Wuthering Waves Forte Circuit: How Every Resonator's Gauge Works

Every Resonator carries three separate resource bars, and it is easy to mix them up because they all sit near the same corner of the HUD:

• Concerto Energy — shared logic across the team, pays out through the Outro/Intro swap chain when a character leaves the field.
• Resonance Energy — fuels that one character's own Resonance Liberation (the ultimate), spent by casting it directly.
• Forte Circuit — a bar unique to that Resonator's own kit, with its own fill condition and its own payoff that has nothing to do with the other two.

Concerto and Resonance Energy work almost the same way on every character in the roster. Forte Circuit is the opposite: Kuro Games writes a custom fill rule and a custom payoff for each kit, which is exactly why two Resonators of the same element can feel completely different to play.

Verdict: if a rotation guide says to build Forte first, it means learn that specific character's gauge — there is no universal Forte rule that applies across the roster.

The Forte Circuit bar sits directly under the character portrait during combat, and it is worth checking three things about it before ever touching a rotation guide:

• What fills it — usually Basic Attacks, Resonance Skill hits, or simply standing in a specific stance; the trigger is different per kit and is listed in that character's own skill descriptions.
• What stage it unlocks — some Resonators get a flat damage boost once the bar is full, others unlock an entirely different attack string or state that only exists while the gauge is active.
• Whether it decays — a handful of kits lose Forte progress if the player stops attacking or swaps off-field too early, turning a slow rotation into wasted charge time.

Verdict: treat the Forte bar the same way as a cooldown timer — glance at it before every swap decision, because a half-charged Forte gauge usually means the character's real damage has not started yet.

Two of the roster's Liberation-scaling Resonators show how differently a Forte gauge can be built:

• Jinhsi can hold up to 50 stacks of Incandescence. Stacks build from her own actions and from coordinated-attack teammates, and a fuller bar directly arms a far heavier Resonance Liberation — which is exactly why her best teams lean on partners who feed coordinated attacks into her stack count.
• Xiangli Yao enters an Intuition state that grants 3 Hypercubes; each cast of his Resonance Skill, Law of Reigns, consumes one Hypercube, so the state is really a spending window rather than a passive buff.

Verdict: for a stack-based Forte like Incandescence, the question is how fast this team can fill it; for a spend-window Forte like Intuition, the question is how many Hypercubes can be used before the state ends — the two require opposite rotation habits.

Not every Forte payoff is free — some of the roster's hardest-hitting kits charge their gauge against the player's own resources:

• Danjin deals the highest damage among 4-star Resonators with the shortest animation locks in that rarity, and the Forte that enables it drains her own HP as the cost — a genuine high-skill, high-reward trade that punishes careless healer-less teams.
• Encore builds toward a Cosmos Rave Basic Attack burst that rivals limited 5-star units in raw output, but she pays for it by running energy-hungry and comparatively squishy, which is exactly why her best early teams pair her with a dedicated healer.

Verdict: whenever a Forte Circuit is described as highest-damage or burst, check what it costs in return — HP, energy, or fragility — before assuming the gauge is worth maxing out on its own.

Some Forte Circuits do not just add damage — they change the entire attack string while active:

• Camellya's Forte flips her into Budding Mode, a stance that reworks her Normal Attack chain and boosts the damage multiplier of her Basic Attack combo, including the follow-up hit known as Vining Waltz.
• Because the mode changes the actual combo the player is executing, learning Camellya's kit means learning a second attack pattern on top of the default one — not just watching a number go up.
• Her wide-area Havoc damage and easy-to-build team (a free Sub-DPS already works) make Budding Mode forgiving to pick up compared to stance-swap kits elsewhere in the roster.

Verdict: when a Forte Circuit swaps the whole combo rather than just buffing existing hits, treat learning that new combo as a separate skill to practice, not an automatic upgrade.

Every example above points at the same lesson: a Resonator's listed multipliers on paper assume the Forte Circuit is being read and used correctly, not ignored.

