Wuthering Waves Version 2.4 Cartethyia Build Guide

Overview

• Dual Forms: Cartethyia (small form) focuses on fast attacks to apply Aero Erosion stacks, summon her three swords, while Fleurdelys (adult form) delivers high-burst damage with enhanced combos.
• Aero Erosion Mechanic: Her Resonance Liberation – Blade of Howling Squall removes Aero Erosion stacks to deal massive damage and increase enemy damage taken.
• Team Synergy: Thrives in teams amplifying Aero Erosion and providing buffs for Fleurdelys.

Abilities and Skill Priority

Cartethyia’s kit centers on building Aero Erosion stacks, summoning Sword Shadows, and transforming into Fleurdelys for burst damage.

Normal Attack: Sword to Carve My Forms

• Basic Attack (Cartethyia):
  • Perform up to 4 quick slashes, dealing Aero Damage (counts as Aero Erosion Damage).
  • Stage 4: Applies 2 Aero Erosion stacks and summons a Sword of Divinity’s Shadow (lasts 20s, max 1).
• Heavy Attack (Cartethyia):
  • Costs Stamina (STA) to strike, dealing Aero Damage and summoning a Sword of Discord’s Shadow (lasts 20s, max 1). Counts as Aero Erosion Damage.
  • Can be used in mid-air.
• Mid-air Attack (Cartethyia):
  • Plunging Attack costs STA, deals Aero Damage (counts as Aero Erosion Damage).
  • Recalls all Sword Shadows (Divinity, Discord, Virtue) for bonus damage based on their type and number.
  • Grants Heart of Virtue, Mandate of Divinity, or Power of Discord buffs (see Fleurdelys form).
  • Next Basic Attack after Plunging starts at Stage 2.
• Dodge Counter (Cartethyia):
  • After a successful dodge, press Normal Attack to deal Aero Damage (counts as Aero Erosion Damage).

Resonance Skill: Sword to Bear Their Names

• Cartethyia:
  • Pulls enemies into a force field, deals Aero Damage (counts as both Basic Attack and Aero Erosion Damage), and applies 2 Aero Erosion stacks.
  • Summons a Sword of Virtue’s Shadow (lasts 20s, max 1).
  • Can be used in mid-air.
• Fleurdelys (Sword to Answer Waves’ Call):
  • Summons a force field to pull enemies, dealing Aero Damage and restoring Conviction.
  • Follow-up press calls a giant Sword Shadow to crush enemies, dealing Aero Damage (counts as Basic Attack Damage) and restoring Conviction.
  • Can be used in mid-air.

Resonance Liberation: A Knight’s Heartfelt Prayers

• Transform to Fleurdelys:
  • Costs 50% max HP (free if HP <50%) to enter Manifest state (Fleurdelys form) for 12s, gaining +60% Aero DMG Bonus.
  • Unlocks new moves (see Forte Circuit). Can be cast in mid-air.
  • Clears Conviction on entry, but ending Manifest keeps Resonance Energy.
• Blade of Howling Squall (Fleurdelys):
  • At 120 Conviction, press Resonance Liberation to deal massive Aero Damage in a straight line, ending Manifest and restoring 50% max HP.
  • Removes all Aero Erosion stacks (up to 5), increasing enemy damage taken by +20% per stack (max +100%).
  • Gains +60% Aero DMG Bonus outside Manifest.
  • Can be used in mid-air.
• Switching Forms:
  • Below 120 Conviction, press Resonance Liberation to switch back to Cartethyia (no energy cost), performing Basic Attack Stage 2 (or Mid-air Attack in air).
  • In Manifest, casting as Cartethyia switches back to Fleurdelys (no energy cost), performing Basic Attack Stage 2 (or Mid-air Attack Stage 1 in air).

