Don’t let the pink twin tails and stuffed animal companions fool you. Encore is one of the most destructive Fusion DPS characters on the standard banner, and she’s been making content look easy since day one. She might not headline conversations the way newer limited characters do, but players who know her kit understand that she punches well above her standard-banner status when built and played correctly.
She’s accessible — available from the standard convene, beginner banner selectors, and 50/50 losses — which makes her one of the most commonly owned 5-stars in the game. More importantly, she’s genuinely good. Her damage during Cosmos Rave rivals what characters like Jiyan and Calcharo can output in their own peak windows, and she offers flexibility as both a Main DPS and a Sub DPS depending on what your team needs.
This guide covers everything: her dual-state kit, best weapons, echoes, teams, rotation, and how to actually execute her damage window effectively in Version 3.2.
Who Is Encore?
Encore is a consultant from Black Shores with a vibrant, storytelling personality. She travels everywhere with her two Woolie companions — Cosmos (the white one) and Cloudy (the black one) — and frames everything through the lens of whimsical fantasy and fairy tales. Her lore presents her as cheerful and imaginative, which makes the moment Cosmos “breaks free” during her Liberation all the more entertaining as a contrast.
On the gameplay side, she’s a 5-star Fusion Rectifier Main DPS. Like Calcharo, she belongs to the standard permanent roster — no limited banner required. Her core identity is a dual-state character: ranged attacking and Resonance Skill usage in normal state builds toward her Liberation, then Cosmos Rave transforms her into a close-range melee fighter whose enhanced Basic Attacks and Resonance Skill do the heavy lifting.
What she does well:
- High burst damage during Cosmos Rave through an empowered 4-hit Basic Attack chain and transformed Resonance Skill
- Solid single-target performance with decent AoE through her Liberation and skill effects
- Flexible playstyle — works as a Main DPS hypercarry or as a Sub DPS in quickswap compositions
- Generates good energy for herself through skill and Basic Attack usage, enabling frequent Liberation uptime
- Her Forte Heavy Attack (Cosmos Rupture) ending Cosmos Rave with a burst explosion adds a satisfying damage spike to cap off each rotation
Her weaknesses are real: she’s relatively weak outside of Cosmos Rave, her normal-state damage is underwhelming compared to her Liberation window, and some of her animations are long enough to be punishing if you’re not comfortable with animation cancels. But none of these are dealbreakers — they’re just things to be aware of going in.
Encore’s Kit — How It All Works
Forte Circuit — Dissonance
Encore’s Forte mechanic is called Dissonance, which caps at 100. She generates it through Normal Attacks (Wooly Attack), Resonance Skill casts (Flaming Woolies and Energetic Welcome), and Intro Skill hits. During Cosmos Rave, all attacks also restore Dissonance.
When Dissonance is full and she uses a Heavy Attack, she consumes it all to enter a brief invulnerable state (taking 70% reduced damage), then fires off either Cloudy Frenzy (in normal state) or Cosmos Rupture (during Cosmos Rave). Both are classified as Resonance Liberation damage. Cosmos Rupture in particular is the rotation-ending explosion that signals it’s time to swap out.
Crucially — switching characters does not interrupt the Dissonance state. You can trigger the Heavy Attack explosion then immediately swap, and the Cosmos Rupture will still fire. This is important for keeping team rotations tight.
Resonance Skill — Flaming Woolies and Energetic Welcome
Her Resonance Skill is a two-stage ability in normal state. The first cast (Flaming Woolies) summons Cloudy and Cosmos to deal Fusion damage and generates Dissonance. Following up immediately with a second press triggers Energetic Welcome for additional Fusion damage. Both casts generate Concerto and Resonance Energy.
A key technique here: after casting Flaming Woolies, you can switch to a teammate immediately as the animation begins. The follow-up Energetic Welcome attack still fires on return. This swap-cancel technique is central to advanced Encore rotations — it lets you squeeze in support buff windows without losing Encore’s skill damage.
