Wuthering Waves Qingxiao Build Guide: Echo Sets, Weapons & Teams
The 5-star Aero Sword carry of 3.6 has no official Resonator Review yet, so this build comes from the wiki's kit pages: Sierra Gale echoes, main stats, swords from Glint of Clouds to free picks, and Tune Strain teams. Her banner ends September 10.
Where this guide comes from, and what changed
Qingxiao runs on Wind of Transcendence until September 10, 09:59 server time (UTC+8), with Denia's rerun, False Promise for Tomorrow, beside her. Phase 2 starts September 10, 10:00 with Jingran, Hiyuki and Mornye (full schedule in the 3.6 banner schedule).
A dedicated build guide is worth it now because Kuro still has not published a Resonator Review for Qingxiao, and because the wiki's kit documentation has moved since launch week. Our kit guide (August 21) and the Glint of Clouds guide (August 26) said Qingxiao cannot apply Tune Strain - Shifting herself, citing the wiki's applier list, which then named only Denia, Luuk Herssen and Lynae. That list has since been corrected to include Qingxiao, and her kit page documents how. It changes her build math; details in the weapons section.
TL;DR build
| Slot | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Echo set | Sierra Gale (5-piece) | +30% Aero DMG for 15s after Intro; the alternative set needs Aero Erosion she never applies |
| 4-cost echo | Nightmare: Feilian Beringal | Unconditional +12% Aero / +12% Heavy Attack DMG in the main slot |
| 3-cost echoes | Aero DMG Bonus ×2 | Any Sierra Gale Elite: Cyan-Feathered Heron, Hoochief or Carapace |
| 1-cost echoes | ATK% ×2 | Any Sierra Gale Common |
| Weapon | Glint of Clouds (R1) | 56% Aero DMG + 10% DEF ignore at full stacks; now self-triggerable |
| Free weapon | Emerald of Genesis | Energy Regen matters on her 125-cost Liberation |
| Team | Qingxiao + Denia + healer | Shifting applier; her banner closes September 10 too |
Echo set: Sierra Gale, with reasoning
Sierra Gale's 2-piece grants 10% Aero DMG Bonus; its 5-piece grants 30% Aero DMG for 15s after releasing her Intro Skill (Tonality Shift). Windward Pilgrimage is the other Aero damage set, but its payoff depends on Aero Erosion, a debuff her kit never inflicts, so Sierra Gale is the only Aero set that works with no external help.
Main-stat guidance below is standard practice for an ATK-scaling carry, not a published Kuro recommendation:
| Slot | Cost | Main stat | In-game source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4-cost | 4 | Crit. Rate or Crit. DMG | Nightmare: Feilian Beringal, Feilian Beringal |
| 3-cost ×2 | 3 | Aero DMG Bonus | Cyan-Feathered Heron, Hoochief or Carapace |
| 1-cost ×2 | 1 | ATK% | Any Sierra Gale Common (Sabyr Boar, Aero Predator, Hooscamp and friends) |
Substats: Crit. Rate and Crit. DMG first, then ATK%. Energy Regen helps her 125-cost Liberation (Billows Beneath Heaven) line up with its 25s cooldown, but treat it as a bonus roll; Emerald of Genesis covers it.
The two Overlord echoes: Feilian vs Nightmare: Feilian
Both cost-4 options sit in Sierra Gale and both carry 12% Aero + 12% Heavy Attack DMG; the difference is delivery. Regular Feilian Beringal (Version 1.0, Huanglong) transforms you into the ape for a kick and follow-up strike (231.84% + 283.36% Aero at rank 5, per the wiki), and only after the follow-up lands do you get the 12%/12% buff, for 15s on a 20s echo cooldown. Nightmare: Feilian Beringal (Version 2.0, Rinascita's Hallowed Reach) grants the 12%/12% passively while equipped in the main slot, with the summon (164.16% plus five Whirlwind Dream hits) as extra damage.
