Wuthering Waves Version 3.6 arrives on August 20, bringing Qingxiao—a new Aero Sword DPS built around Tune Strain and stylish aerial combat. If you’re planning to pull for our sword-riding master, this Qingxiao build guide covers everything you need to get her ready, including her best weapons, Echoes, stats, skill priority, Resonance Chains, and team comps.
Qingxiao Overview
Qingxiao is an Aero main DPS built around Tune Strain. She can apply Tune Strain - Shifting and respond to Tune Strain - Interfered, turning those interactions into powerful personal damage. She is also one of the game’s standout aerial fighters: Sword Flight lets her zip through the air with excellent mobility.
Rarity: 5-star | Attribute: Aero | Weapon: Sword
Before entering Ephemeral Transcendence, her actions revolve around Drawn Stance or Sheathed Stance to build Sword Cadence or Qin Heart. Once both gauges are full, Heavy Attack - Stringblade becomes available. Casting it consumes both resources and sends Qingxiao into Ephemeral Transcendence. In practice, weave her Basic Attacks and Skill into the team rotation until both gauges are ready, then cash them in for her enhanced combo.
Her core loop is refreshingly straightforward: enter through Intro Skill, weave Basic Attacks and Resonance Skill to fill Qin Heart and Sword Cadence, then use Heavy Attack - Stringblade to enter Ephemeral Transcendence. From there, chain her enhanced attacks to build Heart Sword Intent and finish with Heavy Attack - Heaven’s Reckoning: Ephemeral Transcendence. Her Resonance Liberation is a major burst button and refreshes Heaven’s Clarity. Intro Skill and Stringblade can also grant Swordlight Ward, giving her useful interruption protection and damage reduction. The result is a flashy aerial DPS with a pretty forgiving feel.
Qingxiao Skill Kit
Normal Attack: Strings to Steel
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Basic Attack - Stringblade Press repeatedly or hold Normal Attack to perform up to 4 consecutive attacks, dealing Aero DMG. Basic Attack - Stringblade Stage 1 and Basic Attack - Stringblade Stage 4 are in Sheathed Stance. Basic Attack - Stringblade Stage 2 and Basic Attack - Stringblade Stage 3 are in Drawn Stance. |
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Heavy Attack - Stringblade When Qin Heart and Sword Cadence are full, Heavy Attack - Stringblade becomes available. Hold Normal Attack to consume STA and cast this skill, dealing Aero DMG. Casting this skill consumes all Qin Heart and Sword Cadence and sends Qingxiao into the Ephemeral Transcendence state. |
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Mid-air Attack - Stringblade Press Normal Attack consecutively or hold it down to perform up to 3 consecutive attacks, dealing Aero DMG. This skill is in Drawn Stance. After landing from Mid-air Attack - Stringblade Stage 3, press or hold Normal Attack within a certain time to cast Basic Attack - Stringblade Stage 3. While in mid-air, Resonance Skill is replaced by Mid-air Attack - Stringblade Stage 3. |
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Plunging Attack While in the Sword Flight state, Jump is replaced by Plunging Attack. Consume STA to perform a Plunging Attack, dealing Aero DMG. While out of the Ephemeral Transcendence state, press Normal Attack within a certain time after casting this skill to cast Basic Attack - Stringblade Stage 3. |
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Dodge Counter - Stringblade Press Normal Attack within a certain time after a successful Dodge to attack the target, dealing Aero DMG. This skill is in Drawn Stance. Press or hold Normal Attack within a certain time after casting this skill to cast Basic Attack - Stringblade Stage 4. |
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Sword Glide While in mid-air, Dodge is replaced by Sword Glide. |
Resonance Skill: Severing Note
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Severing Note: Judgement Deal Aero DMG. During this skill, gain 45 points of Qin Heart. While not in the Ephemeral Transcendence state, press or hold Normal Attack within a certain time after casting this skill to cast Basic Attack - Stringblade Stage 4. |
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Severing Note: Ascendant While casting Basic Attack - Stringblade Stage 2, Basic Attack - Stringblade Stage 3, or Dodge Counter - Stringblade, Resonance Skill is replaced by Severing Note: Ascendant. Deal Aero DMG. This skill is in Drawn Stance. |
Resonance Liberation: Billows Beneath Heaven
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Deal Aero DMG. Can be cast in mid-air close to the ground. |
Skill Upgrade Priority
Forte Circuit > Resonance Liberation > Basic Attack > Resonance Skill > Intro Skill
Forte Circuit comes first because it carries the largest share of Qingxiao’s total damage and rewards every full rotation. Resonance Liberation follows as her second-largest damage source, giving each cycle a major burst payoff. Basic Attack ranks third because her standard attack chain still contributes meaningful damage and supports smooth field time. Resonance Skill adds little personal damage, while Intro Skill has the smallest scaling contribution, so both can wait.