During Cosmos Rave, Flaming Woolies is replaced by Cosmos: Rampage — a single-stage Resonance Skill that hits hard and has a faster animation than the normal two-stage version. No second press needed.
Resonance Liberation — Cosmos Rave (10-Second Burst Window)
This is everything. Casting Liberation enters Cosmos Rave, a 10-second enhanced state where her entire moveset transforms:
- Basic Attacks become Cosmos: Frolicking — a 4-hit chain dealing Fusion damage classified as Basic Attack damage. This is her primary damage source during the window, accounting for roughly 70% of her Liberation phase output.
- Heavy Attack becomes Cosmos: Heavy Attack — enhanced Fusion damage.
- Resonance Skill becomes Cosmos: Rampage — single-hit, high-multiplier Fusion damage.
- Dodge Counter becomes Cosmos: Dodge Counter — counts as Basic Attack, integrating cleanly into her combo flow.
The Liberation window lasts 10 seconds, which is tight. The goal is to fit as many Cosmos: Frolicking chains and Cosmos: Rampage casts as possible before it ends, then cap it with the Cosmos Rupture explosion when Dissonance is full.
Critical rule: Never use the charged Heavy Attack (Dissonance explosion) at the beginning or middle of Cosmos Rave. It ends the Liberation state immediately. Only trigger it when Cosmos Rave is about to expire naturally — or just before it ends.
Inherent Skills
Her two Inherent Skills add meaningful passive bonuses. During Cosmos Rave, she deals 10% more damage while her HP is above 70% — a relevant passive since she takes 70% reduced damage during the Dissonance state and naturally stays healthy with a good healer. Her second Inherent Skill increases Fusion DMG Bonus by 10% for 10 seconds after using Resonance Skill, which maintains near-permanent uptime given how frequently she uses Flaming Woolies in her normal-state rotation.
Best Weapons for Encore
1. Stringmaster (Yinlin’s Signature — Best in Slot)
The premier rectifier weapon in the game and Encore’s clear best-in-slot. It provides CRIT Rate as a substat — excellent for balancing her ratio — along with a 12% universal DMG bonus and stacking ATK% buffs after using Resonance Skill. The ATK stacks also apply when Encore is off-field, making this weapon excellent in quickswap compositions where she isn’t always active. If you have it, use it.
2. Cosmic Ripples (5-Star Standard)
A reliable second option from the standard banner. Provides ATK and Energy Regen — the Energy Regen is specifically valuable since it helps Encore reach Liberation faster each rotation, enabling more frequent Cosmos Rave windows. The passive also stacks Basic Attack DMG Bonus on each hit, which feeds into her primary damage source during Liberation. Still competitive despite being outperformed by Stringmaster at the top end.
3. Augment (4-Star Battle Pass)
A strong 4-star option that provides CRIT Rate and a 15% ATK buff for 15 seconds after casting Resonance Liberation. Since she fires Liberation at the start of every rotation, this buff is essentially permanent throughout her active window. It also eases the CRIT Rate/CRIT DMG balance if your substats are already heavy on one side. Highly recommended if you have it from the Battle Pass.
4. Jinzhou Keeper (4-Star)
Provides ATK and bonus ATK through its passive after Intro Skill casts. A solid accessible 4-star option for players who don’t have Augment or higher-rarity weapons.
5. Variation (4-Star — F2P Friendly)
Another reasonable 4-star option with Energy Regen stats. The Energy Regen helps Liberation uptime, which is ultimately what matters most for Encore. At higher refinements, it performs respectably for a free-to-play player.
Best Echo Sets for Encore
Molten Rift (5-Piece) — Best in Slot
The definitive echo set for any Fusion DPS, and Encore is no exception. The 5-piece provides 10% Fusion DMG Bonus unconditionally, plus an additional 30% Fusion DMG Bonus for 15 seconds after using a Resonance Skill (10% base from the set + 30% from the stacking effect, totaling 40% at peak). Since Encore uses her Resonance Skill constantly in both states, this buff is essentially always running during her damage window.
