WuWa. Zhezhi Wuthering Waves Guide Character Build. Glacio Sub DPS. Skill Priority.
Zhezhi is a 5-star character that wields a 
Rectifier and uses 
Glacio as her elemental damage. She is a 
Sub DPS with off-field damage or a 
DPS with a paint brush to teleport around the battlefield.
Pros – Very safe character because of how much movement is in her kit naturally to avoid danger. Doesn’t need to be on-field to deal damage.
Cons – Deals great damage over time, but has almost no burst capabilities. Takes time for her damage to become relevant. Hard to Parry with.
Team Compositions – Zhezhi provides coordinated attacks and can buff other characters who deal Glacio or Resonance damage. Her inherent skill also adds Resonance Energy to the next character after her Outro. Her rotation is decently fast, allowing her to work as a Sub DPS for several different DPS characters.
Skills and Playstyle
Basic Attack – Zhezhi has a ranged Basic Attack chain of 3 attacks which fill the Forte very quickly. Two full attack chains or six Basic Attacks should be enough to entirely fill her Forte.
Resonance Skill (E) – Quickly damages enemies in a line. This has a short cooldown and does not do much damage, but it is how you interact with Zhezhi’s Forte mechanic.
Forte – There are a total of three bars of Forte. If Zhezhi has two bars of Forte, using the Resonance Skill will create two Phantasmic Imprints shown as Cranes. Also use a Basic Attack right after the Forte Resonance Skill to create a third Imprint with your final bar of Forte.
After creating these Imprints, you can then active your Resonance Skill to travel to them. After traveling to these Imprints Zhezhi will automatically perform an attack that deals Basic Attack damage. This also counts as the first in the Basic Attack chain, meaning you can do two Basic Attacks after using the Resonance Skill to an Imprint to get a full attack chain.
The Forte Resonance can be cast mid-air or by holding down the Resonance Skill to create the Imprints in the air and allow you to fly around using the follow up Resonance Skill.
Choose which Imprint you will travel to by aiming your camera to center on the one you want to travel to.
Heavy Attack – Performing a Heavy Attack will not interrupt the Basic Attack chain, allowing you to continue the chain later. While the Heavy Attack is not a high priority, it can situationally allow you to use one bar of your Forte resource to create one Imprint or Crane. This means you have more flexibility in your rotation of when you can use the Resonance Skill.
The following five methods allow you to cast Conjuration to create an Imprint with one bar of Forte:
- After using the Third Basic Attack in the chain > Heavy Attack
- After successfully dodging > Heavy Attack
- After using the Resonance Skill with Full Forte > Basic Attack
- After using the Resonance Skill with only one bar of Forte > Heavy Attack
- While in the air > Heavy Attack
Not all of these methods are necessary as the main rotation will often use all Forte bars at once with the Resonance Skill, but knowing them can allow you to adapt to interrupted rotations.
Resonance Liberation – Spirits will attack enemies when dealing damage, considered as Zhezhi’s Basic Attack Damage. This effect lasts for 30 seconds and can trigger once per second, with a maximum of 21 activations. It will also last through character swaps to create Coordinated Attacks.
Rotation
- Intro > Basic Attacks until full Forte
- E > Basic > E > 2 Basic > E > 2 Basic > E > 2 Basic
- R > Q > Outro
If you don’t plan to swap out, repeat the following sequence as it should generate enough Forte to go full circle.
- E > Basic > E > 2 Basic > E > 2 Basic > E > 2 Basic
Intro – Deals damage and grants some Forte to Zhezhi
Outro – The next character gains 20% more Glacio damage and 25% more Resonance damage for 14 seconds or until they are swapped out.
Zhezhi Build Guide Progression
Ascension Materials
- Sound-Keeping Tacet Core – Defeat Lampylumen Myriad in Tiger’s Maw – Costs Waveplates
- Lanternberry – Pick these flowers around the Tiger’s Maw Mine or buy at the Shifang Pharmacy
- Howler Core – Looted from beasts or animal-like enemies
Weapons
- Rime-Draped Sprouts (Convene 5-star) – Crit Damage – Increases ATK by 12%. Increases Basic Attack Damage by 12% when using Resonance Skill, for 6 seconds stacking up to 3 times. While at 3 stacks, using an Outro consumes all stacks and grants 52% Basic Attack damage for 27 seconds even while off-field.
- Stringmaster (Convene 5-star) – Crit Rate – Increases the damage of all Resonance by 12%. When Resonance Skill hits a target, increase ATK by 12%, stacking twice, and another 12% additional ATK when not on the field.
- Cosmic Ripples (Convene 5-star) – ATK – Increases Energy Regen by 13%. When hitting with Basic Attacks, increase Basic Attack damage by 3.2% for 8 seconds, stacking up to five times.
- Augment (Podcast 4-star) – Crit Rate – Increases ATK by 15% for 15 seconds after Resonance Liberation is cast.
Echo Skill 1 (Q) – Moonlit Clouds – Impermanence Heron – Buffs your next character for 12% more damage for 15 seconds on Outro if the attack hits. For a Sub DPS playstyle.
Echo Skill 2 (Q) – 
Freezing Frost – Glacio Dreadmane – Two activations to deal quick damage, with 20% more damage when used in the air. Burst damage for a main DPS playstyle or a quick swapping composition.
Echo Main Stat Priority
- 4 – Crit Rate/Crit Damage
- 3 – Glacio Damage
- 1 – ATK%
Sub Stat Priority
- Crit Rate
- Crit Damage
- Energy Regeneration (at least 30%)
- ATK%
- Basic Attack Damage
- ATK
Skill Leveling Materials
- Howler Core – Looted from beasts or animal-like enemies
- Helix – Forgery Challenge: Misty Forest in Dim Forest – Costs Waveplates
- Monument Bell – Defeat the Belle-Borne Geochelone in Gorges of Spirits – Costs Waveplates
Inherent Skill 1 – Resonance Skill grants 6% ATK for 27 seconds, stacking up to 3 times.
Inherent Skill 2 – Outro skill restores 15 Resonance Energy to the next character.
Skill Priority
- Resonance Liberation
- Forte Circuit
- Intro
- Resonance
- Basic Attack
Sequence 1 – After traveling to the third Phantasmic Imprint (using Forte Resonance Skill) Zhezhi gains 15 Resonance Energy and Crit Rate is increased by 10% for 27 seconds.
Sequence 2 – Resonance Liberation Skill allows for 6 more spirits to be summoned during its duration, resulting in a total of 27.
Sequence 3 – Resonance Skill increases ATK by 15% for 27 seconds, stacking up to 3 times.
Sequence 4 – When Resonance Liberation is cast, all party members gain 20% ATK for 30 seconds.
Sequence 5 – For every 3 spirits summoned during her Resonance Liberation, an extra spirit will be summoned, dealing 140% of the original damage as Basic Attack damage.
Sequence 6 – When Resonance Skill is cast, create an extra Crane that does 120% extra as Basic Attack damage.
Should you try to pull extra sequences for Zhezhi?
The first 2 sequences are great for increasing her damage dealt, so going that far is good enough for a low budget investment. The third and fourth sequences are great for her main role as a Sub DPS, so this is far enough to be optimal. The fifth and sixth will increase her damage further, but are not too character defining.
Gameplay
Credit to Steparu for the video.