Wuthering Waves: How to Choose Your First 5★ – PvE Tier Guide

Why Your First 5★ (and This Tier List) Actually Matter in v3.2

In Wuthering Waves, the difference between a smooth early game and a constant resource grind usually comes down to two things: which characters you commit to, and how disciplined you are with upgrades. Version 3.2 raised the stakes even more by adding tougher Endstate Matrix cycles and Sigrika, a new high-ceiling DPS, so blindly leveling your favorites can lock you into a weaker account later.

This guide is built around how I plan my own account for PvE: story, farming, Tower of Adversity, and late-game challenges. I’ll walk through:

• How to interpret the current PvE tier list (v3.2 context)
• Why Rover is your real “first carry”, and how to use Havoc Rover
• Who to pick with your free 5★ selector (with concrete recommendations)
• Which S/SS-tier Resonators are worth heavy investment
• Which low-tier picks are fine early but bad long-term sinks

The goal is simple: you should know exactly who to level first, who to bench, and how to future-proof your account without needing a hundred different spreadsheets.

How I Use the PvE Tier List (and What S/SS Actually Mean)

Tier lists can be noisy, especially now that sources disagree a bit after each patch. But if you filter out the drama, most respected lists for v3.2 line up on a few key points:

• SS-tier: Top meta picks that crush PvE even without constellations / resonance chains. Names that come up again and again here include Aemeath, Augusta, Cartethyia, Galbrena, Lynae, Phrolova, Shorekeeper, and Mornye. These are “future-proof” investments.
• S-tier: Extremely strong and flexible units like Brant, Camellya, Cantarella, Carlotta, Changli, Chisa, Ciaccona, Iuno, Jinhsi, Lupa, Phoebe, Qiuyuan, Verina, Rover (Aero), and (in some lists) Luuk Herssen and Sigrika.
• A-tier and below: Usable, sometimes great in the right hands, but they either need more investment, specific setups, or simply fall off compared to the monsters above.

For PvE progression, I treat tiers as investment permission levels:

• SS-tier: Safe to over-invest – max fortes, signature weapons, best echoes.
• S-tier: Worth heavy investment – you’ll use them in endgame and future content.
• A-tier: Invest enough to clear current content, then stop when an S/SS upgrade appears.
• B/C-tier: Use as temporary tools only; avoid dumping rare materials.

With that in mind, let’s start with the one character every account has: Rover.

Your True Starter Carry: Rover First, Havoc Rover Later

Rover is quietly one of the best early-game gifts the game gives you. Across the variants (Aero, Spectro, Havoc), Rover consistently ranks around A-S tier depending on source, with Havoc Rover acting as a free late-game power spike once unlocked.

How I treat Rover on a fresh account:

• Early game (Aero Rover): This is your main DPS until you pull or pick a strong 5★ carry. Pump basic levels, a sensible echo set, and core fortes. Don’t feel guilty about this – Rover will carry a huge amount of your early content.
• Mid game (Havoc upgrade): Once you unlock Havoc Rover, you basically get a free “pseudo-limited” DPS. Even if you later move on to premium SS-tier carries like Cartethyia or Phrolova, a well-built Havoc Rover stays relevant in tough content and as a flex slot for certain boss patterns.

The key lesson: you don’t need to rush a gacha DPS on day one. Let Rover be your workhorse, save your premium resources, and use your free 5★ selection to shore up your team’s biggest weakness instead of chasing pure damage immediately.

Who to Pick With Your Free 5★ Selector (v3.2 PvE Focus)

The free 5★ selector is the decision most new players stress over, and for good reason – it shapes your account for months. Across community experience and tier lists, two names consistently float to the top for PvE: Verina and Jiyan.

Verina – The Safest, Most Universal First Pick

Verina is a 5★ healer/support who shows up as S or S+ tier in almost every serious PvE list. Some sources no longer call her SS because newer supports like Mornye and Shorekeeper have insane buffs, but that doesn’t change her core value: she makes every team more stable.