Qingxiao's damage is heavy-attack weighted (Stringblade heavies, Heaven's Reckoning), so the Heavy Attack bonus is the one that matters, and the Nightmare's unconditional uptime makes it the safer default. An already-leveled regular Feilian is not worth replacing; the gap is uptime, not power.
Weapons: Glint of Clouds, and a correction
Glint of Clouds is her signature: 500 base ATK and 36.0% Crit. Rate at level 90, the lowest ATK and highest crit secondary of any 5★ sword. Its R1 passive: ATK +12%, and inflicting Tune Strain - Shifting grants 11.2% Aero DMG Bonus for 2s, stacking to 5 (56% total), extending to 30s with 10% DEF ignore at full stacks.
Our earlier weapon guide called this passive dead without Denia, because Qingxiao was believed unable to apply Shifting herself. The current wiki contradicts that. Her Draw and Sunder node reads: "Qingxiao inflicts Tune Strain - Shifting on the target after dealing damage with skills. Each skill can only trigger this once for the same target." The applier list now includes her. She can light up her own sword, though the once-per-skill-per-target wording means it takes several different skills to reach five stacks; her standard rotation provides them. Teammates who also apply Shifting stack it faster and feed her Mindlock conversions.
| Weapon | Base ATK / 2nd stat (Lv 90) | Passive at R1 (per wiki) | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glint of Clouds | 500 / 36.0% Crit. Rate | ATK +12%; Aero DMG stacks on Shifting infliction (5 max, DEF ignore at cap) | BiS and now self-triggering; weapon banner has no 50/50, worst case 12,800 Astrite |
| Emerald of Genesis | 547 / 22.1% Crit. Rate | Energy Regen +12.8%; ATK buff on Skill casts | The free pick; its ER covers her Liberation cost |
| Blazing Brilliance | 547 / 44.3% Crit. DMG | ATK +12%; Resonance Skill DMG stacks | Stat stick only; the passive is Changli's, not hers |
| Commando of Conviction / Lunar Cutter | 4★ swords | ATK secondary; ATK buffs on Intro / field entry | Best 4★ options; both were featured on her banner |
Weapon-banner mechanics (no 50/50, pity carries across featured weapon events) are in the weapon banner guide. Honest caveat: no rotation sims exist for Qingxiao, so how many of the sword's five stacks she reaches solo is not measured anywhere we can cite; what is documented is that she applies Shifting at all.
Teams
Qingxiao's wiki role labels are Main Damage Dealer and Tune Strain Response; she is one of five Resonators with the second tag (Denia, Luuk Herssen, Lynae, Mornye, Qingxiao). Mindlock, her damage amplifier, stacks to 15: each stack amplifies damage taken from her main skills by 2%, with an extra 5% per stack for the first seven (65% at 15 by arithmetic, doubled by her Inherent Skill, To Know, To Banish). Stacks come from her enhanced Heavy Attack under Heaven's Clarity plus Tune Strain conversions, so applier teammates raise her ceiling.
| Team | Lineup | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Tune Strain core | Qingxiao + Denia + healer | Denia (5★ Fusion Rectifier) applies Shifting; her rerun ends with Qingxiao's on September 10. Healer: Verina, Shorekeeper or Baizhi |
| All-Response trio | Qingxiao + Denia + Mornye | Mornye (5★ Fusion Broadblade support/healer) buffs whoever is on field with a flat 25% All-DMG Outro and raises the Interfered stack limit by 1 while on the team |
| No Denia | Qingxiao + Luuk Herssen or Lynae + healer | The other two Shifting appliers: Luuk is a 5★ Spectro Gauntlets DPS, Lynae a Spectro Pistols user |
| Budget starter | Qingxiao + Sanhua + Baizhi | Sanhua is the cheap flex, Baizhi the standard free healer; both were featured 4★s on Wind of Transcendence |
Rotation in words: build Qin Heart (Sheathed Stance hits) and Sword Cadence (Drawn Stance hits) to 100 each, hold Normal Attack to enter Ephemeral Transcendence, fill Heart Sword Intent, cash out with Heaven's Reckoning. Liberation refills the loop through Heaven's Clarity, which doubles stance-meter gain and makes the next Stringblade heavy inflict 3 Mindlock stacks. Her Outro (Lingering Song) deals 800% of her ATK as Aero DMG, a natural handoff into Denia.