• A Main DPS whose real damage sits behind a Forte state, like Cosmos Rave or Budding Mode, deals a fraction of its potential if the player never triggers that state on purpose.
• A stack-based Forte, like Incandescence, rewards planning a rotation around teammates who feed it — playing that character in isolation caps the payoff far below what the kit can reach.
• An HP-cost Forte, like Danjin's, changes team-building itself, since the gauge is only worth using with sustain already covering the drain.

Verdict: Forte Circuit is not a side stat to glance at once — it is the mechanic that decides whether a Resonator's advertised damage is actually being unlocked in a real fight.

Every one of the 56 playable Resonators has its own named Forte Circuit ability with its own effect. The table below lists all of them in one place — a quick reference for what each character's Forte Circuit actually does (condensed to its opening mechanic; see each character's own kit breakdown for the full text).

Character	Forte Circuit	What it does
Yangyang	Echoing Feathers	Heavy Attack: Stormy Strike When Yangyang has 3 Melodies, she can cast Stormy Strike after Heavy Attack or Dodge Counter, dealing Aero DMG.
Chixia	Heroic Bullets	Resonance Skill: DAKA DAKA! Hold Resonance Skill Whizzing Fight Spirit to enter DAKA DAKA!. In this state: - Chixia continuously consumes "Thermobaric Bullets" to attack the target, dealing Fusion DMG, considered as Resonance Skill DMG. - Tap Basic Attack to cast Basic Attack 4, dealing Fusion DMG, considered as Basic Attack DMG. Then she exits the "DAKA DAKA!" state. - If 30 "Thermobaric Bullets" have been fired when Basic Attack is activated, Chixia will cast Resonance Skill Boom Boom and exit "DAKA DAKA!" state. - Chixia exits the "DAKA DAKA!" state when all "Thermobaric Bullets" are consumed.
Verina	Starflower Blooms	Heavy Attack: Starflower Blooms When casting Heavy Attack, if Verina carries "Photosynthesis Energy", Verina consumes 1 stack of "Photosynthesis Energy" to recover Concerto Energy and heal all characters on a nearby team. Heavy Attack: Starflower Blooms deals Spectro DMG, considered as Heavy Attack DMG.
Rover: Spectro	World in a Grain of Sand	Resonance Skill: Resonating Spin If "Diminutive Sound" exceeds 50 when Resonance Skill is used, Rover consumes 50 "Diminutive Sound" to cast Resonating Spin, dealing Spectro DMG, considered as Resonance Skill DMG.
Sanhua	Clarity of Mind	Heavy Attack: Detonate When holding Basic Attack, a cursor moves back and forth on the Forte Gauge. Release Basic Attack while cursor falls in the "Frostbite" area, to perform Heavy Attack Detonate, dealing Glacio DMG considered as Heavy Attack DMG.
Taoqi	Power Shift	Timed Counters When carrying "Resolving Caliber", use Basic Attack after Heavy Attack Strategic Parry or Intro Skill Defense Formation to cast Timed Counters, performing up to 3 consecutive attacks, dealing Havoc DMG, considered as Basic Attack DMG. Timed Counters consume 1 "Resolving Caliber" upon hitting an enemy to grant a shield. After casting the Intro Skill Defense Formation, use Basic Attack to directly cast Timed Counters. Resolving Caliber Taoqi can hold up to 3 Resolving Caliber. Basic Attack 4 will consume all of Taoqi's "Rocksteady Shields" to grant that many "Resolving Caliber". While Rocksteady Shield exists, when the active character is attacked, 1 "Rocksteady Shield" will be consumed to recover "Resolving Caliber". After Rocksteady Shield ends, all remaining "Rocksteady Shield" will be consumed to grant that many "Resolving Caliber".
Baizhi	Cycle of Life	You'tan A Remnant Creature that answers to Baizhi's mind and desires while sharing all her stats. You'tan goes back to Baizhi when Baizhi dodges.
