Glint of Clouds Weapon Guide: Stats, Passive & Pull Verdict
Qingxiao's signature sword finally has public stats: 500 base ATK and 36.0% Crit Rate at level 90. The passive is the part to read twice, though. It only fires when someone applies Tune Strain - Shifting, and Qingxiao can't do that herself. Here's the full picture and whether it's worth 12,800 Astrite.
The stats are finally out
When Qingxiao launched on August 20, the fandom wiki had no Glint of Clouds page at all, so every launch-week guide, including ours, had to write "stats unpublished." The page went up this week with the full ascension table, and it settles the debate.
| Level | Base ATK | 2nd Stat (Crit. Rate) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 40 | 8.0% |
| 40 | 198 | 20.4% |
| 60 | 318 | 26.6% |
| 80 | 439 | 32.8% |
| 90 | 500 | 36.0% |
Read the numbers and one thing jumps out. 500 base ATK is the lowest of any 5★ sword, while 36.0% Crit Rate is the highest crit secondary on a sword, roughly double the next-highest. Every other 5★ sword sits at 547 ATK with 22.1% crit (or 44.3% crit DMG in Blazing Brilliance's case). Kuro built this weapon on the crit-stick profile: you give up 47 ATK and get a pile of crit rate back.
Evil's Scourge: the passive, and its price
The passive at R1, per the wiki's transcription:
"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: this Aero DMG Bonus effect's duration is extended to 30s, and Aero DMG ignores 10% of the target's DEF during this effect."
The ATK +12% is unconditional. Everything after it is not. Five stacks at 11.2% each comes to 56% Aero DMG Bonus, which locks in for 30 seconds once you hit the cap, plus 10% DEF ignore. At R5 the same lines read 24% ATK, 22.4% per stack (112% at full stacks) and 20% DEF ignore. That is the stat line the weapon's low base ATK pays for.
Notice the trigger condition: inflicting Tune Strain - Shifting. That is not something every team can do, and it is not something Qingxiao can do at all.
Why Qingxiao needs a teammate to turn it on
Tune Strain arrived in Version 3.0. Some Resonators apply Tune Strain - Shifting, a 25-second debuff that does nothing on its own. Tune Break such an enemy and it converts to Tune Strain - Interfered, which lasts 30 seconds. Resonators with the Tune Strain Response role deal extra damage to enemies in that state, scaled by their Tune Break Boost stat (0.12% per point, no cap, per the wiki).
Qingxiao is on the response side of that system. Her Mindlock stacks up to 15 times: each stack amplifies damage taken from her main skills by 2%, with an extra 5% per stack for the first 7, which adds up to 65% at full stacks by arithmetic. Stacks come from her team inflicting Tune Strain - Interfered.
Here is the catch the banner page will not tell you. Per the wiki's kit documentation, Qingxiao cannot apply Tune Strain - Shifting herself. The wiki lists exactly three Resonators who can: Denia, Luuk Herssen and Lynae. None of them uses a sword. Denia is a Fusion Rectifier, Luuk Herssen wields Spectro Gauntlets, Lynae carries Spectro Pistols.
So Glint of Clouds' damage passive only reaches full value when one of those three is on the team. Kuro appears to have planned the whole phase around this: Denia's rerun, False Promise for Tomorrow, runs the entire Phase 1 beside Qingxiao's banner, and the Glint of Clouds weapon banner sits right next to both. The intended team is the banner lineup.
One honest caveat: the wiki's weapon text does not say whether "inflicting Tune Strain - Shifting" counts the wielder's hits only or the whole team's. Either way the practical conclusion is identical: plan this sword around a Shifting applier on the team, and right now that means Denia. Pull Qingxiao's sword and run her without one, and the damage passive is dead on arrival.
