Complete Build Guide • Wuthering Waves Version 2.8 • February 2026
A-Tier • Fusion • Pistols • Sub-DPS & Buffer • 4★ Standard Banner • Academy Researcher
Overview
Mortefi is a 4-Star Fusion Pistols Sub-DPS and Buffer who has remained one of the strongest 4-star characters since Wuthering Waves launch. As an Academy Researcher specializing in Applied Tacetite Study, he transforms his accumulated frustration into devastating fiery flames. His unique ability to convert “Annoyance” into powerful attacks makes him both thematically interesting and mechanically rewarding to play.
His defining trait is his Burning Rhapsody system — when he casts his Resonance Liberation, it applies a buff to all team members that triggers Coordinated Attacks (Marcato) whenever the on-field character performs Basic or Heavy Attacks. Heavy Attacks trigger 2 Marcato while Basic Attacks trigger 1, with a 0.35s internal cooldown. This allows Mortefi to deal consistent off-field Fusion damage while supporting the team, making him incredibly valuable despite minimal field time requirements.
His Outro Skill grants the incoming Resonator +38% Heavy Attack DMG Amplification for 14 seconds — making him the premier support for Heavy Attack-focused DPS characters like Jiyan, Encore, Augusta, and Jinhsi. He generates Concerto and Resonance Energy extremely quickly, allowing smooth rotations with very low field time. He is rated A-Tier and becomes significantly stronger at S4 (extended Liberation duration) and S6 (team-wide ATK buff).
🔥 Annoyance & Burning Rhapsody System
Mortefi’s unique mechanic revolves around building “Annoyance” to unlock his enhanced Resonance Skill, then using Burning Rhapsody to trigger devastating off-field Coordinated Attacks.
Annoyance Gauge
- 🔥 Maximum capacity: 100 Annoyance
- 🔥 Generated by: Basic Attacks, Intro Skill, and Resonance Skill (Passionate Variation)
- 🔥 After using Passionate Variation, Basic Attacks restore additional Annoyance for 5 seconds
- 🔥 At 100 Annoyance, Resonance Skill becomes Fury Fugue — a high-damage enhanced skill
Burning Rhapsody (Resonance Liberation)
Applies Burning Rhapsody buff to all team members for 10 seconds (17 seconds at S4). While active:
- ● On-field Basic Attacks trigger 1 Marcato (Coordinated Attack dealing Fusion DMG)
- ● On-field Heavy Attacks trigger 2 Marcato
- ● At S1: On-field Resonance Skills also trigger 2 Marcato
- ● Each Marcato increases next Marcato damage by 1.5% (stacks up to 50 times)
- ● 0.35s internal cooldown between Coordinated Attacks
Best Weapons
⭐ Static Mist (5★ Limited – Best)
Best-in-slot for Mortefi. Provides high base ATK, Crit Rate, +25.6% Energy Regen, and buffs the next character’s ATK by 20% for 14s after Outro — perfectly synergizes with his support role.
🔫 Undying Flame / Thunderbolt (4★ F2P)
Both provide identical stats and effects. Excellent Energy Regen and can restore Resonance Energy when using Resonance Skill. Perfect budget alternatives available to all players.
🎯 Cadenza (4★ Standard)
Restores Concerto Energy when using Resonance Skill. Makes rotations smoother and helps Mortefi swap out faster to trigger his valuable Outro buff.
💫 Relativistic Jet (4★ Standard)
Alternative to Cadenza with similar Concerto Energy restoration. Good for players who lack other options but still want smooth rotation gameplay.
Best Echo Sets
🌟 Recommended: Moonlit Clouds (5-PC)
2-PC Bonus: +10% Energy Regen
5-PC Bonus: Upon Outro, increases next character’s ATK by 22.5% for 15 seconds
Perfect choice for support-focused Mortefi. The Energy Regen ensures consistent Liberation uptime, while the ATK buff doubles down on his support capabilities after swapping to your main DPS.