Forte Circuit: Tempest (Fleurdelys Moves)

In Fleurdelys form, Cartethyia gains new attacks:

• Basic Attack: 5-hit combo, deals Aero Damage, restores Conviction.
  • Stage 4 (with Heart of Virtue): Creates a force field to stagnate enemies and increases interruption resistance.
• Mid-air Attack: 3-hit combo in air (costs STA), deals Aero Damage, restores Conviction.
• Mid-air Heavy Attack: Hold Normal Attack in air to strike, dealing Aero Damage and restoring Conviction. Can chain into Mid-air Attack cycle.
• Heavy Attack: Thrust forward, dealing Aero Damage and restoring Conviction.
• Enhanced Heavy Attack: Press Normal Attack during Heavy Attack to blast an area in a straight line, dealing Aero Damage and restoring Conviction.
• Upward Cut: Press Jump on ground (or after Enhanced Heavy Attack/Basic Attack) to deal Aero Damage and restore Conviction.
• Dodge Counter: After dodging, press Normal Attack to deal Aero Damage and restore Conviction. Next Basic Attack is Stage 4.
• Special Buffs in Manifest:
  • Heart of Virtue: From Sword of Virtue’s Shadow. Enables Stage 4 force field and interruption resistance.
  • Mandate of Divinity: From Sword of Divinity’s Shadow. Boosts Aero Erosion Damage by +50% and halves damage interval for nearby enemies.
  • Power of Discord: From Sword of Discord’s Shadow. Final hits of Basic Attack Stage 5, Mid-air Attack Stage 2, or Resonance Skill (May Tempest Break the Tides) trigger extra Aero Erosion Damage and consume 1 stack.
  • Buffs are removed when Manifest ends.
• Fleurdelys Utility: Walks on water or in mid-air (costs STA). Reverts to Cartethyia for quest dialogs or utility interactions.

Intro Skill: Sword to Mark Tide’s Trace

• Deals Aero Damage, applies 2 Aero Erosion stacks, and summons a Sword of Discord’s Shadow (lasts 20s, max 1).
• Counts as Aero Erosion Damage.
• Next Basic Attack is Stage 2.

Outro Skill: Wind’s Divine Blessing

• Boosts team’s Aero Damage by +17.5% for 20s against enemies with negative statuses (e.g., Aero Erosion).

Skill Upgrade Priority

1. Resonance Liberation: Primary damage source and transformation trigger. Max for burst damage.
2. Resonance Skill: Drives Aero Erosion stack application and Conviction generation.
3. Forte Circuit: Enhances HP scaling and empowered attacks.
4. Basic Attack: Improves weaving and Sword Shadow generation.
5. Intro Skill: Lowest priority, used for setup and defense ignore.

Signature Weapon: Defier’s Thorn

Cartethyia’s signature weapon, Defier’s Thorn, is a 5-star Sword tailored to her HP-scaling kit and Aero Erosion playstyle. It’s a must-pull due to its unique HP% sub-stat.

• Stats at level 90:
  • Base ATK: 412
  • Sub-stat: 77% HP
  • Effects:
    • +12% HP
    • +20% damage against enemies with 2+ Aero Erosion stacks
    • +8% enemy defense ignore after Intro Skill or Basic Attack
• Why It’s Best: No other sword offers comparable HP% scaling. All three of its effects boost Cartethyia's damage.

Alternative Weapons

1. Emerald of Genesis (5-star):
   • Increases Energy Regen by 12.8%, good for liberation uptime.
   • Easy boost to get to the Crit Rate threshold.
2. Guardian Sword (3-star):
   • 30.3% HP sub-stat, +24% Resonance Skill damage bonus (R5)
   • Budget HP-scaling option.
3. Blazing Brilliance (5-star):
   • Crit Damage Stat stick.
4. Red Spring (5-star):
   • Crit Rate Stat stick.

Best Echo Set: Windward Pilgrimage

The Windward Pilgrimage echo set (Version 2.4) is ideal for Cartethyia’s Aero Erosion-focused kit. There are two 4 cost echoes for this set - the second one would come out on 2.4.

• Set Bonuses:
  • 2-Piece: +10% Aero DMG
  • 5-Piece: +10% Crit Rate and +30% Aero DMG for 10s when hitting enemies with Aero Erosion
• Main Echo: Reminiscence: Fleurdelys (4-cost):
  • Active Effect: Summons Windcleaver for multiple Aero damage hits.
  • Passive Effect: +10% Aero DMG Bonus (+20% for Cartethyia or Aero Rover).
  • Use before Resonance Liberation for max damage.
• Echo Cost Setup: 4-4-1-1-1 to prioritize HP% main stats, as Cartethyia’s abilities scale with HP.