How it compares to every other 5★ sword
| Weapon | Base ATK (Lv 90) | 2nd Stat (Lv 90) | Passive (R1) | Signature of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glint of Clouds | 500 | 36.0% Crit. Rate | ATK +12%; Aero DMG Bonus per Shifting infliction (5 stacks, DEF ignore at cap) | Qingxiao |
| Emerald of Genesis | 547 | 22.1% Crit. Rate | Energy Regen +12.8%; ATK buff on Skill casts (2 stacks) | Standard banner |
| Blazing Brilliance | 547 | 44.3% Crit. DMG | ATK +12%; Resonance Skill DMG stacks (up to 14) | Changli |
| Frostburn | 547 | 22.1% Crit. Rate | ATK +12%; Glacio DMG amplification on Glacio Chafe | Hiyuki |
| Red Spring | 547 | 22.1% Crit. Rate | ATK +12%; Basic Attack DMG stacks | Camellya |
| Everbright Polestar | 547 | 22.1% Crit. Rate | All-Attribute DMG +12%; Liberation DEF ignore | Aemeath |
What the table says in plain terms: for Qingxiao with a Shifting applier on the team, no other 5★ sword gives her this much Aero damage in one slot. For everyone else, Glint of Clouds is a crit-rate stick with a dead passive and 47 less ATK than the rest of the 5★ family.
The interesting comparison is Emerald of Genesis for Qingxiao herself. Emerald carries 47 more base ATK, 12.8% Energy Regen, and an ATK buff that refreshes on Skill casts. Her Liberation, Billows Beneath Heaven, costs 125 energy on a 25-second cooldown, so the ER is real value. If you are not running Denia, Luuk Herssen or Lynae, Emerald is arguably the better sword for her, and it is free from the standard banner.
Worth saying plainly: a signature weapon whose passive depends on a specific teammate is a build-around, not a straight upgrade. Budget for Denia if you budget for the sword.
Pull verdict
Qingxiao main, planning to run Denia: this is the intended combo, and the sword is the piece that makes it work. Budget 12,800 Astrite worst case (80 pulls at 160). The weapon banner has no 50/50: every 5★ you pull is Glint of Clouds, per the official notice.
Qingxiao main, no Shifting applier: hold. The passive stays off until one of the three appliers joins your roster. Emerald of Genesis does more for you today, and the sword will return on a future featured weapon banner. Pity carries over between featured weapon banners, so partial progress is not wasted.
Owner of other sword DPS (Changli, Camellya, Hiyuki, Aemeath, Cartethyia, Qiuyuan, Rover): skip. Their own signatures, or Emerald, beat a passive-less crit stick. 12,800 Astrite is a lot to pay for 13.9% crit rate over Emerald.
Whale note: R5 is 112% Aero DMG at full stacks with 20% DEF ignore and 24% ATK. Those are wiki numbers, and they are the only numbers that justify chasing duplicates of a sword whose base ATK is this low.
Materials
Maxing the sword costs 330,000 Shell Credit plus the standard Wing Polarizer and Mech Core stacks, per the wiki's ascension table. One detail worth knowing: the new Xuanyuan Domain material, Forged Empyrean's Sigh, is for Qingxiao's own ascension, not for the weapon. The sword levels on the same materials every other 5★ weapon uses.
FAQ
Yes. The official featured weapon convene notice pairs it with her, the wiki lists Qingxiao as its associated Resonator, and both released with Version 3.6 on August 20, 2026.
500 base ATK and 36.0% Crit Rate at level 90, per the wiki's ascension table. It starts at 40 ATK and 8.0% Crit Rate at level 1.
No. It triggers on inflicting Tune Strain - Shifting, and per the wiki's kit docs only Denia, Luuk Herssen and Lynae can apply that debuff. Qingxiao cannot. Without one of them on the team, only the flat ATK +12% works.
At most 80, which is 12,800 Astrite at 160 per pull. The weapon banner has no 50/50: every 5★ is the featured weapon, and pity carries over between featured weapon banners.
It runs from the 3.6 update (August 20) until September 10, 09:59 server time, with boosted 4★ weapons Commando of Conviction, Fusion Accretion and Lunar Cutter, per the official notice.
Sources
- Official: [Glint of Clouds] Featured Weapon Convene (Aug 19, 2026: banner dates, rules, featured 4★ weapons)
- Official: Convene Details (published rates: 0.8% base, 1.8% average, 80-pull hard pity)
- Official: Version 3.6 Featured Convene, Phase I (Denia rerun on False Promise for Tomorrow)
- Wuthering Waves wiki: Glint of Clouds (stats, passive, materials); Qingxiao and her skill pages (Strings to Steel, Billows Beneath Heaven, Formless Heart Sword); Tune Strain - Shifting / Interfered; Emerald of Genesis; Blazing Brilliance; Frostburn; Red Spring; Everbright Polestar
Related: Qingxiao kit guide · weapon banner guide · 3.6 banner schedule · pity explained · all guides