Main Echo: Inferno Rider — Encore’s best-in-slot echo. The Inferno Rider’s echo skill deals Fusion damage in a forward arc and, after completing its third hit (or when switch-cancelled at that point), grants a 12% Fusion DMG Bonus and 12% Basic Attack DMG Bonus for 15 seconds. These buffs line up beautifully with her Cosmos Rave window.
The catch: Inferno Rider has a long animation. The proper technique is to start the echo skill, let it reach approximately the third slash (watch the cooldown gauge — it’s ready at about 16–18 seconds remaining on the dial), then switch-cancel or trigger it before your burst combo begins. Practice this cancel timing before running endgame content.
Lingering Tunes (5-Piece) — Sub DPS Alternative
If you’re running Encore as a Sub DPS in a quickswap team rather than a Main DPS hypercarry, Lingering Tunes is worth considering. The 5-piece Outro Skill amplification buffs the Cloudy Frenzy / Cosmos Rupture explosion when she swaps out, and the ATK% bonus from the set provides a consistent damage foundation. Main Echo here would be Mech Abomination for its ATK% contribution.
Echo Distribution & Stat Priority
Echo cost distribution: 4-3-3-1-1
Main Stats:
- 4-Cost: CRIT Rate or CRIT DMG (balance toward 1:2 ratio)
- 3-Cost: Fusion DMG Bonus × 2
- 1-Cost: ATK% × 2
Sub-Stat Priority:
- CRIT Rate / CRIT DMG — maintain roughly 1:2 ratio
- ATK%
- Basic Attack DMG Bonus — directly amplifies her primary damage source during Cosmos Rave
- Energy Regen — aim for 120%+ to ensure Liberation is available at the start of every rotation
- Flat ATK — last resort filler
Energy Regen deserves emphasis here. Encore’s entire damage identity revolves around Cosmos Rave, and without Liberation every rotation, her output drops substantially. Hitting 120% Energy Regen should be a firm goal during the gearing process — after CRIT stats are balanced — so she’s never waiting on Liberation when the rotation calls for it.
Skill Priority
Encore’s damage breakdown tells the story clearly: approximately 70% of her Liberation-phase damage comes from enhanced Basic Attacks (Cosmos: Frolicking). The Liberation governs the multipliers for these attacks directly.
Priority order: Resonance Liberation → Forte Circuit → Resonance Skill → Basic Attack → Intro Skill
Resonance Liberation is the highest priority because it controls the Cosmos Rave state and the damage multipliers for everything within it. Forte Circuit is next because it governs the Dissonance Heavy Attack explosion (Cosmos Rupture), which caps every rotation with a burst of Liberation-classified damage. Resonance Skill follows for both normal-state Flaming Woolies damage and the Cosmos: Rampage version during Liberation. Basic Attack comes last among the meaningful investments. Intro Skill is the lowest priority — it contributes minor utility and Dissonance generation but doesn’t warrant early investment over the others.
Best Teams for Encore in 3.2
Team 1: Encore + Sanhua + Verina (Classic Hypercarry — Best Overall)
The established best team for Encore as a Main DPS hypercarry and one of the most-recommended standard-character team compositions in the game. Sanhua provides a 38% Basic Attack DMG Deepen through her Outro — which directly amplifies the Cosmos: Frolicking chain that makes up the bulk of Encore’s Liberation damage. Sanhua’s rotation is extremely fast, meaning she’s in and out quickly, leaving maximum field time for Encore’s 10-second Cosmos Rave window.
Verina covers team healing, ATK buffs through her Inherent Skills, and the 15% All-Type DMG Deepen Outro that benefits the whole team. The combination of Sanhua’s Basic Attack amplification and Verina’s ATK + Deepen buffs creates a strong support package that makes the most of Encore’s field time.
