Qiuyuan is a 5-star Aero sword Resonator in Wuthering Waves who specializes as a sub-DPS and powerful Echo Skill buffer for teams that rely on skill-based damage in Wuthering Waves. Blind yet exceptionally perceptive through his Mindsight ability, he uses flowing sword techniques and precise Echo amplification to enhance both his own heavy attacks and the Echo Skills of his allies, making him a key piece in many high-end Echo-centric lineups. This guide covers his optimal weapons, Echo sets, stats, teams, and rotation so he can perform consistently in challenging content.

How Qiuyuan Works

Qiuyuan’s core mechanic is Swordster’s Soliloquy, a Forte resource that fills as he fights and allows him to enter the Inksplash of Mind state when full. In this state, his Heavy Attack is replaced with a sequence of enhanced strikes—Thus Spoke the Blade: To Teach, To Save, and To Sacrifice—which deal Aero damage, count as Heavy Attack damage, and form a major part of his personal output.

A key Inherent Skill, Quietude Within, activates when he enters this ink state, increasing the damage of his enhanced heavy attacks by 50% for 10 seconds and restoring extra Concerto Energy when the third hit connects, effectively acting as a powerful vulnerability debuff on enemies hit by that sequence. His Resonance Liberation not only delivers strong burst damage but also converts any Crit Rate above 50% into up to 30% team Crit Damage, turning surplus crit into a valuable offensive buff for the entire party. Because many of his skills—including his Resonance Skill Through the Groves—are treated as Echo Skill damage, he naturally synergizes with Echo-focused builds and benefits greatly from sets and weapons that increase heavy and Echo Skill damage.

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Best Weapons for Qiuyuan

Qiuyuan’s ideal weapons enhance heavy attacks, Echo Skill damage, and crit, while providing enough base attack to scale his skills properly. His signature sword Emerald Sentence is specifically designed around his kit, but several alternatives can still support solid performance depending on investment level.

Recommended weapons

  • Emerald Sentence (5-star, sword) Emerald Sentence offers high base attack, Crit substat, and an ATK buff, while its passive increases Heavy Attack damage by 40% after casting an Echo Skill and gives all teammates a 20% Echo Skill damage bonus when the wielder triggers an Outro Skill. This synergy lines up perfectly with Qiuyuan’s rotation, letting him cast his Echo Skill, unleash empowered heavies, then swap out and leave a strong Echo Skill buff for the rest of the team.
  • Emerald of Genesis and similar 5-star offensive swords General-purpose 5-star swords with strong offensive stats provide high baseline performance when Emerald Sentence is unavailable, offering ATK and crit that scale both his personal output and his Liberation-based team buff.
  • Offensive 4-star swords (e.g., Red Spring or similar ATK/crit swords) ATK- and crit-oriented 4-star swords highlighted in multiple external guides work as budget choices, maintaining solid damage in sub-DPS and support roles, especially at higher refinement. While they lack the Echo-specific effects of Emerald Sentence, they still allow Qiuyuan to function well in Echo teams through his kit alone.

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Best Echo Sets and Main Echo

Echo choices define whether Qiuyuan leans more toward team support or personal DPS. Sets that boost heavy attack and Echo Skill damage are particularly effective because they interact with both his enhanced heavy sequence and his Echo Skill buffs.

Echo sets

  • Law of Harmony (sub-DPS / support focus) Law of Harmony grants a stacking Echo Skill damage bonus to all Resonators in the team whenever certain conditions are met, up to a substantial total buff over 30 seconds. On Qiuyuan, this set not only strengthens his own Echo Skill-based attacks but also amplifies Echo Skill damage for partners, aligning perfectly with his role as an Echo enabler.
  • Moonlit Clouds (support and energy focus) Moonlit Clouds provides team-oriented benefits and helps with energy consistency, making it a good choice if the priority is frequent Resonance Liberations and stable buff uptime more than raw personal damage. This set works well in compositions where other characters handle most of the DPS while Qiuyuan focuses on buffs and utility.
  • Sierra Gale and Aero-damage sets (DPS focus) A full 5-piece Sierra Gale offers Aero damage buffs that are easy to trigger via his Intro Skill and Resonance Skill, improving all his damaging skills. Combined with Heavy Attack and Aero damage bonuses from Echoes like Nightmare: Feilian Beringal, Sierra Gale suits builds that treat Qiuyuan more as a main or co-main DPS.

Recommended Echo stats

Optimizing Echo stats ensures that Qiuyuan’s damage and buffs scale correctly.