• Why Verina is so good as a first pick:
  • Reliable healing means you can play more aggressively in story and Tower of Adversity.
  • Her buffs are universal – they help any element and most damage types.
  • She fits into almost every future team, even when you pivot to SS-tier carries.

On my own account, picking Verina first removed almost all “oops I died to chip damage” moments in early and mid game. She also saved me relic/echo farming time because I didn’t need to over-invest in defensive stats on my DPS units.

Pick Verina if: you want a low-stress PvE experience and a support who will never feel wasted, even when you’re fielding meta SS-tier teams later.

Jiyan – High-Ceiling Main DPS for Aggressive Players

Jiyan is widely rated in S or S+ tier as a pure main DPS. He hits hard, scales well with investment, and absolutely shreds core PvE content when properly supported.

• Strengths:
  • Excellent scaling into endgame with good echoes and weapon.
  • Clear role: he’s your on-field carry, simple to understand in team building.
  • Pairs well with strong buffers/shields or healers you’ll likely pick up later.
• Weaknesses early on:
  • More fragile runs until you secure stable healing/shields.
  • Needs decent gear to feel “broken”, whereas Rover feels good on less.

Pick Jiyan if: you enjoy playing around one big damage dealer and you’re comfortable piloting without a premium healer at first. He’s a strong answer to “I want a main DPS that will be good for a long time.”

Other Solid S-Tier Picks You Won’t Regret

If you somehow already have Verina and Jiyan from pulls, or you’re aiming for something different, other common S-tier picks that are safe to invest in include:

• Changli / Camellya / Cantarella / Carlotta / Jinhsi / Lupa / Phoebe / Qiuyuan: strong DPS or sub-DPS options that show up in many top-end clears.
• Brant / Ciaccona / Iuno / Lynae: powerful sub-DPS and utility units that excel in higher Tower of Adversity floors.

None of these are as “universal first-slot” as Verina, but if you already own a good healer and want to lean into damage, they’re very reasonable long-term investments for PvE.

• Changli / Camellya / Cantarella / Carlotta / Jinhsi / Lupa / Phoebe / Qiuyuan: strong DPS or sub-DPS options that show up in many top-end clears.
• Brant / Ciaccona / Iuno / Lynae: powerful sub-DPS and utility units that excel in higher Tower of Adversity floors.

None of these are as “universal first-slot” as Verina, but if you already own a good healer and want to lean into damage, they’re very reasonable long-term investments for PvE.

Who to Avoid as Your Free 5★ (Even If You Like Them)

This is the painful part. Some characters are fun and perfectly fine early, but most sources agree they do not scale well into the hardest PvE content.

• Resonators often flagged as C-tier or low-priority include: Aalto, Lingyang, Yangyang, Yuanwu, Chixia.
• They can definitely clear story and events, but they’re not where you want to sink your rare upgrade materials.

My rule is simple: if a character regularly appears in C or low B tiers across multiple lists, I treat them as a side project or “fun pick” – never as my main account cornerstone or free 5★ selection.

Long-Term Resource Priorities by Role (PvE)

Once you’ve chosen your free 5★ and committed to Rover as your early carry, the next step is planning where your big resources go: fortes, weapon upgrades, and high-quality echoes.

For PvE, I use this priority order:

• 1. Main DPS – Your biggest damage dealer, on-field most of the time.
  • Top options to target and invest in long-term include Cartethyia, Phrolova, Aemeath, Augusta, Galbrena, Sigrika (often SS or S-tier) plus strong S-tier like Jiyan.
  • These are the units you don’t feel bad giving your best weapons and 5★ echoes.
• 2. Sub-DPS / Off-field Damage – Characters who hit hard from off-field or in short windows.
  • Common standouts: Brant, Ciaccona, Lynae, Iuno, Qiuyuan.
  • They help you meet DPS checks in Tower and Endstate Matrix by stacking damage windows.
• 3. Supports / Healers / Utility – Buffs, healing, shields, and control.
  • Premium picks: Shorekeeper, Mornye, Verina, plus others like Camellya depending on team.
  • These don’t always show the biggest numbers, but they let your DPS actually survive and ramp.