Qingxiao Materials
For a more detailed breakdown, check out the Qingxiao Materials Guide here →
Best Weapons
Signature Weapon: Glint of Clouds
ATK 500 | Crit. Rate 36%
Evil's Scourge
ATK is increased by 12%. Inflicting Tune Strain - Shifting grants 11.2% Aero DMG Bonus for 2s, stacking up to 5 times. This effect can be triggered once every 0.5s. Upon reaching the max stack limit, gain the following effects:
- This Aero DMG Bonus effect's duration is extended to 30s.
- Aero DMG ignores 10% of the target's DEF during this effect.
Qingxiao’s signature weapon is highly compatible with her because it is designed around her role as a high-output DPS who relies on maintaining her personal damage window. Instead of only increasing raw damage, the weapon’s stats and passive effects align with her rotation by helping her build resources more efficiently and improving the value of her core attacks. Since Qingxiao’s performance depends on consistent combos and maximizing enhanced states, the weapon complements her natural playstyle rather than forcing any changes to her rotation.
Enhancement Materials
Alternative Weapons
Echo Build
Qingxiao's dedicated Sonata set is Heart of Evil's Purge, with Calamity Effigy arriving as its matching 4-Cost main Echo in Version 3.6. The usual 43311 layout works perfectly. Because Qingxiao already gets plenty of Aero DMG Bonus from her kit and gear, one ATK% 3-Cost plus one Aero DMG 3-Cost is a comfortable balance. Stack Crit first, get enough Energy Regen to keep the rotation smooth, then lean into ATK%. Her damage is spread across several sources, so Heavy Attack DMG Bonus is more of a final min-max stat than the first thing to chase.
Resonance Chains
Resonance Chain Quick Take
S1 — Like Clouds That Meet and Drift Apart: +16% Crit. Rate, a higher Swordlight Ward cap, and more comfortable interruption resistance. A nice quality-of-life node.
S2 — Like Petals That Fall Without a Sound: A major upgrade to Heavy Attack - Stringblade and Qingxiao’s Mindlock / World in Chorus payoff. This is one of her key damage breakpoints.
S3 — Dreams Fade, Sword Abides: Greatly boosts her Resonance Liberation Crit. DMG and improves her Mindlock / Tune Strain engine, raising both burst and setup ceiling.
S4 — Wherever the Road Leads, Side by Side: Adds a team-friendly ATK buff when Tune Strain - Shifting is applied. More supportive than selfish.
S5 — Cold Steel That Longs to Warm the Snow: Powers up Severing Note: Judgement and reduces Sword Flight's Flight Qi consumption, giving her longer, smoother aerial uptime.
S6 — Cleanse This Tarnished Age, Till All Runs Clear: The full Sword Immortal package—large amplification for her key attacks, a stronger Tune Strain - Interfered response, and extra damage through Exorcising Seal / Juque Perdition.
Recommended pull order: 0+1 (Qingxiao + signature) →2+1 (key breakpoint) →3+1 (high-value damage breakpoint; Qingxiao / Denia / Mornye is extremely competitive at this level) →6+1 (fully unleashed Sword Immortal)
Team Recommendations
Luuk's Tune Strain teams already showed the pattern: the more teammates who can meaningfully interact with Tune Strain—and the better invested they are—the more the whole team's damage climbs. Qingxiao follows the same logic.
Premium Tune Strain Team
Qingxiao / Denia / Mornye is currently the cleanest premium answer. Denia and Mornye speed up the Tune Strain / Tune Break engine while layering strong buffs, and Denia’s broad buff coverage lines up especially well with Qingxiao’s mixed damage profile.
Alternative Tune Strain Team
Qingxiao / Lynae / Mornye is a very comfortable alternative. Lynae brings strong support and a stable rotation, but her buffs lean more heavily toward Resonance Liberation DMG. Qingxiao’s Liberation hits hard, yet her total damage is not concentrated there, so Denia tends to fit her more completely.
Aero Team
Ciaccona is a strong Aero-focused partner who can amplify Qingxiao’s pressure and keeps the team’s elemental synergy clean; Aalto is the lower-cost substitute. Shorekeeper adds excellent universal support, while Mornye can slot in when you want more Tune Strain synergy and team buffs.
Conclusion
Qingxiao brings plenty to love in Version 3.6: flashy sword-riding combat, strong Tune Strain synergy, and some seriously gorgeous animations. Whether you’re stopping at 0+1 or pushing for her stronger Resonance Chains, building her around the right Echoes and teammates will let her shine from day one.
Ready to bring Master Qingxiao home? You can grab the Lunites you need with a Wuthering Waves top-up at LDShop, then head into her banner fully prepared. Good luck, Rovers—may Qingxiao come home early and save your Astrites for whoever is next! ✨
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Savannah Reed Experienced Game Editor
I'm a game guide writer with over 20 years of experience playing all types of games, especially anime-style RPGs, gacha and sports games. I love finding smart ways to beat tough levels without spending too much money. By studying game mechanics and character systems, I create easy tips to help players save time and resources. When I'm not gaming, I watch anime to get inspiration for strategies. My goal? To help you enjoy games more and stress less – even when facing "impossible" bosses! Let’s make gaming fun and affordable together!
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