Calcharo vs. Xiangli Yao: How Kuro Just Ruined Calcharo

Calcharo struggles in Wuthering Waves due to his slow moves, which don’t fit the fast-paced combat of the game.

Sadly when it comes to in-game bosses, they hit him while he’s stuck in long animations. In comparison, Xiangli Yao, the new resonator in the update 1.2 is quick and smooth abilities that make him much easier and more fun for players to play with.

Honestly, Kuro never cared about Calcharo and thought about improving him. In this post, I’ll explain how Kuro completely ruined Calcharo after introducing Xangli Yao –

1. Calcharo vs. Xiangli Yao: Enhanced Kit Mechanics

Calcharo’s gameplay has suffered greatly due to his lack of synergy with the core mechanics of “Wuthering Waves.” His long animations leave him vulnerable in a game with consistently aggressive bosses. In contrast, Xiangli Yao’s kit has been designed to be much smoother and more player-friendly.

1.1 Seamless Activation and Charge-Up

• Calcharo: Requires resonant skills to charge his Forte circuit and a heavy attack to unleash enhanced abilities. These actions suffer from huge input delays and long animation times.
• Xiangli Yao: Gains immediate access to a resident skill with every action on the field, making his abilities easier to use, with fewer risks and instant activations.

2. Calcharo vs. Xiangli Yao: Streamlined and Practical Gameplay

Xiangli Yao addresses several of Calcharo’s gameplay issues, making him a more flexible and reliable character.

2.1 Efficient Stacking Mechanism

• Calcharo: Can only generate stacks from basic attacks. Dodge counters provide no stacks and even reduce overall DPS.
• Xiangli Yao: Generates Forte circuits from basic attacks, resident skill casts, and dodge counters, ensuring smoother gameplay without penalizing players for core mechanics like dodging.

2.2 Duration and Flexibility

• Calcharo: Must execute his skills within a tight 10-second window, making his rotations unreliable and RNG-dependent.
• Xiangli Yao: Enjoys a much longer duration for his Resident Liberation mode (24 seconds or until all hypercubes are used), making his gameplay more forgiving and flexible.

3. Calcharo vs. Xiangli Yao: Improved Buffs and Damage Reduction

Both characters have skill tree customizations that grant various buffs, but Xiangli Yao’s are far easier and more effective.

3.1 Personal Damage Buffs

• Calcharo: Gains buffs through difficult-to-use abilities, which often result in lower actual benefits during gameplay.
• Xiangli Yao: Automatically enhances his damage through simple actions like casting any resonance skill, resulting in a much more intuitive and rewarding experience.

3.2 Interruption Resistance

• Calcharo: Lacks natural interruption resistance, making his rotations fragile.
• Xiangli Yao: Built-in interruption resistance during Resident Liberation ensures that his hypercubes can be used without interruption.

Conclusion

With Xiangli Yao’s release, it’s painfully clear that Calcharo is now overshadowed and effectively obsolete.

The improvements in gameplay, efficiency, and user experience make Xiangli Yao the preferred choice for players. While Kuro’s decision to offer Xiangli Yao free for a limited time is a commendable move, it signals the end for Calcharo as a viable character in “Wuthering Waves.

Kuro may have intended this update to be a gift to the player base, but in doing so, they’ve inadvertently buried Calcharo. It’s fair to wonder if this drastic shift was the only way forward or if Calcharo could have been redeemed through a less destructive method.

Regardless, the choice is now abundantly clear: move on from Calcharo and adopt the enhanced experience that Xiangli Yao offers. If you found this Calcharo vs. Xiangli Yao comparison helpful, you should also check our other comparison between Zenless Zone Zero and Wuthering Waves.