Encore	Black & White Woolies	Heavy Attack: Cloudy Frenzy When Encore's "Mayhem" is full, after casting a Heavy Attack, Encore will consume all "Mayhem" to enter the Mayhem state, reducing damage taken by 70%. Switching Characters does not interrupt the Mayhem state. After the Mayhem state ends, Encore will cast Cloudy Frenzy, dealing Fusion DMG, considered as Resonance Liberation damage.
Danjin	Serene Vigil	Heavy Attack: Chaoscleave After accumulating 60 "Ruby Blossom", long press Basic Attack to consume all "Ruby Blossom" to cast Chaoscleave, dealing Havoc DMG, considered as Heavy Attack DMG, and healing Danjin. If current "Ruby Blossom" reaches over 120, 120 "Ruby Blossom" is consumed instead to increase the DMG multiplier of Chaoscleave and Scatterbloom performed this time.
Aalto	Misty Cover	When Aalto passes through "Mist" or "Gate of Quandary", he enters the Mistcloak Dash.
Jiyan	Qingloong at War	When casting Resonance Skill Windqueller, if Jiyan has 30 or more "Resolve", he consumes 30 "Resolve" to increase the DMG of this Resonance Skill Windqueller by 20%. When Jiyan is in Qingloong Mode, DMG of Resonance Skill Windqueller is increased by 20% and no longer consumes "Resolve". Resonance Liberation: Emerald Storm - Finale
Mortefi	Fury Fugue	Resonance Skill: Fury Fugue When Mortefi's Annoyance reaches 100, his Resonance Skill is replaced with Fury Fugue. When casting Fury Fugue, Mortefi consumes all Annoyance to unleash high-speed flame lightning, dealing Fusion DMG, considered as Resonance Skill DMG.
Camellya	Vegetative Universe	Hitting a target with Normal Attack, Basic Attack Vining Waltz, Basic Attack Blazing Waltz, Basic Attack Vining Ronde, Dodge Counter Atonement , Resonance Skill Crimson Blossom, and Resonance Skill Floral Ravage consumes Crimson Pistils. The Energy Regen Multiplier of this attack is increased by 150%. Consuming 10 Crimson Pistils recovers 4 Concerto Energy and obtains 1 Crimson Bud(s). Each bud lasts for 15s, stacking up to 10 times. Forte Circuit: Ephemeral
Calcharo	Hunting Mission	Heavy Attack: "Mercy" When Calcharo has 3 "Cruelty", his Heavy Attack is replaced with Heavy Attack "Mercy." When casting Heavy Attack "Mercy", Calcharo consumes 3 "Cruelty" to deal Electro DMG, considered as Heavy Attack DMG, and recovers Resonance Energy and Concerto Energy.
Yinlin	Chameleon Cipher	Chameleon Cipher When Yinlin's Judgment Points are full, her Heavy Attack is replaced with Chameleon Cipher, which consumes all Judgment Points to attack the target, dealing Electro DMG. When it hits a target marked with Sinner's Mark, the Sinner's Mark is replaced with Punishment Mark, lasting for 18s. Chameleon Cipher deals Heavy Attack DMG.
Lingyang	Unification of Spirits	Heavy Attack: Glorious Plunge When "Lion's Spirit" is full, use Heavy Attack to perform Glorious Plunge, dealing Glacio DMG.
Yuanwu	Unassuming Blade	Rumbling Spark When "Readiness" is full, hold Resonance Skill to consume all "Readiness" and cast Rumbling Spark, dealing Electro DMG and entering the Lightning Infused state.
Rover: Havoc	Umbra Eclipse	Devastation When "Umbra" is full, hold Basic Attack to cast Devastation to attack the target, dealing Havoc DMG, considered as Heavy Attack DMG.
Jianxin	Primordial Chi Spiral	Heavy Attack: Primordial Chi Spiral When "Chi" reaches max stacks, hold Basic Attack to cast Primordial Chi Spiral and start Zhoutian Progress.
Jinhsi	Luminal Synthesis	Incarnation While in Incarnation: - Alternative Basic Attack "Incarnation - Basic Attack" becomes available. Perform up to 4 consecutive strikes, dealing Spectro DMG considered as Resonance Skill DMG. The basic attack cycle of this will not be reset. Can be cast in mid-air. - Alternative Resonance Skill "Crescent Divinity" becomes available. Deal Spectro DMG. Can be cast in mid-air. - Alternative Heavy Attack "Incarnation - Heavy Attack" becomes available. Attack the target in mid-air at the cost of Stamina, dealing Spectro DMG. - Alternative Dodge "Incarnation - Dodge" is available while in mid-air. Can be cast multiple times at the cost of Stamina. - Alternative Dodge Counter "Incarnation - Dodge Counter" becomes available. Deal Spectro DMG. Can be cast in mid-air.