⚡ Alternative: Empyrean Anthem (5-PC)
2-PC Bonus: +10% Coordinated Attack DMG
5-PC Bonus: When active character deals Crit DMG, increase ATK by 5% for 7s (stacks 3 times)
Best for damage-focused builds. Significantly boosts Marcato damage from Burning Rhapsody. Requires S4 for optimal effect to maximize the duration overlap with set bonuses.
Main Echo Options
Impermanence Heron (Best for Support)
Restores 10 Resonance Energy on hit and boosts next character’s damage by 12% for 15s. Perfect synergy with Moonlit Clouds set.
Inferno Rider (Best for Damage)
Provides +12% Fusion DMG buff. Great for players who want to maximize Mortefi’s personal damage contribution with Empyrean Anthem.
Stat Priority
Main Stats:
- Cost 4: Energy Regen%
- Cost 3: Fusion DMG% / ATK%
- Cost 1: ATK%
Sub Stats:
- Energy Regen% (160% total)
- Crit Rate / Crit DMG
- ATK%
Best Teams
🌪️ Jiyan Aero Team (Best Synergy)
Team: Jiyan / Mortefi / Shorekeeper (or Verina)
The iconic pairing. Jiyan’s entire kit revolves around fast Heavy Attacks in Qingloong Mode, perfectly triggering Mortefi’s double Marcato procs. Mortefi’s 38% Heavy Attack buff directly amplifies Jiyan’s ultimate form damage by that same amount. This is considered one of the strongest 4-star + 5-star synergies in the game.
☀️ Augusta Glacio Team
Team: Augusta / Mortefi / Shorekeeper
Augusta primarily scales off Heavy Attack damage, making Mortefi an excellent sub-DPS choice. His off-field Coordinated Attacks provide consistent damage while his Outro buff significantly amplifies Augusta’s damage potential.
🔥 Encore Fusion Team
Team: Encore / Mortefi / Verina (or Baizhi)
Encore attacks in fast bursts during her special state, maximizing Marcato procs. As a selfish DPS who wants extended field time, she pairs perfectly with Mortefi who can dump his entire rotation quickly before disappearing off-field.
🌟 Jinhsi Spectro Team
Team: Jinhsi / Mortefi / Verina
Jinhsi relies on Coordinated Attacks to stack Incandescence for maximum damage. Mortefi provides consistent Coordinated Attacks through Burning Rhapsody. Requires S4+ Mortefi for optimal performance due to extended Liberation duration.
Skill Priority
1. Resonance Liberation (Priority)
Source of 70%+ of Mortefi’s damage through Coordinated Attacks. Absolutely essential to level first for maximum off-field contribution.
2. Forte Circuit
Improves Fury Fugue damage — the enhanced Resonance Skill. Important secondary damage source and helps build Concerto Energy faster.
3. Resonance Skill
Provides additional damage and Annoyance generation. Worth leveling after Liberation and Forte for overall damage optimization.
4. Basic Attack (Low Priority)
Only used to build Annoyance gauge and Concerto Energy. Minimal field time means low priority unless building main-DPS Mortefi (not recommended).
Playstyle & Rotation
Standard Rotation
- Intro Skill → Apply flame damage and restore Annoyance
- Resonance Skill (Passionate Variation) → Restore more Annoyance
- Basic Attack x4 → Fill Annoyance to 100 (enhanced generation for 5s after using Resonance Skill)
- Resonance Skill: Fury Fugue → High damage enhanced skill, fills Concerto Energy
- Resonance Liberation (when Concerto is at ~75%) → Apply Burning Rhapsody to team
- Echo Skill → Additional damage + Energy restoration
- Swap Out → Trigger Outro Skill (+38% Heavy Attack DMG to next character)
🔥 Pro Tips
- ● Use Liberation when Concerto reaches ~75% to fill it completely and minimize field time
- ● Heavy Attacks on your main DPS trigger 2 Marcato instead of 1 — prioritize them during Burning Rhapsody
- ● Aim for 160% Energy Regen to cast Liberation every rotation without issues
- ● S4 extends Liberation from 10s to 17s — extremely valuable for maximizing Marcato procs
Resonance Chain (Sequences)
S1 – High Value
When on-field character uses Resonance Skill during Burning Rhapsody, trigger 2 additional Marcato hits. Significantly increases damage output for skill-focused DPS characters.