Sequences (Resonance Chain)
The full chain is on the wiki now (missing at launch). No sims exist, so read these as descriptions; two nodes change her damage profile outright.
| Node | Effect (per wiki) | Read |
|---|---|---|
| S1 — Like Clouds That Meet and Drift Apart | Crit. Rate +16%; Swordlight Ward cap 1→2, Heavy Attack - Stringblade grants an extra ward | Comfort: more wards and a flat crit boost |
| S2 — Like Petals That Fall Without a Sound | Heavy Attack - Stringblade multiplier +40%; Mindlock cap on nearby enemies 15→25; enhanced Stringblade inflicts 6 Mindlock stacks (was 3) | The engine node: doubles her direct stacking |
| S3 — Dreams Fade, Sword Abides | Liberation Crit. DMG +100%; World in Chorus stacks (up to 3% multiplier each) for the enhanced Heaven's Reckoning; Gathered Mind inflicts 2 Interfered stacks | The burst node and biggest single damage line |
| S4 — Wherever the Road Leads, Side by Side | Team Resonators gain ATK +20% for 8s after inflicting Shifting | Team utility for Tune Strain comps |
| S5 — Cold Steel That Longs to Warm the Snow | Severing Note: Judgement multiplier +100%; Sword Flight costs 30% less Flight Qi | QoL plus a skill boost |
| S6 — Cleanse This Tarnished Age, Till All Runs Clear | Targets take 40% more DMG from her Stringblade heavies, Heaven's Reckoning, Liberation and Juque Perdition | The ceiling; whale territory |
FAQ
No, per the current wiki: her Draw and Sunder node has her inflicting Shifting herself, so Mindlock and the sword passive are no longer locked behind an applier teammate. Denia still earns her slot as an extra Shifting source, and her rerun ends with Qingxiao's on September 10.
That was our earlier position, based on the wiki's old three-name applier list. The list now includes Qingxiao, so the passive can self-trigger. Ramp is slower solo (once per skill per target), and Emerald of Genesis remains the sensible free option.
Sierra Gale. Windward Pilgrimage's payoff runs on Aero Erosion, and nothing in her kit applies it. Sierra Gale's Intro-triggered 30% Aero DMG lines up with her natural rotation.
Both are Sierra Gale cost-4s with the same 12% Aero + 12% Heavy Attack bonus. The regular grants it for 15s after its follow-up lands; the Nightmare grants it unconditionally in the main slot. Nightmare is the safer default; a leveled regular is not worth replacing.
S2 and S3 change her damage: S2 doubles her direct Mindlock stacking and raises the cap, S3 adds 100% Liberation Crit. DMG. S1 is comfort, S6 the whale ceiling. No official review or sims exist, so read that as node text, not a meta verdict.
Sources
- Official Wuthering Waves Update Content | Version 3.6 (Aug 18, 2026 — phase split: Phase 1 Aug 20 → Sep 10 09:59, Phase 2 Sep 10 10:00 → Sep 29 11:59 server time)
- Wuthering Waves wiki (fetched Sep 3, 2026): Qingxiao, Qingxiao/Combat, Draw and Sunder, Lingering Song, Tonality Shift, To Know, To Banish, Sea of Thought, World of Dust, Tune Strain - Shifting, Sierra Gale, Feilian Beringal/Echo, Nightmare: Feilian Beringal/Echo, Glint of Clouds, Denia, Mornye, Baizhi, Verina
Related: Qingxiao kit guide · Glint of Clouds weapon guide · Denia build guide · Mornye build guide · how the 50/50 works · all guides