Xiangli Yao	Forever Seeking	Resonance Skill - Decipher When Capacity reaches 100, Resonance Skill Deduction is replaced by Resonance Skill Decipher. Consume 100 Capacity to cast Resonance Skill Decipher, dealing Electro DMG, considered as Resonance Liberation DMG.
Changli	Flaming Sacrifice	Heavy Attack: Flaming Sacrifice When releasing Heavy Attack, if Changli carries 4 stacks of Enflamement, she consumes all stacks of Enflamement to cast Flaming Sacrifice, dealing Fusion DMG, considered as Resonance Skill DMG. While casting Flaming Sacrifice, Changli takes 40% less DMG.
Zhezhi	Ink and Wash	Phantasmic Imprint Zhezhi may summon Phantasmic Imprints at the cost of Afflatus when casting Resonance Skill Manifestation or Heavy Attack Conjuration.
Lumi	Signal Light	Energized Pounce When Yellow Light Spark is fully recovered, replace Resonance Skill with Resonance Skill Energized Pounce that deals Electro DMG and enter Red Spotlight Mode. The DMG dealt is considered Basic Attack DMG. When in Red Spotlight Mode, the DMG Multiplier of Red Light: Basic Attack and Red Light: Heavy Attack is increased, with an extra amount of Sparks recovered. Red Spotlight Mode ends after performing altogether 4 Basic Attacks and/or Heavy Attacks.
Youhu	Poetic Essence	At four Auspices, hold the Normal Attack button to release Poetic Essence, dealing Glacio DMG, considered as Resonance Skill DMG, while restoring HP for all nearby party members.
Shorekeeper	Astral Chord	Flare Star Butterfly Hitting a target with a Normal Attack generates a Collapsed Core, which transforms into a Flare Star Butterfly after 6s. Flare Star Butterflies automatically track and attack a target, dealing Spectro DMG. If there are already 5 Collapsed Cores, Shorekeeper's next Basic Attack hit will instantly convert a Collapsed Core into a Flare Star Butterfly.
Roccia	A Prop Master Prepares	Beyond Imagination - When Roccia is in Beyond Imagination with at least 100 Imagination, press the Basic Attack button to consume 100 Imagination to cast Basic Attack Real Fantasy. - Roccia exits this state when she is not airborne or when switched off the field.
Carlotta	Lethal Repertoire	Heavy Attack - Imminent Oblivion Carlotta activates Tinted Crystal every 22s. When Substance is full and Tinted Crystal is activated, hold Normal Attack to consume all Substance and cast Heavy Attack Imminent Oblivion, after which Tinted Crystal enters cooldown. Deal Glacio DMG (considered Resonance Skill DMG), and reduce the cooldown of Resonance Skill Art of Violence by 6s.
Brant	Ocean Odyssey	Theatrical Moment Brant gains additional ATK based on his Energy Regen: For every 1% of his Energy Regen over 150%, Brant gains additional 12 points of ATK, up to 1560.
Phoebe	Radiant Invocation	When Phoebe's Prayer is full, consume all Prayer to cast one of the following skills: - Hold Basic Attack to cast Heavy Attack Absolution Litany, dealing Spectro DMG and applying 1 stack of Spectro Frazzle to the targets hit.
Rover: Aero	Cycle of Wind	Mid-air Attack - Cloudburst Dance Perform up to 2 consecutive attacks, dealing Aero DMG (considered Resonance Skill DMG) and healing all nearby Resonators in the team. Cast through the following 3 ways: - Press Normal Attack right after casting Resonance Skill Awakening Gale. - Press Normal Attack right after casting Intro Skill. - Press Normal Attack right after casting Heavy Attack Razor Wind. When casting Mid-air Attack Cloudburst Dance, hold Normal Attack to perform Mid-air Attack.