Team 2: Encore + Mortefi + Verina
Mortefi provides 38% Heavy Attack DMG Deepen through his Outro, which buffs Encore’s Cosmos: Heavy Attack and the Cosmos Rupture explosion during Cosmos Rave. His off-field Coordinated Attacks also add damage during Encore’s Liberation window. A slightly more damage-oriented alternative to Sanhua, though Sanhua’s faster rotation makes her more efficient at maximizing Encore’s on-field time in most scenarios.
Team 3: Encore + Rover (Havoc) + Verina (Budget Comp)
Rover (Havoc) offers a Time Stop Outro that slows time for 3 seconds when Encore enters — giving her extra free hit time during Liberation and making enemy attacks easier to dodge during the 10-second window. A great F2P-accessible team since Rover is free, and the Time Stop is genuinely impactful for newer players still getting comfortable with Encore’s rotation.
Team 4: Encore + Sanhua + Baizhi (F2P Alternative)
Swap Verina for Baizhi if you don’t have the 5-star healer. Sanhua’s Basic Attack buff stays the same, and Baizhi covers healing adequately. The team performs slightly below the Verina version — missing the 15% DMG Deepen Outro — but still clears all current content including Tower of Adversity in 3.2. A fully accessible free-to-play option.
Team 5: Encore as Sub DPS (Quickswap Team)
Encore also works as a Sub DPS in teams where she comes in, fires a Resonance Skill swap-cancel, builds Concerto with some Basic Attacks, and exits to trigger Cosmos Rupture via the Dissonance explosion. This playstyle pairs well with another DPS character sharing the field — she provides damage through Cosmos Rupture and off-field Woolie attacks while the main DPS carries the team rotation. If you have limited characters but want Encore in the lineup, her Sub DPS role is genuinely viable.
Rotation Guide
Encore’s rotation has two tiers: the standard version for consistent play and the optimized version using swap-cancels for maximum output. Even the standard rotation is effective, so don’t feel pressured to master animation cancels immediately.
Standard Rotation (Main DPS Hypercarry)
- Start on Verina — run her support rotation: Intro Skill, Resonance Skill, Mid-air Starflower Blooms. Swap out to trigger Outro (15% DMG Deepen, continuous healing on Encore).
- Swap to Sanhua — fire her rotation quickly: Resonance Skill, Liberation if available, charge Concerto. Swap out via Outro (38% Basic Attack DMG Deepen for Encore).
- Encore enters via Intro Skill — generates Dissonance and fires Woolies Can Help attack.
- Use Inferno Rider echo skill — let it run to the third slash for the Fusion + Basic ATK DMG buff, then cancel into the next step.
- Resonance Skill: Flaming Woolies → Energetic Welcome — generates Resonance Energy, Dissonance, and Molten Rift’s Fusion DMG buff.
- Resonance Liberation: Cosmos Rave — enters the 10-second burst window.
- Cosmos: Rampage (enhanced Resonance Skill) — fire once immediately.
- 4-hit Cosmos: Frolicking chain (Basic Attacks × 4) — primary damage loop.
- Cosmos: Rampage again — the cooldowns between normal and enhanced Resonance Skill are independent.
- 4-hit Cosmos: Frolicking chain — keep attacking.
- When Dissonance is full and Cosmos Rave is about to end → Hold Basic Attack (Heavy Attack) — triggers Cosmos Rupture explosion.
- Swap out — repeat from Step 1.
Key rule: Never trigger the Dissonance Heavy Attack early in Cosmos Rave. It immediately ends the Liberation state. Time it for the last 1–2 seconds of the window or trigger it just as Cosmos Rave is expiring.
Optimized Rotation (Swap-Cancel)
In the advanced version, after casting Flaming Woolies, you immediately swap to Sanhua or Verina as the animation begins. This lets a teammate perform their buff ability during Encore’s skill animation, then you swap back to Encore who finishes Energetic Welcome automatically. This technique compresses the support rotation into Encore’s skill window, allowing her Liberation to fire sooner and keeping more time available for Cosmos Rave.