  • Main stats
  • ATK% on most offensive Echo slots.
  • Aero damage bonus on the primary damage goblet slot.
  • Crit Rate or Crit Damage on the main crit slot, chosen to balance overall crit ratio.
  • Substats
  • Aim for at least 65% Crit Rate so that everything above 50% can be converted into team Crit Damage via his Liberation, up to 30%.
  • After that threshold, prioritize Crit Damage, Aero damage bonus, Heavy Attack damage where available, and ATK%.
  • Around 130% Energy Regeneration is recommended in many guides to keep Resonance Liberation uptime high, supporting both his burst and his team buff.

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Skill Leveling Priority

Skill leveling is important because Qiuyuan’s main sources of damage and support scale very differently.

  • Forte Circuit – first priority The Forte Circuit governs his Inksplash of Mind state and enhanced heavy attack chain, and these transformed attacks are a primary damage source, so this node should be upgraded first.
  • Resonance Liberation – second priority Resonance Liberation delivers strong burst damage and applies his critical damage buff to the team, making it the second most impactful upgrade for both personal and party performance.
  • Resonance Skill – third priority Through the Groves acts as a dash-like Resonance Skill that deals Aero damage counted as Echo Skill damage, can negate a hit when timed against enemy attacks, and grants interruption immunity, giving both damage and utility. Leveling it boosts this reliable extra damage source.
  • Normal Attack – fourth priority Normal Attack upgrades benefit his basic chain and Dodge Counter, which remain relevant in actual combat even though his enhanced heavy chain scales from the Forte Circuit rather than the base normal string.
  • Intro Skill – last priority The Intro skill adds damage when entering the field but contributes less to his overall role compared to the other skills, so it is usually left for last once the main abilities are sufficiently leveled.

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Team Compositions for Qiuyuan

Qiuyuan fits naturally into Echo Skill-focused teams and quick-swap lineups that cycle buffs and damage through multiple characters. His strengths include strong Echo Skill damage amplification, short on-field time, and rapid Concerto generation, while his main weakness at S0 is lower personal DPS compared to dedicated main carries.

Team role and partners

  • Qiuyuan – Echo Skill sub-DPS / buffer Provides Echo Skill damage buffs (via sets like Law of Harmony and his weapon), converts excess Crit Rate into team Crit Damage through Liberation, and contributes respectable heavy attack damage during his ink state windows.
  • Main DPS – Echo Skill-centric resonator Characters whose kits lean heavily on Echo Skills benefit the most from Qiuyuan’s support; many external recommendations highlight pairings with units like Galbrena or Phrolova, who can fully exploit Echo Skill bonuses and crit damage buffs.
  • Support / healer / shielder A sustain-oriented unit such as a healer, shielder, or defensive support stabilizes the team and can also provide extra buffs or crowd control, keeping enemies contained while Qiuyuan and the main DPS rotate in and out.

One commonly cited composition in external team guides features Galbrena as main DPS, Qiuyuan as sub-DPS Echo buffer, and Shorekeeper in the defensive slot, blending high Echo damage with survivability and reliable rotations.

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Basic Rotation Tips

Qiuyuan’s rotations are designed to be compact so he can frequently enter, apply buffs, and then leave the field for his teammates.

A practical rotation can be structured as follows:

  • Open with supports and the main DPS to apply personal buffs, debuffs on enemies, and early Echo Skills, starting team damage and building resources.
  • Swap into Qiuyuan using his Intro Skill, then use basic attacks to build Swordster’s Soliloquy to full and prepare for Inksplash of Mind.
  • Cast his Echo Skill and then Resonance Liberation to deal burst Aero damage, trigger his team Crit Damage buff, and activate effects from his weapon and Echo set if using Emerald Sentence and Law of Harmony.
  • During Inksplash of Mind and Quietude Within, perform the enhanced heavy attack chain (Teach → Save → Sacrifice) to take advantage of the 50% damage increase and Concerto Energy gain.
  • End his field time with Resonance Skill or an Outro Skill, then return to the main DPS while Echo Skill and Crit Damage buffs remain active to maximize follow-up damage from teammates.

Repeating this loop keeps his buffs up regularly and leverages his fast internal rotations and strong Concerto generation for fluid team play.

Qiuyuan is a versatile 5-star Aero sword Resonator who combines reliable sub-DPS performance with strong Echo Skill and Crit Damage support for Echo-centric teams in Wuthering Waves. With Emerald Sentence or another high-offense sword, a Law of Harmony or similar Echo setup, properly tuned Crit Rate, Crit Damage, Aero damage, and Energy Regeneration, and well-structured teams built around Echo Skills, he becomes a cornerstone enabler who enhances both personal and team damage across a wide range of content. For the best gaming experience, play Wuthering Waves on BlueStacks!