S2 – Medium Value
After using Echo Skill, restore 10 Resonance Energy (once every 20s). Quality of life improvement for more consistent Liberation uptime.
S3 – Medium Value
Marcato Crit DMG increased by 30%. Direct damage boost to Liberation’s Coordinated Attacks — noticeable improvement in off-field damage.
S4 – Very High Value ⭐
MAJOR POWER SPIKE. Burning Rhapsody duration extended by 7s (10s → 17s). Massive increase in total Marcato procs and overall team damage contribution. Essential for Jinhsi teams.
S5 – Low Value
When Passionate Variation or Fury Fugue hits, trigger 4 Marcato hits at 50% damage. Minor improvement — nice to have but not transformative.
S6 – Very High Value ⭐
TEAM-WIDE SUPPORT UPGRADE. All team members gain +20% ATK for 20s when Liberation is cast. Transforms Mortefi into an even stronger universal support character.
Should You Build Mortefi?
✓ Build If…
- ✓ You have Jiyan — this is THE pairing that made Mortefi famous and remains one of the best 4★/5★ synergies in the game
- ✓ You’re running Heavy Attack DPS characters like Augusta, Encore, or Jinhsi — his 38% Heavy Attack buff is incredibly valuable
- ✓ You want a low field-time Sub-DPS who provides consistent off-field damage — Mortefi excels at this role
- ✓ You’re a F2P player — Mortefi is available on all banners and performs excellently even at S0
⊘ Skip If…
- ✗ Your DPS characters don’t use Heavy Attacks as their primary damage source — his Outro buff won’t be fully utilized
- ✗ You already have specialized element-specific supports fully built — they may outperform Mortefi in mono-element teams
- ✗ You’re running coordinated-attack-dependent DPS (like Jinhsi) but lack S4 — performance suffers without extended Liberation duration
- ✗ You have extremely limited resources and need to hyper-focus on main DPS investment — though Mortefi is very resource-efficient
The Verdict
🔥 The Academy’s Burning Virtuoso
Mortefi is an A-Tier Sub-DPS and Buffer who has maintained his position as one of the strongest 4-star characters since the game’s launch. His Burning Rhapsody system, Coordinated Attacks, and powerful 38% Heavy Attack buff create a kit that synergizes perfectly with Heavy Attack-focused DPS characters. He is the premier 4-star support for Jiyan and remains competitive even against premium 5-star options in specific team compositions.
What makes him worth building? His incredibly low field-time requirements (5-7 seconds per rotation) combined with massive off-field damage contribution and universal Heavy Attack buffing make him irreplaceable in many team compositions. His S4 sequence provides one of the most significant power spikes for any 4-star character, extending Liberation duration by 70%. At S6, his team-wide ATK buff makes him a universal support comparable to some 5-star options.
Final Recommendation: Highly recommended for all players. Build with Moonlit Clouds (5-PC) using Impermanence Heron as main echo. Prioritize Energy Regen (160%) → Crit Rate/DMG → ATK% for stats. Use Static Mist if available, otherwise Undying Flame or Thunderbolt work excellently. Pair with Jiyan, Augusta, Encore, or Jinhsi for maximum effectiveness. Aim for at least S4 if possible — it transforms his performance. One of the best investments you can make in Wuthering Waves!
🔗 Related Character Guides
📋 View Complete Wuthering Waves Character Tier ListLet Mortefi’s flames of frustration burn away your enemies in Wuthering Waves!