Resonance Chain (Constellations)
Encore’s Resonance Chain improvements are described as modest — as a permanent character, each node provides incremental rather than transformative upgrades. But some nodes are genuinely useful:
- C1: Basic Attacks grant stacking Fusion DMG Bonus (+3% per stack, up to 4 stacks, 6 seconds). A consistent passive buff since she’s always hitting with Basic Attacks during Cosmos Rave.
- C2: Once every 10 seconds, Basic Attack Wooly Attack or Resonance Skill Energetic Welcome restores 10 Resonance Energy. Helps Liberation cycle slightly faster — a quality-of-life upgrade for uptime.
- C3: Cloudy Frenzy and Cosmos Rupture DMG multipliers increase by 40%. A meaningful boost to the rotation-ending explosion — one of the stronger chain nodes.
- C4: After Cosmos Rupture, all team members gain 20% Fusion DMG Bonus for 30 seconds. Excellent if running other Fusion DPS characters alongside her, or even just buffing her own re-entry into the next rotation.
- C5: Resonance Skill DMG Bonus increases by 35%. Boosts both Flaming Woolies/Energetic Welcome in normal state and Cosmos: Rampage during Liberation.
- C6: During Cosmos Rave, each instance of damage grants 5% ATK for 10 seconds, stacking up to 6 times (30% total ATK). A strong sustained ATK buff that builds quickly during the fast-hitting Liberation window.
C0 is perfectly functional for all content. C3 and C4 are the standout useful upgrades. Since Encore is a standard character, duplicates come more naturally over time from standard banner pulls.
Ascension & Forte Materials
To fully ascend Encore and max her key skills, you’ll need:
- Whisperin Core variants (LF, MF, HF, FF) — from Humanoid Tacet Discord enemies, stores, and Forgery Challenges
- Helix — from the Forgery Challenge: Misty Forest in Dim Forest (costs Waveplates)
- Pecok Flower — a field-gathering local specialty found on the map (interactive map is helpful for locating these efficiently)
- Shell Credits — standard in-game currency from farming, quests, and exploration
Level Encore to 90 first, then pour resources into Resonance Liberation before everything else. That’s where the vast majority of her damage lives.
Is Encore Worth Building in 3.2?
Absolutely — and the argument is even stronger for players who already have her from the standard banner. She requires no limited-banner investment, her weapons include the free Union Level reward options, and her echo set (Molten Rift) is farmable from accessible field bosses.
In Version 3.2, she handles Tower of Adversity and the new Endstate Matrix: Doomsday Cycle content without struggling, especially when paired with Sanhua and a good healer. Her damage during Cosmos Rave is genuinely competitive with what newer A-tier characters put out, and her flexibility as both a Main DPS and Sub DPS makes her roster-efficient.
If you’re a newer player who got her from a selector or beginner banner, investing in her is one of the best decisions you can make. If you’re a veteran with a deep roster, she still earns a spot as a strong second-team Fusion DPS option when you need Fusion coverage somewhere in the Tower of Adversity.
Other A-Tier Characters Worth Checking Out
Rounding out your A-tier roster with other strong characters:
- Buling — agile Spectro DPS
- Calcharo — Electro Broadblade Main DPS with a technical rotation
- Jiyan — Aero hypercarry with strong Heavy Attack focus
- Mortefi — Fusion sub-DPS, excellent buffer for Encore and other Heavy Attack characters
- Rover (Havoc) — free Havoc DPS with Time Stop Outro
- Sanhua — Encore’s best support partner, fast rotation and Basic Attack buffer
- Xiangli Yao — Electro DPS with strong Liberation output
- Rover (Spectro) — free Spectro utility pick
- Danjin — aggressive Havoc DPS
- Roccia — Havoc support and DPS hybrid
Encore rewards players who take the time to understand her Liberation window and respect the 10-second time limit it operates under. Once you know when to fire Cosmos Rupture, how to weave in skill swap-cancels, and how to time the Inferno Rider echo properly, she’s a remarkably satisfying character to pilot. Pink hair, stuffed animals, and all — she absolutely earns her place in Version 3.2.