Cantarella	Between Illusion and Reality	Mirage - Basic Attack becomes Basic Attack Phantom Sting.
Ciaccona	Symphony of Wind and Verse	Heavy Attack - Quadruple Downbeat When there are 3 segments of Musical Essence, Heavy Attack is replaced with Heavy Attack - Quadruple Downbeat.
Zani	There Will Be A Light	Heliacal Ember When Zani is in the team and a nearby Resonator inflicts Spectro Frazzle upon a target, immediately consume all Spectro Frazzle stacks and trigger the corresponding DMG, then convert Spectro Frazzle into an equal number of Heliacal Embers. Every time the conversion happens, Zani obtains Blaze based on the stacks of Heliacal Ember inflicted. Heliacal Ember is capped at 60 stacks, with each stack lasting for 6s. Heliacal Ember stacks are counted toward the Spectro Frazzle stacks for the Eternal Radiance Sonata Effect.
Lupa	Ignis Lupa	Wildfire Banner Lupa's ATK is increased by 12% for 8s when performing the following actions: - Casting Resonance Skill Feral Fang. - Casting Heavy Attack - Wolf's Gnawing, Heavy Attack - Wolf's Claw, or Mid-air Attack - Firestrike. - Casting Resonance Liberation Fire-Kissed Glory. - Casting Dance With the Wolf and Dance With the Wolf: Climax.
Phrolova	Rhapsody of a New World	Basic Attack - Movement of Fate and Finality When in Reincarnate, press Normal Attack on the ground to cast Movement of Fate and Finality, which Stagnates the target, dealing Havoc DMG (considered Resonance Skill DMG) and ending Reincarnate afterward.
Cartethyia	Tempest	Cartethyia unlocks new moves when she transforms into Fleurdelys: Basic Attack - Fleurdelys Basic Attack - Cartethyia is replaced by Basic Attack - Fleurdelys.
Augusta	Call Me By the Sun	Resonance Skill - Undying Sunlight: Strike When Ascendancy is full, Resonance Skill - Warrior's Blade is replaced with Resonance Skill - Undying Sunlight: Strike, dealing Electro DMG. - Press Normal Attack or Resonance Skill during the action to cast Resonance Skill - Undying Sunlight: Leap. - Resonance Skill - Undying Sunlight: Strike can be re-cast shortly after being interrupted. - Resonance Skill - Undying Sunlight: Leap can be cast some time again after being interrupted. - Can be cast mid-air.
Iuno	Ebb and Flow	Lunar Cycle Iuno can activate Lunar Cycle by casting Resonance Skill - Closing Refrain or Resonance Liberation.
Buling	Thunder Begets Life	Yin-Yang Balance When Buling obtains Minor Yin and Minor Yang, she enters the Yin-Yang Balance state, replacing her Resonance Liberation - Flashing Thunder Spell with Resonance Liberation - Flashing Thunder Spell: Harmony.
Galbrena	Beyond Threshold	Threshold State By default, Galbrena is in Threshold State, and in this state, she accumulates Afterflame and Sinflame.
Chisa	Sight of Unraveling - Oblivion	Unseen Snare Chisa inflicts Unseen Snare on the target for 30s in the following 4 ways: - Hitting a target with Resonance Skill.
Qiuyuan	Verdant Edge	Basic Attack - Thus Spoke the Blade: Inkwash When Qiuyuan reaches 200 points of Swordster's Soliloquy, his Basic Attack is replaced with Basic Attack Thus Spoke the Blade: Inkwash, which chains together up to 4 consecutive strikes, dealing Aero DMG, considered as Heavy Attack DMG.
Lynae	Chromaticity Modeling	Optical Sampling Stage Lynae is in Optical Sampling Stage by default. While in this state, Overflow recovers during certain skills.
Mornye	Mass-Energy Equivalence	Baseline Mode While in her default Baseline Mode, Mornye gains Rest Mass Energy.
Luuk Herssen	Spark from the Frost	Mid-air Attack - Gavel of Earthshaker When the Solid-State Ichor of Resonance Skill Aureole of Execution: Glare is hurled out, press Normal Attack in mid-air to cast Mid-air Attack - Gavel of Earthshaker. Slam down from the air to detonate the Ichor Deposit, dealing Spectro DMG (considered Basic Attack DMG) and recovering all STA. Mid-air Attack - Gavel of Earthshaker is no longer available when Resonance Liberation Rewritten in Winter's Margins is cast or Luuk Herssen is switched off the field.