Main Stats and Sub-Stats

• Main Stats:
  • 4-Cost Echoes (x2): Crit Rate, Crit Damage. If you don't have Cartethyia's weapon, one of the 4 cost echo need to be HP%. If the weapon is CD, use CR 4 cost and vice versa.
  • 1-Cost Echoes (x3): HP%
• Sub-Stats (priority):
  1. Crit Rate (50–70% total)
  2. Crit DMG (100–150%)
  3. HP%
  4. Energy Regeneration (~20%)
  5. Flat HP

Transitional Echo Sets

• 2-Piece Gusts of Welkin + 2-Piece Sierra Gale: +20% Aero DMG total.
• Focus on HP% main stats until completing Windward Pilgrimage.

Stat Targets (Endgame)

• HP: >30,000 (with Defier’s Thorn and HP% echoes)
• Crit Rate: 50–70% (with set bonuses)
• Crit DMG: 100–150%
• Energy Regeneration: ~20%
• Aero DMG Bonus: Maximize via echoes and buffs

Team Compositions

Cartethyia excels in Aero Erosion Teams. Below are optimal team compositions.

1. Premium Aero Erosion Team

• Cartethyia (Main DPS): Applies Aero Erosion and bursts with Fleurdelys.
• Ciaccona (Sub-DPS/Support): Applies Aero Erosion stacks via Basic Attack, Resonance Skill, Intro Skill, and Resonance Liberation, enhancing Cartethyia’s damage.
  • Phoebe (Sub-DPS/Support) : Apply Spectro Frazzle then Aero Rover can turn it into Aero Erosion.
• Aero Rover (Sub-DPS): Increases Aero Erosion stack limit and applies stacks; minor healing.
  • Verina (Support): Healing, ATK buffs, coordinated attack damage.
  • Shorekeeper (Support): Crit buffs, energy regeneration, protection.

2. Alternative Hypercarry Team

• Cartethyia (Main DPS).
• Aero Rover (Sub-DPS): Increases Aero Erosion stack limit and applies stacks; minor healing.
• Shorekeeper (Support): Crit buffs, energy regeneration, protection.

3. Free-to-Play Team

• Cartethyia (Main DPS).
• Yangyang (Sub-DPS/Support): Aero damage, energy regeneration.
• Baizhi (Healer): Healing, minor buffs.

Materials for Ascension and Forte

Leveling Cartethyia up to 90 cost 870k credit + ascension cost.

• Ascension Materials:
  • Bamboo Iris: Overworld exploration in Septimont.
  • Unfading Glory: Obtained in Septimont region.
  • LF Tidal Residuum: Enemy drops in Rinascita.
  • Shell Credits: 170,000.
• Forte Materials:
  • When Irises Bloom: Dropped by weekly boss Fleurdelys in The Wheel of Broken Fate, Avinoleum, Rinascita, after completing Chapter 2 Act 4: The Maiden, The Defier, The Death Crier.
  • Metallic Drip: Forgery Challenges.
  • Tidal Residuum: Enemy drops in Rinascita.
  • Shell Credits: 2,030,000.
• Signature Weapon Materials (Defier’s Thorn): Metallic Drip and about 1.7 million credit.

Pre-Farming Tips

• Stuffed Tofu: Craft for +50% material drops in overworld (30m, solo mode effective).
• Rinascita Forgery Challenges: Farm Metallic Drip and Tidal Residuum.
• Fleurdelys Weekly Boss: Prefarm When Irises Bloom.

Playstyle and Rotation

1. Setup (Cartethyia Form):
   • Intro Skill: Ignore 8% enemy defense, start at Basic Attack Stage 2.
   • Basic Attack combo (up to Stage 4): Apply 2 Aero Erosion stacks, summon Sword Shadow.
   • Heavy Attack: Summon Sword Shadow.
   • Resonance Skill: Pull enemies, apply Aero Erosion stacks. Summon Sword Shadow.
   • Plunging Attack: Recall Sword Shadows for bonus damage.
2. Team Support:
   • Sub-DPS (Ciaccona/Aero Rover): Add Aero Erosion stacks or buffs.
   • Support (Verina/Shorekeeper): Healing, energy, or crit buffs.
3. Burst (Fleurdelys Form):
   • Activate Resonance Liberation at full energy to transform.
   • Use ground/aerial combos to build 120 Conviction.
   • Cast Blade of Howling Squall at max Aero Erosion stacks for optimal damage.

Tips

• Use Reminiscence: Fleurdelys echo before Resonance Liberation.
• Ensure max Aero Erosion stacks for Blade of Howling Squall.
• Manage HP with healers due to Fleurdelys’s 50% HP cost.