Ayaka vs Wriothesley
Elegant Cryo sword slashes vs. heavy-hitting Cryo fistfights
TL;DR — Quick Pick
Pick Ayaka if…
- When you can group enemies together to maximize her Burst's multi-hits
- If you have access to a strong Hydro applicator like Kokomi or Furina
- For rapid water crossing with her unique Cryo dash
Pick Wriothesley if…
- When you want a more resilient on-field carry with self-sustain
- In teams with Furina to maximize the Marechaussee Hunter set
- If you prefer brawler-style gameplay over technical rotations
Ayaka wins on raw burst potential and Freeze consistency, but Wriothesley is more durable and easier to play in modern Fontaine-centric teams. Ayaka remains the Freeze specialist, while Wriothesley is the better general-purpose on-field brawler.
At a Glance
Strengths & Weaknesses
Ayaka
- Has on-demand, on-field Cryo application through her Alternate Sprint and Cryo Infusion
- Her free-to-play weapons perform close to 5-star alternatives and not far behind her signature
- Can flexibly fill downtime with her Cryo-infused Normal and Charged Attacks or swap to her teammates and activate their respective abilities
- Loses a majority of her personal damage if her Elemental Burst misses
- Requires good Energy management and funneling to fund her Elemental Burst
- Relatively inflexible team compositions
Wriothesley
- Constant Cryo use allowing frequent Freeze and Melt.
- Most damage comes from enhanced Normal attack, so Wriothesley is less dependent on any cooldowns or energy.
- Has low Energy requirements since he does not need to Burst every rotation.
- Needs a healer and a shielder, even when you have constellations.
- Maintaining high HP values can be tricky.
- Struggles in multi-target combat.
Shared Team Members
With Ayaka
Shenhe's Icy Quills provide a massive damage boost to Ayaka's multi-hit Burst, significantly increasing her DPS against bosses. Her Cryo RES shred and DMG buffs are perfectly timed to coincide with Ayaka's on-field damage window.
With Wriothesley
Shenhe boosts Wriothesley's Normal and Charged attacks with her Quills, making his boxing-style combat much more impactful. Her presence enables Cryo Resonance and provides the necessary shred to let Wriothesley's punches tear through enemy defenses.
With Ayaka
Furina provides Ayaka with a large, ramping DMG bonus that covers the entire duration of her Burst. Her off-field Hydro application also enables Freeze, although Ayaka requires a dedicated healer like Charlotte to maximize Furina's Fanfare stacks.
With Wriothesley
Furina is a top-tier partner for Wriothesley, as his self-healing and HP drain mechanics perfectly complement Furina's Fanfare stacking. Together, they maintain high Hydro application for Freeze while providing massive team-wide DMG bonuses.
Best Builds (Signature)
Weapon
Mistsplitter Reforged
Artifacts
Blizzard Strayer
Sands
ATK%
Goblet
Cryo DMG%
Circlet
CRIT DMG
Substats
CRIT DMG > ATK% > CRIT Rate (Blizzard + Mistsplitter covers CRIT Rate)
Weapon
Cashflow Supervision
Artifacts
Marechaussee Hunter
Sands
ATK %
Goblet
Cryo DMG
Circlet
CRIT DMG / CRIT Rate
Substats
CRIT Rate/DMG > ATK % > Elemental Mastery > Energy Recharge
Who Should You Pull?
- When you can group enemies together to maximize her Burst's multi-hits
- If you have access to a strong Hydro applicator like Kokomi or Furina
- For rapid water crossing with her unique Cryo dash
- When you want a more resilient on-field carry with self-sustain
- In teams with Furina to maximize the Marechaussee Hunter set
- If you prefer brawler-style gameplay over technical rotations