Aemeath	To Sculpt the Silence	Seraphic Duo When casting Basic Attack - Aemeath Stage 4 or Basic Attack - Mech Stage 4, enter Seraphic Duo for 5s.
Sigrika	Within Infinity's Embrace	Heavy Attack - Schemata of Runes Hold Normal Attack to consume two Runes and cast Heavy Attack - Schemata of Runes, dealing Aero DMG.
Denia	"Flawless"	Erosion Field After casting Resonance Liberation Final Act - Breakdown Form, generate an Erosion Field, lasting for 30s.
Rebecca	Gloves Are Comin' Off!	Switch Gears! Upon casting Resonance Skill or Intro Skill, Rebecca can freely switch between the Huntress and Guts modes. - The Huntress mode increases Rebecca's Crit. DMG by 30%. - The Guts mode allows Rebecca to ignore 15% of the target's DEF. By default, Rebecca starts in the Huntress mode.
Lucilla	Memory Palace	Déjà Vu While casting Resonance Liberation - Clear As Day, Lucilla grants the following enhancements based on her Resonance Mode: - When in Resonance Mode - Glacio Chafe, gain 4 stacks of Film Roll for 30s, stacking up to 4 times. All stacks are removed when the duration ends. - When in Resonance Mode - Echo, gain 1 stacks of Zoom for 30s. Max 1 stack, which is removed when the duration ends. The above effects end early when Lucilla switches Resonance Mode.
Lucy	Depths of Blackwall	Cloud Portal When not in Algorithm Compaction, Lucy gains TCP upon hitting a target. At 100 points of TCP, Resonance Skill - Payload and Resonance Skill - Pulse Interference are replaced with Resonance Skill - Deadlock. Casting Resonance Liberation - Netrunner or Resonance Liberation - Old Net Deep Dive clears all TCP.
Hiyuki	Everfrost Dominion	Glacio Bite - While Hiyuki is in the team, Glacio Chafe inflicted by nearby Resonators in the team is converted to Glacio Bite.
Rover: Electro	Myriad Omens' Mandate	Overshock At max Electric Surge, Resonance Skill is replaced with Resonance Skill Overshock, dealing Electro DMG. Press Normal Attack shortly after casting this skill to perform Normal Attack Stage 4. This skill can be cast in mid-air. If Resonance Skill Overshock is cast by pressing the button, clear all Electric Surge to grant Resonators in the team 10% ATK Bonus for 20s. If Resonance Skill Overshock is cast by holding down the button, consume 60 points of Concerto Energy to deal damage, then clear all Electric Surge to enter Apex Resonance.
Yangyang: Xuanling	The Way of Ten Thousand Voices	Resonance Skill - Sword Stance Flow: Azure Yangyang: Xuanling is in Azure Sword Stance by default. When Melody is depleted while in Feather Sword Stance, Resonance Skill - Feather's Edge is replaced by Resonance Skill - Sword Stance Flow: Azure. Press Resonance Skill to switch to Azure Sword Stance and cast Resonance Skill - Sword Stance Flow: Azure, dealing Havoc DMG and restoring 100 points of Melody and 1 points of Azure Plume. This instance of DMG is considered Heavy Attack DMG. When Resonance Skill - Sword Stance Flow: Azure hits the target, consume 1 stacks of Havoc Bane on the target. The Basic Attack - Feather Sword Stance cycle is not reset within a short time after casting Resonance Skill - Sword Stance Flow: Azure. If casting Resonance Skill - Sword Stance Flow: Azure resets the cycle, summon a Wraith of Sound to finish the current attack and deal a fixed instance of Havoc DMG, considered Basic Attack DMG, which is not affected by any DMG Bonus effects and does not inflict Havoc Bane. Successful Dodge can be triggered within a short time into the action of this skill, which consumes 50 points of Melody.
Suisui	Lambent Gold	Zephyr Stance Suisui is in Zephyr Stance by default. When in Zephyr Stance, Suisui can obtain Cloud Breath through certain skills.