missing. We will add them as soon as possible!
Example Teams
Zhezhiteams are currently missing. We will add them as soon as possible!
Calculations
Damage Profile
Zhezhi damage profile
Damage Output
Don't use the damage output calculations as an indication on who is worth pulling or investing as those are just simulations and in day-to-day gameplay there's a lot variables and also the skill of the player is important - if you can't consistently perform the character's rotation, their damage will suffer.
As usual, don't compare the numbers between characters - especially between Main DPS and Hybrids as they fulfill different roles in the team.
Additional information
The numbers below show the character's DPS (Damage Per Second) and DMG (total damage done). When selecting the rotations we prioritized achieving 100 Concerto as fast as possible and once that condition was fulfilled, we focused on maximizing the damage output. As or if new and more optimal rotations are found, we'll update the characters calculations as needed. Listed character calculations are done without buffs or any damage contribution from teammates (full solo). They only include what the character, their Weapon, Echo and gear are capable of during their ideal Burst or Concerto rotation when starting with their Intro and Resonance Liberation available.
Do note that DPS and DMG aren’t perfect metrics for a character’s individual value and should be taken with a grain of salt. Anything pertaining a character’s relevance in the meta is addressed in our Review and Tier List, which the numbers below shouldn’t be used for as an end-all-be-all to. Instead, DPS and DMG are good metrics for a character’s sequence value and comparison between an individual character’s different rotations. We recommend using those metrics for such purposes.
Calculations information
The calculations were done using added buffs from the following teammates:
Important! In the Sequence calculations below we have assumed you'll be fightning enemies for at least 2 or more Zhezhi rotations and will be able to maintain and refresh her buffs that last for 27 - 30 seconds at a time without letting them expire. For shorter fights or if you're not confident keeping buffs active you can consider Sequence 1, 3 and 4 to be less valuable than is displayed as they'll have lower uptime for you than we assume.
Zhezhi in 1 Target scenario
Rotation time: 7.02s
Zhezhi (S6)
364 044 DMG (51 858 DPS)214.64%
Zhezhi (S5)
295 729 DMG (42 127 DPS)174.37%
Zhezhi (S4)
243 441 DMG (34 678 DPS)143.53%
Zhezhi (S3)
230 502 DMG (32 835 DPS)135.91%
Zhezhi (S2)
201 389 DMG (28 688 DPS)118.74%
Zhezhi (S1)
180 792 DMG (25 754 DPS)106.60%
Zhezhi (S0)
169 606 DMG (24 160 DPS)100.00%
Details about the calculations
And here are the Echoes and Weapons used in the calculations.
Stats at Level 90: ATK: 500 | ATK: 54%
2 Set: Energy Regen increases by 10%.
5 Set: Upon using Outro Skill, ATK of the next Resonator increases by 22.5% for 15s.