When I’m about to spend a chunk of rare materials, I literally ask: “Is this character at least S-tier in their role?” If not, I pause and wait for a better pull – especially now that v3.2 and future banners keep adding new SS-caliber units.

Early-Team Templates That Actually Feel Good to Play

To make this practical, here are a few PvE team skeletons that line up well with tier-list data and feel good in real play. You can swap pieces based on your luck.

Safe Starter Core (Low-Stress PvE)

• Main DPS: Rover (Aero → Havoc later)
• Support / Healer: Verina (free 5★)
• Flex Slot: Any decent sub-DPS or buffer you pull (Brant, Ciaccona, Lynae, Qiuyuan, etc.)

This setup carried me through story and early Tower almost on autopilot. Rover does the damage, Verina keeps you upright, and the flex slot adds extra damage or utility as your luck allows.

Aggressive DPS-Focused Core

• Main DPS: Jiyan or another S-tier carry (Changli, Jinhsi, etc.)
• Sub-DPS: Brant / Ciaccona / Lynae / Iuno if available
• Flex Support: A healer (Verina if you have her) or defensive support

This is for players who enjoy optimizing rotations. You’ll melt bosses faster, but you’ll feel defensive gaps more if you don’t have Verina or another strong sustain option yet.

Future SS-Tier Aspirations

If you’re planning ahead for banners and saving pulls, the “dream” PvE cores many players chase in v3.2 and beyond often look like:

• Main DPS: Cartethyia / Phrolova / Aemeath / Augusta / Sigrika
• Sub-DPS: Brant / Ciaccona / Lynae / Iuno / Qiuyuan
• Support: Shorekeeper / Mornye / Verina

Don’t feel pressured to complete these immediately. Use Rover and your free 5★ to bridge the gap, then slowly move into these setups as gacha luck and banners allow.

Watching the Meta: Sigrika, New SS Units, and Not Overcommitting

Patch 3.2 is a reminder that the meta is not frozen. Sigrika arrived with strong echo-damage synergies, new Endstate Matrix cycles raised difficulty, and different sites shuffled rankings slightly. Some key shifts over recent patches:

• Aemeath jumping into SS-tier around early 2026.
• Mornye pushing earlier top-tier supports like Verina slightly down on some lists, without making Verina actually “bad”.
• Lynae and others rising into SS/S as players explored off-field and support value.
• Luuk Herssen moving into S-tier on some outlets in 3.0.

What I’ve learned from watching these shifts is simple: if you’re about to invest heavily in a niche or lower-tier character, pause and look at:

• Recent v3.2 tier lists from multiple sources (not just one).
• Top Tower of Adversity teams – what characters keep showing up?
• Whether your target pick is at least broadly S-tier in several lists.

This doesn’t mean you must chase every new shiny. It just keeps you from sinking weeks of farming into a character that almost never appears in endgame clears.

Quick Decision Checklist – Who to Level, Who to Bench

Here’s the condensed version I actually use when planning my own account:

• Step 1 – Lock in Rover: Treat Rover (Aero → Havoc) as your first main DPS. Level them freely early on.
• Step 2 – Choose your free 5★:
  • Pick Verina if you want stability and universal value.
  • Pick Jiyan if you want a long-term main DPS and can live without premium healing at first.
  • Only consider others if you already own one or both from pulls.
• Step 3 – Sort your roster by tier and role:
  • Flag any SS-tier units you own (Aemeath, Augusta, Cartethyia, Galbrena, Lynae, Phrolova, Shorekeeper, Mornye, etc.). These are priority projects.
  • Identify solid S-tier mains, subs, and supports (Brant, Ciaccona, Iuno, Qiuyuan, Verina, Jiyan, etc.) as your second line of investment.
• Step 4 – Cap your investment in low tiers:
  • Characters that sit in C-tier like Aalto, Lingyang, Yangyang, Yuanwu, Chixia should be leveled just enough for early utility, then parked.
• Step 5 – Align resources with role priority:
  • Best weapons/echoes → your main DPS.
  • Next-best → your sub-DPS.
  • Then → your support/healer core (Verina, Mornye, Shorekeeper, etc.).